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This month, Jen and Sally continue sharing the books
they
recommended at Afternoon In in January.
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 Jen
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How You Grow Wings
Rimma Oseta
How You Grow Wings is a young adult novel of two sisters in Nigeria. The family unit is made up of a cowed father who eventually stops speaking, an overbearing and unkind mother, and the two sisters: Cheta and Zam. Cheta is in many ways like her mother, sharp-tongued and stubborn. The two are in an ongoing abusive battle. Zam is quiet and shy and tries to stay out of the line of fire of both her mother and sister. The family is struggling financially, and tensions are high. Zam is invited to go live with her wealthy aunt’s family, which intensifies and worsens home life for Cheta and her parents. This is one of those books that when I started, I thought “I don’t know if this one is going to make the cut” but then I kept reading and reading and reading until I’d read the whole book. How You Grow Wings is the author’s first book and there is some charm in that. The reader gets the feeling that the author is still figuring out how this all works. The setting and culture are interesting. What may be one of the most interesting take-aways from this book is that instead of the “Family Comes First” notion is more of a sense of “Family is important, but watch out for family members who are toxic.”
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Unsinkable
Jenni Walsh
Did you know the Titanic had sister ships? and that they didn’t fare much better than the Titanic? These sister ships were the Olympic and the Brittanic, both of which sank. Remarkably, there was a woman named Violet Jessop who worked on all three ships and survived all three sinkings. And then she went on to work and live on more ships. It’s hard to decide if Violet was the luckiest or UNluckiest person of the time, especially when you learn the details of the Brittanic’s sinking. Some would-be survivors in lifeboats were drawn into the propellers of the ship. Violet’s unlikely career was the seed for author Jenni Walsh’s historical novel, Unsinkable. In this novel, the narrative alternates between Violet and Daphne. Daphne, a fictional character, is a British agent, a spy during World War II. While Daphne is fictional, she is a composite of 39 women of the Special Operations Executive, French Section. Daphne has a knack for learning languages – at the beginning of the book, she knows six and she adds a couple by the end of the book. She’s engaged in dangerous spy work, endures a stint in prison and its abuses, and I won’t give away anymore. This historical novel, which covers and eventually connects two periods in history, has so much discussion to offer a book group! |
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Lost & Found
Kathryn Schulz
This book is a memoir. While Kathryn’s father was dying, she met the woman who would become her wife. Lost refers to the loss of her father and Found refers to the love of Kathryn and her future wife. That’s obvious, but Schulz does a much deeper dive with the meanings of each. Kathryn’s dad was a bursting-with-life person. He was a European Jew with bad memories of World War II and the Holocaust. Throughout his life, he remained a devout Jew. Kathryn is less interested in religion and considers herself an agnostic. Kathryn’s wife-to-be, on the other hand, is a serious scholar of Christianity. The real question posed and pondered in this memoir is, is it inappropriate to intersperse grief with euphoria? I think Kathryn’s dad would be the first to encourage Kathryn to pursue euphoria.
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The Dolphin House
Audrey Schulman
The Dolphin House is, in my opinion, the best book of those I presented at Afternoon for book group discussion. It has interesting characters, plot, and it has elements that will make some readers squirm. That’s what I consider the trifecta for a good book discussion. The Dolphin House takes place on the American island of St. Thomas. during 1965. A young woman named Cora is working as a waitress, which isn’t ideal because Cora is very nearly deaf, the result of a childhood infection. This was pre-hearing aids, so Cora wears glasses that have a sort of sound amplifier in the bows. However, they weren’t all that sexy and Cora’s boss at the restaurant doesn’t want her to wear the glasses. Near the restaurant is a marine research facility studying dolphins. By chance, Cora stumbles on the researchers and ends up being hired by them. The entire research team is made up of men with advanced degrees. Cora has the patience and intuition to work well with the dolphins and eventually, she is tasked with, and I’m not kidding here, teaching the dolphins to speak English. Yes, she’s supposed to teach dolphins to speak English. In addition to that challenge, she’s the only woman among the group, she’s young, and she struggles to communicate, relying a lot on reading lips. If you’re a reader that likes to google as you’re reading, I encourage you to NOT do that with this book—it’s in fact based on a real experiment that occurred, but if you google it, you’ll wind up with some pretty big spoilers. You can google it after you’ve finished the book. |
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 Sally |
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Calling for a Blanket Dance
Oscar Hokeah
I lived in Oklahoma for 15 years, and I think I was in every community mentioned in Calling for a Blanket Dance, Oscar Hokeah’s powerful debut novel. And yet, the world of the book was completely different from the world in which I, a non-native person, lived. Reading the book led me into communities and ways of being which were completely new to me.
