69. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

  

69. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. Jennifer Armstrong. 1998. Random House. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, biography, adventure, South Pole, survival, AUDIOBOOK]

First sentence: Just imagine yourself in the most hostile place on earth. It's not the Sahara or the Gobi Desert. It's not the Arctic. The most hostile place on earth is the Antarctic, the location of the South Pole--what's the difference? The Arctic is mostly water--with ice on top, of course--and that ice is never more than a few feet thick. But under the South Pole lies a continent that supports glaciers up to two miles in depth. Almost the entire southern continent is covered by ice. The mammoth icecap presses down so heavily that it actually distorts the shape of the earth. The ice never melts; it clings to the bottom of the world, spawning winds, storms, and weather that affect the whole planet.

I have read Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World six or seven times now. (Most recently in February 2025). The narrative is so strong and compelling, and, yes, even inspiring. It is definitely one of my favorite nonfiction books. And nonfiction isn't something I usually take the time to reread. It is rare for me to keep coming back again and again to a nonfiction book.

Originally published in 1998, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World won the Orbis Pictus Award in 1999. The book follows "the extraordinary true story of Shackleton and the Endurance." If you are unfamiliar with this story, then you really SHOULD read this one. It is a great introduction to the subject. Chapter by chapter, the book follows Shackleton and his men on their journey to Antarctica. Almost from the start, there are indicators that their goal, their quest, will not be an easy one to achieve. After a series of mishaps--thanks to nature--it becomes a long fight to survive. 

 The story is simple and yet dramatic. I think the story would be gripping no matter who told it. But I do think that Jennifer Armstrong did a wonderful job in painting a very human picture of Shackleton and his crew. I think the ending was beautiful--very moving! This one is a book I think everyone should read. 

My most recent read--July 2025--was by audio book. The story is compelling as a traditional read, but as an audio read, I felt that it was even more compelling. It resonated more with me as an audio book. The events of the book are truly horrifying and amazing. Horrifying in the amount of hardship and struggle and uncertainty and pain and anguish. Amazing in the fact that ALL the men survived. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

48. Death in the Jungle

48. Death in the Jungle. Candace Fleming. 2025. 346 pages. [Source: Library] [YA nonfiction, nonfiction, true crime, 5 stars]

First sentence from prologue: On Friday evening, November 24, 1978, CBS broadcast a special hour-long report: "The Horrors of Jonestown." 

First sentence from chapter one: The first time Jim Jones asked followers to play dead was on an autumn night in 1941.

 Premise/plot: The story of Jonestown and Jim Jones written for a slightly younger audience--young adult instead of adult. It is a heartbreaking, tragic, fascinating story--a story of how one man used charisma, manipulation, and fear tactics to build and lead People's Temple. This didn't happen overnight. He didn't step up to speak one day, one time and get a mass following willing to do anything and everything he commanded. It was a slow process, a long con if you will, that took decades. He started in a "Christian environment," using Christianese--using the traditions and vocabulary of the Christian faith--to gain his first followers. Influenced by the "faith-healers" and the more flamboyant Pentecostal style, he figured out what his audience wanted to hear, and played it up. He used tactics that allegedly some mediums and psychics use--from what I can tell--to "prophesy" messages to specific individuals. He was a showman. Everything was crafted for a certain purpose--to gain more and more power and prestige and acclaim. 

He may have started with a "Christian" message, a "Christian" prophecy, a "Christian" God, but it was a sham through and through. He began shedding the 'Christian' skin little by little by little by little--slowly but surely getting his audience used to his message. If he'd out and out stated clearly and precisely his views--especially at the start--his following would likely have left him recognizing him as dangerous. Within a decade--maybe a little more--he had abandoned the pretense. There was no God in the sky, only a GOD on earth, Jim Jones himself was GOD. He staged fake assassination attempts. Pretend to be shot. Pretend to be dead. And then have a pretend resurrection and come back to life. This lines up with his pretend miracles and signs. 

Another tactic was creating fear, building it up,  and hyping up this chaotic doomsday prophecy or forecast. Distrust everybody. Trust only him. 

The story is told through many perspectives--many of which were his followers [or former followers]. 

The tension builds throughout as the story nears its end.

My thoughts: This one was fascinating and horrifying. It is, of course, dark and horrifying. It isn't light reading material. But I do think it is an important story to revisit. 

Will today's YA audience be familiar with the story? That's a good question. Honestly I don't know the answer. But the story itself is fascinating and compelling. One thing that stood out to me--and I have no comparison to other books about it, since I never finished any (though there's a great one that I put down and never got back to)--is her emphasis that there was murder. There were signs that the tragic ending for some/many was NOT voluntary.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

13. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

  

13. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. Jennifer Armstrong. 1998. Random House. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, biography, adventure, South Pole, survival]

Just imagine yourself in the most hostile place on earth. It's not the Sahara or the Gobi Desert. It's not the Arctic. The most hostile place on earth is the Antarctic, the location of the South Pole--what's the difference? The Arctic is mostly water--with ice on top, of course--and that ice is never more than a few feet thick. But under the South Pole lies a continent that supports glaciers up to two miles in depth. Almost the entire southern continent is covered by ice. The mammoth icecap presses down so heavily that it actually distorts the shape of the earth. The ice never melts; it clings to the bottom of the world, spawning winds, storms, and weather that affect the whole planet.

