MY BOOK REVIEWS Archives - Page 2 of 2

Book Review Small Great Things

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult was my book club’s choice last month. We had a brilliant meeting discussing the book and I truly felt we could have talked for hours about this book.

About the Author

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, and My Sister’s Keeper.

You can find her website here.

The Synopsis of the Book

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years of experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. the parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch her child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family – especially her teenage son, as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see what they’ve taught their whole lives about others – and themselves might be wrong.

Our Review

First of all, I would like to commend the author on writing about a subject that many in this country believe is no longer an issue and that this country is beyond racism and white supremacy. How wrong they are. Jodi Picoult takes us out of the bubble that most of us tend to live in and opens our eyes.

This is a powerful, raw and disturbing story that will stay with you for a long time. We all agreed that reading about Turk, the white supremacists and his beliefs were jaw-dropping and horrifying. None of us could comprehend the hatred he felt to people of color and what is even more horrifying is that these groups still exist today. But we had to take a step back and discuss his terrible childhood and upbringing. He was raised to hate, it was in his blood and it was the only way he knew how to live. We are not making excuses for his beliefs just examing the facts and how beliefs are carried down generation after generation and we saw a lot of it in this book.

We all loved Ruth, the victim of racism whose life was turned upside down simply because of the color of her skin. She’s a brilliant mother, a smart woman, a widow and was doing a fine job raising her son, who was an honor roll student.

We felt only compassion for Ruth who lived in fear every day, by the way, she was treated, spoken to and stared at because she was black, but to her, this was the norm. She was a successful Nurse who studied at Yale, she lived in a good neighborhood and had a well-mannered smart son but no one paid attention to that, they only saw what was on the outside – the color of her skin.

After reading this book I’m sure many will question their own beliefs. I know I did. It will open your eyes and make you realize that we as a human race, not just a country have a long way to go before we can say that we treat everyone as equal. In our perfect world, we might but the rest of the world needs to get on board.

In conclusion, a riveting book that was hard to put down and a rude awakening to the world we live in.

Our Overall Rating

COVER DESIGN – 5 STARS – An eye-catching cover. Simple and easy to read.

CHARACTERIZATION – 5 STARS – Brilliant character development. We felt we knew them well.

STORY & PLOT 4 STARS – Some members found some of the facts unbelievable and felt it was rushed toward the end.

OVERALL RATING – 4 STARS – We enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it.

Small Great Things Questions

Book Review – The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

October 14, 2019April 22, 2021 Tina Hogan Grant

Book Review The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. This was my book clubs read last month and it was discussed last week. Unforchantly I was sick the night of the meeting and was unable to attend. But I did receive feedback and wanted to share our review with you.

About the Author

Kamkwamba was profiled on the front page of The Wall Street Journal December 8, 2007, as well in major articles in The Malawi Daily Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, La Repubblica, and myriad blog posts such as Boing Boing, and his blog has been featured on the front page of news aggregators such as Digg and Reddit. He is featured in a special Africa issue of L’Uomo Vogue.
Find William’s blog at http://www.williamkamkwamba.com

The Synopsis of the Book

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and science was a mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills and he dreamed of building one and it would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water. His neighbors called him misala – crazy. But William refused to let go of his dreams. With a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, some scrap metal, tractor parts and bicycle halves; and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.

Our Review

I’m going to give you mainly my review of this book because I wasn’t at the meeting. First of all, this is not a book that would normally appeal to me if I was browsing in a book store. The subject matter is not a genre I would read. But with that said, I must say the story captivated me from the very beginning and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was an easy read and I was intrigued right away. I loved how the book put me smack bang in the middle of Africa. I felt like I was right there with William. We’ve all heard about the struggles and the horrific stories of starvation affecting all ages in Africa. Well, this book opens your eyes to just how devastating the conditions are. Every day these people live to survive and will do anything to accomplish it including eating goatskin which really grossed me out but made realize just how little these people have and what desperate measures they are willing to take to simply stay alive.

The book was sad in many ways, reading about the many deaths of children and the sufferings many endured on a daily basis. But it was also very uplifting when William set out on a dream to make his and his family’s life better. He didn’t give up and succeeded and to my surprise and joy, the rest of the world soon learned about his amazing achievements. I love how he now travels the world and gives back to his small town and many of the other struggling communities in his country. He is a great inspiration for many.

The only time I found my mind wandering was when he went into details about how he made the windmill and what parts he used and what each part did. I learned a little about electricity, but most of it went over my head. I understand why it was included in the book because it’s the root of his story.

The book was well-received by the rest of the group. I believe there was one person who did not enjoy it and gave it a low score.

Since reading the book I’ve watched some clips of him on YouTube and the videos are very uplifting.

here’s one that you may enjoy. https://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_harnessed_the_wind?language=en

The author is currently on tour and will be visiting my part of the world on October 30th in Bakersfield which is only forty-five minutes away so I may attend. Here is a link if any other locals are interested in going.

https://www.facebook.com/events/california-state-university-bakersfield/author-visit-book-signing-the-boy-who-harnessed-the-wind/2231500180473985/

Our Overall Rating

COVER DESIGN – 5 STARS – The choices of colors and font are perfect – easy on the eyes and bold print.

