Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Review: Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

She really is funny. Regardless that Firoozeh (Julie, for a very short time) is telling about her immigrant life from Iran, I recognized so very much of my own childhood in Firoozeh's. Although there are memoirs of immigrants that have suffered as outsiders, Firoozeh finds the humor in it. I found myself laughing out loud and then reading to my family or retelling a story. It is so hilarious. I think I am absolutely in love with Firoozeh's father.

Before the Iranian Hostage Crisis, what did Americans know about Persia? Nothing, really. Maybe we heard there was oil somewhere there. Had I seen Firoozeh at school, I would have agreed with her assessment. She looks ethnic. But indeterminately so in the early 1970s. Okay, actually, I still think I wouldn't have been able to place her ethnicity even today. But imagine being new to a country from a country that nobody has heard of. Then getting lost at Disneyland. Or deciding your name is just too difficult and announcing to your mocking family that you are changing your name to something American. The introduction to that chapter had me in absolute hysterical fits of laughter, by the way.

The best paragraph is in the chapter where she discovers that her father is going to go to the Very Bad Place because, as a Muslim (secular, but still), ham is forbidden and her father loves ham. His words to her are so poignant and so universal, I printed them out and hung them in my office. It is apparent that Firoozeh lives the philosophy he taught her that day. The essence (since I am not in my office right now) is that what we eat, who and how we worship, our skin color, or whatever the world defines as making us different is irrelevent to God. He sees us for who we are and how we treat one another. Amen.

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Review: Born Survivors

Born Survivors Born Survivors by Wendy Holden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of those books that is so meticulously researched and the detail is so realistic, it hurts to read it. I think what struck me the most about these stories and the women besides the fact that they were able to hide their pregnancies for so long, is that they were cadavarous humans we have seen with the dead eyes. Their birth stories are told in one chapter which all occurred near the very end of the war. Just to be clear, that time period was the time that the Third Reich were actively destroying all evidence of their crimes, including the prisoners they had starved, mistreated, dehydrated, and abused. The book follows a timeline for each woman that builds to the complete dehumanization of them by the time they enter Auschwitz. Each woman was greeted with the Angel of Death who asked them, "Are you pregnant?" Each woman answered that they were not.

The title of the book indicates that the babies were born but that, surprisingly, is not the take away for me. It was the complete lack of humanity they were born into. Of course, I can't discount the acts of kindness in the village that nearly made me weep, or the women prisoners that somehow fashioned a layette for one of the babies. But the nations, as a whole, turned a blind eye while the guards and SS were completely sadistic. Each of the children's births were so appalling. Unsanitary is a huge understatement. These mothers held on to the ever elusive hope of a better world for their babies. They did not give up although it would have been easier to do so. Yet that was their strength. It is also completely miraculous that they were not selected time and time again to go "left" which was always death.

Reading this book was all consuming. I can not imagine how the author did all of the research and wrote what she did. Most of all, I can not imagine what these prisoners and all of the others endured, lived and died. There really are no words to truly give this book the description it deserves.

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Review: The Dutch House

The Dutch House The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another very well written book by Ann Patchett. The story weaves together a generational flaw that is misunderstood and redefined by the following generation. It is about having it all yet having nothing then having nothing and not recognizing having it all.

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Review: The Giver of Stars

The Giver of Stars The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a different genre than I have read by this author. A historical fiction book of America post WWII, Moyes proves to be an author that can weave a beautiful story based on a snapshot moment in American history that is significant and well represented. In fact, I liked this book better than her previous books. It was more relevant and historically significant. Also, I definitely enjoyed the characters that were introduced.

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Review: A Madness of Sunshine

A Madness of Sunshine A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates.

That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement not to look back. But they can’t run from the past forever.

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.

It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

The author is a master at describing the beautiful landscape of this New Zealand village, including a cast of characters one might find in any village with the same circumstances. The very rich and those who work hand to mouth. Sometimes they cross the lines and join together. Sometimes the suspicion falls on the "other."

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Review: The Wives

The Wives The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book but I did not feel drawn in enough to put my life on hold to read it. Honestly, the premise is great, the character development is purposely shady, and the wrapping up at the end is unexpected. I liked that the narrator is unpredictable and perhaps untrustworthy.

