Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

“When you get . . . to the end, you see that love and family are all there is. Nothing else matters.”

― Kristin Hannah, Firefly Lane 

I think that families are complicated. Wonderful memories from childhood crash like cymbals into painful memories from childhood. The hilariously funny anecdote shared at Thanksgiving by a sibling somehow clashes with your memory of that hurtful event.  Annoying behaviors that should have been left behind in childhood continue to re-surface in adult life.  Grade-school competition in athletics or academics transforms itself into heated discussions over politics, current events and the best way to cook the turkey; all with the goal of "winning" the debate.  Nonetheless, our best selves will still step forward with mostly anticipation, making plans for our finest Christmas gathering ever because our complicated families still long for a bit of perfection.  Firefly Lane is a book primarily about friendship,  but ultimately undergirded by family.

Though this was one of Kristin Hannah's earlier novels (2008), it grabbed hearts and propelled this former attorney into her journey as a well loved and very popular author. I purposely chose to re-read this just recently after watching several episodes of the new Netflix show of the same name.  As usually occurs, many changes take place in the transferral from page to screen...and I was not a fan.  As if families are not already in very tough straits, Netflix chose to change the Malarkey family dynamics by adding divorce, sexual identity issues, and affairs into the mix.  From my perspective, the book totally outshines this false TV representation, with changes presumably added to be culturally current.  Family groups are becoming increasingly diverse, and I acknowledge that...but don't change a story to get more viewers.

Growing up in the seventies, Kate Malarkey is shunned by the high school crowd as a book-loving introvert; but her stable mostly functional home sustains her.  When she meets beautiful and courageous Tully, her world is upended by a friendship that develops and lasts over her lifetime.  Ever grateful Kate believes that Tully has saved her, but what really happens is that the Malarkey family saves Tully.  When Mrs. Malarkey figures out that Tully's mom, a drug addicted hippie, is incapable of loving her; Margie steps in to shower praise, encouragement and unconditional love on this insecure young girl.  That's why the Netflix version doesn't work....Tully changes because the Malarkeys are relatively stable, supportive and connected.  They have the time and compassion to fully embrace Tully, not being encumbered by these other difficult challenges that Netflix throws in.  They open their arms to Kate's friend and she becomes family.  Hannah's book recognizes this important element.

"Fly Away", the sequel to Firefly Lane, gives "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey liked to say.  A bit more melancholy, Hannah diligently weaves a saga of redemption that brings her characters full circle with an abundance of forgiveness and love.  Families can survive even after unimaginable transitions and losses.

Love.  Family.  Laughter.  Maybe that's why we don't give up on our picture-perfect Christmas...because when it's all said and done, we can forgive the messed up memories and the old competitions and the sibling insults.  We come together to remember the best of us, to leave a legacy.  

Have yourselves a Merry Little Christmas...and don't make it complicated.

Surviving the Death of a Sibling by T. J. Wray

 What an insightful book.  A friend recently handed me this book because of a comment I had made to her about not finding a book about sibling loss when I had needed it- almost 15 years ago after the deaths of both of my sisters to breast cancer.  The author shares her journey of grief after the loss of her adult brother.  She also includes quotes from many other sibling survivors, most with the same feelings that I had gone through:  struggling to believe that my grief was equally as deep as my brothers-in-law, as my nieces and nephews, and as my parents.  Somehow there was much more information for those grievers, which made me believe that I was just "supposed to get over it" because we had our own families now, because their spouses would feel the effect of the deaths more profoundly, because their kids no longer had their moms.  And I bought into that, trying my best to be supportive and loving for them.  But I at some point fell into a deep hole, one that took time to crawl out of.

T. J. Wray walks us through the stages of grief in a very personal way directed to us siblings.  I will pass this book on to others, hopefully in time to assist them when they need it most.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Having read two previous novels by Lisa See, I knew that I would learn a whole new historical aspect of the Asian culture.  In The Tea Girl of  Hummingbird Lane,  See introduces a little known region of China and the ancient making of tea.  In China Dolls, she delves into the Chinese entertainment industry during World War II. In this story, a fascinating village in Korea is her focus.  

On the Korean island of JeJu during the 1930's and 1940's, women divers were the main breadwinners. The men of the island were the childcare and homecare givers.  This unbelievable tale by See is based on the true story of these remarkable women and what they endured under both Japanese and American captivity both during and after the wars that changed their lives.

Although I deeply appreciated the chronicle  of the historical events, this novel had some graphic images detailed of the Bukchon Massacre that were difficult for me.  I also tend to think that the author does not make me connect with the characters, as the story seems "sterile" and matter of fact, not emotional.  Most of my Book Club really enjoyed this, but it just wasn't the best for me.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil. 

I loved how this book opened...an aging librarian who opens up a newspaper and is transported to her secret life as a World War II forger.....almost 40 years before.  The elderly Eva is a bit  unlikable  as she refuses to communicate with her son, hops on a plane to France and tries to face her past on her own.  But the story of 23 year old Eva is one of courage as she joins the resistance in France, by forging documents for children so they can be transported into Switzerland.  Since their names must be changed, Eva finds a way to keep track of their original names in "The Book of Lost Names".