I have read Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World five or six times now. (Most recently in 2022). The narrative is so strong and compelling, and, yes, even inspiring. It is definitely one of my favorite nonfiction books. And nonfiction isn't something I usually take the time to reread. It is rare for me to keep coming back again and again to a nonfiction book.

Originally published in 1998, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World won the Orbis Pictus Award in 1999. The book follows "the extraordinary true story of Shackleton and the Endurance." If you are unfamiliar with this story, then you really SHOULD read this one. It is a great introduction to the subject. Chapter by chapter, the book follows Shackleton and his men on their journey to Antarctica. Almost from the start, there are indicators that their goal, their quest, will not be an easy one to achieve. After a series of mishaps--thanks to nature--it becomes a long fight to survive. 

 The story is simple and yet dramatic. I think the story would be gripping no matter who told it. But I do think that Jennifer Armstrong did a wonderful job in painting a very human picture of Shackleton and his crew. I think the ending was beautiful--very moving! This one is a book I think everyone should read. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

169. Impossible Escape

169. Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe. Steven Sheinkin. 2023. [August] 256 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Nonfiction; YA Nonfiction]

First sentence:  Rudi would find a way to fight Adolf Hitler. It can be said, without risk of exaggeration, that he would go on to be--while still a teenager--one of the great heroes of the entire Second World War. But not in a way he ever could have imagined.

Premise/plot: Nonfiction for middle school and high school. To be fair, nonfiction for everyone. [But I might be biased in thinking everyone needs to read World War II books, in particular books about the Holocaust.] This one tells the story of two teens: Rudolph (Rudi) Vrba and Gerta Sidonová. 

My thoughts: I had read about Rudi Vrba  [Walter Rosenberg] before in an adult book. So I knew what to expect. It didn't make this one less necessary. I think it is important for stories to be told to all audiences, in appropriate ways of course. I found it a quick, absorbing read. I think for those that know less it might be even more so. 

Last October I read Jonathan Freedland's The Escape Artist. It was an AMAZING, amazing read. Difficult topic/subject to be sure. Definitely thought provoking. This one for young adults seems tamer. But I do think it is still a good read.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

152. Abandon Ship!

Abandon Ship! The True World War II Story About the Sinking of the Laconia. Michael J. Tougias and Alison O'Leary. 2023. [February] 272 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Nonfiction; Nonfiction; World War II]

First sentence: Port Tawfiq, Egypt, simmered in the summer sun of mid-August 1942.

Premise/plot:  Nonfiction book suitable for MG, YA, and Adults about the sinking of RMS Laconia on September 12, 1942, in the midst of the Second World War. It was carrying British soldiers, of course, but also women and children--in addition to 1,800 Italian Prisoners of War. The destination was Britain, but it sank shortly it was torpedoed. The German submarine realized afterwards that the ship they'd bombed had been carrying thousand plus ITALIAN POWs. Commander Werner Hartenstein decided to help rescue those he'd just attacked--yes, the Italians, but also all the others. Some he took aboard his own ship, others he helped find accommodations on lifeboats. (The lifeboats were a bit haphazard. Some too full. Others less so. Some more seaworthy than others.) The most in need of medical attention received it. Women and children were prioritized as well. But this isn't a sweet, warm-and-cozy rescue. For things got a LOT more complicated and complex as the rescue unfolded...

My thoughts: WHAT AN ORDEAL. I found this one captivating and fascinating. But also super-intense. I'm not sure I'd have been able to handle it as a child. But it is an incredibly told tale of survival. I do wish it was more well known. (I'd not heard of it before.) I would have been watching documentaries and such about it if I'd known. It tells a big picture story, but it also focuses in on some of the survivors and their MANY ordeals in the days and weeks (yes, WEEKS) spent at sea adrift.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

23. Peace Is A Chain Reaction

Peace is A Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bomb Brought People of Two Nations Together. Tanya Lee Stone. [Plenty of photographs]. 2022. [September] 176 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: From a very young age, we can be taught to hate or fear people who are different from us. Sometimes this racism is buried so deep, it can be hard to see. Sometimes it is clearly visible. War is one of the more obvious ways in which entire nations can be taught to hate--and fear--people of other nations.

Premise/plot: Some books are hard to summarize, Peace Is A Chain Reaction is one of them. It tells primarily of three stories during the second world war: the internment camps of Japanese-Americans, specifically focusing in on one family; a group of young teenage girls [Japanese] whose school closed down to become a factory--a factory where balloon bombs were made; and an American community shaken by the death of six children [or perhaps five children and an adult] due to the resulting explosion of a balloon bomb. Yuzuru John Takeshita, who spent time in several internment/prison camps, brought these two communities together. The book provides context for the second world war and brings to light these events for young readers.

My thoughts: I thought I was relatively well informed on the subject of world war II. I had never heard of the Japanese inventing/using/implementing balloon bombs. I had never heard of balloon bombs successfully reaching the United States and detonating. This was hushed up during the war for various reasons. I'd also never heard or thought about young Japanese women [teenagers] doing factory work, war factory work. So while I'd heard plenty about Japanese-American internment/imprisonment camps, so much of this was new to me. For that reason alone it was a worthwhile read for me.

