James by Percival Everett

As the novel that has been perched at the top of the New York Times reading list for weeks on end, James has been on my TBR shelf since its publication. As part of the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Ten Evenings series and also a selection for the Gables Book Club, it was time to move from TBR to Reading.

What an incredible novel Percival Everett has crafted. James is the re-imagination of Mark Twain’s Hucleberry Finn told from the point of view of Jim, Huck’s runaway slave companion. Jim is a husband to Sadie and father to Lizzie and is well respected among the other slave s to Judge Thatcher and Miss Watson because he can read and write. When he learns that he is going to be sold and shipped to New Orleans, he runs away. Huck is being abused by his alcoholic father and fakes his death and likewise runs away. The two meet up serendipitously on an island and from there the adventures begin as they encounter a couple of con artists, a minstrel group who appear with black face, One of that group, Norman, has been passing escapes with Jim. The two concoct a plan for Norman to sell Jim and help him escape and sell him over and over again. The owner of a mill, Old Mr. Henderson, buys Jim, and he escapes with another slave, Sammy, whom he witnesses being raped.

The adventures are harrowing, the cruelty and violence are disturbing, but it is history told through fiction. It is difficult to pinpoint what is the most outstanding feature of this novel. It is remarkable for the point of view and language from which Jim relates it. It is told in the first person by Jim who is trying to define what freedom is and how it can be gained outside enslavement. Everett uses a code switching technique, that Everett ini his lecture, sometime questions. When talking to superiors, he uses the “slave filter” and when he is talking with those on equal ground, uses an erudite proper language. He steals a leather notebook where he records his thoughts and where he develops a sense of self. Words are important to him.  During his lecture he read a part of the novel where James was instructing children on the way to talk to the enslavers 

The children said together, “And the better they feel, the safer we are.” “February, translate that.” “Da mo’ betta dey feels, da mo’ safer we be.”

Throughout James the overlying motive for his actions to to get back to Hannibal to free his family and move to where they can enjoy their life. It is what keeps him going. He came to the realization that if he didn’t have them in his life, freedom was meaningless.

Sadness, irony, humor, the myth of racial identity and so many other attributes come together to make this a book for all ages. It should be taught along its companion, Huckleberry Finn in all English curricula. I am not sure that would happen in Florida, After all, as Everett said, “Reading is subversive.”

Percival Everett at Carnegie Music Hall - 24 March 2025

Percival Everett at Carnegie Music Hall - 24 March 2025

Percival Everett at Carnegie Music Hall - 24 March 2025

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

WOW! What a read. Our March Book Club took place on St. Patrick's Day and the hostess chose Niall Williams book, set in Ireland, as an appropriate selection. I have a friend who is an enthusiastic fan of Williams' books so this one had been on my TBR list for a while. I can say now, that I have also joined that group of fans. 

Set in Faha in County Kerry, Ireland This is Happiness is the account of electricity coming to the village in 1958. It is told through the eyes of Noel (Noe) Crowe, now 78 years old as he reflects on the summer when he was 17. After one of the most descriptive and poetic passages in literature about the village and the rain that has been pelleting it for days, the action begins close to Easter when Christy MacMahon, who is supervising the laying of cables to the village, becomes a lodger in Noe's grandparent's (Goady and Ganga) home and shares a room with Noe. 

The reader is brought into the Easter season with the rituals of Spy Wednesday and the remainder of the Holy Week. Noe had been attending seminary, but decided to take a break. Description of the parishioners and the Mass bring the Catholic rites full front. Williams through Noe provides enough of character traits that really entices the reader to learn more about them. 

As the plot develops, the reader discovers that the real reason for his arrival in Faha is to ask forgiveness of the chemist's wife, Annie Mooney Gafney for leaving her at the altar. That plot is really one of three in the novel. Second, Noe has his romantic feelings awaken as he becomes infatuated with all three Troy sisters. Finally, central to Christy's arrival are the lengthy descriptions of the actual installation of electricity from cutting the logs in Finland to getting them installed as poles in Faha.

There are really no words that accurately describe the lyrical prose that permeates this novel. Rarely do I highlight so many sentences and add so many bookmarks to an eBook as I did this novel. Williams writing is an ode to description and the feelings that are derived from the beautiful combination of words that evoke a time and place for a reader. I cannot wait to read his next book, Time of the Child, which I understand is even more poetic and poignant than this novel.

The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss

It was somewhat difficult reading Madness and The Nine at the same time. Both nonfiction and both detailing horrific experiences of two groups of people who were made to endure situations that in many cases would destroy the human spirit.

