Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

It is 1960 and Evelyn is terrified. She has no choice but to accommodate her parents’ wishes and move to the home for unwed mothers where she’ll work and live until she gives birth to the child that she is now carrying. It would have been completely different had her boyfriend not died of a heart attack just before she found out she was carrying his baby. But now, she is trapped. Literally.

Fast forward to 2017 and Angela, working in her aunt’s antique store, stumbles upon a letter received years prior, meant for the tenant in the upstairs apartment. She opens the letter, just to see how she might be helpful to the sender, and she sees a heartbreaking plea. How can she be helpful in this situation? Should she try to help in this situation?

Meanwhile, in the 1970’s, we meet Nancy, who is struggling to assert her independence from her overbearing mother. They frequently clash, given her mother’s overpowering personality and ability to ignore most of what Nancy actually says. So Nancy learns to hide her self in a way that is detrimental. She learns to keep secrets. When a cousin asks Nancy her for help in a crisis, she keeps that secret as well, in spite of the trauma that it leaves her with. But she also learns a tidbit of information at that time that will have an impact on her future in a way that she cannot possibly imagine.

This is a particularly relevant read for this moment. In a time during which access to safe, legal abortions is threatened in too many areas of our country, this book should be read by everyone. This book touches upon the issue of women forced to carry pregnancies against their will (and then forced to give up the babies when they do deliver), women compelled to undergo dangerous procedures that endanger their lives, and women and medical providers who are threatened with arrest for having life-saving procedures such as D&C’s for natural miscarriages. And ironically, as it is pointed out in this story repeatedly, it is generally men making these decisions about women’s bodies!! What an absurd world we live in! [Of note, this story takes place in Canada, but the situations can and do happen here all the time in the US as well. Fortunately for Canadians, their country has not reneged on their commitment to women’s health the way we have here.]

This is an intricately constructed story and the way in which these very realistic, very human characters are portrayed and come together will captivate and engage and surprise you until the very final page. I could not put this book down. I loved it not only for its relevance but for how personally connected I felt to these beautiful characters. They are each products of their times, their circumstances, and yet connected by the fact that they are women who love.

Enjoy this book! I know I did!

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Already reeling from the death of the man she’s known to be her father,  Joy has also just learned some shocking news about her mother, Pearl. These two events challenge Joy’s identity to her core. At the same time, as the 1950’s American government is targeting those suspected of being Communists, some, particularly those on college campuses, feel that Socialism can be the ideal of equality and fairness. Following this ideal,  Joy makes the impulsive decision to leave the comforts of what she’s known as home to embark on a journey to find her true birth father, to seek her Chinese roots, to relinquish her capitalist excesses, and to enter Mao’s People’s Republic of China. What she finds there shocks her even more.

With her usual skillful style, Lisa See has managed to compose yet another beautiful family saga, depicting family relationships at both their worst and their best, while incorporating a significant historical moment that is not frequently highlighted. Her mother, Pearl, on learning that Joy has left for China, follows her daughter there, even if it may put her own safety in jeopardy. She knows that Joy is young, that does not understand the consequences of her actions to the fullest, that she has never experienced the heavy hand of Communist rule. And if she is being honest, finding Joy’s father is of interest to her to, as they have a complicated history as well. The relationships depicted here are tender, beautiful, and authentic.

History plays a large role in this saga as well. China’s “Great Leap Forward” is anything but — but this is the era in which Joy finds herself. Initially, she tries to find the grace in it: the idealism of the communal life, the simplicity of the farm, the romance in the hard work. She also finds meaning in the art she’s able to produce there through which she can express herself, at least within the confines of the dictated rules. As time progresses, however, she sees the rampant deception. She begins to see that even when the rules are failing the people miserably, they are forced to abide the whims of their dictator, even at the cost of their very lives. When Joy becomes responsible for the life of another, this is where she can no longer abide this lie.

There is much darkness depicted here, but it is a frighteningly timely and realistic story. We are now in a moment when so many are following another wannabe fascist – a worshipper of Putin, of Kim Jong Un, of Hitler – and these followers are ignoring the harm he has done and has the potential to continue to do. He has already threatened to imprison his enemies – a classic fascist move. People make excuses for him – but we’ve seen him do this already in his first presidency. It’s an authentic threat. We need to learn both from other countries’ pasts such as that depicted here and our own past. This can happen again and this can happen here. We have the power to stop it with our votes. But this may not be the case for long if he is elected…

I hope you will read this novel. It is a beautiful family saga as well as a harsh warning for the world and for our country in particular.  A MUST READ for this moment!