I liked how these stories were woven together to tell a cohesive story.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

130. Days of Infamy

Days of Infamy: How A Century of Bigotry Led to Japanese American Internment. Lawrence Goldstone. 2022. 288 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: On December 8, 1941, one day after the Japanese navy launched on American air and naval bases at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, President Franklin Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress. He told American lawmakers that December 7, 1941 was a "date which will live in infamy," and asked that a state of war be declared between the United States and Japan. While his denunciation of an unprovoked attack as the two nations were actively negotiating to resolve their differences was certainly justified, three years later, December 18, 1944, became another date that has lived in infamy, one about which President Roosevelt was silent. The reason for his lack of outrage on this occasion was perhaps because he was directly responsible for what would later be widely seen as an indelible stain on America's honor. On that day, with the defeat of fascism glimmering into sight, the United States Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, ruled that the forced relocation of more than 100,000 Americans, two-thirds of whom were United States citizens, to what government officials themselves called "concentration camps," was fully justified under the United States Constitution. Not one of these Americans had been accused of a crime. They had been torn from their homes, jobs, schools, and communities to be deposited in tawdry, makeshift housing behind barbed wire solely because of their race. 

Premise/plot: Two things this book is not: 1) It is not a graphic novel.* 2) It is not a nonfiction book focusing on Japanese-American internment (concentration) camps during the Second World War.** 

Who can be a citizen of the United States of America? How has citizenship been legislated from the very beginning? What rights do citizens have? Do non-citizens have any rights? How has race been defined, regulated, legislated? Does "white" mean EVERY person who is not "black"? This begins to be an issue with Chinese (and subsequently Japanese) immigration in the nineteenth century. The east coast and the west coast have VASTLY different (equally strong) opinions on how big a problem or issue this immigration is. Politicians run campaigns (and sometimes win elections) based on the subject of IMMIGRATION. The book covers over a hundred years of policy. [What could rightly be called systematic racism.] The book examines the subject of race--sometimes Chinese, sometimes Japanese, sometimes all Asians--through the decades. This is done primarily through laws being legislated. (Sometimes these laws/bills are successful; sometimes legislation fails) And the book also looks at judicial cases. The book is definitely a LAW NERD book. Readers get a close look at case after case after case through the decades. It all leads up to HOW COULD INTERNMENT HAVE HAPPENED???? And the answer, of course, was it was inevitable. For over seventy-five years, there's essentially been one narrative being pushed. And that one narrative is undeniably bigoted.

My thoughts: I have read a handful of books (at least) about Japanese-American concentration (internment) camps. Some nonfiction. A few fiction. All of them thought-provoking. I hadn't ever read about the history leading up to this however. It was fascinating yet incredibly sad. All the legal cases were something unique. I've not read many books from this legal viewpoint one that uses the law as a way to bridge the story together into a wonderful whole.

 

*My local library actually has this filed as a "teen graphic novel" and assigned it a call number accordingly. It does future readers little good to come into the book expecting it to be a graphic novel.
**Yes, the book mentions this, of course it does, but it is the end-destination.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

72. And We Rise

And We Rise. Erica Martin. 2022. 160 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It's 1877 when
Jim Crow laws says it's
    acceptable
    legal
    lawful
to segregate Blacks
&
    whites
based on the color of
their skin.

And We Rise is a free verse poetry book on the Civil Rights Movement, centering on the 1950s and 1960s.
The subject matter is heavy--weighty. These poems may best be appreciated when read slowly allowing for absorption and digestion. If you rush through the poems, I think (some) of the power of these poems is lost. 

Free verse poems. Poetry isn't for everyone. Poems can add an extra step or two (or three) to the reading process. Poems have to be unpacked and interpreted. Sometimes you have to read between the lines, look at how the words are arranged on the page, take notice of SPACE, perhaps even take time to notice what is not being said directly. 

I don't know that this would be a good introduction to the Civil Rights Movement. I think other books might be best for introducing the subject. The poems may best be appreciated by those with at least a little familiarity with the subject. You need that background to better grasp, comprehend, appreciate the poems. 

This one could definitely be used to supplement a study of the Civil Rights movement. It is good to see the subject being presented in multiple formats--graphic novels, memoirs, biographies, poetry, and even to some extent fictional novels. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

66. The Radium Girls

The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark. (Young Readers' Edition). 2020. [July] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]
 

First sentence: The scientist had forgotten all about the radium. It was tucked within his waistcoat pocket, enclosed in a slim glass tube in such a small quantity that he could not feel its weight. He had a lecture to give in London, England, and the vial of radium stayed within that shadowy pocket throughout his journey across the sea. 

Premise/plot: The Radium Girls is nonfiction; it is a narrative account of the 'radium girls'--the women employed as dial painters whose exposure to radium (radium-based paint to be exact) proved costly and deadly. It is an account of the long, long, long, long BATTLE (yes, battle) for justice to be done.

There were several plants--or factories if you prefer--that employed women as dial painters. This is narrative focuses on three of them; readers are introduced to dozens of women; I wouldn't be surprised if it tells the story of three to four dozen women at least.

The story begins in 1917 in New Jersey and concludes (well, mainly concludes) in Illinois circa 1938.

My thoughts: I read the adult version of The Radium Girls (2017) last spring. I absolutely loved it. I had initially picked it up because of the new movie of the same title. After rewatching the movie a few months ago, I wanted to read the young readers' edition. (I had review copies of both the adult and young readers version.) I will only add that reading the book is a thousand times better than watching the movie. And I loved the movie--I did. But it's like three percent of the story. It is such a fracture of the story that could be told. So I highly recommend either edition. (There's about a hundred page difference.)

