Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

Ten-year old Auggie starts fifth grade after years of being homeschooled. He was born with severe facial anomalies that required years of surgery- and his appearance is still so disfigured that strangers often recoil in horror or shock on seeing him- even if they're trying not to. He's used to the stares and remarks, but understandably gets frustrated because on the inside he feels totally normal. He's smart, funny, sometimes whiny and stubborn. Going to school is hard. Some kids are nice or polite to his face, but say things behind his back. Others are outright rude and mean. One particular kid tries to turn the whole student body against Auggie, making up a game where anyone who accidentally touches him is contaminated. Sounds really juvenile, but it's very hurtful. Auggie does find a few real friends, and in a nice surprising turn of events (nice because I thought it would turn out much worse), draws even more good friends to his side when at a school outing he's harassed by some older kids. Meanwhile his parents are trying to avoid being overprotective, his older sister is dealing with her own issues at high school and some resentment at all the attention Auggie gets- the extra care and support from her parents, and the negatives she fears from her peers. I wasn't expecting the book to have alternate viewpoints- from those of Auggie's friends, his sister, the sister's boyfriend, etc. It was nicely done and showed a lot of empathy for how Auggie's condition affects all those around him. And how his humor and spirit inspires them. I did find the closing scenes with the speeches a bit- overdone- but some very nice sentiment. A book I'll gladly put into my kid's hands.

I found out there's a sequel Auggie and Me, which tells the story from three alternate viewpoints- a childhood friend and two classmates- which I'd very much like to find at my library (now open again!)

Rating: 4/5           315 pages, 2012

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

Finished this one yesterday and had to organizing my thoughts around it. It's about a black woman from a small town in Virginia (now unincorporated) who died of cancer in the fifties. Samples of her tumor were taken and the cells continued to multiply in the lab indefinitely (usually cell samples loose vitality after a certain number of divisions have occurred). This was a huge thing for not only cancer research- enabling studies that had been difficult before- but also, it turns out, a mind-boggling amount of other types of research. Henrietta's cells became known as the HeLa cell line, and were involved in erradicating polio, mapping genes, testing effects of radiation, developing an HPV vaccine and much more. The doctor and researchers who first took and grew the cells in culture gave them away freely to any other researcher who wanted them- free dissemination of knowledge and materials helped science expand. But since then, the cell line has been produced in labs and sold to researchers in staggering quantities as a medical industry. 

During all this time, Henrietta's family knew nothing about what happened to their mother's cancer cells. Some of them barely knew what a cell was. It was twenty years after her death when they first heard that not only had a sample been taken of her tumor, but that it had been so widely used in medical research, with some huge profits (for some). Meanwhile her family and descendants couldn't even afford doctor visits. The author worked very hard to meet the family, hear their story, and educate them on what had happened. She took Henrietta's daughter -who had no memory of her own mother- with her on reporting trips to find out what had happened to her sister, Henrietta's oldest daughter who had been sent to an institution at a young age, for example. To the labs in John Hopkins where she saw her mother's living cells in a vial and under the microscope lens. They read articles that had been written about her mother's cancer cells, and found original medical records that finally revealed to the family how Henrietta had been treated during her cancer treatment (she suffered a lot). Needless to say, although it provided a lot of closure and answered tons of questions the daughter and other family members had about their mother's life, it also caused them much pain to learn some things. 

This book is so full. It's about Henrietta's life, and the lives of other poor black people in the forties and fifties, how deplorably they were sometimes treated by the medical community (often viewed as free research subjects). It's about how the family is doing fifty years later, their strengths and their struggles. It's about the efforts the author had to make to learn all that was put into this book, the personal journey and discoveries. It's about how medical research works, pointing out quite clearly that tissue samples are still taken from patients on a regular basis, often without their knowledge or consent, building an immense database of material for researchers to work with. And how it could all fall apart if suddenly the research community had to throw those samples away, or had a dearth of material if people were given the right to refuse their tissues being kept and used in that way. This hit home for me, because not so long ago one of my children was participating in an outpatient program via a hospital. Part of the consent form includes this: 

