Ethel Rosenberg:  An American Tragedy by Anne Sebba, 2021, Nonfiction

I found this book from a non-fiction book list on a book reader’s blog I follow.  I read the book to find out why it was an American tragedy and what would cause a woman and mother to put her family at such risk.  An award-winning journalist, Anne deftly tells the Rosenberg story that took place in the height of Cold War paranoia. She carefully documents the sad truth that Ethel’s execution was based on her brother-in-law’s perjury and represented a miscarriage of justice.  The story reveals one of America’s worst moments and reminds us how fear can become more important than truth.

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I, Judas by Taylor Caldwell and Jeff Stern, Biblical Fiction, first published  in 1977

I knew Taylor Caldwell from Great Lion of God (Paul) and Dear and Glorious Physician (Luke) which I devoured as a young adult.  I. Judas surprised me on one of my email book lists, and I picked it as a good read in preparation for Lent.  The language is somewhat dated but the intricate web of possible connections between Judas and Pilate, the Sanhedrin, Jesus, and the disciples is very plausible.  Told first person from Judas’ perspective, rooted in it is an interesting and timely read considering flawed factions and misguided zeal today. 

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The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers, Nonfiction, 2019

What an interesting book I would never have read without its placement on my Book Club’s list!  While I vaguely remember that coffee was discovered when goats returned to their giddy newborn antics after eating certain bean, I didn’t remember this happened in Yemen.  At the beginning, the book feels like it is an immigrant story, then morphed into a page-turning survival story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali trying to get the first Yemen coffee beans to America in the middle of civil war.  Put this book of perseverance, initiative, high-drama and unbelievable success on your Must Read list!

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The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray 2021, Historical Fiction

Dray takes Lafayette’s  French chateau as the connection of  three women in three different historical periods.  Adrienne is the political savvy and unfailing wife of American Revolutionary hero and subsequent leader in the French Revolution we simply know as Lafayette. Beatrice Chandler is an American socialite who becomes the driving force to transform the deserted chateau into a home for orphaned or displaced children of French WWI’s military families. Marthe Simone is a French teacher and hopeful artist who is drawn into Nazi resistance in an unexpected intrigue. As the threads of these three women’s pursuits are woven together, we learn more than most of us knew about the great love story and the personal cost of the Marquis de Lafayette and his contribution to American and French demoncracy. A fascinating and often gripping read.

 

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Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May, 2020

Nonfiction/Memoir

Katherine May widens our understanding of “wintering” to mean a season of isolation, intense growth, or life change.  She urges us to embrace rather than resist the winter season in life.  Illustrations from extreme winter Nordic communities share interesting insights.  However, be aware that this author leans toward an existentialist, secular, new age mind set.  Still, I picked up some interesting ways to “winter” for growth and self-care.

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Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel, Nonfiction, 2020

This book as bee on my TBR list since I heard the author on a podcast. With simple principles, personal illustrations, and all too familiar examples of daily overthinking, Anne leads the reader to better decision making without second-guessing everything.  She’s pointed, practical, and principled.  She talks less about productivity and more about removing stress and adding more joy to everyday life.  Side note:  She’s also the author of the very popular book selection email The Modern Mrs. Darcy and a podcast interviewing authors from a variety of genres. Check out her website https://modernmrsdarcy.com/

 

 

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The Last Year of the War by Susan Meisner, 2019, Historical Fiction

Young German-American teenager Elise Sontag believes the war is far away until her father is placed in an internment camp miles away from the family.  When the family joins him in a Texas camp, Elise meets Japanese-American Mariko.  But when her family is scheduled for repatriation to Germany it is her worst nightmare.  Separation from Mariko is a defining loss. A surprising arrangement takes her back to the U.S. after the war where she continues to look for the missing piece of her identity.  It is a story of family, loss, and displacement that finally blooms with self-discovery. 

 

The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, Fiction, 1992

As Japan invades China in 1930, 20-year-old Stephen, from Hong Kong, travels to his grandfather’s farm on the coast of Japan to recover from tuberculosis.  While there Stephen meets three people who share life lessons he will never forget.  Matsu , his deceased grandfather’s housekeeper and master gardener  taught Stephen about honor and loyalty.  Sachi, an exiled leper, lived in peace with her solation.  First love Keiko forced him to face how prejudice overrides love.  This understated story swells with gentle truth about living with change and the uncontrollable with the dignity and courage of a samurai and hope from a garden.

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