Lone Stars Rising ... fifty years of influential people

LONE STARS RISING compiled by the Editors of Texas Monthly is all about “The Fifty People Who Turned Texas into the Fastest-Growing, Most Exciting, and, Sometimes, Most Exasperating State in the Country.” Since it is the golden anniversary of Texas Monthly’s publication, they decided to compile some profiles of “fascinating personalities we've been blessed to write about over the past half century.” The debates about whom to include would have been quite interesting, right? This text itself is very engaging, too. Sections correspond to decades and lists statistics like state population, the Democrat/Republican split in the Texas House, Austin’s rank amongst US cities, and even the cumulative number of Willie Nelson albums! The end of each decade has a list of books, films/TV, music, and sports related to Texas. And in between are four to five page summaries (with an accompanying picture) of influential Texans; here are just a few of the names: Barbara Jordan, Tom Landry, Larry McMurtry, Bill Hobby, Charles Butt, Molly Ivins, Karl Rove, Selena, Beyoncé, Hugo Ortega, and Brené Brown. Filled with factoids (did you know that Texas’ economy would rank “9th in the world, just behind that of Brazil and ahead of South Korea”?), LONE STARS RISING is a remarkable text to browse, and patterns emerge looking chronologically. Of course, the essays included here are rather short and it could have been fun (and informative!) to include additional references and resources about each of these individuals. For example, there is a new podcast about Lady Bird Johnson’s life as well as the In Plain Sight podcast which was told in her own words. Yes, the LONE STARS RISING collection succeeded in making me more curious about Texas and its inhabitants. I am looking forward to learning more through Stephen Harrigan’s Big Wonderful Thing and Lawrence Wright's God Save Texas.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN by Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane) is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for June. This novel takes place during the Ming dynasty, in the late 1400s and early 1500s in Wuxi, China. The main character, Tan Yunxian, grows from her milk days as a little girl through her hair-pinning days as a young woman to the rice-and-salt days as a wife and mother and finally to sitting quietly days, the mature years. She shares a deep friendship with a young midwife, Meiling, and they experience some heart rendering events together. Tan Yunxian learns to be a female doctor through her own grandmother and ancestral heritage. Although she is often stifled by societal expectations (some of which, like foot binding, are difficult to read), Tan Yunxian persists, combats smallpox, and even treats others at the royal court. The women who influenced and cared for her, including her mother, called Respectful Lady, her father’s concubine, named Miss Zhao, her maid, Poppy, and even her combative mother-in-law, Lady Kuo, all have a lasting impact on her life. It seems like I am often amazed at how historical fiction novels not only provide vivid details about a time period (and Lisa See is excellent at this), they also frequently illuminate little known heroines. In a recent email, the publisher suggested that readers who wish to learn more about See’s writing process and inspiration, check out this Q&A. There, I learned that Tan Yunxian was a real person who actually did document her cases and that the information, in annotated form, is still available over 500 years later. Interested readers can register to join a discussion with Lisa See on June 27 at noon, Central time or visit her website for further details about LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN. In the meantime, start reading this surprisingly absorbing story.

On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen

ON FIRE ISLAND by Jane L. Rosen may cause you to shed a few tears, but it will certainly surprise you and make you laugh. For a book with a main character, Julia Morse, who dies from cancer at age thirty-seven, it is hilarious! This wonderful celebration of Julia’s beloved Fire Island and the many friends who live there is Rosen’s best yet (after Nine Women, One Dress; Eliza Starts a Rumor; A Shoe Story). Thanks in large part to a rabbi friend, Julia is at peace with her death and the funeral, including the poem We Remember Them, is a beautiful tribute. Unusually (or not, who knows?), Julia is then somehow able to observe her husband, Ben, as he leaves Shiva and heads for their cottage (the “Love Shack”) on Fire Island. There, he learns to cope with grief accompanied by curmudgeonly neighbor Shep, who is in his 80’s and has recently lost his own wife. Their adventures are often joined by sixteen-year-old Matty, son of Julia’s best friend, Renee. The inter-generational aspect and quiet insights from different life perspectives is one of my favorite parts of this novel which deals with loss of a soulmate, but also loss in other ways - divorce, virginity, and family dysfunction. And yet, in this close-knit community, “There was so much love all around – palpable love.” Author Elin Hilderbrand calls ON FIRE ISLAND “an irresistible escape.” Enjoy the music and happy summering!

Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams

ROGUE JUSTICE by Stacey Abrams (While Justice Sleeps) is another adventuresome mystery featuring Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene. While still dealing with fallout from her last confrontation with the federal government, Avery is approached with worrisome files and a doctored video indicating that a recently deceased federal judge may have been compromised. Before Avery can learn much more, she witnesses horrific murder and finds her own life and those of her friends to be threatened. Abrams imagines a plausible attack on the federal government, infrastructure, and the financial sector. That is all too real given recent news articles like: “US government agencies hit in global cyberattack” per CNN, “Food Producers Band Together in Face of Cyber Threats” from the Wall Street Journal, or even on the vulnerabilities of the electric grid from The New York Times. Avery and her “team,” including FBI Agent Robert Lee, not only have to discover the source of the plot, they also struggle to avoid politics and to convince bureaucrats of its seriousness, once again mirroring the real world. The pacing seems a bit slow in places and there are some convenient coincidences, but ROGUE JUSTICE is still an entertaining puzzle, appearing on a recent New York Times list, “Murder, They Wrote,” of newly published and recommended summer crime novels.

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor

THE LAST LIFEBOAT by Hazel Gaynor is an enthralling and poignant work of historical fiction based on true events. Most people know that during WWII English children were evacuated to the countryside for greater safety, but not so many know about the 1000’s of sea-evacuees who were transported to places like Canada and Australia. In this story, a widowed mother, Lily Nicholls, makes the difficult choice to send her young daughter (Georgie) and son (Arthur) through a program run by Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB). They travel with roughly ninety other children and several chaperones – in the story, Alice King has decided to take a risk and offered her services.  

I read the entire novel in less than 24 hours and am still curious to learn more about the actual tragedy that occurred when (like the fictional SS Carlisle in the story) a passenger ship (SS City of Benares) was torpedoed in the Atlantic and a stray lifeboat drifted for several days with dimming hopes of rescue. The Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Imperial War Museum have made some relevant photos and documents available online. Gaynor weaves much of this into her writing and does an excellent job of conveying the time at sea. In addition, she probes the feelings of mothers who stayed behind and the “different experience for men responding to the call to do their bit.” A historical note with more details, suggested discussion questions, and Gaynor’s book suggestions accompany this fascinating text. THE LAST LIFEBOAT is highly recommended, especially for readers who have enjoyed other WWII survival adventures like Ruth Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea or works by Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity; Rose Under Fire).

The Search by Bruce Feiler

THE SEARCH by Bruce Feiler, subtitled “Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World,” is an extremely interesting look at work and how it is changing. He writes about making job choices and others’ expectations and making what feels like an “un-right choice” since it disappoints someone, but often ends up being the right choice. Feiler explores the idea of finding meaning through work and having an impact. He cites studies by Gallup and Deloitte which have respectively found that well-being and balance are more important, especially to younger workers, than salary or money. He argues that his research shows that the average person experiences twenty “workquakes” (e.g., getting laid off, taking time away to care for family members, starting your own business) during their time at work and that the majority of these workquakes are initiated outside of work. In its second half, THE SEARCH provides a series of questions to help you find work that you love and to evaluate your own situation. For example, Feiler notes that the story we learn from parents is often about the value of working hard, but that we are increasingly pushing back at the sacrifices (e.g., less family time) that are expected. THE SEARCH, based on hundreds of interviews, is written in a very accessible manner and will encourage a great deal of thoughtful reflection, including the final section on success and the American Dream(s). Readers who are interested may wish to also look at this recent excerpted essay by Feiler plus a book review, both from The Wall Street Journal. 

Also, Feiler recently spoke at Family Action Network – here is a video of that discussion:

American Deadline ... reporting from four news-starved towns

AMERICAN DEADLINE by Greg Glassner, Charles Richardson, Sandra Sanchez, and Jason Togyer is a timely text about “Reporting from Four News-Starved Towns in the Trump Era.” Here, four journalists have collaborated with Columbia Journalism School to document their thoughts throughout much of 2020. The initial idea was that the election would be a major story and that this text could perhaps provide insight about smaller towns and cities in a way that seemed lacking in 2016. Well, the main story of 2020 turned into COVID and this project evolved. It is interesting to see the reflections from such a diverse group of places, the first two of which have lost their local papers while the other two have shrunk: McKeesport, Pennsylvania, is near Pittsburgh having lost many manufacturing jobs; Bowling Green, Virginia, largely rural and estranged from the state’s blue cities; McAllen, Texas, dealing with the border crisis; and Macon, Georgia, still dealing with “America’s troubled reckoning with race.” Glassner et al. provide some insights, but a more thorough summary of patterns (and possible next steps?) would have been a helpful addition.

The loss of local journalism is a dire situation. A few years ago, Art Cullen told an impressive story in Storm Lake while the University of North Carolina, in conjunction with The Knight Foundation, developed a comprehensive database on The Expanding News Desert which is itself referenced in AMERICAN DEADLINE. The News Literacy Project also attempts to fill a gap with some excellent Resources for Educators. If we do not have an educated citizenry who can agree on basic facts, then attempts at compromise and governance will become even more fraught.

Added note: Only recently, The New York Times published “It’s Not a Good Sign When People Who Don’t Pay for News Have So Little to Choose From.” Equally worrisome may be the attempts by attorney generals from Missouri and Louisiana to quell efforts to combat disinformation campaigns: see articles in New York Times and Wall Street Journal.