tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52593252919072814852024-03-14T08:18:23.060-04:00Sarah LaurenceBooks, art, and life in MaineSarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comBlogger506125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-16468211580616797242023-06-14T07:00:00.013-04:002023-06-14T07:00:00.136-04:00Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmcFJxKPLEiSEK9k7jWpkUfIAjNEyoDZzPgnJOihXHrmPjIly_mvj2w20bl4xTfDuaI5WJ3djjSIysriFjgJDUZUUn0uyk6_95Y8N8lSySR80Ws_8riulhy9kPJXZnANJIjBWqnZ3srpQMMDcRy3w0F_aaJLn2-oXrUls6k-uGTNlDTogzQKzgsg/s640/florence5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="640" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmcFJxKPLEiSEK9k7jWpkUfIAjNEyoDZzPgnJOihXHrmPjIly_mvj2w20bl4xTfDuaI5WJ3djjSIysriFjgJDUZUUn0uyk6_95Y8N8lSySR80Ws_8riulhy9kPJXZnANJIjBWqnZ3srpQMMDcRy3w0F_aaJLn2-oXrUls6k-uGTNlDTogzQKzgsg/w400-h265/florence5.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i>Return to Valetto</i> by <a href="https://www.dominicsmith.net/" target="_blank">Dominic Smith</a> is a virtual vacation to one of my favorite places in the world. Years ago my parents rented an Umbrian villa to celebrate their 40th anniversary with their children and grandchildren, and reading this sumptuous novel recalls the savory meals, the ancient villages, and the gorgeous northern Italian countryside, albeit with a murky past. <p></p><p>Hugh Fisher is mourning the double loss of his wife and then his Italian mother when he returns to Valetto to claim his inheritance. The only hitch is Elisa Tomassi, an award winning chef from Milan, is squatting in the cottage where young Hugh had spent happy summers with his enigmatic mother. His grandfather joined the resistance and disappeared during World War II, leaving ambiguities about his crumbling estate. To resolve their competing claims on the small cottage, Hugh and Elisa must convince their elderly relatives to share their traumatic secrets, all while consuming copious amounts of hand rolled pasta, foraged fungus, grated cheese, and of course, vino rosso.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBkTtwE2J9J0QcauIvVDWC-DaU3CDRbhRJwvpUJfTcmfdw3fY4hdh9_q78Zr8t-TOenxuV7msaJxun05EOwzJH4-uH1Q7ag_Pu3niBK53Ydvw1yafe3qtRCY7zRiLrnKmDSg69wfkrJUlaQpvtXS_PDd0BSuCFN_6KpYhStN6Jx2JjiyvCPGlOBs/s1800/OrrsIsland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="1800" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBkTtwE2J9J0QcauIvVDWC-DaU3CDRbhRJwvpUJfTcmfdw3fY4hdh9_q78Zr8t-TOenxuV7msaJxun05EOwzJH4-uH1Q7ag_Pu3niBK53Ydvw1yafe3qtRCY7zRiLrnKmDSg69wfkrJUlaQpvtXS_PDd0BSuCFN_6KpYhStN6Jx2JjiyvCPGlOBs/w640-h416/OrrsIsland.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVpqR0NlLAzobNfN8fY6bBtf_3Qnj095Z3zBBXo14--y5MuY9RnxpSeYTc2_K6Yg4XohkcfYlXMggdr8pxMPsxtoiYiStqf6woGfO3lRghtefo7QpgrXjUfzi7pXm3se_JV-aHMUhAnHPgH_5_irT1nTLNJii1YF8yBzFgjSdYs5FQE7p55s1X04/s3780/IMG_0202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="2834" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVpqR0NlLAzobNfN8fY6bBtf_3Qnj095Z3zBBXo14--y5MuY9RnxpSeYTc2_K6Yg4XohkcfYlXMggdr8pxMPsxtoiYiStqf6woGfO3lRghtefo7QpgrXjUfzi7pXm3se_JV-aHMUhAnHPgH_5_irT1nTLNJii1YF8yBzFgjSdYs5FQE7p55s1X04/w150-h200/IMG_0202.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>I brought <i>Return to Valetto</i> to an island cottage near my home in Maine, and it was exactly the right type of vacation reading: an engrossing story with moral ambiguities in a lovely setting with a touch of romance. Although the author is a man, the strongest characters are women who steer the narrative. The history professor protagonist is just along for a ride, literally letting everyone else drive him around and feed him like a child, until the atrocities of the past prod him out of his lethargy. Loyal Hugh is a sympathetic character, but his lack of engagement and agency is tiring to the other characters and to the reader. That was my only criticism of this otherwise well crafted tale about how much the past can overshadow the present.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYRMwTf_OzjKN5qYr_3n4F9ZcBPgDIisb-kI0flcYDAw8hfc9gVV30hXREQKqpaat95i3_JrflDYRR60lrQ6ufyEunjPbnGXQkm6wCQpKQ79yU8EDMAjo7H29n-HTn-8azhvRCnEobMiM__fqVkZ_lwV_KYeTmXMUAmf_wLMVUCXKnaZLuau8Sq8/s1391/9780374607685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYRMwTf_OzjKN5qYr_3n4F9ZcBPgDIisb-kI0flcYDAw8hfc9gVV30hXREQKqpaat95i3_JrflDYRR60lrQ6ufyEunjPbnGXQkm6wCQpKQ79yU8EDMAjo7H29n-HTn-8azhvRCnEobMiM__fqVkZ_lwV_KYeTmXMUAmf_wLMVUCXKnaZLuau8Sq8/w129-h200/9780374607685.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>The best character of all was the crumbling village itself. The vivid description of a stairway left dangling into a ravine after an earthquake destroyed half the town was so convincing that I was surprised to discover that Valetto didn't exist beyond the pages of this novel. The author is Australian American and not Italian, but Dominic Smith seems to have done his research well. <i>Return to Valetto</i> tasted like the wild truffles of Umbria at a fraction of the cost. <p></p><p><b>Reviewer's Disclosure:</b> The <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/fsg/" target="_blank">publisher</a> sent me a galley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed it so much I bought a copy from <a href="https://www.bookculture.com/" target="_blank">Book Culture</a> to send to my dad for Father's Day since I inherited my love of Italy and fine dining from him. <i>Return to Valetto</i> was published in the USA yesterday.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Father's Day!</span></b></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vxvDViVK7eTJVLmQOeKXCexuJl811yRO3vZujbhiqgeTQ4fEPYIubztzAinkDSzziT2n0iRfQSUs3oCBGpuy0Hr4fN5l7UYVpDo8TB4x_dcCX09wZWS9ztW4y6qS8WkOSwvC-hh4EbF4a19jW4KuSjmuI1a_zMN4FcFPTLNLuFkSEVpJHlmxmBU/s640/parents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="425" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vxvDViVK7eTJVLmQOeKXCexuJl811yRO3vZujbhiqgeTQ4fEPYIubztzAinkDSzziT2n0iRfQSUs3oCBGpuy0Hr4fN5l7UYVpDo8TB4x_dcCX09wZWS9ztW4y6qS8WkOSwvC-hh4EbF4a19jW4KuSjmuI1a_zMN4FcFPTLNLuFkSEVpJHlmxmBU/w266-h400/parents.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">my parents in Italy</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-36171058615395966772022-12-07T07:00:00.010-05:002022-12-07T07:00:00.172-05:00Changes in the Weather by Leela Marie Hidier<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5-8TUrhPoNrwRc-eOjQfD_xL_TF4ObWqC0G3DnVaa3Em5TCeawlxDNov9UMIEBATjI4lEDUvooba8tqsC1cniD4VT_QsYn0SevgNK6i57e7cq9SjGfkpBaWI1Iijhh43B5DCY2uC-lxLi9g7Me2vL1LCOVSWofZh_IrEPNgj-_Nj9NqPJ4XgJK0/s1120/A96D9A18-F28B-448A-818B-2606864FF170_1_105_c-min.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="703" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5-8TUrhPoNrwRc-eOjQfD_xL_TF4ObWqC0G3DnVaa3Em5TCeawlxDNov9UMIEBATjI4lEDUvooba8tqsC1cniD4VT_QsYn0SevgNK6i57e7cq9SjGfkpBaWI1Iijhh43B5DCY2uC-lxLi9g7Me2vL1LCOVSWofZh_IrEPNgj-_Nj9NqPJ4XgJK0/w251-h400/A96D9A18-F28B-448A-818B-2606864FF170_1_105_c-min.jpg" width="251" /></a></i></div><i>Changes in the Weather</i> is a young adult novella about climate change told in four distinct voices. In "Wind" a hurricane forces Isla's family into a nomadic motel existence. Prolonged drought in "Earth" sucks the life blood from the farm of Ava's grandmother. While in "Water" too much rainfall threatens Xenia's riverside town. The aftermath of "Fire" leaves Natasha to nurture her younger siblings while their mother undergoes surgery. In each story a teenage girl finds herself in a new role as climate disaster upends her life. Although the book is a work of fiction, it rings all too true to life right now.<p></p><p>Debut author Leela Marie Hidier, a teenage girl herself, did a phenomenal job in distinguishing the voices of her protagonists and making them and their environment believable through well observed sensory details, secret thoughts, and solid climate research. Each of the girls has a unique personality and family situation which shape their differing responses. Coddled Isla uprooted from her nurturing neighborhood becomes rebellious. Privileged Ava tries to escape into a romantic oasis. Alienated Xenia seeks solace in music. Steady Natasha records every detail like a reporter. Their struggles to adapt to the rapidly changing world make for compelling stories, both personal and universal, which all interconnect in the satisfying concluding segment. </p><p>The writing was strong and clean, packing an emotional punch from the first chapter. Here's Isla on abandoning her only home in a hurricane: <i>"I wonder what else I would have taken if I'd had more time. Maybe I would have taken more time."</i></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuRS3zNkt6WJmm5kYdWy2XITzF1swqLX6uydDvOT3l9xD54FJH-xUmRkPCmZTrvOn42H1Zy5LkhuUjekP_FCOWfOGkcivMrN1fnIPZ8KPn0ypRmRP1fjtILXtgryMOIMiCvXJRTSNulcsTF_8_f2GvU6xMY_GCjX7o-dMwDt2uQWlV5kbYkPpaf4/s938/Leela+Marie+Hidier.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuRS3zNkt6WJmm5kYdWy2XITzF1swqLX6uydDvOT3l9xD54FJH-xUmRkPCmZTrvOn42H1Zy5LkhuUjekP_FCOWfOGkcivMrN1fnIPZ8KPn0ypRmRP1fjtILXtgryMOIMiCvXJRTSNulcsTF_8_f2GvU6xMY_GCjX7o-dMwDt2uQWlV5kbYkPpaf4/w160-h200/Leela+Marie+Hidier.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Author photo by Winky Lewis</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The publisher and sponsor of this marvelous debut is <a href="https://www.tellingroom.org/" target="_blank">The Telling Room</a>, a non-profit organization which supports emerging young writers in Maine with a diversity of experiences. Leela was born in London to an American mother and a French father. I first connected with her family through reviewing another debut novel, <i><a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2014/09/born-confused-by-tanuja-desai-hidier.html" target="_blank">Born Confused</a></i>, by her mother, Tanuja Desai Hidier. I was delighted when the Hidiers relocated near me in Maine five years ago. Leela asked me to beta read her penultimate draft, and she's done a remarkable job in writing and revising such a polished, meaningful book during her junior year in high school. With a gorgeous cover designed by Leela's cousin Meenal Patel, this 153 page novella would make a fabulous gift for any aspiring writer or climate activist. All proceeds from <a href="https://www.tellingroom.org/bookstore/changes-in-the-weather" target="_blank">books sales</a> support The Telling Room. <div><br /></div><div>Wishing you happy and healthy holidays with lots of time to read good books! I'm currently reading and enjoying <i>The Sentence</i> by Louise Erdrich (literary fiction) and <i>Hija de la Fortuna</i> by Isabel Allende (novela histórica en español.) Follow the link below for more book suggestions from other reviewers. What are your recommendations?<br /><p></p>
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@Barrie Summy</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-82000605497445032332022-09-07T07:00:00.016-04:002022-09-07T07:00:00.152-04:00Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7ia-kV-5lwFs63XhlWgltSofEZWUODl93JwC6Z6Ev_bUUX0KexKZnOs13fKcEU3PEWCv0to-qVSaIchlrLvyxUGIhBObCvb44d1JavD1wtiq4F0qEfFrgS3JqBeHgqfiboye2P6TXc0OO-6YdLbYSbkCGlZ-RnkpTSWviY1i8V3RcLhABwROCgs/s1000/58662236.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7ia-kV-5lwFs63XhlWgltSofEZWUODl93JwC6Z6Ev_bUUX0KexKZnOs13fKcEU3PEWCv0to-qVSaIchlrLvyxUGIhBObCvb44d1JavD1wtiq4F0qEfFrgS3JqBeHgqfiboye2P6TXc0OO-6YdLbYSbkCGlZ-RnkpTSWviY1i8V3RcLhABwROCgs/s320/58662236.jpg" width="218" /></a></i></div><i>Small Things Like These</i> is a perfectly crafted novela with a social justice message that every writer should read. In only 118 pages, Irish author Claire Keegan develops her characters, immerses the reader in a multi-sensory setting, and builds a moral dilemma with the depth of a much longer classic. <p></p><p>The story takes place over Christmas of 1985, but the cozy Irish village setting is timeless and the characters Dickensian. Coal merchant Bill Furlong strives to be a good husband and father, having lost his mother at a young age without learning the identity of his father. Although a child born out of wedlock to a domestic servant is an unlikely hero in a Catholic town, Bill's ability to empathize with others makes him extraordinary and well appreciated. His charitable instincts also create conflicts at home given limited resources for five daughters. </p><p>The drama steps up a notch when Bill witnesses an atrocity, a not so secret crime thinly shrouded in lies and complicity, that shakes the foundations of his faith. His moral quandary ignites the pleasantly languid story with burning energy, making you wonder not only what Bill will do but also what would you do yourself in a similar situation. The resolution is as messy as real life but deeply satisfying. This is character driven literary fiction at its best.</p><p>As soon as I finished, I wanted to reread from the beginning. I was so caught up in the story that I forgot to analyze the quiet, masterful writing. Not a single word was out of place. My husband enjoyed the authentically voiced audiobook so much that he bought the hardcover from our local bookstore to add to our personal library. We plan to listen to another of her books together. With its gorgeous woodblock print cover, <i>Small Things Like These</i> would certainly make an excellent Christmas gift. </p><p>Thanks, <a href="http://www.mariapadian.com/">Maria Padian</a>, for recommending this marvelous book to us!</p>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-17966647477094703752022-06-01T07:00:00.024-04:002022-06-01T07:35:28.496-04:00Dead Burying the Dead Under a Quaking Aspen by David Canmer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgW5E5zw62gwPttvmgmgRKUn7hIGZZD_wVIqVDBO0OgMzZHd4vSjmU9bM5g04TYjjc7kAluzuW7wWcJ3-TQaYm5bxailpE0Ko-ubbptwIPwmRbV7-vXTD2IxYJpEEqb77xeZHKONn-knRFFIr8aJZ9eKIu7OK3r__-GfzNXfXm1ppgJKQGC1F5ZTw/s1600/61q46H0t8dL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgW5E5zw62gwPttvmgmgRKUn7hIGZZD_wVIqVDBO0OgMzZHd4vSjmU9bM5g04TYjjc7kAluzuW7wWcJ3-TQaYm5bxailpE0Ko-ubbptwIPwmRbV7-vXTD2IxYJpEEqb77xeZHKONn-knRFFIr8aJZ9eKIu7OK3r__-GfzNXfXm1ppgJKQGC1F5ZTw/w250-h400/61q46H0t8dL.