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Review: Valentine: A Novel

Valentine: A Novel Valentine: A Novel by Elizabeth Wetmore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is kind of a conglomeration of short stories that are building blocks for the bigger story. A horrible crime is committed in a small, West Texas town, right on the cusp of the big oil boom. There are a number of characters that each tell a piece of the story. It begins with a 14 year old Mexican American girl as she summons her strength and courage to stand up and walk from the truck where she was assaulted for many hours while the young man was liquored up and on an amphetamine high until he passed out leaving her beaten, bleeding, partially naked, and violated.

The questions of a small town and race are at the heart of this book. Who will stand up for the under represented? Who will see them as children and equals? Who will protect the young man who just did something stupid one night? Or who will see that maybe he has this violence in him and may offend again?

The best part about this book is the writing style. It was the details that brought visual pictures to mind. The sounds of the desert or the sounds of the city, the author describes very well but not ad nauseum. Just enough that the reader perks up her other senses and feels more for the characters in the book. I will gladly read anything Elizabeth Wetmore writes.

Thank you to the publisher for an Advanced Reader's Copy in return for an honest review.

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Review: Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All

Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. There are a lot of things going on in this book. The story is significant because one of the protagonists is living in a historical moment that is often ignored - children of the Great Depression were often put into orphanages. The book begins with Frankie, living outside of the orphange, getting ready for work, and feeling proud as she looks over at her sister's bed along with her own. An abalone shell sits nearby. The scene is described by a POV of a ghost who is about the same age as Frankie.

How does one pull together a novel that features children in an orphange, a distant father, a ghost wondering about her own existence and purpose, and fellow ghost she picks up on the way, wearing a top hat and underwear? All I can say is that the ending pulls it all together suddenly, brilliantly, and I closed the book feeling supremely satisfied.

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Review: Nothing to See Here

Nothing to See Here Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good, easy read for an afternoon. Fun concept and the characters are quite enjoyable and fleshed out enough to get the humor.

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Review: Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family

Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom
My rating: 0 of 5 stars



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Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Review: Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family

Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Keep the tissues close. Based on the author’s accidental experience of taking over an orphanage and becoming a parent to a terminally ill child. Very well written, as usual. I loved the expressions he used to describe the maternal behaviors of his wife; how it came so naturally to her. This is the story about what he learned from Chika.

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Friday, November 1, 2019

Review: Valentine: A Novel

Valentine: A Novel Valentine: A Novel by Elizabeth Wetmore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is kind of a conglomeration of short stories that are building blocks for the bigger story. A horrible crime is committed in a small, West Texas town, right on the cusp of the big oil boom. There are a number of characters that each tell a piece of the story. It begins with a 14 year old Mexican American girl as she summons her strength and courage to stand up and walk from the truck where she was assaulted for many hours while the young man was liquored up and on an amphetamine high until he passed out leaving her beaten, bleeding, partially naked, and violated.

The questions of a small town and race are at the heart of this book. Who will stand up for the under represented? Who will see them as children and equals? Who will protect the young man who just did something stupid one night? Or who will see that maybe he has this violence in him and may offend again?

The best part about this book is the writing style. It was the details that brought visual pictures to mind. The sounds of the desert or the sounds of the city, the author describes very well but not ad nauseum. Just enough that the reader perks up her other senses and feels more for the characters in the book. I will gladly read anything Elizabeth Wetmore writes.

Thank you to the publisher for an Advanced Reader's Copy in return for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Review: A Madness of Sunshine

A Madness of Sunshine A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates.

That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement not to look back. But they can’t run from the past forever.

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.

It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

The author is a master at describing the beautiful landscape of this New Zealand village, including a cast of characters one might find in any village with the same circumstances. The very rich and those who work hand to mouth. Sometimes they cross the lines and join together. Sometimes the suspicion falls on the "other."

View all my reviews

Review: Light Changes Everything

Light Changes Everything Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just love Nancy E. Turner's writing. Her books are well written but her strength is writing a narrative with the protagonist's voice. Like her previous books, this is historical fiction that continues the story of a previous protagonist except this is her niece. I don't know how she comes up with the storylines but they are realistic and very well written.

