Americans are fascinated by American history; what we may lack in length of time, we make up for in breadth of incident. This last weekend commemorated events that created this country but not every turning point can recorded by an arbitrary date . Sometimes it takes perspective to look back at a group of events and say, “Yes. At this point we were one type of nation and by here we were another.” E. L. Doctorow tracked one of those passages in one of his greatest novels, Ragtime. When the times start changing, we can hear the herald through music. Ragtime is the story of when the US began really seeing itself as a nation of many. In the beginning are the upper-middle class Family (they have no names beyond their roles, e. g.Father, Mother, and Mother’s Brother. By remaining anonymous, these become every family) who want and see little beyond their beckoning home in New Rochelle and Father’s interest in exploring Distant Lands. The family occasionally interacts with the outside world but that world rarely touches them. Houdini may make their acquaintance or Mother’s Brother may chase after the beautiful Evelyn Nesbit but nothing really disturbs the serenity or…
There’s a reason to read the classics: they’ve proven their worth over time. There’s a similar reason for reading the award winners: they’re usually pretty good books. That may sound snobbish but since this time on earth is limited, I prefer to read something that’s good. Of course “good” is more than round characters and a well-paced plot. To become something special, a story has to hit you where you live, make you turn over old memories and see something new in the world. It’s not just entertainment; it’s soul-reviving. Well, I hunted through the Newbery finalists and boy, did I find a good book! One Came Home is the third novel of Amy Timberlake, a writer who knows something of sisters and small towns. It’s a mystery involving two sisters, Agatha and Georgina. Agatha is the older one, adventuresome and pretty. Georgie is the practical one, good with figures and strong-minded. Agatha disappears and then the remains of a red-haired woman are found wrapped in Agatha’s best party dress, which leads to this great opening statement: “It was the day of my sister’s first funeral and I knew it wasn’t her last – which is why I left. That’s…
Society always finds some lethal “Big Bad” to fear. It might be a meteorite, or a pandemic, or even industrial pollution but every culture identifies some civilization-killing threat and then worries about how to survive it. When I was little, adults were obsessed about “the bomb”. Everything was about A-bombs, and the H-bombs: who had them, who would get them, and how would we survive if they went off. The Bomb was the boogeyman of our culture and creative people used it in their work. One of the earliest post-bomb stories is also one of the nicer ones. Until you look at it up close, it’s hard not to like Alas, Babylon. Alas, Babylon is the story of how a small Florida community fares in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. They’re close enough to see distant mushroom clouds, but distant enough to avoid lethal exposure to radioactivity. Many people die, from to illness, injury or suicide. The people who survive have to adapt to a much tougher world and, in a few cases, the disaster gives their lives new meaning. The author implies that by stripping some things of their artificial value (for example money reverts to worthless paper)…
Every kid needs to have role models. They show us what to do. Our parents are great but they’re grown-ups with lives we kids can’t fathom. The same thing goes for teachers. Kids our own age are too close and smaller kids look up to us. So, we look for role models among the kids a bit older and cooler than we are. We follow them around and copy their ways hoping some of their aura will rub off on us. Of course, my first role model came from a book. I’m sure my Mom would have preferred I pick a real person or at least a heroine she could understand, like Mary Lennox. Instead, I found a precocious, formidable loner and claimed her as my ideal. I didn’t know where my life was going until I met Harriet the Spy. If your recollection of this eleven-year wonder is limited to the movies, you need to pick up the book. Harriet is nobody’s darling; she’s a curmudgeon with eyeglass frames and a notebook. To say she’s focused doesn’t begin to describe her; single-minded and blunt come closer. Harriet has a single ambition in life, to become a writer. She knows…
Everyone’s hometown plays a special role. It’s a part of each person’s identity, and wherever they go, some fragment of home travels with them, tucked around a corner of their soul. Strangers may see the same place as a paradise or living hell but to to a native son or daughter, this spot is where they started to become the person they are today. That tie never completely loses its grip and while a lot of us leave our hometowns, some of us eventually go home. The rest return in their dreams. That’s the theme of Fannie Flagg’s 2011 novel, I Still Dream of You. On the surface, it’s a story of twentieth-century women adapting to twenty-first century demands. Brenda’s jumped into real estate work and politics with both feet, trying to improve the City of Birmingham and lose weight without losing her Krispy Kremes. Brenda’s friend Maggie isn’t adjusting as well. Maggie was raised to be a lady, considerate and kind but her inbred courtesy is often undercut by other, unprincipled real-estate agents. Like her beloved old homes on Red Mountain, Maggie is in danger of being destroyed by opportunists driven by the almighty dollar. The friendship between Brenda…