Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to Steve Serbun for this riveting nonfiction book on James Garfield, his family, the political times, the assassination, and the medical debacle that took his life. I could not stop reading this book- I loved learning about America in the 1880s and urge everyone to read this book.

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The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this with my Albright College Zoom Book Club. Narrated by Dominic Hoffman, this historical fiction has everything; racism, social class distinctions, family, friendship, sorrow, humor, and hope. But it is the way McBride tells this story of Jews & Blacks living in the Chicken Hill area of Pottstown, PA in the 1920s. I went to Albright College in Reading so I loved reading landmarks, cities, & hospitals in this compulsively readable book. I could not stop listening! The characters Chona, Dodo, Nate & his wife, Bernice, and Monkey Pants were my favorites but all characters were authentic. I rooted for the many subplots & McBride did not disappoint! This is a stellar must read; I highly recommend it!

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First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this stellar historical fiction about the lifelong friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt & Mary McCloud Bethune, both powerhouses striving together to change the world, people's racism, and the wrongs of history. Awesomely Narrated by Robin Miles and Tavia Gilbert, this is the Albright College Ladies January selection. This is a must read, I learned so much from these 2 strong women who bonded, collaborated, and tirelessly worked for civil rights. This is a must read!

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Spying on the South: Tavels with Frederick Law Olmsted in a Fractured Land by Tony Horwitz

Spying on the South: Travels with Frederick Law Olmsted in a Fractured Land by Tony Horwitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Since I read and Loved Horse by Geraldine Brooks, I decided to read one of her husband's books that he was researching at same time as she was writing Horse. I loved his dedication to Geraldine and this book was a compare/contrast to Frederick Olmsted travels through the South, his beliefs, and his life of abolition and change in career to land planner (as well as other changes in his beliefs, etc). I highly recommend this audiobook narrated by Mark Deakins and Tony Horwitz as it also compares our current political conflicts with Olmsted's time period.

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Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just as I loved all of Geraldine Brooks' books, I never got to read this while being a high school/YA librarian and this novel of Bethia (her father is a minister to the Native American tribe of the Wampanoag) and Caleb, who meet and form a lifelong friendship that is secret until Caleb becomes a member of their family after his family dies. I was gripped by Bethia, her restricted life as a woman, pioneer and Puritan, her thirst for knowledge, and her special friendship with Caleb. So awful were the conditions and privations Caleb and other natives suffered (horrible assumptions, calling them savages & comparing them to animals). Thoroughly researched with authentic characters, the many settings were historically accurate with the beauty of the island and acrid smells of big cities. Highly recommended!

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Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

this is the gut wrenching story of a time in history when an evil woman, Georgia Tann stole children from struggling parents, put them in locations until they were adopted ---while there life was a nightmare as the Foss children realize their beloved life on the Arcadia boat on the Mississippi River, is forever changed. Told in two voices, the present day is Avery---a county prosecutor who works with her politically appointed father and is very close to her grandmother who has dementia. When an older woman at a nursing home, stares her down and "takes" her dragonfly bracelet---life changing events begin as Avery and a young man whose grandfather used to "find" people. All of this mystery throws light onto the abuses of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage and Avery's life and future is about to change! Based on the true story of Georgia Tann's iron hold on stealing children in the 1930s from poor parents with lies, this story is riveting and heart breaking, a must read!

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The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to my librarian friend, MaryAlice Briggs for lending me her copy of this awesome historical fiction book! I loved the story of Belle de costa Greene and her life and her job as J.P. Morgan's personal librarian. Fraught with mystery and suspense and the time in history, Belle becomes as famous as her employer, with her love of books and artwork, and her study of humanity as she flirts, uses her mouth as both honest and hiding her real identity and famous for her style. This reader rooted for Belle as she maneuvered her way around those who admired and/or hated her. A part of history I was totally unaware of and prepared for, I could not stop turning the pages in this thoroughly researched book! A must read!!!

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A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow

A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very enjoyable novel in verse about trans teens, their friendship, their love and their journeys (re-enactments & exploring history). I liked the 2 main characters but also their families as they individually try to handle their lives with each other and their families, they begin to carve out MORE when they go to a re-enactment of the American Revolution. Teens will really enjoy this book and the way the author presents the story, the characters and queerness through the ages. Highly recommended.

