J is for Jordan

I love finding author's first published novels. I guess that's because of that desire I have to write and be published. The "J" stop on our journey is with Hillary Jordan who has written an intriguing and very sad story of the Mississippi Delta during the 1940's.

"Mudbound" is a haunting tale of two families trying to survive the hardships of cotton and soybean farming in Mississippi. This is the story of the white farm owners, the McAllans and one of their black farm families, the Jacksons. Henry McAllan has dreamed of being a land owner and farmer since his father sold the family farm when he was young. He worked hard and saved to buy a farm in the tough Delta. Henry is married to city-born Laura who is not thrilled with her husband's sudden announcement that they are leaving Memphis to work the farm. Henry, Laura and their two young daughters pack up everything and head to Mississippi where they land on their new farm which Laura and the girls quickly name Mudbound. Henry's father, Pappy, also moves with the family. Saying Pappy is cantankerous would be a very nice thing. He is a mean, ugly racist who makes life miserable for Laura and for Florence Jackson, who helps Laura around the house. When the war winds down, Henry's brother Jamie joins the family on the farm. He brings smiles to the little girls and a completely different feeling to Laura.

"Mudbound" is about two families scraping their way on the farm, but it's about so much more. It's about the attitudes of people towards people of color in America. In 2010, we don't think much about the ugliness, the evilness that was spewed at blacks in America just a few decades ago. We think we're above it and beyond it. I think "Mudbound" reminds us that it wasn't that long ago that a crazy man in Germany was trying to eradicate an entire race while here at home, we were making another race of people ride in the back of the pickup, use the back door and never, ever look us in the eye. Even the supposed good people in "Mudbound" followed the norms of the day. This book made me angry for what happened, sad for those to which it all happened and fearful that if we do not remember history, we will repeat it.

Hillary Jordan wrote a powerful first novel. I think readers, like me, who never attended a segregated school or saw a whites only water fountain will learn a great deal from the novel. I enjoyed the story, loved the writing style and was reminded of what terrible things we as humans are capable of doing. I recommend "Mudbound" to those who need a refresher course in why all men and women are truly created equal.

I is for Ishiguru

When I was browsing the "I" section of the Reidsville Public Library, the title of this book caught my attention. When I grabbed it, I noticed that the author had also written "Remains of the Day." I was intrigued, so I checked it out. For our "I" stop on the journey through the alphabet, I read "When We Were Orphans," by Kazuo Ishiguro.

"When We were Orphans" is the story of Christopher Banks, an Englishman born in Shanghai in the early 20th century. Sounds good so far, right. Banks is just a regular privileged kid living in a very sheltered area of what was apparently a pretty rough and tumble city. Shanghai took everything from the young Banks. The city took his father, then his mother. Banks was forced to move to England to grow up with his aunt. All he dreamed of was finding his parents and became a detective to do just that. Banks solves several high profile cases in England before bowing to pressure to return to Shanghai to solve the one case which has haunted him since he was a boy.

The story sounds so intriguing, but honestly, I kept feeling like I was missing some inside story. I felt throughout the book that I was hearing two separate conversations and trying to make them into one. While the writing was good, I just never could get into the story. Did I want to find out what happened to Banks' parents, yes; did I care how he found out, not really. I hate when I don't bond with any character in a novel, but I never bonded with Banks or any of the peripheral characters. Maybe it was me. The reviews on the book are great, but it just didn't click with me.

H is for Hyde

I am one of probably a handful of Americans who has never seen the movie "Pay it Forward." I think I've seen bits and pieces on TV, but I've never sat and watched the entire thing. I do know it starred that little "I see dead people" kid. I think it also starred Kevin Spacey. Since I've not seen the movie, I can't compare it to our "H" novel on which the film is based. I do know I wish it were not a novel, but rather a reality. Our "H" author is Catherine Ryan Hyde and her novel is Pay it Forward.

