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Series Highlight: Boys of Wartime
Twelve-year-old Daniel Prescott cheered when the Sons of Liberty dumped English tea into Boston Harbor. Then King George sent his soldiers to take over Boston and its port. Now Daniel’s home is a city under siege. When his father slips away to join the rebels, Daniel works in the family tavern and eavesdrops on Redcoat officers. He soon learns how to slip across British lines and becomes a messenger and spy, bringing vital news of the enemy to his father, and even to General Washington. To do so puts Daniel?s life in danger. But, to a Patriot, liberty is well worth any risk.
Twelve-year-old Will wants to be a drummer in the Union army, but he’s stuck far from the fighting in his sleepy hometown of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Then the Union and Confederate armies converge on Gettysburg, and suddenly Will and his family are caught up in the battle.
Perfect for parents or teachers who want to gets students, particularly boys, into reading and history. They’re filled with action, and have the historical research to back it up, but it lightly touches on topics that are pivotal to boyhood-Being brave in the face of danger, wanting to be treated like a man, trying to earn a father’s respect.
All three novels explore these themes in different ways. With Daniel, he goes through the most straightforward journey to manhood as he works as a spy for General Washington’s espionage ring. When face with direct battle, and gore, he flees and is filled with shame over his cowardice. However, we all know courage is not always running into danger but being able to pull through when it counts. It also has a nice concurrent arc about learning who to trust, and face-heel-turns of who’s friend or who’s foe.
In Will’s story, Calkhoven deals with the nuances around the Civil War like how the average foot soldier didn’t own slaves or had opinions on slavery, but saw it as a state’s rights vs government. Meanwhile, Daniel is more concerned with the moral shame of slavery, but has to reconsider his stance when his frenemy points out that negro’s lives aren’t much better in the dirty factories and poor pay. Will also has to battle his fear when he is travels through enemy lines, his journey is more concerned about the outcome of the war and whether all this bloodshed is worth it. This is the book that best displays how war is hell (the imagery is quite vivid) and how the battlefield isn’t fun and glory but blood begetting blood.
Michael’s story is the most twisting and turning. Yes, it involves spywork, but it also deals with Nazi propoganda turning Michael’s friend against him, the arrest and murder of his neighbors, interrogations, and fleeing across the Pyranees. Like it was nonstop action, but I think it has one of the more realistic depictions of the Resistance. The members didn’t share their names or identities so Michael’s collegues were almost anonymous yet part of a bigger cause. The Resistance wasn’t always active because of the Nazi round-ups, leaving communications empty for stretches of time. So that was enlightening. But readers will also enjoy Michael’s story with his personal arc of feeling like his father’s unfavorite. Most of his actions are in hopes of being able to proudly tell his father he resisted the Nazis when his Father comes back from England, but over time learns to find the value in himself and his own opinion.
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Women’s History Month Books
It’s that time of year again with my yearly list of nonfiction books for those who want to learn about women’s contributions throughout history. This year, there weren’t many new books covering new women to interest me. Except for NPR’s Women in Music that I still haven’t gotten my hands on. And . . .
When Women Who Invented Television by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
When we think of women who revolutionized television behind the wscenes, we thibnk of Lucille Ball who became one of the first female producers and studio owners. But before Lucy, there was Hazel Scott, Irma Phillips, Gertrude Berg, and Betty White paving the way for her and the many after.
Gertrude Berg and Irma Phillips led the fictional spheres. Berg showed millions of households the lives of a quirky, loving Jewish immigrant family are just like anyone else’s, making herself America’s mother and the first (and only) openly Jewish show until the 90s with Seinfeld and The Nanny.
Irma Phillips basically created the first soa opera and the whole genre with the longest running show, The Guiding Light, ushering it from its radio beginnings to television (until 2009!), focusing on the concerns and interests of women even though tv execs thought women’s interests were not serious or important. Phillips knew who held the purchasing power in the house though, and ushered in product placement for the first time.
