Christine
This is an impressive and outstanding history of America, the courts, politicians, parties, and race. The author makes a strong case that we have lost sight of the history around the Constitution and specifically the second amendment. He goes onto discuss Teddy Roosevelt, the modern western and western mythology, Nixon's anti-gun philosophy, the shockingly powerful NRA (from the 1920s on), and a new conservatism that has embraced an inaccurate story about our past and present. Erdozain is a masterful writer with exhaustive knowledge and passionate commitment to his subject.
This book was a triumph and it should be perfect for book club. I have to admit that I had to make myself slog through the first two characters' sections because it was just so sad and a bit slow, but then it picked up a lot as it moved to the adults. The ending was ... wow! I don't know if I can wholeheartedly recommend this book because of all the heavy themes – climate, generational trauma, domestic abuse, economic decline, and gun violence – but if you can make it through that, the book does reward you with much food for thought and a new and profound compassion.
Such an important story to be told! I can see why this book is getting so much buzz. I was totally hooked. Thank you to my friend who sent it to me. So important that students of American history at this to their understanding. Hannah put her protagonist through a lot and I wonder if that was hard for her. It made for challenging reading, but rewarding also
I had a sort of love-hate relationship with this book as I read it/listened to it. There were times when I was frustrated with the pace, the cynicism, the snark, and the unlikely plot turns. I was able to get a hardcopy from the library so that I could skim through some of the backstory sections. It was quite long.
However, I do have to say that there were also moments of brilliance, insight, and laugh out loud stories. His assessment and integration of so many modern issues, including academia (and the corporate take over), millennial angst, child rearing philosophies today, Facebook, and of course, modern marriage, were apt and often darkly funny. A couple of chapters in particular really stand out, and maybe could stand alone if I wanted to share with a friend. I'm thinking of the club scene and the time when Elizabeth takes Toby to the grocery store. I understand why this book has received so much positive attention, but I found myself wondering if it was targeted toward a slightly younger demographic — maybe those in their late 30s and 40s could more easily relate to the characters and their angst.
Excellent introduction to ACT. I've been much more familiar with CBT, and I appreciate the way that this is simpler. And maybe more realistic. I think blending the two methods might be the key for me.
I read this as part of a book club, and appreciated the exercises and meditations that came out of it. I think that the title is a bit misleading, though. This isn't a book just for when something terrible happens, but for when all the little things happen.
This was a book club read for me, and I'm grateful to have read it. Numerous passages were so moving and insightful that I saved them on my Kindle and now my phone. She begins with the slow and painful loss of her father (and also the loss of many small things, like keys and wallets, which was funny and truthful) and ends with finding her partner and wife. Schultz is a beautiful writer, and feel as though I was at her wedding because I can see it so clearly in my mind's eye.
I did not like so much her ardent atheism, the defense of which seemed excessive and distracting to this non-atheist. But I appreciate how she writes of her wife's faith with such respect. I also did wish for the middle to move along a bit more quickly. There were places where I had to make myself finish the chapter, or I would just skim to the end of it, because her lengthy discussions got slow for me. Perhaps a more patient reader would just bathe in the words and the ideas.
All in all, a lovely piece with moments of brilliance.
I have so enjoyed this series. It's smart with good history and enough character development, but it is comforting and companionable, in spite of some difficult topics. I wasn't prepared for the animal abuse topic here, but it was veiled enough that I was not distraught. Maisie is my go to when I need to listen to something engaging and distracting with weighing me down.
I wanted to read this after I so enjoyed Still Life. This is similar in that she beautifully captures friendship and love among young people. it also has a similar working class culture background. And it also has an appreciation of, and focus on, art as a source of life and hope. This is a shorter piece, and reminds me of a watercolor painting. I did find it difficult to follow the plot, probably partly because I was listening. I also found it to be kind of depressing, but perhaps it just wasn't the right book for me at this moment. I might not have finished it if it weren't so short.
This was a fun and easy, if predictable, read. It looks like it will be a young adult story, but when you get into it, you see the F bombs and one spicy sex scene. But it has the comforting feel of a YA book: witchcraft, misfit characters whom you love, a villain who must be vanquished, and the triumph of youthful optimism over age and rigidity I definitely enjoyed this. Some have described it as a hug of a book, and I agree.