 

 

 

The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon

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On the eve of October 6th, 2023, Amir Tibon and his wife Miri thought that all they had to worry about was how their 3-year old daughter, Galia, would perform in her dance for their kibbutz celebration the next day. She’d rehearsed with her kindergarten that evening but no one knew how these little ones would do in front of an audience, even among the familiar faces of their close-knit community. They had no idea that the next morning would begin the most harrowing ordeal of their lives: the invasion of the lush, peaceful green of their kibbutz by hundreds of armed Hamas terrorists who had the mission of killing, maiming, burning, and capturing as many Israelis as they possibly could. Amir and Miri rushed immediately into Galia’s and Carmel’s(1 year old) bedroom, also their “safe room,” a room built to protect them against rocket shelling but certainly not machine gun blasts or fire explosions (many safe rooms did not have locks on the doors). This is where they waited, in the dark, with a few water bottles, no bathroom, food or electricity for 9 hours while they heard screaming and gunshots just outside their door. All they knew was that Amir’s father was coming to rescue them. But when? And how?

This is not only a MUST READ, but should be compulsory for everyone who believes they have formed an opinion about the conflict between Israel and Hamas/Iran/Hezbollah. For while Tibon, a journalist for Haaretz for many years tells his and his family’s heroic story, he also tells the backstory of Hamas, of Israel, of Netanyahu, and how it came to be that we are here in this hideous quagmire in which we find ourselves. He of course tells his own story from his own perspective. He cannot do otherwise. But he tells the historical perspective with journalistic integrity, having done extensive research, interviewed many on all sides, and does so with an honesty that is almost uncomfortably brutal.

What comes to light, is that there have been clear and present signs, over the past many years, that have been ignored, most shamefully by Netanayu and his enablers, that this attack by Hamas was inevitable and imminent. Qatar had been funding Hamas for years, with the tacit agreement -even encouragement – by Netanyahu. While this funding was supposed to go to the civilians of Gaza to improve their lives, to build schools, parks, businesses, hospitals, community centers, etc., it instead went to the construction of the notorious, massive, high-tech tunnel system. Hamas used these tunnels not only to import ammunition and money, but also to hide its planning, readying for this military attack on Israel. And while it did not accomplish all it set out to do, it accomplished the capturing of hundreds of hostages, many of whom are still, a year later, being held down in cages in these dark, dank, airless, food-less tunnels to this day.

And it is clear that while both sides have a claim to the land, and there are some on both sides who seek peace, the years of wars and militancy have pushed more to the extreme on both sides. Even while hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting in the streets against the extreme right-wing government in Israel, there are still thousands of Israelis who are extremists in their own right. Many of the settlers in the West Bank have carried out horrific terrorist attacks on their Palestinian neighbors – a disgrace in the name of religion. But just as evil, if not more so because of scale and scope, is the terrorism that has been ongoing by Palestinian extremists, Hamas included, who have been holding their own citizens hostage, in a sense, using them as human shields, as well as carrying out horrific terrorist acts on Israelis in the name of their religion as well.

Bottom line, this is a fraught, complicated, nuanced issue where many have sought to establish compromise and too many have interfered. Extremists on both sides have refused to accede the middle ground, to see any path to compromise. On the few monumental occasions when we’ve bravely come close, extremists have thwarted these attempts. It feels hopeless.

But all we have is hope, so we have to continue to hope.

There is a solution: there could be 2 states, side by side, if extremists on both sides would lay down their arms and compromise. It would take a replacement of both current governments – Hamas and Netanyahu’s government – to proceed to that ideal. It would take Iran’s government changing and staying out of the current mix.

It might take a miracle to open those Gates of Gaza.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Frankie wants to make her parents proud. The idea that women can be heroes too, whispered in her ear by her brother’s friend, has never occurred to her before, but when it is uttered, it hits her like a breath of fresh air. What better way to make her father, especially, proud than to join his “wall of heroes” by enlisting and serving her country as an army nurse in Vietnam? What she finds, as she disembarks from that first plane, is nothing like she’d ever imagined. And what she encounters there, whether she likes it or not, will stay with her for the rest of her life.

Here is yet another MUST READ, gifted to us from Kristin Hannah. It is not an easy one. It is harsh but realistic in its graphic detail of the horrors of the Vietnam war. It is a constant reminder, again and again, of what is lost in each and every battle. It also is historically and acutely accurate in its documentation of how horrifically veterans of this war were treated upon return to their country after their service, as if it were their choice to continue the war that most were drafted to serve in. More importantly, for this story, it documents how horrifically the WOMEN veterans of the war were treated. These women were denied their very existence there. Frankie was told, again and again, “There were no women in Vietnam,” when in fact, there were thousands of women in Vietnam – nurses, and support staff – serving their country, endangering their lives, and witnessing the trauma every day of their lives there.