As a fan of the World War II romance genre, this was another good read for me, especially the different focus on forgery and also a different country in the war effort against the Nazis.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

 This was a very interesting story.  I listened to the Hoopla audiobook, and could hardly put down my earbuds!.  Learning much about Indian culture while  I followed this brave woman from an abusive marriage to making her own way as a competent businesswoman. So many quirky

characters, so much compassion from each of them, so many twists and turns.  I totally agree with this quote:  "Everything a great novel needs is here: The protagonist balancing impossible burdens with her bountiful talents; the many other characters, each so colorful and complex, each necessary to the intricate and delicate plot, Such a satisfying novel!"--Sandra Scofield, author of The Last Draft

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

 "It was otherworldly somehow, magical in its vast expanse. An incomparable

landscape.”

Although I have been a great fan of award winning Kristin Hannah's twenty-plus novels over many years, I hesitated to pick this one up.  Alaska has been pretty far down on my bucket list travels, and the Covid pandemic gave me enough stress and sadness without voluntarily picking up a book about abuse, PTSD and estranged families.  Nevertheless, a good friend had this comment: "It was the first book in a long time that kept me awake into the night and where I cried real tears at several points."  So I took the plunge.

The ever-moving Allbright family pile into their VW bus in 1974, heading to Alaska, which had become America's 49th state in 1959.  Dad Ernt believes another new start in an isolated wild place will make his demons recede: "Dad wanted a new beginning. Needed it.  And Mama needed him to be happy.  So they would try again in a new place, hoping geography would be the answer.  They would go to Alaska in search of this new dream.  Leni would do as she was asked and do it with a good attitude.  She would be the new girl in school again.  Because that was what love was."  This quote from the first chapter becomes the repetitious mantra of the Allbright family.  Perhaps this is the part of the book that was the most difficult for me because  Ernt doesn't change, Mom Cora continues to make excuses for his behavior and daughter Leni has a distorted perception of love.  I just wanted someone to step up and be a responsible adult before tragedy struck...but the reality in dysfunctional families is that healing from these cycles takes a long time.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

 "A bank robbery.  A hostage drama.  A stairwell full of police officers on their way to storm an apartment.  It was easy to get to this point, much easier than you might think.  All it took was one single really bad idea."

And so begins the "comedy-mystery" of the latest Fredrik Bachman story.  But it is so much more than that.  I am a fan of Backman's character developments; the way he makes me actually empathize with the most despicable characters, the way he unshutters my eyes to see beneath the surface of what makes people tick.

"A Man Called Ove" introduced me to Backman several years ago.  On a lengthy roadtrip, this was an audiobook that made me laugh out loud throughout most of it because Ove was such a grumpy old man who said the most outrageous things...but my tears at the end came because I could identify with Ove's deep hurts.  I could overlook his crusty exterior and fall in love with him.  That is the essence of Fredrik Bachman.

On any given day, we brush elbows or exchange greetings with people we really don't know.  The surly clerk at the local grocery store may have a daughter dealing with addictions.  The new couple at church may have just come through a huge financial loss.  On your daily neighborhood walk, you conscientiously greet the older resident who walks her dog, not realizing that dog is her only friend in this increasingly lonely world.  Could the unfriendly teenager who doesn't meet your gaze be facing intense insecurity, just longing for a friend?  And the handsome young man who treats your unruly lawn might have a devastating divorce looming ahead.  We just don't have a clue.  It's these kinds of strangers who are thrown together in this novel.  The bank robber.  The real estate agent.  The bank executive.  The pregnant couple.  The retirees.  The ninety year old.  The actor.  The father-son police officers.  All are thrown into an unusual hostage situation.  All have stories.  All survive.  However, the witty banter and hilarity surrounding these unforgettable strangers is purely Bachman.  Surprising twists make us smile and wonder how it all will end.  And especially, how will each of their once hidden life issues be resolved?

Jack, the younger police officer in the story, once asks his minister mom how she could bear to sit beside people when they were dying in their final hours without being able to save them.  She tightly holds his hand and says, " We can't change the world, and a lot of the time we can't even change people.  No more than one bit at a time.  So we do what we can to help whenever we get the chance, sweetheart.  We save those we can.  We do our best.  Then we try to find a way to convince ourselves that that will just have to...be enough.  So we can live with our failures without drowning."  

Nine strangers reaching out to help, because they were given the chance. A satisfying ending.

No Time Like the Future, an Optimist Looks at Mortality by Michael J. Fox

Non-Fiction for the Summer

 How to Fight Racism by Jemar Tisby

As a student of Racial Reconciliation, I studied this book along with others in a small group setting.  The purpose was to hear from a Black activist author who could challenge us to take another step in understanding and doing something about racism in our own spheres.  His three basic steps?  Awareness (head), Relationships (heart), Commitment (hands). 

Tisby calls this the ARC of social justice.  In our discussions we determined where we each were in this ARC.  Since I have been involved in the awareness part for the past few years, my decision next is to figure out where I can be involved in relationships with other ethnic groups.  I must know other people who are from different cultures, different political views, different faiths.  When you become friends with those that look at the world differently, it is harder to judge their ethnicity with blanket statements or with dismissals or with historical biases. After reading the segment on commitment, my heart wants to put action to my feelings; so I am hoping to gather some facts about voting in the Kalamazoo area, and possibly plan a Voting Registration event before the 2022 election.