CHARACTERIZATION – 4 STARS – Being a memoir the characters were well developed and described well.

STORY & PLOT 3 STARS – Parts of the story were drawn out and when he talks about building the windmill, it gets a little too complex for my taste.

OVERALL RATING – 4 STARS – I absolutely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Book Review Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

August 25, 2019April 22, 2021 Tina Hogan Grant

Book Review Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

My book club which is held at our local library recently finished this book and discussed it at our last meeting. As always I like to share our thoughts with you.

About the Author

David Baldacci has been writing since childhood when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. A feature film followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 37 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. David has also published six novels for younger readers.

David received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington D.C.

The Synopsis of the Book

It’s seared into Atlee Pine’s memory: the kidnapper’s chilling rhyme as he chose between six-year-old Atlee and her twin sister, Mercy. Mercy was taken, Atlee was spared.

She never saw Mercy again.

Three decades after that terrifying night, Atlee Pine works for the FBI. She’s the lone agent assigned to the Shattered Rock, Arizona resident agency, which is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon.

So, when one of the Grand Canyon’s mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon and its rider missing- Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she’s abruptly called off the case.

If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it…

Our Review

This was another book that created mixed feelings amongst the group. First of all, I don’t think any of us realized before reading it that it was the first book in a series (An Atlee Pine Thriller Book 1). The book was pretty much the setting foundation of the main character, Atlee Pine by way of what some of us thought was a very confusing and mixed storyline. Others in the group loved it and even brought more of his books after reading this one.

That’s what I love about book clubs. They will take you away from your comfort zone and the genres you normally read and many times introduce you to new authors that you’d probably never discover if it wasn’t for being a suggestion at the book club

Anyway back to the book. We all agreed, the book pulled us in straight away. It began with Atlee’s interrogation in a high-security prison where only the worst of criminals were housed. She believed the prisoner was the man who took her twin sister over thirty years ago. The first few chapters of the book gave the impression that this was going to be a story about Atlee trying to get to the bottom of what happened to her sister. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I was on board and wanted to know too what happened to her.

Suddenly the story switched gears and it’s now all about a dead mule that was found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the missing rider. None of this had anything to do with how we were pulled into the book in the beginning. It was almost like two stories thrown into one book. I and a few others in the group kept reading hoping it would shift back to the case of the missing sister but it didn’t. A huge disappointment for me and I soon began to lose interest in the book. I almost felt like I had been deceived by the switch and bait method that was used to draw a reader in.

The ending was also a disappointment for some of us because it ended with a cliff hanger. I, in particular, wasn’t pleased with the unfinished ending. When I invest my time in a book, I expect a complete story and not be forced to buy the next one. I’ve never like this tactic and think it’s highly unfair to the reader. When an author tends to do this, I personally will not read their books.

Overall, some members loved it and are anxious to read the next book in the series which is currently available to pre0ordr on Amazon by the way. Others like myself didn’t care for it.

Our Overall Rating

COVER DESIGN – 3 STARS – The colors choices are bold and bright but the title is deceiving

CHARACTERIZATION – 4 STARS – The characters were well developed and Atlee had some interesting traits for a woman. She was a tough woman – written almost like a superhero.

STORY & PLOT 3 STARS – We had mixed feelings about this as explained in the review. A few loved it and others hated the tease and unfinished story.

OVERALL RATING – 3 STARS – I personally would not recommend this book because of the cliff hanger.

Book Review-The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

May 17, 2019April 22, 2021 Tina Hogan Grant

Book Review-The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris & Bonus Questions for Your Book Club

About the Author

Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now resident in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays, one of which was optioned by an Academy Award-winning screenwriter in the US. In 2003, Heather was introduced to an elderly gentleman who had a story to tell. The day she met Lale Sokolov changed both their lives. Their friendship grew and Lale embarked on a journey of self-scrutiny, entrusting the innermost details of his life during the Holocaust to her. Heather originally wrote Lale’s story as a screenplay-which ranked high in international competitions before reshaping it into her debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

The Synopsis of the Book

April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tatowiere (The German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism-but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing and ultimately hopeful re0creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament tot he endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

Our Review

Many of us are aware of the horrific events that took place at Auschwitz, and for that sole reason, most of us were leery about reading this book. We feared that it was going to be gruesome and depressing. Let me tell you, even though the subject matter is heart-wrenching, the story focuses on the bravery of these prisoners and is uplifting. This was a beautiful, well-written story that gently touched the horrors of Auschwitz. The subject matter was handled delicately, allowing the reader to let the story go as deep as they wanted it to.

It is a love story that takes place amongst the darkest times of two peoples lives, whose main objective is survival. Every day they managed to find something to be thankful for and found goodness in the bad. The bravery these prisoners portrayed and survived to tell their stories is superior. Trust me when I say, We have nothing to complain about.

This is a story that will stay with you for a long time. We should continue to write these kinds of stories to remind us of the sacrifices that were made and to never allow this to happen again. It is the perfect book to introduce high school students to their ancestor’s history and what they endured without horrific descriptions.

After reading this book, I can guarantee, you will probably take a look at your own life and realize that all those things that bother you on a daily basis will suddenly seem so trivial. Be thankful for what you have.