Tag: recommendations

book-review, Family Drama, Indigenous American, literature

There, There a story of a place that doesn’t exist anymore

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Years ago I had been a participant in a program on diversity. During this program we were asked to create a spectrum of I am no sure what. I do, however remember that the facilitator stated that the Natives and the Jews should be together since we were both parts of tribes. At the time, I remember it was intriguing, but I didn’t explore it much.

As I listen to There There I am struck by the sad similarities and differences between our tribes. The book is made up of twelve separate stories that are tangentially collected. Early on we meet Jackie Red Feather and her sister Opal Victoria Viola Bear Shield. Their mother, recently battered by one of the girl’s father’s, takes the girls to join other Natives taking over Alcatraz. This reminds me of the Jews that fled Jerusalem after the first and second temples were destroyed. They fled to a fortress also to keep their way of life alive. Ultimately both fail to gain their demands, but they came together to build a community, which at the core of each is the most important part.

Other stories are added, where Natives are spoken down to, not heard, not given opportunities. They are herded together, but they don’t believe it can be that bad, people are not that evil. Both the Jews and the Natives were wrong in that belief, as they both face massacres in scale and scope that truly underline how evil exists in the world.

One character, Dene, earns a grant to capture the stories of Natives – who they are, what it means to be Native, and how they came to be there. This is also something that the Jews have done since the end of World War 2, bearing witness and sharing.

One way that is not similar is the susceptibility of Natives to addiction. Tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are devastating to these people. The number of children born addicted is disproportionately high versus the US population. One section shares the speech of a suicide prevention specialist that was especially compelling. It is that just telling them to stop doing it does not address the real problem. That was hopelessness. If there was hope, there would not be as many choosing to check out.

All roads lead to the Big Pow Wow in Oakland. This is a trial for the Indian Center – if it goes well, they will do more. Its an opportunity to dance, to learn from the big drums, to be with your people, and to try for big prize money. It is also where the White parts of the Natives, illustrated by the White 3d printed guns, does random destruction and irreparable damage to those in attendance.

As all tragedies do, it tears some apart, while bringing others together. Either way, none are the same. They are all just trying to survive and honor who they are and where they came from.

book-review, books, literature, Middle Eastern, read around the world, reading

There is no place like home

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I have been reading many books that have been translated this year.  I have found that my reactions to the translation can impact the experience of the book.  I find that especially on books translated from middle eastern languages.  With this in mind, I started reading Homesick by Eshkol Nevo.

This book was designed to switch from perspective to perspective, with no indication of the point of view until you read the words.  The characters here represent different sections of Israeli society.  The community that the story is focused on is made up of Jewish immigrants from Kurdistan that settled there after the war of 1948, when the Arabs living there abandoned the village. Moshe and Sima are a couple that struggles with the pressure of being religious Jews.  Yotam lost his older brother in the conflicts, and his parents are lost in grief.  Noa and Avram have travelled around the world in search of themselves.  As each of these families go about struggling through their lives, unaware that they are settled where a village used to be.  Saddiq, who’s family owned the land for centuries under Turkish rule, is now working in the village building a new house.

Throughout this, Avram’s friend is writing him, talking of love, adventure and more. As the story concludes, the community that is built helps define what it means to be home, with all its various meanings.

Even with the translation, the language is compelling and thought provoking.  I recommended this book.

books, literature, reading

Books everyone should read

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One great thing that happens when people know you are a reader is they ask for recommendations.  I am always THRILLED to help people find books that they will connect with. As I have mentioned before, my co-workers think it’s funny to keep track of my target numbers, but most times they just chuckle and walk away with their heads shaking.  So this week, I was over the moon when I was asked to help suggest book titles for a teen reader, and then I got THE QUESTION.  What books do you say are the SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE?  There are so many lists out there for this type of thing.  Everyone has their own take on the Classics, but each of us come to these stories with life experience and beliefs that change how we react to the story as we read this at different points in our life.  For example – I loved the Little House books.  I have fond memories of these books and how they transported me to a different time and place when I was young.  When I read them aloud to my daughter, however, I realized that the language was much more passive and I was less engaged. It was still fun to watch my daughter be transported, but I was focusing on many different aspects of the story now that I had more life experience to measure it against.

