Teresa

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.

The premise of The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is that doing well your money has more to do with the your behavior than with any education or know how you may have. How you behave is more important than knowing what to do. Different people have learned different lessons about how to handle their money. These lessons have been learned through different eras of history and different circumstances that people have endured. These lessons stick even if circumstances change. Those life lessons never really leave any of us. Our world view, ego, pride, or personal incentives all combine to form something that works for an individual.

Some more takeaways from this book are these: learn from surprises; understand what is enough for you; true wealth is not seen; different experiences lead to different views; understand compounding, waiting can be a good thing; keeping money is different than getting money; building wealth goes hand in hand with saving; have a margin of safety.

This book is a nice starting place when one wants to understand how to build a nice safety net.

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy explores the themes of marriage, religion, woman in society, fate, as well as critics society in the form of classism and social standards.

The story of a man who wants to better himself, but never stood a chance. Poverty, classism, and bad relationships, as well as decisions keep Jude from claiming what he wants, an education and a better life. One bad decision after another lead to bad endings.

Jude, as a young boy, is not wanted by those who raise him. They look down on him and never give him a chance. He aspires to attend college in Christminster, Jude’s holy land, but is blocked by his poverty and the classism of the society. Jude studies by himself while working, but it is not structured so his education lags.

Jude was never really taught the intricacies of society since no one took responsibility for him. This leads him into trouble. He is taken advantage of by several members of the community. He enters into a contrived and unhappy marriage. He is soon abandoned by his wife and falls for his cousin. He enters into a relationship with her. His cousin wants the image of marriage, but not the official marriage itself, scorning societies emphasis on marriage. Both women tempt and derail him from his life goal. One by sexual infatuation the other by disregarding societal norms.

The book critiques marriage, asking why one marries. Is it for love, society, or survival? The book also touches on social critic in the extreme rigidity of Victorian morality and societal judgment. Class and economic disparity is touched on in Jude not being able to attend school due to his poverty and thus the higher class who do look down on him. Religion is brought up, the flashy and new is considered better than the old and “rotten”. It is also seen by the change in views of Jude and his cousin. When they first meet, Jude is religiously inclined. His cousin is not. However, the hardships they endure cause their views to switch. Jude becomes anti-religious. His cousin becomes religious. One runs from, the other runs to. Both as a punishment for themselves for the circumstances they encouraged in themselves.

This is not a happy book with a good ending. No character is truly happy. They simply live their lives and do “that which was right in [their] own eyes”. Unfortunately, this leads to several unhappy and tragic endings.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a short story of forgiveness, redemption, family, and moral responsibility.

Scrooge is an old miser who has cut himself off from human contact and has centered his life on gaining as much wealth as possible. This started in his childhood by being abandoned by his family at boarding school. With no family contact or real friends Scrooge grew to only concentrate on gaining wealth. This turned him into a cold man who lives a cold life in a cold house. He is set on a path of redemption by the visit of the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future. This changes the course of this life. His redemption is brought about when he understands that there is genuine warmth in the world and it can be his if he reaches out. He learns to understand and become family, not only to his nephew, but the son of his employee and the others around him.

This short story shows how the past can shape one present and future. It shows how the seed of greed can be planted by neglect. How greed can overcome generosity and lead to a lack of moral responsibility. It also shows how generosity can overcome greed and lead to responsibility that helps others. Redemption is always possible as is forgiveness. Sometimes the one we need to forgive is ourselves to begin the healing process.

A very entertaining book for the young adult audience, or even adults who want a good little adventure. The characters Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Jenkins team up with some cosmic entities to help save Meg’s young brother Charles Wallace.

Charles Wallace is sick. How is this connected to cosmic entities that are fighting a war? The battle of good versus evil on a cosmic scale is touched on. This is combined with the theme of perception of reality is and how it impacts our relationships and understanding. The scale and the journey the characters make encompasses the macro-cosmos as well as the micro-cosmos. Many times this scale gets in our way of understanding what is happening and how circumstances and incidents affect us and those around us. The characters learn that knowledge and intelligence are not the same thing and sometimes only focusing on having one, can lean toward some biases that can harm others.

