Punch me up to the gods: a memoir, by Brian Broome

 

I am fond of memoirs, especially those that show how someone has overcome challenges to become a better person or to gain success in a career. I really liked this memoir. First of all, the writing is top notch; there’s not a word out of place. Right from the start, the story draws you in. I like the way Broome frames the book with a modern day bus ride that he took during which he observes a young father interacting with his toddler son on a bus. As Broome watches the father throughout the long bus ride, each phase of the ride stimulates a memory from Broome’s childhood.

This book covers Broome’s life from childhood through adulthood, growing up in rural Ohio. He writes about his parents’ loveless marriage and the impact of his father’s losing his job when the steel mills closed. Since childhood, Broome was forced to pretend to be something he was not, hiding the fact that he is gay even from himself. He leaves first chance he gets to go to college, only to find himself surrounded by bigots. He goes further, to Pittsburgh, where he finally begins to find people that he can relate to, and for many years he loses himself to casual relationships, hard drugs, and alcohol. Throughout the book, Broome keeps taking us back to his childhood, and his relationship with his parents. He reflects on how several women, including his mother, have had a significant impact on his life, serving as a savior at critical or dangerous moments. He pulls no punches as he discusses the damage his father caused, not only to him, but the whole family.

While Broome tells us about sad, scary, and hurtful experiences, this book is ultimately hopeful, as Broome begins to address his addictions, and follows in the footsteps of his idol, James Baldwin, by taking a sojourn in Europe. This book is similar in theme to How we fight for our lives, by Saeed Jones, which I also liked.

Front row at the Trump show, by Jonathan Karl

 

This is an insightful look at the Trump administration from a reporter who has known Trump for decades. Chief White House correspondent for ABC News, Jonathan Karl had front row access during the Trump candidacy and administration, and he shares his experiences dealing not only with Trump, but with each successive Press Secretary. He discusses anecdotes that he was unable to share during his routine reporting, such as how Sean Spicer behaved behind the scenes (hint: not very nicely) and the many times Trump officials and others lied to reporters. This book was published prior to the election and the January 6 insurrection. I'm looking forward to reading his more recent book, Betrayal, to learn more about the election and its aftermath.

When Harry met Minnie: a true story of love and friendship, by Martha Teichner

I was happy to read this book, as I’m a fan of memoirs written by people about their pets. I was not overly familiar with author Martha Teichner, so I appreciated learning more about her and her career, in addition to her love for her series of bull terriers. However, this book is not just about the dogs; it’s more about the relationship that Martha establishes during the last days of another woman’s life. Carol Fertig is dying of cancer and wants someone to take her dog so that he doesn’t have to be euthanized upon her own death. This book tells the story of Martha’s getting to know Carol and the dog (Harry), building the relationships between the two women as well as Martha’s own dog, Minnie, and Harry. Over the course of less than a year, Martha and Carol arrange doggie dates, visits to each others apartments, sleepovers, longer stays, etc., until Carol ultimately has to ask Martha to keep Harry permanently.

I found the friendship that developed between the two women to be very touching. In just a few months, they were very close, brought together by their mutual love for their dogs.

 

Plantagenets: A history of England's bloodiest dynasty, 1154-1485, by Ben Hubbard

 

This was a good introduction to English history under the Plantagenet rulers. It is brief, but gives the reader a sense of the time, customs, and people that were important during this 300-year period during the Middle Ages. It includes a lot of photographs, portraits, photographs, and maps that illuminate the text.

The White Horse King: The life of Alfred the Great, by Benjamin R. Merkle

 

Noticing my recent interest in Alfred the Great, Mike bought me this biography for my birthday. Written in a highly readable style, this biography covers the key points of Alfred's life, including his battles against the Danes; his time in Athelney; his learning, translations, and inventions; the development of societal structures that provided for a standing army; the efforts to build a sea force; and much more. One thing neglected is his role in initiating the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. With many illustrations and photographs, this is a good introduction to Alfred and his impact on history.

