New in town and in need of some pals, a young mom casually passes along a juicy piece of gossip at her book club, resulting in some major drama in Lesley Kara’s aptly-named The Rumor.
Joanna moves out of the city to raise her five year old son Alfie in a more contained environment. When she hears that an infamous murderer whose crime was committed when she was a child may be living in the same small town, she passes the tidbit along to everyone she knows — including her son’s father (an investigative journalist) and a bunch of other moms.
As the rumor spreads, it picks up steam. Will Joanna and Alfie emerge from its wake unscathed?
This book.. well.. let me just say I’m glad I got it from the library. It was entertaining enough, and I appreciated some of the character development as well as some of the plot twists. But the premise? Come on. I struggled with the idea that the public would get the name and photo of a kid who was convicted of murder under the age of 10 … and then be able to track that person down when they grew up.
Call me crazy, but that bugged me. So it wasn’t my favorite book, and I promptly forgot about it after I put it down. But it was a quick read, and it certainly wasn’t boring.
Jo and Bethie Kauffman are polar opposites as kids. Bethie is the girlie girl, the apple of her mother’s eye, prim and proper, dressed in frills and lace. Jo is lanky, sporty, with skinned knees and a proclivity for getting in trouble, as well as playing with the maid’s kid.
Jennifer Weiner introduces us to the Kauffman sisters and spins a beautiful, multigenerational tale around them–from their childhood in the 1950s, through their formative teen years and into their experiences at the University of Michigan. Drugs, race relations, Vietnam, women’s rights, nothing is off limits in this story as the sisters navigate a rapidly changing world.
Based on reading the first few chapters, one would expect Bethie to marry a nice young man and have a bunch of kids, while Jo gets involved in some protests, maybe gets thrown in jail, only to eventually become a lawyer. That person would be wrong.
A heart-wrenching examination of what shapes priorities and how they shift over time, Mrs. Everything looks at society and cultural norms through the lens of family. Is anyone ever really happy? Is it possible to be truly happy when your goal is to be (as Everclear sang) everything to everyone?
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. It’s my first by Jennifer Weiner, although I’ve seen the movie version of In Her Shoes and thoroughly enjoyed it. To be honest, I thought it would be lighter than it was, a happier book about good times in the 70s. It was surprisingly applicable to my own life, now, and made me think of my mother’s life and her own mother’s life before, and how their choices impacted my childhood.
We are smacked in the face daily with pressure to BE more, to LOVE more, to CARE more, to WORK and to THINK and to GIVE more. Every single day when we wake up we are facing up to the expectations of the people around us. Age, gender and skin color factor into how those around us think we should be… but ultimately it’s up to us to make the choices that are best for us and to stand by those choices.
In Mrs. Everything, we see how Jo and Bethie respond to pressure, and the repercussions that reverberate from their decisions across the generations.
An idealistic young Iranian woman finds new life and purpose in America after having her heart broken in Marjan Kamali’s The Stationery Shop.
Teenage Roya passes her days with her nose in a book, focusing on her studies and scoffing at her younger sister, who cares more about her appearance and about boys than she does about anything else.
Roya finds refuge in the local stationery shop, whose owner Mr. Fakhri understands her need to be near the fine writing paper, fountain pens, and poems she adores. Mr. Fakhri introduces her to Bahman, a boy who he says will change the world. As Roya and Bahman fall in love in the sanctuary of the Stationery Shop, the book zooms out and shows their story against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution.
Roya wonders what happened to Bahman as she reflects on her life and her decisions. At the behest of her parents, she applies for a prestigious scholarship program, the first of its kind, for young women to study in America. There she once again focuses on her studies and attempts to heal her heart.
I found The Stationery Shop to be captivating in a way I wasn’t expecting. The author uses very few words to evoke the strongest emotions possible. At first I thought that this muffled the voice of her characters, but I realized it in fact amplified it.
It was beautiful to watch Roya develop and grow, in her self confidence, her awareness of the world, and her ability to allow herself and her life to be as it is. I particularly loved all of the scenes in kitchens around the world, as she recreated dishes she learned to make at her mother’s side for the people she cares for as an adult.
This was a lovely book–a real gem. I’m so grateful I read it and I treasured every page.
