Alice's Review: After Friday Night Lights

Summary:  Nearly twenty-five years ago, H. G. (Buzz) Bissinger, then a young reporter for the “Philadelphia Inquirer,” moved to Odessa, Texas, family in tow, to follow the fortunes of the 1988 Permian High School football team. He hoped to write a celebratory treatment of a team and a town. The result: “Friday Night Lights,” a bestselling American classic that spawned the popular film as well as the series, considered by many one of the best on television.

The original book’s most compelling character was James “Boobie” Miles, and his experience in Odessa was, as Bissinger puts it in his daringly honest sequel “After Friday Night Lights,” “a symbol of everything that was wrong with high school football.” The complex friendship between subject and author has deepened over the years, and is, Bissinger writes, “the most lasting legacy of “Friday Night Lights,” or at least the legacy I care about most.”

Heading into the 1988 season, Miles looked like a star-in-the-making, a sure bet to ascend to college and the NFL. Abandoned by his mother, beaten by his dad, he had scraped through a rough upbringing, but it appeared that success on the field was soon to redeem his pain. Then, in a meaningless preseason scrimmage, Boobie blew out his knee. By midseason he was off the team, no longer needed by his coaches, who had found themselves a new running back.

“After Friday Night Lights”—an original 45-page story written to be read in a single sitting—follows Boobie through the dark years he suffered after his injury right up to a present that is imbued with a new kind of hope. It is the indelible portrait of the oddest of enduring friendships: that of a writer and his subject, a “neurotic Jew” and a West Texas oil-field worker, a white man raised in privilege and a black man brought up in poverty and violence, and a father and his “fourth son.” Their story encompasses the realities of race and class in America. And reveals with heartbreaking accuracy how men rise again after their dreams are broken.

Review:  Years ago, I fell head over heels in love with a little television show called Friday Night Lights. I didn't see the movie, I didn't know it was based on a book by the same name. I had no idea who H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger was. Texas was the state where the classic television show Dallas took place. Texas was where my cousin Carla lived with her family in a nice Houston suburb. Texas was where the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (in their fabulous hot pants and white boots) performed. I didn't know a West Texas existed. I didn't know football there was such a big deal (and that’s putting it mildly). Man, I had a lot to learn.

Because of my love for TV show, I picked up the book Friday Night Lights. What I discovered was a town in West Texas called Odessa where racism still ran rabid and football was god. (I still haven't watched the movie. Truth be told, Billy Bob Thorton creeps me out.) Odessa is town similar to Dillon but more raw, more cunning and dangerous. After I finished reading the book, I realized that I would have done a disservice not only to Mr. Bissinger but to James “Boobie” Miles as well.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to get with this short. I didn’t read the preview, I saw two things that made it a must read for me – the title and the author. I am delighted that Buzz decided to revisit Boobie's story. I loved how brutally honest Buzz was about their relationship. I am pleased he was able to admit his flaws in the first book, admit that his portrayal of certain people made them into heroes when they were anything but. Above all, I am happy that he has maintained his relationship with Boobie. He never gave up on him, helped him when he could and to steal a line from the book, all he got back was Boobie’s friendship. And that was enough for him.

If you are a fan of the show, movie, or book, After Friday Night Lights is an incredible read that will touch your heart, inspire change in thoughts and feelings. You will root for the underdog and those who defend them. Like Buzz, I am rooting for Boobie too. I hope that this is his turn around. Hopefully it's his time to shine in a way that has nothing to do with football and everything to do with the strong, giving man he is.

Final Take: 5/5

Alice's Review: Lost Edens

Summary:  For Jamie Patterson, the end of her marriage is signaled by betrayal and abandonment. When estranged husband Ben asks to live with Jamie again, she ignores her instincts, her family's concern, and her friends' doubts and sets about making a perfect home in a California beach town. What follows in 33-year-old Patterson's debut reads more like a mystery (or a horror story) than an account of a relationship ruptured by infidelity. As Jamie's carefully titrated efforts walk a tightrope between wishful fantasy and cruel reality, we watch: enraptured, enraged, and endeared by this fearless yet fragile young woman who must end one way of life to forge a new one. ~ www.lostedens.com

Review:  Sometimes, the hardest review to write is one in which I love the book. I loved this book. This is a short memoir about the abandonment and betrayal of a husband written in his wife’s point of view. It’s also a memoir about domestic abuse. I can’t remember the last time I read a memoir in which the writer was so brutally honest about herself, about what she went through. It takes a lot of strength to admit your weaknesses; it takes a lot to ask for help. If I had to describe Jamie Patterson in one word, it would be courageous.