Blackout by Candace Owens

Encouraged by my brother to understand both sides of the Racism battle, I began this read concurrently with the Tisby book.  Both authors are black, both authors are Christians, both authors are firm in their beliefs concerning the history of black America.  But...they disagree on systemic racism, on politics, on welfare, on how the Blacks have been cheated by the promises of "the other side".  

Frankly, I was confused.  It re-affirmed that our country is extremely polarized.  Owens agrees that slavery was oppressive, but refuses to concede that our laws were enacted by white men with the goal of keeping whites in the power positions.  She believes that Black people should be able to dig out of their poverty by working harder, not living on welfare...just as she did. Her main objective in writing this book was to present to her Black brothers and sisters, the need to leave the Democratic party in order to be "saved" by the Republican platform.  What is more important to me than her goal is to admit that we all have different viewpoints, because of our various backgrounds and privileges, and we desperately must learn how to compromise, how to problem solve, and how to somehow merge the Left with the Right and meet somewhere in the middle.  To attack either side and refuse to budge doesn't help our country.  I think I enjoyed the Tisby book because it gave me more valuable insight on how to take part in change, not just to make a decision about which side is right or wrong.  Owens gives a convincing argument, but her tone bothers me.

June Reads

 Chasing North Star by Heidi McCrary

Five children growing up in a dysfunctional home.  Not very newsworthy today, however when it is about kids that you went to school with in the 1960's, it feels different...and sad. Alamo, Michigan is a tiny 4 stop sign town about seven miles from our home.  

Most of my best friends grew up there.  I recognized almost all of the favorite locations that the Phillips family frequented:  the Allegan County Fair, the Congregational Church where my husband served as pastor a few years back, Miller's grocery store, the gas station where the men gathered, the firehouse, the cemetery and even the rest area.  All of these familiar spots, yet never knowing the continual trauma that went on in this home due to the mother's mental illness. 

The author, in her debut autobiographical novel as the youngest sibling, brings us face to face with the turmoil and pain that was a normal part of their lives; but she also brings to light the love and protection that existed between her brothers and sisters who worked hard to shield one another from the abuse and rage that her mom exhibited.

I enjoyed this story even though it was a difficult read.  My takeaway is the familiar adage "Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is well known for her light and breezy summer novels about life on Nantucket Island. 

This one delves into a murder mystery that happens at an exclusive summer home owned by the parents of the groom....on the morning of the wedding....to the Maid of Honor!!  I thoroughly enjoyed this very quick read.  Her format was the investigation and interrogation by the Chief of Police and the local detective of all the guests at the reception.  Of course, the reader learns the history of many quirky characters and the secrets that they keep from one another.  Hilderbrand does a great job, even in a murder story, with making me smile.  I also appreciate that she keeps her language clean, not needing to drop the F bomb at every turn of the page.  This kept me guessing and plotting, and I was even a bit surprised at the ending!  Kudos!!

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitan

Question:  How does a twelve year old boy move forward in his life as the lone survivor of an airplane crash that kills 191 people...especially when three of those victims were his family?  Answer:  Little by little with the support of people who desperately want him to heal.   

 Ann Napolitan crafts an unusual story.  One of my high anxiety moments is getting on a plane, but I choose to do it because my grandkiddos live in CA and it a necessity for me to see them!  So imagine my difficulty in opening the first chapter and realizing that the author will give us a "play by play" of the hours preceding the crash.  It took me a few days to pick this book back up, but it was a deeply worthwhile decision.  Not only does the reader get a glimpse into the lives of everyday people traveling to Los Angeles with hopes and dreams for their futures; but the singular story of Eddie trying to find his hopes and dreams again is heart wrenching as well as uplifting.

When Eddie wakes up in the sterile hospital room to see his stricken aunt and uncle, ready to step into their new parental roles (roles that will be an uphill, day by day struggle), he is numb with denial and pain.  Not wanting to move into their "nursery", a reminder of the many losses his aunt has suffered through miscarriages, Eddie chooses to find solace at the neighbor's home.  His sleeplessness can only be reversed on the sleeping bag of Shay's bedroom floor each evening.  Shay, also twelve, seems to be the one person who can allow Edward (renamed by his aunt) to be himself --and Shay definitely remains herself: brutally frank with questions about his brother Jordan, about the flight, about the "idiot" kids at school, about pushing him to move ahead when he is unsure.  Edward doesn't need to tiptoe around Shay as he does so many others, so their relationship gives some normalcy back to his upended life.

So many others step into Edward's world to fill in little pieces of his emptiness.  Compassionate Principal Arundhi offers a small job of fern-caring to Edward, not only sharing his joy in flora, but also knowing that Edward might find some peace in developing an interest in something.  Ever protective Uncle John eventually discovers ways to communicate better, bringing honesty and vulnerability into Edward's healing.  Patient therapist Dr. Mike offers small steps of counsel when Edward wonders why he continues to think about the crash on a daily basis after three years: "What happened is baked into your bones, Edward.  It lives under your skin.  It's not going away.  It's part of you and will be part of you every moment until you die.  What you've been working on, since the first time I met you, is learning to live with that."  Having experienced the deaths of my two sisters, this line deeply resonated with me.  As I muddled through several years of pain, this truth became firmly imbedded:   loss does not go away, it becomes a part of your story....but somehow, at some point, God gives the wisdom to learn to live with it.  

