Hillbilly Elegy: A memoir of a family and culture in crisis by J.D. Vance ~ Book Review

Hillbilly Elegy is the story of the author's growing up white working poor in industrialized Ohio.  His family's story starts out after the war when his grandparents moved from the Appalachian region of Kentucky to Ohio at a time when the industry sector was doing well and they saw an opportunity to make a better life.  They were able to achieve a middle class lifestyle but it was fraught with problems.  Though "upwardly mobile" they never left behind the abuse tendencies, the violence, the addictions.  Eventually when the industries that gained them their middle class status started to shut down, they along with others of their culture found themselves once again facing dire poverty.  The family struggled within the middle class and without it.  The author with the encouragement of his grandmother was able to break the vicious cycle, first by joining the army to gain some discipline in his life and then going on to graduate from Yale Law School but not without still feeling the effects of the trauma of his childhood.

I first picked up this book because I wanted to watch the movie on Netflix but wanted to read the story without the Hollywood's thumbprint on it.  I also wanted to learn about this group of people and their culture because I have no knowledge of them except to know that they are very poor in the Appalachian region.   I had also read (in several reviews, comments and blogs) that the book may answer the connection between Trump's election win and this group of people.  After reading it, I am in the camp that I just doesn't get the hype around this book.  I always find it very hard to review a memoir or autobiography because it is a person's life after all.  A stranger cannot make judgement or review a person's life.  So I guess I look a how the story was told.  This book is not just a memoir in the sense of it being the author's life story (though this author is only in his early '30's), it is also an examination of a culture of Americans, where they came from, what happened and is happening to them as a group, and why they find themselves where they are at within society.  While the parts of the book that told the author's story are heartbreaking and horrifying, these are interspersed with the author's thoughts, ponderings, facts, quotes from other sources, and his ruminations about the region and culture.  He  makes the attempt to  delve into the sociological, psychological, community and faith of the culture to see if he can answer just why they are the way they are and why they find themselves in the situation they do.  The way it was all interspersed throughout the book made it a very choppy read for me.  The language was atrocious, the violence horrible.  The things the author experienced within and from his own family boggles the mind.  But I was left with mixed feelings as his violent addicted mother seemed to painted in a different light than his violent grandmother and his alcohol addicted grandfather.  The thought that no gov't or social agency can fix the problem of the "Hillbilly" or "Redneck" poor, that the answer comes from within seems to be the general theme of his thoughts , but other than the idea of  picking yourself up by the bootstraps and getting disciplined and determined to make it out I can't say that the author offered any other idea or thoughts toward that solution.  A review on the back of the book also said it was "hysterically funny".  I did not find it so even in the remotest sense.  As far as how it explained Trump's win, I did not find that either except it did draw some parallels as to why deep rooted working class poverty and deep rooted generational values can figure into the political game.  I also wonder if this book might paint with a very broad brushstroke the poor from that region of America.  But what do I know, I'm a Canadian.  And this is why I find it so hard to review this kind of book.  In the end I plodded through because I wanted to learn but can't say that I enjoyed the book at all.  

I rated it 6/10

The Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren ~ audiobook Review

Note:  I am very behind on my book reviews and finished this a few months back, so it is in that perspective that I wrote my thoughts.  I had recorded what rating I would give it at the time of finishing it, but the review is what I could remember of it.

Publisher's Description:
"Many of us go through the day feeling like we don't have time for God. But God can become present to us in surprising ways through our everyday routines. Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys that the author does in the day. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Tish Harrison Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship. Come and discover the holiness of your every day."

My Thoughts:

 I listened to this as an audiobook while I was cleaning and disinfecting at the end of the work day. It seemed quite appropriate as I was not happy with this added extra work at the end of  every long work day. This book really opened up something I already knew in my head but that sunk it a bit more into my heart and that is how to take our everyday chores and seemingly mundane acts of ordinary days and turn them into a different mindset and habits of worship. The author's calming voice and everyday examples got me through those first days of developing this new habit in my workday  and I really enjoyed this book. I will probably at some point listen to it again.