Minaret, by Leila Aboulela

 

This is an excellent novel about a young woman whose father was targeted and executed as a corrupt official of a 1980s government official in Sudan. Her family had to flee to London, where they had a home, but their circumstances worsened in the years since. The main character's brother became addicted to drugs and is serving a 15-year prison sentence, her mother passed away from leukemia, and she herself dropped out of college after just two weeks. The book alternates between the 1980s and the present (the early 2000s), showing how Najwa's situation has changed for the worse, with her finally working at a series of jobs as a maid. When she begins to get close to her new employer's younger brother, her job is in jeopardy, and she must find a way out. One of the main themes of the book is Najwa's embrace of Islam after moving to England. Her faith provides her with a comfort and structure that she lacked before. This book is engaging and well-written, although the ending was a little muddled and unclear.

Dubai dreams: inside the kingdom of bling, by Raymond Barrett

 

This is a fascinating account of the experiences of author Raymond Barrett, who spent many years living in the Middle East, including significant time in the United Arab Emirates. In this book, he shares his experiences primarily in Dubai, where he meets a lot of other expatriate workers from all over the world. With the locals being a very small percentage of the population, much of the work and commerce that take place in Dubai is done by foreigners. Locals are entitled to free education and housing, and a guaranteed job, but everyone else is left to struggle on their own. With no income tax, living in Dubai is a way to make a lot of money in a short period of time, but it comes with its own disadvantages. I really enjoyed reading about Barrett's experiences as he explored different aspects of Emirati society, including brief forays into the desert along with brief stays in neighboring emirates Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Although the book may be getting a little dated (e.g., in its views of the real estate market and current construction), I think this is a good introduction to Dubai, albeit through a Westerner's eye.

Innocents and others, by Dana Spiotta

 

This book really grew on me. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but the more I read, the more I liked it. The book opens with an online essay about how a filmmaker got started in the business. It then jumps to a few chapters about someone named Jelly, and her relationships with Jack and Oz, covering several decades. It then jumps again to chapters about the main character Meadow and her childhood friend Carrie. Alternating between all of these perspectives, it's only late in the book that the reader learns how they're all tied together. I enjoyed reading about the film business, from early filmmakers to experimental documentaries. I appreciated the descriptions of the two filmmakers' early years exploring films of all types; their enthusiasm and experimentation seemed authentic to me, although it's clear that they could never have done what they did without the benefits of a highly privileged private school education. As Meadow and Carrie move into middle age, they come back together as friends, having learned a lot about themselves, and there is a new self acceptance. This is in contrast to Jelly's story, which is sad and dark; her self hatred comes out in everything she does. This is not a joyous book, but it was fascinating and compelling.

Then comes marriage: United States v. Windsor and the defeat of DOMA, by Roberta Kaplan

 

This is a well-written account of the case that led to the defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act in the Supreme Court. Roberta Kaplan represented Edie Windsor, who, although married to her partner of more than 40 years, had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in inheritance tax because the federal government did not recognize gay marriages when applying more than a thousand federal laws. Ms. Kaplan shares her own personal journey as a lesbian who fell and love and married, but who had to fight for her rights as an adoptive mother because of DOMA. But the hero of the story is Edie Windsor and her longtime partner Thea Spyer. Their story of a more than 40 year relationship and marriage was key to making the case in court that DOMA was unconstitutional and should be abolished. This is an important story, and Kaplan describes the legal issues and implications so that they're clear to any reader, no law degree required.

The Astor orphan: a memoir, by Alexandra Aldrich

 

I have mixed feelings about this book which tells the story of a branch of the Astor family and how they've declined financially but still try to maintain the family home on the Hudson River in New York. On the one hand, I love visiting old homes, examining their architecture, gardens, furnishings, art, and more, so I expected to enjoy reading about the Astor home, Rokeby, and what has become of it. On the other hand, this is such a squalid and sordid account of life in the home during the author's childhood in the 1980s that I felt repelled by it. She reported nothing positive about growing up there; everything was dirty, cluttered, falling apart, damaged, unloved. No one did their share except her father who tried to maintain the grounds. They let an assortment of artists and vagabonds live in the house and on the property. They described themselves as "bohemians," and no one tried to improve their own lot by, for example, getting a job. Every year, they try to scrape together enough money to pay the taxes, but no one makes any effort to strategically sell the art or other valuable objects gathering dust in the house, or sell off any of the land. This is such a negative, one-sided report by the author, that I can't believe that it shows a true picture of what life was like there.