Juliane Diller had to learn this truth.  In 1971 she fell from a burning plane, still strapped to her seat, after lightening struck the wing.  This 17 year old had to summon the courage to find her way out of the Peruvian jungle on her own....the sole survivor of the 86 passenger crash. One victim was her mother, who sat right next to her as the plane descended.  Her story is also one of learning to live every day with her memories and loss...just like Edward.  

Sometimes truth is just as strange as fiction.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

 "The tale I am going to tell is of a summer long ago. Of killing and kidnapping and children pursued by demons of a thousand names. There will be courage in this story and cowardice. There will be love and betrayal. And, of course, there will be hope. In the end, isn't that what every good story is about?"

And so begins twelve year old Odie's powerful saga of adventure, of longings, of survival, of kindness, of evil, of friendship, of adversity, and of course, hope. In the summer of 1932, four desperate orphans race away from a place of terror and abuse, the Lincoln Indian School, set on the banks of the Gilead River in Minnesota.  Along with adventuresome Odie and his more sensible older brother Albert, they bring along their best friend Mose  as well as heartbroken little Emmy (who had recently lost her mother). As these self titled "Vagabonds" begin their journey, their sole purpose is in fleeing to the Mississippi River and heading south; not really having a clear purpose or destination, just to get away from the oppression they had been under and a deadly accident that had occurred. Literally running for their lives, none of the children have any idea what dangers they might encounter in that stolen canoe,  or if they have the fortitude to survive on their own.

After publishing "Ordinary Grace" in 2013, William Kent Krueger followed with a manuscript somewhat related to that novel which he entitled "This Tender Land".  However, after some consideration, he abandoned the project to begin again with a different concept. This extraordinary tale is the result of that re-write.  Kudos to this author who knew when to "abandon ship" and pick up the pieces in a different way.  It says something to me about Krueger and how he develops his characters to also "pick up the pieces" when they run into adversity.  Adversity shows up in many forms to these wanderers as America is digging out of the effects of the Great Depression.  They had already experienced it in the treatment of the Indian children being stolen away from their parents and sent to the orphanage.  The children also saw adversity in the many communities along the Mississippi, where tent cities had sprung up - Hoovervilles for the homeless.  They saw it in the anger and bitterness of many who turned to drink or crime, and the Vagabonds were  sometimes the recipients of that rage.  But they were  also the recipients of grace and love from strangers who had overcome adversity and chosen a different way to walk through it.  Some would call this the American Spirit.  Others refer to it as the grace and healing of God.

Any real adventure involves change when adversity hits and circumstances shift.  As the Vagabonds travel, their friendship with one another evolves.  They drift apart, then draw close.  They work together to formulate a plan to get to relatives in St. Louis.  They lean on one another, then open their circle and begin to trust others.  They take risks. They grow up.  Odie realizes this as he muses, "It began to feel to me as if what had been broken was coming together again, but I knew it would never be exactly the same.  With every turn of the river, we were changing, becoming different people, and for the first time I understood that the journey we were on wasn't just about getting to Saint Louis".  

Hoping we all have the ability to face our summer adventures from Odie's wise perspective!

Springing Through the Scenic South - March & April 2021

Left cold Michigan behind us on March 22, and made our first stopover in Williamstown KY at the Ark Encounter.  We have passed this many times, but finally decided it was time to get up close and personal!  They have done a great job in replicating the Biblical Ark and their many exhibits present their case for a 6,000 year old Earth...although we really aren't sure if we agree or not!  Does it matter if God didn't actually create the world and all that is in it, in 7 days?  We just know He is the amazing Author of Creation!

Then on to Knoxville to watch soccer, volleyball, flag football... and then on the road to Myrtle Beach along with our 2 eldest grands, Azi and Jet!

My 70th Birthday Celebration at the Dead Dog Saloon!!


A two week stay at our Vistana timeshare, Broadway Plantations, gave us plenty of room to host college friends, Bonnie & Gene Ward (laughter, golf, eating, shopping).  And then joining Paul & Deb Haken for card games, mini-golf, laughter and lots of chatter!

After a lovely stop in Waxhaw NC to visit Wycliffe missionary friends, Mike & Tracy Wright, we hit the road again for Knoxville.  Enjoyed spectating again at their games, we also busied ourselves with a master bedroom project and helping complete a front yard landscaping makeover.  We headed to our favorite campground, Yarberry, to rest!!

Our final destination was Laurel MS, a wonderful Main Street town (just like Otsego!) who is working hard to improve their downtown as well as capitalize on the popularity of HGTV's "Hometown" with Erin & Ben Napier.  We were super impressed with their well preserved historic district with large early 1900 residential homes.  Bill snuck behind Ben's workshop to chat with an employee and discovered where most of their TV projects were located!!  What a guy.  It was a great finish to a sweet trip.