I rated it a 9/10
 

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci ~ Book Review

Tom Langdon is  a hardened & disillusioned journalist.  Once at the top of his game as a war reporter travelling all over the world into the most dangerous of places he now writes "fluff" pieces for a magazine after deciding he needed a break.  Wanting to get home to girlfriend, Leila for the holidays, Tom is forced to take a train instead of flying because of a slight altercation at an airport that has him banned from flying for the time being.  Finding the train the option he must choose he decides to take the route that Mark Twain did in 1872 and record his journey.  But once the journey begins there are distractions galore especially when he runs into his past love.  Embittered by their parting of ways, Tom must now navigate being thrust into a working relationship with Eleanor after all these years causing this train journey to also be a journey into his own heart.  Just when he and Eleanor find their footing and are able to talk about what really happened, a surprise passenger boarding the train at one of the stops along the way throws everything into chaos.

I've had this book on my radar for quite awhile and finally was able to get to it this Christmas. For some reason I had it very built up in my head.  At first it was a bit hard to get into for me but eventually the host of characters started click and it got interesting.  There are lots of characters and each seems to have an air of mystery surrounding them so it made it hard at first to connect to them but as the author built some of their characters and back stories I finally was pulled into the story.  Tom is a bit of an unlikeable character at first and there is questions regarding  his relationship with Eleanor.   As the train journeys along their story unfolds.  Along the way Tom finds he's forced to look into his own heart to see his part in their breakup.  It's a feel good story that has atmosphere, mystery, quirky characters, laugh out loud moments, a touch of romance and a twist at the end.  Though it didn't quite measure up to what I had expected it turned out to be an enjoyable, light read for Christmas.   There is a tv movie adaptation that I would like to now see.

I rated it a 7.5/10

The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood

Emily Warren was always a strong willed child but now as a young woman she knows what she wants and that's to be involved with the women's suffragette movement.  But when she meets Washington Roebling the two fall quickly in love and marry once Washington comes back from the war.   Washington is an engineer as is his bridge building father and the two have plans to build an iconic bridge to span the river between Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Though Wash has always supported Emily with what she wanted to do, now Emily is talked into using her wealthy mother's connections to give fund raising speeches for the project.  She reluctantly agrees as she is terrified of speaking in front of people.  It is at one of these meetings where she meets the infamous PT Barnum and an unlikely lifetime friendship and attraction is formed as PT trains her to get over her fear of being in front of people.  As the project moves into the building phase it is met with many hazards and roadblocks.  When Washington's father becomes gravely injured and eventually dies, Washington is now totally in charge of the project.  But his PTSD and his own battles with caisson disease from spending too much time in the shafts causes him to request of Emily to give up her own dreams to further his.  As more and more responsibility shifts to Emily and she becomes consumed with building the bridge she must find a courage within her she never knew she had all while facing her own demons from the past and the present.   Her marriage, her ideals, her dreams and principles and who she really is are all put on the line.

This historical fiction novel is based on the life of the real Emily Warren Roebling.  It explores how one woman took on a man's world to build a project of unimaginable scale, one that would change everything for a city and a country.  It is a story of love and self-sacrifice, of challenging the norms of the day in more ways than one.  The obstacles she faced seemed insurmountable.  She had no education and learned everything as she went.  She had a fear of being in front of people and overcame that to speak to crowds.  She had to earn the respect of the both the men in power and the ones who were doing all the hard labor in an era when women were scorned and shamed for pursuing anything but social status and were even dictated by men and their laws what she could and couldn't wear.  She had to make decisions when her husband could not be reached that she could only pray were the right ones.  And when her husband slowly pulls away both from the project itself but also from her she forged ahead to build the dream and the legacy.  I liked the story of this strong woman who changed things for the woman of her day.  Little is known about her and her contributions to the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and history even though there is actually a plaque on the bridge with her name on it.  I found the actual engineering science within the story a bit on the dry side as I do not in the least have a brain geared to the science of physics but I think the author did her best to make it as simply understood as possible.  But I must admit a lot of it was lost on me and I had to google things a few times.  The story was interesting and emotional.  The author's notes at the end are definitely a must read as she tells her inspiration for the story and also what was fact and what fictional parts she took liberties with.  I would have rated the book higher had it not been for one of these liberties and that was the relationship Emily had with a main character in the story.  It is revealed in the author's notes that because they lived in the same place at the same time the author supposed the relationship between them, that there is actually no historical fact to base the relationship on.  It was such an integral part of the story that this came as a shock to me and it kind of left me having to rethink the story without this part.  But other than that it was a great story of a woman who built an iconic bridge and who did not get the historical recognition due to her and well worth the read for the historical significance of her life.   