Trevor McKinney is your typical 12-year-old boy or at least what you want your typical 12-year-old boy to be. He is industrious, he's smart and he really loves his mom. His mother, Arlene is an over-worked recovering alcoholic who is trying to raise her son alone, again. The boy's father has vanished. His wrecked truck has been found and hauled back to Arlene's house. She co-signed the loan on the truck and has to make the payments despite it just being a shell of a vehicle. It wasn't like he was ever much of a father for Trevor or a man for Arlene, but she did love him. She won't give up on him, though she's the only one in the world who thinks he's ever coming back.

A new teacher arrives at Trevor's Junior High. His name is Reuben St. Clair and he's a Vietnam veteran. Mr. St. Clair has a face no one can forget, actually, it's only half a face. Reuben returned from Vietnam with scars to his face and his soul. He is a good teacher though and immediately bonds with young Trevor. In a teaching assignment for extra credit, Mr. St. Clair encourages his students to come up with an idea to change the world. Only a few students take him up on the extra credit offer and most of those have pretty pedestrian ideas. Only Trevor's idea really seems to fit the bill, though Trevor thinks it's a failure.

Trevor's idea to change the world is to do something really nice for three people. In return for his good deeds, those three people would pay it forward and do good for three people each. Trevor sees this as a true way to change the world. His plan doesn't come together to easily though. His first act of good seems to fail when his person goes back on drugs and ends up in jail. In his second attempt, his person dies before he believes she can pay it forward. The third person he chooses is Mr. St. Clair, who he decides should fall in love and marry his mom. How does this one work out?

If you've seen the movie, you know that the ending is not a happily ever after kind. If you've not seen it, I won't ruin it for you. Do be prepared for tears. I really enjoyed Pay It Forward for the ideas it put in my mind. Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone paid it forward, if people weren't selfish and went above and beyond the Golden Rule? Where would we be if when we saw someone in need, we actually did something about it? This is supposed to be a book review, so I'll stop with the moral aspects of the book. The writing is just ok, but the ideas are so good, they get you past some lackluster characters.

Enjoy Pay It Forward for the ideas, if not for the stellar writing. Learn from Trevor and even from Mr. St. Clair and Arlene. Check out Pay It Forward even if you've seen the movie. I'm sure there will be some surprises.

G is for Gearino

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall? We've probably all heard that question at sometime in our lives, I know I've heard it and said it. It would be great, wouldn't it? You could hear and see everything that's going on, but no one would realize you were there. People would open up, tell their deepest secrets, do things and say things they'd never say if they knew you were there. What fun! Well, that's the premise of my "G" novel, What the Deaf-Mute Heard by G.D. Gearino. The premise is great, but the book falls a bit short of it's promise.

The main character in this novel is Sammy Ayers who woke up at age 10 in the back of an empty bus. His mother was gone and he was at the end of the line in a small town in Georgia. Of course, he is in a state of shock, but rather than crying or asking for his mother, Sammy just clams up. He doesn't answer when adults ask him questions and he acts like he can't hear them. Sammy becomes a deaf-mute by choice. The manager of the bus station takes Sammy under his wings in a way. He allows the boy to stay in the storage room at the station. Sammy grows up in the station, seeing and hearing everything, but basically invisible to the town. You really want to cheer for Sammy because of the hand he's been dealt, but he just never becomes that kind of hero. For me, it was sad to see this boy become a man but never desire to be anything more than the handyman living in the bus storage room. His only real goal in life is revenge on the bully from school who has become the town's top preacher. He does make a couple of huge discoveries in his life, but they don't change him much. He remains the fake deaf-mute living in the storage room.

I was so excited after reading the inside cover of this book. It had such promise. I mean, who wouldn't want to hear all the juicy secrets in a small town? The characters were just never really fleshed out. You don't grow to love anyone or for that matter really hate anyone. There are no real good guys or bad guys, just people doing what they do, mostly for their own gain. I think the author missed a great opportunity to write a wonderful novel. He had a fantastic idea, but he just didn't follow through all the way. What the Deaf-Mute Heard could have been a great book, but in the end, it was just ok.

I realized in my journey that all my choices wouldn't be great, but I was disappointed in my first mediocre book. We're still early in the journey and hopefully my choice in the category of "H" will get us back into pleasurable reading.

