Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul

WHERE THE ROAD LEADS US by Robin Reul is described as a “feel-good story with depth” by Kirkus Reviews and I totally agree. The main characters, 18 year old Jack and younger teen Hallie, are dealing with grief and end up on a road trip together in northern California. Jack’s father died recently and his Mom is often absent due to her work so no one misses him when he sets out to find his estranged older brother.  Hallie, a cancer patient, is determined to join an online acquaintance to share his last moments. The two paths cross and these young people help each other to cope and to stretch beyond their comfort zones. Reul (My Kind of Crazy) explores themes of friendship, and family dynamics with honest conversations and humor (not to mention car theft and dog-napping) over the course of a day or two – readers will find the trip (told in alternating chapters) to be ending too quickly and hope for more.

The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral

 

THE VANISHING MUSEUM ON THE RUE MISTRAL by M. L. Longworth is a puzzling, but gentle mystery. How could the entire contents of a small museum have disappeared? And what does that have to do, if anything, with another recent local robbery? Longworth’s mystery will keep readers entertained and guessing as there are several intertwined story lines involving paintings, porcelain, and a soon-to-arrive new baby. Set in beautiful and restful Provence, descriptions of the local cuisine are often featured as the meal breaks are an essential part of the detective work by local magistrate Antoine Verlaque. A relaxing, escapist read.

 

Kill Switch by Adam Jentleson

With all of news lately about the procedures related to filibuster and reconciliation, interested readers may wish to turn to KILL SWITCH by Adam Jentleson. This recent work of non-fiction is subtitled “The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.” Jentleson, former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid and a political commentator on MSNBC, notes that “the modern Senate guarantees a minority of predominately white conservatives the ability to impose their will.” His view is most assuredly biased, but he acknowledges that Republicans and Democrats are to blame for the “grind of relentless gridlock” as the “Senate’s minority protections have been inflated into tools of minority domination.” In this well-researched and documented text, Jentleson offers suggestions for reform while providing important historical context and background information on the history of the Senate, with quotes ranging from James Madison to James Baldwin. KILL SWITCH received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

THE HIDING PLACE by Paula Munier is the third title in the best-selling and award-winning Mercy Carr mystery series, but it was a first for me. I enjoyed trying to puzzle out the mystery involving former military police soldier Mercy and her canine companion, Elvis. The story is set in Vermont and features another dog – Susie Bear – who works with game warden Troy Warner, a sometimes romantic interest for Mercy. This complex adventure involved the long ago disappearance of two young women (Beth Kilgore and Ruby Rucker) and the present day escape of the man convicted of killing Mercy’s grandfather, plus the kidnapping of a family member and the gruesome death of a young biologist. There is quite a bit to unpack, including Mercy’s efforts to adjust to civilian life. In fact, she shares a fable about a prisoner being locked up with a snake and concludes, “It’s a little lame. … But the moral of the story is good. A lot of what we’re afraid of is just rope – not snakes.” Quite popular with readers who will look forward to Mercy’s growth and escapades in future series entries, THE HIDING PLACE received a starred review from Library Journal.

Buses are a Comin by Charles Person

BUSES ARE A COMIN' by Charles Person with Richard Rooker is a memoir written by the youngest of the original Freedom Riders. Person joined future Congressman John Lewis and others in 1961 to test whether Southern cities would follow the Supreme Court ruling (Boynton v. Virginia) about desegregating bus depots, waiting areas, restaurants, and restrooms. Person was 18 at the time and, as the publishers point out, this text therefore provides a “challenge from a teenager of a previous era to the young people of today: Become agents of transformation.” Of course, our students study and analyze the events from this time (several groups read March, Books 1 and 2) and primary sources, like these newspaper articles and archival video, are so key. I do wish that BUSES ARE A COMIN' contained more images (there are a few on the endpapers) because that really helps students to envision the conflict and tension that was pervasive. In one example Person contrasts the 1961 Masters Tournament in Augusta (won by Gary Player from apartheid South Africa) and the rules against Black players participating (Lee Elder was the first to play in 1975) with the surprisingly uneventful service that he and other Black riders received from the Post House restaurant in Augusta, Georgia. Of course, there is much more about Dr. King ("the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice"), motives and backstories for the other riders, and the violence with which they were often met. The details about the many kindnesses, many acts of courage, and many dangers, including graphic beatings, are vividly described.  BUSES ARE A COMIN' received starred reviews from Kirkus (“a vital story”) and Publishers Weekly (“inspirational account”). A copy will be on our shelves along with related texts on the Civil Rights Movement.