The Radium Girls was a POWERFUL read that resonated with me from start to finish. I am so thankful that I finally got around to reading it. If you've been meaning to read it too but have been putting it off, then I encourage you to give it a chance.

I loved that it was a PERSONAL read. The women aren't mere numbers or statistics. Their lives AND their deaths had meaning; and as I believe it is mentioned either in the movie or the book their bones still are speaking to us. Even those whose voices were never "heard" in life--due to injustice and indifference--can be heard now and for the next thousand plus years. The narrative's greatest strength is that it focuses on the personal, the intimate, the real.

The read was both FASCINATING and DEVASTATING. It is hard to imagine today that no one wouldn't know that radium was DANGEROUS and to be radioactive is a BAD, BAD thing. But so much of the book focuses on this struggle between those that put MONEY, MONEY, MONEY first and foremost and those that valued HUMAN LIVES and HUMAN DIGNITY over profit, wealth, fame.

I was shocked--should I have been shocked???--at the out and out LYING and CORRUPTION. The doctors that were being paid/employed by the factories could run all their tests, do their examinations, and then say YES, YOU ARE 100% HEALTHY. NO PROBLEMS. All the while, your teeth are falling out, your face is swollen, you can hardly stand up straight, you're losing weight. Sounds like the perfect state of health, right?! In other words a lot of GASLIGHTING going on. But that isn't being fair. Not all doctors said the women were in 100% health--the best state of health they could ever be in. Some were for team misdiagnosis. Like let's diagnose you with SYPHILIS. Because that will make you quiet for sure--if you believe it. Who wants to be known to be dying from that!

But I was also encouraged by those that stood up to the big guys--the giants--and faced near impossible odds. It wasn't easy for the lawyers to take on, take up, this GIGANTIC mess of a case.

I was surprised by the resilience and attitude of some of the women. Some relied on GOD and turned to prayer and other spiritual disciplines for support, comfort, peace. Others relied more on FAMILY and FRIENDS for comfort, support, guidance. While the book mentions a few women's nerves or state of mind seemed to be negatively effected by the diagnosis, I was surprised it wasn't more. It couldn't be *easy* on one's mental health to be diagnosed with a FATAL DISEASE with NO CURE and little proven treatment. The strength and courage it would take to face each and every day is not to be discounted. We're talking tremendous physical pain with no hope of relief. Not really. Every day would be a choice--to despair or to cling to hope.

It's impossible to read this novel and not turn introspective. WHY DO I COMPLAIN SO MUCH?

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

60. American Shoes: A Refugee's Story

American Shoes: A Refugee's Story. Rosemarie Lengsfeld Turke and Garrett L. Turke. 2022. [February] 352 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I was raised with the belief that life gives us a blank canvas on which to paint our lives.

Premise/plot: American Shoes is based on the author's own memories. Rosemarie (aka Rosel) was born in the United States of America to German parents. A family trip to Germany to visit grandparents--an ailing grandfather--has unintended consequences. This trip happened when Rosel was a young girl--four? five? six?--the family found themselves unable to leave the country. Though not Jewish, the family clearly faces some hardship in Nazi Germany. 

This story is not told in a linear manner. The framework of the story is Rosel as a teen girl--15, I believe--leaving Germany on her own. Her parents (and younger sister) having German citizenship and not American citizenship--are unable to get permission to re-enter the United States of America. As an American, Rosel has the ability to leave the country and return to her place of birth. She'll be one of many refugees on their way to the U.S.A. 

The "chapters" of the book chronicle her time on the ship AND include her flashbacks (often tied to specific nightmares). Her past is slowly revealed, perhaps unevenly revealed. Much of the book focuses on her mingling with other refugees and her experiences of preparing to begin a new life. Rightly so, she--and just about every single person she is meeting and talking with--are dealing with a LOT of baggage from the war. (PTSD) 

My thoughts: The book is based on the author's memories. I'm honestly not sure if this book is categorized as fiction (but based on a true story) or a memoir (straight up nonfiction). She is recounting memories from when she was very young. These are strong impressions she is sharing. It seems completely inappropriate to nitpick literary style or narrative because of the subject matter.

History matters. Voices matter. Her story is worth reading--especially if you read books set during this time period. Not every reader seeks out books about World War II. It can be a sensitive subject, a triggering subject. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

113. Last Witnesses

Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) Svetlana Alexievich. 2021. 288 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Last Witnesses is a collection of true stories told firsthand by people who grew up in the Soviet Union (present-day Russia and Eastern Europe) and lived through World War II as children. Their accounts of survival range from gruesome and tragic to extraordinarily lucky to—in some cases—even hopeful. All the stories are alarming, as they took place against a backdrop of fearsome war and violence. It is crucial to understand both the geography and the history of the Soviet Union to fully feel the impact of each shocking testimony. On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union. A titanic battle unfolded. It would last for four years, setting in opposition two countries with a long history of rivalry and antagonism. The battle also brought two ruthless dictators head to head: Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

This is how the book opens:

INSTEAD OF A PREFACE

…ONE QUOTATION

In the course of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) millions of Soviet children died: Russians, Belorussians, Ukrainians, Jews, Tatars, Latvians, Gypsies, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Armenians, Tadjiks…

People’s Friendship magazine, 1985, No. 5

…AND ONE QUESTION BY A RUSSIAN CLASSIC

Fyodor Dostoevsky once posed a question: can we justify our world, our happiness, and even eternal harmony, if in its name, to strengthen its foundation, at least one little tear of an innocent child will be spilled? And he himself answered: this tear will not justify any progress, any revolution. Any war. It will always outweigh them.