I can’t begin to tell you how wonderfully raw and honest this book is. This book was especially personal to me. I have the upmost respect for Ms. Patterson for taking an experience that was so personal and sharing it with us. Those of us who have felt it understand her. Those who have not experienced it for themselves, or sadly are there now, will see that there is healing. There is hope.

For me, this is a must read. I love the way it is written, short and factual. She doesn’t sugar-coat the truth. It’s startling how from the outside looking in, you can see how controlling and abusing her husband is. What I respect about Ms. Patterson is in her honesty about his behavior and words, she is truthful about her beliefs, reasoning, and feelings. On the inside looking out, I can wholly understand her need to make her marriage work, to fight for her husband and their relationship, to honor the commitment, and to blame herself for the failure.

I loved this book because there were so many morsels of goodness. I loved that she wrote, “My pain is too big for these enclosed woods.” I love that she found a way to elucidate the feeling of a pain that is much larger than she is, the kind of pain that consumes her, stealing every thought and emotion.

Finally, I will leave you with this, her words on the end:
“Endings rarely announce themselves. They steal in and go nameless until long after their work is done.”

Final Take:  5/5

Julie's Review: The Devil in the White City

Summary: he No. 1 New York Times bestseller about the architect who led the construction of the great Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and the prolific serial killer who used the fair as a lure. Just blocks from the fairgrounds, the killer built a hotel of horrors equipped with an acid vat, dissection table and crematorium. The book won an Edgar Award for best fact-crime writing, and was a finalist for a National Book Award. In November 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio acquired the rights to make a feature film based on Devil, and has stated he plans to play the role of the killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes. ~eriklarson.com

Review: I was so looking forward to this book when Michelle Moran named it as one of her favorite narrative books. In fact, after she said that I went and ordered it straight away. Plus it's set in Chicago and it happens to be my favorite city. I have to say that I don't think Non-Fiction is my cup of tea. Erik Larson is a gifted writer, there is no doubt of that. He takes fact and weaves an interesting story with those facts. While the book does read like a fiction book, I found that it got so mired in fact and details that I would get lost. While I understand that it took a huge committee to pull off this World's Fair, I found it hard to keep the players straight at times.

What I found stunning about this time period was all the advancements in engineering and construction. How they were trying to figure out ways to make the soil in Chicago work for them and how they worked it to their advantage. I loved reading about the buildings that are still around today in the city. I loved how Chicago fought New York to get the fair and then had to continually fight to make it a success. People think that Landscape Architecture is a new phenomenon but it's not. This was a big part of the picture when developing the site for the fair and a big part of it's ending beauty.

I have to admit that I had no idea that Chicago had a serial killer running around during this time. H.H. Holmes was quite crafty and apparently quite the charmer. Not only was he a murderer but he was quite the debtor as well. He was apparently so charming that his creditors didn't pursue him more than a few times to receive their money. He was very intelligent and crafty which is why it took a long time to figure out what he was doing. He also had a very interesting way to dispose of the bodies.

While I enjoyed most of the historical perspective of the book, it didn't reel me in like I had hoped. It took me a long time to make my way through it and at times I wanted to give up on it. I did make it to the end and I'm glad I did. One can never know enough history about the city they grew up around.

I think I might be the only person that I know who didn't absolutely love this book. I did pass it on to a co-worker whom I know loves architecture and history, perhaps the book will be more up his alley.

I'm pretty sure that I would probably watch a movie based on the book though. I'm not sure if I will go on to read Mr. Larson's newest book, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin or if I will pass. The jury is still out for me.

