Reported by Ambrea
This week, Nevermore took a look at
Origin Story: A Big History of Everything by David Christian,
which takes a look at the origins of everything. According to the
subtitle, Origin Story is a history of everything “from the big bang
to the first stars, our solar system, life on earth, dinosaurs, Homo sapiens,
agriculture, an ice age, empires, fossil fuels, a moon landing, and mass
globalization.” Our reader found Christian’s book to be incredibly
fascinating and delightfully done. Fashioned into a single, accessible
volume, Origin Stories was extraordinarily enjoyable and easy to
understand and “very complete,” he noted. He highly recommended it to his
fellow Nevermore members, saying it has a little bit of everything for
everyone.
Next, Nevermore explored Voyage
to Santa Fe by Janice Holt Giles. Judith and Johnny are young,
married, and venturing far from their home in the Arkansas Territory to the
distant mountains of Santa Fe. Facing peril at each turn, Judith and
Johnny must stand together if they ever hope to reach their destination.
Our reader picked up Voyage to Santa Fe on a whim and she thoroughly
enjoyed it. Giles’ novel was delightfully descriptive and captivating,
containing all the characteristics of a classic Western thriller. She
highly recommended it to the other members of Nevermore, especially if they
were looking for a good book to read for an evening or a hit of nostalgia.
Nevermore also stepped further back
in time with Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval
Village by Laura Amy Schlitz and illustrated by Robert Byrd. Winner
of the Newbery Medal, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! recounts the lives
of 22 different characters as they make their way about a small English village
in the year 1255. Our reader said he enjoyed Schlitz and Byrd’s book so
much, admitting he read it twice to really catch the flavor of the
stories. He read aloud portions of his favorite vignettes to Nevermore,
showing off the lovely pictures by Byrd and the clever poems created by
Schlitz. He praised Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! very highly, and
it was quickly scooped up by another reader.
Nevermore continued to explore
history with Jefferson’s Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black,
in a Young America by Catherine Kerrison. Thomas Jefferson had three
daughters: Martha and Maria with his wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson, and
Harriet by slave Sally Hemings. In this book, Kerrison explores the lives
of Martha, Maria, and Harriet, as they set off for different and disparate
futures. Although our reader was initially interested in reading
Kerrison’s biography, she finished reading Jefferson’s Daughters with
mixed feelings. “[It had] more than I wanted to know about French society,”
she said, and so much of it “seemed so superfluous. It was too much for
me.” She agreed it would probably be interesting for someone else, but it
definitely won’t be one of her favorites.
Last, Nevermore wrapped up with Doctored:
The Disillusionment of an American Physician by Sandeep Jauhar. In Doctored,
Dr. Jauhar examines the current state of the American healthcare system and
examines the complicated and perverse systems of referrals, charges, and
malpractice suits that he has experienced. Our reader said Jauhar’s book
was incredibly enlightening. “It was depressing,” she admitted, “but
interesting too.” Overall, she praised it as a very good book—right up
there with Jauhar’s first memoir, Intern—and noted she will be looking
forward to getting her hands on his latest book, Heart: A History.
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