So I approached this question by only looking at the books that I have read – how can I opine on something that I have not actually read?  Then the struggle over a book that I loved, but do I think that everyone should read this?  Most times yes, but not always.  Then I noticed that many of the books I have selected are focused on the struggles of women – such a shock because it is something I relate to!  Are those all required reading for men? Many should be.  So I kept paring down my list – until I reached the smallish number of 103 titles.  Because – why not?

Then I set to describe why I chose the titles.  After doing this, I got down to 64. I kept at it, until, after a number of times walking away, I came to the nice round number of 15.  These are the titles that I currently believe everyone should read, and why.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

An alternative narrative to the matriarchs of the three largest religions in the world, this takes a blank story – the women’s lives are not illuminated in the Bible – and provides a full rich life for them.  Sets the story of our religion on more even ground than without them. Beautifully written, completely believable.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Taking religion on the road, and trying to convert “savages” in their own lands takes a certain amount of arrogance and strength of will. This is the story of a man that has both in large quantities, and he takes his wife and daughters along for the ride.  How he is received by the tribe he is bent to convert, and how the tribe shapes his family’s views, are a revelation in international relations, the folly of those unwilling to learn, as well as human frailty.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follet (one of a trilogy, this first was the best, in my opinion)

This is a novel that takes the intricacies of the world in the early 1900s, and explains very well how the world fell into the Great War, and the cost paid by a generation for the arrogance of men. If we don’t learn from mistakes, we are bound to repeat them.  The facts are so well integrated to the story, you don’t realize how much you are learning while engaged with compelling narrative of well written characters.

Night by Eli Weisel

A first-hand account of surviving the death camps of Adolph Hitler. A slim volume that will paint a picture you will never forget. That is the point – don’t forget.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Set in the middle of WWII, this is an indictment on the absurdity of war. The easily manipulated reality that is discovered when playing with those in charge. Rules are made to be broken, officers to be subverted, all in order to stay alive.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

In my last title set in war, I believe this is the most compelling and sensitive one I have read on the atrocities of war.  The war here was just as savage as WWII, with ethnic cleansing a goal. You need to know about that to understand the subtleties of the writing. The goal of the cellist, and the lengths that each side will go to either stop or protect him, are an allegory for what each stands for. Never letting go of what makes us human is what will keep us all alive in the long run.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A story of neglect and forgiveness, this traces how three children find themselves in the gardens of life, and bring to life those around them. The richness of the garden versus the starkness of the house continue to reveal more layers of depth as I grow to see the parallels to people’s lives.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

When a girl shows up at the farm when they wanted a boy, she shows that while bringing different skills, they are just as important to people looking to live a full life.  Dreaming can bring about both calamity and celebration, both which keep you wanting to move forward.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamara Pierce

With so many action adventures led by boys, it was high time a girl took over the role of Hero.  In this series, launched by this first book, Alanna proves she is just as good, if not better, than the boys in their own games, and she has more to give too.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris

The story of three Native American women, three generations of a family, and how they each experienced their own lives and challenges to make them connected.  It brings each generation’s story their own voice, while seeing the difference between their reality and other’s impression of what that is.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Shorter then his typical epics, this story is what it says – the same story told from different people’s view. Each time, even though you know how it will end, you expect a different outcome. Fresh and well written, it underlines the reality that the story is in the eyes of the beholder.

The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas by Aric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Eight novellas, each focused on a different view of what is beauty. As with Marquez and Dorris, this is in the eye of the beholder, but this helps open them where you may have overlooked.

Wonder by R.J. Palacia

The story of children and adults that learn the lesson of being open to all – the wonder of life can be shown to you by anyone.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

With so many of his novels being so good, I chose this one because the lesson is one that the current fame obsessed world should remember.  Be careful what you ask for, it may take you further from where you want to be.

Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence

A reflection on the US at a period in time, this is a fictional telling of the Scopes Monkey Trial.  Thought provoking, still relevant as the struggle between faith and science continues. My favorite quote of all time comes from this:  “God created man, and man returned the favor.”  I used it last week.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Another reflection on the US at a period in time, this a story based upon the actual events in Ferguson. A black man is killed by a white cop. The man was unarmed, stopped at a traffic light. His friend, Starr, was in the car. How the community, police, and family react are all highlighted here with raw emotion and real conflict of doing right by your community while doing right for yourself.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

book-review, books, Holocaust, reading, romance

A good weekend of reading

k4books

With my work deadline met, my dinner club attended, and the laundry almost done, I have been able to catch up on some reading this weekend.  While technically behind my regular pace, I remain above the majority of those that graduate and never read another book.  Can’t say that I have seen the Avengers, or that I have purchased the tickets yet, but you know where my priorities are.

