James McBride's The GOOD LORD BIRD-Historic Fiction at Its Finest

James McBride is among the elite authors who've received literary awards for both fiction and non-fiction. The GOOD LORD BIRD received the Nat'l Book Award for Fiction in 2013. This work of historic fiction tells the story of the misguided abolitionist John Brown from the voice of a young enslaved boy who is taken under the protective wing of John Brown in the years just prior to the civil war and months before the his raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry '1889. Our protagonist, Henry Shackleford, dubbed "Little Onion" by Brown after Henry's father is killed in a shoot-out involving Brown. Brown mistakenly sees Henry as male so Henry dressed and assumes a female role along with the name Onion to remain under Brown's protection. Told in retrospect from a much older, free man, in the dialect of a southern black person with a keen eye. Henry neither glorifies nor disavow's Brown character or actions. McBrides novel is a thrilling and terrifying odyssey of survival as a slave seeking his opportunity to be free. Onion's path alongside Brown's camping, gun-slinging, and foraging travels as an abolitionist into both slave and free states is an unforgettable tale made exciting by the bizarre circumstances and sheer tenacity for self-preservation. Henry arouses tender feelings for the young boy, posing as a girl left on his own, dependent  on the kindness of Brown, and his assembled abolitionist army. The retrospective telling is told with tenderness and wisdom. Early on Henry had an understanding of how Brown operated. When first taken up by Brown, Henry noted, "Whatever he believed, he believed It didn't matter to him whether it was really true or not. He just changed the truth till it fit him. He was a real white man." Life on the run with Brown and his men was extremely harsh. "It's one thing to say you're an abolitionist, but riding for weeks on the plains in winter, with no spare victuals, you weeding a bad hoe for satisfaction to test a man's principles that way. Some of the Old Man's men was turned toward slavery by the time winter was over." Henry met major historic figures Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman on his journeys. And, much of what he witnessed was jaw dropping. "Even the colored in Philadelphia didn't seem to care about their slave brothers. I seen a few of them strolling about, sporting pocket watches, walking canes, great pins and finger rings just like white folks." The terror, bravery and major fiasco that unfolded at Harper Ferry which led to Brown's capture is memorable in Henry's telling. "Captain {Brown} brung hisself back to Harpers Ferry knowing he was done in. He knowed he was gonna lose fighting for the Negro, on account of the Negro, and he brung hisself to it anyways." The most profound epiphany Henry had was in retrospect.  "Nobody asked the Negro what he thunk about the whole business, by the way, nor the Indian, when I think of it, for neither of their thoughts didn't count, even though most of the squabbling was about them on the outside, for at bottom the whole business was about land and money. something nobody who was squabbling seemed to ever get enough of." The GOOD LORD BIRD is a brilliant, entertaining and truly significant work of historic fiction. It makes history come alive. This should be included in reading lists for all our public schools. 

