Vera Kelly: Lost and Found by Rosalie Knecht

VERA KELLY: LOST AND FOUND by Rosalie Knecht (Relief Map) is the third in the series (after Who is Vera Kelly? and Vera Kelly is not a Mystery) about a young lesbian in the mid-twentieth century. This book opens when Vera and her girlfriend Max travel to Bel-Air in Southern California where Max’s affluent father is getting a divorce, plans to re-marry, and is changing his investments. Estranged from her family once she announced her sexual orientation, Max is again met with hostility and misunderstanding, ultimately being committed to family-owned institution. A former CIA agent who now works as a private detective, Vera manages to become a patient and strives to reunite with Max. Set in 1971 shortly after the Stonewall Riots, there is a sense of suspense and foreboding throughout this novel. VERA KELLY: LOST AND FOUND received starred reviews from Booklist (“gritty yet romantic”) and Publishers Weekly (“filled with well-drawn, quirky characters”). And I love these covers!

Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa

UNDER THE SKIN by Linda Villarosa documents “The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation.” Villarosa is a journalism professor at the City University of New York and she has done an excellent job illustrating, as her publicist says, how Black people “live sicker and die quicker” compared to their white counterparts.  Villarosa begins by arguing that “poverty is not the sole factor in who gets sick and who doesn’t … Even when income, education, and access to health care are matched, African Americans remain disadvantaged and racial disparities in health cut lives short.” Subsequent chapters focus on both physical and emotional impacts as well as offering suggested solutions. This important, moving work contains copious notes (more than ten percent of the entire text) and a helpful index with numerous sub-points under topics like maternal mortality and mental illness. UNDER THE SKIN received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. We will be adding it to the list of recommended reading for student researchers; in the past, those interested in discrimination in health care have read Seeing Patients by White, Black Man in a White Coat by Tweedy and/or Just Health by Matthew. Those interested in inequities in health care for women have read works like Doing Harm by Dusenbery and/or Sex Matters by McGregor.   

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark immerses its readers in nature by evoking a beautiful setting in Maine. That is the long time summer retreat for 80 year old Agnes, a writer of children’s books and (under a pseudonym) adults novels filled with observations about social class and women’s strengths and perceptions. Her best friend, Polly, also summers at Fellowship Point and the two older Quaker ladies devise a plan to set up a land trust, protecting the area as a sanctuary for birds. Polly’s self-centered husband (who is beginning to experience signs of dementia) and their sons’ families object, of course. Meanwhile, Agnes is coping with inquiries from a young editorial assistant named Maud who is encouraging Agnes to write a memoir. Their correspondence contains exquisite summaries like: “What does it mean to be a writer? … That I have developed a system of logic that resembles reason while containing my emotions which are by nature unreasonable. That I know I can express myself clearly if and when I need to. Above all, that I have a private space where I can wander and play and dream, where I can be scathing and cruel and reprehensible, where I can love and expose myself completely, without any interference from anyone other than my private projections.” Readers will need to be patient and savor the slower pace; this is a novel filled with contemplation and quiet reveals as well as numerous ethical questions (e.g., “She was always loyal – but how to choose between the entities that deserved her allegiance?”). Anyone who loves the woods will be delighted to walk the land with Agnes or Polly. Teeming with commentary on female friendships and on the relationships between mothers and children, FELLOWSHIP POINT received starred reviews from Booklist (“psychologically fluent, funny, and intricately and meaningfully plotted”), Kirkus (“the rare 592-page novel you'll be sorry to finish”), and Publishers Weekly (“a remarkable achievement”). 

Plays Well with Others by Eric Barker

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS by Eric Barker is subtitled “The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships is (Mostly) Wrong.” Blogger Eric Barker, who has written previously about work and success in Barking Up the Wrong Tree, adopts a humorous approach to investigating current research about relationships. He begins with a short vignette about hostage negotiation and moves on to a section on judging other people. Each chapter begins with a memorable story (e.g., Mrs. Sherlock Holmes) and concludes with a transition (e.g., “the primary thing we have to contend with is our own cognitive biases. …”) to the next. He focuses on 4 main questions: Can you judge a book by its cover? Is a friend in need a friend indeed? Does love conquer all? And, Is no man an island? Barker does an excellent job of commenting on concepts like loneliness, popularity, technology versus face-to-face interactions, cooperation, belonging, to name just a few. Library Journal describes PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS as a “humorous, science-based exploration of human relationships and what makes them last.” Students and readers in general will find it to be an enjoyable, informative read. I definitely recommend Barker’s new title, especially to our Psychology teachers.