Week-in-Review: Van Gogh Art Experience, Snow, DH Birthday, and Happy Saint Patrick's Day...

Well, I'm pleasantly surprised at how busy we've been this month. A couple of weeks ago we visited the Van Gogh Art Experience at our local museum and it was amazing! I could sit through multiple experiences of various artists. It really transforms their art and their lives into something beautiful. I had no idea the different types of art Van Gogh produced. And having them tell us about where he was living and what life was like for him through his letters and then showing his art was, yes, definitely an experience. I highly recommend these art experiences. I think more are being produced so I'm excited to come back for other artists.

DH had his 49th birthday last weekend! Whew. Next year is the big 5-0. We kept it pretty simple. We ate out as a family and he wanted Coldstone ice cream cake. This weekend we're keeping the celebration going with friends.

We even made it up into the mountains for a quick overnighter for another friends birthday. Lots of snow up there as well.

A happy post Saint Patrick's Day. We don't do much but I do like to make bangers and mash and soda bread and to wash it all down with some stout! 

This last weekend was a goodbye to our neighbors and good friends who are moving on to Florida. I am so, oh so sad but very excited for their new adventure.

We also enjoyed a nice outing with some good friends to a new wine bar. We took the train up and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening trying new wines and enjoying gelato before heading back to our kids. These friends will also be moving in a few months out-of-state 😭

We are looking forward to Spring break in two weeks. It’ll be a stay-cation but looking forward to a few hikes and seeing some local things that we haven’t done because of the pandemic.

G helped make family-style crème brulee

And happy Spring 🌷🌺 Our crocuses and tulips are sprouting!

Currently Reading 

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker

Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media by Jacob Mchangama

Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive by Philipp Dettmer

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sean Kean

Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse #6) by James S.A. Corey

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

Read

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth by Rochelle Strauss / 2004 / 40 Pages / Paperback / Science

My Thoughts: This is a lovely nonfiction book for kids. Great illustrations and easy-to-understand definitions and descriptions and ways to help the earth locally.

Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith / 2020/ 60 Pages / Paperback / History

My Thoughts:

Three stories in a graphic novel format about black historical figures in Old West. Great stories and lots of extra information to put the stories into context. 

Drive (The Expanse #2.6) by James S.A. Corey / 2012/ 30 Pages / Kindle / Sci-fi

My Thoughts:

Great short story that talks about the origins of the Epstein drive and the man who invented it in The Expanse universe.

Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America by John McWhorter / 2021 /  224 Pages / Hardcover / Nonfiction

My Thoughts:

Interesting thoughts from John McWhorter. I've always enjoyed his books on language as a fellow language nerd. Not his best but still worth the read.

Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) by James S.A. Corey / 2015 / 536 Pages / Paperback / Sci-fi

My Thoughts:

Another great book in the Expanse series. Really enjoyed diving into the Roci's crew this time around instead of adding new characters and perspectives.

Serafina and the Seven Stars by Robert Beatty / 2019 / 352 Pages / Paperback / Library / Fantasy

My Thoughts:

This is book four of the Serafina series. I read them all with G. Don't know if there will be another in the series. This one did not disappoint.

Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman / 1986 / 159 Pages / Paperback / Graphic Novel / History

My Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read this one for years. So glad I finally got to it. It's a devastating story but also brilliantly told about his father's experience of World War II and surviving the Holocaust. He also draws and writes about grief and trauma and how it continues to influence generations after. Just absolutely brilliant. Please read!

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff / 2011 / 320 Pages / Paperback / Psychology / Self-Help

My Thoughts:

This one took me about 2 1/2 months to read because of how much learning and exercises there are to do! It's a powerful book and one I'll be referencing often. Highly recommended!

Movies Watched:

Witness the bloody origin

The King's Man (2021) (HBO Max and Hulu) Directed and written by Matthew Vaughn. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, and Gemma Arterton.

My Thoughts:

I really liked the first one except for the ending...the second was still interesting...this one was even less so. Meh.

Fresh (2022) (Hulu) Directed by Mimi Cave. Written by Lauryn Kahn. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan.

My Thoughts:

This one premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and I can see why. It's a horrific story which I thought was going to be a bit more comical than horrific. But I still really really enjoyed it even though I doubt I'll ever watch that again. Watch if you are into Indie Horror!

Growing up is a beast

Turning Red (2022) (Disney+) Directed by Domee Shi. Written by Domee Shi, Julia Cho, and Sarah Streicher. Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh

My Thoughts:

We watched this as a family! It was wonderful. We all really enjoyed it. Funny and heartfelt. This one digs into puberty and all the changes that come with it, including what that means for parental relationships and even friendships. Brilliant as always.

TV Watched:

I finished off Star Trek: Discovery. Still catching up on The Expanse. But mainly I've been watching basketball, both NCAA and NBA.

I hope to get a better handle on my updates come April!

Joining up with Deb from Readerbuzz and her Sunday Salon.

Nonfiction Reviews: Jane Austen: A Life...

