The World's Strongest Librarian

I could not have guessed that my favorite read this year would be about a Mormon Librarian Strongman with severe Tourette Syndrome. I was trying to describe the author and my love for his book to my family at dinner, and they said Wait. What?  It's that kind of book, full of unlikely and fascinating juxtapositions,  and among my very favorite memoirs. It's hard for me to separate out how much of my praise for this book is based on how much I like the author and his voice, or how much his story and world view resonated with me.

Josh writes in a forthright, honest, sparse manner, describing his childhood, his work and the characters he meets in the public library, his love of books and stories, his supportive family and his struggle to gain some control over his body, which rarely obeys his wishes. Finding strength training gives him moments of calm and a needed distraction from his daily struggles for normalcy.

I found Josh's story to be at times funny, thought provoking, shocking and heart warming, and was moved to tears several times, but in a good way. I highly recommend this memoir and hope it finds an eager audience.

I enjoyed discovering Josh's blog and facebook pages as well, and will enjoy watching his transition from librarian to successful author. He is a gracious in responding to comments.

You can read a Library Journal interview with him  here, or check out his blog here. You will be glad you did.

The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius

The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius is a great read that tells the astonishing story of Jacob Barnett, measured as perhaps the smartest person on the planet by the age of thirteen. Dismissed as an autistic who would never read before the age of three, Jake’s mother and father indulge and engage his curiosity as he silently pursues his passions and obsessions. Rather than focusing on his shortcomings, Jake’s mother pays attention to what interests and engages her son, and opens the doors that lead him to college physics classes by the age of eight, and graduate level mathematics research by the age of twelve.

I watched the 60 minutes piece about Jacob in January 2012 and was thrilled to read more about his fascinating development and his parents' journey to ensure their son had a normal childhood, friends and the unwavering love of his family. Jacob’s family is as amazing as their child, giving so freely of their time and money to help not just their son, but other autistic kids have fun.  They have more heart and hardship  than any family I’ve encountered, and I learned that Jake’s mother’s greatest gift is her ability to notice her child, to see what he’s doing and what he needs to keep growing and learning, and to notice it in all the kids she’s worked with.  Her discovery of their son’s limitless curiosity and photographic memory for among other things, mathematic equations, is as compelling a narrative as their son’s journey from a toddler trapped inside his mind to a brilliant, fine young man who wants to share his love of math with others. 

Memoir and biography of extraordinary genius are among my favorite reads,  particularly Paul Erdos, the Man who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman,  Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet, Temple Grandin’s Thinking in Pictures,  and now, The Spark will rank among my favorites.

I highly recommend reading this book to learn about the minds of extraordinary people, to rethink education and parenting of special needs and typical children, to discuss in book groups or parenting groups, and I encourage you to learn more about Jacob and his parents’ continuing passion to make a difference in the lives of so many children.

Jacob just gave a lecture at TedXTeen, and you can watch video of him speaking here,

as well as read these startling facts:

Jacob Barnett is an American mathematician and child prodigy. At 8 years old, Jacob began sneaking into the back of college lectures at IUPUI. After being diagnosed with autism since the age of two and placed in his school’s special ed. program, Jacob’s teachers and doctors were astonished to learn he was able to teach calculus to college students.At age nine, while playing with shapes, Jacob built a series of mathematical models that expanded Einstein’s field of relativity. A professor at Princeton reviewed his work and confirmed that it was groundbreaking and could someday result in a Nobel Prize. At age 10, Jacob was formally accepted to the University as a full-time college student and went straight into a paid research position in the field of condensed matter physics. For his original work in this field, Jacob set a record, becoming the world’s youngest astrophysics researcher. His paper was subsequently accepted for publication by Physical Review A, a scientific journal shared on sites such as NASA, the Smithsonian, and Harvard’s webpage. Jacob’s work aims to help improve the way light travels in technology.

Jacob is also CEO and founder of Wheel LLC, a business he started in his mom’s garage, and is in the process of writing a book to help end “math phobia” in his generation.

