Book Report

[stormkeeper_lovesall]

 

The Friendship Bench by Dixon Chibanda – This book serves as another reminder to me that I can’t just work off my “to read” list and instead need to sometimes go to the library and just glean stuff off the “new” shelf. That’s how I found this one. I had read about Friendship Benches in BUST magazine. They began in Zimbabwe, with the knowledge that not everyone has access to a therapist, so Dixon Chibanda rolled out a program to train local grandmothers in mental health, and to do it in a culturally-appropriate way. Thus, the Friendship Bench was born. Chibanda eventually goes global, doing a TED talk, traveling the world to share this program. The book is a wonderful, healing read. (And watch Chibanda’s TED talk if you want!) Grade: 8

 

Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo – This work on nonfiction tells us of an enslaved couple in 1848 Georgia - William and Ellen Craft - who managed to escape. Their method was brilliant: Ellen was very light-skinned and so she disguised herself as a gentleman who needed help from her “slave.” She couldn’t read or write, so she bandaged her arm up, and she wore cloth coverings over her jaw to obscure her facial features and lack of stubble. They journeyed by boat and train, and had several close calls, but they made it to the north. One thing that stood out for me: It was perfectly legal for formerly enslaved people – even those living in the north – to be captured by hunters and re-enslaved. But when hunters came for the Crafts, they were chased off again and again. By groups of mostly Black but some white people. Carriage-drivers didn’t want to drive the hunters, and innkeepers didn’t want to rent to them. This was in Boston, which had lots of activist and social justice types. A lesson for all of us in this day and age. Now as for the book itself, I am sorry to say that it was plodding, and I had to keep forcing myself to pick it back up. I just never seem to enjoy US history for some reason. Grade: 5

 

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See – A book that you stay up later than you should so you can keep reading. Yes!! With Lisa See, you are generally getting historical fiction taking place in China or other Asian countries, with female friendship bonds despite the patriarchy surrounding them. Is it a formula? Sure. Is it fine literature? No. But See’s stuff still rocks. The next evening after I’d finished it, I really missed my evenings of staying up late reading the book! Grade: 8

 

A Life Made from Scratch by Marie Newman – A memoir by a local, former Congresswoman. I campaigned for her twice and met her several times (we’re even FB friends!) so this book meant a lot to me and I devoured it. Newman has been through the wringer. One of her children was severely bullied, so she researched ways to deal with it and even wrote a book on it. Her other child came out as trans, so Newman became a fighter for LGBTQ+ rights. She goes on to run in a primary against an anti-choice Dem, she loses, she runs again two years later and wins, she goes to DC in the middle of a pandemic and then survives the insurrection. Then the census happens, Illinois loses a congressional seat, and in a backdoor, clandestine process it is somehow determined that her seat is the one that the Dems will give up. She decides to fight to hold it, and she loses the primary in a landslide after a brutal campaign in which her opponent demonizes her. (It was bad. She was accused of being a coke addict on top of all sorts of other crazy things, her whole family went through therapy to deal with the slander. Man, I am really looking at Sean Casten in a different light now).  The book opened my eyes to the impact of AIPIC (and others like it) which is hellbent on keeping Democrats moderate or conservative (since mods and conservatives can be controlled through the corporate money they get), and will use every tool in its powerful arsenal to crush progressives like Newman. AIPAC doesn’t even seem to ever actually fight anti-Semitism. Anyway, I could go on all day. The book was great, Newman is about a million times tougher than I am, and I wish her all the best. (And I messaged her on FB to let her know how much I loved the book, and she messaged me back). Grade: 8

 

The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad – Another book that wasn’t on my ‘to read’ list and that I just picked from the ‘new’ section of the library. It’s a series of short essays by different writers, each one ending with a creativity prompt for you. (Suleika Jaouad has had numerous bouts of leukemia and found that writing helped save her sanity). It was inspiring to read. Even though I didn’t do any of the prompts. Grade: 7