Just one little tear…

Premise/plot: Essentially it is a collection of short vignettes by survivors sharing their memories. Most--if not all--were young children (a few younger, some older). These memories are unique yet seen together as a whole paint a horrific picture of the war.  Most entries are short--a few are longer. I believe the last entry is the longest. 

My thoughts: This was a powerful read. It certainly isn't for everyone. It is a heavy, heavy book in terms of emotional weight and burden. Yet their voices mattered then and now. Their stories need to be heard; heard and not forgotten.

This book has been adapted for young readers. But I think 'young' is a matter of perspective. Young adult would be a good fit even if most of the stories are about younger children. As I mentioned, it's a heavy book.

Quote:

The war ended…I waited for a day, for two days. No one came to get me. Mama didn’t come for me, and papa, I knew, was in the army. I waited for two weeks like that, and couldn’t wait any longer. I got under a seat on a train and rode…Where? I didn’t know. I thought (this was still my child’s mind) that all trains went to Minsk. And in Minsk mama was waiting! Then papa would come…A hero! With orders, with medals.

They had perished somewhere under the bombs. The neighbors told me later—they had both gone looking for me. They had rushed to the train station.

I’m already fifty-one years old. I have children of my own. But I still want my mama.

Zina Kosiak

EIGHT YEARS OLD. NOW A HAIRDRESSER.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

99. Shout

Shout. Laurie Halse Anderson. 2019. Penguin. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:
When he was eighteen years old, my father
saw his buddy's head sliced into two pieces,
sawn just above the eyebrows by an exploding
brake drum, when he was in the middle
of telling a joke.

Premise/plot: Shout is the memoir of Laurie Halse Anderson; it is written in verse. Anderson may best be known for her young adult novel, Speak. Speak stars a young girl, a freshman, named Melinda. In the summer Melinda was raped--the boy who raped her, aka IT, attends the same school. Melinda struggles. I was going to try to find the right words to say what she struggles with--but there are no right words. Her whole life is effected by what happened and the fact that she has not spoken up or shared her story with anyone is largely what the novel is about. Well, partly. The book, in my opinion, is about the injustices embedded within the system. Everyone makes assumptions about who Melinda is--makes judgments--without bothering to get to know Melinda. Speak is not strictly autobiographical. But Laurie Halse Anderson has her own experiences to share, her own IT from the past. One doesn't just "get over" sexual assault. The memoir shares her journey from childhood to adulthood. The memoir also gives readers a behind the scenes glimpse of an author's life. (How she got started writing, the long, long struggle to get published, the writing of Speak and other books, author visits and tours, receiving mail from readers, etc.) Speak resonated--has continued to resonate--with readers. It has helped people speak up about their own experiences with sexual assault. Many have shared their stories with Laurie Halse Anderson.

My thoughts: This is a compelling read. It is a dark read in some ways but also an inspirational one. It isn't without hope or "light" at the "end of the tunnel." The subject matter is mature. But the mature content doesn't mean it's inappropriate or "bad." The truth is that sexual assault can happen at any age. In a perfect, perfect world sheltering kids--tweens, teens--from the harsh realities of the potential dangers would make sense. But our world is far from perfect. Not speaking about something doesn't make that something go away. (That being said, how a subject is discussed differs with the age of the audience.) Shout uses strong language but not in an excessive, inappropriate way. (At least 99% of the time.) Shout is honest even when it ventures into the raw emotions of pain and confusion. There is something to be said for honesty, for putting away the mask that everything is fine, that everything is okay.

From the poem, "Lovebrarians"

I unlocked the treasure chest
and swallowed the key. (27)

From the poem, "Payback"

After Charlotte's Web
but before Little Women,
my sister stole the key
to my green plastic diary,
and blackmailed me
with what she found. (33)

Maybe I owe her,
my sister,
for stealing the key, toying
with my secrets, and thus igniting
the slow-fused inevitablity
of me weaving stories
in the dark. (34)

From the poem, "Diagnosis"

untreated pain
is a cancer of the soul
that can kill you. (69)

From the poem "How the Story Found Me"

too many grown-ups tell kids to follow
their dreams
like that's going to get them somewhere
Auntie Laurie says follow your nightmares instead
cuz when you figure out what's eating you alive
you can slay it. (160)

 

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

86. The Light of Days

The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos. Judy Batalion. 2021. 288 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence from the introduction: In the spring of 2007, I lived in London and worked as an art historian by day and a comedian by night. I was writing a play about strong Jewish women, and I wanted to learn more about Hannah Senesh, one of the few female resisters in World War II who was not lost to history.

First sentence from chapter one: On Friday, October 10, as the Jews in the small Polish town of Jedrzejow (pronounced YEN-jeh-yuf in Polish) were shutting their shops and preparing for the Sabbath--a day of religious observance--Moshe Kukielka rushed from his store.