I gave it a 9/10

Never Change by Elizabeth Berg ~ Book Review

Myra Lipinsky is a 51 year old visiting or home health care nurse.  She has never married and spends her days serving her patients and spending enjoyable time with her beloved dog.  She feels she's built a pretty good life all things considered.  That is until she is assigned a patient with an incurable illness.  It's not the illness that gets to Myra but the fact that the patient, Chip Reardon, just happens to be Myra's old high school crush.  Chip was the "golden boy" of high school.  Good looking, popular and on the football team, his crowd was everything Myra wasn't.  And now here he is back in her life, dying.  Not quite the second chance she would have dreamt of.  Chip has returned from Manhatten to his childhood home to live at his parents.  Though his Mom is pushing him to do whatever it takes, including invasive treatments, Chip has resolved himself to the fact that he wants to live his last days in peace without being poked and prodded with no guarantees.   As Myra cares for Chip, trying to balance his wishes with pressure from his Mom to convince Chip to undergo the treatments, Myra starts to find her role as caregiver coming closer and closer to the line she must never cross, finding her feelings for Chip grow from patient to friend and beyond.  As their relationship grows and becomes more complicated, Chip's old girlfriend from Manhattan inserts herself back into the picture.  Myra is left to deal with all sorts of emotions, questioning how she has lived her life and how she will continue to live her life when Chip is no longer there to care for.

I loved this story.  It brought out so many emotions and was so well written, drawing me in to Myra's seemingly simple world now turned very complicated.  I loved her relationship with her patients as she saw them day to day caring for the most grumpy to the most needy.  Her tender care and sensitivity with them was so nice to read, even as she fought her low self esteem.   Her relationship with Chip was complicated and interesting and there were parts of the story where just a sentence or paragraph had me talking to the book saying:  "Don't go there!  Don't you go there, I'll be so upset if that is what this story does."  I won't tell you what "there" was, or whether the story went there, but I'll just say that I was totally immersed into it.  Such a mix of emotions as the story ended.  

I gave this book  a 9.5/10

The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky

David Chambers is a world renowned biblical archeologist in the top of his field.  With his faith fueling him his passionate work has helped unearth some of the most ancient tunnels under the Holy Land.   But some of life's circumstances have left David's faith in ruins and he has left biblical archeology to pursue other disciplines.  When an old friend and mentor contacts David and talks him into a mysterious dig involving riches that described in the Copper Scroll, against his better judgement David agrees to come to Jerusalem to meet with his friend and fellow scholar.  When he arrives, however,  not only has his former fiance been called and is there but also his former nemesis, both of whom are also archeologists, and none have been told the whole story.  Will the draw of the historical dig be enough for them to put their history behind them and work together or will the danger that eventually stalks them cause them to leave the ancient secrets buried?

This sounded like a great suspenseful premise.  One of the co-writers is Grant R. Jeffrey who is world renowned for his knowledge of bible prophecy, so you know it is going to have all sorts of detail in that area and it did.  I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Middle East especially as it related to biblical prophesy.  I, as the reader, also learned a lot about modern day politics surrounding the Holy City and how biblical treasures and archeology are a minefield and must be protected.  But sometimes the detail in the conversations amongst the characters tended more toward schooling the reader on the subject rather than coming across as a natural conversation between people and that is where it bogged down a bit and kept it from going from a good read to a great read for me.   I also became bored with the tension between the three main characters.  They reminded me more of angsty teenagers than mature professionals high in their field, especially the sulky and irritable main character who was very hard to like.   I did, however, like the exploration the authors made of David Chamber's loss of faith while in a profession that mainly proved the truth of the Bible.  His struggles in that area made the story for me.   Once the danger started in the story is when it really picked up for me and moved it along to it's conclusion.

