"Miracles had a way of happening when people need them most. Kings were born in mangers; angels serenaded shepherds. Not everyone saw miracles when they happened, but that didn't make them any less real." -Kiley's thoughts, from the novel
This was the second of three short Christmas novels I picked up at the library about a week ago. I thought it was going to be a fluffy romance but it surprised me with a bit more substance.
The story begins with Kiley Gray, a young woman suffering from a broken engagement, browsing an antique store. She spots a beautiful snow globe and the shop owner tells her its story, how it can influence the future. Kiley is compelled to buy the globe and, sure enough, it soon changes her outlook. I thought that might be the whole plot but then Kiley passes the globe on to her friend, Suzanne, who eventually presents it to mutual friend, Allison. The snow globe seems to bring to each what she needs most. Pretty far-fetched, right? Right, but a little holiday magic can't hurt!
I will rate this one a 3---a gift of light and pleasant reading for Christmas.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gullay
"In this unsettled world, it is good to have this steadiness---the Christmas Eve service, the peal of the bell, the star atop the Peacocks' silo, the saints burdened with concern. There is holiness to memory, a sense of God's presence in these mangers of the mind. Which might explain why it is that the occasions that change the least are often the very occasions that change us the most."
-Pastor Gardner, from the novel
I found this novel along with two other holiday-themed ones on a special display at the public library. Having just finished Hidden Figures which was a little tedious with all its technical details I needed some light reading. This one was perfect---not only light but delightful! I will give it a 5 for enjoyment. At only 84 pages, I finished in only a couple of hours though not at one sitting; it read more like a short story.
Sam Gardner is the pastor of the Harmony Friends Meeting House in Harmony, Indiana. Elder Dale Hinshaw is his "cross to bear," an outspoken church member who comes up with some wacky ideas including the progressive nativity featured in this Christmas story. It made me laugh out loud several times, always the sign of good entertainment.
I was struck by Sam's mention of "It's a Wonderful Life" as a favorite of his wife. My husband and I just viewed the movie for the first time several days ago. We had also seen it done as a live radio play on stage recently. It certainly is a memorable story!
My impression of Quakerism was shaken up by this reading. I must know very little about the religion because in the book Christmas Eve service didn't sound so different from our Presbyterian church. Turns out the author is a Quaker minister so I figure the novel offers an accurate picture.
-Pastor Gardner, from the novel
I found this novel along with two other holiday-themed ones on a special display at the public library. Having just finished Hidden Figures which was a little tedious with all its technical details I needed some light reading. This one was perfect---not only light but delightful! I will give it a 5 for enjoyment. At only 84 pages, I finished in only a couple of hours though not at one sitting; it read more like a short story.
Sam Gardner is the pastor of the Harmony Friends Meeting House in Harmony, Indiana. Elder Dale Hinshaw is his "cross to bear," an outspoken church member who comes up with some wacky ideas including the progressive nativity featured in this Christmas story. It made me laugh out loud several times, always the sign of good entertainment.
I was struck by Sam's mention of "It's a Wonderful Life" as a favorite of his wife. My husband and I just viewed the movie for the first time several days ago. We had also seen it done as a live radio play on stage recently. It certainly is a memorable story!
My impression of Quakerism was shaken up by this reading. I must know very little about the religion because in the book Christmas Eve service didn't sound so different from our Presbyterian church. Turns out the author is a Quaker minister so I figure the novel offers an accurate picture.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
"Even as a professional in an integrated world, I had been the only black woman in enough drawing rooms and boardrooms to have an inkling of the chutzpah it took for an African American woman in a segregated southern workplace to tell her bosses she was sure her calculations would put a man on the Moon. These women's paths set the stage for mine; immersing myself in their stories helped me understand my own."
-the author from the Prologue
At first I thought I wouldn't like this book, in fact had it not been a book club selection I might have given up on it. However I did finish and found much to like although I could not call it a page turner. I would rate it a 2 for enjoyment: I'm not that fond of nonfiction to start with plus this book includes much technical jargon and description that is over my head---reminded me of The Martian in that way. My rating for the sheer talent of the writer is a 4. I was awed by the amount of research, time and energy that the writing must have taken! So my average is 3.
