Nevermore: Cure for Women, Mighty Red, How Hitler Could Have Won WWII, Obitchuary

 

Nevermore March 18, 2025

Reported by Kristin

One of our Nevermore members read The Cure for Women: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Challenge to Victorian Medicine That Changed Women's Lives Forever by Lydia Reeder, finding it to be very informative. The book discusses both early female medical practitioners and some of the unspeakable treatments given to women suffering from “hysteria”. Dr. Jacobi became one of the first women accepted into the Sorbonne medical school, and her scientific research made waves in the male dominated field. – AH - 5 stars.

Another reader enjoyed The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. Set in the prairies of North Dakota, this is a tale of Gary, in love with Kismet, who also has another man in love with her. Erdich combines love, farming, natural resources, secrets, hallucinations, and more into another of her sweeping sagas. Our reader said that this wasn’t her favorite Erdrich book, but she just couldn’t give the beloved author anything less than 4 stars. – MH – 4 stars

Returning to non-fiction, another reader had a disappointing experience with How Hitler Could Have Won WWII: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat by Bevin Alexander. While it looked promising when he bought it used for only $2, our reader found that the military history was only “skin deep” and many facts were skimmed over and skipped entirely in this volume. – RR – 0 stars

Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death by Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes brought a few laughs to the table as one member explained that this was a very good book about what happens to your remains after you die. Our reader had formerly worked in a hospice, so was able to look at some of the history and traditions through her own experiences. From cremation to what the authors call FUNerals, the writing is funny in parts, while also exploring how those left behind remember their late loved ones. – KM – 5 stars

Also mentioned:

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from My Dog by Amy Newmark

Presto!: How I Made over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales by Penn Jillette

Horizons: Exploring Creation by Luci Shaw

Lulu Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Modigliani by Alfred Werner

North River by Pete Hamill

 

New books:

How to Share An Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love, and Plenty by Bonny Reichert

You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible by Margaret Eby

Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman

The Vanishing Point: Stories by Paul Theroux

Nevermore: A Family Business, Night Watchman, Death at Greenway, Spy in Plain Sight

Reported by Garry

A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes Against the Dead by Ken Englade is the shocking true accounting of the crimes of the Sconce family who ran a funeral home/crematorium in the most shady, illegal way possible. A tale of death, greed, deception, and complete disregard for tradition, decency, and even the law, this book outlines how the Sconce family ran Lamb Funeral Homes as a way of funding their extravagant lifestyles and egos. An illegal side-business of harvesting organs and tissue from the yet-to-be-cremated soon sprouted up, and yet more money poured into their pockets. Eventually the law caught up with the Sconce family, shutting down their illegal operations. Our reader was dismayed at how little prison time the family members, particularly David, faced upon sentencing, stating how very lenient the judge was with David despite the horrific acts that he perpetrated upon the bodies of the dead. An amazing book with a “stranger than fiction” storyline, our reader highly recommends this macabre tale out of mid-1980s California. CD 

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitizer Prize for Fiction amongst many other awards. This fictionalized telling of true events focuses on Thomas Wazhashk, a night watchman at a factory near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Minnesota. Thomas is also a Chippewa Council member who is fighting upcoming federal legislation to strip the tribe of its rights and land. Arthur Watkins was a true-life Republican senator from Utah who in 1953 proposed stripping all American Indian tribes of their treaty statues and assimilating Native tribes into American society. The character of Thomas is based on Erdrich’s grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, who was the real-life chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band Chippewa Advisory Committee and who successfully fought against Watkins’ legislation. Our reader, who has Native American roots, was deeply moved by this accounting of the thoughtless way in which the Native American tribes were treated by politicians who viewed them as “less than”. She noted the complex, realistic characters that Erdrich creates without being sentimental or presenting an idealized version of the community. PP 

Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day is a murder mystery set in Britain during World War II. Bridey Kelly is a disgraced nurse-in-training who has been sent to Greenway, the beloved vacation home of Agatha Christie, to care for children who have been evacuated from London during the Blitz. The gorgeous old home is itself a mystery, full of rooms that are not to be entered, curio cabinets that are not to be touched, and bookshelves full of tomes on murder. The most complex mystery is the other nurse, Gigi, who is unlike anyone that Bridey has ever met in her life. Then a body washes up on the shore of Greenway – a victim of a brutal murder that threatens to engulf both Bridey and Gigi. Our reader, who specializes in books set in Britain, loved this book, highlighting the great, believable characters, and its complicated, entertaining mystery. ML 

