The maximum security book club, by Mikita Brottman

 

Writer and psychologist Mikita Brottman shares her experiences running a weekly book club in a Maryland prison for two years. The club consisted of nine hand-picked prisoners, although the composition changed a bit over the two years as prisoners were paroled or transferred. I enjoyed this book, which is well-written and reads like a novel. It was interesting to see how Brottman approached the book club and to read about their discussions, but I was not impressed with her book selections, which were challenging and boring for the men. As Brottman was a psychologist on sabbatical at the time, I wondered if this were a way for her to explore her own psychological interests or research. Her book selections included Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Burrough's Confessions of a junkie, Nabokov's Lolita, and other classics. All of the authors were white men, although her book club members were a diverse group. She made no effort to find books that were more relevant or modern, or more diverting for them. She recounts some discussions with them that seem inappropriate; she criticizes the corrections officers for giving her a hard time about following rules and dress code; she meets up with prisoners after they're released; and she bemoans the fact that the two prisoners she met up with after they were released were not interested in continuing a book club or reading outside of prison. Maybe she would have created life-long readers if she had picked books more suited to them? Nevertheless, in spite of her personal flaws and her bad judgment, this is an interesting and very readable book.

In the lion's den: the Penn State scandal and a rush to judgment, by Graham Spanier

 

With this riveting memoir, former Penn State President Graham Spanier recounts his experiences surrounding his resignation from the presidency in November 2011 as the Jerry Sandusky scandal unfolded. After Sandusky was indicted on dozens of counts related to child sexual abuse, the attention of the Pennsylvania attorney general and governor turned to accusations of a coverup by Penn State administrators following a 2001 incident that they claimed allowed Sandusky to continue abusing children for years after. Spanier thoroughly recounts developments following his resignation, including the firing of long-time and beloved football coach Joe Paterno, grand jury testimony of Spanier and two high-ranking Penn State administrators, and charges brought against them. Spanier completely refutes the highly-disputed report prepared by former FBI director Louis Freeh, which was influential in leading Penn State to accept extraordinary NCAA sanctions in 2012. Using evidence obtained through freedom of information laws and other sources, Spanier documents how many of those who accused him have since been discredited and makes a convincing case of his innocence. Full disclosure: this reviewer worked at Penn State while Graham Spanier was president. VERDICT This is a compulsively readable memoir about one of the most inflammatory recent scandals in higher education.

This review was previously published in Library Journal 147:8 (2022):107.

Edward the Elder and the making of England, by Harriet Harvey Wood

 

This is a well-written history of late 9th century and early 10th century England. While there isn't a lot known about Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, author Wood pieces together what is available to paint a picture of this time period and demonstrate the impact that Edward had on Wessex and Mercia, and how he managed to further expand the boundaries of what he ruled. The only criticism I have is that I would have like to see some maps of the areas under discussion, perhaps some illustrations, and an index.

A guide to the birds of East Africa, by Nicholas Drayson

 

This is a charming novel about Mr. Malik, a retired Kenyan businessman of Indian descent who spends his time hanging with friends at his club, bird watching, and volunteering in an AIDS unit at a local hospital to make amends for rejecting his son when he came out as gay, only to lose him soon after to AIDS. Mr. Malik is a widower who has fallen in love with Rose Mbikwa, who leads the local Tuesday morning bird watching hikes. When an old nemesis from school days, Harry Khan, comes to town, Mr. Malik is forced to compete with him for Rose's attention; they set up a bird watching competition, the winner of which will have the opportunity to ask Rose to a local ball. This was a fun romp with a lot of humor, interesting characters, and some insight into some aspects of Kenyan society.

A scrap of time, by Ida Fink

 

This is an excellent collection of perceptive and gut-wrenching stories about the experience of Jews and others in Poland during the Holocaust. The stories address "actions" taken against Jews, round-ups, the struggles of people who sought hiding places, the hunger, but also the people who returned after liberation, and the imperfect recollections of people who survived horrendous circumstances. This is a very well-written and powerful collection of stories.

The other widow, by Susan Crawford

 

This is an entertaining, although completely implausible, thriller focusing on three women at the center of this mystery surrounding the death of a successful businessman. His wife just took out a million dollar insurance policy on his life. His girlfriend was with him when he had the car accident that killed him, but she ran away before anyone found them. Finally, the insurance investigator who's looking into the claim begins to question some of the details about the accident. The author throws in a lot of red herrings, including the girlfriend's husband who's been acting strange, the wife's romantic interest in another man, the partner who appears to be doing something fishy with the finances of their company. There are a lot of loose ends that aren't really tied up in the fairly rushed ending, and one important detail about who is responsible for the murder is left intentionally vague. This is a very readable diversion, but not ultimately very satisfying.