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon

This is a book about being Jewish during the Second World War in Italy.  The story centers around two people that meet as children, one a boy sent from America because of his one leg, to be a priest. The other is an Italian girl whose family helped the boy and his grandparents. This improbable pair become fast friends, and grow close.  The lack of belief that the Fascists would harm the Jews of Italy mirrors what happened in the rest of Europe, but the underlying negativity and Anti-Semitism of the time is glossed over.  The number of “close calls” and “near misses” are very convenient, as is the theory that the Catholic Church was organized well to save Jews.  I believe the truth of that was how the Pope did not intercede, in life or in fiction, to help them.  As for the improbability of the ending – this was a very Hollywood ending. While it is nice to see something good come from such evil, this is the least believable part of the whole story.

My Ex Life by Stephan McCauley

The story of two formerly married people that, after a brief marriage and decades apart, are brought back together by one’s daughter.  David, a gay man that had married Julia when she found she was pregnant, is contacted in San Francisco by Mandy, Julia’s teenage daughter. Mandy has brought him up to keep her divorcing parents from using her as a pawn against each other. David, who runs a successful(ish) consulting company helping the children of wealthy parents get through the college application process (no bribes here, however).  He comes out to New England to help based upon Mandy’s request, and a need to leave SF as he is losing his rental to a former lover and his new partner.  Julia, who has been taking hits of weed every day for years, is slightly muddled and unfocused about herself and her home, which she loves passionately, but will probably lose in the divorce.  As David sets to straighten up everything (the gay man going straight line here is too obvious), and Julia allows him to take care of her, they fall into a companionable life together, as though time had not passed.  While Mandy acts out on her and her mother’s lack of belief in themselves, David is the one that puts the pieces together and saves the day. But only because each person takes responsibility for their own actions, past and present, to be able to build a new future.

Next up: The Seven Sisters, A Place for Us, and The Alice Network.  Someday I may finish Becoming.  Right now I am bored so I am not wasting my time.

book-review, books, Family Drama, literature, reading

Shelter

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Sometimes things just happen. This winter it has been many things. From a concussed child (cheerleading as a contact sport), a cheating scandal (who knew it is wrong to share views of your work with a “friend”?), family members with a minor stroke, a broken femur, a stay in rehab, monthly shots in the eye(s), and a brand new boss in the mix (first time with a boss in the same country in over 10 years), I have had my fair share. As I look around, however, I see myself still working toward the goals I set when I was much younger, trying to do at least as well as my parents. With college bills coming down the road fast, retirement is nowhere on the horizon.  It is from this place that I began listening to Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered.

This book is a combination of two stories from the same location. We start with Willa, named after the famous author, in her new house that appears to be falling down around her – literally. She receives a call from her son, a brand new father, to say that his partner, Helene had just committed suicide. Their son had been in the bassinet, and was crying like crazy, which is what made Zeke go look in on Helene.  A funeral is made, bags are packed – the house, the car, and the credit card debt all belonged in Helene’s name. Zeke made a pilgrimage to his parent’s home in Vineland with his newborn infant and staggering student debt. He joins his parents, Willa and Yanno, his sister Tig, and Yanno’s father Nick.  Nick is an immigrant from Greece who rails against everyone who is not white or has the same beliefs as he does. He is diabetic, on oxygen, and nearing the end of his life. Yanno had spent years working toward tenure, but never achieving it.  The family had been moving down the rankings at colleges in search of this elusive ticket to a future, security, and an ability to say they succeeded. Tig, who had left the family and come back after a clandestine stay in Cuba, was forever bucking the staunch economic grab of father political scientist and brother economist. She was the scientist that looked at what was there and did not expect more.

In the earlier era, Thatcher brings his wife, sister in law, Polly and their mother back to Vineland after being cast off when their father died and left them penniless in Boston at the mercy of a relative.  Thatcher Goodnow brought them back to the house they loved. That house, designed and built by their father, was falling down around them.  Thatcher, hired as a high school science teacher, was not wealthy, as his wife’s family had been at one time. With the return to the family home, the ladies began to act that way again.  Thatcher saw no way to support these ways, and was fearful he would need to make them leave again.  He was at odds with the school’s principal and the town’s founding father Landry about the theory of evolution.  Thatcher’s neighbor, Mary Treat, was a scientist. She was in contact with Charles Darwin and other prominent scientists of the day.  It was the connection between Thatcher and Mary that helped him understand what was important and what he valued.