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From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jenn LaGarde recommended this last summer and I purchased it right away but it took me a year to get to it----BUT what an amazing book! Taking place in 1982, Vincent Chin is days away from getting married when he and his friends get into an altercation in a bar and what results is his awful death, many ruined lives, and the reality that some people do get away with crimes (not going to jail). This thoroughly detailed & well researched book by Paula Yoo kept me turning the pages with the photos, the newspaper articles and the friends and family point of view. A must read for all---adults and teens will want to read about this pivotal moment in history, and one that continues to happen throughout history.

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A Sitting in St. James by Rita Garcia-Williams

A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many Thanks to Reading Rants for recommending this book as one of her favorites for 2021. I enjoyed reading about the white family with slaves, it's past and it's present, as Williams-Garcia writes with feeling, authenticity, and empathetic in the brutal way Madame Sylvie Guilbert treats and talks to her family, her servants, and those in her community, as she strives to marry off grandsons, ignore granddaughters who are mixed race, and still tell her own story of being married off to a brutal man. I loved many of the characters, Byron, Pearce, Thisbe, Eugenie, Jane, Lily and the painter and hated Lucien, Sylvie, and all those who ignored the hard work of the slaves on their plantations and took all the glory themselves. A mesmerizing read!

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Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to @teachingfactor for recommending this audiobook!!! The awesome narration by Miah Ellis renders this historical fiction romance as can't put down. As the Tulsa Massacre is due to unfold, Randi Pink's novel of 2 teens falling in love during this horrific time in the days leading up to the 1921 race riot was compelling, honest, and sheds a light on the families during that time. Isaiah Wilson was such an interesting character and the changes in him as he falls for Angel, breaks free from a toxic friendship, and redeems himself was so uplifting. Angel was the perfect heroine; honest, helping others, and caring for her dying father. This is a MUST listen to audiobook and MUST read!

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I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another MUST READ from Ruta Sepetys; I have read and loved all her historical fiction books and this one was particularly hard to read, like Cristian Florescu I was forced to bear witness to the horrors of 1989 Romania and dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife for 24 years. Just like The Fountains of Silence, Cristin and all the Romanians live in abject fear and watch as the world is left in the dark about the horrors (starvation, forced to be informants against friends and family, monitored by security 24/7 ). Cristian's family has been held hostage by Ceausescu's spies, his mother and father have changed, his philosopher grandfather continues to rail and speak out (Cris loves his fight and honesty). When he is approached and forced to spy (hence the title!!!) he is determined to outwit them, but at every turn, the spies know what is going on...as Cris is plunged into self loathing, doubt and fear---he grows closer to Lilliana Pavel (whom he has cared for from afar for years). Cris is forced to spy on the American ambassador) VanDorn family son, Dan. After seeing Dan's notebook, Cris begins his own notebook of thoughts and poems, I loved this coping mechanism, and how he decides to use it. The informer top secret files were interspersed and were totally awful---who was undermining Cris and reporting back to Paddle Hands? This is such an important read for all; it is another example of people in history suffering under Communism, under a dictator that prospered while he sowed fear amongst his people. Such a thoroughly researched book, and I needed the epilogue and author notes for further knowledge.

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Black Bird in the Sky; The Story and Legacy of The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert

Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this nonfiction book with my Albright College Book Club friends and also because I love anything Brandy Colbert writes. This is not an easy book to read as it lays bare the facts of the June 1, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. There was and still is many falsehoods about what happened that day and why it was basically wiped out of history---a prosperous black community in the Greenwood District of Tulsa (which also had a white section) was burned, decimated (people & buildings) and not properly investigated after the fact by the white populace in control of everything---government, newspapers, schools. Colbert's account must be read by all---this is history that was not in the history books after it happened, but her painstaking research has shown again what white violence against blacks caused and propagated after and through to today as history that must be addressed, remedied and stopped.

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Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this book (thank you to my friend, Michelle Romash and Jean Norman) flawlessly narrated by Robin Miles. This is a must read but a difficult read. Isabel Wilkerson's research was thorough, she also used narratives in history, and the dates and data were so important too. Wilkerson discusses race and caste (in the United States, Germany and India) and it's effects throughout history. It is honest and very painful. Highly recommended.

