Diana Stevan

This is another book I read during my master's program in social work. It was written at a time when patients' rights were being questioned, as far as voluntary admission into mental asylums and the use of electro-shock treatment. A fantastic read, as fantastic as the movie that was made about it.

No question, Joyce Carol Oates is a wonderful writer, but I found the graphic details of this story too much to bear. The story's about a young girl (told in her voice) whose father has abandoned the family. A Vietnam war vet and pilot, he's on the run, wanted by the police. The young girl is left to the care of her mother, who is man crazy, a partier. When the mother shares a family secret, it becomes one that tears the girl apart emotionally and socially. Without giving more of the story away, I found the last third of the book hard to read.

Award-winning YA and children's author Shari Green's latest novel, Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams, is one that will appeal to adults as well. Her protagonist, Helena, a young music student, lets us know from the beginning what occupies her mind: “I've not been raised to speak of dreams–nor to dream at all.” And shortly after, she says “I'm not the only dreamer.” Her community is full of them.

It's 1989, in Leipsig, in the German Democratic Republic, before the wall separating East Germany from West Germany comes down. Green captures the times beautifully, both the heartache and the tension of those dreaming of the freedom to travel outside their borders. The title, Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams, speaks to the prayer meetings the citizens attend, a place of warmth, hope, and song, a place where they can share their frustrations and hopes for a better future.

Having been to the Ukrainian Socialist Republic in 1988, when Gorbachev was the Russian leader, I witnessed the fear people had about speaking openly against the government. Green, in her elegant and dynamic verse, shows the challenges Helena, her family and friends face living in a system where anyone can be an informant. Highly recommended.

Loved this memoir, a story about a man and his parrot and what they learn from one another. I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Brett, when he was writer-in-residence in Campbell River. He's an award-winning poet as well. A great read!

An amazing novel. I hope to read it again.