2018 - February Book List

I decided to try a themed book list this month.  Seeing as February is Black History Month, I chose to read books along that theme.  I found my youthful education was lacking in the truth and reality of our history.  That it has been, and continues to be, easier to turn a blind eye.  That I not only come from a place of privilege but of WHITE privilege.  And that our history, has quite a bit not to be proud of.  What is sad to me though, is that after all that, we have not truly shown that we have learned from our past and we have not made the progress that I wish we could be proud of.

1.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - by Rebecca Skloot

Five (5) stars.  I could not put this book down.  To say it was educational and eye opening is an understatement.  To not feel for this mother, and her husband, and her children is inconceivable.  To understand and relate, to an extent, to the doctors and researchers.  To question your own beliefs on the topic.  To think, what would you do in that situation?  How would you navigate that personal story?  

With all the type 1 research we have participated in, and all the forms we have signed, it personalized this story and made it even more real.  How do you not go to the doctor now and wonder where is that blood test going after this?  If an A1C is high, will it be sent and sold somewhere working on a specific research study?  Who profits from that sale?

But at the same time - wow!  Look at all that has transpired and become from how this story began.

2. Grace - by Natashia Deón (audiobook)

Four stars on Goodreads.  I described it as a honest portrayal of slavery in the south, the road to freedom, and the appalling truth of our history.  It was rough and it was raw.  It drew on hardships and told the stories of death and survival.  It crossed race and religions and gender.  It was complex, yet simple - much like the times.  Normally I struggle with books that go back and forth between time periods, but I adjusted with this book as the story telling was so compelling.

3. Underground Airlines - by Ben Winters (audiobook)

3 stars on Goodreads.  I listened to this as an audiobook and think I may have enjoyed it more if I had read the paper version.  I wanted to like this book a lot more tying history with the more present but the story seemed a bit predictable and tame.  I didn’t experience the thrill that I was seeking.

4.  The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace - by Jeff Hobbs

Four stars although it was close to a five.  Jeff Hobbs’ writing was easy to follow and had great character development/portrayal.  You could easily imagine and picture Rob.  Relate in ways personally, and picture him as a friend you hang out with.  But once again, to know that even today, the disparity between where I came from and places like where Rob came, exist across our whole nation.  

But it was frustrating.  Frustrating to read him give up so much.  Risk so much for drugs.  Yet, damn, he made a lot of money with drugs.  It’s like, me: hey kid, help me out, leave me some money on the counter for groceries, but don’t get that money selling drugs, study hard.

And his travels.  Oh how happy it made me to know he traveled so much and he experienced all that.  To me, travel is the best education.  Embracing other cultures through immersion means more than anything you could read or be told.  You have to experience life.  How do I get a job with an airline?

I have a mentor who is a Yale graduate, and I think only a certain group of people can fit that mold.  Rob fit that mold, but he couldn’t stay in it.  This book brought up so many discussion points - race, wealth, family dynamics, education, transitions in life, coping mechanisms, drugs…

We all are fighting our own battles…

5.  The Mighty Miss Malone - by Christopher Paul Curtis (audiobook)

This was a three star book for me, until I got to the “Afterward” and automatic four stars right there.  I think for the targeted audience, this book is amazing.  If I were a teacher, I would petition to include in the curriculum.  It told the story in a way that was real, and hard, yet, not gory.  It was about race, and prejudice, but not overly direct on that theme.  It was another perspective on the depression era.  My grandfather told me stories about him and my grandmother during the great depression.  The prejudice he faced as Italian, and while not like the story, it allowed me to see this story in a more personal way and understand there was a whole other layer I couldn’t imagine, as the black history is uniquely its own.  To read about areas such as Flint, Michigan in the 1930s and know the struggles Flint has had in more recent pasts, and currently today, only makes this story still so important.  What will we have to show for our history in almost 100 hundred years from the hardship in Flint then to now - how have we changed - how have we made that life better.

6.  The Secret Life of Bees - by Sue Monk Kidd

I gave this three stars on Goodreads but contemplated it as a 4.  I may go back and make it a four.  Women rule the world, that’s for damn sure.  I loved the strong female characters.  Their strength and independence.  Their wisdom and compassion.  But also this story was great at incorporating the complexities of the relationships with men too.  T. Ray’s worship of Deborah and that impact on Lily.  June’s love for Neil but her hesitation and fear of marriage.  The lawyer and Zach - both willing to lead a path not taken.  But the book was about the women and the mothers.  Mothers, which can be a loose term.  And well, maybe we all need a little more Black Mary in our lives.

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