Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Croke

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

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A newly published book that is pure joy to read! I have always been intrigued by individuals who are able to communicate with animals.  Meet British Billy Williams who, in the 1920’s, retreats to the Burma teak forests to heal from his service in WWI.  He joins a complex jungle world populated with the largest mammals on earth – many of whom were hurting more than he. Billy convinces the higher-ups to create an elephant “school” and “hospital”.  Through his love and experience with the elephants, he tells us he becomes a better man.   His greatest friendship was with the mighty tusker, Bandoola, who will not fail Williams’ call to lead in an unforgettable WWII rescue of man and beast.  As the famous General Slim said of Elephant Bill – “This is a story of how a man, over the years, by character, patience, sympathy and courage, gained the confidence of men and animals, so that when the time of testing came, that mutual trust held.”

“I have to confess—my love of elephants made me apprehensive to review a book about their role in World War II. But as soon as I began to read Elephant Company, I realized that not only was my heart safe, but that this book is about far more than just the war, or even elephants. This is the story of friendship, loyalty and breathtaking bravery that transcends species. . . . [Vicki] Croke is a natural storyteller. . . . Elephant Company is nothing less than a sweeping tale, masterfully written.”—Sara Gruen, The New York Times Book Review

 “A spellbinding, true story of elephantine and human courage, set in one of the Earth’s most exotic jungles during the Second World War, Elephant Company is a triumph that will make you cheer!”—Sy Montgomery, author of The Good Good Pig and Journey of the Pink Dolphins

If this book becomes a favorite of yours, you may want to read Modoc : the True Story of the Greatest Elephant that Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer, My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence, Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh, or Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

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The Orphan Train by Christine Baker Kline

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

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A poignant and heartbreaking tale of two orphaned or foster children separated in time by several generations but who share common experiences. They have both been left at a young age to fend for themselves in a grim adult world.  The lives of Vivian, a ten year old Irish immigrant girl placed on an orphan train from New York City to Minnesota in the 1930’s and of Molly, a present day Goth teenager from Maine who is maxing out of the foster care system, intersect as they both become strong and resilient women.

The historical aspect of the novel is particularly compelling. Between 1854 and 1929, the real orphan trains relocated more than 200,000 orphaned, abandoned or homeless children from large East Coast cities to foster homes in the Midwest where many of the children lived lives of indentured servitude.

In conjunction with reading the book, The Orphan Train, the reader might also be interested in viewing the PBS dvd entitled The Orphan Trains, introduced by David McCullough.

“A gem.” (Huffington Post)

“Absorbing…a heartfelt page-turner about two women finding a sense of home…Kline lets us live the characters’ experiences vividly through their skin…The growth from instinct to conscious understanding to partnership between the two is the foundation for a moving tale.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Kline draws a dramatic, emotional story from a neglected corner of American history.” (Kirkus Reviews)

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One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

05 Friday Sep 2014

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This was my first time reading Bill Bryson, and now I can’t wait to try one of his other books. This work of non-fiction is incredibly interesting, focusing on a memorable summer in American history. Bryson reveals a series of major events that happened in 1927, including the flight that made Charles Lindbergh famous, Babe Ruth’s amazing season in baseball, presidential politics, and more. The book contains so many stories and facts, and they’re all told in a funny, engaging style.

“Bryson is a marvelous historian, not only exhaustively accurate, but highly entertaining. If you avoid textbook histories because they seem too dry, pick up One Summer, or any other of Mr. Bryson’s books. They are intelligent delights.” —The Huffington Post

 “A wonderful romp . . . . Fascinating. . . . Written in a style as effervescent as the time itself.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Addictively readable.” —The Wall Street Journal

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The Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

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Hugh and Dana Clarke are expecting their first child.  They have a loving marriage, successful jobs and a beautiful house.  Hugh is the descendant of an ancient and illustrious New England family.  Dana is practically an orphan; her mother died tragically when she was young and her father has not been part of her life.  So, when their daughter Lizzie is born with definite African American traits, each parent looks to the other with questions.  This is a fascinating tale of genealogy, family relations, trust, mistrust and race.

“Full of complex and fascinating family dynamics as its characters are forced to come to terms with issues such as faith, race, and loyalty, Family Tree is thought provoking and memorable. . . . Delinksy will be ‘discovered’ by a new generation of readers.”—Bookpage

“Delinksy smoothly challenges characters and readers alike to confront their hidden hypocrisies.”
—Publishers Weekly

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Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande

18 Monday Aug 2014

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Let this author take you into the surgeon’s ampitheatre where he boldly confronts the conflicts and uncertainties of his profession.   Why would you want to embark on this journey?  Because it is Atul Gawande,  MacArthur fellow and New Yorker staff writer, as deft with pen as he is with the scalpel. The chapters just easily unfold as he unflinchingly reveals mistakes that prove deadly, confronts mysterious syndromes, and shares with us the fallibility, mysteries, and uncertainties that he sees every day.