 

Jane Austen: a Life by Claire Tomalin

Published: 1997

Genre: Non-fiction, history, biography

Format: Hardcover, 347 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

At her death in 1817, Jane Austen left the world six of the most beloved novels written in English—but her shortsighted family destroyed the bulk of her letters; and if she kept any diaries, they did not survive her.  Now acclaimed biographer Claire Tomalin has filled the gaps in the record, creating a remarkably fresh and convincing portrait of the woman and the writer. 

While most Austen biographers have accepted the assertion of Jane's brother Henry that "My dear Sister's life was not a life of events," Tomalin shows that, on the contrary, Austen's brief life was fraught with upheaval.  Tomalin provides detailed and absorbing accounts of Austen's ill-fated love for a young Irishman, her frequent travels and extended visits to London, her close friendship with a worldly cousin whose French husband met his death on the guillotine, her brothers' naval service in the Napoleonic wars and in the colonies, and thus shatters the myth of Jane Austen as a sheltered and homebound spinster whose knowledge of the world was limited to the view from a Hampshire village. 

My Thoughts:

I picked this one up earlier this year after I listened to a Great Courses lecture series on Jane Austen and her world and her books. I'm so glad I did. I learned so much about her family, especially her parents and her relationship to her sister and her brothers.

Her parents sent the older children away after they were born to local poor families to take care of them until they were old enough to not be such a nuisance in the house. Tomalin speculates Jane ended up not having a great relationship with her mother due to this early arrangement.

She spends a few chapters talking about her books and how things in her life and the people in it may have influenced her writing. Having Tomalin bring it all together really astounds me at what a genius Jane Austen was. There were years where she didn't really have a home after her father died and her and Cassandra were moved around from brother to brother and their families to help take care of children, etc. Yet she still found the time even through all of that to write works of genius.

But it's a tragedy as well. After her death, many of her letters were destroyed or lost even after decades of keeping some in tact. Her niece Fanny destroyed a huge bundle of her correspondence with her brother Henry. And she died too young. 

The Self-Driven Child: the Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

Published: February 18, 2018

Genre: Parenting, Nonfiction

Format: Kindle, 384 pages, Own

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher's Summary:

A few years ago, Bill Stixrud and Ned Johnson started noticing the same problem from different angles: Even high-performing kids were coming to them acutely stressed and lacking any real motivation. Many complained that they had no control over their lives. Some stumbled in high school or hit college and unraveled. Bill is a clinical neuropsychologist who helps kids gripped by anxiety or struggling to learn. Ned is a motivational coach who runs an elite tutoring service. Together they discovered that the best antidote to stress is to give kids more of a sense of control over their lives. But this doesn't mean giving up your authority as a parent. In this groundbreaking book they reveal how you can actively help your child to sculpt a brain that is resilient, stress-proof and ready to take on new challenges.

The Self-Driven Child offers a combination of cutting-edge brain science, the latest discoveries in behavioral therapy, and case studies drawn from the thousands of kids and teens Bill and Ned have helped over the years to teach you how to set your child on the real road to success. As parents, we can only drive our kids so far. At some point, they will have to take the wheel and map out their own path. But there is a lot you can do before then to help them find their passion and tackle the road ahead with courage and imagination.

My Thoughts:

Stixrud and Johnson carefully take us through each step and the science behind these steps of allowing our kids to be their own decision makers and how we as parents can be in the role of the "consultant."

There's a chapter on homework that I absolutely loved! Especially during the pandemic and homework was something that was a sore spot for awhile. But once I read this chapter I was able to sit down and talk with G and help him decide how and when he wanted to get it done. It ended up being his choice and his schedule. And the last half of the school year went was heaven. G gained a lot more confidence on how to work homework into his schedule. He also learned how to ask for help when he truly needed it and he also decided where he wanted to put his effort and which assignments weren't quite worth it compared to others.

He also talks about stress--"It's as minor as feeling unbalanced and as major as fighting for your life." Sonia Lupien from the Centre for Studies on Human Stress has an acronym to help sum up what makes life stressful--N.U.T.S. Novelty, Unpredictability, Threat to the ego, and Sense of control.

Sense of control really stuck with me. As individuals we don't have a lot of it but how is our sense of control? They say..."if you have confidence that you can impact a situation, it will be less stressful. In contrast, a low sense of control may very well be the most stressful thing in the universe." This whole book is on how we give that high sense of confidence to our kids so they can feel like they have some sense of control over how their lives will go.

This is probably the best parenting book I've read since I was pregnant or right after G was born. I highly recommend it if you're a parent, if you work with kids, if you're a human because these are skills I didn't learn as a kid either and are helping me now!

Nonfiction Mini Book Reviews: Stamped from the Beginning...

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

Published: March 8th, 2016 by Bold Type Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Antiracism, History

Format: Paperback, 592 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Ibram X. Kendi really lays out the evolution of racist ideas in the United States. He divides the book into five parts and focuses each part on five individuals who were alive during that time, or still alive as in the case of Angela Davis. And his main thesis rests on three categories of ideas and thus those that hold them: segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists. His other thesis rests on the idea that policies were made such as slavery in order to make money and to hold power and in order to justify these policies racist ideas were sought out and incorporated into the U.S. narrative.