This was where things all join.  The two stories are about being open to observing that changes are happening, if you want them to or not. You need to examine what it means, and how you should adapt.  It is those that adapt that will survive.  Do with what you have, enjoy those around you, and know when it is good to retreat.

book-review, books, Indian Culture, literature, reading

quest for justice in books and movies

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As everyone gets ready to either watch or avoid the Academy Awards tonight, the number of articles being posted about them is exploding. I read one today on Yahoo.com about how Driving Miss Daisy won the award in 1989, but Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing was not even nominated. The article went on to detail how race relations in the movies has always been employment based.  The black person is hired as a maid or driver, the friendship is made, and the employer’s racism is lessened. This concept was an important one for me, as I had just finished reading The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar.

Set in India, where classism is real and continuing, this is a story of the bonds of friendship that are forged between employee and employer. Sera may be well off, with a beautiful, pregnant daughter and son-in-law living with her after her husband passed away three years earlier, but there is darkness within her. Her husband is survived by a mother, incapacitated by a stroke, who had dominated Sera’s adult life, intent on extracting pain. This trait was passed to her son, who’s need to dominate Sera included the use of his fists.

Bhima, an uneducated but hard working woman, had been courted by Gopol and lived a happy life, until an industrial accident robbed them of 3 fingers, worker’s compensation, and dignity. As Gopol’s slide to despair and pain makes him turn to drink, the joy and caring goes out of the family.

The story, as it unwinds, begins with Bhima’s shame as she sees her 17 year old granddaughter Maya is pregnant and unmarried. Throughout this book, Bhima is on a quest for find justice. What we find, however, is that even with an education, women are at the mercy of men in this society. We also find that women can be even crueler when asked to take sides.

Bhima has given her life and energy to Sera and her family, yet is not allowed to sit on the furniture or use the dishes. While Sera has helped Bhima when Maya came to her, taking an interest in Maya’s education, when faced with realities of Bhima’s life, such as where she lives, Sera remains apart. It is in the end, when real evil is revealed, that the façade is pulled down.

In order to not spoil the story, I will leave it at this: in India the voices of women are marginalized, and the voices of poor women are silenced. In the larger world, this story is yet another tale that in a simple relationship where one holds the power, you need to understand this and not give up too much of yourself. Unless you are fully treated as equal, in the book by being allowed to sit on the chairs to drink from the glasses, in the movie by being allowed to come in to sit next to Miss Daisy as they hear MLK, Jr. there will always remain a barrier to equality. Even if there is deep companionship.  This struggle continues today, not just in India, but everywhere that people are not equal. Economic, spiritual, racial, and gender identifications are all ways in which the world has been divided, and remains so. Those in power, as in the book, will do everything to keep their power, regardless of the cost to others.

books, reading

Back at it – 2019 has begun

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Ending the year 2018 with a big historical biography has slowed me down. While it was an amazing book, Clara Barton was a complex individual with a spine of steel, and a depth I had not fully appreciated prior to reading this biography, the dense volume took much time to digest. I ended up taking the last week off before year end with no reading at all. All in all, the year of 2018 was a successful reading one for me. 2019 is looking to be another one.

This year I am continuing with the reading challenges that I found last year. These are right up my alley – one is reading about different cultures – and I am excited to see what I am going to mark off my personal around the world book challenge. The first challenge to be tackled by me, however, is from my TBR list – The Bookshop of Yesterdays.

The main character is named for Miranda in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and the bookstore she inherits is Prospero Books. The story begins when Miranda hears that her Uncle Billy, whom she has not seen or heard from in 16 years, has died. Billy was known for his scavenger hunts – and he sent one to Miranda after his death. She returns from Philadelphia to California to find out what happened. Throughout the story, the mystery of why Billy disappeared on her 12th birthday is driving her forward to reveal the secrets her parents have kept from her. The parallels to The Tempest abound through the book, and I am sure I would have noticed more if I had actually read Shakespeare’s story. If you are familiar with the book, you will solve this much quicker than if you do not. Either way, the characters are engaging, if playing according to the rules of the original. All in all, this was a good read.