Final Take: 3.25/5

Julie's Review: Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Summary: A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye. A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood. The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable. ~henryholt.com

Review: I don't think I'm much different from any girl in my age group who had a serious crush on Rob Lowe. So when I heard he was writing a memoir I was interested. When it was published and received rave reviews, I was intrigued enough to want to read it. I'm not a memoir reader. I've tried and I dislike them. This isn't like any memoir I've read...it's interesting and not at all self-serving. I felt like I was sitting across the dinner table with him and he was telling me stories about the business. I think this is rare in a memoir as is the fact that I believe he was unfailingly honest. Did he leave stuff out about his life? Yes, but I'm ok with that. Maybe he'll write another book and I'll run out to buy it.

I've always been fascinated with Hollywood and what it takes to become a "star". In fact, I'm pretty sure that if I had ever tried my hand at Hollywood I would have failed miserably. He does an excellent job of taking the reader through his early career and the movies he made. The ones that took off and the ones that didn't. I've always loved The Outsiders (if you haven't read it, you must and the movie is excellent) and this movie launched a lot of young actors into stardom. This was one of those movies that when you revisit it as an adult it resonates with you like never before. To this day his portrayal of Sodapop is one of my favorites.

He does an excellent job of showing the dark side of a child actor. One where life moves to fast and if you don't have a solid family set to reign you in, it spins quickly out of control.

There wasn't a movie in this book that I haven't seen and my love for The West Wingwas prominent when it was on. I will admit that shortly after he left, I stopped watching. I loved Sam Seaborn and Rob was perfect in the role. I will also ditch another show that he leaves (Brothers & Sisters) because he added something to the show that wasn't there without him.

What I admire most about him though was his quest to get sober and figure himself out. No one had to drag him to rehab, he did it himself. For me, this is what has made him a successful recovery addict; his ability to recognize that he needed to do something. I believe that the love of a good woman helped him through this period and I'm thrilled that they are still together. Sheryl was his rock that was able to create a stable life for him and that he definitely wanted/needed.

Sure he name drops but in a way that doesn't make you think he's showing off about who he knows. He does it with a story and often before the end of it you are wondering who it is before he reveals it.

By the end of the book, I was an admirer of him for what he has gone through in his life and who he turned out to be. I can't wait to see what he has in store in the next phase of his career. Whatever it might be, I know he'll excel at it.

If you are interested in anything Hollywood, then Stories I Only Tell My Friends is for you. It's honest, raw and delightful.

Final Take: 4.75/5

P.S. It also has a few nice pages of pictures. :)

Thanks to Henry Holt for sending me a copy of this book!

Jenn's Review: Homemade Soda

Summary: Making your own soda is easy and inexpensive. Best of all, you control the sweetness level and ingredients, so you can create a drink that’s exactly what you want. Using a few simple techniques, anyone can make a spectacular variety of beverages. Try Pomegranate Punch, Chai Fizz, Fruity Root Beer, Sparkling Orange Creamsicle, Honey Cardamom Fizzy Water, Sparkling Espresso Jolt, Cold Fudge Soda, Lightly Salty Caramel Seltzer, Sangria Shrub, Maraschino Ginger Ale, Malted Molasses Switchel, or Berry Vinegar Cordial. Some recipes show you how to re-create the flavors of favorite commercial soft drinks, and others show you how to use homemade soda in decadent desserts and adult cocktails. The delicious possibilities are endless!

Review: My husband and I bought a Soda Stream recently, a nifty little machine that allows you to make your own pop/soda (a great investment for us, but not necessarily for everyone). It comes with syrups for sparkling water & sodas, but as my hubby and I are foodies, we always love to explore beyond. So when I saw this book available on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to check it out.

There are tons of fabulous recipes in here, from sparkling waters, to popular sodas, to herbal sodas, and sparkling coffees -and even egg creams, switchels, and recipes for food cooked with sodas. Plus a little bit of history thrown in as well for interest. There's even a map of the United States that diagrams what soda is called in different parts of the country, though I must disagree with him that all of New York State calls it "soda". Here in the western-most part of the state (pretty much everywhere west of Rochester, NY) it is definitely called "pop" all the way down to the Pennsylvania border.