Use of Biological Samples. During your care at the facility, biological samples . . . might be collected from you for the purposes of your care. Sometimes, after your visit there might be excess or leftover biological samples no longer needed for your care. These samples are usually discarded. However, sometimes these samples might be used for research within our hospitals and occasionally made available to researchers. . . The research can help answer questions about the causes of diseases, how to prevent them, or even how to treat them. Please note that for this kind of research, (i) there might be no practical way to inform you about the details or results of the research.... (ii) generally, no results on tests performed on your samples during the research can be returned to you or entered into your health record. (iii) it is not likely that you will directly benefit from the research, and (iv) there are no plans to compensate or recognize you for use of your samples or any discoveries made during the research. When these samples are used in this manner, your privacy is safeguarded consistent with applicable federal and state privacy laws.

So I knew this, and I was okay with it, because what else am I going to do, refuse treatment? The huge thing here is, back when a sample was taken from Henrietta Lacks, there were no laws in place protecting her privacy- the samples were marked with an abbreviation of her name, and eventually someone leaked the name to a journalist. The terrible thing is the manner in which the family found out- it was literally a shock to them- and then there's the great disparity between how much money was generated by growth and sales of the HeLa cells, and the poverty Henrietta's family continued to live in. To many people, this doesn't seem right. I feel like a lot of these things never should have happened, but then what about all the great strides science made thanks to those very cells. When Henrietta's daughter and other family members realized what it meant, how greatly those immortal cancer cells had contributed to science, they were rightfully proud. 

I could say so much more, but really you should read the book. Highly recommended.

 

Rating: 4/5             2010

TBR, TBR

Cadfael series by Ellis Peters- Read Warbler
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater- SmallWorld Reads
Among Others by Jo Walton- Shelf Love
Catfishing on Catnet by Naomi Kritzer- Reading the End
Finna by Nino Cipri- A Bookish Type
The Lost Man by Jane Harper- Bookfoolery
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah- SmallWorld Reads
Weather by Jenny Offill- A Bookish Type
In the Dream House by Carmen Machado- Sophisticated Dorkiness
Highfire by Eoin Colfer- Rhapsody in Books
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee- SmallWorld Reads
Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See- SmallWorld Reads

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran- Last Book I Read

A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe- Bermudaonion
Nature's Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy- Bookfoolery
Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Wang- Sophisticated Dorkiness
Eating the Sun by Oliver Morton

Orphaned by Eliot Schrefer- Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb- S. Dorkiness

Smacked by Eilene Zimmerman- C Bookbinder

The Earth in Her Hands by Jennifer Jewell- Farmer Pam

Forest by Sonya Hartnett- Thistle-Chaser
The Last Light Breaking by Nick Jans- Bookfoolery
Places I've Cried in Public by Holly Bourne- Curiosity Killed the Bookworm
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey- Musings of Bookish Kitty
Without Expiration by William Hincy- Read Warbler
Notes from a Public Typewriter by Gustafson Uberti- Bermudaonion Weblog

Thin Girls by Diana Clarke- A Bookish Type

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat- A Bookish Type
My Penguin Year by Lindsay McCrae- Melody's Reading Corner

Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks- Book Chase

Me Talk Pretty One Day

by David Sedaris

This was better. I actually laughed aloud a few times near the end- the part where he's newly moved to France, trying to learn the language, very funny. All the pieces in here are short- some a decent chapter, others only two or three pages long. In the beginning he talks about having speech therapy as a child for a lisp, taking unwanted music lessons, and some pets his family had; also more about his relationship with his father (who hoards spoiling food in disgusting ways). Later essays are from adult years- being disappointed by the fancy food in NY restaurants, working as a furniture mover, teaching a college writing workshop when he's not really qualified or prepared, and overhearing American tourists loudly criticize his appearance (in France, after he's lived there a while, and of course they don't realize he speaks English. He muses over different ways he will embarrass them with a final revelation that he understood all- and then does nothing). The only two parts I really didn't like were the section where he goes through a phase of creating "performance art" under the influence of drugs, and the very last bit where he's daydreaming wild scenarios of fame during bouts of insomnia. Well overall it was a curious and amusing read. Quirky is a good word. Not a keeper though; if I feel like trying more Sedaris I'll make sure to check it out from the library.