 

books, reading

Year in Review – adding to the lists

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The New Year is lapping at our toes. The press is already showing the lists of Best Books for the Year. I may not be done with my reading, but I will jump in the fray wrapping up lists and challenges for the year.

Goodreads has kindly informed me that as of today I have read 26,895 pages across 80 books so far this year, with my longest book coming in at 1376 pages (Noble House). Even though this is owned and operated by Barnes and Noble, the discussion groups have been a great source of titles and inspiration for me. One group ran monthly challenges in honor of its 10th anniversary year.  I chose books from member’s libraries, books on my TBR list, prize winners, buddy reads, and recommendations from members. While the time was well spent for myself, I was one of 13 that completed the full challenge with all possible points, and was entered to a raffle that many times – and won third prize.  I am now on the hunt for great titles to spend my gift cards on.

As I do that, here are some books you may be interested in – and how I challenged myself to read so widely.

List 1:  Books I read for the PBT Decatholon:

MONTH TITLE AUTHOR
September: The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir Jennifer Ryan
August: The Thirty Nine Steps John Buchan
July: The Hearts Invisible Furies John Boyne
June: Marley and Me John Grogan
May: The Finkler Question Howard Jacobson
April: Runaway Alice Munro
March: Maus 1: My father bleeds history Art Spiegelman
Maus 2: And here my troubles begin Art Spiegelman
The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery
February: An Invisible Thread Laura Schroff
January: Beartown Fredrik Backman

 

List 2: Books I read for my travel log: Around the world

COUNTRY TITLE AUTHOR
Saudi Arabia Girls of Riyadh Rajaa Alsanea
Afghanistan The Pearl That Broke Its Shell Nadia Hashimi
Chile Ten Women Marcela Serrano
China The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Lisa See
Dominican Republic How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Julia Alvarez
Ethiopia Life After Coffee Virginia Franken
France The Velvet Hours Alyson Richman
Hong Kong Noble House James Clavell
Iran: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Marjane Satrapi
Ireland The Heart’s Invisible Fury’s John Boyne
Kenya Circling the Sun Paula McLain
Korea Please take care of mom Kyong-suk Sin
New Guinea Euphoria Lily King
Pakistan I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban Malala Yousafzai
Peru The Bridge of San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder
Scotland Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman
Singapore Crazy Rich Asians Kevin Kwan
Sweden Beartown Fredrik Backman
Turkey The Lost Sisterhood Anne Fortier
USA A Fall of Marigolds Susan Meissner

 List 3: My best reads of the year

Title Author
Girls of Riyadh Rajaa Alsanea
The Weight of Ink Rachel Kadish
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman
Before We Visit the Goddess Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Faithful Alice Hoffman
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell Nadia Hashimi
The Hate U Give Angie Thomas
A Fall of Marigolds Susan Meissner
Beartown Fredrik Backman
The Rent Collector Camron Wright
The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir Jennifer    Ryan
Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate

Last but not least, as I read through the Best Books lists of the year, my TBR list continues to expand.  Currently at 126, here is what I am working on:

List 4: To Be Read (TBR):

