#IMWAYR July 22, 2024

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

We've had quite the spell of hot weather here. According to the official record, it's 41º C (102º F) outside while I write this Sunday afternoon. The thermometer on my back deck says it's 45º. Monday is supposed to be more of the same, but on Tuesday it is predicted to cool down. My raspberries are not doing well in this heat. 

Thank goodness we have a heat pump so the house is nicely air conditioned. I was able to to get my unicorn flimsy finished. I've decided to add a pieced border made from the colours of the unicorn. Here's what I've got so far. 

Once this part of the quilt was done, I spent a lazy afternoon reading and reviewing picture books. I don't understand why more adults don't read these. They encapsulate lessons that are important for people of all ages. 

Mostly while I was sewing I watched/listened to some Masterclass sessions on writing because my subscription expires on Tuesday and I don't plan to renew it. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

PICTURE BOOKS

Berry Song by Michaela Goade July 19, 2022

I got shivers reading this stunning book. It tells the story of a young girl and her grandmother foraging for food in their environment. The forest sings to them and they sing back to let the land know that they are grateful. 

The Last Stand by Antwan Eady & Jarrett & Jerome Pumphrey (Illustrators) July 19, 2022

This is a poignant story about a boy helping his grandfather out on the family farm. They harvest on Saturday, and then take the produce to a market where they sell to many regular customers. As the grandfather ages, the boy ends up taking on more and more of the work until he eventually takes over the market stall. 

This is one of those stories that is both heart wrenching and uplifting at the same time. This black farmer has spent his life providing for his community and when he is no longer able to do this, the community provides for him. 

I appreciated the authors note in the back matter explaining the history and significance of markets like this. 

Many thanks to Linda Bai for introducing this book to me. 

Circle of Love by Monique Gray Smith & Nicole Niedhardt (Illustrator) January 1, 2024 🍁

This beautifully illustrated book is a celebration of community and connection. It's a testimony to the benefits we receive from the the people in our lives. Ultimately, no matter what, love is love.  

Hockey with Dad by Willie Sellars & Kevin Easthope (Illustrator) January 1, 2024 🍁

This book continues the adventures of the same family we met in Dipnetting with Dad. It is told from the perspective of the same young boy. They are a hockey family. His older sister plays forward and his father is the team's coach. I really like the important messages about playing just because you love to play. "Play hard, be fierce, play with honour, but more important than anything, play because you love it. Remember that any day on the ice is a good day." 

I admit that I both love and hate the illustrations. 

My Little Ogichidaa: An Indigenous Lullaby by Willie Poll & Hawlii Pichette (Illustrator) April 30, 2024 🍁

Although the title indicates this is a lullaby, it isn't a soft lyrical one. These rhyming couplets read like spoken word poetry - an anthem and declaration of hope and promise for the future. 

We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America by Joanna Ho & Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (Illustrator)

This is hands down my favourite Joanna Ho picture book. I'm absolutely purchasing a copy for my part Korean grandchildren. 

Each stanza shines a light on some aspect of Asian American history. Together they become a litany of rising up in the face of an onslaught of oppression. It's loaded with lessons all of us must learn no matter our background. 

"We who stand in solidarity

    understand the vines of freedom 

must climb arbors of cooperation

to bear fruits of liberation." 

Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya's illustrations are jaw dropping.

Woven of the World by Katey Howes & Dinara Mirtalipova  Feb 07, 2023

Katey Howes and Dinara Mirtaliptova introduce readers to the history, culture, and maybe even the future of weaving fabric. I am not a weaver, but through my other fabric arts work, I understand this rich connection to those who came before me. As I introduce the art of sewing to my granddaughter I reflect on my grandmothers, mother and aunts, and appreciate my place in the continuum. 

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Barnard Booth & Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Illustrator) March 26, 2024

The prose in this nonfiction picture book left me aching to have some children to read it aloud too. It's stunning mentor text for writers of all ages. I read it out loud to myself, but it wasn't the same. If I was still teaching full time I would plan a tree ecology unit. This book and Log Life by Amy Hevron would be included - no matter the age of the learners. 