Spring Reads While Traveling the Southern States

 When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury

What I like about this author is that her stories always seem to have a happy ending.  What I don't like about this author is that her stories always seem to have a happy ending... kind of  a conundrum for me!  Kingsbury does a great job in dealing with hard issues and Maggie's depression is a timely topic for 2021 after a year of digging out of the pandemic.  Depression is generally linked to anxiety, anger, rejection and loss; and Maggie is dealing with all of these, stemming from a past experience of hurt and pain. The author's Christian perspective provides a good foundation for facing depression in a Biblical way.  The dialogue is real and the quickly sent prayers in the middle of the mess show us how to keep our communion with God honest.  However, having lived through difficulties and knowing that God doesn't always answer our deeply wrenching prayers, made me skeptical of how all the pieces fit so quickly together.  Could Maggie sort through all of her past in such a short time?  And do the broken pieces of our lives get resolved so perfectly?  Although my skepticism shows, I really did enjoy this read and what Kingsbury tried to tackle...it certainly pulled at my heartstrings with accompanying tears of compassion.

40 Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet

Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 1999, this 120 page juvenile fiction book packed a powerful punch.  During the Reconstruction Era, previously held slaves were freed by Lincoln's Emancipation.  General Sherman's promise of 40 acres of land to farm gave them much hope. 
Unfortunately, those 40,000 freedmen  who gained 400,000 acres of land in the South found it taken away and given back to the original planters by President Johnson, Lincoln's successor, who was a southern sympathizer.  This book is the story of 2 brothers who lived through this hopeful venture and proved that they could be successful farmers.  Told by the youngest brother, I was touched by the difficulties they faced and how teamwork among many different homeless freedmen created a new "family" unit.  The support and caring between this group and a neighboring white family was a picture of what 2021 America could look like.

Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio

Another very realistic fiction story about two women in Afghanistan, an American aid worker and her Pakistani interpreter, who forge an unlikely friendship as their two worlds collide in the violence of Kabul. This author masterfully draws us into the lives of real families who are ravaged by war, and how very much alike women are even though separated by very distinct culture differences. These courageous characters are bound together in the fight for voiceless women, and in this fight they find common feelings, common responses, and common goals.  Unforgettable. 

Akin by Emma Donoghue

 On Oprah's book list, O Magazine proclaimed Akin  "a soul stirring" novel.  From my view, it did not produce what I had anticipated.  Donoghue is no stranger to writing, nor to intergenerational characters such as Michael and Noah.  Seventy nine year old Noah finds himself the only living relative of 11 year old Michael after his mother is incarcerated from a drug charge that she apparently took the hit for.

As Noah embarks on a trip to his boyhood home of Nice, France; he must grudgingly take his new charge along with him or cancel his trip.  There are some comical exchanges between the two, but mostly Noah fails at connecting his scientific brain with the interests of this wounded boy.

Not a chemistry fan, the long educational illustrations from Noah bored me.  I was frustrated by Michael's total disrespect, even knowing he was consistently testing his new caregiver.  Having never had children, and having given up on his nephew (Michael's father), Noah did not have the resources to understand nor relate to this boy.  The good news is that by the end of the book, he wanted to try.

Arthur Truluv was a much more likeable character, who had empathy and common sense in relating to his newly found teen-age friend, in The Story of Arthur Truluv.  Akin did not resonate with me.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

 Leif Enger is a masterful storyteller; more specifically he is a weaver of tales about life in the northern Midwest state of  Minnesota.  "Peace Like a River," his first novel, left me speechless with wonder as I pondered the beautiful characters and the calm prose.  An action writer with a swift pace he is not....but a developer of larger than life characters and authentic life scenarios is definitely his forte.  But even more than that, his canny ability to describe inanimate objects with human characteristics by the turn of a well worded phrase, is the strength that makes a reader lean in and relish his books.  Several times I caught myself pausing, re-reading the line and then settling back with a contented grin.

Virgil's life has just taken an odd turn.  As Virgil describes it, "Apparently my heartbroken Pontiac breached a safety barrier and made a long, lovely some might say cinematic arc into the churning lake."  Fortunately for Virgil, an observer dove into icy Lake Superior to retrieve him, but throughout the story he is on the road to recovery...recovery of his lost adjectives, of his physical strength, of his dreams.  

Leif unfolds Virgil's story with a variety of whimsical hometown locals who have known and loved him for years, but perhaps the strongest relationship is with a stranger, Rune, who arrives in this depleted industrial town looking for clues about the disappearance of his son.  Rune, though serious in his intent, also has a philosophical outlook regarding life; that you should take pleasure in the small things around you.  Virgil appreciates how Rune methodically creates and crafts kites for the sheer pleasure of it, how he spends time in listening to hurting people, how he finds joy in the raven that befriends him.  

Kite-flying is the bridge to their relationship, and it is where the author adeptly uses his vocabulary to woo us.  At their first meeting, Virgil spots the kite from his 2nd story apartment and wanders purposefully down to the lake to speak to the stranger.  "It's good in the air, this one" Rune mused, "Not that it behaves. No No!  Its manners are very terrible!  But what a flyer....as if hearing its name the kite woke riffling in his hands."  

