"Strike asked himself whether the strange suspicion that had him it its grip was anything more than a shadow moving in the depths of a muddy pool: a trick of the light, an illusory effect of the wind-ruffled surface....Could there be something lurking, disguised, buried in the mud, for which other nets had trawled in vain?"
-from the novel
Years ago I read all the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling and loved them. I was actually quite sorry to see Harry graduate from Hogwarts, ending the series. A couple of months ago I read The Casual Vacancy by Rowling and was SO disappointed. (See the post.) Though the writing was still good, the story was weak and the characters unlikeable. When it came out that Robert Galbraith was a pen name for Rowling attached to her second post-Harry novel, I figured I should give it a try. A friend with whom I frequently discuss books, had read them both and said this one was much better. Indeed it was! In fact I really liked it. It gets a rating of 5.
The Cuckoo's Calling is a murder mystery with main character Cormoran Strike, a down-on-his-luck private detective. Robin is sent to him as a temporary worker and gets heavily involved in helping Strike to prove the death of a celebrity named Lula which had been ruled a suicide was actually murder. As Lula's story unfolded, her relationship with her boyfriend, Duffield, eerily reminded me of that of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. The plot was compelling with quite a surprising ending.
I really enjoy Rowling's style evidenced by the quote above and such word pictures as a "kaleidoscope of horror." The British words and expressions are interesting, as well, for example flat (apartment), mobile (cell phone), car park (garage), crisps (chips), ciggies or fags (cigarettes), and paps (paparazzi).
The friend I mentioned previously and I agree that there is a good possibility we will see these characters again. I truly hope so.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Devil in the Grove Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King
"As matters now stand two colored men have already lost their lives as a result of this charge of attack of a white woman; one being killed by a sheriff's posse and one by Sheriff McCall. Another is serving a life sentence. The fourth, Walter Irvin, although shot twice in the chest and once in the neck, must still stand trial and face the threat of the electric chair. This is typical Southern Justice."
-Thurgood Marshall
Wow! I don't know if I have ever read a book that made me SO angry!
The book's title was mentioned in a column of the Orlando Sentinel, called "Florida Flashback" by Joy Dickinson. Since I enjoy learning about Florida history, I ordered it from the library. When I flipped through the pages, I doubted if I really wanted to read it---small print, close to 400 pages, looked a little dry. I couldn't have been more wrong! I could hardly put it down, even though it was so emotionally intense. One could call it a real-life horror story.
I attended high school in Alabama in the 1960's so I was no stranger to racism and the civil rights movement. Having lived in Florida for over 40 years though, I had no idea what a hot-bed of bigotry our state was in the 40's and 50's. One person in the book called Florida "south of the South" and meant it more than geographically. Apparently many acts of racist violence in Florida were unpublicized because Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and others got the attention.
I visited the Harry T. Moore home in Mims, Florida this past year and learned of Moore's martyrdom for the cause of civil rights. In a Bible study that same year, we learned of his fight for justice for blacks. I had a small part in a community theater production several years ago which portrayed the leadership of sit-ins in Orlando at near the same time. So perhaps I should have known what to expect from the story of the Groveland Boys.
Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall was probably one of the worst villains I have come across! Though the case against the 4 black men accused of the rape of a young white woman was extremely weak, white law officers such as McCall and deputies, lawyers, judges, jury members and journalists turned a blind eye and convicted them, which at that time was a capital offense. Over and over appeals were turned down and from the time of the alleged crime, July of 1949, until 1969 Sheriff McCall was responsible for the deaths of 3 of the four innocent men, and none of them were legally executed! (That is MY opinion after reading this very well-researched book.)
I didn't know much about Thurgood Marshall except that he was the first African-American Supreme Court Judge, but it turns out he was a giant in the cause of civil rights. There were several other heroes, NAACP workers, lawyers and journalists, some white, that sacrificed so much to fight for justice for the Groveland Boys. In Lake County at that time, they were taking a huge risk to life and limb.
This was a fascinating though very disturbing story. It does show how far our state and our society has come in the cause of equality in 60 plus years. And of course, we have a ways to go.
My rating is a 5.
-----------------------------------
Page Turners read this book in March, 2019, and had a lively discussion involving some of the same ideas I wrote about in my original post. Some members lived in the north during this time and had very different experiences with race relations pre-Civil Rights Era. Even folks who lived in the South did not realize what was happening in Florida. The group felt Devil in the Grove was an important book in that it drew public attention to a long-buried injustice to the "Groveland Boys." In January of this year, they were pardoned by the Florida clemency board and Governor Ron DeSantis and the group felt the book had a significant bearing on that outcome. DeSantis said, "Justice was miscarried for the Groveland Four beginning with events set in motion in 1949. Though these men now lie in graves, their stories linger in search of justice." The ultimate justice would be exoneration, in my opinion. Maybe some day...
We agreed that this book was difficult to read but, thankfully, exposed true heroes like Marshall, Harry T. Moore and others who took the risk of standing up for justice in a dangerous time and place. Our group's average rating was 4.2.
-Thurgood Marshall
Wow! I don't know if I have ever read a book that made me SO angry!
The book's title was mentioned in a column of the Orlando Sentinel, called "Florida Flashback" by Joy Dickinson. Since I enjoy learning about Florida history, I ordered it from the library. When I flipped through the pages, I doubted if I really wanted to read it---small print, close to 400 pages, looked a little dry. I couldn't have been more wrong! I could hardly put it down, even though it was so emotionally intense. One could call it a real-life horror story.
