White Dog Fell from the Sky: A Novel by Eleanor Morse Review

White Dog Fell from the Sky: A Novel by Eleanor Morse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An extraordinary novel of love, friendship, and betrayal for admirers of Abraham Verghese and Edwidge Danticat

Eleanor Morse’s rich and intimate portrait of Botswana, and of three people whose intertwined lives are at once tragic and remarkable, is an absorbing and deeply moving story.

In apartheid South Africa in 1976, medical student Isaac Muthethe is forced to flee his country after witnessing a friend murdered by white members of the South African Defense Force. He is smuggled into Botswana, where he is hired as a gardener by a young American woman, Alice Mendelssohn, who has abandoned her Ph.D. studies to follow her husband to Africa. When Isaac goes missing and Alice goes searching for him, what she finds will change her life and inextricably bind her to this sunburned, beautiful land.

Like the African terrain that Alice loves, Morse’s novel is alternately austere and lush, spare and lyrical. She is a writer of great and wide-ranging gifts.


My thoughts: The book begins in Botswana as Isaac Muthethe, a black South African 27 year old man, is unceremoniously dumped on the ground after being smuggled out of his home country under a coffin in a hearse. As Isaac gains consciousness, he realizes he has nothing but the clothes on his back and memories of those he loves, and the sudden acquisition of a white dog who simply attaches herself to Isaac and adopts him or he her.

Isaac's skills consist of what he can no longer claim nor use. He was a medical student in South Africa but now he is suspected of belonging to the South Africa Defense Force, an underground rebellion against apartheid. The year is 1976. Apartheid is alive and well in South Africa and although not actively practiced in Botswana, apartheid's echo can still be heard and felt.

Isaac finds himself hired as a gardener, having absolutely no experience whatsoever, for an American woman named Alice who is at the beginning of her own journey of coming into her own. Both characters take different journeys but both encounter different prisons, literal and figurative. They both find grief and death then circle back around to rediscover humanity and the anchors of keeping the memories alive of those they've met, loved, and connected with.

There is simply far too much to summarize or discuss in a book review. This would be an excellent choice for a book club book because of the parallels and symbolism which were subtle and would need a good discussion to tease them all out. On the other hand, taken at face value, the book is an excellent education in apartheid and politics in South Africa and Botswana.

Excellent book.

This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash

This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description: The critically-acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with a resonant novel of love and atonement, blood and vengeance, involving two young sisters, a wayward father, and an enemy determined to see him pay for his sins

When their mother dies unexpectedly, twelve-year-old Easter and her six-year-old sister Ruby are shuffled into the foster care system in Gastonia, North Carolina, a town not far from the Appalachian mountains. But just as they settle into their new life, their errant father, Wade, an ex-minor league baseball player whom they haven't seen in years, suddenly appears and wants to spend more time with them. Unfortunately, Wade has signed away legal rights to his daughters, and the only way he can get Easter and Ruby back is to steal them away in the middle of the night.

Brady Weller, the girls' court-appointed guardian, begins looking for Wade, and he quickly turns up unsettling information linking Wade to a recent armored car heist, one with a whopping $14.5 million missing. But Brady Weller isn't the only one hunting the desperate father. Robert Pruitt, a shady and mercurial man nursing a years-old vendetta, is also determined to find Wade and claim his due.

My thoughts: I could summarize the story for you but that is not why I loved the book. It's the same reason I loved his first book. It's the way the author writes. I can't pinpoint it but I think he writes the way he thinks which is as natural to him as breathing. It's not contrived or pompous. It's an interesting story that is told through the perspective of a 12 year old girl named Easter, a cold blooded ex con named Pruitt, and a middle aged guardian ad lidem with personal regrets who takes a personal approach to keeping Easter and Ruby safe.

Each perspective is told with distinction and believability. When Easter is talking to the reader, I believe I am listening to a 12 year old girl's thoughts. Same with the other two but particularly Easter. The book was as easy to read and follow as watching a movie. The author does not try to impress by throwing in poetry or referring to Faust or Byron. He uses baseball and the Maguire/Sosa summer as the setting. The story tells itself by easily getting into the thoughts and observations of the characters. It simply flowed just right.

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island by Regina Calcaterra

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island by Regina Calcaterra
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Description: Regina’s Calcaterra memoir, Etched in Sand, is an inspiring and triumphant coming-of-age story of tenacity and hope.

Regina Calcaterra is a successful lawyer, New York State official, and activist. Her painful early life, however, was quite different. Regina and her four siblings survived an abusive and painful childhood only to find themselves faced with the challenges of the foster-care system and intermittent homelessness in the shadows of Manhattan and the Hamptons.

A true-life rags-to-riches story, Etched in Sand chronicles Regina’s rising above her past, while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together through it all.

Beautifully written, with heartbreaking honesty, Etched in Sand is an unforgettable reminder that regardless of social status, the American Dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed.


My thoughts: Regina is the middle child of a mentally ill and abusive woman. Each child has a different father. The oldest three do not know who their biological fathers are. They are often homeless, living out of a car, or unattended in a house without food, heat, electricity or water. When their mother is at home, they are beaten ruthlessly, physically and emotionally.

The oldest three children try to protect the younger two from their mothers' rampages and moods. They have discovered that life in foster care is not easier nor better. They are split up and exposed to physical and sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and generally not often taken care of. The goal is to stay together and protect each other. The problem is that they are still children. Their voices lack volume and power. They often feel helpless, hopeless, and powerless. Do they try to keep together by keeping the secrets of the crazy mother or do they trust a social service worker to keep them safe?