Once Virgil catches the kite flying fever, he thinks "Who doesn't want to be carried sometimes?  Come to think of it, it sounded a little like how I felt flying Rune's kites."  And towards the end of the story, after an acquaintance has lost one of Rune's beautifully crafted kites to a powerful gust of wind; Virgil ponders that special gift from his friend: "I loved that kite...we were old friends.  I had soared and laughed with that kite.  It got me out on the perimeter......Thinking it over, I became a bit less angry, and more proud of the kite itself; it had refused to be flown by Leer one moment longer.  It broke the line and caught the next gust out of town.  A perilous move, choosing to throw yourself at the future, even if it means one day coming down in the sea."  

Of course, this last thought is what Virgil had been wrestling with since his accident.  Who did he want to be in his older life?  Did he want to continue as the hometown cinema owner and part time city clerk or were there still adventures and dreams to be had?  Could his brush with death give him new perspective and a new lease on life?  Can we perilously throw ourselves at the future, not knowing if we will crash into the unknown sea ahead?  Virgil Wander must choose.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

 Once again Sarah Addison Allen delights me with her tale of a "need Mom's approval" thirty-something daughter living at home while caring for her aging mother.  Josey, known all over Bald Slope because of her family's wealth (as well as her own bad behavior as a child), has been totally dissatisfied with her life but not until crazy Della Lee moves into her closet does she begin to wish for more.  Della believes she has landed there to assist Josie in pulling away from home, thinking for herself, and pursuing the secret love of her life.

Josie does begin to do those very things as the story unfolds.  She steps out of her routine, makes new friends and finally believes she can be lovable...although her mother has indicated the opposite all of her life.  Along the way Josie begins to understand some of her mother's angst and her dead father's weaknesses. The magical elements which have made Allen's work so charming are intact:  moving books with exactly the right content found on tables or car seats, and plucky characters with slightly "psychic" or paranormal tendencies (like when the water automatically boils in the kettle whenever the man Chloe loves walks into the room where she is).

I'm sure there may be other readers who hunger only for realism, but Allen's whimsy continues to make me smile.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

As suggested by our book club, we branched out in our selection for this month and tried a classic.  I've read a few Dickens novels way back in my past but had forgotten how long it takes for him to develop his characters, interweave them throughout the story and finally bring it all to a conclusion (850 pages). It is not an easy process to wade through the language of the 1700's, and many times I could not decipher the real intent of a person's statements, as it must not have been politically correct to be direct with one another in that day and age!!                       

David Copperfield writes his story...from very young boyhood through his adult career as a journalist and writer.  Most believe that this is an autobiographical novel of Dickens' life, as there are many parallels.  I'm not sure that I will soon forget his amazing yet comical characters: trusted Traddles, sweet silly Dora, sensible Aunt Trotwood, loving Peggotty, steady Agnes, never wavering Mrs. Micawber, sacrificial Mr. Peggotty, maniacal Heep, and the murderous Murdstones.  Dickens has a wonderful way of bringing characters into his stories who represent all levels of society....some whom I totally dislike upon meeting them, but by the end am persuaded of their strengths and goodnesses.  Writing with a quiet wit and humor, Dickens still manages to attack the ills of the time.  Debtor's prison, child labor, poor living conditions, society's condemnation of immoral women, greed and loss are all brought under the author's scrutiny.

 I fully concur with Algis Valiunas in her April 2021 article 'THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO DICKENS' as she concludes:  "There was a darkness in him.  Dickens carried with him all his life the indignity and terror of having been put to menial labor in a shoe polish factory when he was twelve, and he was a cad to his wife after he fell in love with a much younger actress.  But Dickens loved being alive, knew his life was a divine gift, and propagated that love and that knowledge wherever he went.  It was his love that allowed him to construct the most extraordinary fictional world since Shakespeare's: a world uniquely his yet unmistakably our own, poised precariously between good and evil, but tilting in the end toward the eternal victory of faith, charity, compassion and delight.  The canon is forever enriched by the Gospel According to Dickens.  He penned a modern quasi-mythic trove of Christian wisdom and, above  all, joy."

Waking Up White by Debby Irving

 "In this society violence against poor people and minority groups is routine.  I remind you that starving a child is violence; suppressing a culture is violence; neglecting schoolchildren is violence; discrimination against a working man is violence; ghetto house is violence; ignoring medical needs is violence; contempt for equality is violence; even a lack of willpower to help humanity is a sick and sinister form of violence".  These are words from Coretta Scott King spoken in 1969, and the more I try to educate myself in the nuances of American culture and racism, the more I realize that my problem has been the lack of willpower to be a voice for change...I have been a bystander.  

Irving does a great job of sharing her story, being raised in a rich upper class family in Winchester, Massachusetts.  She outlines the ways that she fell easily into the socioeconomic privileges her life afforded, with no thought of how others in lesser financial straits coped.  Her family culture taught her that she simply needed to work hard to meet her goals, to help "fix" other people's problems by teaching them to be more like her, to not push back in a hard conversation so that silence became the best solution.  These well ingrained family culture points had to be dismantled at age 50, as she became more aware of her part in allowing racism to prevail.  She found out that people of color do not want white people to "swoop in" and save/fix them, they want the tools to help themselves.  She is learning to bring listening skills to her difficult conversations so that she can hear other voices and cultures, and learn how she might be wrong.  She now understands that for many, working hard cannot get them into the best schools or jobs...because her privilege gave her referrals by prestigious and powerful white people.