Strauss tells the story of her great aunt, Hélène Podliasky who was part of the French Resistance during World War II and eight others who were arrested for their actions and sent to Ravensbrück Camp in Germany. During the journey there they became a cohesive group. The others in the group were

Suzanne Maudet (Zaza), Nicole Clarence, Madelon Verstijnen (Lon), Guillemette Daendels (Guigui), Renée Lebon Châtenay (Zinka), Joséphine Bordanava (Josée), Jacqueline Aubéry du Boulley (Jacky), and Yvonne Le Guillou (Mena). While on a death march from the camp, the nine decided to escape. Their journey to freedom is the crux of the book.

Strauss through her research of the time and with the survivors of The Nine, presents a book that is nearly unbelievable as to the heroics of these women. Their 10 day journey is told through the eyes of each woman who has her own chapter in the book. It presents a bit of biography and the roles that they each assumed while on their journey. Their goal was to get to the front and cross into the area that was held by the Allies and especially the Americans. With bloody feet, tattered clothing, and a dearth of food, the reader is brought along on the painful journey with them. They struggle to find safe places to rest and German citizens to trust. At times they played into the stereotypical role of women to advance their cause - helpless and ignorant about war.

Strauss also gives insight into how the Nazis treated the prisoners in the camps, babies snatched from mothers while those mothers were raped, slave labor and starvation. It was painful to read.

The nine women formed such a bond that gave them the strength to have hope and survive. It goes without saying that if they had tried to do this alone, none would have made it. They developed strategies for survival, including trading recipes, one of the more upbeat sections of the book.

The book is so well researched with an abundance of footnotes. At times, I had wished for a more linear account, but understood the rationale for Strauss to write the way she did. Another interesting feature was how the author managed to find the women and/or their surviving family members. It was an intriguing, tho painful read.



 

Madness: Race and Insanity at a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

A Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures selection, Madness  was a tough read because of the brutality of the treatment to those who were virtually incarcerated at the Crownsville State Hospital in Maryland, known as the Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland. Antonia Hylton's recounting of the treatment of blacks who had or supposed to have had a mental illness is heart-rending. Spurred by the dialogue with a relative who was so fearful of the treatment by white supremacists, she researched this institution for nearly 10 years. 

Through a series of case studies, she described the establishment of the hospital in 1911, built by those who would occupy it, through its closure in 2004. Prevalent throughout the history were some common threads of an understaffed and overcrowded facility, despicable conditions of the facility, and abusive behavior toward the black patients. It was an emotional read that makes the reader shake her head as to how any human being can be treated as such. However, when one looks around at our contemporary society, this history doesn't seem that far removed. 

One of the more saddening stories was that of Elsie Lacks, daughter of Henrietta Lacks. Elsie was born in 1940 and suffered from epilepsy and cerebral palsy as a result of a head injury at birth. Because of this she needed constant attention and Henrietta and her husband. Day, were advised to send her to a hospital, that being Crownsville. She was only 10 years old. Her mother visited her religiously for a few years before she, herself, became ill with cervical cancer. At her death, no one seemed to think that it was necessary to tell Elsie or bring her to her mother's viewing. Elsie died in 1955 at fifteen. Just like her mother, Elsie was subjected to many unauthorized and unorthodox treatments, including aggressive forms of shocks to the brain. It was her younger sister, Deborah, and author Rebecca Skloot who dug to the bottom of the hidden files to find out how Elsie was treated without any informed consent. 

Antonia spoke on 10 February 2025 and beautifully articulated how she wrote her exposé of the Crownsville hospital. The book is a well-researched work of journalism that details the tragedy of treating the mentally ill in the United States and the civil rights, or lack thereof of black citizens. 

 

None Of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Generally characterized as a suspense novel, None of This is True, can be at times a good read, a frustrating read, and a depressing one. The novel opens as Josie Fair and Alix Summer, a podcaster, meet each other at a restaurant where each was celebrating her 45th birthday. They discover that, not only, were they born on the same day, but also the same hospital in London. Using this, Josie integrates herself into Alix's life by coming up with an idea for a podcast based on Josie's life. She indicates that having reached the age of 45, she is about to move on from her loveless marriage and family. 

Alix embraces the idea and begins a series of interviews with Josie. As she discovers more about Josie's life, she feels it necessary to meet Josie's husband, Walter, and to learn more about Josie's daughters, Roxy and Erin. Roxy ran away while she was still in high school and Erin is a gamer, who stays in her room, eats nothing but soft or baby food, and has ADS. Alix is also not without strife in her marriage as she deals with a husband, Nathan,  who has a drinking problem. After an awkward dinner party at which Nathan is a no-show, Josie decides to confront Walter about her plans to leave. She then appears at Josie's doorstep, beaten and tattered. 