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd & Michelle Mee Nutter (Illustrator) March 02, 2021

This has been on my to read list for ages, but I had forgotten about it til Elizabeth Ellington wrote about it a couple of weeks ago. 

Like Maggie, the protagonist, I too am allergic to things with fur and feathers. Luckily I don't react as intensely as she did. We live in a pet free house if you don't count the spiders that live in places I can't reach. 

Maggie desperately wanted a dog, but on her 10th birthday when the family went to choose a puppy, she started reacting before they left the dog shelter. She really wanted any kind of pet, but her younger twin brothers ended up bonding with the lizard she brought home. Maggie is heartbroken when her best friend and neighbour, Claire, gets a pet dog. It's an important lesson for both of the girls to learn to listen better to each other, and clarify when something goes awry. With the help of Claire, Maggie purchases a small mouse that she keeps hidden from her family. Her health deteriorates because of it.

While Maggie's allergies are part of the issue here, she's also struggling with feelings of isolation in her family. Her brothers have a special connection. Her parents are absorbed with the new baby soon to arrive. It leaves Maggie feeling on the outside. The special magic of a newborn baby transforms Maggie and the whole family. 

ADULT/YA FICTION

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur (Author), Greg Chun (Narrator) & Michelle H. Lee (Narrator) May 14, 2024  🍁

Reading a June Hur novel is the best kind of education about Korean history. She doesn't sugar coat or avoid the brutal depravity of the time she writes about. Each of her novels includes a strong female protagonist, mystery, and romance. This one had a bit too much romantic angst for me, but it was still satisfying. 

King Yeonsan, ruler in 1506, Joseon, was a brutal tyrant. When his people kidnapped Iseul's older sister, Suyeon, to be part of the king's harem, Iseul is determined to bring her home. 

Prince Daehyun, the king's half brother, is appalled by the king's predatory behaviour and is working with others to plan a coup. After an inauspicious first meeting, he and Iseul work together. 

I liked the prince right from the get go, but for the most part, Iseul irritated me. She's mostly a spoiled brat who is responsible for Suyeon being kidnapped in the first place. Thankfully she does eventually grow up enough to be tolerable. 

Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea, Mindy Kaling (Introduction) September 5, 2023 🍁

I'm really not the target audience for this since it has way to much teen angst and miscommunication for me. Neither did I care very much for the two main characters. I very nearly abandoned it, but went to read how the story ended and decided to give the book another chance. When the two protagonists finally started talking honestly to each other, I figured there was hope for them.

CURRENTLY 

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver 

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story by David Alexander Robertson & Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator) April 27, 2015 🍁

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 13/25 

NonFiction 20/24

Canadian Authors 43/50 

Indigenous Authors 22/25 one on the go

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 139/200   

Late September by Amy Mattes

"Ines, a grief-stricken skateboarder beginning to explore her sexuality, leaves behind her sheltered hometown on a Greyhound bus bound for Montreal. In awe of the city’s vibrancy, and armed with a journal and a Discman, Ines sets out to find a new way, befriending April, a latex-loving goth who gets her a job as a cam-girl. In the midst of a bar fight Ines meets Max, a magnetic skateboarder, whom she quickly falls for. As summer fades to fall Ines tries to uphold the bliss of their intoxicating summer, realizing that while she has escaped the confines of her small-town life, she cannot escape her past. The city changes and their romance darkens as Ines learns that Max is experiencing mental health challenges, all while a regular at the cam studio gets threateningly close. Ines learns that loving herself first requires trial and error―and that love is not always an innocent word."

It's no wonder that Amy Mattes' first novel has been nominated for the Giller Prize. 

It is an exquisite read. Her lyrical prose is raw with emotion. At times I was overwhelmed by the heaviness of guilt and grief that permeates her words. It triggered memories of losses in my own life. I wept for Ines and myself. I ended up having to take a break from reading. When I returned, I finished the book in one sitting.

Ines' younger sister drowned when she was a preteen. Even though she's not responsible, she's taken on guilt for her death. Reflecting on her parent's grief, she says, "I took the shrapnel from their wounds and made it my own." In an attempt to escape her past, Ines leaves her small town in BC to travel across the country to Montreal and reinvent herself.

