Euphoria by Lily King

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It is early 1930’s and Nell and Fen are newly married and working together on researching the various tribes of New Guinea. Well, perhaps working together is being a bit generous, as Nell has an overwhelming curiosity about the gender roles of the tribes and has embedded herself into their cultures with ease. She has also been more productive than Fen, having published a now world-renowned manuscript that has brought her quite a bit of fame. Even their friend, Andrew Bankson, a fellow anthropologist and self-doubter, can see that this has created jealousy on the part of Fen. Could this be how Bankson can work his way into Nell’s favor? Or might this be just a disaster waiting to happen?

This novel pours historical fiction and fascinating anthropologic hypotheses into a triangulated love story. While we learn about the cultures that Nell, in particular, is studying, how she integrates into their society and records details of their cultures, we also feel the palpable admiration and tenderness that Bankson feels towards Nell, even as Fen appears to ignore her. Meanwhile, as Nell learns about the more open attitudes of these more isolated cultures toward sex, she feels a kinship with them in many ways.

There is quite a bit to unpack here, and I believe bookclubs will have a field day with this one. I would not be able to do it justice in this blog, and so I will not try. But I do recommend this book highly, as I feel it has so much depth, both in the character structure and in the many ideas that the three scientists bat around. The plot develops quite subtly and one might believe they know where it leads, but they would likely be surprised.

Not quite a MUST READ, but close!

Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdahl

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Born to a Korean mother and an Ashkenazi Jewish father, Angela feels caught between their two worlds. Is she truly Jewish, as her Reform synagogue has considered her? Is she not really Jewish as she’s been accused of by Orthodox acquaintances? Having been raised in an open, inclusive congregation in Tacoma, Washington where she was one of very few Jews, she identifies as very Jewish and early on felt her calling as a rabbi. Women had just begun to be ordained the year she was born, at least in the Reform movement, and her experiences as a Jewish song leader in her summer camp and in the religious school at her temple, as well as her close fellowship with her rabbi and first mentor, impacted her feeling of purpose. Along the way, she encountered many obstacles as well as much encouragement, and with all of this has gained much fame as the first Korean, woman rabbi and the spiritual leader of one of the largest congregations in the Jewish world.

In more ways than one, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is an unlikely rabbi. According to traditional Jewish law, which defines being Jewish without conversion through one’s matrilineal line, Angela would not be considered to be Jewish by Jews outside of the Reform Movement. In fact, many have questioned her identity as a Jew, at least before she did undergo a more official conversion (although still others would not recognize her Reform conversion, which is, in my opinion, unfair). Meanwhile, her most formative experiences were always spiritually Jewish. Even as a teen, she attached the newest, most joyful tunes to familiar prayers and shared them with youth both at her summer camp and in her community. While in Israel on a summer program, she inhaled the religious guidance from the many mentors she found (even while digesting the rejections she also met) and this and other experiences solidified her mission to pursue the rabbinate.

Interspersed within her story, Rabbi Buchdahl also shares words of Torah. Between each chapter, she shares her and others’ interpretations of various. relevant phrases from the Scripture, enhancing their meaning and tying them to what she has experienced/discussed. This not only provides an unusual reading experience, but also highlights her insight, sensitivity, and wisdom.

I am also impressed with how flexible and supportive her mother has been. While her mother treasured her Korean culture and background, staying close with her family and spending her life helping Korean and other immigrants in their settlement to this country in so many ways, she also allowed her daughter to find her own path to a spiritual life. She always encouraged her in spite of being concerned about the many obstacles she foresaw and worried about. She was always proud of her daughter’s accomplishments.

This is an important memoir in many ways. It demonstrates that Jews can have many identities, whether being of color, of mixed race, or coming from unusual backgrounds and experiences. It demonstrates that women can achieve high levels of leadership that don’t necessitate compromising their personal lives. It demonstrates that Jews of all demographic backgrounds and denominations can achieve success in inspiring others to find religious fulfillment.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

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Birdie: It’s early 1930’s, and the Great Depression has hit Mississippi quite hard. Birdie considers herself lucky that she has a job, tedious and underpaid as it is. She has pretty much resigned herself to her single life, living at home with her Mama even as her younger sister has already flown the coup and gotten herself married, informing the family only after the fact. When circumstances become financially dire for Birdie and her Mama, she is encouraged to visit her now wealthier sister to ask for a loan. When she finds her sister and sees the reality of her life there, Birdie finds life can be challenging in ways she’d never dreamed of.