Alix offers Josie a room for the night, but Josie has different ideas and stays with her. During this time the reader gets an inside glance at some of her odd behaviour. She borrows Alix's makeup and clothes. steals a bracelet, and stashes a key underneath the mattress. These are the actions that lead to the suspense of what is really the background story of Josie and what are intentions for Alix and Nathan? 

The narrative is interspersed with clips from a Netflix documentary, complete with interviews with the main players, as well as the podcast interviews Alix conducted with Josie.  As the title suggests, the reader knows that someone is lying and the truth will be hard to ferret out. The end has some interesting plot twists that make for an explanation of the actions of Josie, Walter, Roxy, and Erin. A quick read for the month of January and one that will keep you turning the pages until the end.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club was a series recommended by a friend and since I love a series that involves the same characters, I thought I would give it a try. By no means was this book a straightforward, solvable mystery. 

Set in a retirement community in England, the Thursday Murder Club is comprised of residents who get together to try to solve mysteries that have stumped the local police. While working on murder that involved a stabbing, the community is thrown into a situation where a couple of murders are committed that are directly related to their retirement home. Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Bernard, Ron, and Joyce work with detective Chris Hudson and Donna De Freitas to solve the murder of Tony Curran, the construction foreman for Ian Ventham, a real estate developer who is in the process of buying the retirement community and its adjacent cemetery. From that situation, other murders are committed, new identities are discovered, and a surprising confession from an unsuspicious character are paraded before the reader. 

Joyce recaps daily events in the the investigation as she writes in her diary. Some may consider this as a repetition of the the actual narration, but it is a good way to maker sure one hasn't missed something because there is a lot that could be overlooked. 

True to English mysteries, this isn't a book for those who want an easy solve. There are no less than 4 plots that with twists and turns all come together at the denouement. I hope to read the next in the series when there is a break in my required book club and P & AL books!
 

26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy

It is always nice to have a bit of a short book for our book club in December. This year's choice was a bit of a Hallmark novella. We chose it because of its setting in Pittsburgh. 

At the heart of the story is the process of decorating the windows for Christmas at Hanover's Department Store in 1942 at the height of World War II. It seems that it represents the Kaufmann's store with other references to Gimbel's and Horne's. Joy also mentions the clock, which all Yinzers know is located at Kaufmann's. Kaufmann's also had 26 windows that were on display.

When the primary decorator suddenly quits the team of decorators is thrown into quite a tailspin with only hours left to complete the windows before the Christmas parade and the unveiling of the windows. It becomes the primary task of Stella West and her support team, principally, Hector. As one can imagine, according to Hallmark protocol, there is a bit of a romantic tension between the two. Of course, enter a third party to the story to make the reader wonder whom Stella will choose. When every conceivable thing goes wrong in the process, including electrical failures and wallpaper fiascos, it becomes a race against time to completing the task. 

Joy's story was a warm and predictable one that was a quick read amidst Christmas preparations. As a native Yinzer, I did pick up on a couple of minor errors in the writing. There was no Heinz Hall in 1942 where The Nutcracker would be performed. Also, there was no sales tax on clothing. A nice quiet Christmas read. 

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

This novel by Moyes was a bit different than her previous trilogy, Me before You, in that it really explores the relationships among women. The issue that gives the title its context is that a very middle class London women mistakenly picks up the wrong bag at the gym that belonged to a very wealthy New Yorker. Nisha, the American has a pair of very expensive Christian Louboutin red heelsin her bag, which Sam, the Londoner, discovers when she reaches for her shoes as she changes out of her flip flops on her way to a work meeting. The event sets into motion the moves that both try to recover their own bag and the shoes that were in them.

Despite their differences in background and monetary status, it becomes obvious that both women are desperately trying to hold their lives together. Nisha is a trophy wife whom her husband, Carl, is trying to shove out of their marriage and Sam is trying to hold it all together with a husband who is living in a depressed state and who, as breadwinner, is fighting a misogynistic boss who is looking for every reason to fire her. In addition she is a supporting friend to Andrea, who has been battling cancer and mother to Cat, a nineteen year old who has maturity beyond her age and can give a voice to her mother. 

After the mix-up at the gym, Nisha returns to the luxury hotel penthouse where she finds that Carl has locked her out holding her clothes, credit card, and passport hostage and is served divorce papers. As she is ejected from the hotel, she is befriended by Jasmine, a housekeeper there and is given a chance for employment. She has to clean toilets, which is a foul task to a woman used to the finer things in life. When Nisha is evicted from the budget hotel in which she had been staying, she moves in with Jasmine and her daughter, Gracie. A cold, self-centered woman, when confronted with her present circumstances, Nisha begins to soften a bit as she has to rely on others. 