Is the story all doom and gloom? No, of course not. It is also a story about love. Frankie finds so many versions of love. She finds beautiful friendships that last her lifetime. She opens her heart enough to have it broken time and again, which hurts but also helps her to grow. She also learns to appreciate that love can be demonstrated in many ways, even if it is not how we’d prefer. Frankie also learns to love herself, as she succeeds and fails and succeeds again.

It is an inspiring, gruesome, and heartwarming saga of a woman’s search for meaning and for herself. It is hard – perhaps impossible –  not to love this book.

 

One Way Back by Christine Blasey Ford

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Within these pages, Christine Blasey Ford reclaims her narrative – without distortion by the media, by politicians, or by any outsiders – of the facts of her experience of sexual assault by the man who is now sitting on the highest court of our land, Brett Kavanaugh. It is here, with a clear mind, a clear conscience, and clear focus, that she is able to communicate her backstory, her patriotic motivation, and the attempts she made to tell her story earlier in order to prevent Kavanaugh from coming to the point of being nominated in the first place (and in so doing, having to be exposed as he was). She tells about her experience of presenting her testimony and the abhorrent dereliction of duty of the FBI in their non-investigation of the case against Kavanaugh. She also bears her soul about the way in which she endured death threats, shaming, and other hateful acts against her that so many other survivors of sexual assault share – the backlash and the victim-blaming that comes with coming forward. She also shares the moments of support, from those whose names we recognize and those we may not. It is an inspiring, albeit painful, recounting of her journey.

It was our hope, at least that of those in my circle, that we in our country had learned our lesson after Anita Hill. That after our horrific treatment of that courageous woman who stood in front of a panel of old White men who battered her with ignorant questions and brazenly shamed her and disregarded her – we hoped we’d do better when another woman so bravely came forward to challenge the character of a man we were choosing for the highest court in the land. But no, we did not. One might argue that we did worse. We instead chose to discredit, shame, and mock Blasey Ford, who so boldly came forward to do her civic duty, who gave up her own quiet, private, comfortable existence to reveal such personal, intimate details of her life in order to bring a man’s questionable background to light. And it was worse because of social media, the 24-hour news cycle, and the internet access to personal information that enabled thousands to send her hate mail and death threats via so many different routes.

In a country of how many millions, we couldn’t find anyone better than Kavanaugh? There was really no one we could find who HADN’T sexually molested anyone??? Seriously? Oh, but of course we had to choose him. Because we have to only choose those farmed and nurtured by the Federalist Society in order to ensure the most conservative justices to make the most civil rights-limiting decisions on the bench. Because heaven forbid that anyone except White men have any power.

And yes, I am using this platform to rant because Blasey Ford needs to have others support her, to hear her, and to acknowledge that she did the right thing by coming forward and speaking up for herself, for women, and for this country. Because she is right. If little by little, woman by woman, each brave soul comes forward (in spite of the vicious backlash and victim-blaming that so often occurs), perhaps our daughters might have a spitting chance of having a better world. Perhaps our daughters will live in a world in which there are men who are more aware of consent and what defines assault. Perhaps when a woman comes forward, the folks in the room – however large that room may be – will actually hear her.

 

The Beach at Summerly

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Emilia, whom most on Winthrop Island know as Cricket, has had something of an idyllic upbringing. Although her family works for the Peabody family, who only grace the island during the summer, she has always seen no difference between herself and the Peabody boys with whom she and her siblings were constant companions from Memorial until Labor Day. But things appear changed for all of them now that each family has lost a son in the second world war, and the sons who have returned have done so having seen what the world could impose. When the Peabodys’ aunt shows up with her children and an offer of a job for Cricket, this opens up possibilities – and danger – for Cricket and for her family.

Once again, Beatriz Williams has written a wonderfully crafted novel with all the ingredients of a MUST READ. We love Cricket, because she is smart, loving, and trying her best to do what is right. Nevertheless, she is of course caught up in a tangle of historical fictional intrigue and there are more than a few sections that even I, who tries to really read every word of a book, found myself glossing over some to try to find out what happens, because I NEEDED to know!

In this novel, we also see how the “bad guys” are not always necessarily “bad,” but just victims of their own ideals. It can be quite easy to be swayed by ideas that feel right or pure. There was a time, for example, particularly after the market crash of the 1930’s when Marxism and communism may have appeared to be a sound alternative to economically vulnerable capitalism. An “equal” society might have seemed to be a fairer way to live when there was such a stark difference between the rich and the poor. It might even appeal today. Nevertheless, the countries who reign under these Marxist/communist theories obfuscated what was really going on in order to maintain these regimes – which was that any opposition of opinion or thought was being rooted out and violently suppressed. It was going on then, during and just after WWII, when Russia was considered an ally, and it is absolutely going on now.