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>I'm delighted to review a debut poetry collection released in April by <a href="http://www.davidcranmer.com/" target="_blank">David Cranmer</a>, who was an early member of our Book Review Club. David is perhaps better known as the editor/publisher of <i><a href="http://www.beattoapulp.com/" target="_blank">Beat to a Pulp</a></i> webzine, but he is also an accomplished poet with a most original voice. <p></p><p><i>Dead Burying the Dead Under a Quaking Aspen </i>is both eclectic and true to the complex backstory of the poet. David is an Army veteran and a risk management advisor who has worked in Haiti. His opening poem "The Inconsiderate" is a disturbing account of murder in Port-au-Prince. The focus shifts from the corpse to his mother to show the added cruelty of lost compassion:</p><p>"The weeping woman is mother of the deceased</p><p>But they do not flinch - it is lost on them</p><p>How they are treating her son's remains</p><p>Like the trophy hunters of some big game."</p><p>The subsequent poems are by contrast far more quotidien but no less skilled in their execution. My favorite was the amusing "No Line for a Common Thread" about a typical commute by train, which strikes a universal cord, all the more resonant for the contrast of wartime life before it:</p><p>"Temporary exchanges</p><p>Signifying little to nill</p><p>Just daily superfluous asides</p><p>Make up a shared human experience"</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IP2PDYFaPU8xt2GHASlD3Ndya01vZFkpGwSif2G81uIj3YLoh3FyO399mkhqusCOsQ3RSxim38Gs_F4DN7A3_uEiWO9CHBZdeRJPWek8g-gs4rup3OeLcnBfA7e4-YxdSFzcRgoQCUOYzE3SLkhN11n5HMU6LidMLmD_6V-j3CfK-0RGQ7sTha0/s450/DavidCranmer_ap4_wb-qp-bwf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IP2PDYFaPU8xt2GHASlD3Ndya01vZFkpGwSif2G81uIj3YLoh3FyO399mkhqusCOsQ3RSxim38Gs_F4DN7A3_uEiWO9CHBZdeRJPWek8g-gs4rup3OeLcnBfA7e4-YxdSFzcRgoQCUOYzE3SLkhN11n5HMU6LidMLmD_6V-j3CfK-0RGQ7sTha0/w248-h320/DavidCranmer_ap4_wb-qp-bwf.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />Darker are the poems of drinking to escape. One notes how alcohol can be like a vine strangling a tree. There are memorials to murder victims and a sad ode to losing one's mother to Alzheimer's Disease. Lighter are the poems celebrating the poet's love for his wife and their young daughter. <p></p><p><i>Dead Burying the Dead Under a Quaking Aspen</i> reveals the troubled soul of a veteran, trying to integrate back into civilian life. Despite the horrors of the past, he tries his best to be a good husband, father, and son. The book is dedicated to his daughter, but in this short collection is a poem for everyone. Nice cover too! It's available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Burying-Under-Quaking-Aspen/dp/1943035342/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1654026568&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon in print or ebook</a>/Kindle Unlimited.</p><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://barriesummy.blogspot.com/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk76_Psw9CTLm8rGY4UuW7vPawsMXWcjCdc-ycsm2iPYlfb6oWgiCaxJzUnpts-fU_YjBhbrGSyUGq_dOx8Ttnr_HPH17YAkd800928k1JWqZyGwdu-ktH1-Vd-JVzQlqhdgLB6Uex4yr_/s1600/BookReviewClub-Button.png" /></a></div>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-18976848794387104682022-04-06T07:00:00.018-04:002022-04-07T17:52:35.865-04:00Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera<p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoVjivfo4Ic-lrLK6cWRqTmG0K8Wd334BxMh5omw9u4Y45mGmZbzeUxpSPjiJGRs2GaQXIdCDxf3fqStjUBJHYh9DK8m6MRSPLH9dI5Tn48-MmEZ0nleN5-CMSh8bvmUGYYQYXMyB3z2pHVsfcVteBz2GbKdQkVaFRrnrBTQ2dY3gxz_eq9w-R7Q/s400/3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoVjivfo4Ic-lrLK6cWRqTmG0K8Wd334BxMh5omw9u4Y45mGmZbzeUxpSPjiJGRs2GaQXIdCDxf3fqStjUBJHYh9DK8m6MRSPLH9dI5Tn48-MmEZ0nleN5-CMSh8bvmUGYYQYXMyB3z2pHVsfcVteBz2GbKdQkVaFRrnrBTQ2dY3gxz_eq9w-R7Q/w263-h400/3.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p>After reviewing novels for 15 years and plotting my own, it's not often that a book surprises me, but <a href="http://cleyvisnatera.com/" target="_blank">Cleyvis Natera</a>'s <i>Neruda on the Park</i> is an astounding debut. The set-up reminded me of <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128853/" target="_blank">You've Got Mail</a></i>: a naive young woman falls for the charming developer who threatens to destroy her world. However, as the beautiful cover art reveals, <i>Neruda on the Park</i> is more of a mother-daughter story than a romance, unless Nothar Park, their Dominican neighborhood in NYC, is the main love interest. What the story becomes is true to the multidimensional characters in our uncertain times but not what you'd expect from genre scaffolding.</p><p></p><p>Natera's novel has such a wonderful sense of place of both Manhattan (where I grew up) and the Dominican Republic (where I've visited). The generosity and rivalry of neighbors in a close knit community was well observed. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of food: "Pastel making started out as it always did - hours peeling skin, grinding the flesh of plátanos, yautias, and yuccas until the grainy yellow paste was smooth enough to be mistaken for cooked cornmeal." There's so much local flavor: from the decorative (not pandemic) masks celebrating Dominican Independence Day to the sidewalk barbecues with extra food to share, but crime, sexism, racism, and ICE lurk around the corner.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDd0FKGfw_i4Urkr-t6vDLhoQfPVM-WujdjJlBQlsVos10FH8K6TitEw6Eu7kuYkbB29DtfiOw1yeQaCPwiM92aXaQdvGpgX9_1-jxrfjDpA8gohUHJRcBwP8JKtSu3Ra8zbHODCOJ0hihkk-Y4zDlO5hscii8IWZjnakcogiHUONmmrTrpXbyawk/s1022/CleyvisNatera120121_365BeowulfSheehan-768x1022.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDd0FKGfw_i4Urkr-t6vDLhoQfPVM-WujdjJlBQlsVos10FH8K6TitEw6Eu7kuYkbB29DtfiOw1yeQaCPwiM92aXaQdvGpgX9_1-jxrfjDpA8gohUHJRcBwP8JKtSu3Ra8zbHODCOJ0hihkk-Y4zDlO5hscii8IWZjnakcogiHUONmmrTrpXbyawk/w240-h320/CleyvisNatera120121_365BeowulfSheehan-768x1022.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cleyvis Natera photo by <a href="https://www.beowulfsheehan.com/" target="_blank">Beowulf Shehan</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The book opens with commercial glitz: successful women wear designer suits with mortgageable shoes and dine in trendy restaurants. The power players, both black and white, live in private brownstones, where jewelry and books are displayed behind glass like trophies of social status. Double Ivy League educated herself, Luz Guerrero wants to grasp everything that is withheld from her. Her name in Spanish means light warrior, and she earns it, fighting for justice.<p></p><p>To please her doting parents and her mentor-boss, Luz works long hours as a corporate lawyer, pouring her savings into her parent's retirement home back in DR and buying designer clothes for herself on credit. After her career hits an unexpected setback, Luz meets a handsome billionaire in a hot yoga class (don't quit reading). Although white and privileged, Hudson apologizes for his mistakes, speaks better Spanish than hers, recites <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Neruda">Pablo Neruda</a>'s poetry by heart, and welcomes Luz into his luxurious world without reservations. Hudson wants the best for her. So why does her mother hate him?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2SjR7F8Ep-dc6959M5IXybd7UCPnQgf8mMUA8J9IKIrpXqEvoovKKQJTHhcUtKbKkoN49rcZcH0ZgMKPzAvuh4supqaVVKdElh8E6OratCbQ8aeoU70NwNaXXNZj1vdDDDnyOBR775iOHQG5V_1I9LkCxCZ4BgawGdFzJtm8kz6S_arVj8cefB4/s368/The_Persistence_of_Memory.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="368" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2SjR7F8Ep-dc6959M5IXybd7UCPnQgf8mMUA8J9IKIrpXqEvoovKKQJTHhcUtKbKkoN49rcZcH0ZgMKPzAvuh4supqaVVKdElh8E6OratCbQ8aeoU70NwNaXXNZj1vdDDDnyOBR775iOHQG5V_1I9LkCxCZ4BgawGdFzJtm8kz6S_arVj8cefB4/w200-h148/The_Persistence_of_Memory.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Halfway through the book, the seemingly predictable plot warps like a Dali clock, resetting our perception of reality. What I enjoyed the most was watching the characters develop and twist the storyline in unexpected directions, but I won't say any more to avoid spoilers. Except go pre-order this May 17th book from your local indie bookstore before it sells out. Publishing rights to <i>Neruda on the Park</i> sold at auction for all the right reasons. Will there be a movie?<p></p><p><br /></p><p>My reviews of two more excellent novels by Dominican Americans:</p><p><a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2020/02/dominicana-by-angie-cruz-visit-to.html" target="_blank">Dominicana</a> by Angie Cruz</p><p><a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2020/06/in-time-of-butterflies-by-julia-alvarez.html" target="_blank">In the Time of the Butterflies</a> by Julia Alvarez</p><p>¡Felicidades por tu maravilloso debut, Cleyvis! Me encantó tu novela y espero que escribas más.</p>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-21362782294126217332022-02-02T07:00:00.034-05:002022-02-02T08:31:30.358-05:00What I Carry by Jennifer Longo<p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVXdqGIfCqefYTy1GoD0DxP7fiM9ezGog6FitG9ck-1h6_svUxeurr4URtKo-sil3QFC9vI6_CEY_l9pa0g4L8a-U4DQGQTXv7vV3sXN9uRHSenfagLeT49ketpm45hmsoLhEObsqMDz41eN9aItu8P6oSo6Uv412WYaPFLFffl45cd3_Sy1mIP5M=s976" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="646" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVXdqGIfCqefYTy1GoD0DxP7fiM9ezGog6FitG9ck-1h6_svUxeurr4URtKo-sil3QFC9vI6_CEY_l9pa0g4L8a-U4DQGQTXv7vV3sXN9uRHSenfagLeT49ketpm45hmsoLhEObsqMDz41eN9aItu8P6oSo6Uv412WYaPFLFffl45cd3_Sy1mIP5M=w212-h320" width="212" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">It's a rare pleasure to find a book that tackles gritty issues and still manages to be an enjoyable read. <a href="http://www.jenlongo.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Longo</a> excels at creating complex protagonists who are their own worst antagonists. Longo's last book, <i>Up to this Point</i>, was one of my <a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2017/01/best-contemporary-ya-fiction-of-2016.html" target="_blank">favorite young adult novels of 2016</a>, but </span></span></span><i>What I Carry</i> is even better. Her latest young adult novel is dedicated to her daughter, who was born into foster care and had "never read a book about a life she recognized." The author listened to her and to foster families to create a fictional story that is educational but never didactic.<div><br /></div><div>Muir was born addicted to the drugs her mother was using and then shuffled through a series of foster homes. At nearly eighteen, Muir is finally on the brink of aging out of foster care but with freedom comes financial insecurity and the loss of her support network. For her final placement, this ultra urban girl has been extirpated from her beloved Seattle and replanted on a remote island. With only a retired foster mother and no foster siblings for company, Muir is terrified by silence and empty space. She's used to living out of a suitcase in temporary quarters and refuses to unpack her few belongings. At school she strives to get by without being noticed as usual, but that's not possible in such a small town.<div><p>It was a joy to watch Muir connect with nature and make emotional attachments but equally painful to see how she struggles to accept anything given to her, be it a fresh baked scone or genuine love. My only criticism was the mean girl<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">s at school felt like cardboard cutouts, standing in sharp contrast to the other well developed characters, young and old.</span> I have never felt more invested in a character, wanting Muir to succeed. If I had to summarize this quiet book in one word it would be hope.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh9ZUF2a1TrBMTeRsdqtwEbRlRw8q9EUejS9GyYJWuf8i-hOCnpRjW1qVkbXwvXpQbHW0fkmIUyQ_4tQiBXiKejVfWAk1LDFexfxp3Gf60nLRMASEP-LFygVIwUw6iCkcz79UdJ8spsWOP2ZD2gumhNs_yyLS8rDeQHuKUyofQobzsaOUlVK-OOiw=s3967" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2974" data-original-width="3967" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh9ZUF2a1TrBMTeRsdqtwEbRlRw8q9EUejS9GyYJWuf8i-hOCnpRjW1qVkbXwvXpQbHW0fkmIUyQ_4tQiBXiKejVfWAk1LDFexfxp3Gf60nLRMASEP-LFygVIwUw6iCkcz79UdJ8spsWOP2ZD2gumhNs_yyLS8rDeQHuKUyofQobzsaOUlVK-OOiw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My coastal town in Maine got 18 inches of snow in the blizzard. Great skiing before the rain!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