Title Author
No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria Rania Abouzeid
The Labyrinth of the Spirits Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Unsheltered Barbara Kingsolver
Pretend I’m Dead Jen Beagin
Those Who Knew Idra Novey
Asymmetry Lisa Halliday
The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State Nadia Murad
Nine Perfect Strangers Liane Moriarty
We Should All Be Feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Truth and Beauty Ann Patchett
Autobiography of a Face Lucy Grealy
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope Anne Lamott
Artemis Andy Weir
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women Elena Favilli
In Search of Lost Books: The forgotten stories of eight mythical volumes Giorgio van Straten
Little Edward Carey
Night of Miracles Elizabeth Berg
White Houses Amy Bloom
Radio Free Vermont: A Fable of Resistance Bill McKibben
Alternate Side Anna Quindlen
The Diary of a Bookseller Shaun Bythell
Relic (Pendergast, #1) Douglas Preston
The Clockmaker’s Daughter Kate Morton
The 19th Wife David Ebershoff
Educated Tara Westover
The Library Book Susan Orlean
Codename Zero (The Codename Conspiracy #1) Chris Rylander
The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman
Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry
Less Andrew Sean Greer
Red Clocks Leni Zumas
Do Not Say We Have Nothing Madeleine Thien
For The Immortal (Golden Apple Trilogy #3) Emily Hauser
For The Winner (Golden Apple Trilogy #2) Emily Hauser
For The Most Beautiful (Golden Apple Trilogy #1) Emily Hauser
The Power Naomi Alderman
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats Jan-Philipp Sendker
The Story of Zahra Hanan Al-Shaykh
The Yellow Birds Kevin Powers
Burial Rites Hannah Kent
Maya Jostein Gaarder
The Samurai’s Garden Gail Tsukiyama
The Year of the Hare Arto Paasilinna
The Tango Singer Tomás Eloy Martínez
The Lady and the Unicorn Tracy Chevalier
If You Leave Me Crystal Hana Kim
The Masterpiece Fiona  Davis
Sea Prayer Khaled Hosseini
Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1) Sylvain Neuvel
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo Michael David Lukas
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life Anne Bogel
The Girl Who Knew Too Much Amanda Quick
Other People’s Houses Abbi Waxman
Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered: One Woman’s Year in the Heart of the Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters of Old Jerusalem Sarah Tuttle-Singer
A Place for Us Fatima Farheen Mirza
We Are Legion – We Are Bob (Bobiverse, #1) Dennis E. Taylor
Uncommon Type: Some Stories Tom Hanks
An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic Daniel Mendelsohn
The House of Broken Angels Luis Alberto Urrea
The Immortalists Chloe  Benjamin
Something Beautiful Happened: A Story of Survival and Courage in the Face of Evil Yvette Manessis Corporon
Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved Kate Bowler
Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails Michelle Markowitz
Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces Michael Chabon
The Optimistic Decade Heather Abel
The Great Alone Kristin Hannah
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women Kate  Moore
The Underground Railroad Colson Whitehead
Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) Ernest Cline
Destiny by Design- Leah’s Journey Mirta Ines Trupp
The Two-Family House Lynda Cohen Loigman
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian Marina Lewycka
The History of Love Nicole Krauss
The Seven Good Years Etgar Keret
The Music Shop Rachel Joyce
The One-in-a-Million Boy Monica Wood
I Love Myself When I Am Laughing… And Then Again: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader Zora Neale Hurston
The Neverending Story Michael Ende
Improvement Joan Silber
My Ex-Life Stephen McCauley
From a Paris Balcony Ella Carey
Homesick Eshkol Nevo
The Calligrapher’s Daughter Eugenia Kim
Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo Ntozake Shange
The Space Between Us Thrity Umrigar
The Secrets Between Us Thrity Umrigar
The Miniaturist Jessie Burton
The Bookshop of Yesterdays Amy Meyerson
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader Anne Fadiman
If All the Seas Were Ink: A Memoir Ilana Kurshan
The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters #4) Lucinda Riley
Three Daughters of Eve Elif Shafak
Us Against You (Beartown, #2) Fredrik Backman
The Map of Salt and Stars Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
Freud’s Mistress Karen  Mack
Everything Here Is Beautiful Mira T. Lee
By the Book Julia Sonneborn
Everything You Want Me to Be Mindy Mejia
The Orphan’s Tale Pam Jenoff
History Is All You Left Me Adam Silvera
The Women in the Castle Jessica Shattuck
The Alice Network Kate Quinn
Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders
The Keeper of Lost Things Ruth Hogan
Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng
Ordinary Grace William Kent Krueger
Not Me Michael Lavigne
The Letter Kathryn Hughes
The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun Sébastien Japrisot
Perforated Heart Eric Bogosian
10:04 Ben Lerner
Prayers for Sale Sandra Dallas
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth Lindsey Lee Johnson
Someone Knows My Name Lawrence Hill
The Golden Son Shilpi Somaya Gowda
The Healing Jonathan Odell
Anything We Love Can Be Saved Alice Walker
Say You’re One of Them Uwem Akpan
Joy in the Morning Betty  Smith
Carter Beats the Devil Glen David Gold
The Night Journal Elizabeth   Crook
The Beauty of Humanity Movement Camilla Gibb
I, Mona Lisa Jeanne Kalogridis
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty Joshilyn Jackson
The Weight of Heaven Thrity Umrigar
Love Anthony Lisa Genova

 

book-review, Indigenous American, literature, reading

Stormy weather, here and in books

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It was during this dark week that I finished the book Solar Storm by Linda Hogan. I have needed some time and space to process the horrifying and scary things that have occurred in the last week, as well as to process the complex story that Ms Hogan presents. As in life, this fiction has the roots of the hurt come from centuries of hate, mistrust and misunderstanding. As in fiction, hopefully life will follow; understanding, acceptance and change come next.