This is both a well-researched, valuable historical perspective and an un-put-down-able work of fiction. The best combination, in my book!

The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J Edwards and Alyson Richman

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

When Stella and William say a passionate farewell at the beginning of this story, they have no idea if they will ever reunite. William is an enslaved Black man in the South, escaping his master at the outset of the Civil War, and Stella is an equally indentured Black woman who technically is free but is “kept” by a White man for his “pleasure.” All William has is his flute and his magically musical ear, but this wins him a place by the side of his newfound friend, Jacob. Likewise, Jacob, a Jewish New Yorker, who has signed up on the side of the Union, with the dream of fighting to end slavery, has also bid goodbye to his true love, Lily. He also has no idea if he’ll be able to return to her, fearing the worst as he moves closer and closer to the front. All he can hope for is that her continued correspondence and her love for him will help him through his arduous fight.

This narrative was apparently based on true characters in the history of the two authors’ families. Each of them is writing about the marginalization and, particularly in the case of the Black men who fought for the Union, dehumanization, experienced by these soldiers. And how relevant is this story now? With the rise of antisemitism and racism that is rampant in this country – and worldwide – it is both tragically and unsurprisingly, unchanged. Both Jacob and William experience the feeling of being treated as less-than, socially, financially (William is paid less than his White counterparts in spite of doing their scut work), and in terms of supplies, food and healthcare. Moreover, I feel that many of us can, sadly, relate to the schism in Jacob’s family, as he finds that his brother sides with the South and defends the vile institution of slavery, while Jacob and Lily fight for abolition.

As a novel in itself, however, I feel it is just ok. While it tells an important story, and there are some gritty and heart-rending scenes, it is mostly on the predictable side and just a bit corny. A few coincidences are just too perfect and a few situations turn out just too well to believe.

On the whole, however, it is a worthy read and one can learn quite a bit about this slice of history, from a more insider, less glamorized perspective.

True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson by Kostya Kennedy

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Jackie Robinson broke barriers. He broke through barriers when he joined the Montreal Royals, and then he broke through even more dramatically in the US when he joined the all-White, Major Leagues, as a Brooklyn Dodger. With his unique batting stance, his gutsy base-stealing, and his overall agility and competitive exuberance, he was a shining light for his team and for anyone lucky enough to be in the stands to watch him play. And while he encountered innumerable incidents of racism, he always maintained a calm demeanor even as he spoke his mind plainly. Through his larger-than-life image of poise and strength of character, he and his wife, Rachel, became integral to the advancement of civil rights in our country.

In this colorful depiction of the life of Jackie Robinson, we are given an insider’s view of his life and his struggles, his victories and his pain. Kennedy, through extensive research and a clear understanding of the game, gives us not only detailed descriptions of pivotal games played by Robinson – helping us to feel almost as if we ourselves are sitting in the stands – but also how Robinson must have felt during those games. We are deeply disappointed and hurt alongside Robinson during tours in the South, as he eyes his fellow teammates remaining on their bus destined for their all-White luxurious hotels, when he has to get off the bus to stay at a Blacks-only hotel or private home. We feel the resentment he feels as he continues to see, year after year, no Black managers or team officials in spite of his continued advocacy for this. But we are also thrilled by his wins and inspired by his accomplishments.

What I loved about this biography of Jackie Robinson was the tribute given to his wife, Rachel. It seemed that Robinson himself gave her so much credit for his success – and that was evident here in this book. Theirs was a true love story; they seemed to be a genuine team in love and in life. While she was a homemaker for much of his baseball career, she was trained as a nurse and an educator, and she returned to working once their children were grown. Later, she also helped to forge the advocacy and fundraising he began, long after his death.

You definitely have to have an interest in baseball to get through this book, as there are many detailed descriptions of games, plays, and players. But if you do, you will also learn quite a bit about how baseball lived as a metaphor for many, particularly those in the 1940’s and 1950’s, in Jackie Robinson’s heyday, for some movement toward the advancement of civil rights in this country.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict

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Nancy Mitford is at a loss. She cannot fathom how her 2 younger sisters, Diana and Unity, have been so sucked into the not-so-underground fascist movement that is brewing among a segment of the British elite in their 1930’s lives in London. It is shocking, that Diana, in particular, once the literal belle of every ball can now be hanging on every word of her precious leader, M. Where will this lead? How far will they take these outlandish and extreme ideas? And will it drive a divide between the once very close sisters? As their story unfolds, so too does the dark history of this movement among the British just prior to the outbreak of World War II.

