Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland

BREATHING UNDER WATER by Jacqueline Friedland received a starred review from Booklist and Kirkus called it “a touching novel about unexpected connections and found family.”  It is the first book in a while to really grab my attention, and I can readily see book groups finding so much to discuss. Chapter narration alternates between Berry Selinger and McKenna Jamison, two caring women from different generations with a host of issues to face. Berry is an assistant principal hoping for a promotion and trying to balance her career with supporting her sixteen-year-old son, Leo, who is autistic. McKenna is a scholarship college student who relies on her coach and swim team as her grandmother’s dementia worsens. Readers will be surprised by the workplace sabotage, marital strife, anger management issues, and homelessness which also feature in the plot. Yes, it is a lot for either one to handle and the stories intersect when McKenna begins teaching Leo to swim. He really is the pivotal character and obviously dear to Friedland who says her own mother taught her that “every child deserves to be seen, to be challenged, and most of all, to be respected and understood.” BREATHING UNDER WATER is about perseverance, self-reflection, and acceptance, as Berry says, “I don't see the trials and tribulations only as hardships. I can now see the ways they've led to profound growth, making us stronger, more resilient, and ready for whatever comes next.” 

The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor

THE CALCULATION OF YOU AND ME by Serena Kaylor (Long Story Short) is a feel-good book whose pace is a little slow, but that all made sense when I read the author’s acknowledgment page and realized how difficult the time working in an ICU during COVID had been for Serena Kaylor. Her second novel featuring neurodiverse characters centers on Marlowe Meadows who has been “dumped” for not being romantic enough by manipulative boyfriend Josh at the start of their senior year in high school. Marlowe turns to a new classmate (and her AP English partner) Ashton Hayes to learn about writing romantic letters, reading romance books, and completing “fieldwork” activities in an effort to win back Josh. She is also supported by loyal, but quirky, friends Odette and Poppy. Kaylor includes a great deal of musing by Marlowe as she attempts to understand others whose brains work differently than hers. Along the way, readers become aware of her increasing attraction to Ash (who seems too kind and mature at times) and Marlowe’s own growth and maturation: “I could decide that I didn't want to learn to dance, and that would be fine, but I'm capable of doing hard things. Unexpected things. I might even be good at them. Or not, and that would be okay too.” And later, “That's what it's all about, right? Figuring out who we are and what we like and trying everything until we find the answers?” THE CALCULATION OF YOU AND ME received a starred review from Kirkus (“A delightful, richly characterized slow-burn romance about figuring out what you want”). 

Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin

CROW TALK by Eileen Garvin (The Music of Bees) is a beautiful story as much about nature and birds as it is about people. The setting is a remote collection of summer homes near a lake by Hood River, Oregon. Garvin says she only imagined June Lake, but finds it a welcome “place of refuge” and hopes her readers will, too. That peacefulness is what Mary Francis (call me Frankie) O’Neill is seeking when she heads to her family’s caretaker cottage near the end of the season. She is still grieving her father’s death; plus, her plans to be the first in her family to obtain a master’s degree in the ornithology field have been thwarted by a vindictive advisor. Life feels overwhelming and uncertain. The loneliness, grief, and unhappiness are echoed by Annie Ryan, Irish musician and daughter-in-law to one of the long-established summer families. Annie and husband Tim have brought their five-year-old, Aiden. Once a cheerful, outgoing little boy, he no longer speaks, but manages to establish a rapport with Frankie and with Charlie Crow, a young, injured bird that she nurses back to health. Gavin intersperses many facts (and even idioms) about birds; for example, that there are roughly two thousand distinct species, that a group of hummingbirds is called a glittering, and that birds may have capacity for facial recognition (see 2014 TedTalk by Dr. John Marzluff). Told from multiple viewpoints, CROW TALK received a starred review from Booklist (“A stunning affirmation of nature’s power to soothe and rejuvenate.”). Despite the sadness, readers will revel in a positive ending, all while feeling as though they are forest bathing due to Garvin’s vivid descriptions.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