I gave it a 6/10     

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale ~ Book Review

Aimee Tierney seems to have everything going her way.  She's a chef at her parent's restaurant which she loves and she's about to marry her childhood sweetheart.  Everything is going her way up until a couple of months before her wedding day.  On a business trip to Mexico, one which she tried to talk him out of, James Donato, her fiance, falls off a fishing boat and goes missing.  Now two months later, James body has been found and instead of walking down the aisle at her wedding she is burying James on her wedding day.  When a stranger approaches her in the parking lot afterwards the things that are said to her rock her world even more but can they be true? Aimee struggles to move on but what the stranger told her eats at her.   And even as she rebuilds not only her career but her emotional life, she is drawn to search out answers into James accident and disappearance.  And the secrets she finds will make her question everything about her life with James.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting but, for me, it fell down in areas of the execution.    The exploration of grief and loss from a tragic event was good and you felt for Aimee as she tried to work through not only the tragic loss of her fiance but also all of her dreams as every area of her world comes crashing down.  There was however, so much that didn't work for me with the story.  Reactions, and in some cases, almost non-reactions to major events, simplistic solving of situations, answers that were a little too convenient made it feel forced and rushed.  There is a book 2 and 3 and the second deals with the perspective of another of the major characters to the major secrets so maybe when read together the story would come together better.  But as it read in just this first book, for me, it just didn't quite gel. 

I gave it a 5.5 out of 10 

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman ~ Book Review

Us Against You continues the story of the Beartown hockey  team after the tragic events that occurred to split the team and the town in two.  As Peter, the general manager, struggles to rebuild a team who's major players have all left to play for the neighboring town's team instead,  forces are working against him.  That is until a slick politician comes along with some investors who want to rebuild what the town has lost.  But there is a price to pay.  And is Peter willing to sacrifice all to stay in Beartown and keep his job?  Peter will have to find new players not only willing to play but good enough to stand up to the former players of Beartown team now playing for the rival Hed team.  As the big game approaches, the two teams and towns stir up the rivalry with not only verbal assaults but pranks that start to ramp up and take dangerous turns and what started as rivalry turns to hatred.  When a major player's deepest secret is exposed, it's like another bomb has gone off in the midst of the team.  By the time the game is played someone will be dead, and residents and players of both towns will have to look deep to what they have allowed hockey to become.

Once again Fredrik Backman brings a story that goes way beyond the surface.  He has a great talent at going into hearts and attitudes and human nature and exposing both the ugly and the beautiful.  He writes characters that have both good and bad, and makes them relateable.  In this sequel he again takes something that should be simple and enjoyable, a sport, and totally exposes underlying and complex attitudes and feelings that we as a society have allowed into the role that sports and competition in general plays in our lives and brings it to the surface through the characters.  It is an emotional ride through story telling going way beyond the sport that he uses as a base for everything else. 

For the most part I enjoyed it, it made me think, it took my emotions all over the board and drew me in to the characters.  This author has amazing character development even though the book does deal with lots of different characters.  The story has moved along from the last book and some story-lines wrapped up and new ones were introduced through new characters and because there is a book 3 to this whole thing a few story-lines were kinda left with the reader wondering what could happened to certain characters.  There is some delving into political and moral issues worked into this story.   Backman's style is a bit different and his way of using leading sentences to hold the reader captive and wondering is for the most part ingenious but I have to admit that toward the end of the book I felt he was way over using it.  The story is shocking in it's progression of violence both in the portrayal and in the sense that it totally shows how we don't believe how we as individuals could ever play a part in that or get to that point yet here we are as a society.   I was glad that the proliferation of f-bombs and swearing that I found hard in the first book were very much toned down in this one.  If you read and enjoyed Beartown, which is a must read to be able to understand these storylines,  this will take you farther into the exploration of human nature through a town totally invested in it's hockey team. 

I gave it a 8/10