A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen – America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy by Liz Wiehl is the meticulously researched and written accounting of the exploits of Robert Hanssen, who worked as a spy for Russia for over twenty years. Hanssen was a special agent for the FBI, starting in 1976. By 1979, he was offering his services to the Soviet Main Intelligence Directorate, and provided sensitive information to them on and off until his arrest in 2001. His activities resulted in the deaths of multiple KGB agents who Hanssen exposed. Disliked and distrusted by his peers (but most damagingly, trusted by his superiors), Hanssen nevertheless rose through the ranks of the FBI who were apparently blind to the possibility that one of their own could be a spy for the Soviets. Ironically, Hanssen was tasked by the FBI to try to find the mole who was responsible for the deaths of two KGB agents who had been exposed and executed – that mole was Hanssen. NH 

Also mentioned: 

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones 

Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories from Around the World

The Quiet American by Graham Greene 

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris 

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris 

A Daughter of the Land by Gene Stratton-Porter 

Necessary Motions by Sam Rasnake 

Horse by Geraldine Brooks 

Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perrotta 

How to Raise an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi 

Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer

Nevermore: My Sunshine Away, March, Calypso, Water Is Wide, Night Strangers, Birchbark House, 1491

 

This week’s Nevermore opened with the book My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh.  Set in Baton Rouge in the 1980s, the book is narrated by a 14 year old boy with a crush on Lindy Simpson, a slightly older neighborhood girl.  The seemingly idyllic area is rocked when Lindy is raped and our narrator is determined to bring the perpetrator to light.  Although the themes are dark, our reviewer said that the crime isn’t the real focus of the book.  It is suspenseful but it’s more a coming of age story as told by an appealing character.  The one criticism of this otherwise well written book is that at several points the narrator would start to impart some important piece of information only to say, “I’ll tell you about that later.”  She found that quite frustrating, but still recommends the book.

 

Another literary delight was March by Australian author Geraldine Brooks which imagines the life of Mr. March, father of the Little Women family.  In the book, he is largely absent because of the Civil War which was raging at the time.  Brooks tells that hidden part of March’s story, basing the tale (as did Louisa May Alcott) on the real Alcott family.  Our reviewer found it well written and intriguing, and the entire group took an interest in the “story behind the story.”

 

David Sedaris’ Calypso continues to delight readers and listeners.  Again, it was in audio book format, as listener after listener praised Sedaris for his wonderful and expressive voice.  Most had first heard him on NPR, either as part of “This American Life” or else one of the other programs.  Everyone has found his stories of family dynamics to be quite relatable and very, very funny.  The current listener has moved on to another collection of his essays, this one with a seasonal theme:  Holidays on Ice.

Poisoner in Chief by Stephen Kinzer took the group discussion into darker territory.  Starting in the 1950s, chemist Sidney Gottlieb worked with the CIA on various drugs and techniques for mind control.  The idea was to attempt to re-program people, and to develop interrogation techniques to break even the most stubborn of prisoners.  Experiments were even carried out on civilians without their knowledge, sometimes with horrifying results.  Gottlieb’s research is still used today.  It’s a book both fascinating and appalling in equal measure, and should be required reading.

 

 While Pat Conroy is best known for his novels such as The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, one of his first books was actually a memoir.  The Water Is Wide is his account of teaching on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina in 1969.  His pupils knew very little of life in the outside world beyond the island.  Conroy sought to expose them to the wider world, wanting to make a positive difference in their lives. The book is based on Conroy’s experiences but has been somewhat fictionalized, including the name of the island.  The book is recommended.

 

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian is set in a small town in New Hampshire.  Chris, his wife Emily, and twin daughters have just moved to town in search of a new start after the crash of a plane Chris was piloting which resulted in the deaths of 39 passengers.  At first, the family enjoys the attentions of the new neighbors and exploring the house, but soon strange things begin happening.  Some of the local women seem to be taking a lot of interest in the couple’s daughters and Chris thinks he can hear some of the dead passengers.  Our reader says it was kind of a weird book, rather scary, but interesting.  She didn’t think it was one of his best but still good.

