West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of the Albright College Book Club, February read, and highly recommended by Deb Tarrant (she read & discussed in her other book club). Woody Wilson Nickel is a teen during the Dust Bowl who has lost everything---his family and his home and with no food or money he has been traveling on trains like a hobo but when he sets his sight on the two giraffes right after the 1938 hurricane; he finds a purpose and mightily follows the rig as the giraffes are being taken to the San Diego Zoo. When Old Man (Riley Jones) takes on Woody to finish the trip as the giraffes driver---the adventures (many good and many bad) abound for the next 12 days. The giraffes (Boy and Girl) are beautiful, friendly, and take to Woody right away (Woody falls in love with these magnificent animals) which helps many times over during the trip from New York to California. I also enjoyed the chapters interspersed with Woody at 105 feverishly writing his story so it is not forgotten. Rutledge does a magnificent job with how these giraffes are able to grab people (and us) to truly become mesmerized by these animals, and enjoy their beauty as they travel in their rig to a safe home in the zoo where they will be taken care of and live a safe, long life but boy do they have to endure quite a few things as they travel! A wonderful book!

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Sold On A Monday by Kristina McMorris

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to my neighbor, Cara McBrien, for this thrilling historical fiction mystery that captured the time period and characters perfectly for a real page turner. Taking place in 1931 depression era, reporter Ellis Reed takes a picture that is heart wrenching. Lily sees this picture and shows it to her boss. When the picture and story are ok'd, a mistake in the developing room, destroys the original and Ellis must stage the picture with 2 other children---setting into motion, very devastating results. As Lily and Ellis together and separately try to find out what happened, they realize they must rush to make this right for all involved. It was upsetting to see the rigid roles women were pushed into, the struggling families and what they were forced to do to survive, and finally the rich who seemed above it all but struggled with their own issues. I will certainly be reading more of McMorris' books, the pace was breakneck and the psychological suspense had me turning those pages & rooting for Ellis and Lily to help the 2 children! A must read!

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Sold on a Monday by Kristina Morris

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to my neighbor, Cara McBrien, for this thrilling historical fiction mystery that captured the time period and characters perfectly for a real page turner. Taking place in 1931 depression era, reporter Ellis Reed takes a picture that is heart wrenching. Lily sees this picture and shows it to her boss. When the picture and story are ok'd, a mistake in the developing room, destroys the original and Ellis must stage the picture with 2 other children---setting into motion, very devastating results. As Lily and Ellis together and separately try to find out what happened, they realize they must rush to make this right for all involved. It was upsetting to see the rigid roles women were pushed into, the struggling families and what they were forced to do to survive, and finally the rich who seemed above it all but struggled with their own issues. I will certainly be reading more of McMorris' books, the pace was breakneck and the psychological suspense had me turning those pages & rooting for Ellis and Lily to help the 2 children! A must read!

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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MANY SPOILERS so do not read if finding out about the awful ending! I loved this audiobook so much; tremendously Narrated by Julia Whelan. but oh did I hate the ending... it says in the Goodreads summary it is a book about hope---certainly the ending with Elsa's death--shot by a Welty hired gun, had no hope for this reader at all!!! I loved Kristin Hannah's books and find them all redemptive, BUT NOT THIS ONE!!! Taking place before the Dust Bowl and then going into horrid Dust Bowl--her husband has left her, then beacuse her son Ant becomes so ill the doctor recommends leaving Texas because he has sand and dust in his system and it will kill him if he stays. Once Elsa and her children head toward California which is being touted as a land of hope with lots of jobs (Rafe's parents were going but decide at the last minute to stay with their farm) another devastating reality hits---the mass migration to California has produced Hoovervilles, tent towns that breed disease and death as well as the town people calling them Oakies and driving them away all the time. Yes Elsa has many issues since her family raised to her with no love, telling her she was sick and ugly, and did not want to hear from her---she tries to be brave like her grandfather told her but more often she tries to be invisible hoping everyone understands where she is coming from. We all know this does not work---her daughter hates her, blames her for her father leaving and blames her for not becoming a Communist and fighting for better pay. Along comes Jack who is a union organizer and over hard times and conversations they fall in love and she becomes this woman who will speak her mind, fiercely protective of her children, but wanting better for them all. As the situation on the Welty cotton farm becomes desperate Elsa with her daughter's pushing becomes a spokesperson for her friends in the fields. I felt like I was eating dust the whole time and crossing my fingers for Elsa, rooting for her and what does Kristin Hannah do? Kills her off---I would have loved so much more of the new family unit they were becoming with Jack---why not kill off someone else or wound Jack or Elsa but they recover?!? So no hope at all with this ending---this key protagonist was needed---a redemptive, hopeful ending was needed, not what poor Loreda, Ant, Jack and Rafe's parents have to live with-- a deep aching hole for Elsa's absence. Again, I loved the book, hated the ending---it could have been better and different!


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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had a very difficult time listening to this book; the narration was stellar by Scott Brick, I was haunted by the treatment (through the whole book) of the 4 vagabonds---hated that they suffered so much at the hands of the Brickmans and MANY others. I always rooted for the 4 kids but time and time again, harsh reality dampened my positive outlook; yes the Depression and all it entailed (racism, brutality, suffering) took over the whole tenor of this book...my first and probably my last William Kent Krueger book. I did not find any hope or inspiration in this book, plot, characters. Even the Epilogue dampened my spirits; as I mentioned to my friend who LOVED this book and recommended it- There is nothing TENDER about This Tender Land!

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All the Stars Denied by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

All the Stars Denied by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I could not wait to read this stunner after I finished the tough read, Shame the Stars, by G.G. McCall. This historical read covers the horrendous repatriation of US citizens from the US. Estrella is a Mexican American teen is living in Texas during the Great Depression on her family farm but during a time when many whites want the Mexican Americans out- despite their citizenship-- the awfulness of their treatment as they are burned out of their home, the reader learns of how dark this time of history was in its treatment of Mexican Americans, how evil was the intent, treatment, and injustice to citizens and classes of people trying to make a living while living in their home, the United States. A must read for students to learn about a dark part of our history.

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