Book Review: Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn

I found this novel at a thrift store and it has been sitting on my shelf. Quickly, before vacation ends, I decided that I needed to pick out a book that was ENTIRELY different from everything else I have been reading. BINGO - I did it.

This book is about an island off the shores of the USA in which the population is proud of their love of language and linguistic abilities. In the middle of the island stands a monument dedicated to Nevin Nollop, the (fictional) author of the sentence "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog"  which is spelled out in tiles on the monument. (Anyone who is over a certain age and has taken a typing class will recognize this sentence as it contains of the letters contained in the English Language and is often used for typing practice.)

One day a young girl walks by the monument and discovers that one of the tiles has fallen off - the letter Z which she quickly delivers it to the Offices of the High Island Council. The council members come to the conclusion that this fallen letter is a message from the deceased Nevin Nollop to exclude the letter from any further communication within the island. Within a few days the council has issued an edict that letter Z has been banned from use in both writing and speaking. Furthermore, if a citizen is caught using the letter there are increasingly dire consequences including public humiliation, standing in the stocks or being flogged, and finally expulsion from the island or death. 

Losing a letter is not such a terrible fate - it is only the letter Z which is hardly used.  Unfortunately, over the course of the next few months, more and more tiles fall off of the monument until there are very few letters left and language becomes increasingly restricted. Life becomes more and more difficult. 

This is a playful book that is a lot of fun. The entire book is written in letters from one citizen to the next. I found myself seeking banned letters. Feeling sorry for the citizens. And hoping for a miracle and a resolution to the problem. 

This book is going in my backpack to school on Monday and will be entered into the collection. It is an older book (2001) but so much fun. 

 

Book Review: This is My America by Kim Johnson

Depending on your perspective a book can be either a window or a mirror.

We all walk through our world with different expectations and realities. My white skin makes my walk pretty easy - people generally expect the best from me. They see me as grandmotherly and not particularly threatening. I once had a police officer apologize for giving me a ticket because I was "such a nice lady."

Contrast that to the experience of an African American walking through the streets of our country. It just is not the same - and this novel illustrates that beautifully.

Tracy Beaumont has been writing to the Innocence X Headquarters regularly for years. You see, her father is sitting on death row, waiting for execution for a murder he did not commit. Tracy hopes that Innocence X will take his case an appeal his conviction. Soon enough, Tracy's brother Jamal also finds himself running from a crime that he did not commit. Tracy is concerned that her brother, just like her father, won't get a fair shake from the police or a fair trial. 

Read this book - if you are a white person - Tracy's "Know Your Rights Workshops" will give you a glimpse into a world that might astound you. You might find a window, you might even find a mirror.

Read this book - if you are black - you may see some of your own experiences between the covers of this book. You might find a mirror, you might also find a window.

Here you will find history, empathy, self reckoning, introspection, love, family, caring and a whole lot more. This is one big adventure that will have you walking in someone else's shoes - no matter who you are. 

 Make sure that you read the Author's notes at the end of the book. These notes will add additional perspective.

Book Review: Front Lines / Michael Grant

 If you love stories about war or re-imagined history - this might be the book for you. Between the covers of this book you will find the story of three women fighting during WWII after it has been legalized for women to join the military (that is the re-imagined part).  You will meet: Rio who joins up after her sister is killed in the Navy and after telling a boy that she is enlisting, Rainy who is an intelligence officer with little action until there is no other choice, Frangie - a black medic. 

So much of this story is true - the experiences of soldiers in WWII - even the experiences of soldiers today. (Want to know what bootcamp is like? Here you will find out.) The fact that these soldiers are women is outside the realm of fact - but the prejudice and treatment they get are real - and still real in 2021. The treatment of black soldiers in WWII also rings of truth. 

Book Review: Saving Simon by Jon Katz

 

It is vacation. Not only that, it is vacation during a pandemic. I need an book about animals. I am not sure how I started reading a book about an animal each vacation, but it is a habit I have fallen into. I love animals. I love my dogs.  I love feeding the birds on my bird feeders. I love watching the wildlife while I walk - I regularly see birds, woodchucks, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and occasionally see deer, fox and coyotes around my home. Animals sooth me and so do books about animals. Not only do I feel better after reading about an animal, but I always learn something in the process. 

This book, Saving Simon, is about Jon Katz adopting a donkey. Poor Simon was near death when adopted by Katz then nursed back to life. The thing about living with animals is that they teach us lessons that we wouldn't expect. Simon taught Katz about mercy and compassion and this is that story.

Compassion is a funny thing. Why do we have more compassion for animals than we have for humans? Is compassion a gift? Do all people deserve compassion or is it earned? There is so much to mull over in this book. 

The sound track to this book should be a stack of Willie Nelson tunes. You can learn more about Katz and his animals at his website, The Bedlam Farm Journal

Book Review: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Sometimes a book is good, but doesn't serve up what I expected. This is one of those books.