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Review: Valentine: A Novel

Valentine: A Novel Valentine: A Novel by Elizabeth Wetmore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is kind of a conglomeration of short stories that are building blocks for the bigger story. A horrible crime is committed in a small, West Texas town, right on the cusp of the big oil boom. There are a number of characters that each tell a piece of the story. It begins with a 14 year old Mexican American girl as she summons her strength and courage to stand up and walk from the truck where she was assaulted for many hours while the young man was liquored up and on an amphetamine high until he passed out leaving her beaten, bleeding, partially naked, and violated.

The questions of a small town and race are at the heart of this book. Who will stand up for the under represented? Who will see them as children and equals? Who will protect the young man who just did something stupid one night? Or who will see that maybe he has this violence in him and may offend again?

The best part about this book is the writing style. It was the details that brought visual pictures to mind. The sounds of the desert or the sounds of the city, the author describes very well but not ad nauseum. Just enough that the reader perks up her other senses and feels more for the characters in the book. I will gladly read anything Elizabeth Wetmore writes.

Thank you to the publisher for an Advanced Reader's Copy in return for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Review: Born Survivors

Born Survivors Born Survivors by Wendy Holden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of those books that is so meticulously researched and the detail is so realistic, it hurts to read it. I think what struck me the most about these stories and the women besides the fact that they were able to hide their pregnancies for so long, is that they were cadavarous humans we have seen with the dead eyes. Their birth stories are told in one chapter which all occurred near the very end of the war. Just to be clear, that time period was the time that the Third Reich were actively destroying all evidence of their crimes, including the prisoners they had starved, mistreated, dehydrated, and abused. The book follows a timeline for each woman that builds to the complete dehumanization of them by the time they enter Auschwitz. Each woman was greeted with the Angel of Death who asked them, "Are you pregnant?" Each woman answered that they were not.

The title of the book indicates that the babies were born but that, surprisingly, is not the take away for me. It was the complete lack of humanity they were born into. Of course, I can't discount the acts of kindness in the village that nearly made me weep, or the women prisoners that somehow fashioned a layette for one of the babies. But the nations, as a whole, turned a blind eye while the guards and SS were completely sadistic. Each of the children's births were so appalling. Unsanitary is a huge understatement. These mothers held on to the ever elusive hope of a better world for their babies. They did not give up although it would have been easier to do so. Yet that was their strength. It is also completely miraculous that they were not selected time and time again to go "left" which was always death.

Reading this book was all consuming. I can not imagine how the author did all of the research and wrote what she did. Most of all, I can not imagine what these prisoners and all of the others endured, lived and died. There really are no words to truly give this book the description it deserves.

View all my reviews

Friday, August 30, 2019

Review: When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back

When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back by Stephen Singular
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book tells the fascinating story of the Fundamentalist church in Southern Utah under the tyranny of Warren Jeffs. It exposes much of the secrecy of illegal behavior and corrupt powerful men. I struggled with the writing style which was choppy and inconsistent at times. Although much was accurate, as far as I knew from my limited interactions and the changes made under the different prophets (Rulon Jeffs sowed paranoia before Warren), I cringed at the opinions expressed and criticisms of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The author found multiple opportunities to point out that the Salt Lake City based mainstream Church did nothing to curb the Southern Utah church. Which is true. Yet what authority does one church hold over another? FLDS Church is like the Protestant version of the LDS Church. The Pope could not prevent King Henry VIII’s behavior once he broke with the Roman Catholic Church as he didn’t recognize the Pope’s authority. No church has the right to dictate how another church is run. If illegal activity is occurring, law enforcement and the judicial system takes action, not a church. That is the way the Constitution is written.

With the previous rant expressed, it is important to note that, as the author correctly surmises, both Utah and Arizona governments were slow to investigate and act against a community so shrouded in secrecy but especially did not want to repeat the Short Creek Raid Of ‘53 by the AZ governor. The problems with the way the community ignored the child labor laws, collected food stamps and all kinds of government funding, and whispered child brides were far overdue to be exposed and addressed. Of course, the problem arises that the town straddles two states. How do you prosecute polygamy if a man is only legally married to one wife yet “spiritually” married to 12 others? You really don’t. The same rules that caught members of the mafia apply here. You get them on tax evasion. You also get them on statutory rape. The story of how it was investigated and what lengths they went to is fascinating.

