Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker (Doubleday, 2020)
A must-read—because we understand so little about schizophrenia. Well written and understandable. The point of view is that of a family of 12 children, 5 of whom develop schizophrenia. The family became a major contributor of DNA samples to medical research for the genetic basis for the condition. Hidden Valley Road will likely change your understanding of mental illness.
The Swimmers a Novel by Julie Otsuka (Penguin Random House, 2022)
Julie Otsuka writes sad books. Her first two, The Buddha in the Attic and When the Emperor Was Divine deal with displaced Japanese in the U.S. Buddha is told by Japanese picture brides who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900. The Emperor is about Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during WW II. The Swimmers is about dementia. The writing throughout is elevating—rhythmic, description, engrossing. But if you are getting on in age, prepare to be saddened by the description Otsuka writes about her mother (presumably) diminishing every day. The New York Times Review of Books gave The Swimmers front page coverage, a long review, and never mentioned that it was about dementia. I give them red marks for that—not honest with the reader.
The Summer Country, a Novel by Lauren Willig (William Morrow, 2014)
To learn more about Barbados after my trip there for a bridge tournament, I chose this historical fiction as a good starting place. Situated on Barbados in the both the early and mid-19th century, we learn the family history of early planters on the island. There are wealthy British plantation (sugar cane) owners and their slaves. There are indentured laborers from Scotland, called “Red Knees”, the badges from working on their knees in the fields. There is an ill-fated slave revolt. There is the growth of a small but industrious class of freemen as slavery is outlawed in England. Plotwise it’s a predictable romance, but the historical background is informative.
The Childhood of Jesus (Viking, 2013), The Schooldays of Jesus (Viking 2016), The Death of Jesus (Viking 2020) – three short novels by J. M. Coetzee
I began this series with the last book—picked up just because it is written by Coetzee, a formidable writer. It was interesting enough to make me read the trilogy. The setting is dystopian, but not futuristic. The plot is interesting—a young boy, David, abandoned on the voyage from the old world to the new is rescued by a kind-hearted single man. They eventually form a family unit with a self-contained woman who wants to be a mother. As David grows, he is drawn away from the family and develops a following of eccentrics. He dies as a teenager. There are a few plot points that are analogous to the story of Jesus, but don’t let a search for the meaning of the titles influence your reading. These short books are worthy on their own.
Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler (Pantheon Books, [2019]
If you enjoy Russian literature, this book will reward you. Wheeler is a well-known travel writer, who hangs her travel narratives on unique attractions, mostly the Artic and Antarctic. Here she visits the homes and territories of famous Russian writers. Since they mostly lived in northwest Russia, I was interested because we visited St. Petersburg and areas west to the Baltic. Another book by Wheeler that I found fascinating is O My America!: Six Women and Their Second Acts in a New World. In it Wheeler travels in the U.S. following the trails of woman in the 19th century who immigrate or visit the U.S. and find new lives in their audacious endeavors.
I’m Dyin’ Here: A Life in the Paper, by Tim Grobaty (Brown Paper Press, 2015)
Love newspapers and magazines? Sad about their demise or reincarnation as digital publications? You will enjoy Grobaty’s memoir about 40 years writing humorous columns for the Long Beach newspaper. He’s the quintessential homeboy. His love for Long Beach, his family, and his colleagues shines through. His columns interstice the memoir. I didn’t put it down until I read it through. Much fun.
Lyndon Johnson: The Passage to Power by Robert Caro (Knopf, 2013) Fourth in the LBJ biography series by Caro.
For history wonks only. This is the fourth of Caro’s series about LBJ. It covers the time from his election to the Vice Presidency to the passage of the civil rights legislation. All four books are masterful and have changed my views about Texas, politics, Washington D.C., the Kennedys—so many of the historical events and people who surrounded my life from childhood. Highly recommended reading. Caro is still working on the Fifth book about Johnson and the War in Viet Nam. He’s in his 80’s, fingers crossed he makes it through to publication.
We'll Laugh About This (Someday): Essays on Taking Life a Smidge Too Seriously by Anna Lind Thomas (Thomas Nelson, 2021)
Truth: I read this as research for my client, a writer of humorous essays. What a delightful discovery. Anna Lind Thomas is funny! Laugh out loud funny! Read this book and enjoy. She has another coming out later this year.
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth (Overlook Press 2002) originally published in 1932
Similar to Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks, but not as long nor as slow. This is the story of a military family in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the brink of WWI. Beautifully writing. Like Buddenbrooks, you constantly wanted to grab the characters by the shoulders and shake them into awareness. Great read for history lovers.
I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being A Woman by Nora Ephron (Alfred Knopf 2006)
Another research book worth sharing. Ephron never grows old. Though in this book when she laughingly talks about death, it’s hard not to wince. She was writing in her mid-60s and died at 71. A great read especially if you have already read it once.
Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan (Penguin 2021)
Ryan writes about Ireland; about how the land occupies the people. He writes beautifully about small people in small places. Though I felt the plot was a bit “pushed”, the book is still worth a read – as are all of his other books.