D Stuart's JOHN of JOHN-Gay Love Runs in Families

Douglas Stuart (b. Scotland 1976) is Booker Prize winning author of "Shuggie Bain". I was surprised me with Stuart's toned down depiction of the stringent life in a small rural village in Scotland. While the harsh life and cruel treatment Shuggie received was abhorrent, his story felt credible and aroused empathy. In JOHN of JOHN (2026) our young male protagonist, Cal, is from a small rural island off Scotland's coast. All  similarities, struggles and sympathies diverge from there. Cal (short for John-Callum) is the son of the local vicar John and recently graduated from University with an arts degree. Cal has been floundering around the mainland searching for gainful employment. When his father calls him home to help care for his elderly grandmother, Ella, Cal packs his few belongings and returns home. Despite never intending to go back to the island, he reveres his grandmother who raised him and fears his dad. Cal's mother, Ella's daughter, left him and started a new family with his dad's brother. The reason Grace left gets revealed nearly a year later. Meanwhile Cal has worked arduously caring for the sheep and the family's farmland. The island is shrouded in secrecy amongst its motley cast of inhabitants who harbor grudges and distrust. The story is laconically paced which contributes to the ambiance of a sparsely populated island with nothing to do except toil on the land or sea, attend Sunday services presided over by Cal's dad and drink by the fire. Homosexual proclivities are kept hidden to avoid heretical scandal. Readers glean early  of Cal's homosexuality and of his father's long-time affair with his male lover.  Cal and John both keep being gay guarded from each other. The hypocrisy and self-righteous condemnation of those who have commit sins such as pre-marital or homosexual sex is egregious, especially coming from John who proselytizes mandates. The cruelty from church leaders by ostracizing an unwed mother was deplorable. The duplicity of father/son both being gay and being attracted to the same man was preposterous. Ella noted to John, "It seemed to be such an unfunny joke that you {John}would be the way you are, and he would be yon way too. It was too weird to think of." Despite the narrow minded, homogenous consensus against homosexuality of the islanders, the community would also pull together in caring for one another. The descriptions of the landscape's natural beauty along the shoreline and meandering open fields were lush and inviting. To reiterate, JOHN of JOHN is a novel of duplicity, subterfuge and self-abasement that continued to fester which prevented Cal and his father from being at peace with themselves and each other. Ella advised secrecy. "Whatever he {Cal} is, whatever he is not. Let him keep it to himself, Islands within islands." The burden of senseless shame was omnipotent and isolating.  John realized, "he had decided years ago that he would never speak to his son about Cal's sexuality. To raise the subject would be to cast light onto it and it should be left in the murk where it belonged." 

R Russo's UNDER the FALLS is Underwhelming, Unlike His Previous Novels

American novelist, short-story writer and screenwriter, Richard Russo, received a Pulitzer for "Empire Falls" (2001) and has had several movies and TV series developed from his works.  His sharp and facetious writing inn his earlier books, "Nobody's Fool", "Everybody's Fool" and "Somebody's Fool" will have you scratching head with his most recent work "Under the Falls" asking yourself, what kind of fool does Russo think I am if he think's this underdeveloped story passes for anything on par with his past classics. The similarity begins and ends with a similar, setting in a small, upstate NY town that has seen better days. Intended as a literary thriller it fails to deliver an intriguing plot or scholarly writing that Russo is known for.  Returning home to the scene of his childhood is celebrity, rock-star Tyler to give a benefit concert for his childhood friend, Doc. Doc was left a paraplegic following an accident resulting from Tyler and Doc jumping into the local watering-hole. Also left behind are Tyler's ex-best friend, Curt "pinkie-swear forever") and Freddie, the beautiful girl the two both loved (and perhaps, still do.)  Curt has been married to Freddie with whom he shares 18 year old son, Freddie Jr. and is the local chief of police. These childhood friends blends into a love triangle that turns tragic with a twist that's hard to miss miles away. Nothing seems cleverly hidden or construed. The novel reads like an outline for a limited TV series. In fact, the acknowledgements at the end reads "Under the Falls began not as a novel but as a TV pilot script." Russo explains that during the WGA writers strike the pilot script didn't survive. Nonetheless, I confess UNDER the FALLS could succeed as a melodramatic miniseries that would be more pleasing with an attractive cast. But alas, UNDER the FALLS falls way below the esteemed standards of literary fiction Russo has written in the past. PASS on this watered-down novel that fails to rise to the level we expect Russo to pull together. 