Meg: Being eleven years old at an orphanage during the Depression is hard, but never as hard as when the head of the establishment, the “esteemed” Garnett Pittman, just seems to have it out for you. Having been deserted by her mother two years prior, she continues to have dreams about her mother returning, which her best friend insists she must let go. But since she’s been exiled to a dreary, windowless room to herself all day, leaving only for meals and sleep, she can hardly be expected not to fantasize about her Mama. What else does she have to do? It is only when a new volunteer comes to work on the books for the orphanage and shows her a bit of kindness that she imagines she may have a future other than what Garnett has planned for her.

This is an incredibly beautiful story about women, their limited choices, and the lengths to which people will go for those they love. Written by the author of The Help, this novel is animated by the vernacular, the color, the beauty and the darkness of the South in the 1930’s. I listened to this on audiobook and found it utterly absorbing and entertaining, enjoying the lovely accents, rich characters and wonderfully snarky dialogue. As each of the histories of the main characters are gradually revealed, there is also a sense of horror at the evil inclinations of some and the victimization of many. Women at the time were particularly vulnerable, and those few with power did not always use that power for good.

But we root for these two characters – and many others – as we come to know their kindness, their sensitivity, and their complexity. And as the plot thickens, and takes unexpected curves, we find we worry for their safety and keep turning pages (or listening attentively) just to ensure we learn their fates. There is a great deal of suspense, of caring and of sadness – as there is in real life.

It’s been awhile since I’ve designated a book a “MUST READ,” but The Calamity Club absolutely is one! Whether you read or listen, I guarantee you will be taken in and love it!

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

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Ronnie can’t believe his luck. After waiting for Lindsay for hours in the town square, she’s finally come to join him. Even better, she has asked him to join her in a bit of a prank. You see, Lula Dean, nobody’s favorite, self-righteous snoop in the town, has set up a little box of “free” library books in front of her home. While she had led a crusade against “dangerous” books being available in the schools and the library of their small, Georgian town, she has decided to establish a more “appropriate library” for the townspeople to use. Unbeknownst to Lula, however, Lindsay has what she feels might be a creative solution to the problem of Lula’s book banning. However, she has no idea what she might have unleashed on the town from this little prank…

What starts off as vignettes about the various characters who borrow the books Lula has left out in her library evolves into a more connected, linear story about a Southern town afflicted by its sordid past. The town has celebrated, with a huge statue in its town square, its deep roots in the enslavement of Black folks and in the extremist groups fostered there. Some of the characters here feel threatened by any sort of change, any progression toward inclusiveness; on the other hand, there are many who seek to move on from their history, to do better. The message here is clear: those who read, open their minds, and learn about others, become more empathetic to the plight of those who have been marginalized for whatever reason.

This is a clever novel, with amusing characters as well as a surprisingly complex plot. My only complaint is that the ending is, once again, a bit too neat. Perhaps it is the hope of the author that by reading this book, one will open their minds and learn that doing so will lead to happy endings. A sweet message if perhaps a bit naive. (I may just be cynical, given our world right now, though.)

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher

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Kick Kennedy has just arrived in London and she has immediately fallen in love. The city’s deep history, the rich cultural opportunities – not to mention the exciting nightlife where she has quickly befriended most of London’s young elite – has given her a feeling she’s never quite gotten from the privileged but stuffy social gatherings back home in the US. And even though her family is most important to her, especially given their notoriety and their Kennedy connections, she finds herself thinking she would like to stay here, even as things are heating up with Hitler’s greedy ambition and the threat of war hanging over everyone’s head. To complicate matters, she has also become enamored of a particular young man, who has captured her eye. If only their religions did not interfere with their being accepted as a couple. So many challenges she must face!