There is a central character in this one: Renia Kukielka. But it isn't the story of one person--one woman. It is the story of many working together in Poland during the Second World War. The book opens with a Who's Who: Renia Kukielka, Sarah Kukielka, Zivia Lubetkin, Frumka Plotnicka, Hantze Plotnicka, Chajka Klinger, Gusta Davidson, Hela Schupper, Irena Adamowicz, Bela Hazan, Ruzka Korczak, Vitka Kempner, Faye Schulman, Anna Heilman. You might be tempted to skim it lightly--or even skip it altogether. I won't judge you if you do. But by the end, I'm guessing you'll circle back around in appreciation of what the author has accomplished.

The book, obviously, is set in Poland in the years leading up to the Second World War and the war itself. The focus is on the Jewish communities and neighborhoods. The stories of the ghettos. One doesn't need to use melodrama and imagination to paint the picture--just facts and accounts. This book highlights those that actively resisted. It follows a dozen or so characters through these war years...and if the text alone isn't compelling enough...hitting you right in the heart....the book concludes with PHOTOGRAPHS of those mentioned in the book.

It was a powerful, intense, compelling, substantive read. It was very good.

Quotes:

How do you react to news that you are going to be killed? Do you try to stay optimistic to keep your sanity? Or do you fight back?
When Zivia heard about the mass execution, she didn't doubt it for a second. Other Jews had escaped from death camps and shared their own shocking stories.
If anything, Zivia felt guilty. Why hadn't she seen more clearly that the Nazis meant to kill all Jews? Why hadn't she done more sooner? Precious time had been wasted.

I pledge to engage in active resistance within the framework of the Jewish Fighting Organization of the Halutz Youth Movement. I swear by everything most dear to me, and above all by the memory and honor of dying Polish Jewry, that I will fight with all the weapons available to me until the last moment of my life to resist the Germans, the National Socialists, and those in league with them, the mighty enemies of the Jewish people and of all humanity. I pledge to avenge the innocent deaths of millions of children, mothers, fathers, and aged Jewish people, to uphold Jewish spirit, and to raise the flag of freedom proudly. I pledge to shed my own blood fighting to achieve a bright and independent future of the Jewish nation. I pledge to fight for justice, freedom, and the right of all human beings to live in dignity. I will fight side by side with those who share my desire for a free and equitable social order. I will serve humanity faithfully, dedicating myself without hesitation to achieving human rights for all, subordinating my personal desires and ambitions to that noble cause. I pledge to accept as a brother anyone willing to join me in this struggle against the enemy. I pledge to set the seal of death on anyone who betrays our shared ideals. I pledge to hold out to the end, not to retreat in the face of overwhelming adversity or even death.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

84. Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima

Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima. Deidre Langeland. 2021. 208 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence from the preface: Fukushima. To people all around the world, the name has come to mean one thing: nuclear disaster. They remember several long weeks in March 2011 when they turned on the news every day and saw thick smoke billowing from nuclear reactors, carrying potentially deadly radiation into the environment.

First sentence from chapter one: Standing on Earth, it's difficult to appreciate its movement.

Premise/plot: I rarely rely on the jacket copy for summary, but the jacket copy is so precise that I just can't resist--this once--quoting liberally: "On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever measured in Japan occurred off the northeast coast. It triggered a tsunami with a wall of water 128 feet high. The tsunami damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima triggering the nightmare scenario--a nuclear meltdown.

For six days, employees at the plant worked to contain the meltdown and disaster workers scoured the surrounding flooded area for survivors.

This book examines the science behind such a massive disaster and looks back at the people who experienced an unprecedented trifecta of destruction."

It focuses on the earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear meltdown. Through all three, the book quotes from survivors and eyewitnesses. All three subjects--earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear fission--are complex. Complex in a technical science-y way. The explanations are straightforward. The author seems to want to reach as wide an audience as possible. It is very science-y yet maintains a strong human interest perspective.

My thoughts: Science isn't my best subject. It would be a close call between science and maths as to which is my weakest. Yet for most of my life I've been drawn to documentaries that combine science and human interest. I find myself easily captivated by a diverse range of topics because of the way they are able to connect the technical science-y bits with true human interest. Such is the case with Meltdown. I found it an absorbing, compelling, intense read. I didn't want to put it down. I found it a suspenseful read.

One thing I found effective in keeping me turning the pages was how each chapter began with the status of the six reactors. From day 1 (March 11):

Reactor 1: Fully operational
Reactor 2: Fully operational
Reactor 3: Fully operational
Reactor 4: Shut down for inspection
Reactor 5: Shut down for inspection
Reactor 6: Shut down for inspection

 The book also has generous back matter! The timeline is extensive. The glossary is HUGE. The bibliography and resources listed is large as well.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

73. Boy from Buchenwald

Boy from Buchenwald. Robbie Waisman with Susan McClelland. 2021. [May] 288 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I remember where I come from.

Premise/plot: Boy from Buchenwald is a memoir of Holocaust survivor Robbie Waisman (Romek Wajsman). It isn't your typical straight forward, strictly chronological memoir. The memoir open with Romek (and other boys from Buchenwald including Elie Wiesel) arriving in France after liberation. Much of the focus is on what happens next, what happens after liberation, how does one move forward with one's life. Physically there is much to recover from--but emotionally and psychologically, there isn't really a time table for that. 

Plenty of this book focuses on the time he spent waiting, waiting, waiting, still waiting to find out any definitive news of what happened to each and every family member. Is he the only one from his family to survive? Or are there a few others--siblings perhaps--that are just in other displaced person camps?