HAPPINESS FALLS by Angie Kim (Miracle Creek) is one of the best fiction books I have read all year. That is largely because Kim makes her readers think. She is constantly challenging them – not just to solve a puzzle (and this novel has more than one), but also to re-evaluate prejudices and assumptions. The narrator here is Mia, twenty-year-old twin to John and big sister to 14-year-old Eugene who has been diagnosed with autism and a rare genetic disorder named Angelman syndrome. The entire family has adapted to Eugene’s situation, placing importance on rituals and routines like toothbrushing and family mealtimes. That is one reason it is so strange when the Dad does not come home from the park with Eugene. Mia’s voice in telling what happens over the next roughly 60 hours is extraordinary and very descriptive. Her thoughts are informative and educational, self-reflective, humorous, and troubling. She discusses being part of a biracial family, saying, “It's funny how being different from everyone else in a group can make you feel either isolated/insecure or special/important, depending on the social hierarchy of the trait in question.” Award-winning author Angie Kim has provided another fascinating look at family dynamics and the “shortcuts, cheats, cognitive biases, things we do and assume for efficiency, based on probabilities and statistics, instead of taking the time to figure it out.” HAPPINESS FALLS is highly recommended (and not just by me) – Angie Kim’s latest title is the Top LibraryReads pick for August 2023 and received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus, plus praise from writers like Ann Napolitano (Hello Beautiful), Gabrielle Zevin (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow), Julia Phillips (Disappearing Earth), Imbolo Mbue (Behold the Dreamers) and Mary Beth Keane (Ask Again, Yes). I just realized that is actually a great book group list! Enjoy them all.

In HAPPINESS FALLS the Mom, who has a PhD in applied linguistics, comments about “how we equate verbal skills, especially oral fluency, with intelligence.” Kim later poignantly writes “I think this is why I've written about people who have trouble expressing themselves in my fiction: because the bias against them is as painful and perplexing as anything I've encountered. Whether you're an immigrant, you stutter, or you have autism, aphasia, apraxia/dyspraxia, or Angelman syndrome -- there are so many reasons why you might have trouble speaking unrelated to the quality of your thoughts.” Kim provides a list of resources in her book and on her website for anyone interested in learning more.

Visual Thinking by Temple Grandin

VISUAL THINKING by Temple Grandin is subtitled “The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions.” The best-selling author and speaker explores those issues as well as the many reasons to more actively encourage visual thinking skills. Grandin will be discussing her new book – in person and via Zoom – this Thursday, October 20 at Evanston High School during a program sponsored by Family Action Network. Details are here.  She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and has written extensively about animals and about neurodiversity; her memoir, Thinking in Pictures, was made into an award winning film. In this new text, Grandin contrasts those who think primarily verbally with visual thinkers, themselves further sub-divided into spatial (abstract patterns) and object (pictures/images) visualizers. Verbal thinkers tend to be more linear in their thought process while Grandin argues that visual thinkers are more associative and that society and our economy would benefit from valuing their technical skills more highly. Roughly thirty percent of the book includes references from researchers, behavioral scientists, engineers, social commentators, entrepreneurs, and educators. Look for VISUAL THINKING on the Library shelves and add what is sure to be a fascinating talk to your calendar now! 

Related text: Fixed by Amy E. Herman.

The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves

THE HERON'S CRY by Ann Cleeves (The Darkest Evening) is another intriguing mystery, this one features Detective Matthew Venn and is set in rural North Devon. It is a bit dark, with multiple suicides and murders, but the suspense is maintained throughout this complicated plot and readers will likely be surprised at the outcome. Shockingly, Dr. Nigel Yeo is found stabbed to death with a piece of glass from his own adult daughter’s art. Subsequent events add to an intricate web of connections and Venn and his team, impulsive Jen Rafferty and young Ross May, work together to establish motive and opportunity. As Cleeves notes, Venn appreciated speculation: "Our job is all about What If? No harm creating a number of scenarios and seeing if the facts fit. The danger comes when you twist the facts to fit the theory." THE HERON'S CRY received a starred review from Kirkus (“character-driven exploration of people’s darkest flaws is a sterling example of Cleeves’ formidable talents”) and is likely to become an ITV TV series soon.