Reported by Kristin
Nevermore kicked off with Life at the Bottom: The Worldview
that Makes the Underclass by Theodore Dalrymple. A prolific author, British psychiatrist
Dalrymple examined patients in a slum hospital and drew conclusions that their
ailments were perhaps caused by having no direction and responsibility for
their own lives. Our reader highly
recommended the book, while noting that Dalrymple was not afraid to call out
people and urge them to take charge of their own lives.
Next, Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a
Post-American World by Suzy Hansen was called insightful. Journalist Hansen chose to move from New York
City to Istanbul, Turkey in order to explore the Middle East. Our reader noted that the United States
involvement in the rest of the world is widespread with the government’s desire
to stabilize or de-stabilize other governments.
Turning to fiction, another reader enjoyed St. Louie Slow
Drag, a mystery by Jo Allison. The series
(which begins with The Good Old Summertime) is set in 1910 St. Louis, where
Julia Nye works for the city police as a typist. Suddenly she finds herself amid music and
murder when she goes to a ragtime club in an African-American
neighborhood. Our reader said that once
she got to the middle part, she almost couldn’t put it down.
The Confederados: Old South Immigrants in Brazil, edited by
Cyrus B. Dawsey and James M. Dawsey is a collection of essays by respected
scholars which cover the experiences of southern Confederates who left the
United States after the Civil War and relocated to South America. Many went to Brazil, and their descendants
live there today. Our reader was impressed
by the narrative sections which told stories in the exiles’ own words.
Next up, Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda shows the dark side of
a marriage as a couple spends what is supposed to be a relaxing day out at
their lake house. Tension builds as the
day goes on, and Mia begins to wonder exactly what Paul has planned for her. Our reader said that this novel is about how
perception varies, depending on who you are.
Also worthy of admiration, noted the Nevermore member, was that the book
was written by a young female author who was able to clearly express the male
point of view.
Lastly, Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer portrays what might
happen if all of humanity was exposed to a brief glimpse of the future, but
then had to resume their everyday lives.
With the foresight of a very different future, people began making
choices that they might otherwise not have made. Our reader found this to be a very satisfying
audiobook, as the miles slipped away.
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