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With a Star in My Hand: Ruben Dario, Poetry Hero by Margarita Engle

With a Star in My Hand: Rubén Darío, Poetry Hero by Margarita Engle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow I just continue to love all the novels in verse Margarita Engles writes and Ruben Dario's life was depicted authentically in this poetic rendering. I loved how Engle uses poetry to tell his story, also how he created the Modernismo literary movement blending poetry and prose. From his first beginnings as a cast away child, listening to the magical stories from his uncle and others and vowing to be like them wandering and speaking and writing like the storytellers who grew up listening to. With the passing of his uncle, life moves on and known as Felix Ruben Garcia Sarmiento as a lad, his adopted family decides to change his name to Ruben Dario and so begins his journey in nature, life and adventures in poetry. This is a must read!

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The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow did I learn SO SO much from this gripping historical fiction taking place in Ireland starring Cyril Avery (who is not a real Avery) who as a 3 day old infant is adopted by Maude and Charles Avery who never should have adopted him! John Boyne's characters are all memorable, some you love and others you detest. Cyril's life is wide open for all of us to see---he has a head on his shoulders, he is gay and in love with his best friend, Julian (since the age of 7 and Julian hasn't a clue) and he lives in homophobic Ireland from the 1940s to present day. Boyne's story is very memorable, I could not stop listening, the narrator was fabulous and his voices, whether male or female, were just so spot on. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted so much for Cyril, I rooted for his happiness and that he would meet his mom. The way Boyne structured conversations with the same things being said over and over again was such a great way to get a point across, emphasize nonsense and to tell this story of being gay in a backward country through so many lenses. A must read for all!

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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesomely Narrated by Frazer Douglas, I loved this story of Patroclus and Achilles, both princes who becomes friends and companions for life. The prophecy that haunts Achilles hangs over his life while his mother a sea goddess tries to manipulate Achilles while undermining Patroclus. I could not stop listening to this saga of two lives and souls intertwined and I was very happy with the ending. Miller did tireless research and brought a new light into the time of Helen and Troy.

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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG, what a read--I was shocked and saddened by the many decisions of the mothers and daughters in this historical fiction novel about passing, families, racism, and history. The Vigne twins live in Mallard, made up of only light skinned blacks, their family unit is torn apart when their father Leon is murdered before their eyes, taken to a hospital because he is not dead, and the same white killers finish the job. Imagine your happy life is swept away by racism and it is never explained to you as 10 year olds and how that shatters and changes you...thus begins this awesome historical fiction look into passing and the life changing decisions Desiree and Stella make when they flee Mallard for New Orleans. Flashing back and forth between characters and years this book consists of 6 parts dealing with time periods of 1968, 1978,back to 1968, 1982, 1985 to 1988 and last 1986. This must read says so much about all things---twins, sisters, family, racism, secrets, mysteries, love, and decisions. Mother, Adele, is racist but Desiree and her daughter Jude return to Mallard after her husband's continued beatings. Stella passes as white and marries (and lies to) Blake her boss, and her Kennedy is raised with so much but her Stella's lies change her and how she treats her daughter. Early and Reese (and Jude) are probably my favorite characters: they have pasts but they live with them better than everyone else in this taut, sad, visceral novel. I loved the dynamic between Kennedy and Jude; hated Stella--she was evil in so many ways but she chose her life and all it did was provide loneliness, alcohol, and a warped woman. I wished Desiree and Early the best and Jude and Reese; I would love another novel about their love and life with each other. A compelling book, I will be discussing this with my Albright College Zoom club Wed 3/31, I can't wait!

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My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray

My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG such a great read, that plunged my heart many times into a thousand pieces but also lifted my listening pleasure as I listened to and loved Narrator, Cassandra Campbell as Betsey/Eliza throughout her years with and without Alexander Hamilton. There was so much I did not know about American History and the founders and so much I learned. And what was even more crazy was the time period Eliza lived in with young America establishing itself after war with England and trying desperately to preserve their freedom while others tried to wipe it out was so close to what is going on today in our government! I will definitely be reading other Stephanie Dray books; her research is thorough, exhausting and needed!. I will want to read more about Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison as a result of Eliza's musings, interactions, and relationships with these icons of history. Many thanks to Pat Graham for recommending this book and to my librarian friend, Randi Wall for her thoughtful insights as I pelted her with questions and dashed hopes while listening to this must read book.

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The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan

The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a DNF, I could not get into the whole Biltmore Hotel and all the famous people; I was uninterested in the WEALTH, the people, and there really was no epic story of love so I did not Finish this audiobook, read by the author.

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