This novel not only provides a window into the Kennedy family via Kathleen (“Kick”) Kennedy’s life and struggles, but it also gives a palpable sense of the anxiety among the younger set in London pre- and during WWII. Her father, Joe Kennedy quickly lost favor as the ambassador to England when he remained staunchly anti-war, even in the face of the rising threat the Nazis posed to England and to Europe. Kick, as a family member who was more in touch with the younger generation who were mostly for defending England and standing up to the Nazi attempt to take over all of Europe, had a more realistic view of the situation. And while her father did not listen to her initially, he gradually learned to trust his wise and socially adept daughter. While this was certainly a coming of age of a young debutante, it also was great historical fiction for a time that was complicated, scary, and a challenging backdrop for romance.

It also provided insight into the conflict between Catholics and Protestants at the time (and continuing to today). Particularly in England, where the chasm between the two religions was so deeply-rooted and had affected their royal families, nobles, and so many others, it was a source of trauma for those who might wish to marry into the other religion. The Catholics, believing that if they deserted their church, they’d be excommunicated, abandoned by their families, and considered damned for all eternity, this was a heavy load for true believers. And Protestants, who made up a larger swath of the population, believed that if they were to betray their church, they would be shaming their families, culture, and their history as well.

I felt I learned so much from this book – and it was a well-written and engaging story to boot! Highly recommend for my fellow fans of historical fiction!

Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

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Dorothy Sayers is tired of men taking control of everything. In spite of the literary accomplishments of her female colleagues, they are being completely minimized by the men who are initiating the new Detection Club. a club for mystery authors seeking to heighten the prestige of the genre. Well, Dorothy will not take this lying down! After her little gathering of five women authors she feels have proven themselves worthy of being included, she hatches a plan to have them inducted into this club as well. Nevertheless, the men continue to ignore, even denigrate them. What if they, as writers of murder mysteries themselves, solve an actual, real-life murder mystery? Perhaps then their male peers will take them seriously. This, however, turns out to be more complicated than she ever imagines.

If you’re looking for a bit of morbid fun, this book is for you! The “Queens” as they call themselves, find themselves deep in the mire of a brutal murder that could potentially stump even them. As they delve deeper and deeper into the details, they learn to work together, to appreciate each other’s strengths and support each other through their weaknesses. We learn that everyone appears to have some sort of secret, some part of themselves that they would prefer be kept hidden from the public eye. They are vulnerable, because particularly at the time this story takes place, the interval between the great wars, women had little in the way of independence and relied not only on their “upstanding” reputations but also, of course, on the men around them. Even women with means. Even women who were as famous for their brilliance and talent as this authors were.

The characters themselves, as well as the plot, hold intrigue, humor, sensitivity, and surprise – keeping at least this reader completely engaged. Once again, Marie Benedict has done it!

The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese

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Dr. Abraham Verghese is a senior medical school faculty member and an infectious disease specialist in El Paso, TX. He is also a huge tennis fan, having played the sport since he was quite young. Upon meeting one of his new medical students, David Smith, who not only is smart and motivated to learn, but has also played professional tennis, Verghese feels he’s met his match, so to speak. Finally, here is someone he has something in common with! Moreover, he sees his own loneliness reflected in the face of this new friend, and he understands that they might be a support for each other. As Verghese learns more about David, and specifically about his addictions, he sees that this relationship may be more challenging than he imagines.

This autobiographical work by Verghese is an emotional and moving portrait of what it feels like to be close to someone who has an addiction as well as to be blindsided by it. While Verghese has clinical experience (albeit in a different area of medicine) and as well as deep compassion and understanding, he cannot help being sucked in to the dramatic ups and downs of his friend’s disease. Verghese becomes the only true friend David Smith has, the only consistency in David’s chaotic life; on the other hand, he is in the awkward position of really not being David’s peer as well as having quite a bit of stress of his own (his dissolving marriage, his worry for his own two young sons). Nevertheless, we watch as he becomes the friend that David comes to rely upon and he finds himself caught up in David’s world.

I did find the story a bit repetitive and predictable, although that may be a function of addiction itself. Many sufferers of addiction bounce in and out of rehab, feeling the low of needing to detox and the high of coming out feeling rehabilitated. While there are many who succeed in remaining sober, it is a daily if not hourly struggle – and the repetition seen here is likely a reflection of this. It may be that one has to convince others even as they are convincing themselves that THIS time will be their time to make it. That seemed to be the case with David – and Verghese may have tried to believe it each and every time. I imagine it is the hardest thing to overcome.