Jacob’s favorite pastime is playing basketball with the kids at his charity, Jacob’s Place. It is a place where kids with autism are inspired every day to be their true authentic selves…just like Jacob.   Featured image, video and caption: Credit: TEDx (www.ted.com)

Related reads:

The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth… byPaul Hoffman

An amazing genius! I'm not a math person (at all!), but I love smart, fascinating people - Erdos lived out of a suitcase, interested only in solving math problems with the brightest minds. He was socially clueless, bizarre and brilliant. One of my favorite biographies. 

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison

Fascinating view into the Aspergian mind; amazing journey of self discovery, and an interesting supplement to Augusten Burrough's work as well. A very quick read.

Catching up with recent reads

Drinking with Men: A Memoir by Rosie Schaap

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Drinking with Men was an interesting memoir of a woman's journey through the neighborhood bar culture with a stronger beginning than ending. The first third of the novel is unique and fascinating look at the regulars who inhabit these local haunts, but I started to lose interest two-thirds through the book and found myself ultimately disappointed by the turn of events in the author's life. The best parts of the book are those spent describing the makeshift communities that develop in the local bars frequented by the author, and the characters that inhabit them. I wanted a different ending, perhaps, than the one the author lived, and didn't manage to understand the unraveling of her marriage or her religious conversion, as they seemed to happen so quickly in the back half of the book. That said, I admire the author's honesty and originality in living her life authentically, and enjoyed reading many of the chapters immensely.

(  )

After You've Gone: A Novel by Jeffrey Lent

Another beautifully written, lyrical novel from Jeffrey Lent. I fell in love with his characters and despite the ending which broke my heart, I highly recommend this book, as I do all the works by this unique and literate author. (  )

A Look Inside Alzheimer's by Marjorie N. Allen

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

A Look Inside Alzheimer's is a slight book, more memoir or introduction than resource, that details the personal experiences of a caregiver and two patients dealing with their diagnosis, as well as insight from a wide range of family members affected by this disease.

The book includes some references for further reading, a brief glossary and list of resources in the Appendix, but at approximately 100 pages it was a very short read that left me wishing for more insight. Maybe my family familiarity with Alzheimer's left me wanting answers that don't exist, but I was hoping for more from this read. (  )

Grave's End by Elaine Mercado

This was a spooky read for the Halloween season, a well written and frightful account of one family's experience in a haunted house. Frustrating because of the denial, the marital stress, the conflicted emotions of the family and the incredible amount of time it took them to seek help. It's often amazing what people can convince themselves to live with. Scariest of all for me personally, was the incredible, uncanny similarity to experiences of my family members who shared their home with a presence that disrupted their lives, in two separate homes. As in the book, it took the intervention of a medium/exorcist to stop the activity. This is the first account I have read that so closely mirrored those scary family stories, and gives the reader a lot of mysteries to ponder and a lot of creepy feelings on the back of the neck. (  )

Boozy Brunch: The Quintessential Guide to Daytime Drinking… by Peter Joseph

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

I enjoyed reviewing Boozy Brunch as much for the cocktail recipes as for the lovely photographs and interesting quotes and stories. I found many new recipes that I'm eager to try, and fear I may be adding a wide variety of bitters and liqueurs to my collection. I'm also inspired to host a brunch soon with my friends and will have trouble deciding which of the drinks to serve, and which of the food recipes to try. This fun little book works as a cookbook, a brunch menu inspiration book, a coffee table book and as a conversation starter. (  )

The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Alden Bell

The Reapers Are The Angels rates among my favorite zombie and post-apocalyptic reads for its exceptional writing, pacing and characterizations, and is a remarkable work of fiction regardless of the genre. This story is a deeply moving and thought provoking look at humanity and what remains of the world through the eyes of an unforgettable fifteen year old warrior girl named Temple. I ordered this book based on the reviews after reading the frustrating young adult zombie novel, This Is Not A Test. I was in dire need of a good story, a compelling main character and greater literary depth. Alden Bell's novel delivered all this and more. I started reading the moment this book arrived, and did not stop until I finished well after midnight. Days later, I am still pondering the story and the nuanced layers of meaning and plan on rereading this novel to better appreciate the writing and the moral of the story.