This book added different layers to what I have been learning about myself, about how I view my opinions and values as right or normal, about my role as a bystander.  My heart is ready to figure out how to be an ally in this important fight.  May God give me wisdom.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

 "Arthur thinks that, above all, aging means the abandonment of criticism and the taking on of compassionate acceptance. He sees that as a good trade."

So writes Elizabeth Berg in her early description of the main character of her 2017 novel.  And wouldn't it be wonderful if more octogenarians like Arthur had this philosophy?  Actually, it would be wonderful for me to have this goal in my daily routine.

A recent widower, Arthur spends his days riding the bus to visit his lovely wife Nola for lunch at her gravesite, then gets home in time to nap and talk to his cat, Gordon.  Upon waking the next morning, this pattern repeats itself, as it has for the past six months.  The cemetery serves as an outlet for his imagination as he reads headstones and creates storylines for Nola's "neighbors".  And it is there that Maddy enters his life.  Seventeen and despondently sad, Arthur sees past the nose ring and slight chip on her shoulder, to her inner beauty.  Arthur kindly engages her in conversation.  Consumed with her own difficulties as the brunt of bullying in her high school, Maddy questions the purity of Arthur's motives.  As the beautiful and peaceful cemetery becomes a daily refuge for Maddy, she begins to open up to Arthur's overtures.  She visits his home, she meets his also-elderly neighbor, Lucille, and she begins to not miss her mother as much; while these welcoming Seniors take a more than curious interest in her life....and give her the unconditional love that she has desperately craved for so very long.

In the middle of a global pandemic, a hateful political climate and a world where unkindness prevails; this read was a breath of fresh air.  I wanted to hug Arthur for his non-judgmental attitude and for his courage in making huge adjustments in his life to accommodate others.  He opens his home to both Lucille and Maddy.  He gently suggests that Lucille volunteer her time to teach baking classes...which fills her need to be needed.  He bargains with Maddy to pay for her time in cleaning his home in exchange for room and board...which validates her need to give back.  Maddy blossoms under the support of a teacher who reaches out, and the exceptional care of Arthur and Lucille.  This trio living in the same household become a different kind of family: not traditional, but a family nonetheless.

Unselfishness, kindness, inter-generational acceptance, loneliness, loss...these are all themes that Elizabeth Berg includes in this sentimental read.  Although the ending is expected, it still left me wiping tears from my cheeks...and rooting for all of the kindhearted "Arthurs" out there, looking for opportunities to make a difference, one person at a time. 

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max Lucado

 This was a perfect book for the craziness of our world right now.  Having faced anxiety over Covid, over health issues, over cancellations of three family trips...I was ready to fall apart.  Thankfully the prayers of friends, exercise, different supplements, acupuncture, wise counsel ...and this book...brought me such relief.  Lucado brings such great illustrations to his writing, and his breakdown of Philippians 4:4-8 makes such good sense.  Making the choice to have joy in the daily grind of life then leads to gratefulness, which leads to specific prayer.  If my thoughts are still anxious, verse 8 reminds me to change the channel on my mind and think on things that are kind, pure, good, commendable, true.

His clever acrostic for anxiety, using the above verses, is CALM: 

• Celebrate God’s goodness
• Ask God for help
• Leave your concerns with God
• Meditate on good things

Because Bill and I were also listening to a favorite pastor on this topic, we got a double dose of peace and Holy Spirit power--a wonderful way to spend our January/February days.

The One in A Million Boy by Monica Wood

 Who has never made a serious mistake that they have regretted for much of their life?  This lovely read by Monica Woods brings us several characters who are living with just such regrets.

Ona Vitkus at age 104 years, lives independently in her cozy little home, but realizes that she needs a bit of help in maintaining the outside tasks.  The kind scoutmaster in town, with a community program for his scouts, drops off a young boy to assist Ona.  A One in a Million Boy.  A quiet boy. A boy who makes lists and relentlessly counts.  A responsible boy who finishes his weekly tasks. A boy who is wise beyond his years.  A boy who recognizes Ona's loneliness and determines to give her purpose.  A boy who records Ona's long history and uncovers secrets and shame.  A boy whom Ona begins to love as they develop an unusual friendship.

Quinn Porter, the boy's much absent musician father, steps in to assist Ona with her yard chores.  Ona doesn't understand why.  At first she believes she was mistaken about this sweet boy..did he decide to shirk his duties?  Did he become enamored of another task to pursue?  Did their friendship not mean as much to him as it did to her?  When Ona reads the obituary in the local paper, her questions stop...and a new friendship with Quinn begins.  he works tirelessly in repairing Ona's home; beautifying flowerbeds, cutting tree limbs, fixing the broken porch, replacing lightbulbs.  He works to complete the boy's agreement contract with Ona.  He works to assuage his guilt over spending more time on the road than in his home.                                  Belle Cosgrove, the boy's distraught and grieving mother, also enters into a relationship with Ona because Quinn suggests that in entering Ona's home he senses the boy's presence...and oh how Belle needs to feel that.  Unlike Quinn's rocky start with Ona (he had to get past her prickly exterior), Belle and Ona bond more quickly, their commonalities as women and mothers who had each lost a son being foundational to this fledging friendship.