The book contains flashes of his life before liberation. These are italicized mainly. And I think the structure of the book recreates his healing process. He had to come to terms with his whole story and that involved remembering. But remembering wasn't easy--it was overwhelming. The way forward involved coming to terms with all his past--the good, the terrifying, and each and every emotion in between.

My thoughts: At times I felt a little disconnected with this one but perhaps that is because the author himself was struggling to connect his past to his present to his future. I appreciate that this one focuses mainly--though not exclusively--on what happens after liberation. There are plenty of memoirs that focus on what happened during the war years, they leave readers with a happily ever after when the camps are liberated by the Allies. This one chooses a different path--the one less taken perhaps.

How does one move forward? How does one come to terms with what happened all the while moving forward? How does one go about grieving (and healing) when the wounds are that DEEP and the pain and sorrow so strong? How do you learn to trust again? (Or do you?) And what about the feelings of guilt and fear and anger, etc. How can you avoid giving into despair?

As I mentioned this one focuses on the first year or two--perhaps three???--after liberation as he is growing up and learning to live one day at a time.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

41. Violet & Daisy

Violet and Daisy: The Story of Vaudeville's Famous Conjoined Twins. Sarah Miller. 2021. [April] 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Of course their mother screamed when they were born. She screamed so loudly and for so long on February 5, 1908, the neighbors pounded on the wall to command her to stop. But twenty-one-year-old Kate Skinner could not help but scream. After fourteen hours of unrelenting pain, her baby had not come. It had not even seemed to budge. The midwife, Mary Hilton, began to fear that the unborn infant had died. She ran downstairs and out of the house to call for the doctor.

Premise/plot: Violet and Daisy is nonfiction biography. It is listed as being YA Nonfiction, but honestly I can see adults reading it too. So Violet and Daisy were conjoined twins who--for better or worse, mainly for worse I imagine--lived life in the spotlight from an incredibly young age. Think toddlers. Born in 1908, the two lived at a time when it was all but impossible for 'freaks' not to be exploited or gawked at. I use the word freaks not because I genuinely believe they were freaks of nature and 'monstrous' but that is how they were perceived at the time by many.

Miller's biography chronicles their lives. It's not an easy task but a layered one full of puzzles and mysteries. You see, Violet and Daisy were "raised" (not nurtured by any stretch) by people who told flim flams as often as they breathed in and out. In other words, from an extremely young age, the two learned that truth was flexible and ever-changing. It wasn't so much what is actually-actually-actually true but what can bring in the most publicity and thus the most money. The "truth" being sold (or peddled) depended entirely on the audience and the day.

Piecing together their lives a century later requires much discernment and some intuition.

My thoughts: I found it compelling and fascinating. Also bleak--very bleak. Sarah Miller seems to be drawn to stories that are darker in nature, OR incredibly sad, or infuriating. Perhaps a bit of all three. Her nonfiction works include: The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century, The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets, and Violet and Daisy: The Story of Vaudeville's Famous Conjoined Twins. I think she treats all her subjects with dignity--even though especially with the last two books the subjects were often exploited or taken advantage of. Miller is great at capturing the humanity of her subjects. And to be fair, that means the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Not literally ugly).

It's a bleak read, I won't lie. There were highs, for sure, moments when the two seemed to be actually truly authentically happy to be living their lives just as they wanted on their own terms. But mostly, this is a bittersweet story of two misunderstood often exploited souls who were seen as money-making tools.

It's sad in many ways. But no matter how I emotionally react to Miller's story, I found it engaging.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

146. Rock of Freedom

Rock of Freedom: The Story of the Plymouth Colony. Noel Gerson. 1964/2020. 167 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: There was no sound in the vast, black expanse of wilderness but the faint, steady drip of raindrops falling from pines and birches, cedars and poplars and firs. Gradually the dark clouds hovering over the crescent of land on which Plymouth Colony was built began to roll away.

Premise/plot: Rock of Freedom is nonfiction narrative--an account of the first two to four years of the Plymouth Colony. The framework of the story is the arrival of Anne and Little James in 1623. This is where the story opens and closes. In between is the story of how the Separatists--and other would-be colonists--together sailed to the New World (on the Mayflower) and settled in what would become New England. It focuses primarily on three or four leaders; not every colonist was mentioned and received attention. It is a story of strength and weaknesses, successes and failures. It is grim and gritty--for life was hard, unimaginably hard. 

The book was originally written in 1964 at a time when political correctness was not reigning supreme--for better or worse. Know this going in that perhaps if an author was writing today that he/she might phrase things a bit differently in hopes of reaching the widest audience possible. I am not ever suggesting that facts should be manipulated or twisted--revised or corrected long, long after the fact. Facts are facts are facts; they can be interpreted differently with each generation, with each reader. Researchers should stick to facts and if at all possible show their work--their research. Modern writers don't necessarily need to "rescue" or "save" historical figures--by justifying every word, every act. Nor do modern writers "need" to crucify those that lived in the past and vilify everyone and everything. Present the facts and let readers decide for themselves. In the case of the pilgrims, it's not an either/or. They are neither saints nor sinners. I don't need perfect heroes to idolize. 

This book definitely presents the pilgrims as an incredible group of people--a bit idealistic at times perhaps. But then again they do stick to the first few years of the colony.