This is not a typical zombie novel, although based on the action packed plot, it could certainly be enjoyed as one. Despite a few flaws with practicality, such as the long term availability of food and fuel, and the suspension of disbelief required in the mountain chapters, this is a very worthwhile and thought-provoking read on many levels. I was reminded of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, for its bleak, sparse style and journey across a ruined America, Colson Whitehead's Zone One, for its social commentary and character development, Jeffrey Lent's After the Fall, for its beauty and brutality, and maybe a little of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, for its compelling, complex, strong female characters and Biblical allegories. Like all these novels, The Reapers Are The Angels contains memorable characters and beautiful writing, and is very highly recommended. (  )

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (Perennial Classics)… by Barbara Kingsolver

Despite the recommendations of Oprah and my friends, this book languished in my to read pile for years. Years. I was reluctant to undertake a novel depicting a missionary family, and had burned out on Oprah recommendations long ago. In need of a large book to take on a road trip I decided to give in to peer pressure, not expecting much, but determined to cross it off my list. I was not prepared to be swept away by the story, the characters, by Africa's history and culture, to be moved to tears so many times. Barbara Kingsolver writes masterfully, beautifully, and this rich story was one of the best I can remember reading. I loved this book, and wonder why I resisted for so long. I was very sad to see it end, and wonder now, how I can read something next that won't seem inadequate in comparison. (  )

Where The Hell Is Matt? by Matt Harding

This quick but enjoyable book is a great companion to Matt's joyful Youtube videos and his website. After the release of Matt's fourth dancing video in 2012, I wanted to know more about his journey, his motivations and his experiences. This book provides all of that and more behind the scenes information. I only wish the book were longer, and that it had a sequel detailing his latest adventures. (  )

Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor… by Hali Felt

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Soundings is a fascinating look at the life and accomplishments of Marie Tharp, whose intellect and hard work resulted in the first maps of Earth's ocean floors. Her maps caused a stir in the scientific community by supporting the revolutionary new theories of plate tectonics. As a woman in a field dominated by men, and during a time when women were not expected to hold jobs outside clerical and teaching fields, her accomplishments are even more astonishing and humbling. I was surprised to learn the maps I had taped to my walls in college were created by a woman I knew nothing about.

The author presents a detailed biography of her subject and her admiration for Ms. Tharp is evident throughout the book. At times, the author's insertion of herself into the narrative, as well as her use of a contrived Mission Impossible scenario detracts from the story which drags in places. This is a dense read, however, the material and the subject matter prevail to present a very complete portrait of an under-rated, under appreciated brilliant female scientist who deserves acknowledgement for her life's work. (  )

The Light Between Oceans: A Novel by ML Stedman

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

The Light Between the Oceans is a deeply moving and thought provoking story about the depths of love, and the limits to what a person is capable of going in the name of love. The characters and setting are unforgettable, and the moral dilemma posed by the plot kept me reading and turning pages until I finished. I can usually guess plot twists and turns but I wasn't sure how this one was going to end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the author's beautiful writing and found myself moved to tears by the end. Highly recommended reading. (  )

The Cybrarian's Web: An A-Z Guide to 101 Free Web 2.0 Tools and Other Resources… by Cheryl Ann Peltier-Davis

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

The Cybrarian's Web is a brief but useful compendium of informative and essential web sites. Of the 101 sites listed, I was familiar with a third of them, and did not need an introduction to facebook, wikipedia, skype and many other sites internet novices might need help discovering.  The problem with a book listing websites is the quickness with which information becomes obsolete, such as the site Amplify, which no longer exists, or Rollyo, which has been under maintenance for weeks. I did enjoy exploring other sites I was not familiar with, and wished for a little more information about the sites in the book, and for the chapters to be organized by function rather than alphabetically by product name.