“None surpass Gawande in the ability to create a sense of immediacy, in his power to conjure the reality of the ward, the thrill of the moment-by-moment medical or surgical drama. Complications impresses for its truth and authenticity, virtues that it owes to its author being as much forceful writer as uncompromising chronicler.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Complications is a book about medicine that reads like a thriller. Every subject Atul Gawande touches is probed and dissected and turned inside out with such deftness and feeling and counterintuitive insight that the reader is left breathless.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point

 “Gawande’s prose, much like the scalpel he wields, is precise, daring, but never reckless….Much like reading George Orwell, the reader emerges entertained, enlightened, transformed and immensely satisfied.” —Abraham Verghese, author of My Own Country and The Tennis Partner

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This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

23 Wednesday Jul 2014

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Don’t miss this book!  I almost did since the title was off-putting to me.  Open the covers of this book and savor a collection of previously published stories about her family, friends, dogs, divorce, books, her own bookstore, and……her husband.   It’s a portrait of Ann Patchett’s whole  life.  You will definitely find favorites.  I love the story about Ann training for the LAPD test to make her father proud…or her hilarious attempt to enjoy a Winnebago vacation.  

“I had been so engaged by Ann Patchett’s multifaceted story, so lured in by her confiding voice, that I forgot I was on the job. […] As the best personal essays often do, Patchett’s is a two-way mirror, reflecting both the author and her readers.” (New York Times Book Review)

“The best advertisement for Ann Patchett’s new collection of nonfiction is anything else Ms. Patchett has written…Ms. Patchett’s style is not overly confessional, but it is beguiling in ways that make her sound like someone you’d want to know.” (New York Times)

“Each of the essays is its own delight and resonates with warmth and humor… If read straight through, the book presents a lovely and lyrical look at a life well lived.” (Library Journal)

“Readable and candid, Patchett’s collection is a joyful celebration of life, love and the written word.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Reading Patchett is like spending time with a deeply perceptive longtime pal, or a new friend that one instantly connects with.” (USA Today)

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Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

15 Tuesday Jul 2014

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Many of us have been exposed to slave narratives from the Civil War era.  How about this one set during Revolutionary days?  Aminata Diallo is 6 years old when the traders take her from somewhere in Sierra Leone to the south in America. Eventually she finds her way to New York, is befriended and befriends the British. After the War of Independence, she is sent by the British to New Zealand and finally to the UK where she speaks for the Abolitionists.  All my instincts wanted to shout to her not to return to her Africa – her life time dream.   Not to be missed, this author gorgeously celebrates the resilience of one profound human being in the midst of a tumultuous and terribly unkind time in history.

“I found myself surprised on occasion to catch sight of Mr. Hill’s name on the cover…. He had me believing that this tale came not from the imagination and research of a 21st-century male author, but from the experience of an 18th-century African woman.” (Kim Lundstrom – Real Change)

“An inspirational novel of imaginative excellence and captivating power…. Every step of the way, Lawrence Hill offers readers a vivid portrayal of the emotional landscape that brings Aminata’s tale to life. I highly recommend reading this poignant book.” (Charles Shea LeMone – Roanoke Times)

“Astonishing in scope, humanity and beauty, this is one of those very rare novels in which the deep joy of reading transcends its time and place. Like ?To Kill a Mockingbird?, ?Someone Knows My Name? lets readers experience a life, one footstep at a time, beside an unforgettable protagonist.” (Eileen Charbonneau – Historical Novels Review)

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I Am Malala: the Girl who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

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As Malala was riding the bus home from school in the remote valley of Swat in northern Pakistan talking to her girlfriends, the Taliban stopped the bus and shot several students including Malala at point blank range.  After many surgeries and with the help of her courageous family and the support of thousands of caring individuals around the world, Malala, made a miraculous recovery.  As a champion of education for all girls she spoke before the United Nations at the age of sixteen and later became the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.  This book is truly inspirational and will make you realize that one person can make the world a better place.

“Riveting…. Co-written with Christina Lamb, a veteran British journalist who has an evident passion for Pakistan and can render its complicated history with pristine clarity, this is a book that should be read not only for its vivid drama but for its urgent message about the untapped power of girls…. It is difficult to imagine a chronicle of a war more moving, apart from perhaps the diary of Anne Frank. With the essential difference that we lost that girl, and by some miracle, we still have this one.” (Marie Arana, Washington Post)

“For a teenage girl in a distant corner of the globe to spark life into this movement-against overwhelming odds-is truly extraordinary. The world must not allow Malala’s message to die.” (Dallas Morning News)

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Longbourn by Jo Baker

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

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This new book is set in the same world as Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, but the author re-imagines the story from the servants’ perspective, particularly the lives of a young maid and footman who fall in love. Fans of Pride and Prejudice will appreciate all the allusions, but even if you’ve never read it, Longbourn works on its own as thoughtful, well-written historical fiction.

“Longbourn is a really special book, and not only because its author writes like an angel. . . . There are some wildly sad and romantic moments; I was sobbing by the end. . . . Beautiful.” —Wendy Holden, Daily Mail (London)

“A triumph: a splendid tribute to Austen’s original but, more importantly, a joy in its own right, a novel that contrives both to provoke the intellect and, ultimately, to stop the heart.” —The Guardian (London)

“A New York Times Book Review Notable Book, a Seattle Times Best Title, a Christian Science Monitor Best Fiction Book, a Miami Herald Favorite Book, and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year”

*Starred Review* Elizabeth and Darcy take a backseat in this engrossing Austen homage, which focuses on the lives of the servants of Longbourn rather than the Bennet family. Baker’s (The Undertow, 2012) novel finds Sarah, the Bennets’ young, pretty housemaid, yearning for something more than washing soiled dresses and undergarments. The arrival of a handsome new footman, James Smith, creates quite a stir as he’s hired after a heated discussion between Mrs. Hill, the cook and head of the servants, and Mr. Bennet. Sarah isn’t sure what to make of the enigmatic new member of the household staff, but she’s soon distracted by the Bingleys’ charismatic footman, Ptolemy, who takes an interest in Sarah and regales her with his dreams of opening up a tobacco shop. Baker vividly evokes the lives of the lower classes in nineteenth-century England, from trips in the rain to distant shops to the struggles of an infantryman in the Napoleonic Wars. She takes a few liberties with Austen’s characters—Wickham’s behavior takes on a more sinister aspect here—but mostly Austen’s novel serves as a backdrop for the compelling stories of the characters who keep the Bennet household running. –Kristine Huntley for Booklist

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My Accidental Jihad: a Love Story by Krista Bremer

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Biography, Non-fiction, Travel

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I just finished a good 2014 memoir about an American woman who falls in love, marries, and raises a family with a Libyan man.  I found it interesting to read about their cross-cultural marriage and how they blended their beliefs and traditions together. I was also touched by how the relationship challenged Bremer’s ideas on feminism and spirituality. Sometimes your life turns out very different from what you imagined it would be!

“My Accidental Jihad is a bold piece of writing (and thinking) by an incredibly brave woman.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of The Signature of All Things

“Told with rare honesty, My Accidental Jihad is the story of Krista Bremer’s lifelong quest for insight and understanding, a search that leads her out of the Pacific surf to journalism school in North Carolina and through the complex challenges and unexpected joys of a cross-cultural marriage and family. This book is a powerfully personal account of the courage and hard work necessary to open one’s heart and keep it that way.” —Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements

“A moving, lyrical memoir about how an American essayist fell in love with a Libyan-born Muslim man and learned to embrace the life she made with him. Sun associate publisher Bremer was a wayward former California surfer girl just starting to build her life in North Carolina when she met Ismail. He was 15 years older than she and different from her in almost every possible way. Yet his gentle simplicity made her feel as though she could “finally exhale…and [open] up to [herself]” in ways she had not been able to with anyone else.  When she unexpectedly became pregnant not long after they met, she faced a difficult choice: terminate the pregnancy and continue her pursuit of a promising career in journalism or keep the baby and accept Ismail’s heartfelt offer of marriage. Unable to resist the mysterious allure of the future she “never intended—or even knew how much [she] wanted,” Bremer chose to “stitch [their] mismatched lives together to make a family.” Among the many challenges she encountered was coming to terms with Ismail’s loving but traditionalist family in Tripoli. To them, she was a woman “weighed down by so much individualism, impatience, and desire.” Yet through her visits with them, she also learned to temper the Western individualism she came to realize had been the source of the “creeping despair that comes from doggedly chasing the elusive dream that women can be everything at once.” As she gradually came to accept a different way of living—and eventually, worshipping—in middle-class America, Bremer grew to appreciate Ismail, her extended family and the struggle they brought into her life more than she even imagined possible. A sweet and rewarding journey of a book.”  From Kirkus Reviews

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