Rating: 3/5                   272 pages, 2000

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

by David Sedaris

This one- was not funny, to me. I know a lot of it is sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek or exaggerated, but it was often either so bizarre, distasteful or just plain weird I didn't find it amusing. The short fiction essays in between longer chapters that were from different viewpoints really threw me off at first. Until I went back to the beginning and read the author's note. I got it, but I didn't laugh. More like cringed. The parts about living in France and the UK as an American, that was interesting. And those of his childhood, how it was a different era- stricter in some ways, and more lenient in others- and the difficult relationship he had with his father (especially when his dad constantly admired another kid on the swim team, causing streaks of jealousy and resentment that were not at all understood). Reading how he caught small wild animals and kept them as pets- particularly the sea turtles- was distressing. Of course it wasn't illegal back then, but the lack of concern when the animals clearly weren't doing well . . . Reading how as a teen he wanted to have a black girlfriend apparently just to shock people- made me uncomfortable. His views on politics, health care and the discomforts of air travel- well I share some of those but it felt tiresome. I did like the part where he fed a kookaburra outside a restaurant in Australia- fascinating tidbit. The owl story is one of those weird ones- so strange it must be true, how could you make that up. He was trying to find an owl as a gift for his boyfriend, and the taxidermist showed him some preserved human parts. Creepy. There's nothing to do with diabetes btw. I guess he thought the title would grab attention, and it surely did. Even though he makes the sedative effects sound blissful, his description of having a colonoscopy doesn't really make me look forward to ever having one myself. I'm glad he picked up trash along the road around his cottage in West Sussex, but I'm not sure the essay about it was so interesting. Overall this book is quirky, it definitely catches your interest- how strange and icky and plain senseless life can be- but just not terribly funny, which is what I was kinda expecting from the last Sedaris I read.

Rating: 2/5               275 pages, 2013

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Sophisticated Dork

At Crossroads with Chickens

by Tory McCagg

Subtitled: A "What If It Works?" Adventure in Off-Grid Living and Quest for Home. The author and her husband lived in Rhode Island and bought some land in New Hampshire where they built a solar-powered house for vacation use, where they end up living full-time. I was interested to read this book because keeping chickens is something I aspire to - and I admire off-the-grid living but don't know if I'll ever do so (it sounds like a lot of work). The chickens don't show up in this book until about page 50. A lot of it is actually backstory- where the couple came from, how they met, how she grew up and that formed her world. Struggles they had, not only with building and maintaining the house on a windy hillside up a long winding rough road but also in their relationship, in their feeling of responsibility towards the Earth, and in a very personal way, the author watching her parents grow older and face death. The story of her father's passing very sad. Reading about her mother's progressing difficulties living with Parkinson's disease also very sad. Even keeping the chickens- which began as an effort to only eat "happy eggs" from chickens that had been raised well and treated humanely- had its sad moments. In spite of trying to only buy or adopt chicks that were female, they ended up with more than one rooster. (They let a hen hatch her own eggs too). Sometimes they were able to find another farm that needed a rooster for their flock, but they also once went through the process of slaughtering their extra roosters for food- emotionally difficult after knowing those chickens so well, their personalities and little struggles and triumphs over the years. Of course they also lost some chickens to natural causes- taken by hawks and other predators, and quite a few died of cancer (a vet did autopsies for them). But there are glad moments too, and wonderful ones, and bright humor. For example, their first rooster considered everything outside his domain, and would attack the husband whenever he went out to work on the building project. He figured out how to deflect these attacks, and it was hilarious!