I attended high school in Alabama in the 1960's so I was no stranger to racism and the civil rights movement. Having lived in Florida for over 40 years though, I had no idea what a hot-bed of bigotry our state was in the 40's and 50's. One person in the book called Florida "south of the South" and meant it more than geographically. Apparently many acts of racist violence in Florida were unpublicized because Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and others got the attention.
I visited the Harry T. Moore home in Mims, Florida this past year and learned of Moore's martyrdom for the cause of civil rights. In a Bible study that same year, we learned of his fight for justice for blacks. I had a small part in a community theater production several years ago which portrayed the leadership of sit-ins in Orlando at near the same time. So perhaps I should have known what to expect from the story of the Groveland Boys.
Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall was probably one of the worst villains I have come across! Though the case against the 4 black men accused of the rape of a young white woman was extremely weak, white law officers such as McCall and deputies, lawyers, judges, jury members and journalists turned a blind eye and convicted them, which at that time was a capital offense. Over and over appeals were turned down and from the time of the alleged crime, July of 1949, until 1969 Sheriff McCall was responsible for the deaths of 3 of the four innocent men, and none of them were legally executed! (That is MY opinion after reading this very well-researched book.)
I didn't know much about Thurgood Marshall except that he was the first African-American Supreme Court Judge, but it turns out he was a giant in the cause of civil rights. There were several other heroes, NAACP workers, lawyers and journalists, some white, that sacrificed so much to fight for justice for the Groveland Boys. In Lake County at that time, they were taking a huge risk to life and limb.
This was a fascinating though very disturbing story. It does show how far our state and our society has come in the cause of equality in 60 plus years. And of course, we have a ways to go.
My rating is a 5.
-----------------------------------
Page Turners read this book in March, 2019, and had a lively discussion involving some of the same ideas I wrote about in my original post. Some members lived in the north during this time and had very different experiences with race relations pre-Civil Rights Era. Even folks who lived in the South did not realize what was happening in Florida. The group felt Devil in the Grove was an important book in that it drew public attention to a long-buried injustice to the "Groveland Boys." In January of this year, they were pardoned by the Florida clemency board and Governor Ron DeSantis and the group felt the book had a significant bearing on that outcome. DeSantis said, "Justice was miscarried for the Groveland Four beginning with events set in motion in 1949. Though these men now lie in graves, their stories linger in search of justice." The ultimate justice would be exoneration, in my opinion. Maybe some day...
We agreed that this book was difficult to read but, thankfully, exposed true heroes like Marshall, Harry T. Moore and others who took the risk of standing up for justice in a dangerous time and place. Our group's average rating was 4.2.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
The Downside of Being Charlie by Jenny Torres Sanchez
"I feel like one of those freaks on trashy talk shows, keeping some kind of terrible secret from someone, but then go on national TV and tell them in front of everyone so all these strangers can be entertained by their pain. Is that what I was thinking of doing? But I can't think about those TV people right now because I have to do this. I jump out of bed and start writing down my ideas before they float out of my head."
-Charlie, from the novel
Another excellent book for teenagers! The author's debut novel. I read and enjoyed Death, Dickinson and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Sanchez a few months ago and thought it was wonderful. I think I actually liked this one better. There can't be many authors who do such a fine job of depicting teenage angst. Perhaps it stems from her years of teaching high school.
Charlie is a high school senior, a self-professed loser, with a sadly dysfunctional family. Though I usually find myself identifying with female characters, Charlie really drew me in and I was rooting for him all the way! Charlie's best friend, Ahmed, was a fascinating character also. To make for an interesting plot, Charlie is dealing with a crush on Charlotte and a school assignment he can't seem to get started, on top of dealing with serious family problems. I was also impressed with his photography teacher, Mr. Killinger, who seemed so kind and concerned, the kind of teacher I hope I was and that every student should have.
Jenny Torres Sanchez is a fine writer, in my opinion. I always look for an intriguing quote to use in my book entries and there is never a problem with her novels. As messed up as Charlie feels he is, he can be quite insightful and even profound at times. I rate this book a 5 and I am looking forward to the author's 3rd novel, which is nearing publication. Young adult fiction may not be right for all of my readers but I must say some novels I read as a fifth grade teacher I still count as among my favorites!
-Charlie, from the novel
Another excellent book for teenagers! The author's debut novel. I read and enjoyed Death, Dickinson and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Sanchez a few months ago and thought it was wonderful. I think I actually liked this one better. There can't be many authors who do such a fine job of depicting teenage angst. Perhaps it stems from her years of teaching high school.
Charlie is a high school senior, a self-professed loser, with a sadly dysfunctional family. Though I usually find myself identifying with female characters, Charlie really drew me in and I was rooting for him all the way! Charlie's best friend, Ahmed, was a fascinating character also. To make for an interesting plot, Charlie is dealing with a crush on Charlotte and a school assignment he can't seem to get started, on top of dealing with serious family problems. I was also impressed with his photography teacher, Mr. Killinger, who seemed so kind and concerned, the kind of teacher I hope I was and that every student should have.
Jenny Torres Sanchez is a fine writer, in my opinion. I always look for an intriguing quote to use in my book entries and there is never a problem with her novels. As messed up as Charlie feels he is, he can be quite insightful and even profound at times. I rate this book a 5 and I am looking forward to the author's 3rd novel, which is nearing publication. Young adult fiction may not be right for all of my readers but I must say some novels I read as a fifth grade teacher I still count as among my favorites!
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