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@Barrie Summy</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-54968878761611824882021-12-01T07:00:00.029-05:002021-12-01T11:39:56.354-05:00The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEh5us-mVcFVCQfwfcXRLksZ0xZlRb9x3uoUnNpm3YSp6s8NGyUdvjFztqT6OeksrRGfFRHJ52Qp8iXuvjJf-DINFUOE6grLr_T_3YENjOwljYN8hZfLa70XofAZ_jt6x8tUJwQ-7TsyU/s2048/43822062.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEh5us-mVcFVCQfwfcXRLksZ0xZlRb9x3uoUnNpm3YSp6s8NGyUdvjFztqT6OeksrRGfFRHJ52Qp8iXuvjJf-DINFUOE6grLr_T_3YENjOwljYN8hZfLa70XofAZ_jt6x8tUJwQ-7TsyU/w265-h400/43822062.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div><br /></div>To celebrate Hanukkah, my family lights the menorah for eight nights; my husband makes the most delicious latkes (potato pancakes), and I have always given our children books. When shopping for books by diverse authors this holiday season, remember to include Jewish writers. Their stories aren't just for Hanukkah. We can all learn so much about the world by reading about other cultures and key moments in history. <div><br /></div><div>One of my favorite Jewish writers is <a href="https://alicehoffman.com/" target="_blank">Alice Hoffman</a>, the author of more than thirty books, many of them national bestsellers. In her 2019 novel, <i>The World That We Knew</i>, a twelve-year-old girl flees Nazi Germany to France with the help of a golem, a magical creature whose existence is as much a blessing as a curse. Despite this touch of magical realism, the mostly realistic narrative doesn't stray far from the facts of history.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DlveBgA33VaEIILXVCmGE4ySPGtGXL7CmS6zt3n9hpaPCCkrjf4rNDUeGBzIeVtzPrWqtH71jkjBXyPsUtdxhZWILRQLw8mU6ZhoJRT07i3vvWD7rVl_dDp1morwSKvFLYhsNKAifFI/s2048/IMG_3351.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DlveBgA33VaEIILXVCmGE4ySPGtGXL7CmS6zt3n9hpaPCCkrjf4rNDUeGBzIeVtzPrWqtH71jkjBXyPsUtdxhZWILRQLw8mU6ZhoJRT07i3vvWD7rVl_dDp1morwSKvFLYhsNKAifFI/w320-h320/IMG_3351.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>What I found most interesting was the exploration of mysticism and female agency within the Jewish faith. I loved how Hoffman adapted patriarchal practices to give her observant female characters more freedom and power. There are also strong male characters, both Catholic and Jewish, but women and girls drive the narrative. The female golem made me rethink what it means to be human and a mother. The magical elements enhanced the story without detracting from the heroism of the French Resistance nor the horrors of the Holocaust. The writing was sublime.<p></p><p>Although <i>The World That We Knew</i> was written for adults, most of the characters are teenagers and the narrative is fast-paced and hopeful so it would crossover well to younger readers. My one and only criticism is the title is way too vague. This unforgettable book deserved a title easier to remember so write it down now. Thanks, Cathy at <a href="https://www.mainpointbooks.com/" target="_blank">Main Point Books</a>, for the book recommendation! </p>
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@Barrie Summy</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-25352173650054270682021-09-08T07:00:00.017-04:002021-09-08T07:00:00.193-04:00Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOwWY_vgg52TVa3ei8WOLtAzM4gTbKW1Nu93KspRF0ntMyfmjl_ysFv-exnsk06WWnzKqC8RPTKUBso8JPK-LLnRcP9gqeW3xk7tShMOBlyGHjz9WP7Jq2jrcfc7L8fWlyRcBRWPC618/s2048/56783258.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOwWY_vgg52TVa3ei8WOLtAzM4gTbKW1Nu93KspRF0ntMyfmjl_ysFv-exnsk06WWnzKqC8RPTKUBso8JPK-LLnRcP9gqeW3xk7tShMOBlyGHjz9WP7Jq2jrcfc7L8fWlyRcBRWPC618/w265-h400/56783258.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>If you loved <i>All the Light We Cannot See</i> as much as I did, you'll be delighted to hear that <a href="https://www.anthonydoerr.com/" target="_blank">Anthony Doerr</a> will be releasing a new and equally epic novel, <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land, </i>on September 28th. His latest book is structurally more complex as it is narrated in multiple voices from antiquity, the recent past, and the future. It’s an ode to ancient texts, to libraries, and most of all, to readers.<div><br /></div><div><div>The historical storyline follows two teenagers on opposite sides of a walled city during the 1453 siege of Constantinople. Anna is an orphan who should be embroidering birds and flowers for Christian priests but instead sneaks off to learn how to read Greek. Beyond the fortified walls, Omeir is more concerned in the wellbeing of his oxen than in the plunders of war. A birth defect makes it easier for him to win the love of animals than of people outside his family, but of all the characters, Omeir is the least bitter and the most capable and generous.</div><div><br /></div><div>The contemporary storyline is set in Idaho and alternates between a troubled youth, Seymour, who befriends a threatened owl, and an 86-year-old Korean War veteran, Zeno, who is struggling to translate fragments of an ancient Greek text. I found it interesting that the "contemporary" storyline was set in February 2020, right before the pandemic. Perhaps to avoid its absence from the narrative? Some savvy editor or perhaps the author himself might have adjusted the dates right before the galleys were printed. I'm guessing that the pandemic will divide literature like World War II did in the last century.</div><div><br /></div><div>The futuristic story is narrated only from the perspective of Konstance, a teenage girl on an arklike spaceship to save humanity from the climate crisis. To avoid spoilers, I won't say much about this storyline other than it was the most compelling and had a brilliant plot twist that took even a seasoned reader like me by surprise. My only criticism was I would have liked to have learned more about Konstance's future. The other storylines were better resolved, but all three were woven together well. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Cloud Cuckoo Land</i> was brilliantly crafted. Although the galley was 618 pages and covered equally weighty material, it was a fast read with short cliffhanger chapters and alternating narratives. I read most of it over one weekend, and it was a welcome escape from the current worries of the world, even though it dealt with many of them. Like <i>Harry Potter</i> and the <i>Seraphina</i> series, <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land</i> brought me back to the childhood joy of getting lost in the alternative universe of a book. Although Doerr's novel was written for adults, it would crossover very well to teenagers. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>With its time hopping stories and linked motifs, <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land</i> reminded me of David Mitchell’s masterpiece, <i>Cloud Atlas </i>(was the "cloud" in the goofy title an homage?) The environmental themes were also similar to <i>The Overstory</i> by Richard Powers. Following a book through time reminded me of another favorite, <i><a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2009/04/people-of-book-by-geraldine-brooks.html" target="_blank">People of the Book</a></i> by Geraldine Brooks. Even so, <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land </i>was original and will appeal to all book lovers.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Each of these books, child, is a door, a gateway to another place and time. You have your whole life in front of you, and for all of it, you'll have this. It will be enough, don't you think?"</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Galley courtesy of <a href="https://www.mainpointbooks.com/" target="_blank">Main Point Books</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">(you can preorder <i>Cloud Cuckoo Land</i> from this indie bookstore's website)</div></div></div>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-29197308708307891602021-06-02T15:06:00.013-04:002021-06-04T12:42:39.245-04:00The Bilingual Book Club: El lápiz del carpintero/The Carpenter's Pencil<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrUWD_PDJQEEGc1OpYvt7yi_QWhaIoGtd9ejWksnEcx9sI8tghQDepZRkKer8OIVcCI3vUbAJbNDt4MyBTjzhEm7_zWphnPS0GHU3PywVAGf8ziTjuGmarOpoylv4fxdbWJyGWk90Vpw/s1224/cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1224" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrUWD_PDJQEEGc1OpYvt7yi_QWhaIoGtd9ejWksnEcx9sI8tghQDepZRkKer8OIVcCI3vUbAJbNDt4MyBTjzhEm7_zWphnPS0GHU3PywVAGf8ziTjuGmarOpoylv4fxdbWJyGWk90Vpw/w640-h502/cover.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPCByKd7O3_cg2MJMjm67DMTz-z2tXIqPPf8ivGi7fLxkY_v0kqpoYgWUyG8YyOOyzJ5rCWoFCtpr322_5bjXxIZyDIYpNrEd2go1slaJS8pNoaMnSFCXPCneZ1c933cgErLaPPUC-v8/s2048/salome.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPCByKd7O3_cg2MJMjm67DMTz-z2tXIqPPf8ivGi7fLxkY_v0kqpoYgWUyG8YyOOyzJ5rCWoFCtpr322_5bjXxIZyDIYpNrEd2go1slaJS8pNoaMnSFCXPCneZ1c933cgErLaPPUC-v8/s320/salome.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span>Salomé and a furry friend, photo by Elena</span></td></tr></tbody></table>To research a novel about Jewish refugees in the Dominican Republic during World War II, I've been learning Spanish. Unable to travel, I connected with a conversational partner in Spain through the language exchange website <a href="https://www.language-exchanges.org/" target="_blank">Mixxer</a>. Salomé lives in Galicia in the northwestern corner of Spain. Like my rural state of Maine, Galicia's geographic isolation protected the large elderly population from the higher Covid infection rates of more urban areas. Our pandemic stats have been remarkably similar, even though I was fully vaccinated by May 1st, and Salomé was only able to receive her first dose today. Another key difference: <a href="https://elpais.com/ciencia/2021-06-02/los-reticentes-radicales-a-vacunarse-de-la-covid-bajan-a-solo-un-4-en-diez-meses-en-espana.html">87% of Spaniards want to be vaccinated and only 4% are anti-vax</a>. <div><br /></div><div>Americans should learn about the benefits of universal health insurance from our European allies, who view health as a right of citizenship, not as a divisive political issue. Still, the pandemic dealt a hard blow to Spain too, especially at the start, and vaccine scarcity has created additional challenges. During these stressful times, Salomé and I have found that learning another language has been an excellent diversion. <div><p></p><p>We also share a passion for books. I recommended that Salomé read <i>Olive Kitteridge</i> by Elizabeth Strout, a Pulitzer prize winning novel set in a fictional version of my coastal town. For our bilingual book club, I've been reading <i>The Carpenter's Pencil</i> by Manuel Rivas, a Galician classic about the Spanish Civil War. This short (166 pages) historical novel was written in Galician/gallego, a regional language which is more similar to Portuguese than to Spanish. Galician was banned under Franco and become the language of the resistance but returned to the school curriculum after the dictator's death. </p><p>Nearly trilingual Salomé read the book in Galician, but I needed the English and Spanish translations. Both were excellent, but the Spanish version was closer to the original and had interesting footnotes to explain the history. Salomé gave me more context and found photos to illustrate the narrative. I'm learning as much history and culture as grammar and vocabulary from our two hour weekly video chats. Our international friendship has been the silver lining of the pandemic.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7Nx6tjyUYO_DqN7scL3d77zEFvgE0I9q2iEimnXzhrknnRSmnsJCXE2NVgQvj7gcGUMQoEfKMpnqya8W7h1vYXj5gkcKP-lGf7uo_G4cdX-OYeeHsGH9CdNPkKUKQ1kZ18Amfx8u7eU/s750/prison.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="750" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7Nx6tjyUYO_DqN7scL3d77zEFvgE0I9q2iEimnXzhrknnRSmnsJCXE2NVgQvj7gcGUMQoEfKMpnqya8W7h1vYXj5gkcKP-lGf7uo_G4cdX-OYeeHsGH9CdNPkKUKQ1kZ18Amfx8u7eU/w640-h374/prison.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span>The old prison island in Ría de Vigo, Galicia reminds us of Alcatraz in San Francisco.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67yey-0mRLrNxNJmHFYdGsTvLSWI8WI4bGCuI7K9Ravkd5KNkV2Z5qiQNMT-iRXInZ-aQLeAHXz9LMjR24CB5R4jEzirf1CjtozkMjsng-HUj0H3uU3WJqoWQFfajNRxp0qrJfwG5OZY/s1300/galicia-autonomous-community-location-map-within-spain-vector-illustration-2B7J9EG.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67yey-0mRLrNxNJmHFYdGsTvLSWI8WI4bGCuI7K9Ravkd5KNkV2Z5qiQNMT-iRXInZ-aQLeAHXz9LMjR24CB5R4jEzirf1CjtozkMjsng-HUj0H3uU3WJqoWQFfajNRxp0qrJfwG5OZY/s320/galicia-autonomous-community-location-map-within-spain-vector-illustration-2B7J9EG.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div><i>The Carpenter's Pencil</i> shows the brutality of the Spanish Civil War from the perspective of prison guard Herbal and his political prisoner, Doctor Daniel de Barca, whom he is ordered to kill. Fortunately, the spirit of a murdered painter gets inside Herbal's head, educating and manipulating the guard. Herbal represents the harsh sensibility of the Franco regime while Dr. Barca is nearly a saint in his selfless efforts to minister to the physical and emotional health of his fellow prisoners. From inside prison walls, we can best understand the horrors of the Franco regime of 1936-1975. To balance the darkness, there is a lovely romance between Barca and Marisa, a rebel with a cause, whom Herbal secretly adores. </div><div><br /></div><div>This most original novella has more depth than books twice its length. It took me 6 weeks to finish only because I read very slowly in my third language. Although I can now understand Spanish newspapers and podcasts, the more literary language of novels is still beyond my intermediate level of instruction. Every night, I read a few pages in English and then again in Spanish. Now that I've finished, I'm listening to the Spanish audiobook to cement my comprehension and to appreciate the beauty of the language. I now understand why young children often want the same bedtime story over and over again! I'd recommend <i>The Carpenter's Pencil</i> to everyone in any language since its empowering message transcends translation. Me encantó esta novela histórica, y recomiendo que todos la lean. </div><div><div><br /><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://barriesummy.blogspot.com/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk76_Psw9CTLm8rGY4UuW7vPawsMXWcjCdc-ycsm2iPYlfb6oWgiCaxJzUnpts-fU_YjBhbrGSyUGq_dOx8Ttnr_HPH17YAkd800928k1JWqZyGwdu-ktH1-Vd-JVzQlqhdgLB6Uex4yr_/s1600/BookReviewClub-Button.png" /></a></div>