It feels a bit scattered at times- the book's focus is their whole life, their view on things, what that came from, how it grows and changes just as much as anything. Ongoing concern for the environment, personal efforts to live better, have a lighter footprint on the earth, and struggles to reconcile other things they can't, or won't, change about their lives. No, it's not just chickens. They are a central part though, once you get through the beginning.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3/5               191 pages, 2020

Animal Heroes

by Ernest Thompson Seton

Fair warning: there are a lot of SPOILERS in this post. I tell what happens because I think many readers would like to know ahead of time that A LOT OF ANIMALS DIE in these tales. Akin to Jack London's writings, there's plenty of fighting and mistreatment. Seton claims that his animal stories are based on fact, however I assume they are embellished with detail. Not quite sure how all the animal protagonists qualify as 'heroes' yet they are compelling stories. I actually started reading this one right after The Triumph of Seeds, but then between each story in this volume, I picked up another book as follows:

"The Slum Cat"- life of an alley cat, with remarkably pretty markings. At first the story is just about the cat's life, how it grows up, daily search for food, avoiding bigger meaner cats, etc. Then the cat starts hanging around what sounds like a disreputable shop that sells pet birds. The seller comes up with an idea to fob off the alley cat as a rare pedigreed import at a local fancy cat show. Everyone is taken in, and the cat gets sold to a wealthy family, who do some remarkable mental gymnastics to excuse every ill-mannered and anti-social behavior the cat exhibits in their nice home. The cat is well-fed and pampered but hates it all and longs to return to its alley. Eventually it escapes and makes its way back home. Story doesn't quite end there, though! After this one I read Maverick Cats.

"Arnaux" is about a homing pigeon. The bird lives in a loft that appears to have multiple owners- and the story describes how the pigeons are kept and flown. Different from nowadays (which I only know from reading a general nonfiction book on pigeons). The birds must have excellent navigational skills, endurance and smarts, to make it home again. There's one bit where a pigeon takes a message to get help for a ship stranded at sea, but most of it is about regular homing pigeon races. One bird is less attractive and smaller than the rest, but the fastest racer in the loft. In part of the story this bird gets captured and shut into a different loft on his way home- by a fancier who doesn't intend to actually steal him, but to breed him and then let him go again. He ends up staying in the strange loft for years before escaping and heading straight on home again. But then the pigeon meets a sudden and cruel end. I'm sure Seton just means to show how life is not always kind and fair, but still, you might not want to read this story to a sensitive child. Following this one I read A Pigeon and a Boy.

"Badlands Billy: the Wolf That Won" is about a large wolf that preys on cattle so hunters are always after him. The first part of the story tells how he grows up as a pup, looses his mother and is raised by another wolf, his foster-siblings die from poisoning so then he gets all the milk and grows larger than most. Looses his foster mother at the hand of man as well but is old enough to fend for himself. Soon gains the attention of men from killing cattle- the second half of the story is mostly from human viewpoint, how they hunt down the wolf with dog packs. In this one the wolf is victor, but still it's unsettling to read how all the dogs are killed by the wolf (the author warns you ahead of time this is coming, in case you want to stop reading!) Not one of my favorites. After this one I read Flight of the White Wolf.

"The Boy and the Lynx"- there's a boy visiting some friends (a young man and his two sisters) who live in a small cabin in northern Canada. Out in the middle of the forest. Kid has gone there to recuperate his health, and is having a fine time until they all get ill. (The description of the fever and chills they suffered reminded me instantly of a scene in Little House on the Prairie). Completely debilitated by the illness, they're all mostly bedridden and start to run out of food. At the same time there's a lynx living nearby, has a den with two kittens. The lynx is near starving because rabbit population has crashed. Lynx starts coming to the cabin to steal chickens, and then gets bolder. The boy has seen the lynx a few times in the forest, but now weak and sick he has a hard time recognizing the fierce animal that comes into the cabin to eat the food off their table at night. There's a final confrontation, and even though it escapes alive, the lynx gets the worst of it in the end. The final scene in this story is very grim, and probably also very realistic. I couldn't stop picturing it. I don't have a book on my shelf specifically about lynx or even a bobcat, so next I read Wild Cats.