Based on the lives of a real family of sisters (and a brother) who were among the withering elite of Britain just prior to the outset of the second World War – and who were also, significantly, cousins of Winston Churchill – this fascinating historical fiction novel teaches us much about the existence of fascism in England at this time. The leader of the movement, M, is portrayed as an ego-ridden, single-minded, albeit charismatic speaker who is willing to use any means available to accomplish his goal -allying himself with the despicable likes of Mussolini and Hitler. Because he is so desperate for financial backing, he is manipulated into acceding even to denounce the Jews, whom he had not been against initially.

Parts of this novel were physically painful to read. Depictions of Hitler as charming and cultured went against every fiber of my being, having very personal connections to the destruction that he and his Nazi regime have wrought. But at the same time, I feel it is incumbent upon us to appreciate how history might have swung so easily in a different direction had strong and ethical individuals not stood up to him and his regime and done the right thing, fighting against tyranny and preventing further cruelty and harm that might have occurred.

And it is so relevant today. Do we not see folks voting for those who stand for tyranny just because they also threaten their wallets? Do we not see folks defending fascists who disguise themselves as ordinary Americans just because they might agree with them on issues that make them a bit uncomfortable? We are threatened just as deeply today as the Brits were during those dark hours before the war. We have to be alert for the signs – and reading books like this help us to stay on our toes.

Marie Benedict chooses fascinating people to write about- she has done so once again here. As difficult a read as this is, I would highly recommend it.

 

 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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From the very moment of his birth in the narrow, rented trailer home where his teen mom went into an early labor, Damon already felt the stacking of the cards against him. His father already six feet under only six months prior, Damon learned early to try to hide his mom’s alcohol even as he hid from her poor choices in men. He also knew when to escape to the Peggots’, their kindly neighbors and grandparents of his ally, Maggot. But he lost his battle to protect his mom when “Stoner” moved in. While his mom believed this newest partner might provide stability, Damon saw that what he actually provided was constant tension and outright physical warfare. This was the beginning of a journey for Damon that led him through the nightmare of the foster care system, which would test him to the limits of both his weaknesses and his strengths.

Barbara Kingsolver has always been one of my favorite authors and, again, she has proved this justified. As she recreates the narrative of David Copperfield through the voice of a young, poor, Appalachian boy at the brink of the opioid crisis, she does so with authenticity, respect, a love of this part of the land and its people, and, yes, even humor. It is a hard story. Damon, or “Demon” as he is nicknamed, is abandoned into the foster care system and left to his own creative devices and survival instincts at an excruciatingly young age. We follow him through his minimal ups and prolonged downs and we see that he has, in spite of his circumstances, a kind heart and an artistic soul. We come to love him and see his failings as the failings of the system that has tried to eat him alive, rather than his own personal ones. We see how these failings have been built on generations of systemic exploitation and vulnerability.

Kingsolver, through this narrative, brings to light a few important messages. One is how the large mining magnates exploited so much of Appalachia without regard to the land or the people who lived there. They created dependence on the corporations for everything. The people were owned by these corporations, but not protected by them, as their health, education, and welfare were not at all the company’s concern. And once the land was stripped of its use, it was abandoned, as were the people who lived there, leaving only poverty in its wake.

So it is not shocking that Purdue Pharma sought to prey also on this vulnerable population, sending out its sales reps like missionaries to these communities who were middle and lower-middle class without great access to adequate health care. Few on the receiving end were insured, so much of their health care was in the form of emergency room or in-hospital care only. The providers there were sold the BS that Purdue Pharma was dishing out on pain management: that they had invented the miracle panacea for pain relief through Oxycontin and that it was, miraculously, non-addictive. Well, we know how that fable goes…

What I believe I loved most about this story, and what Kingsolver does so tenderly, is highlight the beauty of both this region and the folks who live there. She describes the landscapes: the steep waterfalls, the green mountains, the valleys and rocky streams -and the fauna and flora that thrive there. How even if poverty exists there, folks are able to farm a patch of land to grow vegetables, hunt for food, or knit themselves a few sweaters for the cold weather – and that they do so for each other in their close-knit communities – because there are still close-knit communities where everyone knows everyone else, and have known their parents and grandparents as well.

This is a uniquely gorgeous novel – one that should not be passed up. This is, without a doubt, a MUST READ!

(And I think it’s also time for me to revisit the original David Copperfield as well!)