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@Barrie Summy</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-11993800960767687332021-04-07T07:00:00.016-04:002021-04-08T07:35:15.088-04:00Small Island by Andrea Levy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_MIe3It04AQ9h6AGhXzDCyV4XDfgIKQWFyrr5lsxKndLTO_f4BXUv46jtbhg2J8toTqM4ycZukOVeuMtHWk6UAfD25ePGgXICE3_xgQ7AlNXqMXsGMVN-wLHnVIlJsI0lDfYr-jPPxc/s475/902725._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_MIe3It04AQ9h6AGhXzDCyV4XDfgIKQWFyrr5lsxKndLTO_f4BXUv46jtbhg2J8toTqM4ycZukOVeuMtHWk6UAfD25ePGgXICE3_xgQ7AlNXqMXsGMVN-wLHnVIlJsI0lDfYr-jPPxc/w261-h400/902725._SY475_.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>Although <i>Small Island</i> is now one of my favorite historical novels, I was so disappointed by how one character treated other people that I quit reading for several years. Abandoned by her white father and Black mother, Hortense was raised in Jamaica by relatives who nourish and educate her but skimp on love. Seeking a better life, Hortense steals her best friend's boyfriend, a dashing Royal Air Force veteran, to immigrate to London. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph is hardworking and ambitious too, but his patient kindness and good humor stands in sharp contrast to her judgemental pride. Their struggle against racism is a fresh spin on the classic British World War II novel.<p></p><p>In 1948 Hortense sails into London and discovers a dirty, bombed out city and a shabby husband that fail to match her dreams. The narrative then rewinds to the backstories of the four central characters. The Josephs' white landlady, Queenie, is a delightfully irascible character who dares to rent rooms to people of color when her racist husband, Bernard, fails to return home from war. In many ways Bernard's miserable story is the most poignant of all, surprising me. A masterful storyteller can make you feel empathy in unexpected places.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9m2ZWfP6C2rBcAXBNKeTlKgtLi9nJtzsZRo1qpS1a5acPGhEbo7RYrmiYqyiETBpMoEQlHiNEilC0891qyzTnRmTiq5eA89DCvW8nLzMSoTz5tv7Yk81zjmBHJGRfnHQZbudnGY-u1Y/s480/24732.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9m2ZWfP6C2rBcAXBNKeTlKgtLi9nJtzsZRo1qpS1a5acPGhEbo7RYrmiYqyiETBpMoEQlHiNEilC0891qyzTnRmTiq5eA89DCvW8nLzMSoTz5tv7Yk81zjmBHJGRfnHQZbudnGY-u1Y/s320/24732.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Photo by Angus Muir</td></tr></tbody></table>The child of Jamaican immigrants in England, author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Levy" target="_blank">Andrea Levy</a> has so much compassion for all of her characters. Their personal histories help the reader understand how childhoods circumscribed by misfortune, poverty, racism, and/or lost love have shaped these flawed characters. They frequently misunderstand each other, but the reader can piece together their true intentions by knowing the full story. <p></p><p>The titular "small island" is Jamaica or Great Britain, but it is also a metaphor for how people can isolate themselves by their own prejudices. This realistic novel shows how systemic racism corrupts and hurts everyone in its path. The heavy theme is lightened by a full cast of quirky Dickensian characters. If you can get past the abrasive opening chapters, this brilliant book builds momentum as the characters make mistakes but slowly learn to be a bit more tolerant and forgiving. By the end, we are left with hope.</p><p>As a writer, I received a second gift: inspiration. When crafting an historical novel it's hard to decide <i>when</i> to start the novel. The contemporary reader may need more background to situate themselves in an unfamiliar time period, but starting with backstory and historical context can bog down the narrative. Although two of the main characters of <i>Small Island</i> are from Jamaica, it made more sense to open in London because the book is about immigration. The best known example of this narrative structure, <i>in medias res</i>, would be the <i>Odyssey</i>. If starting in the middle of a journey worked for Homer and Levy, maybe it could work for me! </p><p>There's also a BBC adaptation with an all star cast: Naomie Harris (mom from <i>Moonlight</i>) as Hortense, Ruth Wilson (Rose from <i>Downton Abbey</i>) as Queenie, David Oyelowo (MLK from <i>Selma</i>) as Gilbert, and Benedict Cumberbatch (<i>Sherlock</i>) as Bernard. </p><div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-25411211716511114252021-03-11T07:00:00.161-05:002021-03-11T07:00:03.489-05:00Covid Vaccination: our ticket out<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZclhuZV0kTykS-a0PQndvp6niI33oyqU7sFODfOSJCZ_pRSePNfQfNw4PDoId1jHH2wtWDJztczomkHzzxX1kAgxXgSHcsranFn9aeeQlzm1yA37HVYHxUo27yshhcJkEVutQ_FE9YkY/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZclhuZV0kTykS-a0PQndvp6niI33oyqU7sFODfOSJCZ_pRSePNfQfNw4PDoId1jHH2wtWDJztczomkHzzxX1kAgxXgSHcsranFn9aeeQlzm1yA37HVYHxUo27yshhcJkEVutQ_FE9YkY/w640-h480/VaccineAdvocacy-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Can you believe that today is the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic? </div></div><div style="text-align: center;">So much has changed in a year, thanks to vaccines! </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKsiL6WUMRhXctd0XIQ8yu3pzbEKm7HhjJSxza40-D3zPkG8UH1qMxtT_ZwAPAHjtGX759GbGw8BwbdzoYiznPR-XuhmllBUS65IE_YRx9w6UY0tTD25qqWuGVF2IDK4osz0xyAKVmL0/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1629" data-original-width="2048" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKsiL6WUMRhXctd0XIQ8yu3pzbEKm7HhjJSxza40-D3zPkG8UH1qMxtT_ZwAPAHjtGX759GbGw8BwbdzoYiznPR-XuhmllBUS65IE_YRx9w6UY0tTD25qqWuGVF2IDK4osz0xyAKVmL0/w640-h510/VaccineAdvocacy-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdA1DaSc_lN0J0NdVtQ0azE1D7XkMEN9FEiC_eYb7xmTiZyA5PwtPLVoGBbknljQ0awRB2CLPMb2H8JJV4i1KZLIwuoxTyTw5L4yrs6K4RS_pLI3KmFkql64SzUg66r_lwrEHyDYjUeo/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1755" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdA1DaSc_lN0J0NdVtQ0azE1D7XkMEN9FEiC_eYb7xmTiZyA5PwtPLVoGBbknljQ0awRB2CLPMb2H8JJV4i1KZLIwuoxTyTw5L4yrs6K4RS_pLI3KmFkql64SzUg66r_lwrEHyDYjUeo/w274-h320/VaccineAdvocacy-3.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div>On this day last year, my family was in Costa Rica celebrating my husband’s recovery from a health crisis. Although the hole in his heart was repaired as a child, Henry has remained immune compromised, and in 2019, he needed two more heart surgeries. In early March of 2020, his cardiologists declared the surgeries a success so our family foolishly flew abroad. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>When we left for vacation, there was no COVID in Maine and only one case in Costa Rica. In our isolated cabin with more birds than people on the mountain trails, we felt safe enough until WHO declared a global pandemic. Our March 18th flight home was a terrifying chorus of coughing passengers on packed planes. I have not traveled farther than 30 minutes from home since then. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxXqesR8MZFBC1FujBCVQ8niuP8pxt6-HfJ8TGwgZ9k4AoAEFjYItr4E1_yWG68-VCF44z_RNxVVZuNRO_2iGOoPTJJm_4L0kF_qF_llQItoj7FBoIxRFWuJpl08tUj7c8-nPWjMk4O4/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxXqesR8MZFBC1FujBCVQ8niuP8pxt6-HfJ8TGwgZ9k4AoAEFjYItr4E1_yWG68-VCF44z_RNxVVZuNRO_2iGOoPTJJm_4L0kF_qF_llQItoj7FBoIxRFWuJpl08tUj7c8-nPWjMk4O4/w640-h480/VaccineAdvocacy-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuT6jnr1F5cP5e8sHgTaTwutQPegP_1qhQjLs3XTA2Whxhyphenhyphen8i7PFsGzpQqvHm0giFrkHGDpz1lXzyXE4cPrFUiIBC2KCbj5IyWT3T2NyNw2I90urwWf-vuOdB4UJDCX_k4-hzAkRj0T0/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2012" data-original-width="2048" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuT6jnr1F5cP5e8sHgTaTwutQPegP_1qhQjLs3XTA2Whxhyphenhyphen8i7PFsGzpQqvHm0giFrkHGDpz1lXzyXE4cPrFUiIBC2KCbj5IyWT3T2NyNw2I90urwWf-vuOdB4UJDCX_k4-hzAkRj0T0/w200-h196/VaccineAdvocacy-6.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>To protect Henry and other vulnerable people in our community, we have been living under strict quarantine for nearly a year. We get all our groceries curbside and restaurant food takeout. We only enter buildings for medical appointments, although my husband has a lot of those. I learned how to cut hair. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our <a href="https://gemmalaurence.com/" target="_blank">singer-songwriter daughter</a> had to cancel her live concerts and move back home, but we haven’t seen our son since last summer nor our octogenarian parents in over a year. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi50ABKVLpdZb8_yDu5ucyOF23raoGHf7xG253qB0MQQ6vjiwBsl0XJKDfVVQ_QEXt6OAJNuSxsYXofnXhiffQT_Dvb08fG_vCIHbXO1LXPtgtW3RbP2xmPFei565cPQzAvlWrsu1eFg/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi50ABKVLpdZb8_yDu5ucyOF23raoGHf7xG253qB0MQQ6vjiwBsl0XJKDfVVQ_QEXt6OAJNuSxsYXofnXhiffQT_Dvb08fG_vCIHbXO1LXPtgtW3RbP2xmPFei565cPQzAvlWrsu1eFg/w640-h480/VaccineAdvocacy-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie from a solo walk last summer at the Eastern Prom in Portland, Maine.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuwp6MtPg03KCR-gLPS6RO8LSiRzPyWboYW-WNoRkF3Lh7fqWf-KzCiENU-XvjCjMQgcZy82sJb6Y1o3G95hWl1Q8ovJ_lylh0pGZcU0NqHdFJ-Al76YMDYal07uBwKUNlPPz-mujOBA/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-8.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuwp6MtPg03KCR-gLPS6RO8LSiRzPyWboYW-WNoRkF3Lh7fqWf-KzCiENU-XvjCjMQgcZy82sJb6Y1o3G95hWl1Q8ovJ_lylh0pGZcU0NqHdFJ-Al76YMDYal07uBwKUNlPPz-mujOBA/s320/VaccineAdvocacy-8.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Congratulations in Japanese to Henry's remote Bowdoin students.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>We’re fortunate to have work we can do remotely. Henry exercises alone at dawn on remote trails, and I meet a masked friend for a walk once a month. Since high risk people aren’t prioritized in Maine, Henry won’t be eligible for the vaccine until April. Our extreme social isolation has a high psychological cost paid in tears and sleepless nights. Too many people have died. </div><div><br /></div><div>Only vaccination will save our family and yours from this pandemic nightmare. We are so lucky that our country will have enough vaccine by May for every American. I have been following the <a href="https://twitter.com/DrEricDing">medical research</a> closely, and scientists agree that the vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines have already defeated polio and small pox. For herd immunity, at least 70% of us need to be vaccinated to protect the community and to return to life as we remember it. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimupYPtoox1uTBJYEfVLPlFlYneYd__4H9-0TLEv19F7NBf73L_sg-pImjbd29kC46DsCreEzg7orS7Giyih82gBKxaJLL6lAUeWrTK5A3k_UMfAfwuxhNH1rw_3xVfL-0vSo0fanNYhU/s2048/VaccineAdvocacy-9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="2048" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimupYPtoox1uTBJYEfVLPlFlYneYd__4H9-0TLEv19F7NBf73L_sg-pImjbd29kC46DsCreEzg7orS7Giyih82gBKxaJLL6lAUeWrTK5A3k_UMfAfwuxhNH1rw_3xVfL-0vSo0fanNYhU/w640-h466/VaccineAdvocacy-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating Passover, Easter, and Hanami with my family in New York in 2019.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />When I heard that my age group would be eligible next month, I scheduled my first dental cleaning in a year, and then I called my recently vaccinated parents. My writers’ group is planning an outdoor masked gathering for two weeks after vaccinations. I’m counting the months until I can safely fly to the Dominican Republic to research my novel about Jewish refugees during World War II. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM10h2QQqSYYcuG9-Uz_G9Yznw9x1wWGa7EwuWJ11IQxfWqrJ1laTEnk0GQyZBqlKVjzwVx5A4PV08uJSkC5YJqKx6xrHzhyphenhyphenIUYaIjMPbHHUkfZwKOBsjOwLu2pcHfaZJYgstvVwIpM68/s2048/DR.PlayaDorada.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM10h2QQqSYYcuG9-Uz_G9Yznw9x1wWGa7EwuWJ11IQxfWqrJ1laTEnk0GQyZBqlKVjzwVx5A4PV08uJSkC5YJqKx6xrHzhyphenhyphenIUYaIjMPbHHUkfZwKOBsjOwLu2pcHfaZJYgstvVwIpM68/w640-h480/DR.PlayaDorada.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />While I wait, I’ve been learning Spanish remotely. I can’t wait for the day when we will only talk about la pandemia in the past tense and the COVID vaccine will be as routine as the flu shot. After vaccination, where do you want to travel?</div></div><div><br /></div>