This transitions into the theme of empathy and compassion. How can we feel empathy with others when the scale is so large or small that we cannot comprehend it? The characters find that empathy is important, especially when that empathy needs to be focused on one who is not related to yourself or even is not known to you at all. Sacrifice is brought up in connection with this. When and how does one make the decision that you need to let go in order to help another? When is someone else’s welfare more important that what you want out of life.

Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Jenkins, as well as their other companions, learn these lessons in A Wind in the Door. Readers can learn these lessons too.

There is so much that is different from the film versions that I am familiar with. This is the original version by L. Frank Baum and the famous film versions would be better classified as “inspired by” or “based on”. However, the basic story is still the same and is quite enjoyable.

The journey through Oz brings together three friends, a young girl from Kansas, a newly made scarecrow, a tin woodsman, and a lion. Each are on a journey to find what they desire: a home, brains, a heart, and courage. Through this journey they each show attributes of what they desire, but they do not see that they have these attributes.

The scarecrow wants brains, but he is the smart one in the journey. He is constantly putting forth ideas on how to help the companions out of dire situations. The tin man wants a heart, but he shows compassion when he harms other creatures or when his companions come to harm. The lion says he is cowardly, but he shows great courage is many incidents when the companions are in trouble. They do not see that they already have what they desire to get from the wizard. The wizard does not really give them anything of value, he just tricks them into thinking that he has. They still use their talents that in reality they have always had.

The differences I see right away: there are only three people at the opening of the story in Kansas (Dorothy, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry); The Good Witch of the North, is an old woman, not the young glamorous woman we are familiar with. Glinda is the Good Witch of the South in L. Frank Baum’s original version. There are also incidents as the companions are traveling that are described differently or are left out of the film versions entirely. Be this as it may, the story is still very good. It is nice to see the differences and read the original story to compare how the telling has changed over the years.

A kingdom of rabbits that has been overthrown in a previous generation now seeks to restore the kingdom. This book gives shades of Redwall, Watership Down, and The Wind in the Willows story lines. (I need to read those again.)

Two young rabbits are driven from there home into the wider world that is filled with intrigue, betrayal, and war. They are looked down on and mistrusted because they are related to the one who helped betray the kingdom and helped it fall to their enemies, predator animals. They grow a bit and take on responsibilities while they are in a safe harbor. They find their callings and their duties to bringing back justice and the true ruler to the people.

I found the first story, The Green Ember, to be quite good. I will be looking for the rest of the series. I recommend this book for children who need a good adventure story and for adults who need a break from adulting.

This is the first story in a four book series by S. D. Smith that follows the adventures of Heather and Picket Longtreader as they join the fight to restore good in the kingdom. There are also prequel books (Green Ember: Old Natalia) as well as other series of books (Green Ember: Archer; Lost Tales; and Helmer) that are set in the same world as the original series (The Green Ember series).

Apparently there are many ways one can read all the series of these books. You can visit the series’ webpage to get a recommended reading list (https://thegreenember.fandom.com/wiki/The_Green_Ember_series) or read them how you want. Enjoy and have some fun.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a nonfiction book that discusses the impact of the use of smart phones on teenagers. He discusses why children now have many mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. The author links these current disorders to the use of smart phones and other digital devices that are so prevalent in our current society. Later on in the book he gives some methods and action that could possibly solve the problem he sees.

The author discusses the history of the use of digital devices, especially smart phone. He also discusses the rise of the over protection of parents that keeps children closer to home than previous generations. He sites the lack of a “play based childhood” and the rise of a “digital based childhood” as the beginning of the problem he sees. He states in one section of his book that beginning with Generation Z, children were unable to form a permanent community of their peers, or “put roots into real world situations” as they are continually in the digital world. The author considers the rapid transformation of group dynamics he sees as “the great rewiring of childhood” and gives information on how and why today’s children are exploited by social media companies and their apps causing them to be addicted to them.