It's a bold book with bold ideas and leaves much to chew on and think over. Sometimes I found the sarcasm and eye-rolling mood of his book a bit off-putting but overall I enjoyed discussing and stewing over it all with my book club. It's a must-read book to gain an understanding of where racist ideas have come from and why America continues to hold them today.

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Published: August 13th, 2019 by One World

Genre: Nonfiction, Antiracism, Memoir

Format: Hardcover, 305 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed Kendi's blend of his journey into his ideas of what it means to hold antiracist ideas and how that also crosses into all other aspects of social justice and intersectionality. Each chapter focuses on these ideas and how he learned about each and those that helped him along the way. He includes his own racist ideas that he grew up with and how he unlearned these ideas and how we can too.

A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader edited by Maria Popova

Published: December 14th, 2018 by Enchanted Lion Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Essays, Young Adult

Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

An excellent collection of letters to young readers from writers around the world. I enjoyed reading these aloud to G and giving him a bit of fire under the belly to read and write more! Also the illustrations that go with each letter are fun and whimsical. A beautiful collection and one I'll turn back to over the coming years.

1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac 

Published: October 1st, 2004 by National Geographic Kids

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Juvenile

Format: Paperback, 48 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this with G over the Thanksgiving break. We learned a lot about what really happened and the myths that still persist in the American psyche. We'd love to visit the live museum. So much to learn.

Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells by Pico Iyer

Published: April 16th, 2019 by Knopf Publishing Group

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Nature

Format: Kindle, 256 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I loved reading through Iyer's ruminations on living in Japan and his favorite season in Japan, Autumn. Fall is also my favorite time of the year and it was especially beautiful and meaningful when I lived in Japan. While I don't live there like he does I could still feel his love and fascination with Japan. He has truly beautiful insights and way to see with his words. It's the next best thing to actually being there. This is probably one I will revisit every Autumn.

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha

Published: January 28th, 2020 by Balzer + Bray

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Graphic Novel, Young Adult

Format: Paperback, 240 Pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Robin Ha's memoir of leaving Korea for America with her mother and without knowing she was permanently moving to America was heart-wrenching! She describes her childhood and how much she loved her neighborhood and her friends and to leave that all behind and not knowing when she would be able to go back was tragic. Her experience trying to fit in in Alabama and not knowing English and being bullied by students and even her own stepsister and stepcousins was also hard to read. But ultimately it's a story of finding your own and making the best of a bad situation. Highly recommended.

She Votes: How U.S. Women Won Suffrage, and What Happened After by Bridget Quinn

Published: August 11th, 2020 by Chronicle Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Feminism, History

Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the short history chapters and mini bios of those pioneering women who helped fight for suffrage and those who continue to fight for social justice. Quinn does not paint all as saints. We hear about the racism from the frontrunner White women of the movements. I loved the chapter on Sojourner Truth. I learned that she didn't actually say "Ain't I a woman?" All the art in each chapter was beautiful and interesting. So many great tidbits in each chapter. It's a great starter on women's history in the U.S. with tons of sources to keep reading.

Mini Book Reviews: What Language Is, Lies My Teacher Told Me

What Language Is: And What it Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter

Published: August 4th, 2011 by Gotham Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Language

Format: Hardcover, 228 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

McWhorter takes us through the crazy and the zany of language. He talks a lot about how languages tha are learned by adults because of conquering/colonization, etc, and that are then passed down to their children will inevitably become more simplified as time goes on. Languages that are not usually learned by adults tend to stay really difficult to outsiders. Makes sense but you don't really think about it until he talks about it. He gives tons of examples from around the world. McWhorter really shines when it comes to pidgins and creoles; how they are formed and how they stick around.

Linguistics is my jam and I love reading more about it when I can. My only complaint (and to be fair he acknowledges this in the book) is that his writing style is like he was giving a speech or a lecture in class. It's very oral. So maybe listen to it rather than read it. I also love his Great Courses classes and this book feels just like one of those!

Languages are messy, just like humans, which makes them so much fun to study and learn about!

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen 

Published: October 14th, 1995 by Gotham Books

Genre: Nonfiction, History

Format: Paperback, 464 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

This is a fantastic look at how history is taught/has been taught in the U.S. Loewen takes us through some big myths of U.S. history from Thanksgiving and Christopher Columbus to recent history like the Vietnam War and 9/11. He also explains how America itself is a mythical figure and how our history we learn in high school is a myth-making, bland, and inaccurate history. To be informed citizens we need to know our history. We can't make change unless we know where we've come from in order to see where we need to go.

This was released 25 years ago when I was in high school. I can vouch that my history textbooks did not teach accurate history. It was bland and boring and inaccurate. I didn't start on my journey of learning more accurate history until about 2010. So it's been a fast and furious crash course. I have learned about some of these things in other ways but the thing that's so fantastic about this book is it's all together. History does come alive in his hands and I wish we could come together as a country and really face our history, learn, and learn from and continue to grow.

This is a must-read book in high school and beyond.