This post was sponsored by <a href="https://doourpartproject.org/" target="_blank">Do Our Part</a> in support of vaccinations in Maine. <div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-29290742409301405822021-02-03T07:00:00.002-05:002021-02-03T09:42:45.231-05:00The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1WIoNHE4RWbPuy3p8OyywRvxbV6EJ2tjxdGZ095D-f-bIOjJTIpE9OAgOl5o4EQIAQqpwzV7Um3sEyYO6U3sK6d3pMFpSWm80mjYEHAPL_zGmt60fravMO6oKApj5gd-ew-icmXQMlw/s1280/IMG_3223.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1WIoNHE4RWbPuy3p8OyywRvxbV6EJ2tjxdGZ095D-f-bIOjJTIpE9OAgOl5o4EQIAQqpwzV7Um3sEyYO6U3sK6d3pMFpSWm80mjYEHAPL_zGmt60fravMO6oKApj5gd-ew-icmXQMlw/w300-h400/IMG_3223.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>This historical novel by Nobel Prize author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Vargas_Llosa" target="_blank">Mario Vargas Llosa</a> is absolutely brilliant in content, craft, and (dare I say) execution. <i>The Feast of the Goat </i>(<i>La fiesta del chivo</i> en español, 2000) recounts the events leading to the 1961 assassination of Rafael Trujillo, the dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic for thirty-one brutal years. This political thriller not only describes what happened, but by getting inside the head of Trujillo and his assassins, we start to understand his motives and how an authoritarian leader can maintain control by psychological manipulation as much as by force.<p></p><p>Not only did Trujillo imprison, torture, and frequently murder any Dominican who opposed him, he was also responsible for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley_massacre" target="_blank">Parsley Massacre</a> of 1937 that killed around 20,000 Haitian residents, including women and children. Trujillo escaped global condemnation by being the leader of the only country to welcome extra Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany (the subject of my work-in-progress). </p><p>It's one thing to abuse your enemies, but Trujillo was also cruel to his most loyal supporters, the Trujillistas. In return for prestige and wealth, he destroyed their integrity and dignity. He even slept with their wives and daughters. People tolerated his abuse in return for the economic prosperity and political autonomy that brought their country out of a near colonial relationship with the USA. All this is true.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK70dVHTnxdi4Vsj2REicn2akbX8laU-dB6fSh7DGPs4Kvc2WJWV4MI7hR1lpgfNVR2fztRxm_ff5E6iNJW1yK233ELyuQvYY_k6b6gEBqJtB9dOLjOdI6VJ9xlHCuZQ7wk7uoic4khk/s475/34150186._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK70dVHTnxdi4Vsj2REicn2akbX8laU-dB6fSh7DGPs4Kvc2WJWV4MI7hR1lpgfNVR2fztRxm_ff5E6iNJW1yK233ELyuQvYY_k6b6gEBqJtB9dOLjOdI6VJ9xlHCuZQ7wk7uoic4khk/s320/34150186._SY475_.jpg" /></a></div>Vargas Llosa's novel is told in three alternating points of view; only the first one is fictional. Urania, the daughter of a loyal minister, has returned to the island 35 years after Trujillo's death to confront the ghosts of her traumatic past. She's a 49-year-old successful lawyer who lives alone by choice in New York City. Vargas Llosa occasionally interrupts her third person limited point-of-view narration with a second person voice (you/tú) to balances her accusatory perspective, like a conflicted conscience. This shift in voice and sophisticated vocabulary made the book too difficult for me to read in the original Spanish so I switched to the excellent translation by Edith Grossman. <p></p><p>The second point-of-view is Trujillo on the final day of his life, reflecting back on his past glories and challenges. Vargas Llosa is at his best getting inside this Machiavellian mind. Trujillo is not interested in acquiring wealth beyond using it to maintain power to achieve his goals. He has a love-hate relationship with the USA: he credits being the strong leader he is to his training as a US Marine but would fight to the death should the Americans try to re-occupy his country. He wants to purge Haitians from the Dominican gene pool, and yet his grandmother was part Haitian, and he is attracted to mulata women. As an antagonist, Trujillo is multidimensional and well-developed, a most intriguing villain.</p><p>The final point of view is a chorus of assassins, all of them real people with mostly true backstories. These loyal supporters one-by-one turned on Trujillo. They are willing to sacrifice everything to regain their freedom. As they wait in a car to ambush Trujillo, they recall their past trajectories. Every assassin has a uniquely horrific story, and by sharing it, we learn about the history of the regime and the personal nature of Trujillo's control. <i>El chivo</i>/the goat was the popular nickname for their evil leader.</p><p>"Trujillo had also killed with a method that was slower and more perverse than when he had his prey shot, beaten to death, or fed to the sharks. He had killed him in stages, taking away his decency, his honor, his self-respect, his joy in living, his hopes and desires, turning him into a sack of bones tormented by the guilty conscience that had been destroying him gradually for so many years." (p90)</p><p><i>"...Trujillo había matado también, de manera más demorada y perversa que a los que liquidó a tiros, golpes o echándolos a los tiburones. A él lo mató por partes, quitándole la decencia, el honor, el respeto por sí mismo, la alegría de vivir, las esperanzas, los deseos, dejándolo convertido en un pellejo y unos huesos atormentados por esa mala conciencia que lo destruía a poquitos desde hacía tantos años." (p124, es más lírico en español.) </i></p><p>Read <i>The Feast of the Goat</i> to understand the danger of authoritarianism, a lesson all Americans need to learn right now. We cannot take democracy for granted. Also, this historical novel is fun to read, more like a political thriller than a textbook, but as full of facts. The author brings Trujillo back to life before killing him and destroying his legacy. I'd strongly recommend this book to everyone. I really want to see the film adaptation with Isabella Rossellini playing Urania!</p><p>Bruny Rivera, gracias por recomendarme leer esta novela maravillosa.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9v22z9GGTmM" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRoCGFyyaEW4BEzCwsJK3JW0XjLN556pYRCaHJROaODSEh_NA3sJPVWYRP1xe5gI0UDR685VTvhlGQTczSSTuKtBACBe5K20Nbq7LAGee7Rd1rHM9rLvJKmoJwPYKcHQEFtY_areI2C0/s2048/sarahsnow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRoCGFyyaEW4BEzCwsJK3JW0XjLN556pYRCaHJROaODSEh_NA3sJPVWYRP1xe5gI0UDR685VTvhlGQTczSSTuKtBACBe5K20Nbq7LAGee7Rd1rHM9rLvJKmoJwPYKcHQEFtY_areI2C0/w640-h480/sarahsnow.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greetings from snowy Maine!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-83483750069222978342020-12-09T07:00:00.024-05:002020-12-09T07:00:06.332-05:00We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvW1kuO2QJ-NaMRNW9JMBjVXRVbBkcHzfizOUsDvMeFtEFfXDWPNcRx4WX2685QwVToUXDAj4JIMG3QL-oFJrUc8HCr1UNdliY4C6OqBj87V8OwoEd9NLy9nFgVOHEToMDv93s6v3FIAk/s342/lucky_ones.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="256" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvW1kuO2QJ-NaMRNW9JMBjVXRVbBkcHzfizOUsDvMeFtEFfXDWPNcRx4WX2685QwVToUXDAj4JIMG3QL-oFJrUc8HCr1UNdliY4C6OqBj87V8OwoEd9NLy9nFgVOHEToMDv93s6v3FIAk/w300-h400/lucky_ones.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>To get inspiration for my <a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2020/02/dominicana-by-angie-cruz-visit-to.html" target="_blank">work-in-progress</a> about Jewish refugees in the Dominican Republic during World War II, I've been binge-reading historical novels. Last year, I was blissfully browsing in a New York bookstore, when I got in a conversation with a woman whose favorite genre was historical fiction. She recommended <i>We Were the Lucky Ones</i> by <a href="https://georgiahunterauthor.com/" target="_blank">Georgia Hunter</a>, a novel based on a true story about a Jewish family's escape from Nazi occupied Poland. The author's grandfather was the luckiest one. His harrowing journey to Brazil and the opportunities he found there reminded me of my great grandfather's mission to help bring Jewish refugees to the Dominican Republic. <p></p><p>The scope of <i>We Were the Lucky Ones</i> was surprisingly broad given the focus on one family. The five siblings and their parents in Poland scattered to Vichy France, Siberia, West Africa, Italy and Brazil. A family tree and chapters labeled by character, date, and location helps the reader keep track of the sprawling narrative. The Kurk family experienced a wide range of possible outcomes and witnessed a multitude of atrocities. </p><p>As a Jew, I would have found <i>We Were the Lucky Ones</i> hard to read without the promise that at least this family would survive. Even so, the mostly true story is an emotionally charged page-turner. My only criticism is that I wish there had been more chapters about Addy in Brazil since his story provides much needed light. However, debut author Georgia Hunter does a great job of humanizing history without minimizing tragedy and still manages to leave the reader with hope. </p><p>A long year ago, I wondered if I'd be up to the task of portraying a world-wide tragedy that would change the course of history, and now at the end of 2020, I can imagine that darkness. Nazi Germany and the Holocaust were far worse than our pandemic, but I can relate to the constant stress of a global catastrophe coupled to shocking attacks on democracy and scapegoating of the most vulnerable. Worse than any virus is the epidemic of fear, prejudice, and xenophobia. </p><p>There is no vaccine for hate, but we can learn how to avoid the mistakes of our past by studying history. Also <a href="shttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/novel-finding-reading-literary-fiction-improves-empathy/" target="_blank">a scientific study has shown that reading literary fiction increases empathy</a>. On top of that, novels allow us to escape the confinement of our homes and to meet new people without any risk. This year my family won't be gathering in person, and we will be giving books as gifts.</p><p>My to-be-read stack of historical fiction: <i>The Feast of the Goat (La fiesta del chivo</i>) by Mario Vargas Llosa, <i>Suite Française</i> by Irene Némirovsky, <i>Small Island</i> by Andrea Levy, <i>Cutting for Stone</i> by Abraham Verghese, and the <i>Neapolitan Novels</i> by Elena Ferrante.</p><p>Do you have any other mid 20th century historical novels to recommend to me?</p>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-73093021770722518612020-11-11T12:32:00.002-05:002020-11-11T13:45:54.950-05:00Writers & Lovers by Lily King<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB3hYdDInJwpTMckwIrSX55o6I98sLd7gmnKXj75k15pCSdujFK6vo2AkORPwArQgbablr-0JPHuM4SIMb8F4F4_Vv7y3Juvnuv3eajjVgUEeJ4aVdOmGAqa5B8QEX0zhWLNv3iPFXvk/s1466/20191218-Capture0010%2525252525252528edit%2525252525252529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicB3hYdDInJwpTMckwIrSX55o6I98sLd7gmnKXj75k15pCSdujFK6vo2AkORPwArQgbablr-0JPHuM4SIMb8F4F4_Vv7y3Juvnuv3eajjVgUEeJ4aVdOmGAqa5B8QEX0zhWLNv3iPFXvk/w218-h320/20191218-Capture0010%2525252525252528edit%2525252525252529.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>Lily King's recipe for <i>Writers & Lovers </i>will entice all readers<i>: </i>start with raw, confessional honesty, add a passion for gourmet food, spice with good and bad sex, mix well with poor judgement, and finally roast all the characters at high heat. If you're looking for a fun escape from these dystopian times, here's your time machine to 1990's Harvard Square. <p></p><p>A couple of years past thirty, Casey Peabody lives in a dingy room above a garage, working double shifts as a waitress to afford a few early hours to focus exclusively on her literary novel. Unpaid student loans and credit card bills are tossed directly into the garbage. She bikes to work, past squawking geese on the Charles River, her tears mixing with the incessant rain. Casey is mourning her mother's recent death, failed love affairs, and a traumatic childhood. She writes both to escape and to find herself. Her true name isn't even Casey.</p><p>"You don't realize how much effort you've put into covering things up until you try to dig them out."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmWfhdKeo2L7nzsFzDnRg-xWyv9rp5BiZFCjdRbSdk2RxB5XY1by9m698uu9vuYU3w4UOxtb4YgDKZSKcjh40i3mHt-gQzc7hpJYAPyZfMHuCXFhNiN1ktrE2q_sNo96Kl8_r1W7jpC4/s1600/LilyKIng.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1567" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmWfhdKeo2L7nzsFzDnRg-xWyv9rp5BiZFCjdRbSdk2RxB5XY1by9m698uu9vuYU3w4UOxtb4YgDKZSKcjh40i3mHt-gQzc7hpJYAPyZfMHuCXFhNiN1ktrE2q_sNo96Kl8_r1W7jpC4/s320/LilyKIng.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I recommend reading <i>Writers & Lovers</i> slowly to savor the perfect sentences. This a writer's book, expertly crafted but still easy to read. The writing never distracts from the story-telling nor slows the pace. Humorous interludes, passionate moments, and sumptuous descriptions of food brighten the shadows of the backstory. The characters are equally enticing as flawed. It feels so real and familiar. This marvelous book captures, more than any other I've ever read, the hardships and rewards of the writer's life and gives me hope to keep working on my own novel. <p></p><p><b>Writers Disclosure:</b> I have a personal connection to <i>Writers & Lovers</i>. After moving from Cambridge, Massachusetts to coastal Maine, I met Lily at the school our children attended. She looked so familiar, but I couldn't place her until reading her latest book. My husband and I had celebrated anniversaries, special birthdays, and graduate school degrees in the gorgeous rooftop garden of the old Upstairs at the Pudding in Harvard Square. Lily had been the perfect waitress, remembering everything without writing it down...until now. Brava, Lily!</p><p><a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2014/10/euphoria-by-lily-king-review-interview.html" target="_blank">My author interview and review of Euphoria </a>(Lily King's previous novel).</p>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-31201868618487160252020-10-07T07:00:00.093-04:002020-10-07T11:05:50.896-04:00Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHCJcDc2Yupkl5goiRa4s5Y0co7933BRGWLhMjFYkiXZZIyL4WBvI1FecDGOp0t7szSOSgkazv3ggUXg2meKHIa1pq07kEvvTEgc7epzjUefaxhJ4AaNce7nJ8cpE3_UnWtsDEYyKjeY/s400/45046838.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHCJcDc2Yupkl5goiRa4s5Y0co7933BRGWLhMjFYkiXZZIyL4WBvI1FecDGOp0t7szSOSgkazv3ggUXg2meKHIa1pq07kEvvTEgc7epzjUefaxhJ4AaNce7nJ8cpE3_UnWtsDEYyKjeY/s320/45046838.jpg" /></a></div>In 1975 <a href="https://www.phucskywalker.com/" target="_blank">Phuc Tran</a> was only a toddler when his family fled the chaos of Saigon for rural Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Although nearly all of the residents were white, Phuc refused to be defined by his ethnicity. Instead, he reinvented himself with the help of punk rock, skateboard tricks, and classic literature. His debut memoir, <i>Sigh, Gone</i> captures both the despair and exhilaration of being a misfit American teenager. <p></p><p>Phuc struggled growing up with parents who could barely speak English and with neighbors who couldn't pronounce his name or see beyond the Vietnam War. Although driven by love, his father's demand for academic perfection frequently crossed the line into physical abuse. Searching for a sense of belonging, Phuc found a chosen family of skateboarding punks, who shared his passion for iconoclastic music and reckless pranks. They accepted him as he was and offered him the loyalty he deserved.