The author later on gives some methods and actions on how to solve this problem, how to have a more “play based” childhood and not spend so much time on in the digital world. He goes over what governments and technology companies, schools, and parents can do to lessen their children’s use of smart phones and other devices and decrease the over protection of children in the “real world” letting them explore and more experience.

The Anxious Generation is a must read for any adult who is concerned about children who are stuck in the digital world being influenced by people they have not and will not meet. This book is for any adult that wants a child to have more real world experience and just be a child and play.

Trauma and Recovery by Judith L Herman is a nonfiction book that deals with the psychology of trauma and its aftermath. How does one deal with the aftermath of either single or ongoing trauma? Also, how do the family and friends understand the victims of trauma? This book deals with these topics. [The author also argues that psychological trauma is inseparable in a social or political context.]

Author uses combat trauma, child abuse, rape, and political terror as examples of the trauma people have faced. She discusses the history of the study of trauma that covers the early historic studies of hysteria and war neuroses. The author discusses what trauma is: “Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless.” She also says: “Traumatic reactions occur when action is of no avail. When neither resistance nor escape is possible, the human system of self-defense becomes overwhelmed and disorganized.”

She goes on the discuss the symptoms of PTSD (hyperarousal, intrusion, and constriction) and how the trauma itself damages the connection of the victim to themselves and others by damaging the victim’s self. This leads to a disconnection not only with the victim themselves, but family, friends, and the society around them. The only way to heal is to create new connections with a support system that empowers and makes new connections that replace the old connections that have been broken by the past trauma. The recovery occurs in stages: the establishment of safety, remembrance and mourning, and re-connection with ordinary life.

This book touches on much more than the above topics. The in-depth information and examples cover the history of the study of trauma as well as what constitutes trauma and the recovery from it. The book discusses the cautions a therapist must consider when consulting with a trauma survivor for there a mental traps that can cause a therapist to fall on the side of perpetrator or victim too.

This is a book I recommend if one wishes to know more about trauma faced by others, what it is, how to navigate it, and how to help others recover from it. It offers good advice for the victim, family, and therapists to help people navigate life during and after trauma.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte a classic story of a woman who has left her husband to protect her child and herself. This story touches on many themes: sexism, double standards, faith and morality, love and marriage, as well as work vs. idleness. All these themes come into play as the main character Helen Huntingdon (Graham) comes to the realization that she has married an alcoholic man who enjoys nothing more than a good party and is anything but moral.

Helen’s backstory unfolds in her diary. It tells the story of a moral, faith filled woman who is in love with a man she thinks she can “fix” after marriage. She learns that one can only be “fixed” if they wish to be held accountable and improve their lives. Her husband enjoys the vices of the society of the 1800s and wishes to pass them onto their young son. Helen does not approve and comes up with a plan to leave in order to protect her son from becoming like her husband.

This book is good for discussing how people approach the different standards that many people have and the society that encourages those standards. Faith, marriage, love, morality and even double standards do not happen in a vacuum. The people around us encourage us to go in one way or another. What does it take and how much strength does it take to go against a community or society that encourages one set of standards that you do not agree with or even believe harms the ones you care about? How would you react?

Murder on the Orient Express is a classic mystery by the author Agatha Christie. The detective Hercule Poirot solves the murder of a passenger on the Orient Express as it is stuck in a snow drift. Who of the many passengers is the murderer? Why did they comment the murder?

I found this book to be quite enjoyable. I confess I already knew how the book ends and who the killer was. After all, I have seen the endings of one of the many movie adaptations of this book. But knowing the ending does not mean you know how the ending came about. This is why I read this book. It was well written and intriguing. I wanted to know why the murderer did what he or she did.

I cannot say to much without giving away who the murder was and why they committed the murder after all “this crime has a signature”. However, this book does bring up some interesting questions. Is murder sometimes justified? If society and the justice system fail, should others step in and even the scales of justice? When is it alright for another to “carry out the sentence”? If you knew the murder was taking place and why, would you cover for the killer or even help? How far should we go for justice?