Mini Book Reviews: Non-fiction: Too Much and Never Enough, The Dream of Reason, When Stars Are Scattered

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L.  Trump

Published: July 14th, 2020 by Simon & Schuster

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Psychology

Format: Kindle, 236 Pages, Own

Rating: 3.5 stars

My Thoughts:

I really liked Mary Trump's analysis and her interactions with her uncle through her young years. But it wasn't as well-written as I would have liked. She repeats a lot of the same ideas throughout. I feel like it could've been an ever shorter book. But overall, I found her insights and her own interactions and that of her mother and father ever more disturbing. This is not a well family. And who Trump is and how he's become this way is more disturbing that I could imagine. It's definitely an important book to read and understand where we are today.

The Dream of Reason: A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance by Anthony Gottlieb

Published: August 30th, 2016 by W.W. Norton Company

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Philosophy

Format: Paperback, 512 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Anthony Gottlieb takes us on a journey of Western philosophy from the Greeks all the way to the Renaissance. He's a great writer and most of the chapters were humorous and down-to-earth in layman's terms. I was fascinated how he brought their ideas and how others through time have morphed their ideas into their own. I never knew how it was quite done and his book allowed me to see those changes and ideas come together. Fascinating stuff. My friend and I had a great time reading this one together and discussing all the ideas. So if you are interested even a little bit in philosophy, I highly recommend Gottlieb's series. We'll be on to the next one soon.

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Published: April 14th, 2020 by Dial Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Juvenile, Memoir, Graphic Novel

Format: Paperback, 264 Pages, Library

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

Omar lives with his little brother Hassan and his guardian Fatuma in a refugee camp in Kenya. They had to flee Somalia after war broke out and his father was killed and they were separated from their mother. He goes into great detail about the struggles of daily life in the camp. From waiting in long lines for water every day to taking care of his brother with disabilities. It's hot and food is on short supply. They can't leave the camps because they are not Kenyan citizens and they can't return home because they'll be killed.

He eventually attends school, meets friends, stays true to his faith, and keeps hope alive that him and his brother will be able to relocate to the United States and find their mother. It takes a village and many other kids and teachers, a UN worker, especially, help along the way.

It's just heartbreaking. People are born, growup, and can die in a refugee camp. Eventually he and Hassan are relocated to Arizona and he's able to get help for Hassan and go to college. But so many don't get to.

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Published: April 21st, 2020 by Crown Publishing Group (NY)

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Current Events

Format: Kindle, 272 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. writes a much-needed book on how we can begin again and keeping moving forward despite all the steps back. And what better way to do this than with the words and life of James Baldwin.

James Baldwin "...saw, and felt deeply, the effects of America's betrayal of the black freedom struggle of the mid-twentieth century: The country had refused once again, to turn its back on racism and to reach for its better angels..." And here the country sits at the brink do we refuse once again to learn about the foundations of this country? Do we refuse to acknowledge and the cries of Black people and people of color, for their cries of acknowledgement and change? "A moral reckoning is upon us, and we have to decide, once and for all, whether or not we will truly be a multiracial democracy."

Glaude takes us on his journey as he thinks about Baldwin's life and works. It's a bit memoir, biography, and literary criticism and history all rolled into one. The pain is real as we see major steps forward and huge reckoning starting with the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century but how once again America turns its back on learning and growing and reconciliation. We end up getting Nixon and Reagan and major steps back with the war on drugs and mass incarceration, which has disproportionately affected Black Americans and people of color.

"Revealing the lie at the heart of the American idea, however, occasions an opportunity to tell a different and better story...Not everything his lost. Responsibility cannot be lost, it can only be abdicated. If one refuses abdications, one begins again."

And thus how Glaude takes us through Baldwin's America (which is our America) and his hopes, despair, and reconciliation with America then and how we can like Baldwin did begin again.

Through his book I've also discovered more insights into Baldwin than I ever thought I could know. More of his writings, interviews, documentaries about him, letters, and journals dedicated to analyzing everything he wrote was brought to my attention. Can't wait to dive in.

Mini Book Reviews: Stamped, Giovanni's Room...

Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Published: March 10th, 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, History, Non-fiction

Format: Hardcover, 294 Pages, Own

Rating: 4.5 stars

My Thoughts:

Jason Reynolds adapted Ibram X. Kendi's award-winning history book Stamped from the Beginning into a book for young adults. That book is almost 600 pages! So that's quite the condensing. Reynolds turns it into more of a dialogue about history and race and how it's all connected. Black history is American history. My son was probably a little too young for some of it since he didn't quite get some of the references. And the book came off very sarcastic--which makes sense if you're talking to someone face to face. That style will work most of the time but sometimes it felt a bit off. But I think it's an excellent book to start to understand, especially for young people, America's true history. There are lots of references and other sites to check out in the back. I'm also still working through Kendi's history book. Gabe and me had some excellent discussions. America needs to change how it teaches and discusses and talks about our history. We can't know how we got here if we don't truly understand what has happened.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Published: 1956

Genre: Modern Classic

Format: Kindle, 178 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Baldwin writes a beautiful and thoughtful novel on what it means to be gay and black in a world that doesn't really accept either, and especially not together. Giovanni's room haunts him and as us. Paris has never felt more sad or closed and encroaching than in this story.

"And these nights were being acted out under a foreign sky, with on one to watch, no penalties attached--it was this last fact which was our undoing, for nothing is more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom."