I think the subtitle of the book, "The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race," is a down and dirty summary of the book's theme. It encompasses the stories of mainly four women: Dorothy Vaughn, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden though a number of other women are secondary characters. The setting is Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton ,VA, beginning near the end of WWII and continuing through the Cold War, the civil rights movement and into the Space Race.
-the author from the Prologue
At first I thought I wouldn't like this book, in fact had it not been a book club selection I might have given up on it. However I did finish and found much to like although I could not call it a page turner. I would rate it a 2 for enjoyment: I'm not that fond of nonfiction to start with plus this book includes much technical jargon and description that is over my head---reminded me of The Martian in that way. My rating for the sheer talent of the writer is a 4. I was awed by the amount of research, time and energy that the writing must have taken! So my average is 3.
I think the subtitle of the book, "The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race," is a down and dirty summary of the book's theme. It encompasses the stories of mainly four women: Dorothy Vaughn, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden though a number of other women are secondary characters. The setting is Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton ,VA, beginning near the end of WWII and continuing through the Cold War, the civil rights movement and into the Space Race.
I found it interesting when the Marshall Space Flight Center was mentioned; it is in Huntsville, AL which I consider my hometown. Both my father and my father-in-law were involved in the space industry there. We grew up hearing about Werner Von Braun whose name appears a few times. Also Huntsville has long been called Rocket City while the author gives Hampton, VA, the nickname of Spacetown USA.
I learned a lot about the civil rights movement from a different perspective. First, the idea of a "double victory" originated from James Thompson in a letter to the Pittsburgh Courier: "Let colored Americans adopt the double VV for a double victory; the first V for victory over our enemies from without, the second V for victory over our enemies within. For surely those who perpetrate these ugly prejudices here are seeking to destroy our democratic form of government just as surely as the Axis forces." The author mentions Double V frequently. Another notable quote is "the Negro theorem: the need to be twice as good to get half as far." Also it is suggested that for a woman featured in the book to succeed she'd have to "think like a man, work like a dog and act like a lady." I wonder if some professional women today think it is still the same! I grew up in the south---Tennessee, Texas and Alabama---and lived through a lot of the civil rights movement but never realized what a hard line Virginia took against integration.
All in all, I am glad I read Hidden Figures. At the very least it was informative and inspiring. These women must have been very brilliant, determined and resilient---unsung heroes until Shetterly's book and the motion picture made the scene! I REALLY want to see the movie now!
More after the Page Turners meeting...
Our group had a wonderful meeting, a special one commemorating our 10th anniversary! We met in a member's lovely home, discussed the book, Hidden Figures, had a pot luck luncheon and then had the opportunity to watch the video based on the book. We had an interesting discussion, with some of our women members who retired from technological fields relating personal experiences they had facing and/or overcoming gender bias. The group's average rating was 3.4 with most agreeing it was not an easy read but giving much credit to the author for her amazing research and efforts to bring the work of these heroic women to light. I believe we were all highly impressed with the accomplishments of these "Hidden Figures." The majority of participants had seen the movie before reading the book and thought it made the reading easier.
The movie was delightful---much more enjoyable than the book. It greatly abbreviated the story----perhaps a third of the book was depicted. Certain episodes were played up and many left out altogether. For examples, the journey made to find a "colored" restroom was repeated but most of the book up to Yuri Gregarin's space flight was omitted. The film included a good bit of humor and even some romance---made us laugh, perhaps cry a little, and much of the obvious stereotyping and prejudice made us sigh or seethe. Only three of the four women were featured in the film and were portrayed very well by the actresses who made Dorothy, Katherine and Mary come alive. Kevin Costner's character was very interesting, changing for the better during the course of the film.
I would strongly recommend seeing the movie. After that, MAYBE you would want to read the book. Our group agreed that the movie would surely reach a much greater audience, uncovering some history of which many are unaware, particularly younger folks. But it is important to note: Without Shetterly's book there would have been no movie and likely the amazing contributions of these women would still be obscured.
Our group had a wonderful meeting, a special one commemorating our 10th anniversary! We met in a member's lovely home, discussed the book, Hidden Figures, had a pot luck luncheon and then had the opportunity to watch the video based on the book. We had an interesting discussion, with some of our women members who retired from technological fields relating personal experiences they had facing and/or overcoming gender bias. The group's average rating was 3.4 with most agreeing it was not an easy read but giving much credit to the author for her amazing research and efforts to bring the work of these heroic women to light. I believe we were all highly impressed with the accomplishments of these "Hidden Figures." The majority of participants had seen the movie before reading the book and thought it made the reading easier.