F is for Foer

Have you ever read a book and just couldn't wait to get to the end for some reason. Maybe you wanted to find out if the bad guy got caught or the lovers found each other again or maybe the book just stunk and you wanted it to be over. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is NOT one of those books. This is a book I never wanted to end. I wanted to read it every day. I wanted the story to go on forever.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Our hero is Oskar Schell. Oskar is smart, quirky, precocious, different, sad and, did I mention, 8 years-old. Oskar is an inventor. He invents things that will keep his family and friends and the whole world safe. Oskar is consumed with this after losing his father. Oskar is really consumed with many different things after the death of his father. One of Oskar's obsessions is "inventing" ways his father died. He's not sure he'll ever really rest again until he knows exactly what happened on that morning his father was attending a breakfast meeting at Windows on the World. Oskar needs to know what happened in that restaurant on September 11, 2001. Oskar needs to figure out what happened in the minutes following that last recorded message from his dad.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is not what I would consider a 9/11 novel. It's not about that tragic day as much as it is about a young boy dealing with the aftermath. Foer's novel is a look into the life of Oskar's whole family. There's Oskar who can't move on following the tragedy, Oskar's mom, who he fears is moving on and Oskar's grandma, who has a fascinating story all her own. There are also the many people Oskar meets on his journey to learn more about his father.

I know my review of this book is doing it absolutely no justice. I throw out the term 9/11 and people will have one idea of the book, but it's wrong. I say that Oskar wanders the boroughs of New York on a quest and you'll get another wrong idea. If I mentioned Oskar's grandparents and how and when they fled Germany, you'll get another idea, and it's wrong. All I can say is that I loved Oskar. I loved his bird seed shirt invention. I loved his jewelry making. I loved his made up words so he wouldn't curse. I was sad with Oskar. I was frightened with Oskar. I was excited with Oskar. I walked in Oskar's "heavy boots."

Read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close if you remember how you felt that morning. Read it if you've lost someone you love and you just can't get past that feeling of trudging uphill, through quicksand in very heavy boots. Read it if you want to laugh or need to cry. Read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer for all the things it is and all the things it isn't.

E is for Eng, Tan Twan

Since I have abandoned my research into books I will read on this journey, I am spending more time looking at titles. I'm sure I've missed some great books because the titles just didn't grab me. My "E" book wasn't a shirt grabbing title, but rather one that whispered loudly to me. I had never heard of Tan Twan Eng, but I am so glad I've now read his wonderful novel "The Gift of Rain."

Now, I'm not one to just gush over a book, but I may have to hold myself back to keep from doing that with this novel. Eng writes in a style that is both beautiful and deeply soothing. His music is lyrical and as wonderful as a soothing rain. What is most amazing is that he somehow keeps the lyrical, almost meditative style to his writing while writing about the horrors of war. The reader still sees the ugliness that is war, but at the same time somehow finds beauty and enduring friendship.

The hero of our novel is a young man who has lived his life as somewhat of an outcast in a highly respected family. He doesn't feel that he fits in anywhere. In his small Malaysian island, he is not Malay, not English like his father nor Chinese like his deceased mother. He is a young man adrift until the words "I would like to borrow a boat from you" change his life. Philip Hutton is taken under the wing and into the training of Japanese aikido master Hayato Endo. Endo-san teaches young Philip about life and about his belief that the two had met and been friends in many lives before. Philip learns to fight and think and survive under the tutelage of Endo-san. He shares his beloved island of Penang with the Japanese man and learns that there is often a price to be paid for friendship.

When war breaks out on the peaceful island, Philip must make choices. His choices could cost him his family or his friendship or his life. Right and wrong are not black and white choices in Philip's life. His journey through the war is brutal, his sensei is not the man he believe he was and his family ties are stretched to the breaking point. If Philip makes it through the war, he wonders if he'll be remembered as a hero or a traitor.

"The Gift of Rain" is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever been honored to read. Tan Twan Eng takes us on what feels like a very personal journey in a land he knows and loves. It's no wonder this book was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. Read "The Gift of Rain" if you want to step inside the other side of World War II. Read it for the beautiful, moving prose. Read it for the sometimes heartbreaking reality of life in that time. Read it to understand the true depths of love and friendship. Enjoy "The Gift of Rain" for the true literary gift it is.

