Nevermore June 7, 2022
Reported by Garry
The Immobile Empire by Alain Peyrefitte is a detailed look at the disastrous attempt by the British Empire to open up China to trade with the West in 1793. Both cultures viewed the other with derision and were convinced of their own superiority. Egos clashed and the results have echoed around the globe for generations. Peryefitte draws on the diaries of those involved on both sides to paint a fascinating picture of distrust, hubris, and etiquette. This exhaustively researched book clocks in at a hefty 630 pages, but the length of it neither put off nor bored our reader who says that this is a very interesting book for any history buff. FC
The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz is the meticulously researched tale of the daughters of three of the most powerful men in history: Sarah Churchill (Winston’s daughter), Anna Roosevelt (Franklin’s only daughter), and Kathleen Harriman (daughter of Averell Harriman, the US Ambassador to the Soviet Union). These three daughters accompanied their fathers to a world-altering meeting at Yalta during the waning days of the Second World War. Seamlessly combining the politics of the day with the interpersonal relationships of the three daughters and their fathers, this book fascinated our reader, who found it hard to put down. CD
Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips is an irreverent look at how we humans manage to mangle nearly everything we get our hands on. How we are still here is a bit of a mystery when you look at all the ways that we have messed things up. Our reader says this breezy book has equal amounts of history and humor and was a delight to read, and she found herself laughing out loud many times. PP
Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung is one of the most beautiful books that our book club member has ever read. Weaving Korean folklore into a decades-spanning story of immigration and the search for identity, this story focuses on Janie, a Korean-born, American-raised immigrant, and her family. Janie’s elder sister disappeared and cut all ties with her family. The family moves back to Korea and Janie is tasked with finding her sister before their father dies – a task that Janie both feels compelled to do, but bitterly resentful about. This debut novel takes a deep and emotional look at not only the immigrant experience but the ties that bind (and sometimes chafe) amongst family members. AH
Also mentioned:
Same Place, Same Things by Tim Gautreaux
The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
The American Women’s Almanac: 500 Years of Making History by Deborah G. Felder
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R. A. Scotti
The Memoirs of A Survivor by Doris Lessing
The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton
LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia edited by Jeff Mann and Julia Watts
Love is the Cure: On Life, Loss and the End of AIDS by Elton John
Fools Crow by James Welch
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies by Paul Fischer
Yinka, Where is Your Husband? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Eight Faces at Three by Craig Rice
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