Nevermore: Islam, The Risen, Iris Grace, Wanderers, Lost Woman, Hillbilly Elegy

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore discussed The Islamic Enlightenment:  The Struggle Between Faith and Reason, 1798 to Modern Times by Christopher de Bellaigue.  Described on the jacket as “a revelatory and game-changing narrative that rewrites everything we thought we knew about the modern history of the Islamic world,” The Islamic Enlightenment is a thoughtful and absorbing work on the political, social, and cultural history of the Middle East.  De Bellaigue examines the great enlightenment of the Islamic world through the adoption of modern medicine, female empowerment, and the development of democracy and the subsequent backlash to modernization.  Our reader said he found The Islamic Enlightenment to be interesting.  He thought de Bellaigue’s arguments were found and his work contained a great deal of information.  Although it’s not hard to read, it’s a rather long book; however, he noted it’s a great book for showing the divisions and complexities of Islam.

Next, Nevermore shared Iris Grace:  How Thula the Cat Saved a Little Girl and Her Family by Arabella Carter-Johnson.  Iris Grace has autism:  she struggles with communication, avoiding social interaction and rarely smiling, never connecting with those around her—until she meets Thula, a Maine Coon kitten named for the Zulu word “peace.”  Arabella Carter-Johnson, Iris Grace’s mother, captures photographs of her daughter and Thula, telling their amazing story of connection and friendship.  Our reader absolutely loved Iris Grace, saying it was ideal for a Mother’s Day gift with its beautiful photographs and Iris Grace’s amazing illustrations.  It’s heart-warming and incredibly moving, offering an absorbing, intimate and insightful glimpse into a family dealing with one remarkable child’s autism.

Nevermore also checked out the latest novel from Ron Rash, The Risen.  Eugene and Bill were close as boys, but, during the summer of 1969, they were driven apart by a girl—Ligeia, a free-spirited redhead from Daytona Beach—and a terrible secret.  Now, decades later, Bill is a famous surgeon in their community, while Eugene is an inveterate alcoholic.  When a reminder of the past resurfaces, Eugene is plunged back into that fateful summer and the secrets that could forever destroy his family.  Our reader said she didn’t like The Risen at the beginning of the book, but, as she continued into further chapters, she found herself more entranced by the story.  “It’s a very good book,” she told her fellow readers.  “It’s definitely worth reading.”

The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel followed next, continuing the story of Louise Rick, head of the Special Search Agency.  In this most recent installment of her series, Louise Rick is called onto a strange case.  A Danish woman is found murdered in England, except she went missing more than eighteen years ago—and she was reported missing by none other than Eik, Louise’s colleague and lover.  Caught in the middle of her most controversial case yet, Louise must solve the mystery before a killer gets away with murder.  Our reader found she didn’t enjoy Blaedel’s latest book.  It was interesting and had an unexpected twist for an ending; however, she didn’t think it was that great.  Mostly, she found it confusing.

Nevermore decided to take a detour into space travel—or, more accurately, simulated space travel—with The Wanderers, a new novel by Meg Howrey.  Helen Kane, Yoshihiro Tanaka, and Sergei Kuznetsov are going to be the first humans placed on Mars—if they can survive seventeen months in the most realistic simulation Prime Space, one of the top aerospace companies in the business, has ever created.  But being trapped in a small space of their simulation is just as dangerous as being caught in the endless void of outer space as they struggle to navigate their quarters and each other.  Our reader said she found The Wanderers to be odd.  Fascinating, but odd.  It’s an intriguing psychological examination of the human mind when put into an increasingly stressful situation, and she thought it took an interesting direction with the story.  “[And] it kept me reading to the end,” she noted.

Last, Nevermore revisited a recent favorite:  Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.  Hillbilly Elegy is an insightful, searing memoir that dives into the struggles and triumphs of an Appalachian transplant family in Ohio.  Vance, who recounts his personal and family history, also delves deep into the culture and heritage of Appalachian families.  He examines drug abuse, poverty, education, and other social issues, taking a long hard look at the Appalachia he loves—and the Appalachia he sees slowly deteriorating.  Our reader absolutely loved reading Vance’s memoir.  Our reader admitted she was initially hesitant to begin reading Hillbilly Elegy—anything with “hillbilly” in the title automatically put her on guard, she said—and she worried how the author would portray Appalachia.  Vance, however, doesn’t berate or condemn.  He offers an honest, intimate portrayal of his family and his culture; he treats his history with compassion and views his heritage with affection, even the worst parts.  His memoir is carefully crafted, thoughtful, and incredibly honest, and our reader enjoyed every minute.

Nevermore: Procrastination, Religious Intolerance, Southern Unionists, and The Searchers

Library director Jud Barry brought in a slim volume he recommended, The Art of Procrastination by John Perry.  Perry believes that one of the most effective ways to avoid doing Project A is to work on other things.  As a result, the veteran procrastinator can get a good deal done.  He refers to Robert Benchley’s essay “How to Get Things Done,” which provides the astute observation that “anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.” Jud described it as a fun book even if the author is a professor of philosophy, which brought up the question, “Does philosophy equal fun?”

Next up was the definitely more serious The New Religious Intolerance:  Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age by Martha Nussbaum, a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago.  She believes that there is a rise in intolerance for Islam worldwide as evidenced by new legislation banning headscarves in France and the immediate belief that a Norwegian massacre was the work of an Islamic extremist before it was discovered that the perpetrator was in fact a right-wing Norwegian. Nussbaum believes that the United States may be better equipped to handle these questions because we don’t have one single ethnic or linguistic identity but are a blend of many different influences.  We already have the ideals in place, even though the performance is sometimes lacking such as with the early Mormon Church. Our reviewer thought it was a thought-provoking book and especially liked the international approach.

 The popular image of the Civil War has all the people in a state firmly on one side or another, Rebel or Yankee.  The truth is more complex, as Lewis F. Fisher demonstrates in No Cause of Offence, the true story of a family of slave-owning Unionists in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.  Samuel Lewis, the patriarch, made no secret of his conviction that the United States should remain as one nation, putting him at odds with his neighbors.  At one point, the family had to abandon their home as a battle swirled over their land, leaving dead and wounded behind; Stonewall Jackson used their home as his headquarters.  The family story continues after the war, when the family is involved in Reconstruction.  Fisher, a Lewis descendant, drew on family records as well as newspaper and official accounts to produce this slim but most interesting book.

Last but certainly not least, The Searchers by Glenn Frankel drew rave reviews from two club members. The book’s title comes from the movie of the same name, an extremely influential Western starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Frankel doesn’t limit himself to the movie, and therein lies the strong appeal of this book.  He examines the true story on which the movie is based, the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker by the Comanche, looking not only at the facts as we know them but at the changing interpretations of those facts and mythologizing of the West.  Finally, he looks at the effect the movie had on the American psyche.  This multifaceted approach has made this a very popular book, and it continues to make the rounds of Nevermore readers.