The book is made up of linked stories which together tell the story of Ever Geimausaddle. On his mother’s side he is Cherokee and Kiowa, and on his father’s side, Mexican. Ever and the many people who make up both his family and his community experience discrimination, disappointment, poverty, and alcoholism. They also experience the strength of being part of an extended family and a community, the power of music and dance, and a rich cultural heritage.
Ever and other characters in the book experience tragedies, unrealized opportunities, and homelessness. Yet there is also hope, healing, and the strength of family in their lives. The quilts made by Ever’s grandmother, Lena, appear in several places in the book. In many ways, the book is like a quilt, with separate stories, like quilt blocks, creating a thing of great beauty which is greater than the sum of its parts.
Calling for a Blanket Dance will take you into the world of its characters, and you will return having been profoundly moved, and perhaps bring a piece of that world with you.
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Flatlands
Sue Hubbard
Every year, new World War II books come out, and I continue to be amazed that there are still stories to be told about that period of time. Flatlands, which is fiction, is a quiet book which packs a wallop.
It’s the story of two people. When the war begins in England, Freda is a 12-year-old girl living in London. She, along with many other children, is evacuated to the countryside. This is for the safety of the children—they’re taken to areas believed to be less apt to be bombed. I don’t know how the program worked in real life, but in the book, no one seems to check up on Freda and the family housing her. These are the Willocks. They live on a hardscrabble farm in an area called the Fens and he’s also a poacher. They put Freda to work. She doesn’t get enough to eat and is sexually abused by Mr. Willock. Freda’s part of the book is told through her recollections as an elderly woman.
The second person in the book is Philip Rhayader, the son of a World War I hero. He’s mostly neglected by his widowed mother and has a mental breakdown while a student at Oxford. After recovering, he declares himself a conscientious objector and moves to an abandoned lighthouse not far from the farm where Freda is staying.
The two become friends as they care for an injured albino goose. Philip opens the worlds of art and love of nature for Freda.
The time period, the geographical location, and the possibility of friendship and connection are tenderly conveyed through the book.
The book was inspired by the Paul Gallico short story, “The Snow Goose.” The story is in the public domain, and a group or individual might enjoy reading it alongside “Flatlands.” |
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Last Summer on State Street
Toya Wolfe
This powerful coming of age novel is set in the Robert Taylor Homes, projects in Chicago, during the summer of 1999. The narrator is 12-year-old Felicia Stevens, known as FeFe. She, her mother, and older brother live in building 4950, which is slated to be torn down.
That last summer FeFe and three friends, Precious, Stacia, and Tonya, continued to jump rope and play other games with the innocence of children. However, their lives were soon upended by gunplay, gangs, their impending relocation, and the realities of racism. FeFe’s brother is pulled out of bed one night by police officers to whom young+black=criminal.
Years later, FeFe reflects on that summer, still trying to make sense of it, and the ways in which it shaped her life.
Last Summer on State Street is relevant and profound, as well as an affecting story. It was an Indies Introduce selection. This is a nationwide program in which a team of booksellers select ten outstanding debut books.
It may be of interest to Twins fans that the Robert Taylor Homes were where Twins legend Kirby Puckett grew up. |
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The Sweet Spot
Amy Poeppel
The Sweet Spot is flat out the funniest book on this year’s Afternoon In list. It was recently a perfect vacation read for me, but I think it also would be good for discussion, if you’re open to discussions which include a lot of laughter.
It's an ensemble book, focusing on three families whose lives converge in a brownstone in Greenwich Village. It has a little of the flavor of the popular sit-coms “Friends” and “Cheers.” (Yes, I know I’m dating myself.)
Lauren lives in the brownstone with her husband, three kids, and a boisterous dog. She has a deadline for a project which could make or break her career as an artist. Oh, and her father-in-law and mother are living with them at the moment.
In the basement of the brownstone is a bar called The Sweet Spot, run by Olivia’s father. Olivia, who has just broken up with her boyfriend, has a mountain of student debt and lots of dreams but no realistic plans for her future.
Melinda, recently divorced, intersects the lives of the others at numerous and hilarious points.