</p><p>While working at the public library, Phuc found salvation in literary heroes. Reading through an obscure list of great books by dead white men, Phuc aimed to master them all to win a scholarship to a New York university. Every chapter of his memoir is labeled after a great book, and their themes reverberate in his tumultuous life. His confessional story will make you laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kqnjvYRH_5z_fW1WPzdnwyZI-IOJK78c-v4s9yXHaZbOF4MKrRrRapMcJg_GBvq6A8fqNm4lQO1epzQMlOweHQ81BqA_7YUdDLZHono4HTbKAwjkOD1Y-CxRFbGmGduRBWRH80SgBO0/s960/11402665_472322572930884_775672017121091303_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="960" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kqnjvYRH_5z_fW1WPzdnwyZI-IOJK78c-v4s9yXHaZbOF4MKrRrRapMcJg_GBvq6A8fqNm4lQO1epzQMlOweHQ81BqA_7YUdDLZHono4HTbKAwjkOD1Y-CxRFbGmGduRBWRH80SgBO0/w320-h251/11402665_472322572930884_775672017121091303_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Phuc Tran and his advisees at the Waynflete School</span><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">©Sarah Laurence</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>My family had been waiting eagerly for Phuc's memoir, and <i>Sigh, Gone</i> lived up to our high expectations. My daughter was lucky enough to have Phuc as her advisor in high school, where he taught Classics. Weekly "Awkward Lunch with Phuc" helped Gemma and many others survive those stressful but formative years. Phuc always put his students first and offered them the emotional support he wished he'd had in high school. </p><p>I would highly recommend <i>Sigh, Gone</i> to anyone mature enough for uncensored teenaged boyhood. Although written for adults, I'm certain teens would enjoy its brutal honesty and ironic humor as well. If you want a preview, watch Phuc's Tedx talk, "Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive." </p>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-14909476161758258542020-09-02T07:00:00.007-04:002020-09-02T09:21:22.956-04:00Staycation reading: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVHvCgwwaFWsUZRlbycbxdhJb61zx-wSHHwWj9BxCt8x1I0IEl2jYYsGhheL8IefXrQaWhMHhSwRciSU9DYPPPSjmjqsdGSBFRXGR7nCjm3Q6cuNrGymYdQQpsXGGcg7mYHZhtm5JEvA/s2048/HarpswellCove.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVHvCgwwaFWsUZRlbycbxdhJb61zx-wSHHwWj9BxCt8x1I0IEl2jYYsGhheL8IefXrQaWhMHhSwRciSU9DYPPPSjmjqsdGSBFRXGR7nCjm3Q6cuNrGymYdQQpsXGGcg7mYHZhtm5JEvA/w640-h480/HarpswellCove.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I usually try to match my vacation reading to the destination so being stuck at home this year was well timed. Twelve years ago, I'd devoured <i>Olive Kitteridge</i> by my part-time neighbor, Elizabeth Strout. Her eponymous protagonist was deeply flawed: judgemental, abrasive, and brutally honest. Olive was prejudiced toward rich and attractive urbanites and quick to blame the Jews, but she was also willing to put hate aside to help anyone in need and felt remorse for her mistakes. Olive was deliciously human and larger than life. How often is a retired middle school teacher the protagonist of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel?</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg0wWzMZqCUbJTJJIk7etssGYeMH8IfNgbgMLDQvm0BdsefvjibDP48ADaJ9qS0yUuyaSCRMlVLv0G43zObW-Wl3iYo6bhSJPyDtmu39CEX7MPXyuX4wWAMoF-iXuowxswhkByZM7uj0/s475/43984883._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg0wWzMZqCUbJTJJIk7etssGYeMH8IfNgbgMLDQvm0BdsefvjibDP48ADaJ9qS0yUuyaSCRMlVLv0G43zObW-Wl3iYo6bhSJPyDtmu39CEX7MPXyuX4wWAMoF-iXuowxswhkByZM7uj0/w200-h304/43984883._SY475_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Nine years ago at a small event for library volunteers, Liz Strout mentioned a few more Olive stories, a tenacious character who continued to haunt her as much as her fans. <i>Olive, Again</i> was finally published last fall, but I didn't want to read about home while traveling in Latin America. Due to the pandemic, we decided to rent a house on the water this summer, only ten miles from home. My son and his girlfriend joined us from Boston after Covid tests. Midcoast Maine was the perfect spot to read these stories, and made me appreciate our quaint hometown all the more. Crosby is a fictionalized blend of Brunswick and Harpswell. I know the bookshop keeper, have dined at the Dolphin, and often drive out to the point. <p></p><p><i>Olive, Again</i> brought me home to my staycation. Like its predecessor, the stories featuring Olive as the central character are stronger than the ones in which she only plays a cameo. They link together to form a chronological novel. Of the thirteen stories, only three were disappointing: "The Walk" was as trite as a Hallmark greeting card, and "The End of the Civil War Days" as edgy as an elderly relative cracking a sexually explicit joke. "Exiles" was a follow up to <i>The Burgess Boys</i>, not my favorite of her novels. However, the other ten stories were stunning: original, emotionally resonant, and perfectly crafted. "Arrested" picks up where Olive Kitteridge left off: what happened between Olive and Republican Jack? "Labor" is classic Olive with childbirth disasters. "Light" might be the best story I've ever read about supporting a loved one with terminal illness. "Friend" connects Olive to a character from an earlier novel and gives us a satisfying ending.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLibsNLXTmtWI4pJAga3ZI9gevHjnWvDaVKzvxCMA9g1aMFDBeUTt4SdWS6uGwTnGTeBMYlOZr4838TCSc3buGXuIdYjACvyq-tbXv1ziJeSTIlmfyPqpLqMpzlzwORHGDGNd-4mdhO9A/s2048/HarpswellCove-2-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLibsNLXTmtWI4pJAga3ZI9gevHjnWvDaVKzvxCMA9g1aMFDBeUTt4SdWS6uGwTnGTeBMYlOZr4838TCSc3buGXuIdYjACvyq-tbXv1ziJeSTIlmfyPqpLqMpzlzwORHGDGNd-4mdhO9A/s640/HarpswellCove-2-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>When I finished <i>Olive, Again</i>, I was so bereft that I immediately reread the last story in <i>Olive Kitteridge</i>, which my daughter had just finished herself. It was a joy to share Olive with my daughter, to sit side by side, reading on the deck, overlooking the mudflats. We may not be able to visit friends and extended family, but I'm grateful to have had this time close to home with my husband, our children, a dog, and dear old Olive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR_ZKJ9CsZSZ-eQKw2zKk_5sxwZcVpPJGyrXumXVfYvV10XneN0YIqbVbeQ9bfH1Tx0VEhw_aVHqqYu-fWW4HY3hdSF_ihJUIsSK0JZcsc44H4z36neYSazboE5mJSVwJMuV2TQYfjcM/s2048/HarpswellCove-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR_ZKJ9CsZSZ-eQKw2zKk_5sxwZcVpPJGyrXumXVfYvV10XneN0YIqbVbeQ9bfH1Tx0VEhw_aVHqqYu-fWW4HY3hdSF_ihJUIsSK0JZcsc44H4z36neYSazboE5mJSVwJMuV2TQYfjcM/s640/HarpswellCove-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">See you at low tide! </p>
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@Barrie Summy</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-53043598237999055462020-08-03T16:45:00.000-04:002020-08-03T16:45:34.825-04:00I Give It to You by Valerie Martin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Who else is dreaming of traveling to Italy? <i>I Give It to You</i> is a most appropriately titled book for a virtual vacation. Even better for escapism, <a href="https://valeriemartinonline.com/" target="_blank">Valerie Martin</a>'s new novel is set in the past: the 1980s and World War II Tuscany. Like in her classic <i>Property</i>, Martin offers us an unreliable narrator, but this one is a novelist instead of a slave owner. The protagonist is both guest and parasite.<br />
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<i>I Give it to You</i> is a writer's novel that questions the boundary between author and subject. Is the story there to be plucked like a fruit or are there limits, especially when fictionalizing personal history? The protagonist, Jan, is a midlist author has been offered the dream fellowship to research a novel in Italy. She has rented the sunny <i>limonaia</i> at an old estate in rural Tuscany. The architecture is as well rendered as the characters: </div>
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<i>"Parallel to the gate, the charming limonaia stands with its back to the wall. Glass and verdigris copper doors glint beneath the shelter of the rafters, which extend over a small stone terrace. Artfully placed hip-high pots of rosemary and lemon trees create a cool and semiprivate sitting area."</i></div>
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From her sunny patio, Jan observes the aristocratic family in the main villa. The glamorous Beatrice shows her around the countryside, and as a friendship develops between the two middle aged professors, Beatrice shares the story of her family's struggles under Mussolini. Oddly enough, we learn nothing about Jan's past or family. This narrative approach succeeded in creating plot tension and mystery, but at the expense of the protagonist, who was the least developed and most unlikable character. Jan is prone to prejudices against psychiatry and offensive ethnic stereotypes. She judges others with impunity but is defensive when they judge her in turn.<br />
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The old villa is both a stage for family drama and a metaphor for decay of the aristocracy. As a reader, we grow to love Villa Chiara as much as Beatrice does. Even its rustic failings like bad plumbing become plot points to increase tension amongst the extended family. The chapters alternate between the 1980s and flashback chapters to Beatrice's childhood during the War and afterwards as a graduate student in Massachusetts. Sometimes the past and present chapters overlap so that the narrative becomes a bit repetitive. What brings the story to life are all the well-developed secondary characters who have hidden motives and agendas of their own.<br />
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Although the photos in this post are from my last trip to Tuscany nine summers ago, <i>I Give it To You</i> will be released in the USA tomorrow (8/4/20). I'd recommend it to anyone who craves a vacation in Italy and to writers who enjoy a well-crafted book. I wonder if our current pandemic will divide history as much as World War II did. Will there be a new genre of post-pandemic literature since the world has fundamentally changed?</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-35230147594920158732020-07-12T07:00:00.000-04:002020-07-12T09:41:05.160-04:00The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In response to the Black Lives Matter protests, <a href="https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067" target="_blank">President Barack Obama wrote</a>, <i>"<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">So the bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics. We have to do both."</span></i><br />
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As a follow up to the BLM protests, hand <i>The Voting Booth </i>to your woke teen. <a href="https://www.brandycolbert.com/" target="_blank">Brandy Colbert</a>'s new YA novel educates young readers about the importance of voting, the obstacles facing first-time voters, and the racist policies and attitudes that undermine American democracy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Colbert sweetens the lesson in civic responsibility with a cute romance. Straight-A Marva has been waiting her whole life for her first Election Day. She volunteered to register voters and arrived early to the polls before school. To honor his activist brother, Duke had also arrived early to vote, but the polling station doesn't have a record of his registration and his band is playing its first paid gig after school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When Marva sees Duke turned away from the polls, she offers to help him make sure his vote gets counted. There are many obstacles: a runaway cat, driving while black, ballot shortages, a jealous boyfriend (Alex), truancy calls to parents. Marva and Duke team up to beat the odds and to find her Instagram-famous cat. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandy Colbert, author photo by Jessie Weinberg</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">At times this topical novel reads a bit like a textbook:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Marva:<i> "Well, it's June nineteenth. Enslaved people in Texas didn't find out until two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation that they were free. Not until 1865. So black people celebrate it every year, and it's recognized by almost every state in the country, even though a lot of people don't know about it."</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Unlike a textbook, the white boyfriend's insensitive response shows why this lesson is important:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Alex: <i>"Yeah, but what's the point of two separate holidays? I don't care if you're black, white, blue, or green - we're all American, right?"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When Marva flags his color-blind world view as ignorant and Alex argues with her instead of apologizing, his grandmother demonstrate how to be a good ally: </span><i>"It would do you some good to listen instead of getting defensive next time."</i><br />
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Seeing political lessons played out in everyday life will help teens relate to these important issues. Most of the book is fast paced to keep even reluctant readers turning the pages. It's marvelous to have a diverse book with middle class black and biracial characters, who are not victims but empowered agents of change. If they make the effort to vote!<br />