Dear Edward is about a boy - Edward - who is the only survivor from a plane crash. The story is told from the vantage point of two different times - right before the crash (during the plane ride) and Edward's life in the aftermath of the incident. It is a lot about the ripples caused by the crash - how the ending of so many lives impacted those who loved them - and how losing his family changed Edward. The book is about love, family, recovery, compassion. 

I liked this book, but it didn't offer the emotional punch that I expected. I am glad that I read it. I might suggest it to others. But it isn't a book that I want to live on my bookshelves because I was so enamored that I just HAVE to share. 

That being said - this book is rated quite highly - so I might be in the minority on my feelings about Dear Edward. This is a clear illustration of S. R. Ranganathan's Quote, 

"Every reader his or her book. Every book its reader."

 

Book Review: A Handful of Stars / Cynthia Jones

 

This book recommended to me by Sebastian at Fairgrounds Middle School - was so enjoyable. Seriously, how can you get better than a book that features art, dogs, blueberries, and Maine?  Oh, and it is set in the summer which was just a great antidote to a cold winter's day. 

This left me wanting to make Cynthia Lord's blueberry enchiladas.

And then I could go make a house for mason bees with this design from the UNH extension.

Check out this book at the Nashua Public Library. 

Book Review: The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

 Hey, check out this cover art. I think that you SHOULD judge this book by its cover!

Here you will find bone houses (think of Zombies with a twist), monsters, an unlikely love interest, magic, family, adventure, death and more. There are two protagonists here - a female grave digger and a male map maker. 

Check this book out - there is something here for everybody. 

You will find print copies at both the Nashua Public Library and Nashua High South. 

Book Review: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

 

Thanks to the Downtown Book Club at the Nashua Public Library, I just reread this book and what a treat it was. 

Let me say that I joined Downtown Book group because, while I have led some book clubs, I have never been simply a participant. I felt that I could gain some perspective from the other side of the cover - so to speak. 

Now about this particular book. I read this YEARS ago, shortly after it came out (around 20 years ago - wow). This book of short stories left the flavors of each story in my mouth but the details had escaped. I am happy to say that Interpreter of Maladies was just as good 20 years later. 

BUT THEN... I went to the Downtown Book Club and the book came alive. The stories in this book are set in India or have characters that were first or second generation emigrants from India. Two of the women in the book club have also come from India - one many years ago and the second recently. These two women offered so much information about India and the experience of being in a new place. Many of the immigration themes are common across cultures - living between two places, missing the old, reaching for the new, language loss in offspring... But many of the details shared by these women were new to me. The conversations in this little group made this book come alive for me in a new way.

Thanks

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism / Robin DiAngelo

I have struggled about whether to blog about this book or not. DiAngelo wrote this book in a manner that any criticism of what she offers in White Fragility just "proves her point." I decided to talk about it anyway because I think that it is important to talk about the hard stuff. 

This book is about race. It is specifically about white people and their relationship to racism. Yes, I am white (see my hand on the image? pretty white!) And yes, I think that racism, especially in this country, is a problem. Yes I want to be a part of the solution. Yes, I understand implicit bias (that bias for or against a group of people that is below the level of consciousness. Think about when you enter a room of strangers and have to figure out where to sit. It is implicit bias that steers to you to one or another table.) Yes, I understand systemic racism (systems and structures that disadvantage African Americans). And yes, I believe that these challenges create a world that does not provide the same advantages for everyone. And yes, I think that this all needs to change and part of that can begin with me.

Now the grumpy part. We have a lot of civil unrest in our country. I love that we are focused on that right now and I hope that our focus helps fix some of these problems. But I also hear people talk about how they are tired of being called "racists".  

Dictionary.com defines "racist" as: "a person who believes in racism, the doctrine that one's own racial group is superior or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others." 

I believe that this is the definition of "racist" that is predominately understood. As soon as that term is thrown around, I feel like walls come up and the conversation stops. While I understand that DiAngelo was reaching out to white liberals who feel that they are beyond bias and I understand why she would use this kind of language in that context. I also feel that this language has been generalized in a lot of conversations about our world specifically about the implicit bias we all have and the systemic racism in our world. I want to talk about race, but I am not sure that using DiAngelo's vocabulary and tactics are they way to do it.

This book did remind me that I am a white girl in a white world and that makes my life pretty easy. It also reminded me that I need to walk softly and be aware of my biases and the systems around me that make the world an uneven experience. Mostly it left me wanting to read more about racism and specifically the history that created our uneven experiences. 

Finally, I feel that there is so much more to the conversation than this book touches upon. I feel that we all live within some sort of culture - and those cultures should be recognized and celebrated. I feel that empathy is a trait that we need to explicitly teach. I think that stories can help us, and while we do not have the right to demand that someone shares their story with us, there are plenty of people who have shared their experiences and we can learn from those sources. So read, listen, reflect, reach out, and work to make our world a better place.