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Saturday, August 10, 2019

Review: Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare

Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare by Kris Newby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is fascinating and terrifying. I had no expectations of the book and I don’t, as far as I know, suffer from a tick-born disease. The premise of the book, told in much greater detail and with personal anecdotes as well as scientific terms, is that ticks are talented carriers of disease. Through meticulous research and hints dropped by a brilliant scientist from the Cold War, the author discovers that anthropods have been weaponized by scientifically altering the ticks and helping them carry two or three diseases, incapacitating an army or people for weeks or months. Imagine using this during WWII. Imagine fighting in Normandy where most of the German army is suffering from the affects of tick-borne illnesses; weak, foggy brained, inflamed joints and brain, gastrointestinal issues, etc.

My own rant: As a native Utahn, I have grown up in the shadow of radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in the Nevada desert. For another terrifying and fascinating read, pick up The Day We Bombed UtahDownwinders have been fighting and dying from cancer since then, at higher rates than National average. Rather than admit fault, our government tried to cover up the dangers of exposure to radioactive fallout. One government veterinarian that studied the sheep burned from the exposure was threatened by his employer the loss of his retirement if he did not claim the sheep did not die from radiation. That fact is not in the book. The veterinarian was my husband’s grandfather.

The number of tick borne diseases increased unnaturally in the 1980’s, particularly in certain geographical areas (but have since spread) much like the increase of cancers downwind from nuclear test sites. The difference, I believe, is that you can’t hide a Mushroom Cloud. The author can not prove her theory of open air tests but has compelling evidence that the scientist knew more than he was willing to share. There is a concerted effort within government agencies to deny long term tick diseases and refusal to put money into research for proper testing or treatment. Perhaps it is an effort to hide the invisible “Mushroom Cloud.” The point is that more can be done before the bodies pile up.

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Review: Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare

Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare by Kris Newby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is fascinating and terrifying. I had no expectations of the book and I don’t, as far as I know, suffer from a tick-born disease. The premise of the book, told in much greater detail and with personal anecdotes as well as scientific terms, is that ticks are talented carriers of disease. Through meticulous research and hints dropped by a brilliant scientist from the Cold War, the author discovers that anthropodsThe Day We Bombed Utah have been weaponized by scientifically altering the ticks and helping them carry two or three diseases, incapacitating an army or people for weeks or months. Imagine using this during WWII. Imagine fighting in Normandy where most of the German army is suffering from the affects of tick-borne illnesses; weak, foggy brained, inflamed joints and brain, gastrointestinal issues, etc.

My own rant: As a native Utahn, I have grown up in the shadow of radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in the Nevada desert. For another terrifying and fascinating read, pick up The Day We Bombed UtahDownwinders have been fighting and dying from cancer since then, at higher rates than National average. Rather than admit fault, our government tried to cover up the dangers of exposure to radioactive fallout. One government veterinarian that studied the sheep burned from the exposure was threatened by his employer the loss of his retirement if he did not claim the sheep did not die from radiation. That fact is not in the book. The veterinarian was my husband’s grandfather.

The number of tick borne diseases increased unnaturally in the 1980’s, particularly in certain geographical areas (but have since spread) much like the increase of cancers downwind from nuclear test sites. The difference, I believe, is that you can’t hide a Mushroom Cloud. The author can not prove her theory of open air tests but has compelling evidence that the scientist knew more than he was willing to share. There is a concerted effort within government agencies to deny long term tick diseases and refusal to put money into research for proper testing or treatment. Perhaps it is an effort to hide the invisible “Mushroom Cloud.” The point is that more can be done before the bodies pile up.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Review: The Nanny

The Nanny The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Interesting and well written thriller with different points of view which added to the interest. The reader is sympathetic to both mother and daughter although the truth about the nanny becomes more apparent yet the big reveal occurs close to the end. Satisfying story.

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Review: Seven Signs of Life: Stories from an Intensive Care Doctor

Seven Signs of Life: Stories from an Intensive Care Doctor Seven Signs of Life: Stories from an Intensive Care Doctor by Aoife Abbey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very well written and fascinating perspective written by a doctor. Humanizing yet professional, the author writes of personal experiences and covers a plethora of areas of the practice of medicine.

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Monday, July 22, 2019

Review: The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era

The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era by Gareth Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What is unique about this book is that the sinking of the Titanic is explored within the context of the time period and world events. The Titanic is, at times, peripheral in the story as the author paints a picture of society and world events. Ireland was in the grips of tearing apart with the Protestants wanting independence and Catholics wanting to stay under British rule. Tensions are rising between countries and political parties with assassinations on the rise - soon a Lithuanian would be assassinating an Italian dignitary which would be the final catalyst for the beginning of WWI. Yet when the Titanic sailed, the differences in classes still persisted yet there was a beginning arch of Hollywood royalty as opposed to Old World royalty.

The author does extensive research about the ship, the reason it sunk, and if third class passengers were mistreated, the timeline of key players, and the physics of the sinking.

Spoiler alert: James Cameron’s Titanic movie was a blockbuster that took artistic liberties. Also, many of the follies are examined and the real reason for the massive loss of life was the decision to power through the ice field and the lack of time for evacuating. Even with enough life boats, 2 and a half hours was inefficient time to evacuate all of the people. Even with sufficient life boats, there would still have been a huge loss of life.

Tommy Andrews was meticulous and well liked. He was homesick.
Ismay was socially awkward and not a villain. His choice to enter a lifeboat was not as selfish as it has been portrayed.
Captain Smith was going too fast through an ice field even with warnings.
The routes were far too high in latitude.
Third class was not mistreated,

If you want more Titanic facts, this is a good one. It is put into the context of what was happening in the world and different countries. It also corrects some accepted alternative facts.

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Sunday, July 21, 2019

Review: The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing

The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing by Adam P. Frankel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is pretty raw and very well written. Adam Frankel’s book is divided into 3 parts; War, Inheritance, and Healing. Each division is a fascinating part of his history and, besides the specifics, the theory can be applied to all of us. His hypothesis is that trauma affects many generations. This is explored in Part II.

Part I gives a brief history of Frankel’s Jewish maternal grandparents and their families during WWII, concentrating heavily on his grandfather, Gershon, his father, mother, brothers and sisters. There are horrors but the author assumes the reader knows enough about the concentration camps to not enumerate many of them. He provides facts relevant to the family which I am carefully avoiding who survives and who does not. What is of particular interest, however, is that Gershon, the author’s grandfather, is involved in something during his time in a Displaced Persons camp that, later, provides a small snapshot of why he and his wife emigrated from Europe very quickly and with the added expense of taking on new identities. This adds to the secrecy and the culture of never discussing what happened in Europe beyond the Holocaust. There were subjects that simply were not discussed. Zander (formerly Gershon) and family immigrate to the U.S., raise 4 children including Adam’s mother who meets Adam’s father and they get married.

Parts 2 is the bridge between the generation of trauma (Holocaust) to the author. He examines his family as he gains awareness that there is something different about them. He discovers that his grandparents chose a neighborhood that had other Jewish Holocaust survivors who carry similar characteristics. As an adult, he does his own research on trauma and epigenetics or how trauma is stored in the DNA. What leads him to this query is the dawning understanding that his mother is severely mentally ill. Her logic is skewed, her reality different, and her moods are traumatizing on Adam. It is during this time that Adam unravels the greatest secret that changes how he views his previous life - a trauma for him. He now has a before and after.

Part 3 is more of reckoning and accepting who he is and all of the past that shaped him. There is joy, pain, trauma, and healing. This is what makes us resilient. This part is really raw and the author must deal with the different generations of his family as he works through this yet mindful of Zayde and his relationships and history.

The book is deeply personal and the journey is quite an undertaking. Regardless of being such a personal story, I found myself underlining many AHA moments. One in particular is the idea that, if trauma can impact for generations, the counterpart must also be true. Healing will also impact generations.

One paragraph reminded me of an experience I when I visited a place called “Winter Quarters” on a church history trip fresh out of high school. Within a few steps of leaving the bus, a grief washed over me that was so heavy and visceral. I wandered alone for an hour, sobbing. A statue of a couple standing over a very small open grave brought me to my knees. My heart was shattered. I had no idea why. When we drove away, the grief lifted and I was back to myself. I was confused why I had fallen apart there.

Decades later I joined the crowd and started doing some genealogy. I stumbled upon a fascinating ancestor that crossed the plains at the age of 7. He lived a colorful an interesting life. After satisfying my curiosity of this intriguing ancestor, I was ready to stop reading when something caught my eye. Samual Alonzo Whitney, my ancestor, had left Nauvoo, Illinois with his mother, Henrietta, a recent widow, and his little brother, age 4. All were exposed to the elements and both boys were very ill. Henrietta carried one or both of them most of the 300 miles, arriving at Winter Quarters in a blizzard. 4 year old Don Carlos Whitney died three days later.

Was that grief written into my DNA? No other place has impacted me on that level although, ironically, Dachau came pretty close. Was it healing to my ancestors and descendants to recognize and remember Don Carlos?

Yes, the book is personal, but I found my own personal journey within the pages.


I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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Thursday, July 18, 2019

Review: The Family Upstairs

The Family Upstairs The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such an enjoyable book. Lisa Jewel knows how to write. Not all of her books have been a hit for me but this one clearly was. A baby is discovered in her crib in a family home where both parents have been killed. She is healthy, happy, clean, and clearly alone. What happened to the her parents? What happened to the other children in the home? Above all, who is the third body, a man who seemed to be leading a cult in the home?

Excellent thriller which had me completely guessing throughout the book.

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Review: This Tender Land

This Tender Land This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like Krueger’s previous novel, I remember little about the story yet I remember the beautiful pictures painted with words and emotion. Writing style and character development are spot. On. 4 orphans run away after the Tornado God wreaked havoc and destroyed homes, families, hopes, and dreams. Stealing a boat, the float and row down a river with only a vague idea of where they are going. In truth, it’s not a destination but a place where they belong which is different for each of them. On their way, the experience the landscape of our country at that moment in time; The Great Depression, Hoovervilles, the dissonance of the Native Americans, and lack of social programs. On the way, they meet that still have good hearts and help them grow, love, and live.

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Review: The Giver of Stars

The Giver of Stars The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a different genre than I have read by this author. A historical fiction book of America post WWII, Moyes proves to be an author that can weave a beautiful story based on a snapshot moment in American history that is significant and well represented.

View all my reviews

Review: The Dutch House

The Dutch House The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another very well written book by Ann Patchett. The story weaves together a generational flaw that is misunderstood and redefined by the following generation. It is about having it all yet having nothing then having nothing and not recognizing having it all.

View all my reviews

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Review: The Wives

The Wives The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book but I did not feel drawn in enough to put my life on hold to read it. Honestly, the premise is great, the character development is purposely shady, and the wrapping up at the end is unexpected. I liked that the narrator is unpredictable and perhaps untrustworthy.

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Saturday, May 4, 2019

Review: A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bravo, Sue Klebold! This book was a huge undertaking. She did so many things right by writing this book. Sue Klebold’s son, Dylan, was one of the two boys that carried out a horrific school shooting in Columbine, Colorado. The book begins at the time the news broke that there was a school shooting. She began praying for her son’s safety. As she became aware of his culpability, she felt compelled to pray for his death.

The book is not about the Columbine tragedy, although that is a piece of the story. This is Sue Klebold’s journey. This is her own reckoning of what she could have or should have done differently to prevent the Columbine tragedy. She shared some amazing insights that she had afterward and with incredible candor and honesty, opens herself to those who want to use her and Tom’s parenting as a scapegoat. As a mother of grown and teenage children, I can not agree with her more. As a school counselor with 29 years of experience, I say, “Amen!” The child you know at home may not reflect the child that interacts at school. And neither of those children necessarily reflect the child in his or her brain.

Dylan was the second son of Tom and Sue Klebold. They were a typical upper middle class family that practiced both Christianity and honored Sue’s Jewish heritage. They attended baseball games together, watched movies together, and hung out with one another. Dylan was not a social recluse. He had a group of friends. He and Eric Harris were part of this friend group. Nobody had any idea what they had planned. They did not know the degree of different brain sicknesses these boys were carrying.

While never downplaying nor excusing her son’s behavior, her journey includes 6 months of simple survival while the media vilified the parents. She seemed to be in a state of denial of his role during this time. She didn’t know what he had done and assumed the other shooter had coerced him. Although Sue is careful to not tell the other boy’s story, the reader can infer that he was volatile and outwardly angry and hostile. His parents were aware and actively involved. As a parent and educator, I’ve seen parents who ache to help, not knowing where to turn and how to calm the brain. It is 6 months later that the facts and movements are objectively explained to the Klebolds. Their beautiful boy really had murdered his school mates of his own volition. They had carefully planned mass destruction and succeeded in killing 13 people, injuring others, and traumatizing a town and a nation.

Over the next 16 years, Sue looks for answers. What caused her son to snap? What she discovered is that easy, pat answers are what the ignorant (my word, not hers) use to falsely buffer ourselves from it ever happening to us. The reality is much more complex. Bullying, deep depression, suicidal ideation, access to guns (the Klebolds were and are pacifists), violent video games, the chemistry between these two boys all played a part. The answers aren’t in the book but some solutions are offered. Better brain health access is the big takeaway.

Although not a Marilyn Manson fan, I was impressed that he cancelled his concert to honor the victims in Colorado while the NRA did not cancel their gathering two weeks after the tragedy. At the time, I did not recognize the wisdom imparted when asked what he would tell the victims and their families Marilyn Manson said, “I wouldn’t tell them anything. I would listen.”

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Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Review: Normal People

Normal People Normal People by Sally Rooney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A wondrous and wise coming-of-age love story from the celebrated author of Conversations with Friends

At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school football team, while she is lonely, proud and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers—one they are determined to conceal.

A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.
Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.

I can’t say exactly why this novel had me so riveted. I think it is the way the author zeroes in on the character’s flaws and reveals motivation that the reader goes, “Ahhhhh. Of course!” Even readers who have psychology backgrounds and years of workplace experience will find the story and the historyilluminating.

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Review: Wilder Girls

Wilder Girls Wilder Girls by Rory Power
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don’t like writing bad reviews. I will say that the plot has a lot of potential. An isolated all girls school where things have gone really, really wonky. I think the author should have stuck with that and really developed it rather than taking detours about sexuality and partly written dialogue addressing sexuality. There was also something to do with estrogen and how the teachers didn’t get the mutation or whatever as heavily yet the male groundskeeper did. The logic never quite made it to conclusion.

So much potential and so many detours leaving me, the reader, irritated that I spent the time reading the book to the nonconclusion.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.

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Monday, March 25, 2019

Review: Ask Again, Yes

Ask Again, Yes Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book that I don't really know how to review. I think I will agree with another reviewer that it has a slow beginning but moves along after that. The catalyst that really moved the story happens about then. I think why this book is so appealing is that there is no clear beginning, middle, and end. The end of the book is satisfying but it also hints of a continuation of the characters and the echoes of parents' decisions, mistakes, and triumphs. The writing is so wonderful and so perfect and so exactly right about things that I've never been able to verbalize.

"For months, conversations were drowned out by static, and she found herself having to speak louder, listen harder. She lost track of what people were saying. She lost track of what she was saying and sometimes heard herself speaking as if from across a room. Physical movements were becoming more and more difficult, like trying to swim through a vat of wet cement. But these were symptoms she only noticed after the static quieted, after the cement drained away. “It’s mostly like that for everyone,” Dr. Abbasi said. Everyone like her, he meant. It was impossible to have sufficient detachment at the most dangerous times. This was his way of saying she had to forgive herself."

"They still walked the same routes around the house, doing the same things they’d always done, more or less, but lately she felt a poverty of something—happiness, she supposed—deep inside her ribs, the place were she used to feel her joy spill over. What they’d told each other when they got married was still true, at least for her. She wanted to work, come home to him, discuss their days, eat meals together, go to bed. She wanted to watch a movie on the weekend, maybe go for a long walk, maybe go out to dinner, maybe see friends. She wanted to be able to tell him anything and have him tell her everything. And there were some weeks, still, when they did just that. If they could do all those things and pay their bills and not dread going to work each morning, coming home each night, then that was a life. That was a great life, in Kate’s view. What else could there be? If they reminded themselves that these small things were enough, she believed, then they’d always be okay. So that was part of their vows, all those years ago when they climbed the steps of city hall on a Tuesday morning, the first appointment of the day. They vowed to live simply and honestly and to always be kind to each other. To be partners."

"Criminal arrogance. Just like his father. The father more than the mother, even. At least the mother had something wrong with her. A disease, maybe. But this was a crime of the ego, a person believing he could get away with things other people can’t."

"(Female character) thought about their wedding day as a conclusion to something, where he thought about it as a beginning. Rising action versus falling action. They were reading different books."

"They'd both learned that a memory is a fact that's been dyed and trimmed and rinsed so many times that it comes out looking almost unrecognizable to anyone else who was in that room, anyone else who was standing on the grass beneath that telephone pole."

"But those are my my things. You have your things. I'm not going to take away mine just because your list is long, too."

"It wasn't that she didn't love him, he knew. It was that she loved him so much that it frightened her, loved him so much that she worried she might have to protect herself from it."

"They were great kids. Funny and weird and smart."

"We repeat what we don't repair."

Really, really well written with so many aspects to discuss. Excellent.

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Thursday, March 14, 2019

Review: The Forgotten Garden

The Forgotten Garden The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Kate Morton’s writing. This is an older book I found with a compelling story that had me guessing until the very end. I loved it.

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Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Review: The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live

The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live by Heather B. Armstrong
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I am so conflicted with this book.

The good is that the author is honest about her depression and describes it so very well. Her writing is compulsive and her relationship with words is enviable. I applauded anybody who is willing to write an honest memoir. But that is where my conflict comes in. It is certainly her choice to share what she wishes to share of her personal journey and I acknowledge that. What drove me crazy was the little tidbits that hinted of a much, much bigger story that is probably relevant to her journey but then, after one sentence, she drops it. Why mention it at all if it isn’t going to be fleshed out adequately for the reader? There are deep issues with her father and I respect her discretion as she has a continued relationship with him yet she intimates how very horrible he was to her in her childhood by making a reference to TV bombshell and then drops it.

I found the author very, very good at describing how it feels to be so depressed that she wanted to be dead but much of the book is a lot of description of the sounds of her mother’s shoes as she walks quickly a conversation about constipation. Her writing tends toward promising something deeper but leaves me wanting as it doesn’t deliver.

Apparently, there are also inside jokes or references that I didn’t get. I don’t like to feel stupid or excluded when I read a book. I enjoy an intellectually challenging read but the references were not that. They were inferences made within her mind, pop culture, or her blog. Truthfully, I’m not as trendy as she is.

I admire the author for who she is and what she has accomplished and continues to accomplish. Fans of her blog will probably understand a lot more than I did. My review is based on my frustration level and not on Ms. Armstrong’s writing style.

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Monday, February 4, 2019

Review: Even If I Fall

Even If I Fall Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting and intriguing premise. What happens after the “Whodunnit” in a small town? Best friends, a murder, a confession with vague details, the convicted goes to prison, two families are left broken. The protagonist, Brooke, is the younger sister of a brother she loves very much and visits him every Saturday at the penitentiary. She is isolated both socially and within her family as each member carries the sin of the brother.

Meet Heath, the brother of the murdered best friend. Trapped and isolated because of the crime against his brother, living with a different family dynamic that holds him hostage. A unlikely friendship with Brooke. How do either of them or all of them move forward? What happened that night and does it really matter?

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Saturday, February 2, 2019

Review: My Lovely Wife

My Lovely Wife My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did not like the storyline of this book, yet... I simply could. Not. Put. It. Down. First chapter is short and sweet and I’m hooked. I really wasn’t going to read the book based on the premise which is that a seemingly normal suburban couple with two teenage kids get an adrenaline rush by killing women. Ick. Not my cup of tea. Here is why I didn’t put it down.

It’s not graphic. Even when other details come up, the descriptions are left to the reader to fill in the dots. Just enough detail to know but not enough detail to be completely offensive. Yet I’m disturbed that I wasn’t offended enough to put it down. That’s good writing.

The story unfolds with twists and turns. The POV is the husband. You kind of understand him and want to like him. They both have secrets. Neither are innocent yet I had to stop myself from wanting him to get away with it. I was justifying his level of guilt. They each play different parts in the crimes and THAT is the hook.

The last 50 pages or so even disturbed my plan to make chocolate chip cookies. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. I guess my summation is that the story is really not about the crimes. In fact, as disturbing as these people are, the author writes a very well written novel that focuses on events outside the crimes.

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