"Little Warhorse"- When I first glanced through the table of contents, thought this was about a wild horse. Nope, it's a jackrabbit. One larger, faster, smarter than all the rest. The rabbit has his speed and hiding places and quick maneuvers to evade dogs and coyotes that chase it. But then humans hold a rabbit drive. The whole town gathers to beat the shrubbery and drive all the wild rabbits into a kind of corral. Hundreds are simply slaughtered, but those that catch people's eye are set aside and taken to use in greyhound coursing. Which usually means the dogs kill the rabbits, while people on the sidelines are betting on the dogs. Our jackrabbit excels here, too- outrunning the dogs time and time again, gaining admiration from the crowd who dub him Warhorse. The rabbit man (whose job is to take care of jackrabbits that haven't been used yet) argues that Warhorse has earned his freedom. The dog people all want to pit their greyhounds against him, so they agree on a set number of matches after which if the jackrabbit is still alive, it can be set free. The rabbit gets holes punched in his ears to mark each race won. But then they argue for more races, because other people are now eager to pit their dogs against this rabbit too. Rabbit man gets into a fight over it. So in this one the main animal character survives in the end, but a ton of his fellow rabbits died for sport. The Adventures of Peter Cottontail was my next read.

"Snap: the Story of a Bull-Terrier"- man owns a fierce little bull-terrier dog that is vicious to everyone. It took him a week to earn the dog's trust. He's the only one who can handle it safely, and the dog is always super eager to fight any other dog it meets. Man visits a cattle ranch on business and goes along on some wolf hunts; the ranchers are no longer allowed to poison wolves so track them down to mitigate livestock losses, but their dogs won't actually grapple with the wolf. They have foxhounds to trail the scent, greyhounds to chase, and great danes and wolfhounds to close in the fight- these dogs working together can get coyotes but not the wolf. So the main character brings his bull-terrier along. It is slower than the other dogs (having shorter legs) but once upon the wolf, dives into the fight without hesitation. The men are glad to finally kill a wolf, and admire the bull-terrier's bravery, but the dog takes serious injuries. Sorry to say this is another one where the animal dies. I read a juvenile fiction book called Grip: a Dog Story next and that was a very fit pairing.

"The Winnipeg Wolf" is about a wolf that's taken from its den when its mother and littermates are all killed for bounty. The young wolf is chained up outside a saloon where people amuse themselves by setting their dogs on him and poking him with sticks. A bratty child flees his irate father into the wolf's shelter, and instead of attacking the animal defends him. Soon the boy and the wolf are stout companions, even though the wolf is always tied up. Eventually it gets free, is harrassed by people and chased by dogs, but never caught again. When the kid gets sick and dies from a fever, the lonely wolf hangs around town, never leaving into the wilderness. It continues to hate men and dogs but never will harm children. However the townsmen enjoy pitting their dogs against the wolf, over and over until there's a final fight with a whole scrum of dogs against the one wolf. Guess how it ends. After this one I read The Dog with Yellow Eyes.

"Legend of the White Reindeer"- I don't quite know what to say about this one. It's set in Norway, about a white reindeer which is born in a herd that is annually inspected by men to pick animals out for training to pull sleds. The white reindeer is big and strong (it fought off a wolverine as a yearling, with the help of its mother), so of course attracts attention. It is taken into captivity and trained, but retains its fierceness and will turn on any man that mistreats it. A lot of this story was a jumble to me though- there were so many unfamiliar place names and foreign terms I had trouble following it. At one point there are races, of reindeer and horses respectively, and the white reindeer does so well it is put in a race against the fastest horse. Then there's a lot of doings among men it seems there was a misunderstanding and someone was going to turn traitor- the white reindeer was harnessed to take him carrying a message but instead of going where he was supposed to the reindeer ran off into the wilderness up a steep trail he'd often followed as a young free animal, and they were both lost in a storm, never heard of again. Which was beneficial to the country. I didn't get it. 