On the talk show side, Hazel Scott’s variety show only aired for one season but showcased black excellence by bringing talented, and sophiscated African-Americans to the average household. Normalizing African-American women onscreen to today’s Oprah Winfrey. Betty White, who’d been part of Hollywood literally since the beginning, makes her own subtle progressive strides with her talk show highlighting working women, animal rights and African-American talent, ushering the wholesome, good news talk we’d see with later talk show hosts like Barbara Walters and Drew Barrymore.
Although there is no proof these women met face to face (but we can all imagine since Hollywood is a small town), Armstrong weaves a compelling thread through the quartet, comparing and contrasting their experiences in breaking into the industry, dealing with the Red Scare and its effects on their respective shows (all cancelled), their personal lives, and how the 50s’ shove to paternalism backtracked the strides women were making behind the scenes and on screens.
Here is the usual list below
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29 Dates Review
Jisu’s traditional South Korean parents are concerned by what they see as her lack of attention to her schoolwork and her future. Working with Seoul’s premiere matchmaker to find the right boyfriend is one step toward ensuring Jisu’s success, and going on the recommended dates is Jisu’s compromise to please her parents while finding space to figure out her own dreams. But when she flubs a test then skips out on a date to spend time with friends, her fed-up parents shock her by shipping her off to a private school in San Francisco. Where she’ll have the opportunity to shine academically—and be set up on more dates!
Navigating her host family, her new city and school, and more dates, Jisu finds comfort in taking the photographs that populate her ever-growing social media account. Soon attention from two very different boys sends Jisu into a tailspin of soul-searching. As her passion for photography lights her on fire, does she even want to find The One? And what if her One isn’t parent and matchmaker approved?
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Dear Manny Review
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin comes the thrilling final installment of the series, set in college. Jared (white, Justyce’s roommate, woke) is running for Junior class president. With his antiracism platform, he’s a shoo-in. But he’s up against the new girl, Dylan. Will Jared have to choose between his head and his heart?
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Jared Peter Christensen is running for president (of the Junior Class Council at his university, but still). His platform is solid—built on increased equity and inclusion in all sectors of campus life—and he’s got a good chance of beating the deeply conservative business major he’s running against.
But then a transfer student enters the race and calls Jared out for his big-talk/little-action way of moving. But what’s the right way to bring about change? As the campaign heats up, feelings are caught, and juicy secrets come to light, and Jared writes letters to his deceased friend Manny, hoping to make sense of his confusion. What’s a white boy to do when love and politics collide? -
Bemused Review
The Muses narrated Hercules’s story. Now, they’ll narrate their own “gospel truth.”
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Living in a quiet seaside village with their overprotective mother, teenaged sisters Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Thalia are talented performers with no audience. If Calli had her way, she’d pursue her dream of writing epic stories in the city of Thebes. But family comes first, and as the eldest, she’d never leave her beloved sisters behind.
Then, following a disastrous public music performance, their mother reveals a shocking secret: she is Mnemosyne, the Goddess of Memory, and for nearly two decades, she’s been on the run from the gods of Mount Olympus, desperate to keep her daughters safe from their machinations. Before she can share more, she is kidnapped . . . and though the girls don’t know it yet, the villain pulling the strings is none other than Hades, fiery God of the Underworld.
Under Calli’s leadership, the sisters embark on a journey to save their mother and to learn more about their own divine origins. But the path ahead is filled with mythical trials and tribulations, and they’ll need to rely on both their individual talents and the strength of their sisterhood to ensure that they ascend from “zeroes” to “heroes”–or more accurately, heroines. -
A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke Review
Physician Aurora Montalban Wright takes risks in her career, but never with her heart. Running an underground women’s clinic exposes her to certain dangers, but help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Aurora begrudgingly accepts his protection, then promptly finds herself in his bed.
New to his role as a duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles struggles to embrace his position. With half of society waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him, Apollo never imagined that his enthralling bedmate would become his most trusted adviser. Soon, he realizes the rebellious doctor could be the perfect duchess. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets make her unsuitable for the aristocracy.
When a dangerous figure from their past returns to threaten them, Apollo whisks Aurora away to his villa in the French Riviera. Far from the reproachful eye of Parisian society, can Apollo convince Aurora that their bond is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?
Some spoilers under the cut.
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Happy Anniversary!
I wish I had something more meaningful to say on this three year anniversary for my blog. Honestly, I forgot it was today, but for anyone who is reading, I hope you enjoy these book reviews and suggestions and that it has potentially added some new and interesting novels to your shelves.
I, for one, feel proud and satisfied by my work on this blog. It may not look like a sleek website, but it’s been a pleasure to share my favorite books with the vast web of space, and talk with some cool authors.
Here’s to many more.
Cheers, and happy reading.
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With Love, Miss Americanah Review
Enore Adesuwa doesn’t dive into things, she walks in carefully. So when she, her mother, and her sister move from Nigeria shortly after her father’s death, she wants to be extremely prepared before attending high school in America. Her cousin doesn’t have time to explain the ins and outs to her but, luckily, he recommends the perfect research tool: teen movies.
Still dealing with grief but armed with a set of rules of survival gathered from these movies (including the crucial rule of keeping a low profile), Enore is ready for her senior year. But when she meets Davi Santiago, it may be much harder than she thought to keep to her rules. Because not only is he super thoughtful (and okay, very good looking), he constantly encourages her to share her incredible singing talent. Enore prefers the background but it just might be time for her to take center stage, even in spite of her mother’s strict expectations.
It would be easier to follow all the rules, the ones Enore set for herself and the ones her mom imposes, but as every teen movie has taught her, a coming-of-age is nothing without a little rebellion. And with help from her crush, her sister, and some new friends who don’t quite play the roles she expects, Enore’s senior year might indeed be cinematic!
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Dark Ascension: The Wishless Ones Review
Before Jafar became Agrabah’s grand vizier, there were two brothers wishing for a different life.
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Living in the shadow of their mother’s death and their father’s cruel whims, Jafar only longs to protect one person–his soft-hearted younger brother, Rohan. But Jafar knows he is destined for more, and if he has his way, he’ll soon be an apprentice at Maghriz’s elite House of Wisdom, studying alchemy.
Then a fire destroys the remains of their shattered life, and Jafar has no choice but to resort to ruses and trickery, including convincing Rohan that the House of Wisdom is their only chance at rebuilding their lives. But Maghriz holds more danger and intrigue than either brother can imagine. Its powerful Sultana is plotting a grand deception that could shape the nation’s future, and she believes the brothers are the missing piece of her scheme.
For the first time, Jafar can envision a future where he puts his own desires before Rohan’s–and Rohan feels ready to escape his brother’s shadow. As the brothers contend with their darkest impulses, they must decide: is their ambition worth their brotherhood? -
Book Highlight: What Jews Look Like
Too many Jews have been told: “You don’t look Jewish!” It begs the question, “What does Jewish look like?” Well, there are over fifteen million Jews in the world, which means there are more than fifteen million ways to look and be Jewish. It can look like setting out menorahs on tribal land, adding kimchi to the seder plate, organizing for change, and living out loud.
Shining a light on Paralympians and chefs, anthropologists and activists, dancers and dreamers, the individuals in these pages represent a range of identities. But they are threaded together by one unmistakable truth: Their lives, work, and commitment to Jewish values have changed our world for the better. These bold profiles and inspiring everyday stories come together to create a tapestry that beautifully reflects the multifaceted essence of the Jewish people.
This delightful kids book highlights the diversity of the Jewish experiencr by grouping the people into six chapters based on different Jewish values like tikkun olam, courage, unique value of every person, to save a life, hope and creativity/self expression.
There were a few famous people, but this was an educational book in that it introduced me to many I didn’t know. Some were famous people who I didn’t know were Jewish like Harvey Milk, Sammy Davis Jr., Naomi Wadler and Daveed Diggs. Others were people I simply didn’t know, but should be celebrated like:
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 