The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Brit Bennett writes convincingly and honestly about situations that arise in the Black community.  In her first book, The Mothers, she covers the very caring church mothers who sometimes overstep their boundaries in relating to the young people...with some judging and outspokenness.  In The Vanishing Half, Bennett tackles "Passing".  

The Vigne twins were inseparable growing up in the tiny town of Mallard, Kentucky where the whole Black community was light-skinned.  The problem was that the community totally looked down on darker skinned African Americans.  After watching their father's murder by white men, Desiree and Stella, become more and more convinced that they need to get away from this town.  So they disappear...away from the town, away from their mom, away from the bad memories.  Desiree, stubborn and resilient, chooses to marry a very dark black man; probably an unconscious decision to be her own person and not let the voices from her past control her...but it backfires when his abusive rage explodes.  Desiree and her young daughter flee back to Mallard.  Stella chooses another life entirely...passing as white.  She disappears from New Orleans where she and Desiree had started a new life, and walks into a white world where no one ever knows who she really is.

This was an intriguing read about family choices: leaving the past totally behind, never having another person to confide in fully, caring more about the carefully crafted life created than about the mother and sister who were left behind to mourn her.  But, was the cost of Stella's decision worth her pretend life?

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes

 Having read the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I was interested to see how these novels would compare.  I found two very compelling storylines.  Book Woman focused more on the life of Cussy Mary and the history of the Blue People of the Appalachians.  Giver was a broader story of women who were "before their time":  fiercely independent, adventuresome, fighters for their rights, living life on their own terms.  The novel begins with English born Alice who moved to this traditional small Appalachian town with her new spouse, who was totally under his father's thumb.  Chafing under the strict expectations of the father-in-law,  she finds an opportunity to flee the house by joining the "Pack Women", a library program created by Eleanor Roosevelt (another great example of an independent spirit).

Moyes develops great characters who display amazing loyalty and encouragement to one another.  When their leader is thrown in jail for trumped up murder charges by a small town sheriff and little-minded men, the women persevere in their quest to bring education to the far flung areas of the mountains...and they solidify their friendship by accepting one another with their faults and strengths.  Moyes knows how to engage plot twists that bring an emotional response, as well as introducing themes that are relevant today.  Women's roles, racial tension, corrupt business practices, and supporting community were the underlying issues which drew these strong women together....and made this a 5 star read.

Fall Reads

 The Sea Keepers's Daughters by Lisa Wingate

I was very interested in reading some lighter fare as the election tension progressed in September so I made a concerted effort to pick some random reads!!  Whitney makes a trip to North Carolina to pack up some of her deceased mom's things, but runs into difficulty with her stepfather...while discovering some hidden historical details about her father's family, and remembering special memories of time spent there with her mother.  A romance thrown in is always an added benefit!  Enjoyable quick read.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This was recommended by a Book Club friend.  It was a totally unusual read for me:  young 11 year old Flavia is an amateur sleuth who happens to be ten steps ahead of the local English constable investigating a murder.  Lots of funny, irreverent dialogue between the three sisters, and a satisfying ending.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

This is one of my favorite authors for light-hearted stories with emotional tugs.  There is always whimsy and magical pieces involved in the narrative of Allen's stories.  I'm a big fan because she weaves believable characters, with some difficult baggage...and somehow I am rooting for those misfits by the end of the tale!

China Dolls by Lisa See

Our book club selection for October, China Dolls was a read that I didn't enjoy.  During World War II,  three Asian American women meet each other as they are searching for jobs in the Asian (Oriental) Nightclubs near Chinatown in San Francisco.  The story chronicles their ambitions as circumstances pull them in and out of one another's lives.  I enjoyed getting a better picture of the war from the American side, and the difficulty faced by the Japanese Americans who were yanked from their homes and placed in internment camps, out of the deep fear and distrust of the American government after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  However, even though the women had many horrific experiences, the author did not engage my emotions in the way in which the book was written...it felt mechanical rather than warm.  See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane was a much better read for me.

The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby

In my ongoing exploration of racism, this was a heavy hitter because Tisby presents a very detailed history of how the American church has worked against racial justice.  He takes you on a historical and religious journey from America's early colonial days through slavery and the Civil War, then continues through Jim Crow.  I re-learned some history and de-bunked some myths concerning what I imagined the North and South to believe about slavery. I was extremely impressed by the pages of bibliography that he includes, to back up his facts.  This book made me look inward and feel ashamed of our past as Christians who could support slavery rather than do what was Biblical; who chose to want a good economy rather than making black people equals; who turned a blind eye rather than being uncomfortable.  Tisby gives many suggestions as to "where we go from here" in the last chapters.  This is a compelling and difficult read for the times in which we live.