Bumblebee Season by Eileen Garvin

BUMBLEBEE SEASON by Eileen Garvin (Crow Talk) is the sequel to her debut novel The Music of Bees. She provides an update on the progress that wheelchair-bound Jake Stevenson is accomplishing with his bee hives and Queen of G Honey business located near the Hood River in Oregon. But there is much more to the story as Garvin introduces us to other characters. One is Abigail Elizabeth Plue, a young teaching assistant at the local university; she is interested in insects and nature, but she has difficulty with self-regulation and cooperating with others, resulting in a transfer to study bees. Flaco (“skinny”) is the nickname of Sebastian Santiago Luna Lopez; he’s only fourteen and has been sent North (entering the US without papers) by his mother to keep him away from the cartel in his hometown. Along with Jake, each is struggling with personal issues and rejection by a loved one, but Garvin unites them through a shared desire to protect the environment and a growing respect and care for each other. Belonging and community are key ideas in this book which she has dedicated to “anyone who’s ever longed for home.” BUMBLEBEE SEASON received a starred review from Booklist (“Undoubtedly inspired by her own experiences as an Oregon beekeeper, Garvin is a master at creating hive-like communities vibrating with characters readers will enthusiastically embrace.”).

We are Home by Ray Suarez

WE ARE HOME by Ray Suarez (Latino Americans) is subtitled “Becoming American in the 21st Century: an Oral History.”  When reading this text, I was struck by how at least some Americans seem to easily forget that we are a nation of immigrants – according to the most recent Census report, 13.9 percent, or roughly one in seven of us are foreign born. That means nearly everyone would have friends and neighbors, even family, amongst these 46.2 million people. As Suarez notes, it is even more astounding when one realizes that a quarter of Americans are foreign-born themselves or the children of foreign born residents. In WE ARE HOME, he shares the stories of several immigrants, including Samir (from Yemen, but grew up in Kenya and won a lottery for his family to come to the USA), Margaret (from Scotland who met her husband in Iran and settled in the US after that revolution), and Jaime (from El Salvador whose father applied for asylum). Suarez weaves in facts about historical changes like the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and other statistics although the preview of his text sadly lacks any notes or bibliography. Overall, I think Suarez is trying to humanize and personalize the immigrant experience, but he takes a winding path to make key points about how immigrants contribute to American life. With an aging population, we need each other more than ever. One example is the March 2024 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges which projected the shortage of doctors in the United States to be 86,000 by 2036. Even the Wall Street Journal has run several articles concerned about nursing shortages and new State Department proposals which could limit the number of au pairs allowed to work here. Hopefully, there are stories in WE ARE HOME and from resources like Pew Research Center and Migration Policy Institute that can contribute to a fact-based sharing of information on the important, but divisive, topic of immigration reform.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY by Jennifer Ryan (The Kitchen Front, The Spies of Shilling Lane, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, and The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir) is another truly “feel good” book from this fabulous author even though it, too, is set in the perilous times of WWII. Bibliophiles will not be able to resist Ryan’s praise of libraries and the value of books: “Libraries aren't only about books; they're about people. They're about human life, how books can mend hearts, comfort wounds, and inspire us. But most of all, books can bring people together. Their ideas and thoughts make us realize that we are not alone, that we are all connected.” Most of the action of THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY takes place in war torn London and, like Ryan’s previous works, details the support which a close-knit community, especially females, offer each other. In her latest, three young women are the main characters: Juliet Lansdown (newly hired as library deputy head and living on her own for the first time), Katie Upwood (library assistant and soon-to-be high school graduate whose young boyfriend has gone off to war), and Sofie Baumann (a Jewish refugee on a work visa and separated from her family). Each of them struggles with difficult circumstances both in her work and home/family life. Yet, each becomes more resilient in the process while also finding valuable friendships and romantic happiness. Ryan actively researches her historical fiction novels; she based this one on Bethnal Green Library which was actually hit during the Blitz and recently celebrated a century of service. More information and images from the deep level shelters are available at The London Transport Museum; Ryan also suggests exploring WW2 – The People’s War, an archive of World War Two memories written by the public and gathered by the BBC. THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY is a March Library Reads Selection – perfect for readers looking for an inspiring, diverting tale of pulling together and overcoming hardships. 

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

THE WIND KNOWS MY NAME has a stunning cover and is the latest work of historical fiction by Isabel Allende, an award winning author long fascinated by questions related to the immigrant experience (The Japanese Lover; In the Midst of Winter). Here, Allende relates the story of Samuel, a young Jew from Vienna and part of the Kindertransport; of Leticia, whose family was killed at the 1981 El Mozote massacre; and of Anita, a young, partially blind girl from El Salvador who was separated from her mother in 2019 by the US border police. Allende definitely evokes empathy for these characters. Each story is harrowing in its own way, but this very emotional novel ultimately ends on a hopeful note as they coalesce into a family unit of sorts. THE WIND KNOWS MY NAME received a starred review from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

Owner of a Lonely Heart by Beth Nguyen

OWNER OF A LONELY HEART by award-winning author Beth Nguyen (Stealing Buddha’s Dinner) is a new memoir that contains parts I found painful to read as it seemed obvious that Nguyen (who as an infant left her biological mother behind in Vietnam) seems to struggle with abandonment issues for herself and her mother. Nguyen teaches creative writing at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and this memoir is extremely well-written. Reflecting about belonging, she writes that “refugees don't fit the romantic immigrant narrative that's so dominant in America. They are a more obvious, uncomfortable reminder of war and loss;” noting that “part of my own refugee condition is realizing that I have participated in this kind of rhetoric and erasure.” There is an entire chapter devoted to names and racism where she says that names “are markers of respect. What we call someone, what we are allowed to call someone, what we insist on calling someone - all of these indicate relationships having to do with levels of understanding, familiarity, or power.” A thought-provoking work to be read in small doses, OWNER OF A LONELY HEART received a starred review from Library Journal (“Nguyen's honesty and vulnerability will captivate readers instantly.”). 

Definitely worth a look are two other highly recommended memoirs about mother-daughter relationships: A Living Memory and A Season with Mom. Or, reflect further on family dynamics and immigration through reading fictional works like Infinite Country and Where We Came From.

Refugee High by Elly Fishman

REFUGEE HIGH by Elly Fishman is a newly released work of non-fiction about a year (2017-2018) at a public high school in Chicago named for Roger C. Sullivan. Fishman, a former senior staff editor at Chicago magazine, describes the ups and downs of that time for several immigrant and refugee teens, their siblings, parents, teachers, and friends. These students come from Iraq, Guatemala, Tanzania, Burma/Myanmar, and Syria. It is not an easy transition for many reasons. According to the Illinois State Report Card, the students at Sullivan under-perform relative to the district and state; chronic absenteeism is quite high (63%), and the graduation rate relatively low (72%, versus a state average of 86%); plus, English Language learners represent a sizeable (45%) part of the student body. Fishman spent hours with these students and their families – she clearly cares for them and offered a brief update in her author’s note. I personally wish that she had also crafted an introduction to REFUGEE HIGH although she does a commendable job of sharing stories. Reminiscent of books written roughly 20 years ago like Freedom Writers’ Diary by Erin Gruwell or Inside Mrs. B’s Classroom (also set in Chicago) by Leslie Baldacci, REFUGEE HIGH offers an important look into the lives of students that Fishman shadowed and is likely to build compassion and empathy amongst readers, especially in the face of growing vocalization of anti-immigrant sentiments.

LOCAL EVENT: Glencoe Public Library will be sponsoring a virtual talk by Elly Fishman on September 21. The author’s site and the library will have updated information soon.