This was a fun and thought-provoking read. As a historian, I especially appreciate the way the stories ask you to consider history all around us and the difficulty of reclaiming it. I was not expecting the the spectral characters, but I liked them. Since I listened to this book, and there were so many interconnected story lines, I am tempted to get the hard copy (or e-book) to read again. I'm looking forward to a discussion with my book club.
I read this classic in college and loved it then. I was eager to read it again, and I'm glad I did. Actually, I listened to it — a long, insightful epic. An American story of the West, a marriage, a historian's own family story. It's interesting to think about what I must have appreciated then and what I appreciate now.
An amazing epic! I highly recommend listening to this. It served us over several road trips. I think that reading could be overwhelming to keep track of all the story lines. The breadth — from medicine, surgery, politics, history, Christianity, love stories — is breathtaking. Listen to the Acknowledgments, too.
Wallace Stegner has a special place in my heart as an author I read upon the recommendation of an adult I admired while I was in college, figuring out my own adult reading by choice. I'll always remember the summer I read Angle of Repose. When my book club chose this, I was excited. And it did not disappoint. This is not the sort of book that would be popular today, but the quiet insights, the (for me) nostalgic language and assumptions, all give me a comfortable and also compelling experience. He understood relationships. I'm looking forward to seeing how my book club of academic women discusses his understanding of gender and place.
This is comprehensive and interesting. It reads a bit like a compelling textbook, so it's a bit like drinking out of a fire hose. I recommend it, though. I plan to get the audio version so that I can listen in bits. And probably repeat. I appreciate that she has paid careful attention to issues around race and class.
This is a sweeping, beautiful, charming, terrifying, heart-breaking, classic-McBride novel. I was listening, and found that I had to stop because I was getting too upset as I anticipated a distressing turn. It's a fabulous listen, though, and I highly recommend that for anyone who enjoys an audio book. It would be great for a car trip. I didn't find this novel as funny and fun as his last (Deacon King Kong), which I loved. This one has more sadness, but his ability to capture culture, place, time, and the mixing of all of that plus racial/ethnic diversity, is a gift to the reader (or listener).
Another enjoyable Maisie Dobbs. This one (a listen for me) included the author talking about her process and her deep historical research into clothing, “current” events, and turns of phrase. The mystery had me guessing, and I appreciated that this book explored Maisie's complicated feelings about her singlehood. I love having a Maisie book to distract me while I walk the dog, navigate traffic, or unload the dishwasher. I'm grateful to have found the series from my Louise Penny FB fan page.
Another touching and insightful Ann Patchett book! I love the way that she captures real lives, dialog, interpersonal dynamics, choices women make, family roles.... and more. I appreciated the slow and easy story telling, the way I can picture the cherry farm in Michigan and watch the mother-daughters relationships. This is a book that I'm eager to discuss with others, as I am not sure what to make of the heartthrob movie star character. I'm also curious about Patchett's decision to include the last episode between him and our narrator, Lara. Listening to Meryl Streep read this might have been the best things about this already lovely novel. It reminds me of Tom Hanks reading Dutch House. In both cases, I didn't want to stop having them in my ears.
I assumed that I already knew what was in this book, but I was wrong. The author went beyond my (low) expectation that she would say that our fast-paced achievement-oriented culture is bad for our kids. Instead, she offered:
lots of compelling stories;
a reminder that the high school treadmill continues into college (from grade pressures to internship pressures);
compassion for parents (especially mothers who often carry the responsibility to help our kids stand out among their peers);
an accessible – if brief –explanation of how parent anxiety is understandable given how society has changed and economic mobility increasingly precarious for the middle class; and
practical suggestions for making ourselves and our kids healthier and happier.
One of her themes is that we need to feel that we matter, and that focus drives the second half of the book. I do think all of this is easier said than done, and she admits she comes from the Ivy League background that she's now challenging somewhat, but I felt understood and encouraged – both as a parent and an educator – in the middle of the culture she critiques.