It never occurred to me that therapists would go to therapy. To be honest, my only experience with considering therapists outside of the office took place when I saw my former therapist at a rummage sale and had no idea how to handle the awkwardness. It was like seeing a teacher outside of school, except that teacher knew some super intimate stuff about me. Spoiler alert: we didn’t look at each other.
Lori Gottlieb explores the human side of therapists, including their day-to-day lives, in the poignant and at times hilarious Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.
Gottlieb describes how she had to go about finding a referral for a counselor to help her deal with a breakup, but ends up getting more than she bargained for when the therapist (Wendell) who is five steps ahead of her, doesn’t actually want to talk about the breakup for that long. She tells the story of how she became a therapist in the first place and casts her clinical spotlight onto her own patients.
Gottlieb shares struggles as well as those of her case studies: a young woman who casually hooks up with men and drinks too much, an older woman who says she will end her life if things haven’t gotten better by her next birthday, a self-absorbed television producer who is convinced everyone around him is an idiot, and a newlywed that is facing a deadly diagnosis. Each person is treated with respect and dignity as their stories are recounted, and the dynamic between the author and her OWN therapist unfolds like a dance.
What motivates people? How do they talk to themselves about their lives? What makes us happy, and why do we think that other things, such as achievements, promotions, or purchases will make a difference?
Gottlieb examines human connections, age-old struggles, and more in a book that legitimately made me laugh and cry. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Lydia Fitzpatrick tells the story of two brothers growing up in Russia who dream of a life in America in her book Lights All Night Long.
As Fitzpatrick weaves together the past and current adventures of Ilya and Vladimir, two young men being raised by a single mother in the shadow of a Russian oil refinery, a captivating tale emerges–one of connection, family, loyalty, and longing.
Ever since Ilya learned his first words of English by watching a Jean Claude Van Damme movie, he and his older brother talked about the life they would build together in America. As Ilya advanced in school Vladimir withdrew, until the point at which Ilya is selected to participate in an exchange program and go to America, and Vladimir is fully immersed in the drug-ridden underbelly of their hometown.
As Ilya attempts to adjust to life with his host family in Louisiana, he recounts the final moments he spent with Vladimir, prior to Vladimir’s arrest for the murder of three women. Can Ilya clear his brother of the charges from another country? Will he ever fit in at his high school, or with the church-going Mason family and their three American daughters?
Ilya studied for years to be the best and the brightest, and his mother pinned all of her hopes on her youngest boy, as did his English teacher, Maria. As the reader draws the conclusion that Ilya’s education doesn’t insulate him from the pain of being separated from his brother, of feeling awkward in social situations, and of the fear of disappointment, it’s easy to remember how fraught high school really was.
Ilya befriends the oldest Mason daughter, Sadie, and he learns more about her life as an American teenager while he shares the truth (the real truth) about his own family. They investigate the murders and as they uncover more information together, the reader discovers some surprising similarities between their hometowns.
This book was incredible. It was beautiful in a messy way–I never pronounced Ilya’s hometown, or his teacher’s name, or most of the Russian words–the same way twice in my head. The Russian storylines are bleak. The drug storylines are similarly tough to read. But you know what? That made the bright spots even brighter. All of the supporting characters had bright spots in their own ways.
“At home, they did not throw away tinfoil. Babushka rinsed it and hung it to dry on the laundry line, as did everyone else in the kommunalkas. And sometimes, when Ilya was walking home from school and the sun hit the balconies just right, the whole building seemed to sparkle.”
As rough as the book was, I really loved it. Some lines resonated beyond belief and I was struck by their poetic nature. “But none of these imaginings were realistic. They were the sorts of things that happened in movies, so that people could feel the satisfaction of a story stitched shut. And life was not like that. Life was a constant unraveling.”
Read “Lights All Night Long” for the feelings –the good and the bad — that it will bring you. It’s worth it.
Jessica Yellin’s first book, Savage News, explores the cutthroat world of journalism in our nation’s capital. The title character is Natalie Savage, a young television reporter whose dream of getting the plum assignment as a network’s White House correspondent is overshadowed by the game show-like competition that pits her against a doofus male reporter, much to the delight of her peers and network bigwigs alike.
As a young girl raised by her father to revere the news as well as those who report it, Natalie’s commitment to investigative journalism and solid reporting is undermined by the ratings-driven network heads, including a newly appointed chief who views statistics as superior to facts. As Natalie struggles with how much to engage in games and stunts in order to gain viewers at the expense of old-fashioned reporting, she stumbles on a big story that could make or break her career.