Though there are definitely things in here I want to try (Slightly Salty Caramel Seltzer, Strawberry Pomegranate Soda, Espresso Jolt, Brown Sugar Mocha Soda, Creme Brûlée Soda, etc.) many of these recipes are a little more complicated than I have time for and some with ingredients I don't have. Not that the ingredients are exotic or impossible to find, but some are not things I have handy in my kitchen. A simplified version of some of the recipes would be handy.  Not every recipe is complex, though, there are definitely quick and easy ones with basic ingredients too.  I actually think this would be a fun date night or party activity to go through the book and have everyone make their own individualized carbonated beverages.

As for the food recipes, I think I'd hate to spend all that time custom making a soda just to put it in a recipe. To be fair, all the recipes do say to use either homemade or store bought.  There are some great ones (Chocolate Root Beer Cheesecake) I'll definitely try with store bought pop/soda.

The only thing I was really hoping to find in this book and didn't was a recipe for strawberry pop.  There are some fantastic ones with strawberries in them, but none where the strawberry is the star.  However, reading through the various recipes has given me the confidence to experiment and come up with my own.

If you are a food and/or beverage connoisseur, this is a must have.  If you are a dabbler, like me, it's certainly fun to explore the possibilities.

Julie's Review: Revolution

Summary: In the beginning in Guatemala and working north. Though the duo weren't able to play an active role until they reached violent El Salvador, where they cared for children literally caught in the middle of a civil war, took part in protests, and interviewed priests about assassinations, the couple also wrestled with an inner revolution—their relationship. Bonded by frequent interrogations from soldiers, ever-present illnesses, heat, and gigantic, "evil" spiders, the two grew close, only to find their bond dissolve as time wore on and they made their way home. Though her journey was certainly dramatic, Unferth avoids melodrama and doesn't dwell on particularly nasty aspects; her focus is on the story, and in that arena, she excels with a wry, self-deprecating voice that propels the tale forward. Though her emotional economy (she never fully explores her complicated relationship with her family) gives the book an unfinished quality that can be frustrating, Unferth's prose is a pleasure to read. ~amazon.com

Review: I've read a few memoirs in my life and they aren't really my cup of tea. I thought that I might like Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War more because it seemed like it was more about the journey of self discovery than placing blame on others. For me, that wasn't the case. I always hope that when I read a memoir that the author learned something. While I think that maybe Ms. Unferth learned not to travel with George again, I'm not sure what else she learned. Maybe it was just her take on an adventurous part of her life and nothing else. Maybe I expect too much out of memoirs. Maybe I expect them to be reflective when really they are just a statement of a moment in that person's life.

Now, I do think that Ms. Unferth has a unique voice and she was quite funny in her deliverance of the story. She also painted a fantastic although dingy view of Nicaragua and El Salvador during their revolutions. I also think she went along with George because she was lost as most 18 year old when they are trying to figure out themselves. I couldn't have and wouldn't have lasted as long on this adventure as she did, especially with being sick all the time. That would have told me to get the heck out of dodge.

The part of the book that freaked me out was when they stayed in a hostel that had hundreds/thousand of big, hairy spiders in the hallways and rooms. I can't stand spiders and I'm pretty sure I probably would have passed out at the sight. One think I know for sure, I would have been sleeping on the street instead of there. She showed tremendous gumption for a lot of what she dealt with on this quest to be involved in a "revolution."

What I wanted more of and didn't get was about her family. Why wasn't she close or estranged? What happened there? While I get that this book wasn't about that part of her life, we were dropped enough hints that I wanted to know more. Perhaps those should have been edited out.

At times I felt that the writing was choppy and I couldn't follow it. It seemed like I was in her head and she had all these thoughts going at once and couldn't focus on what story she wanted to tell.

I also can't figure out what kept drawing her back to Central America and in some ways back to George. Was it that it was so tragic that she felt the need to hold onto it for some reason? It seems that she doesn't want to let go of this time in her life. Maybe she's still on the quest for something that she thinks she can find there.

In the end, I really don't think memoirs are for me, unless they are satirical like Jennifer Lancaster. If you like memoirs, this would be a one that isn't so depressing and actually funny in part.

I am also in the minority with my reaction to this book, since there have been great reviews in the blogosphere.