This is a multifaceted tale, focusing on generations of family and conflict, centered on the fictitious tribe, now known as The Fat Eaters, but truly known as The Beautiful People.  The tale begins as Angela Jensen, a 17 year old child in the foster care system, returns to stay with relatives she just discovered searching her social services file. It is here she comes to find herself, answers to the questions around the scars that mark her face, and to learn more of whom she comes from. While there she comes to know her family, her history, her gifts, and her strengths. She comes to accept herself, and her ability to adapt to the world that has changed around her, while remaining true to herself.

This book takes time to read and time to process. As the world changes slowly, the tale unfolds, one step backwards in time, then one forward. Just as the river runs on its own pace, so does the story. Similar in voice and pacing to Louise Erdrich, this seems to be a pace that is native to these tribes. Nothing is told outright, all is hinted at. You learn by listening with your heart, and seeing with new eyes.  And when the earth is to be harmed by the building of a dam, change was forced upon them. Outside intervention changes the course of the water, and impacts plants, animals and people in ways never expected.

The dam, while a fictional tale (as noted in the preface from the author) is a story that is based in truth.  In the early 1970s the Hydro-Quebec began development of a dam at James Bay on Cree and Inuit lands without permission. The hunting and fishing grounds that these tribes relied on were flooded, which resulted in mercury poisoning, entering the food chain and directly impacted these tribes.  The forced modernization that was described in the book also happened at this time. This arrogance of the company, and it’s devastating and irreversible impact on the ecosystems and the people who live on it, is shocking in its breadth and destructive power.

As the tribes band together to demand to be heard, we all need to listen. If we would only listen to the water and the earth, maybe we could all find similarities in what we learn instead of differences.  And maybe we can learn to live together in the harmony of the earth and water.

time lapse photo of stars on night
Photo by Jakub Novacek on Pexels.com
books, reading

End of Summer/Starting Anew

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The days of summer are coming to an end. I live in a town that does not start school until after Labor Day, unlike so many other towns around us. That does mean we go later in June, and I am truly ok with this. Some traditions seem good to me, like only wear white anytime between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That one just seems practical – reflect the sun, less sloppy weather to get on the clothes, etc….

But I digress.  As the summer comes to an end, a new school year is upon us. New Year ideas and plans are fresh on my mind. My plans for this school year are all about setting up the study spaces differently, planning lunches ahead of time, updating the calendar of family activities in the hallway, and monitor screen time more aggressively.  No, I will not keep track of my success criteria on these.

As I reflect back on this year, I see my son growing taller than me (not necessarily a HUGE feat, but a milestone in itself). I see my daughter looking ahead, starting to plan for her own future, including driving lessons. I see my old friends continuing down the path of life, and know they were the right choice because after all these years, when we are together it is as if nothing has changed. And I see my dad, struggling with his physical decline, always with a smile and his motto – “I am doing the best I can with the tools I have left.” I see all this wonderful growth and community, and I want to keep going. That is a reason I started this journey with you.

And to continue this journey, I have decided to track the places I read. I set my aim to read from over 100 different cultures, with no timeline, at the outset. I searched the web for “around the world books”, and found a few interesting sites (taleaway and bookriot among them). I mapped my titles to countries and counted. From the list of 100 countries, I have read from 50 of them.  Shocking! Was this a goal I had without knowing it?

So what about the good old US of A? Have I read enough of my own country? Back to the web to collect information on the states I have read.  I have read books that are set in 37 of the 50 states and DC.  Amazement!!

These are all the more striking, since I have travelled physically to 9 countries and 26 states.  Thank goodness for books taking me travelling!

And so begins my “At Home Travel Log” to fill in the blanks for my New Year.  I will be doing this within my regular reading, so it will not be my only focus for book selection. I am stating this for no other reason than my TBR list is already in excess of 100 titles, and I continue my attempt to borrow most books I read from the public libraries.  Take a look at the lists, and let me know if you have any suggestions for the places I need to travel.