I found the book's website links to all the sites a very useful bookmark, and more useful than the book itself because of the status updates for the defunct or merged sites. (  )

Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son… by Anne Lamott

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This book is everything I've come to love and expect from one of my favorite authors. I laughed out loud, I cried a little, sometimes a lot, but mostly I laughed because Anne Lamott is a very funny lady, and a very, very good writer. Reading her latest work, Some Assembly Required, is like hanging out with my imaginary eccentric, hilarious, brutally honest, neurotic, self-centered, articulate, Jesus loving nutty best friend who just became a grandmother. She journals her feelings about this first year of her grandson's life, the struggles of her son and his girlfriend, a young couple thrust into parenting and adulthood, and her attempts to let them live their lives on their own terms, not hers, which is both painful and hilarious. She includes interviews with her son, which add an interesting voice and perspective to the year's journal.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her travels to India and Europe, the perspectives she gained through distance from her family. She has a gift for describing places, people and feelings that rings true for me and never fails to entertain and enlighten. Although I don't share the author's religious fervor, I don't mind her religious determination and certaintity one bit, because she doesn't preach, she just shares how she feels and views the world. I'm grateful she shared this first year of her grandson's life and the changes it brought to her and her son. I think fans of her work will enjoy this book as much as I did. (  )

Unbroken is Unbelievable

I can't come up with enough superlatives to  describe how much I love this book, it's subject, Louie Zamperini, and the author, Laura Hillenbrand.  Here's the review I posted on Amazon and Librarything, which doesn't begin to do justice. If you've read Unbroken, you know what I mean. If you haven't, trust me, you should.

Unbroken is an amazing work of narrative fiction, and Louis Zamperini's life story is phenomenal and inspirational. From his misspent youth to his Olympic feats, from his World War II service to his survival against all odds adrift at sea, then enslaved and brutalized in POW camps, Louie's spirit, endurance and courage embody the Greatest Generation at its finest. I raced through this book in two days and was amazed that I had never heard of this wonderful man, whose life deserves acknowledgement and celebration.

Laura Hillenbrand writes extremely well, deftly weaving historical facts and figures into the carefully researched and compelling narrative. It is not just the story of one man's journey and survival, it is a fascinating overview of the War effort on the home front and the Pacific theater, as well as a sobering look at the unimaginable plight of prisoners of war. I was moved to chills, tears and cheers repeatedly throughout this book, which I consider one of the best I have read in years. Very highly recommended.

The Hair of Harold Roux

Thomas Williams wrote his National Book Award winning novel The Hair of Harold Roux decades ago, yet it remains a richly fascinating and relevant work of literature today. 

There are stories within stories, 5 in all, woven together to create a ponderous exploration of life's struggles and mysteries. From the opening sentence - Aaron Benham sits at his desk hearing the wrong voices. - to the touching afterword written by his daughter, this book was captivating. There were so many intricate details to absorb, words and ideas to ponder, character motivations to analyze, fictions versus realities to discern, symbols of warm fires and the chill of absolute zero, twists of fate and luck, all written by a master. I took pages of notes as I read, not so much to help me write a review as to help me remember the unique and meaningful prose.

I was often reminded of the rich detail and style of John Irving, and was not surprised to learn he was a former student and friend of Williams. Thomas Williams never achieved Irving's commercial success in his lifetime, but based on this work, he should have. This is a highly recommended, well written novel.

My Most Useful Read of 2011

Although this should be a quick read, I've been taking my time to let the lessons sink in. From an overview of Buddhism to a variety of coping mechanisms, this book is filled with useful advice for accepting not just the aging process, but life in general. I enjoyed the personal reflections and the case studies provided by the author, Lewis Richmond, and gained new perspectives that I expect to use throughout my life. This is the first book I have read on this topic, and it was a great starting point for me, as it was not too technical or preachy, just honest, practical and caring. I would recommend this book to anyone facing a mid-life crisis, a spiritual crisis, health problems, or frustration with the aging process.