With the ubiquity of social media, the 24 hour news cycle and other challenges the 5 to 7 p.m. news just isn’t what it used to be. To “break” stories one must be willing to take risks. Yellin examines the various threats faced by journalists at this period in history through the lens of her heroine Natalie Savage as well as her supporting cast of characters. I particularly loved her female videographer, who had worked frequently in war zones and was uniquely fearless.
A former CNN correspondent, Yellin provides a fabulous peek into the world of those who cover the news out of the fire hose of DC, and also offers an interesting critique of traditional network journalism at this point in time.
Her voice is both strong and unique, and her perspective really has a modern feel to it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I also really enjoy her Instagram, which the author now uses to cover the news in a compelling way.
Reshma Saujani’s Brave, Not Perfect was inspired by a popular Ted Talk that the author gave on the subject of the differences between how little girls and little boys are raised. While I’ve never seen the Ted Talk, which went viral, I did enjoy the book she wrote to continue the conversation sparked by the speech.
In Brave, Not Perfect the author examines how boys are encouraged to develop certain attributes — strength or bravery (take it like a man! be tough!), tenacity (try again!) and toughness, while girls get positive feedback for getting along with others (don’t pull your sister’s hair!), staying clean (don’t jump in the mud!) and making hard work look effortless. We attempt not to hurt the feelings of girls and encourage them to keep those feelings inside, while we pretend that boys shouldn’t express their feelings at all (though that is the subject for a different book altogether).
Saujani shares the process that allowed her to come to these realizations–her ultimately unsuccessful run for Congress.
As a child, Saujani writes, she was encouraged to do things that her parents thought she would excel at, even when those things weren’t ones she necessarily wanted to do. When she attempted a task–such as trying a new sport–and did not appear to take to it naturally, her parents would respond with a, “Well maybe this isn’t for you,” attitude. Had she been a boy, Saujani posits, she would have instead been met with, “If at once you don’t succeed, try, try again!”
“…parents and teachers tend to give boys more ‘process praise,’ meaning they reward them for putting in effort, trying different strategies, sticking with it, and improving, rather than the outcome. In the absence of this praise, girls come to believe that if they can’t get something right away, they’re dumb,” Saujani explains, drawing on the research of Dr. Carol S. Dweck.
I was fascinated to read statistics about the different attitudes displayed by men and women when searching for a new job. Men read the job description and list of required skills and are more likely to gloss over potential gaps in their qualifications. Why? Because they have faith in themselves to figure it out. Women, on the other hand, are far more likely to talk themselves out of applying for the job to begin with, because if they can’t fit the qualifications to a T they fear they will not understand the role.
The job application topic really struck home with me, because I can’t tell you the number of times I never completed the process of applying since there was a single software program or process referenced with which I was unfamiliar. My husband, true to form, has no qualms about jumping into something with both feet when he has no experience.
The confidence disparity appears in more areas than just the workplace. “From the time girls are young, they’re trained to keep a lid on anger in the face of an affront, unlike boys who are trained to stand up for themselves or retaliate. This explains why girls (and women) will do almost anything to avoid rocking the boat, and why they do choose to downsize their personal power and swallow negative feelings, rather than be seen as boastful or face the horror of confrontation,” Saujani explains.
Relationships between women are always complicated by the desire to be seen as perfect. Just think about Instagram.. I could end this book review right there.
“If being a confrontational bitch is the first cardinal sin for girls, being seen as conceited runs a close second. So they downplay, demur, and hold back” celebrating accomplishments or having strong opinions, according to Saujani.
This is where the bravery comes in. It takes bravery for women to step out of the comfort zones they developed as designed by their parents and teachers to keep them from feeling challenged, unsure, or getting their feelings hurt. Saujani was terrified to run for Congress, because she was pretty sure she may not win. And she didn’t. It took bravery, courage, and a lot of gumption to go after that seat–but it meant a lot to her, and she wanted the chance to make a difference. As a result she learned that chasing her dreams is tough but worth it. She found a way to make a difference without being an elected official, and is encouraging others to follow their own hearts.
I found the story inspiring and the research fascinating. The prescriptive parts of her book were a bit goofy–sure we can take small steps to get used to what may be considered failing, but I don’t think walking around all day with a run in my pantyhose is going to do much to develop courage.