Japanese Novel BUTTER Blends Murder Manipulation and Mouthwatering Meals

The Japanese novel BUTTER by Asako Yuzuki is a phenomenal best-seller in Japan that is starting to gain traction here in the states as it should. Yuzuki's distinctively Japanese tale is a tangy mix of a true female serial killer, Kajii, whose male victims fall prey to her cunning wiles and culinary skills. The salacious details of the relationship are tempered by the simmering reveal of details uncovered by a female journalist, Raki, whose tenacious investigation gets her embroiled in Kajii's menacing manipulation and enmeshed in Kajii's love of haute cuisine. Kajii's obsession with good food blends into Raki's obsession while trying to cull a murder confession. The novel is stuffed with salivating descriptions of delicious meals and their preparations. The sordid details of the deaths of three of Kajii's lovers are slowly revealed. As in many recipes, the key to success is not to hurry and allow things to simmer. The languid pacing allows each character to become rich and multilayered. Raki's nascent career as a journalist is elevated when she becomes the only one who managed to secure an interview with the notorious and obscure Kajii. Kajii is waiting a retrial after being convicted of three murders. There are multiple ingredients that go into this devilishly delicious investigative, psychological thriller. As Raki warms her way into Kajii's confidence, Kaji's influence over Raki proves perilous. The shifting power in relationships is a main trope along with double standards set for men and women regarding physical appearance. Rika's growing appreciation for fine dining led her to add gain extra kilos and an epiphany about societal views on women's physique and stature. Rika conceded "...even if she were to lose a few kilos, she still wouldn't pass. However beautiful she became, however well she did at work, even if she got married and had children, society didn't let women off that easily. The standards were getting high, and assessments harsher." Getting inside Raki's life as a single-working women in contemporary society was an insightful look into the typical grueling work demands, cramped living conditions and prevalent feelings of isolation was eye-opening and fascinating as getting inside the mind of Kajii, a master manipulator and likely sociopath. Rika came to the final realization that Kajii isn't alone in bending the truth to suit her needs. "What's the truth, though really? What is a lie? There's such a small discrepancy between the two. Given that, what's so wrong about choosing whichever path seems more appealing to you? What's so wrong about coating barren, flavorless reality in oodles of melted butter and seasoning it with condiments and spices? That's my way of getting by in life, which has come about quite naturally."  Butter is a scrumptious, unforgettable novel from soup to nuts. 

 

HOW to Not DIE in PRISON: A Survivor GUIDE-If You don't Need This- Don't Punish Yourself by Reading

Tom Nelson spent 17 years in medium and maximum security prison from an early age. Taylor Sheridan, an aspiring actor turned successful TV series creator ("Yellowstone") became acquainted and formed a friendship in his early days while working out a gym in LA.  Nelson, finding himself in desperate financial situation turned to his friend Sheridan for a friendly loan which Sheridan said is never the case but delivered invaluable, pragmatic advice and a starting point to write about his own life. Both discovered Sheridan's natural talent for writing and an in demand niche. As Nelson puts it, "So, you fucked up. Can't talk your way out of it, buy your way out of it, or beg your way out of it. You are going to prison." This self-help, auto-bio on prison life is de riguer; essential coaching on maintaining your safety serving your debt to society. Some sound advice: "You Should be ready to jump if a guard orders you to do something." And trust your instincts, "If you really get the sense that something is about to go down either shipyard time or stay close to the towers-you'll be safe there, since convicts tend to avoid them if they're trying to do something shady.." While I maintain there is a dangerous and irredeemable population that should never walk among free society. the concept of people in chains, living in cages is anathema and inhuman. It also remains a mystery to me what life would be like serving hard time. Nelson noted that having alone time is vital to keeping you sanity "Having just a couple of hours to yourself once a week can be a big part of keeping your shit together." My curiosity did get the better of me and Nelson's candor, cogent prose with a somewhat humorous light makes the this survival guide worthwhile until it becomes too oppressive for those with a more sensitive deposition to the atrocities that occur on a a regular basis and the barbaric living conditions. I was enlightened beyond what I naively envisioned inside prison and chose to close down my kindle. If you don't need this survival guide my advice is to keep your nose clean, stay out of prison and keep your nose in prose of life outside the penitentiary. 