Oh, and there’s also a baby. Whose child is it?
It’s a messy situation, and each of the characters lives a messy life. The story is tender, delightful and laugh out loud funny. What could be better for a winter read and an escape from your own messy life? |
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Ann |
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Read Ann’s review in Youth Yak.
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Brita
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Read Brita’s review in Youth Yak.
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Cascade |
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Chain-Gang All-Stars
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
This novel is set in a dystopian America where private prisons created a program in which inmates fight to the death in televised matches. Incarcerated people who have competed in enough matches earn perks such as better living conditions and food and can eventually earn their freedom – which is an enticing goal when the alternative is forced labor and harsh punishment doled out by new technology that is indescribably painful, frequently leading to mental breakdowns. Our main characters are seasoned death-match competitors Loretta and Hamara, who are nearing liberation from their sentences. The reader experiences this reality through many perspectives; protestors, avid fans, prisoners, guards, and others who share a connection to Loretta and Hamara. This author’s debut was a short story collection, and you can see this affinity through the myriad vignettes and perspectives we follow throughout the story. I listened to this book on Libro.fm and the full cast narration was the perfect way to experience this novel. Although this can be a heavy read, this novel is rife with discussable topics for book groups interested in tackling the topics of mass incarceration and corporate greed.
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The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Shannon Chakraborty
Amina al-Sirafi is the name of legends. She was once the most prolific pirate of the Indian Ocean, but as she nears middle age, she decides to settle down to raise her child in safety and obscurity. That is, until a wealthy woman with a personal connection tracks her down, promising an enormous sum for the rescue of her kidnapped grandchild. Amina hesitantly agrees and pulls her old crew out of retirement, only to find out that her backer withheld information about this quest and the lethality of the people they would find. Complicating things further, a figure from Amina’s past she’d rather forget returns to cause chaos. Read this if you want non-stop action and antics featuring a cast of lovable and colorful characters. This historical fantasy is a prequel set centuries before Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy but can be read separately and is the first installment in a new planned trilogy.
  
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Hannah
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Jane and the Final Mystery
Stephanie Barron
The “detective” is Jane Austen herself. Barron did extensive research, includes some actual letters Austen wrote, and does a decent job of recreating her voice throughout. I had to remind myself from time to time that this is a made-up character, and that while the events are rooted in facts from history, they are 98% fiction. The Afterward relates what happened to the actual people that inspired Barron’s story, which is great fun.
The victim and suspects in this murder mystery are boys, including the son of one of Jane’s dearest friends. We are accustomed to reading about violent youth in gangs, but this story isn’t about the underprivileged. A famous British actress, I forget who, refused a part in the Harry Potter movies because she wanted nothing to do with anything that glamorizes boarding schools. The lives of the boys in this novel illustrate how toxic boarding schools can be. We are shocked not by the major events but by the “pranks” and bullying that the boys all see as an acceptable part of school life.
Jane Austen was quite ill by the period the novel is set in. Barron gives us a sense of what that must have been like for a gentlewoman of modest means in 1817. The whodunnit aspect of the plot isn’t all that strong, but the “how does she do it,” how does she keep going, subplot is absorbing.
How have I missed the first 14 books in this series? It’s odd to start with what is definitely the last, but I suspect reading in order isn’t important. |
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The Liar’s Dictionary
Eley Williams
This is a novel for people who love words. You absolutely wallow in them. But it’s a novel, wherein a boy and a girl have a “meet cute.” Well, sort of, as they live at different times and can’t really meet.
They are both employees of Swansby's Enclyclopaedic Dictionary. The firm tried to beat the definitive Oxford dictionary to press: Swansby’s operated out of a huge building with many employees compiling words. But the First World War decimated the staff, and they ended up publishing an incomplete dictionary. One of the men compiling and defining words occupies half of the chapters of the novel.
The woman is a 21st century intern, the only employee of the 70-year-old descendent of the founder of the company. The plan is to digitize the dictionary, but the effort seems doomed. Her main function seems to be answering the terrifying prank calls that her boss wants to avoid dealing with.
How do they meet across the centuries? If you’re familiar with the term mountweazel (a concept featured in John Green’s Paper Towns), that’s a hint. If you aren’t familiar with it, well, there are often decisions we readers have to make about whether to look up words included in Liar’s Dictionary. But this fits well with the spirit and plots of the book. I’m not sure what to make of the final chapter, but that kind of fits, too.