"Their decisions are not really decisions at all--a real decision makes one humble, one knows that it is at the mercy of more things than can be named--but elaborate systems of evasion, of illusion, designed to make themselves and the world appear to be what they and the world are not."

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Published: October 11th, 2016 by Riverhead Books

Genre: Literary Fiction

Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

We follow Nadia Turner from high school as she loses her mother to suicide and the consequences that follow. The themes throughout are about motherhood and what it means to choose or not choose to be a mother. We learn more about Nadia's mother and what made her tick. How her life changed when she became pregnant with Nadia. What if she hadn't kept her? Where would her mother be?

It's a short but powerful story. I look forward to her next one.

"...Upper Room had encircled the wailing mother and held her up, soundlessly, because hard deaths resist words. A soft death can be swallowed with Called home to be with the Lord or We'll see her again in glory, but hard deaths get caught in the teeth like gristle."

"We see the span of her life unspooling in colorful threads and we chase it, wrapping it around our hands as more tumbles out. She's her mother's age now. Double her age. Our age You're our mother. We're climbing inside of you."

A Kid's Guide to Native American History: More Than 50 Activities by Yvonne Wakim Dennis

Published: November 1st, 2009 by Chicago Review Press

Genre: Juvenile, Non-fiction, History

Format: Kindle, 256 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I read this out loud with Gabe. We've been diving into history together and this one talks about each Nation in the Americas. Culture, history, famous people. There are activities to do at the end of each chapter and lots of resources to learn more. I thought it was an excellent introduction to Native American history which is also American history.

Morning Girl by Michael Dorris

Published: 1990 

Genre: Juvenile, Historical Fiction

Format: Paperback, 80 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Dorris does a fantastic job of letting us experience Morning Girl, Star Boy, and their people on the Caribbean Islands before Columbus arrived and murdered them all. Gabe and I were both sad to learn about Michael Dorris' life. He died a few years after he wrote this book.

No Cats Allowed by Miranda James

Published: February 23rd, 2016 by Berkley

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Format: Paperback, 275 Pages, Own

Rating: 2 stars

My Thoughts:

I shouldn't be too hard on it but it was one of the more poorly written cozy mysteries I've read in awhile. This is number 7 in the series and I haven't read any others. But like a good cozy, you don't need to. The author catches us up on anything we need to know in various ways. The mystery is OK, nothing out of the ordinary. But I didn't like the protagonist. He's a do-gooder with no personality. His kids have no personalities. And it takes place in the south with some benevolent racism thrown in. Meh. Plus the cover has a tabby cat but his cat is a Maine Coon cat so false advertising. Even his girlfriend was someone he only talked to over the phone and it's all very chaste. I know there is an audience for super clean cozy mysteries, but I am not that audience. I got this as a gift so I just wanted to read something easy peasie. It wasn't good but it was OK.

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp

Published: March 10th, 2020 by DC Comics

Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Mystery

Format: Paperback, 208 Pages, Librart

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one. It takes place in Batman's world. Commissioner Gordon's daughter is the ultimate hacker until one night she gets shot and her world changes forever. She ends up in a rehabilitation center where she hears voices in the walls and patients disappear overnight. It's a compelling mystery and it looks like the story will continue in more comics.

Mini Book Reviews: Nonfiction: Freedom Is a Constant Struggle, Invincible Microbe, Spillover...

Here's the nonfiction I've read over the last couple of months...

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

Published: August 17th, 2015 by Haymarket Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Essays, Memoir

Format: Audible, 5 Hours and 47 minutes, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

In these newly collected essays, interviews, and speeches, world-renowned activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world.

Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today's struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement. She highlights connections and analyzes today's struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine.

Facing a world of outrageous injustice, Davis challenges us to imagine and build the movement for human liberation. And in doing so, she reminds us that "Freedom is a constant struggle."

My Thoughts:

Excellent. I loved listening to Ms. Davis. I saw her do a lecture/Q&A at a local university a few years ago when this came out. I loved hearing her story. We have a long way to go. The main thing I got besides freedom is a constant struggle, was how we need to understand the global perspective and how it all affects us. Global movements are our movements. Our circle of empathy needs to stretch globally.

My only complaint with the audio book version is it was hard to follow Ms. Davis in the interview transcripts. She read both the interviewer and herself and it was very difficult to figure out who and what while listening.

And there is nuance with the Israeli and Palestinian conflict that she didn't discuss. But I understand that wasn't the focus of the essay or speech she used.

Overall, a fantastic collection of her thoughts and ideas. She's very inspiring.

Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy

Published: July 12th, 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Nonfiction, Science, History, Medicine

Format: Paperback, 160 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

This is the story of a killer that has been striking people down for thousands of years: tuberculosis. After centuries of ineffective treatments, the microorganism that causes TB was identified, and the cure was thought to be within reach—but drug-resistant varieties continue to plague and panic the human race.

The “biography” of this deadly germ, an account of the diagnosis, treatment, and “cure” of the disease over time,and the social history of an illness that could strike anywhere but was most prevalent among the poor are woven together in an engrossing, carefully researched narrative. Bibliography, source notes, index.