This is a book, as entertaining and enjoyable as it is, brings up deep questions about society and law. Questions that needs to be asked and answered.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is a mystery novel that begins with a woman dressed all in white that has escaped a private asylum. Very quickly the reader begins to question why the woman was really committed. Is she really insane or is there another motive? How is she connected with Sir Percival Glyde?

This is a interesting mystery, what does Sir Percival Glyde and his accomplice really want and how far will they go to get it?

This novel brings up some very interesting questions and themes. It brings up the question of women in a society where they are seen as less than the men and their husbands. They often had no power in their marriages or property as it is “managed” by the male they are tied to. The uneven power structure that lessens women is one of the major themes of this novel. “they take us body and soul to themselves, and fasten our helpless lives to theirs as they chain up a dog to his kennel. And what does the best of them give us in return?”

It also touches on the unequal standards in social class. The upper classes is seen as better and is automatically trusted and taken at their word simply because they are part of the upper-class. For example, Sir Percival is automatically believed because of his social status, “I have no doubt myself that every explanation which can be expected from a gentleman and a man of honor, he will readily give. Sir Percival stands very high...” The lower classes are seen as unreliable and suspicious.

Morality is also touched on. What is considered a crime? What is considered immoral? There is a debate in the book between the characters that touches on this subject. One person's good and morality is not considered so for other cultures. Unfortunately, this also brings up issues of some condoning or even giving a pass on crimes one society would condemn.

The theme of identity and appearance is another focus in this novel. Is someone really who they present themselves to be? This can be used to manipulate others. This can also be used to protect oneself from being used or harmed. This theme seems to be a central theme of the story and ties the other themes of class, marriage, gender, morality, and crime together. Who really are these characters and what do they really want?

This novel will make you think of morality, identity, and our place in society. Where do we stand in that society? How do we navigate that society? Does that society work for us or against us? These are questions that need to be asked. By asking them we confront the society we live in, not just to survive it but to change it. Sometimes a society needs to change to improve it for the people who live in it. This is a book that will make you think as you wonder what happens next.

Emma is a novel by Jane Austen. It is a story of the upper class woman known as Emma Woodhouse who thinks she understands love and who will be the best life partners. Most of her match-maker abilities are focused on her companion, Harriet Smith. Emma means well, however miscommunications, misconceptions, and personal conflicts abound in the town of Highbury where the book takes place. Emma's well meaning schemes and misunderstandings of love lead to many mismatched relationships.

Emma gives off a sense of someone who has been spoiled, isolated, and has had her ego strokes just a tad too much. The town of Highbury always flatters her and seems to follow her every word. This is exemplified by the character of Harriet Smith, a lower class girl who cannot seem to have a thought of her own unless Emma approves of it, or even suggests it. This leads Harriet to some heart break.

Emma does come to the realization of what she done with her schemes. However, this comes through jealousy. In all her schemes, Emma has unknowingly schemed against herself. She now regrets trying to “arrange every body's destiny” and acknowledges her machinations to be mistakes. Admitting to being “doomed to blindness”.

I enjoyed this book it was quite intriguing on who would finally get together with who. Also wondering when Emma would come to her realization. However, the language barrier was a problem, which is understandable as this novel was written in 1815. Jane Austen wrote in a time where complex sentence structure was the norm. Some of these sentences can go on for half a page or more. Also, Austen wrote in a very formal language. Some of the wording can be confusing if you read this book quickly. This book is to be read slowly and savored.

All in all, this was an enjoyable book and I highly recommend it. The themes of marriage and courtship, social class, miscommunication, and misperceptions are readily apparent in this book. Experience is important. Humbleness is important. One can do the wrong thing while meaning to help others if understanding is not present. All of these can come from experience and the willingness to listen.

This is a difficult book to review. Not because it is hard to read, but because of the information given. This book is a history of state sponsored genocide (broadly defined) and famine. It covers some of the reasons for the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

The Holodomor (as it is known) is little known in the West. The reason for this is because of the lack of information at the time (early and mid-1930s) and the cover-up by both the Soviet government as well as Western politicians and media who wanted to side with the Soviets against Hitler, admired the new communist government, or just did not want to be involved.