My thoughts: Rock of Freedom is READABLE. Sadly not all books about the pilgrims are. I have read several adult books this year on the subject of the Mayflower and Pilgrims, etc. Some of them are a CHORE. One of them I'm almost ready to give up on completely. A dryer book has never been penned. And that book in particular seeks to strip all the pilgrims of any good attributes or nature. Again, I don't need my pilgrims to be saints--but human nature is always such a mixing of the good and bad, the right and wrong; no one is purely good or purely evil. So it was refreshing that this book was READABLE.

It does include a lot of dialogue. I'm not sure this much dialogue would pass as nonfiction in 2020, but, in a way it's delightful. I take dialogue in nonfiction with a grain of salt. I know that the writer might be putting words in someone's mouth that may or may not in any way whatsoever be true and legit. Maybe those words reflect his or her interpretation of written facts in primary or secondary sources. 

I definitely enjoyed reading it.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

42. Ordinary Hazards

Ordinary Hazards. Nikki Grimes. 2019. 325 pages. [Source: Library] [memoir; ya nonfiction; nonfiction; poetry]

  First sentence: I read somewhere that names penetrate the core of our being, and I suppose, this is as good a time as any to confess my name is not the only lie I’ve ever lived with, but Nikki is the first invention for which I accept full responsibility.

Premise/plot: Nikki Grimes’ newest book is a memoir written in verse. Ordinary Hazards tells her story—the darkness and the light in her growing up years.

My thoughts: I have loved, loved, loved Nikki Grimes’ work in the past. I have always found her work to bring on the feels. Her characters are more often than not, oh-so-humanly drawn. Her writing realistic, but often with a strong foundation of hope. No matter how dark, how tough, how painful, there is still reason to hope; where there is life, there is hope.

This memoir is an amazing read. I think perhaps most enjoyed by those that have read her previously. But perhaps not. Maybe this would encourage readers to pick up her other books and seek out everything she’s written?

Quotes:
Algebra should be
ranked under
fatal diseases.
One more equation,
and I’ll die. (253)

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Enchanted Air

Enchanted Air. Margarita Engle. 2015. 192 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When my parents met, it was love at first sight.

Premise/plot: Enchanted Air is Margarita Engle’s verse memoir. It covers her first fourteen years focusing on the tension she felt between being Cuban and being American. The way she felt visiting Cuba and her mother’s side of the family was different than how she felt growing up in California. Though in both places she was having a love affair with words and stories. But the tension wasn’t merely internal; Cuba was caught in the middle of the conflict between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The “Cold War” was heating up emotions. Suddenly to ‘be Cuban’ was a bad thing...but how could such a lovely, amazing, incredible place be bad? Cuba is where her beloved family lives. Cuba is where she rides horses and has adventures. Cuba is where some of her happiest memories are.

My thoughts: I am so excited to read the new follow-up to Enchanted Air. I wanted to reread this one first. I am so happy I did.

Spoken stories are no longer enough/ to fill my hunger./ I crave a constant supply/ of written ones, too./ Each week, I check out/ as many library books as I can carry,/ so many that I feel like a juggler,/ balancing/ stacks/ of entrancing/ pages/ in midair./ When I’ve finished reading/ every book in the children’s section,/ I begin sneaking into the library’s/ grown-up zone, where travel books/ help me dream/of islands. (30).

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets

The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets. Sarah Miller. 2019. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence of the prologue: In an empty nursery, behind two woven wire fences topped with barbed wire, five nine-year-old girls waited for their father.

Premise/plot: Sarah Miller’s newest book is a biography of the Dionne quintuplets: Yvonne, Annette, Cecile, Emilie, and Marie who were born on May 28, 1934. Their arrival and survival captivated and fascinated the world at large not just for weeks, months, or even years but for decades. Their birth thrust them into fame, a fame that they could hardly hope to escape. The Dionne parents didn’t ask for it, nor their older siblings—or younger siblings that would follow. The county, country, nation, world deemed the parents incapable of raising the quintuplets. It wasn’t just that they would need help or support—nurses, nannies, doctors, all of which would take money. No they were judged by the crowd, the mob, society to be unfit to decide how to raise these five. They were not to have any say in the day to day decisions or the decisions that would prove more significant and lasting. They were begrudgingly allowed to visit—if they were deemed healthy enough—but the children did not belong to them or with them. When the parents finally did get custody of the quintuplets, when they were allowed to live with their parents for the first time, it would prove difficult and challenging. There would always be a strain, a strangeness. The quintuplets would always, always relate to one another best. For better or worse.

Life is a miracle. All life is a miracle. The quintuplets birth was miraculous certainly. But it was also tragic by most anybody’s standards. No matter their age—babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, adults—challenges plagued them. It didn’t have to be, a tragedy of its own. Their strange upbringing, the fame and attention, did not prepare them for life, for the real world, to live full lives apart from one another. No one should be treated as a spectacular spectacular.

My thoughts: Incredibly sad, that is how I’d describe this one. I expected ups and downs. Perhaps more downs than ups based on the title. But this one was all downs. The sad thing is that in retrospect some of the downs turned out to be more “up” than previously thought.

Miller pieced together the story well from two extremes. The “facts” as seen from both sides are far, far apart. Many sources seem to exaggerate and play around somewhat loosely with black and white facts. It must have been challenging to research and not take sides and form strong opinions. But Miller did a good job in my opinion. If I was slow to finish (I started this one in August) it was because the book was so bleak. Biographies are like this sometimes.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews