Teresa

An excellent story that deals with temptation and the duality of human nature (good and evil). Some things should not be studied. The curiosity of a person's identity, lead to the separation of that identity. What was once a blend became two entities, one good and one evil. When evil is indulged, that side of our identity grows stronger and can overshadow the good. Evil cannot be controlled. It can be suppressed.

Grief can be blinding and if not checked can turn into anger and revenge. What recourse do women have when an injustice is done to themselves and their families? This is touched on in A Spartan's Sorrow by Hannah Lynn. This retelling of the ancient myth of Clytemnestra and her murder of her husband for killing their daughter on this subject as well as others. When one lives in a society where women have no true rights and are seen as little better than servants, or worse as property to be used as the master sees fit, what can a mother do to protect her children? Grief can turn to anger, which can turn into revenge, which can lead to a cycle of tragedy.

Also, what is to be done, when the system and society is defended and encouraged by the women living in it. Electra idolizes her father and hates her mother. She refuses to bend, to see the gray areas of not just life, but the circumstances in her own house. She continues the cycle of tragedy that should have ended long ago. This is an unbendable society. The inability to bend continues the cycle of tragedy that should have ended long ago.

What re-courses do women have when the society is against you? What happens when women themselves condone the society that treats them as less than? Electra is the one who is constantly pushing for revenge. She keeps poking a wound that is trying to close. She is the one who refuses to side with the one who has endured harm. She is the one who is siding with the system.

A Spartan's Sorrow is a book that needs to be read and discussed by both women and men. Questions need to be asked and discussed by both.

When I saw the title of this book, I was intrigued. I am a fan of books. I am a fan of book clubs. I am Southern. What is this about slaying vampires, I thought. Was my sudden interest rewarded?

This is a book about women who have a book club, a true crime book club. They are ordinary women. Their only worry is what lunch to pack their children for school. They are soon met with the not so ordinary and the very much dangerous. This comes in the form of James Harris. The main character, Patricia, learns that he is a vampire. She tries to get help to drive him out, but soon learns that people see only what they want to see. He integrates himself into the lives of the families and gives them everything they want. Patricia learns that most people just want to be comfortable and normal. They will blind themselves to what is going on around them. Only something devastating will bring them to the point that they will break the cycle and regain their true lives. Material things are lost, but freedom and happiness are gained.

I recommend this book. I went into this book thinking it would be a light read. It starts out that way, but becomes something else. It becomes oppressive. Patricia is backed into corners physically and mentally. No one wants to believe her. She needs to stand on her own. Patricia learns what she can do, who she can trust, and what it takes to be the best mother she can be. It is a hard road for her, but she learns her lessons well. It gets dark at times, but it does get better. This is a great read.

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes is a story about what happens to the survivors of ancient warfare. It is harsh, tragic, and sorrowful. The survivors, in this story women, but can easily be anyone, are cast into slavery, menial and sexual. There is no difference between those who were royalty or beggars. They all become the lowest of the low.

The story coveys well that war is not only fighting on the battlefield. It is also a story of the results, what the warriors leave behind. It delves into both the home front as well as the oppositions landscape. Though this story is set in ancient Greece, it can just as easily be transferred into modern life and any war that has gone on in recent centuries or now.

When the warriors go to battle, what takes happens to “the women in the shadows”, “the forgotten, the ignored, the untold”? This book covers well that “a war does not ignore half the people whose lives it touches”. War touches everyone, never in a good way.

An interesting book that deals with racism, sexism, empire, and colonialism. This book is set in England in the 1830’s when the system of power benefited only the few at the top of the political food chain.

This book follows the life of Robin Swift, a half Chinese young man, who is taken from his home by a man who becomes his “mentor”. This man indoctrinates Robin into his new life. A life where he is expected to learn silver work, the ability to use words to provide power to run the empire, at the The Translation Institute, also known as Babel, at Oxford. Robin meets others like himself, ones who have been taken under the wing of those in power and expected to learn the craft to benefit the Empire.

This book brings up many important questions that need to be asked. When does one realize that they have lost their identity? When someone promises you everything you have dreamed of, what are you willing to let go of to have it? Can you let go of what makes you unique? What is the cost of suffering? What do you abandon to survive a system that is offers you everything you have ever dreamed of, but constantly keeps it just out of reach? Can the system be changed peacefully or must it be changed violently? Can a person truly improve their life if the system is designed to keep them limited and controlled?

The themes of racism, sexism, colonialism, and dehumanization are explored in this book. Foreigners as well as poor natives are seen as an underclass in the society that Babel presents. The both are seen as resources to be exploited by those in charge.

A thoughtful and provocative book. One I recommend.