Words in the Dust

Words in the Dust
by
Trent Reedy
YA fiction

Inspired by events that happened to the author when he was stationed in Afghanistan this book is contemporary and highly readable. Zulaikha is an Afghan girl with a birth defect - a cleft lip. This makes eating and talking difficult for her, but most importantly, it affects her marriageability. She is mocked by the village boys and her family is not so sure what her future will hold. The American soldiers notice her one day and come up with a plan to have the American doctors help her. Will her dreams of a normal life come true? Is it too much for a poor girl to dream?

The author ties in all kinds of facts about current life in Afghanistan and references to the past that made the country what it is today. Another theme that runs throughout is the role of women in society, the love of poetry that Afghans have traditionally held, the aftermath of war, the lack of literacy among the young people, and many more discussable topics.

It reminds me of "Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind" but more up to date.

The publisher has included a glossary, which was very helpful. There were many words that the author used that were rather foreign. There is also a discussion with the author, a bibliography of other books about Afghanistan, and a note about the poetry that is referenced in the book.

This book deserves to go on a number of reading lists - books for teenaged girls, books about current events, books about the role of women, books about world culture, etc.

It is touching that the author says that the best person to write this would be an Afghan woman, but the literacy rate among females in that part of Afghanistan is only about 1 %. Heartbreaking! The author is donating money to a charity that supports the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and there is also a link to a group that starts and runs schools for girls in central Asia.

Reading this book reminds me how grateful I need to be that I am an American woman instead of a poor, illiterate Afghani.

Wench: A Novel

Wench: A Novel
by
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
adult historical fiction

What an unusual idea for a book! The author calls upon oral history tales about slave owners taking their Black mistresses on vacation to Xenia Springs, Ohio to create a haunting historical fiction work. I think that the author and just about every possible reader will find this to be a fascinating idea to examine in light of the times in which it takes place (1830's - 1850's).
What psychological grip did the slave owners have on these women that they did not try to escape? What would the consequences be if they did try to leave? What would interactions with Freedmen be? What would the white Ohioans think? There are so many ideas to explore.
I don't want to ruin the plot for you, but it is a good one. If you would like to read this on vacation, you will be thanking your lucky stars that you are living in the here and now instead of back then as a slave woman.
Throughout the whole book I kept thinking "This was OHIO! This wasn't Kentucky or Mississippi or some other place? OHIO"! Incredible.

I found myself examining the poster that is reproduced inside of the front. There is picture of Tawawa House courtesy of the Ohio Historical Society. I would like to see the original poster. Sorry about this poor image.

Washington Post article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012102960.html

If your Ohio library does not already have some copies of this, encourage them to buy at least one. I would recommend it for a monthly book discussion.

Book Thief

Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak
Young Adult/Adult Historical Fiction

I wasn't thrilled to read yet another World War II book (Yawn, aren't there enough of these already)? This was a pretty good book, however.
A girl is in a foster home in Nazi Germany. Her father is unknown and her mother has been accused of being a Communist. Times are tough with food shortages and poverty abounding. Liesel witnesses the deportation of Jews and experiences bombings on her village. She encounters a number of memorable characters as she grows up and becomes part of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, or League of German Girls. Along the way she and her friends take to stealing apples and other things we today take for granted, like books. There are some great book burning scenes, but I won't ruin them for you by telling you too much.
Highly reviewed by many, many sources. Winner of many awards.
It was hard to figure out this book at first and I almost gave up on it a number of times during the first 30 pages, but then it got less confusing. The unusual point of view of the book is first person from the view of a personification of Death. Death tells the story about how Liesel eludes him at many turns where others are taken into his grasp.

Bring on the Blessings

Bring on the Blessings
by
Beverly Jenkins
African American contemporary fiction

I don't generally read African American contemporary fiction, but I read that this book featured a historical town in Kansas founded by African Americans. I enjoy getting my history lessons in fiction rather than nonfiction books, so I figured this would be a more palatable way to find out about African Americans during Reconstruction.
I thought that this would also be Christian fiction and it is - sort of. Most of the people are churchgoers or at least believe in God, but this is not a right-leaning book. These are more realistic Christians. Christians with real problems and who are not so holier-than-thou -ones that might sleep around a little before a church wedding, but whose hearts are in the right place. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are all referred to in vague ways. At one point the main character says a prayer to The Sister in the Sky. I am not so sure if this is referring to God as a male and female figure or the Blessed Virgin Mary. Two characters are descendants of Black Seminole, so maybe they are talking about a Native American spirituality. I would call this more inspirational or spiritual fiction than Christian fiction.
Here is the plot - Bernadine Brown, age 52, has come into money in a divorce. When we say money, this means a LOT of money. She prays about what do with her life and with the money. She sees an advertisement to purchase an entire historic town. The residents pray that she can bring back the sense of pride and community that this town has lost along with its population and its businesses.
Bernadine has a plan. This will be a town where the citizens welcome foster children. It will be a place of hope for everyone. Bernadine uses her contacts and her experience as a social worker to make big changes. She has some opposition, but most people are cheering for her.
It was a well written book, but I can tell that I was not the target audience. I am not sure what all of the street lingo, jargon, and contemporary African American phrases meant. One teenager nicknames a boy and I have no idea what the nickname was referring to.
Even though I did not catch all of the references, I recognize that Jenkins has created a rich world of multi-dimensional characters. In the epilogue she says that there are at least two other books of hers which incorporated her fictionalized town in Kansas. I can see that she would have fans that would like to continue to read about her world.
I would recommend that public libraries with medium to large populations of African American readers add this book, and the series, to their collections.

Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting
by
Natalie Babbitt
read by Peter Thomas
unabridged book on cassettes
children's fantasy fiction

I vaguely remember watching all or part of the movie that came out a few years ago, so I knew the basic plot. From the movie I remember there being a romance, but the original story does not have romance - just a hint of "what if" to it. The main character (Winnie) is only 10 years old, so romance is not appropriate.
Peter Thomas is a veteran narrator, so his voice comes across strong and pleasant. This audio book is unabridged and runs 3:31. I think it could have easily been shortened to 2 hours, however. The description in the book, while rich, picturesque, and thoughtful is a bit dull after about an hour. The entire book takes place in a 3 day time period, so do we really need that much detail? I was especially annoyed when one of the characters pauses to recount what happened to him, in great detail. I just heard what happened to him a half hour ago. I didn't need a reminder!

The plot: They do not say until the very end of the book when the action takes place, but it is about 1880. They never say where, either, but it is in pioneer America. Ten year old Winnie lives a civilized and dull existence as an only child in a prosperous family. She yearns for some kind of excitement to come into her life. She certainly gets it when she discovers in the woods beside her family's home a family of four. She is the first person in many years to figure out the secret to their life. They drank from a Fountain of Youth and now must live until the end of time. There is a great deal of discussion about whether this is a blessing or curse and by the end of the book Winnie must decide for herself if she wants to drink from the spring as well. If you have forever are you obliged to make a positive difference in the world? What would it be like to see your loved ones die - or not die?

The premise of this book is a good one, and it is discussion-worthy, but I would have preferred for it to be shorter. This is on a number of recommended reading lists, but I have read better books. It sold a lot of copies, so I am at least a little surprised that the author did not follow up with a series of books about the Tuck family. They could have had a lot of adventures in their lifetimes. There could be separate books for the father, mother, and the two sons, as well as more than one book apiece for different times of their lives. One could be set in 1840, 1860, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1940, etc. I guess when the book came out in 1975 books in series were not as popular as they are today.

Linden and the Oak

Linden and the Oak
by
Mark Wansa
historical fiction

I don't know much about Rusyns, so I thought I would read this historical fiction book and find out some more. Rusyns are an ethnic group found around the Carpathian mountains. They are definitely Slavic, but their language and customs are not exactly Russian, not exactly Ukrainian, not exactly Polish or Slovak. This epic novel follows a family of Rusyns through the harsh time of World War I. Many Eastern Europeans have fled to America for a better life. Some of them have come back with the money they made in America. The names and the native words thrown in to this novel make it seem very foreign. It is a hefty 550 pages long, but the writing is not complicated and the main characters are simple peasants used to simple country ways, church rites, and superstitions. It is the world around them that is crazy! The author does a good job re-creating the setting of yesteryear and showing how the people feel and act.
If you are looking for something different to read, this is certainly not like anything on the 2010 New York Times best seller list and it is not widely held in libraries, but some public libraries and college libraries who serve large populations of Eastern European immigrants and descendants have added this to their collections.

Magic Tree House # 3: Mummies in the Morning

Magic Tree House # 3: Mummies in the Morning
by
Mary Pope Osborne
children's fiction, ages 7-10

In book three of this popular time travel/historical fiction series siblings Jack and Annie are transported into ancient Egypt where they must help the ghost of an Egyptian Queen move on to the afterlife by restoring her Book of the Dead to her mummy. The addition of the religious aspects and the supernatural ghost idea are different than the first two books in this series which featured dinosaurs and knights. A number of conservative parents have their children read this series (and other historical fiction series such as American Girls) and having a ghost be a character puts this book in the series in jeopardy of being banned for having occult/horror/differing religious beliefs.
I read this book with a 6 year old and a 7 year old. The 6 year old did not understand that the mummy had different religious beliefs than ones she was accustomed to and didn't understand about the Book of the Dead. An older child would probably get the idea. Maybe if she had more knowledge about Egypt this would have been better received.
I do look forward to other books in this series, but this particular reader/book interaction did not go well. Book 4 is on pirates, which are pretty popular right now, so hopefully it will work better with my audience.
P. S. Bonus points to the author for a clever title using alliteration. (Although now that I think of it there is just one mummy, not mummies).
P. P. S. This cover is different than the one I have in my hand. It must have been reissued with a different cover.

Promise to Believe In

Promise to Believe In
by
Tracie Peterson
Adult Christian Fiction

The Gallatin girls (young women) are on their own in frontier Montana. Their mother died in childbirth when they were little. Their father, although not a participant, has been accidentally shot during the town's wild night of partying. A stranger rides into town one day causing trouble for the ladies - as if they don't have enough trouble trying to run a stagecoach stop/bed and breakfast without a man's protection. That is to say nothing of the saloon owner who has now brought prostitutes to the town!
Since the series is called "Brides of Gallatin County" we can guess that at least one of the three ladies will have a love interest and get married in the end. Since it is Christian fiction at least one character will come to Christ or come back to Christ. Yes. This is what happens.
The story is somewhat predictable but pleasant and clean. The author does not tie up all the loose ends - leaving room for two more books in the series (and two more weddings) - but the end is satisfactory.
I am not sure why the series is "Gallatin County". I suppose eventually the county will be named for the family, but it is not addressed in this book.
I would recommend this for gentle readers looking for a quick read.

Running Out of Time

Running Out of Time
by
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Children's Fiction, ages 8-14.
ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Jessie lives in Clifton, Indiana in 1840. Diphtheria strikes and people are dying. Her mother asks her to go on a secret mission that may save all their lives. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but it was published in 1995 and it seems like the author must have known in what direction our society was moving. This book was relevant in 1995 but is even more relevant in 2010.
This is a real page turner and hard to put down. There is great suspense.
I am proud to say that this is an Ohio author and I will certainly read more of her books. She is often on the lecture circuit in a number of Ohio locations, so you may be able to meet her.