Sam is beyond wit's end as she tries to deal with her boss and her husband as she is watching her marriage deteriorate. When Nisha confronts her at work and accuses her of stealing the shoes, Sam's boss has the ammunition that he needs to fire her. Eventually, the two become set on finding the shoes that Cat has delivered to a charity shop and alliances and friendships are formed as Andrea, Jasmine join the alliance. 

This was a complex novel that had at its heart many themes that are so important to the women - friendship, treatment of women, and contrition and change. The characters are well developed and layered. The reader witnesses how they change and how they influence change around them. It is complex and even thought there are some predictable and implausible happenstances, it is a great read.

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson

One of my friends introduced me to Heather Cox Richardson a couple of years ago and I have become one of her most ardent fans. Her Letters from an American each morning is one piece to which I look forward before doing most anything else. I was ecstatic when it was announced that she would be speaking at the Ten Evenings programs of Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures. 

Democracy Awakening is a fascinating history of the United States in terms of how we have viewed and practiced democracy since the Founding Fathers gathered all their thoughts and expressed them in the documents that have formed the basis of our laws and culture. She contends that throughout our history there have been crossroads between authoritarianism and pluralism. As we approach this Presidential election, it has become even more obvious and she feels that we are "teetering on the brink" of authoritarianism if the election of Republicans comes to pass. 

Richardson is a scholar and professor of U.S. History at Boston University. Her research for this book traces the rise in the right wing ideology back to the New Deal of the 1930s through the Nixon presidency, Reagan and most recently most outstandingly personified by Donald Trump. There are no fewer than 10 chapters that delineate how he has moved to secure the position which sets him in direct comparison to the leaders of European fascism and Nazi Germany. She describes how in his term as President, one of the first actions were executive orders that began to dismantle the government and install his cronies and family members into interim positions to avoid needing Congressional approval. Of course his installing 3 ultra conservatives on the Supreme court has lead to the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the eradication of a women's right to have control over health decisions. 

Richardson has such an incredible way of writing that is learned and academic, but truly understandable by the non-academic. Her explanations illustrate give the lay reader a means to understand not only the past, but also the what is happening now and how we need to heed the warning signs that have been posted by the vile rhetoric of the evangelical conservative wing of the Republican Party. A must read for every citizen who does not want to be accused of having his or her head buried in the sand. 

I cannot wait to hear her speak.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

The Secret Book of Flora Lea was just the kind of book I needed to take to Physical Therapy. It was engaging and a not too difficult read. In addition, it took place in London and was set at the time of World War II, time and place among my favorites. The novel has two timelines, one in the 1940s and the other in the 1960s.

Hazel and Flora Linden live in the Bloomsbury area of London with their mother. Their father has gone off to fight in the war and was killed in faulty engine fire while in training for the RAF. As the war rages, orders are given to evacuate the children from central London. The two sisters are sent to Binsy, Oxfordshire to be billeted with Bridie Aberdeen, a loving and caring woman who is also a single mother to her son Harry. In order to comfort her sister, Hazel creates stories centered around a fictional place, called Whisperwood. It is their secret and no one else is privy to it. Tragically, one day when Hazel, Flora and Henry are near the river in Oxford, Flora disappears. She was left alone sleeping and when Hazel and Henry come back to the river bank, she is gone. A massive search is conducted and she is presumed to have drowned.

Flash forward to 1960s in London to find Hazel working at a rare book store. For most of her life she has pursued what had actually happened to Flora. It haunts her day and night.  She is taken aback the last day on the job at the book store before she moves on to another job at Sotheby's. In the books for her to process to add to the store's collection, she opens one by an American author entitled Whisperwood and the River of Stars. How could someone know about the secret kingdom. Surely Flora is still alive and somehow the author has heard the story from her. 

She takes the book home with her and shares the story with her boyfriend, Barnaby. Inadvertently a couple of the illustrations get ruined, and her guilt about stealing the book gets the better of her. She decides to return the book, knowing that she could be arrested for stealing it and losing her job. 

The novel then morphs into a mystery about the missing Flora and how Hazel plays detective to find her. It becomes a page-turner, for sure as Hazel revisits all those who may have come in contact with Flora - Bridie, Harry, Kelty, and four nurses who often babysat the girls. She contacts the author of the book, Peggy Andrews, who travels from Cape Cod to London to become part of the adventure.

It is a captivating tribute to the power of storytelling and its magic. Throughout the book Bridie tells stories as does the journalist, Dorothy Bellamy,  who is writing about the children of Operation Pied Piper. those who were evacuated. It is also a novel following your heart and listening to what it sees for your future, especially when it comes to love.