Final Take: 3/5

Jenn's Review: Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road

Summary:  In less than a year, Neil Peart lost both his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, and his wife, Jackie. Faced with overwhelming sadness and isolated from the world in his home on the lake, Peart was left without direction. This memoir tells of the sense of loss and directionlessness that led him on a 55,000-mile journey by motorcycle across much of North America, down through Mexico to Belize, and back again. He had needed to get away, but had not really needed a destination. His travel adventures chronicle his personal odyssey and include stories of reuniting with friends and family, grieving, thinking, and reminiscing as he rode until he encountered the miracle that allowed him to find peace.

Review:  This is not my typical read, but something my husband asked me to read when we got engaged oh so many years ago.  I would be lying if I told you it was an easy read.  As a matter of fact it took me three attempts to get into it, not because it was poorly written but because I just couldn't stop crying.  I have a strong empathetic streak and it's the reason I don't read certain books, like this one, but my then-soon-to-be-husband really wanted me to read it and it's so seldom that he asks for anything, that I felt I must make a more valiant effort.  I was glad I did.

For anyone who doesn't know, Neil Peart is the drummer and lyricist of Rush, a band my husband adores.  If that still doesn't help, imagine a stereotypical rock band drummer and then imagine the exact opposite.  That's Neil Peart.  He's a quiet introverted man who avoids the limelight, which is how he can ride around the country virtually unrecognized.

Peart's story consists mostly of his journal entries on his motorcycle trip to "soothe his little baby soul" after a year of incredible loss and devastation.  This is Peart's second book the first is The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa, which I could never go back and read having read this one. (It is another story about his travels, but it's also before tragedy strikes his life, and I just couldn't bear to read it knowing what's coming in his life.)  He is beautifully articulate even in his grief, which is pervasive and all consuming.  His journey is quite literally the road to recovery.  It happens in small doses through miles of scenery and some treacherous gravel roads.

It's a story about finding ones way back from the depths of despair (I'm tearing up even as I type this; it affected me that deeply).  It's a story of survival.  It's a story of hope.  I highly recommend it, to anyone  but especially anyone who has lost someone.

Final Take:  5/5

Lisa's Review: What I Read on my Winter Vacation

I don't remember ever being as busy as I was in 2010. I literally for the first time in my life read about three books all year. So you can imagine my excitement for a planned weeklong vacation to Mexico at the beginning of this year. Was I excited to go lay out in the sun on the beach, not doing anything all day? Sure I was but honestly I was even more excited to catch up on my non work-related reading material. Seriously! I had a ton of books to choose from, so it was difficult to decide which ones to bring with me. I didn't want to spend my little free time reading crap, so I focused on recommendations from friends. I brought along The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, borrowed from a friend who all but assured me that it was a great book and I already had Game Change CD: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime loaded on my iPad. In addition to my planned magazine reading, I felt I was ready to go.

The Reviews

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

I finally fell for the hype. I resisted for as long as I could, but sometimes the hype is real,  for example Harry Potter. I resisted there as well and by the end I was one of the people in line at midnight.  Anyway, this book started slowly and the translation was clunky and I felt like I really had to slug through it, but I am glad I did.  Even though the book is titled The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I think Lisbeth was simply introduced and this book is more about Mikael Blomkvist. He gets invited to investigate a family tragedy after being found guilty for libel and being "fired" from his magazine. Lisbeth shows up in the beginning and we visit her throughout and you can't help but be fascinated by her. She's a bad-ass.  She joins Blomkvist in his investigation about halfway through and they finish it up together. It's a fascinating mystery too. Julie has a great in-depth review and I agree with her assessment. I felt like I didn't really know who Lisbeth was at the end, I really wanted that. Just a great read. Final Take: 4/5

 