If you’re interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the terrible disease of addiction, if you’d like to learn how loneliness and abandonment can impact an addiction, this book is for you. [Also, be ready for much in the way of tennis details. If you hate the sport, this may not be for you!]

When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin

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Late on October 6, 2023, after having Shabbat dinner with his family, Hersh Goldberg-Polin traveled south to join his friends at a festival celebrating love, light, music and dance. Little did anyone in their family suspect that this would be their last Shabbat dinner, their last hug goodbye, their last anything. Because early the following morning, Hersh would experience an invasion of radical Islamic terrorists whose mission was to kill, maim, rape, burn and capture as many Jewish victims as possible, including Hersh himself. Attempting to hide, Hersh sought refuge in a bomb shelter with many others, until the terrorists threw in the grenade that would blow off his dominant left hand. He would then be taken into captivity, starved, tortured, and kept in subterranean tunnels for hundreds of days before being shot and killed at close range by these terrorists.

Immediately on hearing of his being taken captive, his family sprung into action, meeting with anyone and everyone to try to advocate for Hersh’s release. Even in their fog of unimaginable pain from loss and terror for his welfare, they traveled the world, spoke both publicly and privately, trying anything to gain the assistance of anyone who might be able to get Hersh released. What this did to his mother, Rachel, is laid out here in all its pure, raw, raging agony.

I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to bear witness, through these poetic, philosophical, and agonizing words of Rachel Goldberg-Polin, to what happened on October 7, 2023. Because it has affected not just her but thousands of others all over the world. Because it affected Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus. Because it affected people from Israel, Germany, Thailand, the US, Russia, and the UK. Because it was a demonstration of evil so public and so brazen that it changed the world. And because we are obligated to know, to comprehend the atrocities that occurred on that day as it affected individuals in order to understand the impact it has had on a global scale.

This is not just a MUST READ, but an obligatory one.

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhorn

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It’s been years, decades even, that Anna has been fighting in a German court to establish her identity as the Grand Duchess of the Romonov family. She’s been grateful for the support of her loyal childhood friends, who have shuffled her around from sympathizer to sheltering sympathizer. But she resents that she’s been abandoned by her extended family and her former teacher, who have accused her of being an imposter. Through this dual timeline, we learn both of Anna’s traumatic experience of living through the cruelty of the Russian revolutionaries, as well as her fight to survive the aftermath.

A huge fan of this author, I was somewhat disappointed by this particular novel of hers. I am always game for a dual timeline as well as most historical fiction. I was interested in the history and fate of Tsar Nicholas and the Russian Revolution. However, because this timeline skipped around so much, both in time and location – and never in a linear fashion – it became onerous to keep track of. Moreover, the story was relentlessly heartbreaking, with little in the way of lightness. Of course, it is a brutal story, but even the most brutal history can be relayed with moments of tenderness, some expressions of wit. There was poor little of relief in this telling and, so, a heavy load to carry.

That said, I absolutely learned from it and was, in fact, surprised at the ending. Glad I read it? I’m still not sure. But I certainly feel a bit smarter for having done so.

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

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Violet looks forward to her book club meeting each week. It has become the only time during her week where she can escape the mind-numbing routine of prison life. She finds that Harriet, the volunteer who leads the meetings, while quite a bit older (and who dresses even older than that) is actually pretty cool in her own way. As for Harriet, she feels blessed to be a part of this group; feeling as if here, in this claustrophobic room with a group of outspoken and demanding women, she can be utterly herself. Frank, who helps out in the bookstore where Harriet obtains her books for the group, is pleased to feel useful there. Especially if it might give him a chance to meet Harriet…

This story, with its rotating narrative between these three characters gives us a window into the life of a young woman who has and still is paying dearly for a tragic mistake she’s made. For even after she’s paid her dues, she still must contend with the impact of what she’s done. Whether it is in the challenge of finding employment with a felony record, the guilt she carries about her crime and the impact its had on others, or the abandonment she feels from everyone in her former life.

This is also a story of forgiveness. We see many unable to forgive, and we see how happiness comes to those who do.

It’s a truly heartwarming story stemming from an unlikely beginning.