FANS by Larry Olmsted

FANS by Larry Olmsted is a fascinating look at “How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding.” Olmsted, a best-selling author of non-fiction, probes the sense of belonging and community which we, as fans, feel.  He discusses watching a game versus watching the arena filled with spectators and points out repeatedly how being a fan can positively impact emotional/mental health, physical health (fans tend to be more active), and ultimately lead to more understanding. He addresses that last point by using examples such as Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Joe Lewis, saying that even Obama asserted he might not have been elected were it not for Robinson’s actions. In addition, Olmsted notes the multi-generational bonding which occurs over sports and religion, a “comparable system of group identification and belonging.” FANS contains an impressive set of references and is a nice update to Sports: The All American Addiction by Gerdy. To hear more, visit Family Action Network (FAN) which is hosting Olmsted tonight at 7:00pm via Zoom; registration is requested.

Update: here is a link to the Olmsted interview from Family Action Network.

The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn

THE WILD SILENCE by Raynor Winn (The Salt Path) has been my “go to” book for the last few days – any spare minute and I am joining Ray and her husband, Moth, on their adventures. I would definitely recommend reading The Salt Path first – that award-winning title tells the story of Moth’s serious medical diagnosis and the almost simultaneous loss of their farm, resulting in a 630 mile trek along England’s South West Coast Path from Somerset, through Devon and Cornwall, to Dorset. In this new memoir, Winn shares the struggle of her mother’s death, provides some back story about The Salt Path’s publication, and recounts their efforts to rewild a farm and travel yet another walk in Iceland. Her nature writing is exquisite and, despite all of their hardships, the hopeful perspective shines through again: “Don’t ‘be careful on the stairs,’ run up them, run as fast as you can, with no fear of clocks ticking and or time passing. Nothing can be measured in time, only change, and change is always within our grasp, always simply a matter of choice.” THE WILD SILENCE received a starred review from Kirkus.  Highly recommended in tandem with The Salt Path.

The Hospital by Brian Alexander

THE HOSPITAL by Brian Alexander (The Glass House) is an in-depth look at an independent community hospital called CHWC in Bryan, Ohio (population about 8,000). The day it arrived, our copy was checked out by a student researching healthcare in rural America. Alexander, already recognized by Medill School of Journalism for his public interest journalism, writes eloquently here about “Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town.” He has divided this text into three sections, beginning in Autumn 2018, followed by Winter/Spring, 2018-2019, and then the start of Covid in late 2019- early 2020.  Throughout, Alexander highlights the many services the local hospital provides while struggling to stay competitive with larger regional providers. Providing context (“at almost 18 percent of the entire economy, health was the nation’s largest industry by far”) and profiling individual stories of cancer patients, meth addicts and heart attack victims, Alexander points out that “America was sick, and getting sicker and dying earlier with every passing year.” He moves beyond the local community and its hospital’s many issues to discuss the minimum wage in Ohio (actually lower than 40 years ago when adjusted for inflation), the loss of pensions and unions, and the role of government, contrasting the business metrics and the mission of the hospital, “a battlefield clinic in an amorphous and mutating social and economic war that was killing people.” Extensive notes and a helpful index are included. THE HOSPITAL was universally acclaimed, receiving starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. 

Fatal Scores by Mark de Castrique

FATAL SCORES by Mark de Castrique is another title in the Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson mystery series set in Asheville, North Carolina. De Castrique often incorporates aspects of Asheville’s history and in this newest title, he blends the music contributions of Bela Bartok and Robert Moog’s synthesizer, plus, a sporting exhibition by Babe Ruth, and environmental activism due to past concerns related to runoff from local paper factories. A couple of generations and numerous intertwined characters are involved which makes for a complex set of suspects. Until the very end, I was as bewildered as Nakayla and Sam who says, “This whole case has been one of conflicting actions.  Like pieces from multiple puzzles dumped from the same box.” Eagerly anticipated by series fans, FATAL SCORES is also captivating as a stand-alone.

A Season with Mom by Katie Russell Newland

“Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure” is the subtitle of a forthcoming book named A SEASON WITH MOM by Katie Russell Newland.  Since it is 2021’s opening day (“Go, Cubbies!”), it seemed like a good time to review this memoir filled with the travels and reflections from Newland’s visits to all 30 Major League Baseball Parks during the 2015 season. She undertook the trip in homage to her mother who had died from cancer a few years earlier. Here is what Newland (herself a cancer survivor) has to say regarding this book about baseball and how it’s “also a love story. … of a mother and daughter and our passion for the Chicago Cubs, the perennial underdog. …of the fans and communities in which they reside. … of the pauses in life that give us an opportunity to self-reflect and to cultivate self-awareness – an opportunity to BE. …” At each park, Newland, often joined by a friend, shares some learning like commenting on “… the beauty of a new baseball season. Each year, you have a chance to start over, to be better, to do something different.” Filled with insights crafted as poignant letters to her Mom, Newland’s A SEASON WITH MOM is touching, comforting, and inspiring; a book to savor -- visit one ball park a day or a week or an hour.