This is a nice, quick read with a bunch of food for thought, so it’s worth it.
Barbara Bush was a commanding figure, even though she grew shorter as she aged. In The Matriarch, author Susan Page chronicles the fascinating life of one of the most admired First Ladies (and First Mothers) in our nation’s history.
Page had unprecedented access to Barbara Bush’s diaries and conducted extensive interviews with her subject along with family members including both of the former presidents Bush. Although she concedes that she did not produce an authorized biography, she had the full cooperation of Barbara Bush and her family. Initially Barbara Bush only signed up for a single interview, but eventually sat for many more and allowed the author to attend one of the meetings of her famous 1925 Club.
The end result of Page’s research and interviews is fascinating, all-encompassing, and unflinching. Barbara Bush had an extraordinary life and she knew it. The notes section of The Matriarch is a sight to behold, and the quotes lifted from Barbara Bush’s diaries are incredibly self-aware. She engaged in a significant amount of self-reflection, most notably in her development of her position on the topic of abortion.
Barbara Bush was born to a wealthy family in Greenwich, CT. As one of the middle children, she did not get much attention–other siblings were bigger troublemakers, more attractive, or otherwise more remarkable. She clashed with her mother frequently, and it was obvious to Barbara that her mother much preferred her older sister Martha to herself. Barbara was more taken with her father, and in a letter written just before she died she referred to him as the kindest man she ever knew. She was frequently criticized by her mother for her weight. Her older sister was naturally more slender, and Barbara developed both a thick skin and a sense of humor by being constantly referred to as “the fat one.” Barbara thought her mother always seemed to be unhappy–believing that once the next milestone or accomplishment came, she would finally achieve happiness. She thought one of the biggest lessons she learned from her mother was: “You have two choices in life: You can like what you do or you can dislike it. I have chosen to like it.”
Barbara and her older sister were both sent to the same boarding school in South Carolina. After she met George H. W. Bush at a Christmas dance, they were smitten with each other. Barbara was asked out by a number of boys attending nearby schools, and after she declined rumors began to spread that she was a lesbian. That’s when she asked for an engagement announcement be published, in order to put an end to the gossip. There was no proposal, just an understanding between the two of them. George went off to war, and she began to plan the wedding for when he returned.
This is when I noticed a certain dynamic begin in their partnership. George went about his business, and Barbara held things down. She was steady and unwavering, except for a few of the dark times in her life, such as when the couple’s young daughter Robin died, or when Barbara suffered from depression after George took the helm of the CIA. I deeply respect how Page maintains her focus during these times, conveying the depth of Barbara’s despair and anguish, including her contemplation of suicide. It’s so important for everyone to see that famous people struggle with mental health issues. As a widely respected figure, Barbara may have helped to save a few lives by allowing those details to be released.
The Bush family made homes together in Texas, China, and the White House. Barbara became skilled at turning houses into those homes, at networking, and at putting her family first. She was able to flourish with George at her side, and away from the rest of both of their families. She was opinionated, strong-willed, and had a long memory. Eventually George began to notice she was an asset not just in the home, but also for his career. I found it fascinating that Hillary Clinton made resentful comments about how she was treated by the media for being “honest” in her partnership with her presidential husband, while Barbara and her predecessors Nancy Reagan and others were more secretive about the influence over their spouses.
After George passed away I learned much more about him, and The Matriarch helped to flesh out that knowledge. I remember being afraid of the first Persian Gulf war as a child, and seeing the headlines about George H.W.’s re-election bid being denied. I knew he had a dog, and twin daughters about my age, and I thought Barbara looked nice. Reading about her life in its entirety was astonishing and it has helped to expand my respect for her. Anyone who has ever followed my book reviews knows I love a strong female lead, and Barbara was about as strong as they’re made. It’s not just the content of The Matriarch that makes it excellent, though, it’s the way Page weaves the story together, her attention to detail, and her respect for the subject. I highly recommend this book and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Stubborn, motivated Stephanie Maddox is the head of internal affairs at the FBI. She is a single mother, raising her only child while handling her intense career. Driven by an internal compass of right and wrong, Stephanie wants to put her teenage son first, but her job usually takes his place.
Keep You Close is marketed as a thriller, and was an interesting follow-up to The Threat, since I just happened to read the former acting FBI Director’s memoir right before the fictional account of Stephanie Maddox’s career.