This trio of characters embarks on a journey together.  This journey involves a road trip to re-unite Ona with her son, but more importantly this journey of friendship begins to heal the broken places in each of their hearts.  Belle, brokenhearted over her only son's death; Ona, brokenhearted over the lost years of a damaged friendship; and Quinn, brokenhearted over the loss of his marriage, his career dreams and the truthful reality that he was not a good father.

Wood weaves a story rich with quirky, imperfect people who learn how to lean into each other.  Though they might not acknowledge or understand it, each bridges their individual loneliness to serve the other, to accept the other, to put the others' needs ahead of their own. It's a story of redemptions.

The final chapter backtracks to the boy's final morning, riding his bike in the pre-dawn to put the finishing touches on Ona's memoirs...the sounds of hundreds of birds breaking forth in song.  The selfless heart of the One in a Million Boy wanted to fulfill this important Ode to Ona.

 

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Highly recommended by friends, this was not a great read for me in these Covid-19 days.  Based on the true story of a remote English village in England who faced the bubonic plague (The Black Death) in 1665, the topic was too close to home.

Told by villager Sarah, the rector encourages the town to close their borders early on in the pandemic, in order to keep the disease from getting out of their boundaries.  An outwardly noble and responsible choice, the congregation hesitantly take a vow together.  This is a story of death, greed, anger, sadness, violence, selfishness and murder.  When grief consumes a community, consolation and kindness are the first response...but as time goes by, division and strife follow.  Sarah details the sins of the townspeople, and outlines her deep friendship with the rector and his wife, Elinor; whose relationship she finds out later is not what it appeared to be.

I think this was a hard read because our country has recently seen this kind of downturn after a year of quarantining and fear... judgmentalism, unkindness, hatred, loud rhetoric, taking sides, vengeful acts.  It reminds me that "to err is human, to forgive is divine".  My prayer is that the relationships lost during our current pandemic, will be mended with communication and forgiveness.

His Truth is Marching On, John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meacham

I was a product of the sixties.  Singing along to Chubby Checker's "The Twist" or the Supreme's "Stop in the name of Love" during my junior high lunch hours was pretty commonplace for my friends and I.  Though I thought that I was open-minded and kind to all people; my white blue-collar upbringing placed  shuttered lenses over my eyes that I am still trying to shed.  John Meachum's most recent book brought more clarity to this shedding process.

John Robert Lewis was an American politician, statesman and civil rights activist and leader who served in the US House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district until his recent death in July 2020.  Lewis's life reads like fiction.  Born the 3rd of 10 children to sharecroppers in rural Alabama, his parents never had the fight nor the spirit in them to fully support Lewis's dreams of following Martin Luther King's vision for a "Beloved Community".  It was an activist's life, a grueling life, a public life, a courageous life, a life that didn't make sense to his humble parents, who who favored his original plan plan of becoming a preacher.

Although Meacham sometimes lost me in the many names and organizations he presents, I knew that those details were extremely meaningful to a historian, reviewer, and presidential biographer...so the amazing story line was what drew me in.  Here was a 25 year old student organizing marches, cafeteria sit-ins, voter registrations for the south's denied black citizens.  Even when faced with repeated cruelty at the hands of powerful law enforcement, Lewis didn't quit his dream of changing governmental policies to bring true freedom for his black brothers and sisters. 

In August of 1964, John's organization brought compelling stories and testimonies before President Lyndon Johnson in hopes that changes would be made legislatively in order to allow black delegates to attend the Democratic Convention that year.  Johnson verbally consented, but politics prevailed.  When John's cautiously hopeful group arrived at the Atlantic City center, the regular Mississippi delegation, with great derision, stood and walked out in protest.  Their chairs had been purposely pulled so it left the Mississippi Freedom Democratic group to stand alone in that huge arena......eyesores and outcasts once again in the middle of a white crowd.  "As far as I'm concerned", Lewis recalled, "Atlantic City was the turning point of the civil rights movement.  I'm absolutely convinced of that. Until then, despite every setback and disappointment and obstacle we had faced over the years, the belief still prevailed that the system would work, the system would listen, the system would respond.  Now, for the first time, we had played by the rules, done everything we were supposed to do, had played the game exactly as required, had arrived at the doorstep and found the door slammed in our faces."

And he was right.  With the loss of hope, the black freedom movement turned to rioting in larger cities, with leaders like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael, whose philosophy totally differed from the non-violent approach of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis.  But Lewis never participated in that type of activism.  He broke away from the organization he had founded and made a turn to politics.  Perhaps that door slamming in his face changed the way that Lewis wanted to fight...for he turned his eye to Washington DC as an  insider to bring changes in job opportunities, in housing, in voting disparities for his Black Community.  

I have been struck anew in recent years that being raised in a tiny northern all-white town kept me in a bubble that barely paid attention to the "Southern" problems of racism nor the concerns of our Black brothers and sisters.  I feel ashamed.  March 7, 2021 marks the 56 year anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday, where John Lewis and scores of other peaceful activists were brutally beaten by police.  My hope is that Americans are challenged to contemplate that past event...and that more scales would fall from our blinded eyes, compelling us to choose change in 2021.