My Thoughts:

I read this out loud with G. I wanted to learn with him more about germs and how tuberculosis was brought under control with antibiotics. But I did not know that tuberculosis was still a force to be reckoned with. There are super resistant strains that need to be killed with ever-more powerful antibiotics. It's a devastating disease. It was a great summary for kids and teens and people in general who don't know a lot about tuberculosis and its lasting devastation.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Human Pandemic by David Quammen

Published: September 24th, 2012 by W.W. Norton Company

Genre: Nonfiction, Science, Medicine

Format: Kindle, 592 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

Ebola, SARS, Hendra, AIDS, and countless other deadly viruses all have one thing in common: the bugs that transmit these diseases all originate in wild animals and pass to humans by a process called spillover. In this gripping account, David Quammen takes the reader along on this astonishing quest to learn how, where from, and why these diseases emerge and asks the terrifying question: What might the next big one be? 

My Thoughts:

Well, we know what the next one is... a coronavirus SARS-COV-2 and its disease Covid-19. He talks about SARS in the early portions of the book. I actually started this one the weekend we started quarantining. Talk about surreal.

Quammen is a fantastic science writer. He actually travels around the world and talks to the scientists and epidemiologists involved with each of these diseases. He talks about his experiences and uses those to talk about the topic at-hand. I learned so much about AIDS and HIV and where it probably first made spillover in the early 1900s and where and why.

"Zoonosis is an animal infection transmissible to humans. Pondering them as a group tends to reaffirm the old Darwinian truth (the darkest of his truths, well known and persistently forgotten) that humanity is a kind of animal, inextricably connected with other animals: in origin and in descent, in sickness and in health."

"Make no mistake, they are connected, these disease outbreaks coming one after another. And they are not simply happening to us; they represent the unintended results of things we are doing. They reflect the convergence of two forms of crisis on our planet... first crisis is ecological, the second is medical.

Human-caused ecological pressures and disruptions are bringing animal pathogens ever more into contact with human populations, while human technology and behavior are spreading those pathogens ever more widely and quickly."

The rest of the book delves into detail how and why we are doing this and how we are our own worst enemies if we don't do more to change our ways.

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World by Laura Spinney

Published: June 1st, 2017 by PublicAffairs

Genre: Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, History

Format: Paperback, 352 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

In 1918, the Italian-Americans of New York, the Yupik of Alaska and the Persians of Mashed had almost nothing in common except for a virus--one that triggered the worst pandemic of modern times and had a decisive effect on the history of the twentieth century.
The Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. It infected a third of the people on Earth--from the poorest immigrants of New York City to the king of Spain, Franz Kafka, Mahatma Gandhi and Woodrow Wilson. But despite a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people, it exists in our memory as an afterthought to World War I.
In this gripping narrative history, Laura Spinney traces the overlooked pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind's vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. As socially significant as both world wars, the Spanish flu dramatically disrupted--and often permanently altered--global politics, race relations and family structures, while spurring innovation in medicine, religion and the arts. It was partly responsible, Spinney argues, for pushing India to independence, South Africa to apartheid and Switzerland to the brink of civil war. It also created the true "lost generation." Drawing on the latest research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology and economics, Pale Rider masterfully recounts the little-known catastrophe that forever changed humanity.

My Thoughts:

This just touches on the history of the Spanish Flu through various parts around the world that dealt with it. We get the U.S., the frontlines of war in France, China, Brazil, etc. She talks about three or four possible scenarios of where the spillover happened and how it could have spread and why. The last section focuses on how it changed the world culturally. How did artists and writers and architects change after surviving and experiencing this devastating pandemic?

It's very short on the ground. It doesn't focus on any one country but just small parts everywhere. But I appreciated the jump from place to place and a story or two to humanize it. There are so many books on the Spanish Flu that I'm sure I'll find one to go into more detail.

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English by John McWhorter

Published: October 1st, 2008 by Gotham Books

Genre: Nonfiction, Language, History

Format: Kindle, 230 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar

Why do we say "I am reading a catalog" instead of "I read a catalog"? Why do we say "do" at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history.

Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English--and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it's not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition). 

My Thoughts:

I am a huge fan of John McWhorter. I've read one of his books before this and I've enjoyed his Great Courses series on all-things linguistics. I got my Bachelor's in Linguistics so I love me some language stuff. I've taken two courses on English language history and his two main ideas he focuses on in this book, I'd never ever heard before! He blew my mind. Things that were weird about English now kind of make sense. I recommend reading this with another book on the history of English, one that gives a more detailed history and then his book just adds another layer.

He also has such a dry and funny humor; he just made me laugh out loud a few times. He's got dad jokes all throughout....

Mini Book Reviews: Deathless Divide, The Conference of Birds, Betraying Spinoza, Sees Behind Trees

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

Published: February 4th, 2020 by Balzar + Bray

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Zombie, Historical Fiction

Format: Audiobook, 14 hours, 34 minutes, Scribd

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

The sequel to Dread Nation is a journey of revenge and salvation across a divided America.

After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother.

But nothing is easy when you're a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodemus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880's America.

What's more, this safe haven is not what it appears - as Jane discovers when she sees familiar faces from Summerland amid this new society. Caught between mysteries and lies, the undead, and her own inner demons, Jane soon finds herself on a dark path of blood and violence that threatens to consume her.