Steph Maddox was rather one dimensional. I love a strong female narrator, but her strength seemed flimsy and very shallow. She is driven by a desire to see bad guys go to prison, which means she chose an appropriate career path… but once you learn about all the trouble it has caused her, the reader starts to wonder if there’s any more to her motivation than that. Does she have any secondary incentives? The book is written in first person but her deepest thoughts are expressed in truncated sentences–maybe to enhance the pace of the book–and don’t have much impact that way.
Many of the biggest issues she has in her personal life (aside from the whole FBI / bad guy plot which the book is ostensibly about) could have been alleviated had she simply communicated more effectively with her loved ones. You come to realize that her failure to be up front and honest has been passed on to her son, Zach, who keeps information from his mother to save her the pain he believes the truth will cause her … which is exactly what she does with him. It’s irritating that she has created a mini-martyr in her own image.
Plus the repeated flashbacks which eventually lead to the big reveal were annoying.
I finished Keep You Close and then promptly forgot about it. To be honest I had to look up her name to make sure I had it right in my writeup. I’ve had Karen Cleveland’s other book, her debut I believe, on my to-read list for awhile. I’ll give it a try in the hopes that it’s better, but I won’t rush out to get it.
Yoda is famous for saying, “Do or do not. There is no try.” I think Yoda and Andrew McCabe would be friends.
The former acting director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe wrote and released The Threat after being removed from his post last spring. McCabe was appointed acting FBI director after James Comey was unceremoniously fired via presidential tweet. Comey, McCabe, former FBI director Robert Mueller, former attorney general Jeff Sessions, and former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein are the players in some of the more salacious stories in McCabe’s book about his work for the FBI.
McCabe’s tales of training and education were beyond fascinating; one of his first cases after getting out of Quantico focused on the Russian mafia in New York City. He breaks down the way that the FBI handles tips and converts actionable tips into investigations. It was both boring and thrilling to read about the simple act of opening an investigation — how many supervisors are involved, the number of reports that must be completed and how much evidence must be acquired. This boring, tedious work is the backbone of the U.S. intelligence service.
Getting the details right, in black and white, is imperative to doing the job well. McCabe is not shy about calling out individuals who have accused the FBI and other intelligence agencies of being politically motivated in their investigations. He describes his involvement in the Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal, and how due to the political nature of the case it was handled in the central office rather than the field office which would normally have jurisdiction. I had to chuckle when he talked about how field offices respond to central office folks coming in to take over a case, such as he had to when a high-value terrorist suspect had to be interrogated.
Accusing members of the U.S. intelligence services of being politically motivated is insulting to the oath they swear to take when they accept their positions. It’s also dangerous, as there are measures in place to prevent these institutions from being influenced by their political opinions. People who work for ANY government office follow exacting protocols to prevent their personal opinions from influencing their duties, whatever those duties may be, and suggesting that cases are opened in order to advance a political agenda helps to fan the flames of conspiracy theories and therefore destroy faith in the government as a whole.
One of the incidents recounted by McCabe describes how the phone rang in his office one day, and it was President Trump. McCabe was in a meeting with other high-ranking officials and they were talking about potential foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election. When he answered the phone, he noticed a few things — he had been called on an unsecured line, and the president was actually holding on the other line. He had not had a secretary call on the secured phone and then patch him through.
As illustrated in this video by my Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, anytime members of the presidential administration want to talk to members of the Department of Justice there are strict protocols involved. At no point is it appropriate for the sitting president of the United States to call the acting head of the FBI to discuss an ongoing investigation into the election that put him in the White House in the first place…. and on an unsecured phone line.
What that interaction highlighted was a main theme of McCabe’s book. Rules matter. The Constitution matters. The laws, traditions, and etiquette that the residents of Washington D.C. follow once they are elected by the people or are sworn into office of their own volition are there to govern those who govern… to reinforce the respect for the institutions themselves amongst those who carry out the work of those institutions. People who do not follow the laws, traditions, and etiquette show a blatant disregard for the offices they hold, whether they are elected to those offices or not.
Follow the rules, or do not. Abide by the Constitution, or do not. Respect our democracy, our country, and the social constructs which govern it, including the independence of our law enforcement agencies, or actively work against it. There is no middle ground.
Literal Laura 