The scars are so deep that the results are still being shown today. The Ukrainians government is corrupt and the institutions are not trusted. The Russians still re-write history to lessen or negate any blame they might fall under. Many of their institutions are direct descendants of those that carried out the orders and atrocities against the people of Ukraine. Sides are still polarized and might be for generations to come.

The Soviets/Bolsheviks were a minority of the Russian people that came to power through violence and propaganda. They maintained that power through violence and propaganda. Ukraine was one who suffered, probably more than most during this time. To push forward their agenda (the Soviet ideology and their collectivization program) the people were stripped of their belongings (farm equipment, farm animals, seeds), their institutions (government and religious), and later (as the famine spread) their food. All this was done as the Soviet Union exported grain and other food stuff to other parts of the world as their own people starved

This books paints a very vivid picture of death by starvation from adult to young children. It also tells of the disposal of the dead that resulted from the strict ideological beliefs of those in charge. Anyone who voiced displeasure of what was happening was labeled subversive or enemy of the state and was imprisoned or killed. The lucky ones seemed to have been killed quickly. The unlucky ones seemed to have slowly starved.

This is a time of history that should be remembered. Even though it is hard to face. The more we know, hopefully the less likely we are to repeat it.

A book about a young woman who works as a governess for upper class families. It touches on the themes of money and love in marriage; power and cruelty; religion (insincere and sincere); as well as education, authority, and class.

Agnes Grey works for two rich families who may have book smarts, but they have no moral foundation to their education or wealth. This leads to multiple forms of cruelty of both animals and people. Agnes's mother, and other women of the various families Agnes works for, are pushed into marriages only for money and status. If they don't comply, they suffer both familial and societal punishments. Being cut off from both they find it difficult to make their way with no safety net. Women have few options during this time in history that this book covers.

The upper classes have a great deal of power that comes from their wealth. This can lead to cruelty if there is no moral foundation to their education to anchor them. This foundation should come from their teachers and religious leaders of the time. However, the governesses have little authority to punish their students if they break any rules (the parents rarely do). The religious leaders are often insincere in their own beliefs and often follow the needs and desires of the upper class to ingratiate themselves to the rich. Those who do follow a moral code are often at the bottom rungs of society.

This book shows the dangers of power, authority, and money without good morals, insincere religious leaders, money over love, and a lack of options for women.

An excellent story for the young that deals with the very important themes of friendship, loss, and death.

Everyone needs a friend, even animals. Without friends we get lonely. Like Wilbur the pig, we need friendship to live a good life. Wilbur's life is good when he is with his human friend Fern. When she no longer comes to see him as much as she used to, Charlotte the spider becomes his friend and eventually saves his life.

This story also deals with death. Wilbur's death hovers over him even when he doesn't know about it. He is a pig. They are usually killed in the autumn to be food for others. He is saved by his friend Charlotte who writes messages about Wilbur in her web. Wilbur survives, but Charlotte doesn't. Charlotte dies a natural death of old age (for a spider). Wilbur is once more sad for the loss of his friend. However, Charlotte has left behind an egg sack that Wilbur protect. The baby spiders hatch and three stay behind to be friends with Wilbur.

This is a story with some heavy topics for young children. However, this story can be used to discuss the topics that some young children face, the loss of a loved one. The author, E.B. White makes these topics approachable for young children. It is a very enjoyable story.

In The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization, Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the current "peaceful transformation" theory of the Roman Empire into the Medieval period is wrong. For the author it is a time of decline, dislocation, and fear that destroyed Rome as it was known and set back the West's standard of living. He attacks current popular theories with archaeological evidence and explores the consequences of Rome's decline on the lives of everyday people that once lived under the Roman umbrella. He explains the fear of the barbarian invasions and occupation, as well as the after effects on the economy, agriculture, political system, architecture, writing, industry, and household materials. All of which declined or collapsed.