We know that Regina grows up to get a law degree. We know she works in the public sector that write policy. She is deeply involved in protecting children and families. We know she works for the state of New York. Hers is one voice and one story. It is a compelling story because we want to hear success stories. We want to hear how we are doing a good job in this country. But Regina's story is bitter sweet. It is a courageous act to openly disclose her past. She is courageous in describing how she was brutalized, victimized, powerless, and feeling weak and unworthy. It's not so much overcoming her past but embracing it, keeping what was good (her siblings and the experiences she had to make her who she is today), and healing her wounds. She is an amazing woman who took her experiences and integrated them into her strong drive to make a better future for other foster kids.

Regina details not only the way the system broke down and damaged her and her siblings, but also the way it succeeded. There were holes in the net that Regina and especially her sister, Rosie, fell through but sometimes Regina was caught. I think Rosie eventually found a community that held her up but not until she was grown. It is difficult to read Regina's story. Regina tells her history honestly, includes interpretations and how she was feeling but does not mire the book up with justifications for herself. She allows the reader to conclude how to interpret her mother's actions (she's a nut job).

This is one story with four others possible. Each child in the family has a different experience. Celia marries young and has her own struggles. Camille marries young but chooses a husband that is completely foreign to Regina. He loves Camille and their children with devotion and affection. Regina's story is this book. Norm is somewhat a mystery, and Rosie's experiences included years of isolation when her sisters could no longer protect her and social services did not intervene.

This is not a book that slams social services or Child and Family Protective Services. Regina, herself, spends years in foster care. Some placements were horrendous. Others were not so bad. She does build an affectionate relationship with at least one set of foster parents that continues to this day. The fact is that these five children survived a horrible childhood and are contributing members of society today and are raising a new generation of children who will never know the horrors of abuse and foster care is nothing short of miraculous. Regina even hints at this fact, acknowledging that she believed she had these experiences for a reason. She was committed to using her knowledge to make the world a better place. Although not expressly written, it is clear that Regina has a strong connection with God and believes He had a hand in her life by strategically placing her and others on the same path.

I am in awe at Regina's perseverance and perspective. I really want to give it to a 14 year old girl I know that is struggling in foster care. It may not have appropriate language for a 14 year old but it is definitely a genuine recounting of an adult child that survived foster care, homelessness, and crazy experiences. Not only did she survive, but she brought her siblings with her.

Highly recommend.

The Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash

This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description: The critically-acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with a resonant novel of love and atonement, blood and vengeance, involving two young sisters, a wayward father, and an enemy determined to see him pay for his sins

When their mother dies unexpectedly, twelve-year-old Easter and her six-year-old sister Ruby are shuffled into the foster care system in Gastonia, North Carolina, a town not far from the Appalachian mountains. But just as they settle into their new life, their errant father, Wade, an ex-minor league baseball player whom they haven't seen in years, suddenly appears and wants to spend more time with them. Unfortunately, Wade has signed away legal rights to his daughters, and the only way he can get Easter and Ruby back is to steal them away in the middle of the night.

Brady Weller, the girls' court-appointed guardian, begins looking for Wade, and he quickly turns up unsettling information linking Wade to a recent armored car heist, one with a whopping $14.5 million missing. But Brady Weller isn't the only one hunting the desperate father. Robert Pruitt, a shady and mercurial man nursing a years-old vendetta, is also determined to find Wade and claim his due.

My thoughts: I could summarize the story for you but that is not why I loved the book. It's the same reason I loved his first book. It's the way the author writes. I can't pinpoint it but I think he writes the way he thinks which is as natural to him as breathing. It's not contrived or pompous. It's an interesting story that is told through the perspective of a 12 year old girl named Easter, a cold blooded ex con named Pruitt, and a middle aged guardian ad lidem with personal regrets who takes a personal approach to keeping Easter and Ruby safe.

Each perspective is told with distinction and believability. When Easter is talking to the reader, I believe I am listening to a 12 year old girl's thoughts. Same with the other two but particularly Easter. The book was as easy to read and follow as watching a movie. The author does not try to impress by throwing in poetry or referring to Faust or Byron. He uses baseball and the Maguire/Sosa summer as the setting. The story tells itself by easily getting into the thoughts and observations of the characters. It simply flowed just right.

Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman GIVEAWAY

Just in case you've missed the memo, I love Alice Hoffman's books, writing style, perspectives, and epiphany moments. 

In case you've missed it, The Dovekeepers was my first introduction to Hoffman. It was a big WOW. Upcoming is Museum of Extraordinary Things. Where do these ideas come from?

Survival Lessons is a collection of essays Hoffman wrote when diagnosed with breast cancer. She spent hours and hours with nothing to do during her treatments. So she wrote books inside her head. She prioritized her life and articulated stunning essays that whittle what's really important into chapters that strike that soft spot inside your heart when you read them. That one spot that yells, "Yes!"

I'm certain she still has much wisdom to share and probably has learned a few lessons since she wrote this book. But I think you'll love the wisdom she invokes. She wants you to have a copy. I know she does. Here's your chance for a signed copy by a New York Times Best Selling Author:

Fill out the form below.

That's it. Wasn't that fun? Ends December 15th.