D is for Duncan, Pamela

I decided to go with the no research approach to picking my D book. I had realized after researching for B and C that my little library didn't have all of the books I'd picked, so I might as well see what they had before making my decisions. So off I went to pick up D.

When I got to the stacks, I noticed that D was just on the end of one row. That kind of surprised me. D doesn't seem like a letter that would not be popular for last names. Apparently, there is not an overabundance of fiction authors with a last name starting with D. So, I walked down the row and began looking for a D book. Since I did no research at all, I figured it would take a little while. I started by looking for catchy titles. Of course, I stopped for a bit when I got to the Di's. There in front of me was a shelf of Charles Dickens novels. I seriously considered going with Dickens on this one. I love Dickens. Then I got to thinking about it and realized that I had 52 weeks to read 26 books and I was running a bit behind. Dickens would take a while to digest, so I said farewell and moved on.

When I got toward the end of the D's, I started getting worried. I had nothing in my hand and not many looked like I might go back for a second look. I'm trying to stay away from series because it's going to be so long before I can get back to them and while I'm venturing into some unknown reading territory for me, I'm not quite ready to venture into the land of science fiction. These restraints do make things a bit more difficult in a small category.

My library does something I really appreciate. If an author is from North Carolina, they put a little NC sticker on the spine of the book. I like to read local or regional authors and this little sticker makes that so much easier. I tell you that to lead you to my D book. I was nearly at the end of the D's and saw an NC sticker on a couple of novels. One title caught my eye. I picked it up and read the synopsis. Hmm, not bad. I just wasn't sure about it though, so I kept looking. I finished all the D's and started over, going back to front this time. Still nothing, so I returned to the book I'd seen.

"Moon Women" was the title and it was written by North Carolina native Pamela Duncan. Honestly, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book at all. It sounded kind of like something maybe I'd read before or seen in a movie. I really wanted to give it a chance though since the author was from NC.

I started "Moon Women" that evening and after reading the first couple of pages, I was ready to throw the book through the window. I hated it. I'm not the grammar police, but I am an honorary deputy and this book is written in the vernacular of uneducated and undereducated rural North Carolinians. Yeah, it sounded like I was standing in the middle of Food Lion listening to a conversation. I have determined in this journey that I am going to finish every book I check out, so I read on. I still cringed at the grammar, but I started liking the characters.

"Moon Women" is at it's core a story of three generations of women from the western part of North Carolina. Ruth Ann Moon Payne is a daughter, mother, sister, grandmother and recent divorcee. She's a nervous woman who worries about her elderly mother Marvelle and her 19-year-old daughter Ashley who is just about ready to get out of rehab. While Ruth Ann is the central character in the novel, she is not in any way the only primary character. Marvelle Moon is an amazing old woman. She's the mother of 12 children, not all of whom made it to adulthood. She's a strong woman, but is now in the early stages of dementia. Ashley is the wild child. She'd run away and hadn't been heard from in years until she landed herself in rehab. Now, she needs a place to live and start over. She also needs to decide what to do about the young man who got her pregnant and about the baby now growing inside her. How will Ruth Ann deal with the added stress of a pregnant teenage daughter and an elderly mother who now walks away from home and gets lost?

"Moon Women" struck a special chord with me. As the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of strong Southern women, I identified with many of the characters. I still wanted to correct their grammar, but I really fell in love with the Moon women.

Throughout the novel, Marvelle takes us on a journey through her long life. I had to wonder if that's the way things were for my great-grandmother, raising 11 children in the early decades of the 1900's. Marvelle didn't have an easy life. She lost babies, she saw tragedies, but she persevered. She was strong and raised strong daughters.

I heartily recommend "Moon Women" to any woman, but especially to Southern women who will identify with the hardships and victories seen by Marvelle, Ruth Ann, Ashley and the other members of the Moon clan. When this year long journey is finished, I will read more from Pamela Duncan.

When you are browsing books in your local library, I recommend you check into local or regional authors. They may not be best selling books, but you might connect more closely to them. Today, I head back to the library to return "Moon Women" and to check out my E and F novels.

Read on!