The movie was delightful---much more enjoyable than the book. It greatly abbreviated the story----perhaps a third of the book was depicted. Certain episodes were played up and many left out altogether. For examples, the journey made to find a "colored" restroom was repeated but most of the book up to Yuri Gregarin's space flight was omitted. The film included a good bit of humor and even some romance---made us laugh, perhaps cry a little, and much of the obvious stereotyping and prejudice made us sigh or seethe. Only three of the four women were featured in the film and were portrayed very well by the actresses who made Dorothy, Katherine and Mary come alive. Kevin Costner's character was very interesting, changing for the better during the course of the film.
I would strongly recommend seeing the movie. After that, MAYBE you would want to read the book. Our group agreed that the movie would surely reach a much greater audience, uncovering some history of which many are unaware, particularly younger folks. But it is important to note: Without Shetterly's book there would have been no movie and likely the amazing contributions of these women would still be obscured.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The Honest Spy by Andreas Kollen
"...he recalled for the first time in years the words his father had told him to take with him on his life's journey: Do what is right and have no fear."
-Fritz Kolbe, from the novel
Over the years I have read numerous historical fictions set during World War II. I have learned from all and have been entertained, intrigued and/or horrified at times by some. The Honest Spy, a story of an anti-Nazi German diplomat, was no different. It was based on the biography of an actual hero, A Spy at the Heart of the Third Reich, The Extraordinary Story of Fritz Kolbe, America's Most Important Spy in World War II by Lucas Delattre, 2005.
The plot advances as Fritz Kolbe, a few years after the war, relates his story to journalists Martin Wegner and Veronika Hugel, who are interviewing him. Their queries are interspersed with Kolbe's longer narratives. I am rating the book a "3" because these transitions were not always smooth or even very clear.
In 1939, widower Fritz Kolbe is working in the German foreign ministry in Cape Town, South Africa, when he is ordered back to Berlin. Already fearing what is happening in Germany, he sadly leaves his 14-year-old daughter behind for her own safety. His hatred of Hitler and Nazism leads him into a dangerous double life, a trusted underling of Joachim von Ribbentrop in the Berlin Foreign Office who smuggles secret documents to Allen Dulles of the American Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) in Bern, Switzerland. When Fritz becomes romantically involved with Marlene Wiese, a surgeon's assistant at Charite' Hospital, the risk increases as he tries to both share his work with her and keep her safe. At one point, Fritz says, "There is a price to pay for doing what's right." (Note the beginning quote.) You will have to read the book to know "the price" he paid.
You might guess the story is intense and suspenseful but graphic description of violence is kept to a minimum. There is even a bit of humor here and there, for example Fritz remembers his father told him "as soon as someone abuses his position, even for a second, imagine him in pink underwear...whether a king, a general or anyone else: pink underwear." (I am borrowing this as my new look for President Trump!)
-Fritz Kolbe, from the novel
Over the years I have read numerous historical fictions set during World War II. I have learned from all and have been entertained, intrigued and/or horrified at times by some. The Honest Spy, a story of an anti-Nazi German diplomat, was no different. It was based on the biography of an actual hero, A Spy at the Heart of the Third Reich, The Extraordinary Story of Fritz Kolbe, America's Most Important Spy in World War II by Lucas Delattre, 2005.
The plot advances as Fritz Kolbe, a few years after the war, relates his story to journalists Martin Wegner and Veronika Hugel, who are interviewing him. Their queries are interspersed with Kolbe's longer narratives. I am rating the book a "3" because these transitions were not always smooth or even very clear.
In 1939, widower Fritz Kolbe is working in the German foreign ministry in Cape Town, South Africa, when he is ordered back to Berlin. Already fearing what is happening in Germany, he sadly leaves his 14-year-old daughter behind for her own safety. His hatred of Hitler and Nazism leads him into a dangerous double life, a trusted underling of Joachim von Ribbentrop in the Berlin Foreign Office who smuggles secret documents to Allen Dulles of the American Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) in Bern, Switzerland. When Fritz becomes romantically involved with Marlene Wiese, a surgeon's assistant at Charite' Hospital, the risk increases as he tries to both share his work with her and keep her safe. At one point, Fritz says, "There is a price to pay for doing what's right." (Note the beginning quote.) You will have to read the book to know "the price" he paid.
