The Blue Star by Tony Earley

Years ago, I read a book called Jim the Boy, where the author, Tony Earley, introduced us to a ten year old boy named Jim Glass.  I really liked that novel, and so I was happy to find that Mr. Earley had continued with Jim’s story in The Blue Star.  Set in North Carolina on the eve of World War II, Jim Glass is a senior in high school, making his way through his classes, interest in girls and his impending manhood.

I liked this novel, too.  Despite the era, it’s easy to see a bit of ourselves here.

3 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Published in 2008
286 pages

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

“The girl did not fight back, bound and tied as she was, nor did she cry out into the chill autumn rain, so surely the doctor and his attendants thought they had won.  They did not know, as the car doors slammed shut, the engine came on, and the driver steered them down the muddy hill toward the road, that the widow and the girl in the backseat had just defied them under their noses.”

It is 1968, and Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl, assisted by an African American named Homan.  Except the two had recently escaped from a school for the developmentally disabled – or in 1968 speak the “Incurable and Feebleminded.” The story that ensues is a touching tale of love, loss and hope.

The author, Rachel Simon, takes us on a 42 year journey that is simply mesmerizing.  Not only has she created a page-turner, but she introduces a world where some people are considered less than human, and then she introduces these beautiful people to us, the readers.  I loved this book and will recommend it to many!

4 stars (out of 5)
Published in 2011
346 pages

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller

“I lie with my arms over the cat, awake and waiting.  African dawn, noisy with animals and the servants and Dad waking up and a tractor coughing into life somewhere down at the workshop, clutters into the room.”

Another in my 52 Books Around the World Challenge, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is exactly the kind of book I have been hoping for in my quest to immerse myself in another country.  Ms. Fuller grew up in Africa, the opening lines of the book taking place in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).  There is such a sense of place in this memoir, you can see it, smell it, taste it.  And be horrified by it.  And be in awe of it.

And yet, it is not just about Africa.  It is about a young girl living, coming of age, and finding out where she belongs.  Because a white girl in Africa does not really belong there, and she knows it.  But on the other hand, it is home, and even when she is grown and lives an ocean away, her soul longs to return there.

It is also about the struggles of one very dysfunctional family.  Gun toting, racist, imperialist, daily drunken stupor-ish, impoverished farmers are Alexandra’s parents.  And she loves them, as most children love their parents.  Her descriptions are haunting and loving at the same time.

Truly glad to have read this book.

5 stars (out of 5)
Published in 2001
315 Pages

America Alone by Mark Steyn

America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It – and Steyn feels fine? Steyn writes well and there is enough wit and flare, so when he tackles the topic of Islamic Terrorism, one doesn’t feel hopeless. His theory is the West and America will soon be surrounded inside and out by Islam. They will use our laws and freedoms to destroy us, as we navel gaze, and ignore what is going on all around us. Europe is already lost, due to the Welfare State and low birth rates. America will be forced to defend the cause of freedom alone.

B-
224 pages

I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

When Eliza Benedict was fifteen years old, she stumbled upon a man in the woods.  He was burying his latest rape/murder victim, but Eliza (then Elizabeth Lerner) didn’t know that.  Walter decides he can’t let her go, and kidnaps the poor girl, taking her for a nearly 40 day tour of several eastern states.

Years later, Eliza receives a letter from Walter, who is on death row, his sentence about to be carried out.  Not only is this creepy, but even more astounding is Eliza’s willingness to allow contact between herself and her assailant.

This is one of those crime/fiction/summer reads that allow the reader to easily plow through 300 pages in one sitting.  (I did that yesterday!).  Although it’s not my usual genre, it was entertaining.  It reminded me of one of those episodes of Law and Order: SVU – you are just channel surfing and before you know it, you are caught up and can’t help but watch the entire show.

3 stars (out of 5)
Published in 2010
373 pages

Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor

“I distinctly recall my first impressions of Jordan.  I had been en route to the United States from Iran, where I was working for a British urban planning firm.  From the window of my aircraft, I had found myself spellbound by the serene of desert landscape washed golden by the retreating sun at dusk.  I was overwhelmed by an extraordinary sensation of belonging, an almost mystical sense of peace.”

I decided to read Queen Noor’s autobiography for my 52 Books Around the World Challenge, in the hopes of learning more about the country of Jordan.  After all, an American girl who finds herself the love interest of a Middle Eastern King is bound to have an interesting perspective on this exotic and fascinating kingdom.

While I certainly did not expect a “tell-all”, I did expect more than I got.  There was very little describing and contrasting Jordan with Lisa Halaby’s (Queen Noor’s name pre-marriage) earlier life.  I expected this book to be similar to contemporary “First Lady” autobiographies, which tell of their struggles to fit the role assigned to them, their passions and their work as the first lady of the land, and of course, their love and admiration of their husbands.  She definitely got the love and admiration part down.  In fact, she absolutely sanctifies the man.  I’m not sure if that was purposeful on her part, or if she was encouraged to do so.  I found it amusing that the few comments about Hussein that might be construed as faults (like his tendency to risk own life and the lives of his passengers by doing crazy stunts while piloting airplanes), she related as amusing anecdotes.  Perhaps that was the only way she could reveal his character flaws, or perhaps she really did enjoy his “wild side.”

Queen Noor presents quite a bit of the history of Jordan and the Arab perspective of the conflicts in the Middle East.  Unfortunately, it’s extremely slanted.  In fact, it’s so biased there were times I felt I was being subjected to a propaganda piece.  For instance, she lists several examples of Israel’s unfairness in dealing with the Palestinians, including setting curfews that make it difficult for Palestinians to get to and from work.  I seem to recall near daily attacks from suicide bombers in Israel at that time, and the curfews were a way to address these violent attacks.  After all, Israel could have denied Palestinians admittance entirely.  Also, she condemned Israel for attacking Jordanian territory on the West Bank in retaliation for Palestinian attacks coming from the settlements there.  And yet, Jordan refused to refused to police the area or arrest the offenders in order to stop the attacks.

Ultimately, she describes her husband King Hussein as a saint who could have achieved peace in the Middle East if it weren’t for the Israelis, the PLO, The United States, and all those self-interested leaders who agree to one thing and then go ahead and do the other.

On a positive note, it did make me want to learn more about the Middle East.  Perhaps my next book will be more enlightening.

2 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Published in 2003
476 pages

Dark of the Moon by John Sandford

Dark of the Moon is the first of a series of books featuring the investigator Virgil Flowers. Flowers works for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is known for cracking hard cases. Flowers is sent to Bluestem, MN to help the sheriff (an old buddy) solve two homicides. Before he has even hit the city limits there is an arson and another murder. The bodies stack up as Flowers tries to figure out what’s going on. It might be quicker if he wasn’t staring an affair with the sheriff’s sister. In addition to the usual tools: Forensics, research, and accounting, Flowers likes to seed the investigation with gossip.
Sandford has done a good job of fleshing out Virgil Flowers by giving him some unique characteristics, but if I’m going to read another in the series the plot needs to be stronger and Flowers needs to be more sympathetic.

C+
384 pages