The Brothers K by David James Duncan
I loved, loved this book. It was slow at times, gripping at
other times, but so beautifully written, so layered, so nuanced, that the story
sank into my soul. This is the story of a large family—four brothers and two
sisters---shaped by their parents’ two passions: baseball and the religious
extremism of the Seventh Day Adventist church in the 50’s and 60’s. The
youngest son serves as the perceptive, hilarious, and gentle narrator for his
family’s fascinating story, spending most of his time on his father, and three
other brothers’ individual stories. I find it hard to describe the scope of this
book in a review because its wonder is so nuanced, so layered. There’s the
story of a family shaped by its experiences, difficulties, passions, and
rebellions, and then there is the deeper story of how everything connects, and
how healing and beauty is possible. This book was especially personally meaningful
to me, almost cathartic, as I watched the influence and effects of parental religious
extremism on each member of the family, and how each one’s journey to healing is
unique and personal, challenging and beautiful. To steal a line from the cover,
“By turns uproariously funny and deeply moving, and beautifully written
throughout, The Brothers K is one of
the finest chronicles of our lives in many years.” Oh, yes. Read this book.
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
I discovered this book at a library sale and really enjoyed
it---even though the ending was not what I hoped for, and the many Italian,
German, and Jewish names kept confusing me as to who was who. This book
introduced me to a part of history of which I was unaware—the period of time
between Italy’s WW2 surrender and the years of German occupation of the
country. The story focuses on the role that many Italians played in protecting the
many Italian Jews in their midst as well as the Jews who had fled to Italy from
other German-occupied countries. I loved how the author mixed in German
perspectives, immigrant Jewish perspectives, native Italian Jewish
perspectives, and regular Italian perspectives into this fascinating story of
how religious folks and non-religious folks came together to protect the
innocent. According to the book’s cover, the author “tells the little-known
story of the vast underground effort by Italian citizens who saved the lives of
43,000 Jews during the final phase of World War II.” I was shocked and
gladdened to learn a little bit about this bit of light in an extremely dark
period in history. The author does such a good job of humanizing all of her
characters; we see their failings and fears as well as their courage. A great
read for anyone who loves World War Two history.
Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith
This little gem of a story traces the perks and the
challenges of a young couple’s first year of marriage (on an extremely tight
budget and hectic schedule) in 1927. Betty Smith writes from the perspective of
Annie, the young bride who longs to make her husband proud, loves learning, and
worries about money and her mother’s fierce disapproval. Although much has
changed since 1927, the tale of two young people against the world, endeavoring
to become one while worrying about getting food on the table, is hardly foreign
to our modern context. A lovely read by the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(a book which I still need to read!).
