Nevermore: Same Place Same Things; Book Woman's Daughter; Fools Crow; Book of Joe

 

Nevermore May 31, 2022

Reported by Garry

 

Same Place, Same Things by Tim Gautreaux is a collection of short stories set (mostly) in rural Louisiana following men and women whose ordinary lives reach a moment of crisis where everything changes. Our reader stated that each story is unique, with grounded characters that suck you in. She was thoroughly enthused by this first collection of stories by Gautreaux and looks forward to reading more of his work as he is so talented. If you like short stories, this is a fantastic, fun read!  KN

 

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson is the highly anticipated follow-up to the runaway hit The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Unfortunately, this sequel did not catch on with our reader, who found the writing style to be too conversational, and she stated that it is not nearly as enjoyable as the first novel. Have you read it? Let us know what you thought!

 

First published in 1986, Fools Crow by James Welch is the groundbreaking story of a member of the Blackfeet tribe on the Montana prairies in 1870. Fools Crow is both a warrior and medicine man and has the foresight to see that White settlers are going to punish any resistance with overwhelming force. Welch drew from the Blackfeet and A’aninin cultures of his parents to weave a story of the pivotal time in American history when the West was undergoing a seismic shift in cultures shortly after the Civil War. Our reader said it took her a while to get into the “flow” of the book as Welch utilizes Blackfeet naming conventions which are much different than Western customs, but once she got over that she found the story to be fascinating and really likes this multi-award-winning historical novel.  MH

The Book of Joe: The Life, Wit, and (Sometimes Accidental) Wisdom of Joe Biden by Jeff Wilser. Published in 2017, this biography of Joe Biden covers key chapters in the President’s life in a highly entertaining and accessible manner. While focusing on Biden’s accomplishments, Wilser also takes a long look at the multitude of tragedies that have befallen the President and how he followed his father’s advice to “Get back up” – advice that Biden has followed and used to forge a path to the presidency of the most powerful country in the world.  DC

Also mentioned:

You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch
Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick
When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris
A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens
The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty by Sy Montgomery
The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth by Kristin Henning
Orfeia by Joanne M. Harris
Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Jewish Sisters' Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory by Roxane van Iperern
Death of a Policeman by M.C. Beaton
Prairie Fever by Michael Parker
Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips
The Mirror of Simple Souls by Marguerite Porete
Lupin Leaps In: A Breaking Cat News Adventure by Georgia Dunn
Myths of the World:  An Illustrated Collection of the World’s Greatest Stories edited by Tony Allan

Nevermore: Homes, A Goddess, Lady First, Biden, Mama's Last Hug

Reported by Christy

First up, we had Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung.  Homes tells the story of the al Rabeeah family and their journey to Syria from Iraq for a safer life – just before the Syrian civil war broke out. Though our reader thought it was a little biased in favor of Sunnis, she also found it intriguing and the descriptions of hearing a war advancing “block by block” memorable.

Our next reader picked up Norman Lewis’ A Goddess in the Stones: Travels in India. Lewis traveled to India and hoped to record as much as he could about the tribal colonies there. Our reader admired the beauty of the writing and Lewis’ sympathy for the native people.

Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk by Amy S. Greenberg is a biography of the wife of President James K. Polk. Sarah Polk, unlike other women of her time, was raised to discuss politics and business. She was also a trusted confidant and advisor to her husband during his presidency. Polk lived for many years after her husband died, and devoted her life as a widow to being a hostess. However, our reader wasn’t entirely sure her story was worth a biography.

Joe Biden’s Promise Me, Dad is a memoir of the months leading up to and following the death of his son Beau from brain cancer. Though our reader had not finished it yet, she admired the family values espoused in the book and called it a “must read."

In Mama’s Last Hug by Frans de Waal, de Waal explores the rich emotional complexity of animals by discussing facial expressions and animal sentience among other topics. Our reader found it moving and “really interesting.”