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<b>Mainers:</b> remember to vote in our <b>primary Tuesday July 14th</b></div>
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or drop off your absentee ballot at your town office tomorrow.</div>
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Maine allows you to register in person at the polls.</div>
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I've been volunteering for Maine House Speaker <a href="https://saragideon.com/" target="_blank">Sara Gideon</a>, </div>
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who is running for the Democratic nomination </div>
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to challenge Senator Susan Collins in November.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-82574094677150468532020-06-03T07:00:00.046-04:002020-06-03T13:27:40.549-04:00In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-olTs4fmBeLwuEBGw__4IsWLskTEf9Fp2QVvvmmsS0P_1XfI2Z-9CvXo7Vu8qaL_3Q1F8udMWbTygrZsISiMOOmA0ntDXSRJgLM9w0rBqLOZR2wx-nlB6ip6kHqxUeMN6Zlge85zFqYY/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1693" data-original-width="2690" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-olTs4fmBeLwuEBGw__4IsWLskTEf9Fp2QVvvmmsS0P_1XfI2Z-9CvXo7Vu8qaL_3Q1F8udMWbTygrZsISiMOOmA0ntDXSRJgLM9w0rBqLOZR2wx-nlB6ip6kHqxUeMN6Zlge85zFqYY/s640/CR.BlueMorpho2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Blue Morpho butterfly in her prime.</td></tr>
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In 1960 <a href="https://www.juliaalvarez.com/" target="_blank">Julia Alvarez</a> was ten-years-old when her family fled the Dominican Republic for the USA. The SIM military police had uncovered her father's involvement in a plot against General Trujillo's authoritarian regime. That same year in the DR, three of the four Mirabal sisters were murdered. Their deaths were made to look like an accident but everyone knew the truth. Those brave young women, code-named the Butterflies (<i>las Mariposas</i> in Spanish), were the beloved symbols of the resistance. Author Julia Alvarez reimagined their story in her gorgeous historical novel, <i>In the Time of the Butterflies.</i> Although the book was first published 26 year ago, this tale of a narcissistic dictator and the brave young women who dared to defy him feels all the more relevant today.</div>
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The story itself was compelling, but what made me fall in love with <i>In the Time of the Butterflies</i> were the well developed characters, the gorgeous writing, and the interesting narrative structure. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the four sisters, following them from their privileged girlhood to a revolutionary adulthood under the tyranny of Trujillo's reign. Each voice was unique. The eldest sister was the most cautious due to her overbearing husband. The second sister was a dedicated revolutionary, who secretly suffered under the burden of heroic expectations. The third sister was motivated by religious passion and family loyalty. The baby sister disclosed too much in her diaries, admitting her infatuation with the revolutionary men more than the cause, making her delightfully human. Every reader could identify with one of the sisters. It felt so real and relatable, this focus on their family life and the villainy of Trujillo, more than on the polemic of the revolution. However, the trajectory of their tragic lives clearly illustrates the horrors of authoritarianism. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Blue Morpho butterfly with shut wings is well camouflaged. The spots look like owl eyes to scare predators.</td></tr>
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In the "Postscript," Julia Alvarez explains why she decided to reimagine the personal life of the sisters: "As for the sisters of legend, wrapped in superlatives and ascended into myth, they were also finally inaccessible to me. I realized, too, that such deification was dangerous, the same god-making impulse that had created our tyrant. And ironically, by making them myth, we lost the Mirabals once more, dismissing the challenge of their courage as impossible for us, ordinary men and women."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This might be the treacherous mountain range that the Mirabal sister crossed to reach Puerta Plata.</td></tr>
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Read <i>In the Time of the Butterflies</i> to find the courage to fight for change and to remember how to feel hope for a brighter future. The Butterflies will remind you to appreciate family and democracy and to take nothing for granted. I read the book to research <a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2020/02/dominicana-by-angie-cruz-visit-to.html" target="_blank">my own historical novel</a> about Jewish refugees in the Dominican Republic under Trujillo, and I feel all the more inspired. To practice my Spanish I'm also reading Alvarez's children's delightful <i>Tía Lola</i> series, which I'd recommend to 8-12 year-olds in either English or Spanish. Alvarez is a master of her craft and one of my favorite authors.<br />
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<i>¡Vivan las Mariposas!</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous Blue Morpho butterfly near the end of her short life.</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-26006833624736642412020-02-05T07:00:00.000-05:002020-02-05T12:53:21.198-05:00Dominicana by Angie Cruz & a Visit to the Dominican Republic<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0R2v7rPqKIu22WT4jVOXyUp53Cdaiy8CcYtIYHnRl7hWltmM83cvMOi0BUT-ryC86ho8NjbOxhx7mov6Xeiq_9DsARBY1YiIHKA2VaXAqMYZKVjUFOOzmtvU-gGZnAIDjOuincnBH1E/s1600/Dominicana-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0R2v7rPqKIu22WT4jVOXyUp53Cdaiy8CcYtIYHnRl7hWltmM83cvMOi0BUT-ryC86ho8NjbOxhx7mov6Xeiq_9DsARBY1YiIHKA2VaXAqMYZKVjUFOOzmtvU-gGZnAIDjOuincnBH1E/s640/Dominicana-28.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playa Sosúa in the Dominican Republic</td></tr>
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Inspired by her Dominican mother,<i> </i><a href="https://www.angiecruz.com/" target="_blank">Angie Cruz</a> decided to write a realistic novel about immigration and assimilation. <i>Dominicana</i> is a quiet story of savory dishes, simmering passions, and the twisted bonds of family. Although this 2019 novel was written for adults, it would crossover well to teens.<br />
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In 1964 fifteen-year-old Ana Canción is wed to Juan Ruiz, a man more than twice her age. Her desperate family is struggling to make a living in the Dominican Republic. Juan and his charismatic brothers are working in New York but still operate a restaurant business back home. The brothers have an eye on the Canción farmland for expansion. Juan also wants a Dominican wife to start a family in New York City. Their homeland is in turmoil, and this union could bring both families more economic security and the salvation of chain migration.<br />
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Dutiful Ana pretends to be eighteen to fly to NYC. She arrives to shocking cold and isolation, unable to speak the language or to deal with city life. Her new husband is abusive and demands that she stay home alone, but Ana schemes to start a business and to learn English while Juan is back in the DR. And then there is Cesar, Juan's younger brother, who reminds her how to laugh again....<br />
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<i>Dominicana</i>'s gorgeous cover caught my eye at Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick. I'm taking Spanish at Bowdoin College and reading Dominican American authors to research a new book. I started with nonfiction, but you can learn so much more about a culture by listening to its music, tasting its food, and reading its stories. Angie Cruz, <a href="http://www.acevedowrites.com/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Acevedo</a>, and <a href="http://www.junotdiaz.com/" target="_blank">Junot Diaz</a> have taught me slang I won't learn at school and a deeper appreciation of Dominican culture. They are phenomenal writers who create unforgettable characters in tough settings. Cruz's literary style with strong imagery evokes a sensory reaction. You don't just read <i>Dominicana</i>, you experience Ana's struggles as your own and hope for a better future. A deeply personal and realistic story such as this will engender empathy for immigrants and for victims of abuse or prejudice. I'd recommend this book to anyone.<br />
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Like Angie Cruz, a true family story inspired me to write historical fiction. During World War II my great grandfather, <a href="https://www.jta.org/1940/11/10/archive/a-m-lamport-banker-and-philanthropist-dead-at-56" target="_blank">Arthur Lamport</a>, helped to set up a farming settlement in the Dominican Republic for Jewish refugees. Other nations imposed strict quotas on Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, but the Dominicans opened their country to about 850 Jewish settlers. One small nation of only 1.5 million residents saved near three thousand more lives through visas. Most people, even other Jews, have never heard of Sosúa.<br />
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Last month I visited the Dominican Republic to practice Spanish and to see what remains of the Jewish settlement in Sosúa. I found a beautiful beach, their old synagogue, and more to share later.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-42182667972861093082019-12-04T17:53:00.003-05:002019-12-05T21:18:20.302-05:00The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.staceyhlee.com/" target="_blank">Stacey Lee</a> is one of my favorite authors because she imagines vibrant characters to recreate the forgotten chapters of American history. Her latest young adult novel, <i>The Downstairs Girl</i> tells the bittersweet story of an elderly Chinese immigrant and his adopted daughter in 1890s Atlanta. Although Old Jin and 17-year-old Jo Kuan are fictional characters, their historical context is true to life in the segregated South.<br />
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As the Author's Note explains, The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese immigration to the USA until 1943. Immigrant laborers, who had been shipped in from China to replace the freed slaves, were thus permanently separated from their families back home. Work conditions were terrible, and those who ran away to the cities faced further isolation. Where should a person who is neither black nor white sit on a segregated trolley car, and what landlord would rent to them?<br />
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Unable to find affordable housing, Old Jin and 17-year-old Jo squat in a secret basement that used to be part of the Underground Railway. By good fortune, the oblivious Caucasian family that lives above them runs a liberal newspaper. Jo educates herself in English by eavesdropping on their conversations. When Jo learns that their newspaper might fold, she starts writing an anonymous agony aunt column to increase circulation. Jo's job as a lady's maid is helpful for etiquette tips, but she can't resist writing about hot topics like racism and women's rights. Her column is as witty as it is controversial. All of Atlanta wants to know who "Miss Sweetie" is, but Jo knows she must hide her identity or risk expulsion from the only home she knows. Although legal residents, Chinese Americans were not citizens.<br />
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With a bit of romance, snippets of Chinese culture, and a horse race, this engaging story takes the reader for a fun ride. Jo is a marvelous, kind-hearted but frank character who breathes life into history. This recently published novel has a lovely sense of place and time, enhanced by whimsical imagery:<br />
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"The cold seems to have crystallized into a freezing dust. It's as if the winter dragon were salting the earth liberally for its supper. Lucky Yip told me that season dragons can be jealous, producing weather extremes to prevent the next season's dragon from moving in."</blockquote>
I highly recommend <i>The Downstairs Girl</i> to all readers ages twelve and up. Although there are some sexual references in the story, the content is very tame for young adult fiction. The fascinating history and strong writing would crossover well to an adult audience too. This gorgeous book, with its rare cover image of a Chinese American girl in 19th century period dress, would make an excellent gift. I also enjoyed Lee's two other historical novels for teens: <a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2015/12/best-ya-books-of-2015.html" target="_blank">Under a Painted Sky</a> and <a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2016/05/outrun-moon-by-stacey-lee.html" target="_blank">Outrun the Moon</a>. I hope she writes more.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-75292639948498158442019-11-06T07:00:00.000-05:002019-11-06T16:57:50.103-05:00How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In<i> How to Build a Heart</i> by <a href="http://www.mariapadian.com/" target="_blank">Maria Padian</a>, winning a dream home becomes a nightmare for sixteen-year-old Izzy Crawford when the sponsor needs a poster family for fundraising. This beautifully written YA novel explores the themes of economic inequity, racism, and assimilation.<br />