Vonnegut Revealed: An Extraordinary Biography

In this painstakingly researched and loving biography of Kurt Vonnegut, Charles J. Shields paints a rich and balanced portrait of a very complicated author. Shields reveals Kurt Vonnegut as a conflicted and often contradictory human being, and sadly, in the end, a lonely and unhappy old man in this fascinating and highly readable look at his life.

I count Kurt Vonnegut among my favorite authors, since discovering Slaughterhouse Five in a college English course in the 1970's. Billy Pilgrim became my touchstone for understanding war-damaged friends and family, and Kurt Vonnegut became my guide to viewing humanity, progress and the insanity of war through new eyes. I had already discovered Twain and Thurber, but Vonnegut was in a class by himself. I became enamored with his world view, his cynicism and his sense of humor and read practically everything he wrote. His books made me laugh and cry and think, which is exactly what happened when I read Charles Shield's biography. I learned that Kurt Vonnegut was a very different man than his public persona, much more complex and flawed and human than I had imagined. Now that I have read this mesmerizing and educational look at Vonnegut's life and the history that shaped it, I owe it to myself start all over again, rereading his body of work through new eyes. Armed with context, I imagine the reading experience will be very different. I can't wait to find out.

Listen. The best endorsement I can give Mr. Shield's work is this:

And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life will reside in a place of honor, on the top shelf of my bookcase, with all my other keep forever books, right next to my Vonnegut collection. It is that good.

Currently reading and loving...

Thank you LibraryThing Early Reviewer program!

I'm 81 pages in and 18 sticky notes deep. So far, a very, very good read.

Review in a few days.

Updated for Review:

Steeped in place and history, rich in characters, perspective and story, Nightwoods by Charles Frazier is a suspenseful, engaging and enlightening read. I admit to some bias as a reader very familiar and enamored with the mountains of North Carolina, and one who loves a strong female character, but I believe this novel is an exceptional piece of writing told in a unique and talented voice. I marked dozens of passages to reread the insightful prose and revisit the symbolism, philosophy and poetry in the author's words. Though not nearly as bleak as Cormack McCarthy's The Road, there is a similarity in sparseness in grammar and punctuation that contributes to the story, as well as a sense of inevitability comingled with hope and despair that permeates the pages. I was equally reminded of Amy Bloom's stunning novel Away, as both works feature exquisite style, an indifferent landscape that is as much character as setting, and a testament to the lengths a human will travel in the name of love. Bloom's Lillian believes that we live and we love the world, and we kid ourselves that the world loves us back. Luce's philosophy is sweet and simple: the natural world would go on and on just fine whether you watched it or not. Your existence was incidental. It is clear that Charles Frazier pays attention to the world around him, and in his writing he bears witness to its benign beauty.

I highly recommend reading Nightwoods for the story, the prose and the talented craftsmanship Frazier draws upon to create this work of art.

LibraryThing Early Reviewer Reads

Forgive me book blog, for I have not been posting. I have been reading, although at a paltry rate, and I hope Summer brings me some time to do nothing but read, read, read. Here are the reviews of the LT ER books I've read since my last post.




Leaving Van Gogh


I finished reading Leaving Van Gogh days ago, and have struggled since then to find the right words for a review.  Carol Wallace crafts a deeply moving work of historical fiction that recreates the last year of Vincent Van Goh’s life in Auvers, France. The story is told through the caring eyes of his physician, Dr. Paul Gachet, who suffers his own sorrows as a widower unable to save his wife, or ease her suffering as she died years prior. At the request of Vincent’s brother, Theo, Dr. Gachet watches over Vincent and tries to diagnose his condition and offer what little help he can provide to ease Vincent’s suffering.