But she won't be in it alone.

Katherine Deveraux never expected to be allied with Jane McKeene. But after the hell she has endured, she knows friends are hard to come by - and that Jane needs her, too, whether Jane wants to admit it or not.

Watching Jane's back, however, is more than she bargained for, and when they both reach a breaking point, it's up to Katherine to keep hope alive - even as she begins to fear that there is no happily-ever-after for girls like her.

My Thoughts:

I read the first one Dread Nation when it came out a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed it but apparently I did not review it on my blog. Oh well. It's a fantastic twist to the zombie apocalypse. Instead of the American Civil War we get the zombie plague. Ireland takes us through what could happen in a world where civilization is wiped out during the 1860s before slavery was outlawed. We get to view it all through two fantastic characters, Jane and Katherine.

The second book focuses on their separation and how they find each other again and help make the world a bit better... Lots of issues are discussed along with vigilantism, racism, classism, sexuality. It's all in there. It's perfect for historical fiction and zombie fans! Plus, it has a whole lot more to say. Love this series and can't wait for the next one!

The Conference of Birds by Ransom Riggs

Published: May 30th, 2006 by Schocken

Genre: Non-fiction, Philosophy, Biography, History

Format: Kindle, 304 pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity by Rebecca Goldstein

Published: May 30th, 2006 by Schocken

Genre: Non-fiction, Philosophy, Biography, History

Format: Kindle, 304 pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

Part of the Jewish Encounter series
In 1656, Amsterdam’s Jewish community excommunicated Baruch Spinoza, and, at the age of twenty–three, he became the most famous heretic in Judaism. He was already germinating a secularist challenge to religion that would be as radical as it was original. He went on to produce one of the most ambitious systems in the history of Western philosophy, so ahead of its time that scientists today, from string theorists to neurobiologists, count themselves among Spinoza’s progeny.

In Betraying Spinoza, Rebecca Goldstein sets out to rediscover the flesh-and-blood man often hidden beneath the veneer of rigorous rationality, and to crack the mystery of the breach between the philosopher and his Jewish past. Goldstein argues that the trauma of the Inquisition’ s persecution of its forced Jewish converts plays itself out in Spinoza’s philosophy. The excommunicated Spinoza, no less than his excommunicators, was responding to Europe’ s first experiment with racial anti-Semitism.

Here is a Spinoza both hauntingly emblematic and deeply human, both heretic and hero—a surprisingly contemporary figure ripe for our own uncertain age.

My Thoughts:

I loved learning more about the contextual history of Spinoza and the environment in which he was born and how it all shaped his philosophical thought. His ideas were one of the first to explain what living in a secular society would be like and why it is so important for humanity to live in one.

It does get slightly bogged down in the finite details of his philosophy, unless you happen to be a trained philosopher, which I am definitely not!

Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris

Published: First published in 1996 by Little Brown Books For Young Readers

Genre: Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction

Format: Paperback, 104 pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

Visually impaired Walnut cannot earn his adult name the same way other boys do, by hitting a target with a bow and arrow. With his highly developed other senses, however, he earns a new name: Sees Behind Trees.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this one a loud with G. Sees Behind Trees learns how to be himself and use his abilities despite his visual impairment. And we learn a lot about his way of life as well. It was a bit confusing in some of the plot elements but we just ran with it and enjoyed the characters and the world they inhabited.

Mini Book Reviews: The Histories and The Subtle Knife

The Histories by Herodotus

Published: approximately 450 BCE, this edition January 30th, 2003 by Penguin Books

Genre: Non-fiction, Myth, History

Format: Paperback, 716 Pages, Own

Rating: 3 stars

Publisher's Summary:

One of the masterpieces of classical literature, the "Histories" describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. But while this epic struggle forms the core of his work, Herodotus' natural curiosity frequently gives rise to colorful digressions - a description of the natural wonders of Egypt; an account of European lake-dwellers; and far-fetched accounts of dog-headed men and gold-digging ants. With its kaleidoscopic blend of fact and legend, the "Histories" offers a compelling Greek view of the world of the fifth century BC.

My Thoughts:

I read parts of this originally when I was in college back in the day for my Greek History course. But I finally decided to read through the whole thing. It's hard to follow all the names and dates but it's a fascinating look at what Herodotus thought was important historically and thematically. He was a big proponent of looking at the divine hand of the gods in the Greeks' history so he seemed to play up that theme a lot.

I also noticed how crappy they treated their women. Lots of insults that were the worst insults ever were calling men "women" or that they fought like "women." If a woman did fight than she fought weirdly like a man and wasn't really a woman anymore. The more things change the more they stay the same, honestly.

I never have to read it again! Yay!

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

Published: originally July 22nd, 1997 this edition November 13, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Format: Paperback, 326 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

Lost in a new world, Lyra finds Will--a boy on the run, a murderer--a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.
Each is searching--Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father--but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, their destinies are bound together . . . until they are split apart.

My Thoughts:

It's a very enjoyable second book, though it did drag a bit in the middle. I think it's harder to keep up with the middle in a trilogy. But not always. 