 

Next up was The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. Set in 1847 near what is now called Lake Superior, the story centers around Omakayas, an Ojibwa (Chippewa) girl, and her family.  Rich with detail and history, our reader felt that Erdrich’s books should have a much wider audience and recommend her work to all.  Most of her books deal with Native American culture—Erdrich herself is Chippewa—and all are excellent.

Finally, 1491:  New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus by Charles C. Mann was promoted as a fascinating look at pre-European North and South America.  Mann wants to dispel the idea that it was a pristine wilderness but was instead host to sophisticated societies and cultures who created cities, governmental structures, advanced agricultural techniques, and more.  Mann makes sometimes complex subjects very accessible to the average reader.  Our reviewer praised the book and found it fascinating.

Nevermore: Truth Worth Telling, Gone Dollywood, In Shock, Shadow Tag, Sea Wolf, Washington Black

Reported by Lauren

                Our first member was in the middle of reading Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times by Scott Pelley. It’s obvious from his writing that Pelley is a true investigative journalist—he writes facts, not opinions. Each chapter relates either the author’s encounter with an important figure or his experience of a monumental historical event. Our reader avoided the chapter on former Chair of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke, but was really moved by the chapter on the Fire Department of New York after the events of September 11, 2001. Pelley asks what defines America, and how do we as Americans define ourselves? Our reader highly recommends this book.

                Our next reader shared her review of In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope by Rana Awdish. Awdish is a doctor from Detroit who specializes in intensive care. After enduring a medical tragedy of her own, she realizes just how poorly doctors communicate and interact with ICU patients and their loved ones. She creates an entire curriculum outlining the ways this problem can be solved and travels the country training medical experts on how to practice empathy and create emotional connections with their patients. Our reviewer said there is a lot of medical terminology, “a lot of gross medical stuff,” but if that doesn’t bother you, you will love this book. 

                Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich was shared with our group next. Several members had read this novel already, and loved how Erdrich richly portrays Native American culture in all of her books. Shadow Tag is about a toxic marriage between an alcoholic wife and an artist husband who paints said wife in sadistic and irreverent ways. His paintings of her have made them rich, but she hates him and the paintings. When she discovers he has been reading her secret diary, she starts using her diary entries to insult and manipulate him. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, our reader said, “the ending made it better, even though I didn’t want it to end that way.” 

                Throwing it back to 1904, our next reader reviewed The Sea-Wolf by Jack London. She had read it many years ago, but came across a copy at a book sale and picked it up. The Sea-Wolf is about a literary critic named Humphrey who is rescued by another boat after his ferry sinks. The captain of the rescue boat, Wolf Larsen, is a hardened and brutal man who basically forces Humphrey to join his ship’s crew. While sailing on the new schooner, the crew encounter another shipwreck, rescuing a beautiful young woman from the waves. It is love at first sight for both Humphrey and Captain Larsen, and various adventures ensue. Our reader said the novel was a little fantastical, but she thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan was our next share. It got rave reviews, and President Barack Obama named it one his favorite books of the year. The main character, a young slaved named George Washington Black, or Wash for short, is chosen as a personal assistant of sorts to the brother of his owner, a Barbados sugar plantation owner. Wash is apprehensive at first, but his life changes drastically for the better. His new master takes him under his wing and fully educates him. But when the brother/Wash’s master dies, a ransom is placed on Wash so he is forced to flee. Our reader loved this novel, and highly recommended everyone read it. Its portrayal of slave-life is brutally honest, and Wash’s adventures are both entertaining and enlightening. 

Gone Dollywood: Dolly Parton’s Mountain Dream by Graham Hoppe was the last book we discussed. Our reader was pleasantly surprised that this book isn’t a biography, but instead discusses Southern and Appalachian culture, and the economic and cultural effects Parton and her businesses have had on the east Tennessee region. Dolly counters the typical Appalachian stigma, while embracing the Appalachian culture and making everyone who visits feel right at home. Our reader appreciated the shorter length and the factual writing style—she thinks everyone from this area should read it.