In Montreal she befriends a number of fascinating characters. There's April, a university student who pays for her education by doing camera sex work. She connects with Felix and Maria, two skateboarders who take her under their wing. Her meeting with Max, a skateboarding videographer, has an ethereal, almost mystical quality. Ines thinks she has finally found someone who can love her. While Max does love her to the best of his ability, when his mental health deteriorates, his behaviour becomes abusive.

Ines is offered a job working alongside April as a cam girl, but she's terrified someone back home will recognize her and can't handle it. She ends up quitting and getting a job in a kitchen in a French restaurant. As Max's mental health deteriorates, and Ines' drug use increases to the verge of addiction, she ends up losing that job. By the time she returns to working as a cam girl, she's stronger and has a goal in mind for her future. 

Even if you've never visited Montreal, Amy Mattes descriptions of the city will make you feel like you are there, both physically and visually. "The city was swelling with a desire to freeze, purging the clouds of light and holding in."

Ines is a character I took into my heart. I ached for her. I feared for her. I rooted for her. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that it gets better. But of course, she has to learn all this for herself. In this brilliant coming of age tale, she ends up starting to do just this.

Mattes claims that the book is based on her own experiences. “All the different things in there are pulled from different people and experiences in my life. It’s inspired by my pilgrimage but not an accurate representation of it in a memoir sense.” She is now working on her second novel. I can't wait to read it. 

#IMWAYR April 22, 2024

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

I almost didn't post this week because I have been busy trying to get the house and yard under control before we head off to Vancouver to visit with family and celebrate one of our granddaughters turning four. We won't be around next weekend because we will still be there celebrating. I wouldn't ordinarily worry so much about the house, but some of my extended family will be staying here to celebrate one of my aunts' birthday. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

MG FICTION

4 stars

Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors by Gail D. Villanueva & Ferdelle Capistrano (Narrator) January 9, 2024

Lulu lives with her sister and mother in a small community outside of Manilla, Philippines. During an earthquake she discovers that she has superpowers. Soon after that she learns that her supportive neighbourhood and best friend are not who they appear to be. Lulu discovers that she is the salamangkero, a special being born to protect the different realms. When her adopted mother is kidnapped by a wakwak, Lulu, her adopted sister, Kitty, and her best friend, Bart, a shape shifter, set off to rescue her. The trio meet up with numerous personages from Philippine mythology.

I liked the merge of ancient mythology and modern pop culture in this book. Fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series will enjoy this. 

The physical book includes a glossary of Tagalog mythology. The problem with listening to this book is that I didn't realize this until I finished the novel. Villanueva does a good job of introducing them and their importance in the novel, but I really could have used it earlier on to provide background knowledge keep track of them all. 

YA GRAPHIC NOVELS

4 stars

If You'll Have Me by Eunnie October 17, 2023

Thanks to Max for the heads up about this sweet romantic graphic novel. It's the story of two young women who become friends and then more than that. Momo Gardner is an introvert. She's a good friend, but really doesn't value her own worth. She's the kind of friend who wants to think the best of others, but is sometimes taken advantage of by them. PG is more of a flirt and an extrovert. In spite of this, she's really a private person. When she falls for someone, she falls hard.
This graphic novel addresses important issues. At the same time as it deals with the romance between these two characters, it addresses friendship, love, self worth, and being honest with oneself and those closest to us.
I enjoyed this, but I think I might have appreciated it a lot more if I hadn't picked it up after having read Mexikid.

ADULT/YA FICTION

5 stars

The Future by Catherine Leroux & Susan Ouriou (Translator) September 5, 2023 🍁

The Future was the winner of the Canada Reads debate this year. The theme was "looking for one book to carry us forward. When we are at a crossroads, when uncertainty is upon us, when we have faced challenges and are ready for the future, how do we know where to go next?"

"In an alternate history of Detroit, the Motor City was never surrendered to the US. Its residents deal with pollution, poverty, and the legacy of racism—and strange and magical things are happening: children rule over their own kingdom in the trees and burned houses regenerate themselves. When Gloria arrives looking for answers and her missing granddaughters, at first she finds only a hungry mouse in the derelict home where her daughter was murdered. But the neighbours take pity on her and she turns to their resilience and impressive gardens for sustenance."