If you take delight in language, I highly recommend this book. |
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The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Heather Morris
At first, I was just overwhelmed, unsure whether I wanted to spend time in this horror. But I got so absorbed in it that once I missed my train stop and had to walk back. It’s a love story, a novelized recounting of an actual man and woman. The author met with the man extensively and did research to check his memories. The tattooist was afraid of being considered a collaborator. He did what he needed to survive, and he did the little he could do to help other victims in the camp. But still, he made permanent marks on innocent victims.
If you see the film Zone of Interest, this book makes a remarkable juxtaposition. |
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Rebekah
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These books are my top recommendations for Women’s History Month: |
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When Women Were Dragons
Kelly Barnhill
Kelly Barnhill’s first adult novel is a fiery feminist fantasy tale set in 1950s America. Thousands of women have spontaneously become dragons, shattering notions of a woman's place in the world and exploring what happens when women rise together and claim the space they deserve.
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The Woman They Could Not Silence
Kate Moore
Kate Moore tells the captivating and mind-boggling tale of Elizabeth Packard, who changed mental health care for women in America. This was one of the most memorable non-fiction books I’ve read in the past several years.
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Radium Girls
Kate Moore
Radium Girls tells the story of factory workers who fought for compensation and recognition after their work with radioactive paint made them sick. Kate Moore’s meticulous research and keen eye for detail combined with her vivid prose are captivating. Radium Girls is also available in a Young Readers’ Edition. |
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Fighting for Space
Amy Shira Teitel
Historian Amy Shira Teitel’s tells the story of two female pilots, Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb, who both dreamed of and worked to become the first American woman in space. This dual biography of capable and fearless women pursuing spaceflight provides fascinating insight into the shifting social, political, and technical landscape of the time. |
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful
Maggie Smith
Poet Maggie Smith’s memoir is a story of motherhood, divorce, and claiming her place. Grief and joy are intertwined as Smith reckons with contemporary womanhood in this book that she’s careful to call not a tell-all, but a “tell-mine.”
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Tim
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The Queen's Fool
Philippa Gregory
The weather's been mild, and I've been chomping at the bit to be out and working in the yard. "Too early.” you say, and you're right! So, what better way to distract myself than to escape into a really good historical romance? Hanna Green is a 14-year-old girl, who immigrated to England in 1553. She and her father are Jewish, and have escaped the Inquisition that was raging throughout Spain. She becomes the court fool (jester) in the Tudor court under the short-lived reign of Edward, where the reader also meets Queen Mary and the future Queen Elizabeth. Politics, religion, scandal, and romance... even a little magic, all beguile and entertain the reader.
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The Virgin's Lover
Philippa Gregory
The Virgin's Lover centers the reader's attention on the scandalous romance between Queen Elizabeth and Robert Dudley. Romance, sexual tensions, intrigue, and politics all weave a story that's just plain fun and good entertainment. To be quite frank, I do wonder if Gregory's fictionalized account of what happened, between the two doesn't make more sense than the sanitized version of events we've had spoon fed to us, by more academic historical accounts? You decide! |
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Orphia and Eurydicius
Elyse John
This book is a retelling of the age-old myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but with a curious twist. Elyse John has switched the genders of the two characters. Oprpheus becomes Orphia, and Eurydice becomes Eurydicius, and this 'turning the story on its head', is continued through-out the book any number of times. Situations are turned in such a way that we must rethink and readjust our understanding of what exactly is going on. At first, I found this a little upsetting... several times I went back and checked to make sure I wasn't making some sort of a blunder in my reading, but as things went on, it became clear this was exactly what one of the themes of the story was. Gender isn't necessarily all that important to our understanding of the other themes: heroism, love, loyalty, and loss. As a matter of fact, the change just might add a dimension to our understanding of these themes that a more traditional reading would preclude or miss. This is a great young adult introduction to one of the great formative myths that we retell time and time again. It also illustrates the possibilities opened to the reader, by tweaking the retellings. I don't think I've ever encountered storytelling done in just this manner. Interesting!
Note: this book is being released both in paperback and hardcover on April 2.
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Would you like to be a guest reviewer?
Email Sally at sally@beagleandwolf.com. |
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Staff Picks
Huck Finn has faked his own death in order to escape his abusive father. Huck and Jim encounter one another on a nearby island and begin a journey by raft down the Mississippi. 
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