BEGINNING MIDDLE END Brilliantly Blurs the Lines Between Fiction and NonFiction

Valerie Luiselli is a Mexican-American author. She has received numerous literary accolades including the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the Dublin Literary Award and two Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. Her most recent novel, Luiselli delights and beguiles the reader with her inventive writing that mashes fiction and non-written to create a clever tale of mother-daughter-granddaughter relationships which weaves three generations. This meshing of forms creates a unique, new genre that contorts facts and fiction. Luiselli's protagonist is an established author on a book tour in Sicily with her teenage daughter. The narrator's clever daughter confronts her mother as to whether she is writing auto-fiction. In other words, is mom writing about them in her book she's working on. The narrator denies this but her daughter  reads aloud to her mom a passage that "...reproduced an entire monologue from the character of a girl in my novel, a little girl who in the novel is the daughter of the narrator."  The plot unhurriedly meanders as it traipse along on the mother/daughter road trip.  It's not the plot that drives this inventive work but rather the narrator's dissecting of what she is presently experiencing and then recording. The narrator explains her writing as "A novel about a mother and her daughter, a daughter and her mother traveling along the edge of somewhere, toward some other time frame. A novel in the middle, the middle of a novel. Or is it not a novel, but an essay? Perhaps the middle does not fit into the tighter architecture of a novel, the worst of plot."  The story commences in an apartment in Sicily on loaned from an abusive boyfriend.  When he returns, they flee from his brutal behavior. Their car trip on the island takes on ominous threats from fires and volcanic eruptions occurring nearby.  Throughout there is a haunting aura of deja vu, approaching doom and menacing mishaps taking place. Just prior to the mother and her daughter going abroad, the mom split from her husband, separating the daughter from a step-father and step-brother whom she had grown attached. While the mother is concerned for her daughter's feelings neither she is not forthcoming with any explanations. Neither is the daughter with her feelings regarding the familial split. Grandma's senility also poses dilemmas for her daughter and granddaughter which adds a comical lilt. The journey leads them to the home of the grandma's friend. Shortly after arriving, they need to escape quickly by boat as fires are now nearby. The ending our narrator/writer has been seeking to resolve concludes with a surprisingly delightful montage of photos the mother/daughter took on their travels. This mystical ending left me wanting to reread this captivating and deceptively ingenious story from the beginning, again. I recommend BEGINNING MIDDLE END for its magical flair and for revealing what may actually be there in the end. 

ENORMOUS WINGS-Septuagenarian Gets Pregnant and All Hell Breaks Loose

Laurie Frankel uses humor in her novel ENORMOUS WINGS to pontificate on a woman's right to choose which has been eradicated in our country. A septuagenarian, Pepper, is a senior with still a lot of spunk whose family decides it's time for her to stop driving and move into a senior living facility. What's funny or even preposterous is the premise that she finds love with her next door neighbor and becomes pregnant. It gets explained (but not credible) as a result of her special trial cancer treatment. Nevertheless, she wants to terminate the pregnancy for both her health and state of mind. There's a media circus surrounding Pepper and a myriad of protestors on both sides of the abortion issue. Making matters more complex is Pepper resides in TX which comes down hard on anyone wanting an abortion or abetting the patient. Pepper's family who all add their delightful two cents along with their support includes an ex-spouse living at the same senior center, two daughters, a son and four grandchildren. One 15 year old grandchild, Lola, is especially close with Pepper. Oops, coincidentally, Lola became pregnant at the same time as Pepper by her high school boyfriend. The light comedy at the onset after the first trimester in the pregnancy turns didactic.  Most all the fallouts of not having free choice whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy are presented heavy handedly. It can be argued that ENORMOUS WINGS is a palpable format for discussing the demise of Roe v Wade. I maintain that the novel just doesn't fly right. It's an enormous stretch as it becomes labored under a bloated, melodramatic soap opera plot. The bumps along the way include an elderly friend who passes away and a clandestine road trip to get Lola across state lines for an abortion. As well intentioned as Frankel may be in providing a sensationalized story of a septuagenarian conceiving, the delivery needed a lifeline to make it worth your time.  I much preferred Frankel's "This Is How It Always Is," Here Frankel delivers a sensitive and realistic depiction of a child transitioning within a family and its impact on all family members.