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE

Technically, I didn't read this on my winter vacation, but I had a short trip planned just after I got back from vacation, that I immediately borrowed The Girl Who Played with Fire as soon I got back. I read this on the very long flights to and from and was able to finish it. I gotta say, I love this one even better than I did the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  For one the translation got much better in this version. Thank goodness for that. This time the mystery was all about Lisbeth Salander. As I mentioned, I left Dragon Tattoo feeling like Lisbeth was still a bit of a mystery. This book told her story  and fleshed her character out more. You understand how and why she became this fascinating person. This one took a while to get going as well and once it did, we were off to the races once again. All in all, just another fantastic read. It's clear based on the ending Steig Larsson clearly had a plan in mind about how he wanted to tell these stories. I can't wait to find a spare moment to get into the final novel, it's going to be a while before that happens.  Final Take: 4.5/5



GAME CHANGE

Even though, I followed the 2008 presidential election with much interest, I'm not a big fan of non-fiction reads nor do I care much for political reads. However, more than one friend encouraged me to read this book, so I downloaded and figured I'd get to it when I get to it. I started this the day before I left and finished on the flight back and I immediatly wished I'd read this sooner. Talk about an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at all the drama. It was great. The things that were reported aren't nearly the half of it. I was was concerned that the writing would be tedious and technical, but it was such an easy read, that I needn't have been concerned. Besides, the details are so juicy, it was almost like reading a gossip magazine. Wait it was exactly like reading a gossip magazine.  I laughed out loud in places and was even more appalled in some. And Sarah Palin.... There are just no words.  If you were the least bit fascinated by that election, then you must read this book. Doesn't matter who you voted for - it's just too fascinating. Final Take: 4/5

 

Alice's Review: Bending Toward the Sun

Summary:  The lasting impact of the Holocaust on a survivor and her daughter emerges in this joint account by Lurie-Gilbert and her mother. Lurie was five when a farmer agreed to hide her along with 14 Polish-Jewish relatives in his attic in exchange for jewelry and furs. While in hiding, Lurie witnessed the Nazis shoot a cousin and an uncle; her younger brother and mother died in the stifling, stinking hideout (years later her daughter, Gilbert-Lurie, wonders if the boy was smothered to quiet him and if her grandmother died of a broken heart). After the war, in an Italian DP camp, Lurie's father remarried to a stepmother Lurie resented; her father became increasingly depressed and remote when their fractured and traumatized family relocated to Chicago; and deep depressions haunted Lurie's own otherwise happy marriage. Gilbert-Lurie in turn recalls her mother's overprotectiveness, her career as a TV executive, a 1988 visit to her mother's childhood village and her own guilt, anxiety and sadness. Although the voices and experiences expressed are valuable, the writing is adequate at best, with none of the luminosity of Anne Frank, to whom Gilbert-Lurie compares her mother. Publishers Weekly

Review:  This has to be one of the most unique memoirs I have ever read.  It's a joint effort between Leslie Gilbert-Lurie and her mom, Holocaust survivor, Rita Lurie.  What drew me toward Bending Toward the Sun is the detail that Mrs. Gilbert-Lurie in particular describes the dynamic of her family and the effect the Holocaust continues to have on them.   The underlying theme of this memoir is whether grief and fear could be transferred from generation to generation.  If that is true, I think it's safe to say that strength and courage is transferable too.

Mrs. Lurie is truly inspiring.  She is a survivor in every sense of the word.  She is a woman who never had a childhood, who suffered such shocking loss at such a young age, yet learned to live a life full of joy.  She took what she was given and made the best of it.  She lived.  I enjoyed reading both her account of her time during the war and also her daughter's memories of her.  She was so brutally honest with herself at times, it was heartbreaking to read.  She moved me to tears during her bouts of depression.  I wanted to jump into the pages, lay down next her, cry into the pillow with her and comfort her in the way she needed but wouldn't allow anyone to give her. 


Mrs. Gilbert-Lurie did justice to her family.  I have been fascinated by World War II for some time now however this is the first time I read a memoir from a Holocaust survivors point of view.  She did a fantastic job of writing in a way that pity for Gamss family is the farthest thing from my mind.  I was honored to get to know a family who did everything in their power to protect each other, to care for each other.  This family did everything it took to survive and instill that will to survive in them all.

My favorite part came towards the end of Bending Toward the Sun during an assembly held by Mrs. Lurie to her grandson Gabe's school. 

