On the bookshelf

Having spent two days traveling to/from Memphis, I had lots of reading time this past week. I actually finished two books - both of them EXCELLENT!

Let me start with "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult. I have ready many of Picoult's books, and this is by far my favorite! It is a MUST READ!

And, yesterday I devoured "The Middle Place" by Kelly Corrigan - all in one day. I love how Corrigan writes (she seems just like a friend) and her story is so easy to relate to.

Just read:

Newspaper columnist Corrigan was a happily married mother of two young daughters when she discovered a cancerous lump in her breast. She was still undergoing treatment when she learned that her beloved father, who'd already survived prostate cancer, now had bladder cancer. Corrigan's story could have been unbearably depressing had she not made it clear from the start that she came from sturdy stock. Growing up, she loved hearing her father boom out his morning HELLO WORLD dialogue with the universe, so his kids would feel like the world wasn't just a safe place but was even rooting for you. As Corrigan reports on her cancer treatment—the chemo, the surgery, the radiation—she weaves in the story of how it felt growing up in a big, suburban Philadelphia family with her larger-than-life father and her steady-loving mother and brothers. She tells how she met her husband, how she gave birth to her daughters. All these stories lead up to where she is now, in that middle place, being someone's child, but also having children of her own. Those learning to accept their own adulthood might find strength—and humor—in Corrigan's feisty memoir. [Synopsis from Amazon.com]

HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis.

He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t. [Synopsis taken from Author's website.]

Up Next:  

 

My Glamour and REAL SIMPLE magazines. It is going to be another cRaZy week/weekend, so I need to give my grey matter a rest. When I am done from my rest, I will likely visit Friday Reads which is an awesome place to see what others are out there reading.

 

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I am so close to moving up from #13, but I need your clicks! XXOO

 

Current Read: The Glass Castle

I am currently making my way through The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls, and having read the first three quarters, I love it.

The story is of Ms. Walls' upbringing (along with her three siblings) at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents who wanted their children to embrace life fearlessly - her mother, an artist who somewhat intelligently rationalized their unconventional crazy ways, and a genius alcoholic would-be-inventor of father.

Throughout the author's life, her family lives in shacks, eats out of dumpsters, steals lunches, rarely bathes or launders their clothing, and travels from the west coast to West Virginia to live with Mr. Walls' family.

The story begins with an adult Jeannette, looking out of a cab in NYC wondering if she is overdressed for the evening as she spots her mother dumpster diving. Awesome.

Knowing that all four siblings eventually carved out their own successful lives in NYC, I am making my way through this book laughing and shaking my head in amazement of the life lived by this family. However, the life forced on the Walls children was a clear case of parental neglect and abuse. No question about it. Yet, up to the this point in the book, the author has not complained or judged her parents.

In my mind, I have been questioning the author's ability to tell the many, many stories of her childhood (beginning around age 3) in such detail. Nonetheless, Walls' is an awesome storyteller, who is able to show how strong family bonds can be, even through the most difficult hardships. While I don't know how the story ends, the sheer fact that the book was written is a clear example of the possiblity of children breaking away from the norms set by their parents and creating something positive out of disturbing childhood experiences.

Got get the book and read on! 

It's A Good Year to Celebrate Black History Month...

... through reading one or more of works by critically acclaimed authors, past & present. Every year is a good year to celebrate Black History Month...

...this past week, I have participated in a couple of post-Presidential Inauguration discussions where I felt the need to not only defend the fact that President Obama is, in fact "black" regardless of his also factual bi-racial background, but also that those with black skin are still discriminated against today. The month of February is a perfect time to embrace the differences between black and white, reflect on history, and remind us that regardless of what integrated suburb we live in, we still have a long way to go until we can truly recognize equality for all persons, regardless of color, age or gender in this country.

When discussing the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday last year, my son, Isaac told me that I had black skin and he had white skin. I am hopeful that the next generation will truly not see color, as Isaac does not yet to this day. I take that responsibility seriously as a parent... and I hope you do too.

I am excited, but will read with trepidation, Kindred which is one of the books below. I hope that you will take the time to read one of these works, as well. Enjoy & celebrate!

A Rage in Harlem, by Chester Himes
A suspenseful tale of a man who spirals downward after losing his life savings to a con artist.

Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler
The story of a young woman who, while celebrating her 26th birthday, is abruptly snatched and transported back to the time of slavery.

Passing, by Nella Larsen
The story of a young woman who hides the fact that she is black by severing ties with her past.

Iola Leroy or Shaddows Uplifted, by Frances E.W. Harper
Iola, the title charatcer, is born into a family unaware that her mother is legally her father's slave.

Daddy Was A Number Runner, by Louise Meriwether
A coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old girl living in Harlem during the Great Depression.

Brother, I'm Dying, by Edwidge Danticat
In this heart-wrenching family memoir, Danticat leaves her home in Haiti for a new life in America.

The Street, by Ann Petry
A single mother struggles to raise her son amid violence and poverty in the late 1940's.