After her daughter's death, Gloria moves to Detroit to live in her daughter's house. As she learns more about her daughter and granddaughters' lives, she has to come to terms with who her daughter became. Even when her attempts to connect with her grandchildren go nowhere, she never gives up hope that she will be reunited with the two girls. 

I am not generally a fan of dystopian realities, yet I fell head over heels in love with this one. Even though it's got that end of the world scenario, it's mostly about hope. It's a world that seems to be populated with old people and feral children. Getting to know them was pure joy. The Future is a story about resilience, found family, community and using that community to make everyone's lives better. I didn't want it to end. 

5 stars

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Author and Narrator) June 4, 2019

I started this book a while ago, but for all kinds of reasons, put it aside. When I picked it up again, I was in a better mental space for it. Emotionally this is a hard read. The beauty of the language only serves to emphasize the horrors experienced by Ocean, his mother, and his grandmother. I don't regret listening to this semi-autobiographical novel: Ocean Vuong's narration was profound. Yet I suspect I missed much not seeing the organization of his words. 

I contemplated writing more about this book, but honestly, nothing I could write could compare to this review on Goodreads by chai. Even if you have read the book, go and read this. 

CURRENTLY

Doppelganger by Naoimi Klein 🍁 

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin January 1, 1978

Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by Myriam Daguzan Bernier & Cécile Gariépy (Illustrator)  🍁

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

Woke up Like This by Amy Lea  🍁

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 8/25 one on the go

NonFiction 11/24 one on the go

Canadian Authors 17/50 two on the go

Indigenous Authors 7/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 75/200 

#IMWAYR April 8, 2024

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

I started out trying to write a poem a day for April. I'm settling for achieving at least one line I like.

I'm also working on a new sewing challenge these days. The focus is circles and the criteria is that we have to do something we have never done before. I'll post a picture when it's finished (or abandoned.)

Otherwise, it's been a busy couple of weeks trying to get the yard under control. My pea plants are finally up. It's gotten a bit cold recently so I haven't stayed outside for long. I usually plant primula in pots this time of year, but the growers plants were frozen and not many survivors made it to our part of the world. I planted pansies instead and am hoping it doesn't get really cold and kill them off. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

PREVIOUS POST

FIRST FRIDAY POETRY APRIL 2024

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration by Alexis C. Bunten, Nicole Neidhardt July 25, 2023

I chose to read this book because here in Canada, January 4th is National Ribbon Skirt Day. This came about in honour of Isabella Kulak, who was shamed by an ignorant staff member for wearing a ribbon skirt to school. 

Bunten's book is mostly about Native American Indians, but the meaning behind the skirts (and shirts) is the same across Turtle Island. 

The first part of it is a fictionalized account of a family watching Deb Haaland's inauguration. They have a celebratory feast that looks and sounds delicious! It ends with the extended family making ribbon skirts and shirts together. 

The back matter includes additional information about Deb Haaland, the history and meaning of ribbon skirts, and a two page spread about how to take action to protect our world. 

I had been thinking about ribbon skirts for a while. Mostly I've been wondering if it would be appropriate for me to make one for myself. I like to think it's to honour my Menominee grandmother, but honestly, I really don't know much about Menominee culture. I'm still questioning what my true rational for wanting one is. 

4 stars

Winter: A Solstice Story Kelsey E. Gross &  Renata Liwska (Illustrator)

This is a sweet story about collaboration and inclusion. A group of animals gather together around a tree in a forest to celebrate the longest night. Each one contributes something towards the benefit of the others. When an unexpected guest appears, they too are welcomed. 

 
CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

Salma Writes a Book by Danny Ramadan & Anna Bron (Illustrations) 🍁

I wrote about Salma Makes a Home a couple of weeks ago. This sequel is equally impressive.
This book focuses on siblings. Salma's uncle, Khalou Daawood, has moved to Vancouver, but there is tension between him and her mother because of his marriage to another man. At the same time Salma's mother is expecting a baby.
Salma is determined to be the best big sister ever. When she can't find anything at the local library to help her figure out how to do this, she decides to write her own book. Salma interviews her school friends about being an older sibling and begins her book.
But how can Salma become the best big sister when her mother can't accept her little brother? How do siblings fight and deal with strife?
After she and her best friend do something terrible, Salma destroys her book. Then she gets into a huge argument with her mother.
A long conversation with Khalou Daawood helps put her worries into perspective and fix the terrible thing she did with her friend. Even her mother learns a few things about being a better big sister.