Many scholars today don't want to put forth the idea of civilization decline. They point to the Eastern Roman Empire (aka the Byzantium Empire) as the example that Rome (the Western Empire) simply transformed and did not fall. They mostly ignore the idea that by the time of the fall both West and East were for all intense and purposes different entities by the time of Rome's fall. Mr. Ward-Perkins fells that the biases of other scholars and academics play a large role in these views they put forth.

All in all this was a very interesting book to read. The author put forth evidence for his argument. Read this book and see if you agree with him or not.

Silas Marner by George Eliot, aka Mary Ann Evan (1819 - 1880), is a story in which the love of gold is replaced by the love of a child. Marner is a weaver from a community of people who were dominated by strict religion. He is framed for a crime and leaves. He lives his life in isolation from his new community in Raveloe keeping company only with the gold he has collected. One day his gold is stolen. He thinks his life is pretty much over until a blond child who has just been orphaned walks through his door. He thinks his gold has been replaced by this "golden haired" child and takes care of her. As he takes care of her he learns that there is more to life than his previous hoard of money, there is love and family, the true treasure. Through his new daughter, he once again connects to a community and gains friends and ties that he once thought were gone forever. He is once more a person connected to the world around him and not an isolated hermit.

This is an excellent novel about the recovery of purpose (Marner's purpose of raising his new found daughter) and reconnection to a community. I highly recommend.

Animal Farm by George Orwell is a satirical dystopian tale about a farm that experiences a revolution to overthrow the human owner to set up a society run by and for the animals. It does not go well. Their idealistic revolution quickly turns into another corrupt totalitarian society with one group (the pigs) ruling over all the other animals.

This story is used to discuss politics and power grabs that happened at the Russian Revolution. The characters can be paired up with their human counterparts who shaped Russian history (Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Tsar Nicholas II). The story comes to an end with the realization that nothing has changed. The wheel has simply come full circle (corrupt power to idealistic revolution to corrupt power). The only thing that has changed is who holds the whip.

Animal Farm touches on many themes we as a society must face, corruption of power and ideals, the abuse of language written and spoken, the tendency of class stratification and exploitation, as well as the dangers of blindly following those in power.

This is a banned book in many countries (examples: Cuba, North Korea, UAE).

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a young adult/children's book set during the American Civil War and the years after. It concerns four girls as that grow to adulthood and face the struggles between family duty and their own growth, the necessity of work and duty, as well as the important trait of being a genuine person.

I had high hopes for this book. I had always heard great things about it. I was disappointed. Unfortunately, the writing seemed choppy and lacked flow from one chapter to another. Each chapter seems to be its own self-contained mini-story. The author also wanted to capture the readers attention on herself and not let the characters tell their story themselves.

This book is not high on my book list and I don't plan on recommending it. There are better ya/children classics to read.

An enjoyable book for every age. The Secret Garden is a story of how two neglected, feral, and spoiled children becoming healthy and happy by companionship, friendship, good food, and people just being nice to them (with a little from a secret garden).

Mary and Colin, two of the main characters, have had a rough start in life. Neither of the children were wanted by their families. So, in a way, they make their own family with the help of Dickon and a few adults who care for them.

A delightful story of how our outlook, human companionship, and our own surroundings affect us as people. A bad environment can have bad results on us. A good environment can have good results on us. 4.5 stars

This is a foundational work in the science fiction genre. It expresses topics of progress, human identity, politics, and decay. Progress is not inevitable and the future is not guaranteed to be positive.

The Time Traveler goes to the year 802,701 and finds two species that have split off from the current human race, the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi, descendants of the elite, seem to live in an idyllic garden, but the Traveler soon learns about the relationship between the Eloi and the underground dwellers, the Morlocks who are the descendants of the working poor. It is a relationship of farmer to livestock. The farmer is the Morlocks and the livestock is the Eloi. Society has flipped.

The Traveler has many misadventures. One of which is setting a large forest fire as a means of escaping the Morlocks. The Traveler eventually returns to his home time and tells his story to his companions.

This novella is quite enjoyable. Lessons can be learned from this work.

The author puts forth a great deal of data (again and again and again). This book could have been half its current length and still put forth the author's ideas. I found this book informative, but very dry and not able to keep my attention.