Who does one root for? Is Lord Asriel goodish, or just crazy, or deluded? We don't know and neither does Lyra or Will. So we are on their side wherever that may lead. And can Mrs. Coulter and her golden monkey die already? She's so deliciously evil.

*Read "The Histories" as part of the:

Mini Book Reviews: Non-fiction Edition

Letters from an Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Published: October 8th, 2019 by W.W. Norton Company

Genre: Nonfiction, Essays, Memoir/biography

Format: Audiobook, 5 hours, 35 minutes, Own

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

The natural follow-up to the phenomenal bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of one hundred letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto. His succinct, opinionated, passionate, and often funny responses reflect his popularity and standing as a leading educator.

Tyson’s 2017 bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry offered more than one million readers an insightful and accessible understanding of the universe. Now, revealing Tyson’s most candid and heartfelt writing yet, Letters from an Astrophysicist introduces us to a newly personal dimension of Tyson’s quest to understand our place in the cosmos.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one so much, I listened to it twice. The second time was with the family while driving up and back from Boise over New Year's. Neil deGrasse Tyson narrates his own book and it's just lovely. He breaks up the letters into categories, and they span all the way back before 9/11 to a year or two ago. His letter to his father and his description of his experience of 9/11 while in New York were especially touching. His love of science and people is inspiring and one I will probably listen to yearly!

Source

Avoiding Clickbait by Kristin Thiel

Published: January 15th, 2019 by Cavendish Square Company

Genre: Nonfiction, Juvenile, Critical Thinking

Format: Hardback, 64 pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

As digital natives attempt to navigate news sources, media literacy is more important than ever. Understanding who is behind different forms of clickbait like posts, articles, and ads, and the motivation behind this content, is a critical part of distinguishing reputable sources of information from distorted or false information. This must-have volume examines the roots of modern clickbait in the sensationalism of yellow journalism, while guiding readers through the process of recognizing clickbait and reacting to it in savvy ways.

My Thoughts:

I read this one aloud with G. We were able to talk about online safety and how to spot clickbait and why it happens. They go into a bit about the psychology behind it and why it happens. There is a whole series devoted to media literacy and we are on the second book. It's a great series for kids and has lots of resources to check out and learn more as well.

Source

Bomb: The Race to Build--And Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Published: September 4th, 2012 by Flash Point

Genre: Nonfiction, Young Adult, History

Format: Hardback, 266 pages, Library

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned 3 continents. In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb.

Bomb is a 2012 National Book Awards finalist for Young People's Literature.
Bomb is a 2012 Washington Post Best Kids Books of the Year title.

Bomb is a 2013 Newbery Honor book.

My Thoughts:

I read this for Battle of the Books for G's school. I was thoroughly engaged! I enjoy getting my history from middle grade and young adult books. They know how to get the best stories and to tell the facts in an interesting way.

I had no idea about how the Russians stole the plans for the atomic bomb. We learned why people got involved with the bomb project and how the Germans were sabotaged so they couldn't make the bomb first. So many fascinating tidbits. There are some great photos inside too.

Source

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty

Published: September 10th, 2019 by W.W. Norton Company

Genre: Nonfiction, Science, Essays, Biology

Format: Kindle, 222 pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

Best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers real questions from kids about death, dead bodies, and decomposition.

Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. What would happen to an astronaut’s body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral?

In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician’s knowledge of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five distinctive questions posed by her youngest fans. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying your body, whether you can preserve your best friend’s skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane. Beautifully illustrated by Dianné Ruz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? shows us that death is science and art, and only by asking questions can we begin to embrace it.

My Thoughts:

I read this one aloud with G last month. It was a hoot. It does go into some technical detail about the processes of death. Putrefaction. Can you put your parents' skull on your desk after they die? What about the cat?! Will she eat my eyeballs? The questions are fun and Ms. Doughty answers with clarity and humor. There are even fun illustrations throughout each chapter. This was definitely one of my favorite science books last year and one of my faves reading with G.

Source

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

Published: April 2nd, 2019 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-help

Format: Kindle, 432 pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

From a New York Times best-selling author, psychotherapist, and national advice columnist, a hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprising new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world--where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).

One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.

As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients' lives -- a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can't stop hooking up with the wrong guys -- she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.

With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is revolutionary in its candor, offering a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.

My Thoughts:

I loved getting inside a therapist's head. What's the training? How can I use this in my own life? How can I use this with my own therapist?! I loved how she intertwined her story, along with her own therapist, and the stories of her clients. So much info and things to think about. This is one I'll be returning to. I also want to know which show her client wrote for! OMG! It's killing me.

Source

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justing Eisinger, and Steve Scott 

Published: July 16th, 2019 by Top Shelf Productions

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Graphic Novel

Format: Kindle, 208 pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:

A graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself.

Long before George Takei braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's -- and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

My Thoughts:

This was such a beautiful book. Gorgeously illustrated and written. George Takei knocks it out of the park with his graphic memoir. I read this one aloud with G as well over the holidays. He couldn't get enough of it and we read it until it was done over the course of just a few nights. I felt it was important to talk about the illegal detainment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. And having a first-hand experience to read and talk about made it powerful. This should be a must-read in schools.