MG FICTION

5+ stars

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers & Ethan Hawke (Narrator) May 9, 2023

Thanks to Linda Bai who talked about this book a couple of weeks ago. I immediately downloaded the audiobook version and began listening. 

I fell instantly in love. From the beginning first lines of "I turn I turn I turn before I lie to sleep and I rise before the Sun. I sleep inside and sleep outside and have slept in the hollow of a thousand-year-old tree,” the writing is bloody brilliant. Ethan Hawke's narration is exceptional. The last time I loved a book with animal characters this much was The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt with Lyle Lovett as narrator. (Also, E.B. White reading Charlotte's Web is pretty spectacular)

I suspect that the only problem with listening to this book, is missing the artwork by Shawn Harris.

Dave Eggers characters are unforgettable. I adore Johannes, the free dog who lives in a park. He is the eyes for the park's three resident bison. When changes come to their park home, Johannes and the rest of park's animal inhabitants have to figure out how to deal with them. 

If you think you might want to read this book aloud to some children, don't bother, just listen to the audiobook together. 

I on the other hand, now plan to read this book with my eyes. 

4 stars

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo & Cherry Jones (Narrator)  March 5, 2024

The summer before 5th grade turns out to be chaotic for Ferris Wilkey. Her beloved grandmother, Charisse, has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Her six year old sister gets arrested for trying to rob a bank. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and moved into their basement to paint the history of the world. Aunt Shirley has given Ferris a disastrous perm. There is a ghost to be dealt with. 

Luckily Ferris has her best friend, Billy Jackson, renowned pianist, to help her get through it all. (I admit to taking a break from reading to listen to Mysterious Barricades)

Even though this book is often hilarious, I ended up worrying a lot. Mostly I worried about Pinky. Thankfully, by the end of the book we figure her out a bit. More importantly, Ferris and Pinky become close. 

This book reminded me of DiCamillo's Tales From Deckawoo Drive series - a whimsical world populated by children, adults and animals, whose lives intersect in delightful ways. 

DiCamillo's books might be labelled children or MG, but adults will probably get more from them. 

ADULT/YA FICTION

4.5 stars

Bad Cree by Jessica Jones & Tanis Parenteau (Narrator) January 10, 2023  🍁

Calling this horror (a genre I can't handle) is a misnomer. While reading this, I felt uncomfortable on occasion, but never felt the need to stop reading because I was terrified.
Real life for indigenous people has already been, and in many ways, continues to be, a dystopian nightmare. It was full of monsters like the wheetigo. Some were dressed up representatives of the crown negotiating treaties, some as Indian agents, others as Christian priests and nuns. Today they might look like a white men working in the field of resource extraction.
When Dallas Soonias defended this book on Canada Reads, he claimed this book was all about residential schools. Some people denied this. Now that I've read the book, I understand his meaning. This is brilliant story telling on multiple levels. I see Mackenzie, the protagonist, as dealing with decades of generational trauma. The only way she can heal is by returning home, speaking honestly about what she is going through, and working with her family to address the evil that surrounds them. Thankfully she's got some kick ass Aunties to help her. 

5 stars

Double Eagle: A DreadfulWater Mystery by Thomas King September 26, 2023 🍁

If you like cosy mysteries with a lot of wit, then you must give Thomas King's DreadfulWater series a try. 

The series is set in a small town somewhere in the American West. Native American Thumps DreadfulWater is an ex-cop turned photographer, who, after personal tragedy, relocated to the small town of Chinook, adjacent to a Blackfoot reservation. 

Reading one of these novels is like hanging out with old friends. There's Al, the owner of the local breakfast diner, Archie Kousolas, bookstore owner and chef, Claire Merchant, Chief of the local Blackfoot, and Sheriff Duke Hockney.