Dr. Gachet's tender voice brings this well-known story the unique perspective of a physician struggling to understand and treat mental illness, of an amateur artist, art lover and art collector's insight into the art world, and of a perceptive friend's witness to the struggles of the Van Gogh brothers. Leaving Van Gogh is a beautiful, sad story that took me inside the tortured mind of the mentally ill, and the sorrows of those who care for them. I was surprised at the emotional impact of this book, given my understanding of Vincent Van Gogh’s life story. The author manages to combine the details of these men’s lives into a lovely and devastating portrait that illustrates how reality is too much for some to bear, and how sometimes love is not enough to tether us to this world. I have stared at Van Gogh’s paintings for hours, and read countless books on his life, and I thought I had some understanding of his sadness and his daily struggles. This wonderful work of historical fiction taught me once again how little I knew, and allowed me to feel deeply the pain of these men, and to imagine what they might have said, or felt, or might have done in the days leading to Vincent’s suicide.


I have revisited my art books and my Van Gogh books and I am seeing them again through new eyes, especially Vincent’s raw and sorrowful portrait of the Doctor and Dr. Gachet’s heartbreaking sketch of Vincent on his deathbed. I found this book to be incredibly sad and touching, faithfully and lovingly researched and written and I recommend it very highly. It will stay with me for a very long time. 






Winged Obsession

Jessica Speart’s Winged Obsession offers a glimpse into the real lives of an international butterfly smuggler, Yoshi Kojima, and the Fish and Wildlife undercover agent, Ed Newcomer, who catches him after three years of hard work. Interwoven in this story is Newcomer’s undercover work to catch pigeon racers who kill hawks to protect their flocks. Both of these story lines provide a shocking and sad portrayal of human disregard for the lives of protected species for profit or for sport, as well as the frustrating lack of resources or meaningful laws to deter these criminals. Comparisons to The Orchid Thief are inevitable, from the quirky characters, the obsession to find and collect a rare thing, and the author's presence as a character in the story. 

The author is at her best when providing factual, background information on declining butterfly populations, the illegal trade of protected species, the beauty of the varied butterflies, the mania of the collectors who covet them and the dedication of the officials who try to catch the lawbreakers. She is particularly adept at describing the filth and horror inside Kojima's homes, and was able to make my skin crawl in several passages. The author is at her worst when using cliché-riddled passages to describe the interactions, dialog or thoughts of her characters, particularly in the early stages of the book. That said, the bizarre life and actions of Kojima and the dogged pursuit of him by Newcomer, and the story itself make this a book worth reading for anyone with a love of nature and butterflies, and anyone who enjoys a suspenseful mysterious read. I finished this book with a renewed appreciation for the hardships facing endangered species and a lingering curiosity about the mysterious and deceptive Kojima.



The Long Journey Home

As a fan of both Augusten Burrough’s and John Elder Robison’s books, I was eager to read their mother, Margaret Robison’s memoir, A Long Journey Home. I hoped to gain some understanding of her perspective and some insight into how their lives turned out as they did. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy reading this memoir, and found it both frustrating and sad. I was frustrated by the author’s writing style, which was more a list of recollections rather than the memoir of a poet. Maybe this is a generational problem, but I was constantly infuriated with her inability to stand up for herself against her husband or her father in law, and her failure to defend and protect her children or to find a way out of the messes in her life. I only made it halfway through the book before I began to skim through the chapters. But I read with great interest the last chapter, shocked that she could insist that her son’s book was filled with blatant lies, particularly in light of her mental instability. I’m sad to say that the author comes across as very passive and weak willed, confused and self-absorbed. She fails not only to take any responsibility for her part in their crazy lives, but fails to even allow for the possibility that her children suffered from her neglect. It is a terrible thing for a child to grow up abused or neglected, and an even more terrible thing for the adults in their lives to deny that the events took place. This book was not the revelation or the well written memoir I expected, and while I felt some sympathy for the emotional turmoil she suffered, Ms. Robison’s version of her life as victim upset me as both a woman and a mother. 



Happy Summer reading!

A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison

I downloaded a free kindle copy of this work over a year ago. I have a keen interest in the history and colonization of North America, the American Revolution and the fate of the Native American Indians. I have read many historical archives online researching my relatives who settled Connecticut and Pennsylvania. My Grandmother's great grandfather fought alongside his father in the Revolutionary War, and was later captured by Indian Scouts and sold to the French after being marched from Pennsylvania to Prisoner's Island in Canada. His daring and remarkable escape, and walk back to Vermont to civilization is well documented. His hatred for the Indians and his subsequent years spent destroying Indian settlements in Sullivan's March is also well documented. Through his recollections, a deep fear and hatred for the Native Americans is evident. I had come across many references to Mary Jemison during my research, as her story crosses paths with those of my ancestors.

