Reported by Laura
Nevermore had good attendance and
good spirits this week as they read a wide range of books and enjoyed most of
them.
The first book reviewed was This
Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. This beautifully written book is
narrated by Odie, a rambunctious orphan placed in a Native American home in
Minnesota. He and his brother, Albert, find themselves the only white children at
the Lincoln School, which is generally used as a place where Native American
children are forced to reside apart from their families. Odie makes friends
with Mose, a mute boy at the school, but due to his personality and rebellious
behavior, Odie is many times taken to the “Quiet Room” where he is abused by
the school administrator. During these dark times, he makes friends with a
mouse in the room. When the mouse dies, Odie feels this is the sign he needs to
move on and find a family. He, Albert, Mose, and Emmy, the daughter of a
teacher who had treated him with kindness, escape and begin a journey down
America’s great rivers searching for a home. Times are tough as this is during
the Great Depression and many times food is hard to come by. At times, Odie
begins to wonder if life was better at Lincoln where at least they were never
hungry. The reviewer loved this book so much she wanted to reopen it and read
it again.
The next book, set in the 1800’s, was
Simon Bolivar by John Lynch. This fascinating nonfiction offering told the
story of the revolutionary known as The Liberator. He was responsible for
freeing six countries from Spanish Rule, one exception being Peru. Mr. Bolivar
crossed the Andes Mountains covering more ground than any other person. He was
appointed dictator of Venezuela for two years, though refused to serve any longer
as he did not believe in one person having absolute power. The reviewer
described this book as excellent and well worth a read.
I Could Pee on This was a
light-hearted offering by Francesco Marciuliano, author of the Sally Forth
cartoons. It includes not only hilarious poems written by cats, but beautiful
accompanying pictures. The reviewer enjoyed the book and felt it was nice to
read something light to distract from the chaos in the world.
Next, White Fragility by
Robin DiAngelo was reviewed. The author leads workshops on the topic and the
reviewer felt a study group on the book would be beneficial. One of the areas
covered was how whites respond if challenged on racism. Most go into a
defensive mode, which makes the whole cycle worse. This book led to a very
lively discussion on the topic of racism and the sad fact that it still exists
abundantly even today.
Half Broke Horses by
Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, was the next book reviewed. Listed
as a true life novel, it is based on Ms. Walls’ maternal grandmother, Lily
Casey Smith. It’s a wonderful book set in Texas in the 1900’s. By six years of
age, Ms. Smith was helping her father break horses. At the age of 15, this
amazing woman traveled 500 miles on a pony to reach the destination of a
teaching job. Ms. Smith led a wild life, overcoming many obstacles, and the
reviewer felt it was a book that all would enjoy. This book has been described
as Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults.
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
by Tom Robbins was a disappointment to the reader. She formerly loved Mr.
Robbins’ books, but felt that, though this one had clever language, it was a
little too wild for her taste. This outrageous novel tells the story of a young
stockbroker’s three-day weekend after the market crashes on the Thursday before
Easter and it is a crazy ride.