Original sins: a memoir, by Matt Rowland Hill

 

Hill’s heart-wrenching, emotional tale begins with a sordid account of his drug use at the funeral of a close friend before he takes the reader back in time to his childhood as the son of an evangelical Baptist preacher and his devout wife. The piety of the Hill household hid the dysfunction and unhappiness of both parents from outsiders, but Hill and his three siblings were immersed in the deeply unhappy life of their parents. As they grew up, each in turn rejected their parents’ faith, and Hill’s rejection took the form of atheism and drugs. His experimentation with alcohol quickly turned to other drugs, including cocaine and his preferred drug, heroin. Hill’s struggles with heroin in particular led to many overdoses and at least one suicide attempt, landing him in a psych ward for six weeks. In these pages, Hill chronicles his attempts to get and stay clean along with his efforts to rebuild relationships with estranged family members. This compulsively readable book shines a light on the devastating results of the opioid pandemic that exists not just in Hill’s native Wales, but also in the U.S. VERDICT: This is an exceptionally well-written and heartfelt memoir.

Review published originally in Library Journal 147:6 (2022): 154.

One amazing thing, by Chitra Divakaruni

 

I really enjoyed this short (220 page) novel by Chitra Divakaruni. A random group of people are trapped in a visa office in an Indian consulate in an unnamed American city. To pass the time and stave off anxiety, one of the women suggests that each person tell a story about one amazing thing that happened to them. The rest of the book consists of each person telling their story interspersed with their increasingly anxious efforts to survive in the cold, rising water, with occasional rumbles and aftershocks. Each of the stories reveals something deep and personal about the speaker. Very well written and enjoyable, although the ending is a little abrupt and (spoiler alert) leaves it to the reader to guess whether the ominous sounds coming from above are rescuers getting close or the building settling around them.

Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner

 

I loved this memoir by Michelle Zauner, a Korean American writer and musician, about her relationship with her mother. As Zauner exits a difficult adolescence, she rekindles the close relationship with her mother, using food as a way to bring them back together. Delving into her Korean heritage, she cooks many of the dishes her mother made for her growing up. Just as their relationship has really turned around, though, she finds out her mother has stage-4 cancer. She drops everything to move back home to help her mother through her cancer treatments. Zauner and her boyfriend decide to get married so that her mother can be part of the wedding planning, and they rush their nuptials. Throughout this story, she relates tales from her childhood and her many summer trips to Korea with her mother. Food is a strong cultural glue that holds her family together, and Zauner tries to learn more dishes to entice her mother to eat when she's struggling to keep her weight up. When her mother loses her battle with cancer, Zauner continues to use cooking as a way to heal, following the popular Korean Youtube chef Maangchi. She also relates how the songs she recorded while grieving her mother eventually garnered the attention of a record company, resulting in a concert tour and further success. Zauner ends the book by relating her first international concert tour, ending in Seoul, where she's able to perform for her remaining family members. The writing is very good, and it will definitely make you hungry for Korean food. I had heard of Zauner's band (Japanese Breakfast) before, but hadn't listened to them; I'm looking forward to exploring their music and videos next (their third album was nominated for two Grammy's).

I used to live here once, by Miranda Seymour

 

Jean Rhys is best known as the author of Wide Sargasso Sea, a 1966 prequel of sorts to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, in which Rhys used her deep knowledge of Caribbean life and culture to create a backstory for the “madwoman” in the attic, Mr. Rochester’s first wife, “Bertha.” With I Used to Live Here Once, author Seymour shares her prodigious research into the writing of Wide Sargasso Sea, along with Rhys’ other novels and short stories, as she explores Rhys’ eventful and chaotic life. Rhys was born on the Caribbean island of Dominica, where she lived for her first 16 years before moving to England. Failing as an actress, Rhys turned to writing, where she had some success but remained relatively unknown for many years until her works began to be adapted for radio. Rhys’ life is noteworthy for heavy drinking, periodic mental breakdowns, many marriages, and heavy reliance on friends and family for financial support. Following a strict chronological approach to Rhys’ life, Seymour effectively connects events in Rhys’ life with the plots and characters of her novels and short stories. VERDICT: A deeply researched and insightful exploration of one of the 20th century’s lesser-known women authors. 

Originally published at: https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/i-used-to-live-here-once-the-haunted-life-of-jean-rhys-2144465