While on Spring Break, I read a few pages of James Seaver's interviews with Mary Jemison and was hooked. Her story is remarkable and sad, as she is the only member of her family not slaughtered and sold for scalps, instead sold for adoption to a Seneca tribe. She lives among the Indians as one of their own, marrying, raising children, hiding from Sullivan's raids, and lives to the age of 90 to witness the birth of this nation and the demise of her adopted tribe, suffering great personal loss along the way.

I could not stop reading this book. It is a quick read, fascinating from both the historical and the human perspective. Human nature has not changed much in the last 200 years, as countless stories of betrayal and murder and deceit are woven throughout the years, along with tales of strength, bravery and resilience. The details of tribal warrior ritual are very gory. There are detailed descriptions of torture rituals, but there is also context and explanation for them. I felt a greater understanding of the culture of the Indian tribes and gained a great deal of insight into how my relatives must have perceived these rituals without understanding them and seeing them only as savage barbarism, rather than retribution or redemption for lost souls. Mary was extremely lucky to have been chosen for adoption, and we are lucky that she not only survived, but chose to recount her life for historians in her old age.

I did not expect to enjoy reading this novel as much as I did. I kept thinking that real life is so often stranger than fiction. The torture rituals haunted my dreams for a few nights, but otherwise, I recommend this book which is available free on Amazon or the Gutenberg project, for a unique look at both sides of an amazing era in American and Native American history, and for a glimplse into the life of a remarkable, strong woman named Mary.

Someone Knows My Name

Finally, my book club picked a good one. A very good one.

Someone Knows My Name is an excellent piece of historical fiction writing. Aminata Diallo is abducted from her West African home at age 11, marched for months to the coast where she is sold by slave traders. Barely surviving the horrific ocean crossing, she is delivered to the Carolina Coast to work the indigo plantations. Her adventures and harships, as she travels the eastern coast of the Americas and Canada, back to Africa and ultimately to England, are mesmerizing. It is always a surprise to me when a male author creates such a believable, authentic, unique and memorable female character, and Lawrence Hill has done exactly that in this riveting book.

Meticulously researched, steeped in history and harsh reality, Someone Knows My Name entertains, educates and resonates. After finishing the book in a weekend marathon of reading, I scoured the internet for more details and facts surrounding this facet of slavery I knew little, if anything, about. British relocation of American slaves to Novia Scotia at the end of the Revolution, and their subsequent resettlement with other former slaves in Freetown, Sierra Leone was both fascinating and sobering. Observed through the intelligent eyes of Aminata, the irony of the American patriots' fight against British oppression is painful. Aminata carries herself with dignity, strength and pride through repeated and shameful acts of inhumanity, living to tell her story in her own words, on her own terms. This book is beautifully written, heart wrenching and deeply moving, and I recommend it highly.

For those who enjoy this era in history, and this genre, I also recommend The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to a Nation, another unforgettable character in a great piece of historical fiction writing.

What Next?

LibraryThing lets me see the cover of every book in my library, and lets me sort them by tags. My To Be Read Pile is over 250 now. I realize that is a ridiculous number of unread books to have laying around, and I blame the used book sale I chaired for the elementary school for most of them. It's very hard to resist a paperback for 50 cents. I'm trying to stay away from Goodwill and limit my kindle downloads, but it's very hard to resist free books. But too many choices is never a good thing. I've started several dozen of them, but the timing was not right. With me and my books, timing is everything.

I scrolled through the covers today and half of them jump out as prospects for my next good read. I keep shuffling Poisonwood Bible to the top of the pile, but am not ready to commit yet. It's time to commit to something though, starting the third week of the new year, and not a book read yet.