"The main message she tried to communicate was that while life was rarely perfect, individuals had the strength inside to overcome setbacks, to love instead of hate, and to influence others to be better human beings...(she) urged the students not to go along with what they knew was wrong, mean or destructive to themselves or others."

And that is how you survive.

Final Take:  4/5

A special thank you to Julie Harabedian  of FSB Associates for providing me with this wonderful memoir.

Jenn's Review: Columbine

Summary:  On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma-City style, and to leave "a lasting impression on the world." Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence-irrevocably branding every subsequent shooting "another Columbine."

When we think of Columbine, we think of the Trench Coat Mafia; we think of Cassie Bernall, the girl we thought professed her faith before she was shot; and we think of the boy pulling himself out of a school window -- the whole world was watching him. Now, in a riveting piece of journalism nearly ten years in the making, comes the story none of us knew. In this revelatory book, Dave Cullen has delivered a profile of teenage killers that goes to the heart of psychopathology. He lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris, and the quavering, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who went to prom three days earlier and obsessed about love in his journal.
 
The result is an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends, who came to stockpile a basement cache of weapons, to record their raging hatred, and to manipulate every adult who got in their way. They left signs everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boy's tapes and diaries, he gives the first complete account of the Columbine tragedy.
 
Review:  We don't review much non-fiction here at Girls Just Reading, but once a year or so I venture off the beaten path. By chance and via Twitter, I came across a fellow book-blogger reading Columbine by Dave Cullen.  I remarked that I wanted to read it and the publisher, TWELVE, saw my request and sent the book my way.  Even if they hadn't, I would have gone out of my way to seek out a copy of this book, because Columbine made an impact on me.  I was in my second and final assignment as a student teacher, working in a high school with a sprawling campus not unlike Columbine's.  The teachers I was working with had the television on in the classroom all day and we watched as the story unfolded in the media.  I don't think I ever looked at a classroom full of students the same way again.
 
The details in this book are well researched and organized, but also astounding.  Cullen takes us through the events leading up to the tragedy, the aftermath, the investigation, and the cover ups.  For the most part, Cullen's narrative follows the forensic pysch investigation of Dr. Dwayne Fuselier an FBI agent and clinical psychologist, as well as a terrorism and hostage negotiating expert. As Fuselier begins to investigate and make discoveries, time continues to move forward for the victims families, the survivors, and community.   Thus, the narrative jumps around chronologically, but it's certainly not a problem to keep things straight. Whereas a linear approach might have been nice, it may also have been a difficult and distressing read, so I appreciate his choice. There are lots of names to keep track of but Cullen also kindly provides an index for point of reference.

There were many false stories surrounding the event and Cullen does his best to dispel them.  The boys were smart, average popularity guys that acted alone.  They weren't bullied, if anything they were bullies. They weren't Goths or "Trench Coat Mafia", just a psychopath and a severely suicidal teen.  The media and the witnesses weren't purposefully trying to mislead the public, they were confused.  The Jeffco police were another matter entirely.

It is incredible that so many warning signs went unheeded, that no one put all the puzzle pieces together until it was too late.  Not that I think anyone could ever have imagined the heinous acts as those of April 20, 1999, but the police and judicial system had enough evidence to know that something bad might happen.  If only they had communicated or followed through on paperwork.

The one good thing to come from Columbine was the change in attitudes and response by educators, administrators, and law enforcement.  Since 1999, more than 80 school shootings have occurred, but none as devastating as what took place at Columbine, save for the Virginia Tech massacre where once again, communication broke down. 

I think this book is a must read for both teachers and parents.  Cullen does a magnificent job of fitting the truths  together.  It may change the way you look at the world.  I know the shooting changed the teacher I became...

*If you would like to read more about my personal thoughts on Columbine, please follow this link.