You might guess the story is intense and suspenseful but graphic description of violence is kept to a minimum. There is even a bit of humor here and there, for example Fritz remembers his father told him "as soon as someone abuses his position, even for a second, imagine him in pink underwear...whether a king, a general or anyone else: pink underwear." (I am borrowing this as my new look for President Trump!)
Saturday, December 2, 2017
The Gods of Newport by John Jakes
"He believed the First Commandment. Thank heaven he never saw this place---how many false gods are worshipped. Money, never earned the way you earned yours, by hard work, and risk. Fashion is a god. Another is reputation, which means exactly nothing in the grave."
-Jenny Driver, speaking to her father of Grandfather Penny, from the novel
I have read no fewer than 14 novels by John Jakes. He is a master of historical fiction, my favorite genre, as you probably know. This is, by far, my least favorite. I actually thought of giving it up several chapters in. I will give it a 2.5 since I did become more involved as a romantic triangle and a plan of revenge developed.
The setting of The Gods of Newport, as one might expect, is Newport, R.I., in the 1890's, known as the Gilded Age. Main character Samuel Stephen Driver, millionaire railroad baron, is from "new money," looked down on by such elites as the Rockefellers, Astors, Vanderbilts and Goulds. Sam's attempts to make the "A-list" and have his daughter enjoy all its benefits is the basis of the plot. William "Bill" Brady tries to foil his efforts at every turn. And predictably daughter Jenny falls for a poor Irish immigrant, much to Sam's consternation!
Part of my problem with the book was the lack of likeable characters. Sam is prejudiced, ruthless and a shameless manipulator. Even Jenny seems to accept the "social climbing" attempts of her father. It was when Jenny started to stand up for herself that I became more interested in the story.
This novel reminded me a bit of The Great Gatsby with all of its glitz, glamor, superficiality and questionable morals. Another strike against it, since I didn't care much for Fitzgerald's classic
either. We visited The Breakers a few years ago, a Vanderbilt "cottage." I learned that cottage comes from a European term for a home lived in for only part of the year. In the Afterword, author John Jakes says that his former publisher and friend had said of this novel that she saw many parallels in America today, starting with grasping CEOs and a rush to build "McMansions" by pretentious people with more cash than taste or brains. (I love that last part!) Jakes says he prefers to call these ostentatious homes "Museums of Me."
-Jenny Driver, speaking to her father of Grandfather Penny, from the novel
I have read no fewer than 14 novels by John Jakes. He is a master of historical fiction, my favorite genre, as you probably know. This is, by far, my least favorite. I actually thought of giving it up several chapters in. I will give it a 2.5 since I did become more involved as a romantic triangle and a plan of revenge developed.
The setting of The Gods of Newport, as one might expect, is Newport, R.I., in the 1890's, known as the Gilded Age. Main character Samuel Stephen Driver, millionaire railroad baron, is from "new money," looked down on by such elites as the Rockefellers, Astors, Vanderbilts and Goulds. Sam's attempts to make the "A-list" and have his daughter enjoy all its benefits is the basis of the plot. William "Bill" Brady tries to foil his efforts at every turn. And predictably daughter Jenny falls for a poor Irish immigrant, much to Sam's consternation!
Part of my problem with the book was the lack of likeable characters. Sam is prejudiced, ruthless and a shameless manipulator. Even Jenny seems to accept the "social climbing" attempts of her father. It was when Jenny started to stand up for herself that I became more interested in the story.
This novel reminded me a bit of The Great Gatsby with all of its glitz, glamor, superficiality and questionable morals. Another strike against it, since I didn't care much for Fitzgerald's classic
either. We visited The Breakers a few years ago, a Vanderbilt "cottage." I learned that cottage comes from a European term for a home lived in for only part of the year. In the Afterword, author John Jakes says that his former publisher and friend had said of this novel that she saw many parallels in America today, starting with grasping CEOs and a rush to build "McMansions" by pretentious people with more cash than taste or brains. (I love that last part!) Jakes says he prefers to call these ostentatious homes "Museums of Me."
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