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As a scholarship student at a private school, Izzy has worked hard to fit in with her affluent classmates. Even her friends don't know that she lives in a mobile home, and since her complexion favors her Caucasian father, she can pass for white. Instead of learning Spanish, her mother's native tongue, Izzy takes French and speaks English at home with her little brother. Their father died a war hero, and their Puerto Rican mother has struggled to support them, often uprooting the family to follow jobs.<br />
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Thanks to <a href="https://www.habitat.org/" target="_blank">Habitat for Humanity</a>, the Crawfords finally have a chance to grow permanent roots in rural Virginia, but the new house must be paid for with sweat equity. If they are selected, Izzy and her family are required to help build their house, and local fundraising makes it difficult to hide her poverty from her rich friends and neighbors. Also Izzy's friendship with Roz, the troubled girl in the adjacent mobile home, doesn't fit this new life, and Roz's jealousy threatens Izzy's budding romance with a wealthy boy in her new neighborhood. Torn between conflicting loyalties and clashing identities, Izzy makes mistakes as she searches for the right path in life.<br />
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In <i>How to Build a Heart</i>, author Maria Padian drew on her own experience of growing up in an ethnically mixed family. Her Irish American father and Latina mother spoke English at home so their children would assimilate into their white suburban community. The Spanish phrases in the book are expressions Maria's mother used at home. If anything, I wish there had been more focus on Izzy's Latina heritage and less on her nearly seamless assimilation. As someone who grew up with dual religions and often struggled to fit in, I could relate to Izzy's story. Reading a book like this one will encourage more teens to have empathy for biracial and low income peers.<br />
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<i>How to Build a Heart</i> won't be released until January 2020, but you can preorder now. This young adult novel would be a great choice for readers ages 12-18, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is domestic violence, and a bit of underage drinking, but irresponsible behavior has consequences. Despite the tough issues, the central plot is a sweet, predictable romance, and the story leaves the reader with hope. This quiet book that slowly builds to a dramatic finale has already earned a <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maria-padian/how-to-build-a-heart/" target="_blank">starred review from Kirkus</a>, and I expect it to win more awards.<br />
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<b>Reviewer's Disclosure:</b> At my request, Algonquin Books for Young Readers sent me a galley in exchange for an honest review. The author is a friend of mine.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Maria Padian provided by the author</td></tr>
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More YA novels by Maria Padian:<br />
<a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2009/03/brett-mccarthy-work-in-progress-by.html" target="_blank">Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2011/03/jersey-tomatoes-are-best-by-maria.html" target="_blank">Jersey Tomatoes are the Best</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2013/02/out-of-nowhere-by-maria-padian.html" target="_blank">Out of Nowhere</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2016/09/wrecked-by-maria-padian.html" target="_blank">Wrecked</a><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-13633960813271410862019-09-04T07:00:00.000-04:002019-09-05T07:48:59.855-04:00Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Eliza and Her Monsters</i><i> </i>is one of the most original books I've ever read. The multi-talented <a href="https://www.francescazappia.com/" target="_blank">Francesca Zappia</a> blends graphic panels with prose to tell her story about a young webcomic artist. Eliza Mirk leads a double life: in high school she's a social outcast, but online, she's Lady Constellation, the creator of a popular webcomic. When a charismatic fan of her <i>Monstrous Sea</i> series transfers to Eliza's school, the boundaries start to blur.<br />
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Only a handful of online friends know Lady Constellation's true identity, which works well for shy Eliza, who has been bullied at school by former friends. Her invisibility allows her to focus on finishing <i>Monstrous Sea</i> before graduation. Through selling merchandise to fans, Eliza has saved enough money to escape her small town in the Midwest for art college. Even her parents don't realize the level of her success and keep nagging her to be more physically and socially active. Eliza's comfortable anonymity is challenged when a new boy at school shares his adoration for <i>Monstrous Sea </i>and introduces her to other fans in the real world.<br />
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This innovative YA novel from 2017 is mostly traditional prose with excerpts from online chats and from <i>Monstrous Sea</i>. Like a visual journal, the narrative also included rough sketches. The twenty or so graphic pages were well integrated into the overall story.<br />
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Francesca Zappia did an excellent job of portraying the benefits as well as the risks of an online community. Despite her larger than life story, Eliza's experience felt very true and believable. The online/offline narrative and social anxiety<i> </i>reminded me of <a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2013/10/double-review-fangirl-and-eleanor-park.html" target="_blank"><i>Fangirl</i> by Rainbow Rowell</a>, another favorite young adult novel of mine. <i>Eliza and her Monsters</i> would be an excellent choice for reluctant readers, for kids who feel alienated at school, and for readers of all ages who enjoy graphic novels. It got starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publisher's Weekly, and was nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Young Adult Fiction. Why hasn't <i>Monstrous Sea</i> been published as a companion graphic novel? I'm looking forward to reading more books by this talented author.<br />
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<i>Eliza and Her Monsters</i> has given me ideas on how I'd like to present my own YA novel about an American girl in Japan trying to break into manga. As an artist and a writer, I have always enjoyed works that dissolve the line between art and literature. I wish there were more hybrid novels.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-24900448808774968962019-06-05T07:00:00.000-04:002019-06-05T08:23:12.602-04:00Ruth Bader Ginsburg: a Life by Jane Sherron De Hart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Aunt Diane and I have a tradition of exchanging books as holiday gifts. This year I was delighted to receive the new biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Jane Sherron De Hart. When RBG joined the Supreme Court as the second female justice, I was one of few women studying Political Science at M.I.T. In the new Millenium, M.I.T. has worked to correct its gender bias and the Supreme Court has increased female representation, however <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade" target="_blank">Roe v. Wade</a></i> is under direct attack. Why now? The answer can be found in De Hart's biography of the person who has devoted her life to gender equality.<br />
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Ruth was born to impoverished Jewish immigrants and needed a scholarship to get to college. Even though Ruth graduated first at Columbia Law School (tying with a man), she faced double discrimination as a Jew and as a working mother. No corporate law firm would offer her a job. A judge only agreed to hire her as his clerk when a Columbia Law professor promised that a male classmate would take Ruth's place if she failed.<br />
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Ruth found a more welcoming work environment in academia and at the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/" target="_blank">ACLU</a>. To promote equality as a gender-neutral concept, Ruth often argued cases representing men in traditional female roles such as dependent widowed caregivers in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weinberger_v._Wiesenfeld" target="_blank">Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld</a></i>. In winning this Supreme Court case unanimously in 1975, she created legal precedent to protect women from discrimination as well. The goal of feminism is gender equality, which is no more radical than civil rights. Although Ruth was a successful lawyer, she realized that she would be more effective on the other side of the bench. Having a like-minded husband, who was willing to help with childcare and do all the cooking, allowed her to pursue her dream.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></td></tr>
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In 1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg was considered a moderate judge when President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court, but now she is considered a liberal. De Hart makes a convincing argument that RBG's legal views have remained consistent while the Court has shifted conservative, contrary to the more liberal population. Her biography was published before the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh and the avalanche of state laws banning abortion, but the author predicted this attack on women's rights. As the Court swings, RBG remains the steady voice of reason. Her genius was in building consensus and reframing legal questions to get more progressive rulings. May she keep ruling!<br />
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<i>Ruth Bader Ginsburg: a Life</i> is not a fast read, unless you are my mother, who devoured my gift in under a week while recovering from back surgery. At 723 pages (150 of those are endnotes) it was too heavy to hold for long or to carry in a handbag. For months, I read a section every night before bed. Although written for the general reader, the style is more academic than commercial, but RBG's personal story humanized the text. I related to her struggles as a working mom and as a Jew, but sometimes De Hart's prose became a bit too flowery when recounting personal details as if the author was more comfortable with summarizing legal briefs. RBG is a few years older than my mother, and reading this biography brought home how much the world has changed in their lifetime and how grateful I am for their generation (my mom was at Smith College with <a href="http://www.gloriasteinem.com/" target="_blank">Gloria Steinem</a>) who fought for the rights that are now under threat once again. Read this <i>New York Times</i> bestseller book and be inspired to keep fighting for gender equality.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-63246001173077361702019-04-03T07:00:00.000-04:002019-05-06T08:49:32.763-04:00The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Several friends recommended <i>The Hare with the Amber Eyes </i>to me<i>,</i> given my interest in both Japanese art and Jewish history. This nonfiction paperback from 2010 reads like a mystery. When artist <a href="http://www.edmunddewaal.com/" target="_blank">Edmund de Waal</a> inherited a collection of 264 Japanese carvings, he decided to trace these <i>netsuke</i> through five generations of his family's tumultuous history.<br />
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The Ephrussis were once influential bankers and art patrons, like the Rothchilds, but after two world wars, little remained of their vast collections beyond the <i>netsuke</i>. De Waal travelled from his home in England to Paris, to Vienna, to Japan and to Odessa, collecting photos and documents, and interviewing survivors. Like a detective, he pieced together the clues to learn about his collection, the collectors, and how the Nazis nearly obliterated his Jewish family. Old photos illustrate his narrative, taking us back in history. His book was well written and very original.<br />
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While reading <i>The Hare with the Amber Eye</i>s, I had the opportunity to visit the <a href="http://www.asianart.org/" target="_blank">Asian Art Museum</a> in San Francisco, which has <i>netsuke</i> on display. The tiny figurines were designed as toggles for purses hanging off traditional Japanese garments since kimonos didn't have pockets. Carved of wood or ivory, the netsuke are small enough to hold in hand but are exquisitely detailed. Their often grotesque humor reminded me of gargoyles. The <i>netsuke</i> were invented in the 17th century and were popular until 1868, when Japan was opened to the West. I loved the story of how the Ephrussi collection returned to Japan, and how these small artifacts survived so much history. I wish the museum would let visitors hold their <i>netsuke</i> in hand.<br />
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While in California visiting my son at UC Berkeley, I took the train 15 hours south to meet Barrie Summy in San Diego. Although we've been crit partners for years, this was our first time meeting in real life. We talked enough for all that missed time. It was so much fun! I'm so grateful to Barrie for hosting this wonderful book review club for more than a decade and for connecting all of us through our shared passion for books and blogging. Thanks, Barrie!<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Sarah Laurence is an artist and a writer.</div>Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.com13