Alice's Review: Driving with Dead People

Summary: Death lurks everywhere in Holloway's childhood. A neighbor boy accidentally shoots and kills a train conductor; a little girl is mowed down by a motorist. Her father's main hobby is filming grisly car wrecks and natural disasters, and her best friend's family runs the town mortuary. Observing the dead in their coffins, Monica wonders: would she be better off in a casket than alive in her parents' home? In this memoir, Holloway (an actress turned writer) tackles the horrifyingly familiar story of father/daughter incest: the secrecy that surrounds it and the ways it corrodes families from the inside out. Even though her memories of the abuse were repressed, evidence cropped up everywhere, from her chronic bed-wetting and compulsive lying as a girl to her adult attraction to abusive men; when her older sister, JoAnn, comes forward with her recollections, Holloway begins to remember her own trauma. As a writer, Holloway might not be in Mary Karr's league, but her blunt sentences deliver the unvarnished truth. In coming to terms with her tragedy, Holloway writes, "Knowing there is no cavalry is much better than hoping for a cavalry that never comes." Her memoir sings with the power of a disenfranchised woman finally finding her own voice, and her brutal memoir is hard to forget. (Publisher’s Weekly)

Review: When I first picked up Driving with Dead People: A Memoir, I was expecting a comedic tale about two friends working at a funeral home. Man, that is so not what this book is all about. This memoir covers Monica Holloway’s life beginning when she was about four years old until she was 43. She writes about what happened in her daily life, growing up with a father who was violent and a mother who was in denial. With parents like that, it’s no wonder Ms. Holloway and her siblings grew up with a certain amount of dysfunction. Oh, and did I mention that she was totally obsessed with the death of a nine year old local girl?

One of the reasons I like memoirs is because it’s the truth as the writer knows it. Is it what really happened? I don’t know. What I do know is it’s what Ms. Holloway believes. She was very inspiring to me from the beginning. I’m amazed at how a person has the strength to overcome something as debilitating as abuse, be it mental, physical or sexual. I don’t know how they get up each and every day and deal with it. How they resist the urge to crawl up in a little ball, buried under the cover and actually get out of bed and face whatever comes to them that day. And that’s exactly what she does. She finds ways to escape, to cope. The most awe-inspiring thing about her is that in spite of how insignificant her parents make her feel, she doesn’t believe it. She may have her doubts, but she’s a fighter.

There are many good quotes in the memoir. Here are some of my favorites:

“The outside now matched the inside – damaged beyond all repair.” Without getting too much into my past, this line affected me the most. It’s one thing to have physical signs of abuse, but it’s quite another to carry it all on the inside where no one knows about it but you and your abuser. I think she explains it best with the following quote:

“I wish there had been obvious signs of destruction on all of us kids: bruises or burn marks, something that indicated how violent our house was, but words and neglect don’t leave visible marks. And that confuses even the person who knows better.”

She had her struggles too, as you can see from this brutally honest quote:

“My whole life, I wanted to be dead, but I didn’t actually do anything about it. I guess I didn’t want to be dead: I wanted relief. I wanted to be happy and peaceful.”

Finally, I think she sums it up nicely with this:

“I would work on trying to forgive myself, and I would ask others for forgiveness too.”

I recommend this book to anyone as a study of resiliency. It doesn’t matter if you were personally touched by abuse in your past. Everyone can learn a little something from this, even if it’s just how to forgive and find your peace.

Final Take: 3/5

GJR in a new Book Lover's Journal

Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers by Rachelle Rogers Knight brings exceptional works of fiction to the attention of readers while inciting their overall enjoyment by exploring thoughts, feelings and emotions through the course of reading. The journal features dozens of cross-referenced lists of literary awards and notable picks and offers more than 2,500 suggestions to help readers discover great literature and new authors. Users can record books read, jot down thoughts and ideas, and keep track of recommendations, books borrowed and loaned, and book club history.

We are delighted that Girls Just Reading was included in the reference pages in this reference/source book. I received mine over the weekend and truly enjoyed flipping through the pages. The one thing I didn't enjoy; realizing how many books I've never read. ;)

I also noticed that a lot of the book blogs I read are mentioned in the references with us. As well as some that I don't currently read, that will be added to my blog roll.

I think that Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers would be a fantastic gift for the bookworm in your family.

She also has one specifically for the YA reader in your house. Read, Remember, Recommend for Teens: A Reading Journal for Young Adult Book Lovers

The author, Rachelle Rogers Knight has her own blog, Bibliobabe where she incorporates parts of the journal into her blog. I have added her blog to my favorites as well.