There is a lot going on in this novel. Should Thumps and Claire, his long time girlfriend and her six year old daughter move in together? Does he really want to take on the job of deputy sheriff? Can he get used to working with a digital camera and living in the modern age of wifi and smartphones? Why have so many heavyweights shown up at a low key coin exhibition? 

5 stars

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (Author and Narrator) October 24, 2023

If Jesmyn Ward writes it, I will read it even if, often, her work is hard to read. It's loaded with truth about trauma experienced by black people. It's also beautiful. The beauty and the ugly truths are woven together into unparalleled literature.
The history of slavery before the civil war is told through the eyes of Annis, a young girl whose sire was the owner of the house where her mother worked. Her mother is ripped from her and sold. Eventually she too is sold and makes the long walk from the rice fields of Carolina to New Orleans. There she is sold and ends up in a sugar plantation in Louisiana. On that long trek Annis connects to African spirits who guide and use her on this journey through hell.
I wasn't as emotionally invested in Annis as I have been in the characters of Ward's other books. That doesn't mean I wasn't on the edge of my seat desperately wanting for Annis to survive and be free.

5 stars

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna & Samara MacLaren (Narrator) August 23, 2022

The book blurb calls this a warm and uplifting novel. It is. It left me with the same satisfied gush of warm feeling I got when I finished The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune.

I'm not really a big romance fan, but I've been gushing about this one to friends and family. Mika is a witch of practical magic. It's a lonely existence. She has to hide who she really is, and can't spend time with other witches because of the danger inherent when too much magic is in one place. 

When she ends up accepting a job tutoring three young witches, her life is transformed. She becomes part of a found family and is accepted for who she is. She learns to overcome adversity, to trust, love, and be loved. Romance plays a part in this book. There are even a few spicy bits. Yet, while it's a significant part of the plot, it's not the most important. 

I am almost gobsmacked by Mandanna's authentic characters. Mika is rich and layered, but so are the rest of the cast. 

The most important takeaway from this book is that things don't always have to be the way they now are. 

I'm looking forward to reading more of Sangu Mandanna

ADULT/YA NONFICTION

5 stars

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson September 26, 2023

"America is at a crossroads.
A country that once stood as the global symbol of democracy, has been teetering on the brink of authoritarianism."
So begins Richardson's look at the history of democracy in the USA. She writes about a nation more or less divided from the get go. The ideal of 'equality' was always a loaded word. The same 'men' who wrote the constitution, owned slaves. She shows us a country that has flirted with fascism and authoritarianism a number of times across the decades.
I wish I could say that reading this left me hopeful that the country will come together again. Yet I fear the divisiveness is even more pronounced today than it has ever been.
I feel the same way about Canada, the country I live in.

3 stars

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (Author and Narrator) April 11, 2023

I really struggled with this book.
Maggie Smith is a brilliant wordsmith. The beauty of her words kept me reading long after I just wanted the whole thing to be over.
Here's the thing, Maggie met her husband in a creative writing class. They both dreamed of writing being their career choices. He even had one of his plays performed. Then he gave his dream up to become a lawyer to provide for the family they had together. Of course he wasn't perfect. Neither was she. In the eight hours or so listening to this audiobook, I would have liked for her to really have acknowledged what he gave up. So much of what fell apart for them, especially his wanting her to give up her writing, makes sense in the context of that.
Maybe it's because I've been married for close to a fifty years. Perhaps it's because I'm much older than the author. Anyway, as I listened to this, I couldn't help but think that perhaps if there had been more honest communication, more collaborative parenting and less traditional roles between the two of them, maybe divorce wouldn't have been inevitable. Maybe they would have understood how flawed we all are.
Smith talks a number of times about forgiveness. I suspect this is the wrong goal. Perhaps she should be looking for acceptance: acceptance of herself and her former husband.

CURRENTLY

Mexikid by Pedro Martín

Doppelganger by Naoimi Klein 🍁 

Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors by Gail D. Villanueva

Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by Myriam Daguzan Bernier & Cécile Gariépy (Illustrator)  🍁
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 6/25 one on the go

NonFiction 10/24 

Canadian Authors 15/50 two on the go

Indigenous Authors 7/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 67/200