Well, in spite of all the dismal treatment animals get in these stories, and the brutal fights, nevertheless I found them engaging and lively, with wonderful descriptions. Seton just is a darn good storyteller. Except for the last about the reindeer, they all stuck in my head vividly. Really like the illustrations, too. I think my favorite was probably "Slum Cat."

Rating: 3/5                   362 pages, 1901

The Dog with Golden Eyes

by Frances Wilbur

Thirteen-year-old Cassie is lonely and miserable. She gets teased about her weight, her best friend started hanging out with other girls, her parents are split and she suspects her mom is dating a new man. She feels like her mom criticizes her too much and at one point thinks of just running away. Then a big white dog shows up in her backyard. She starts feeding it, thinking it can become her pet. Does odd jobs for neighbors to earn money for dog food. Reads books about dogs from the school library, but "her" dog doesn't seem to fit any of the descriptions. Then a teacher loans her a book about wolves (it's Of Wolves and Men!) and she is shocked to find that the dog might actually be an arctic wolf. Now Cassie feels she has even more problems: what's a wolf doing in her neighborhood? can she really tame and keep it? is somebody looking for it?

I really liked some things about this book, and had issues with others. It's a very nice, refreshing depiction of wolves in a book for kids. Like Flight of the White Wolf, the animal's behavior is realistic and bucks stereotypes; in this case it highlights how friendly the wolf can be after it finally trusts Cassie, how mischievous and independent and also destructive, when at one point she coaxes it into the house. I liked that Cassie showed some character development, and it was rather subtle- she overcomes her shyness to find work, realizes she misjudged some people in her life, starts to socialize more with a kid at school, and even looses weight (taking long walks uphill with the wolf). However the writing style is rather flat and simple, and some aspects of the story I felt were way too obvious, as if put in there just to make a point. It really bothered me that when Cassie is upset about her mother going to dinner with a man and feels her problems are overwhelming, she briefly thinks of suicide- because she'd heard a kid at school had done so the year before. The idea was immediately dismissed, but I found that upsetting: WHY throw that detail in there, if you're going to deal with it so casually? it didn't really fit in the story (the running away idea made more sense). The writing seems aimed at middle grade readers, but then the themes are much more mature- especially that one mention of suicide.

But it's a great story about a wolf. And the ending has some heightened drama which will appeal to kids- of course there are people with guns coming after the wolf (first hunters - including one of the girl's classmates - then police). There's an animal control office who chats with Cassie throughout the book, interested in catching the wolf to give to someone who trains wild animals. And then it looks like Cassie might actually track down the real owners- because this is obviously a wolf that's already been socialized to people. It has a good ending. Which is really nice after all the Ernest Thompson Seton I've been reading (see the next post).

Rating: 3/5                       193 pages, 1998

Grip: a Dog Story

by Helen Griffiths

Even though this is juvenile fiction, and has a rather somber subject matter, I found it an excellent read. The characters were totally believable, the plot had unexpected turns that put them in difficult situations, nothing is black-and-white, especially the moral issues. It's about dog fighting. This boy grows up in an unloving home with his single father, whose one passion is breeding bull terriers as fighting dogs. When the boy gets to choose a pup to raise as his own, for the first time he feels stirrings of love, but he doesn't understand it. He wants to be proud of his dog, but as it grows the pup doesn't measure up to his father's standards. So he's ashamed of his closest companion, but still loves it too, feeling torn and unhappy. Worse, he's told he must get rid of his dog if it can't do better after some training; as his father won't tolerate the presence of what he considers sub-par animals. It gets really interesting when another child enters the picture, a fellow student. The boy visits this other kid's house a few times, sees how other families live, and starts to realize that not everyone is as cold and scornful of emotions as his father. He also sees a way to keep the relationship with his dog without facing his father's scorn, but this puts a burden on the other kid. It all works out in the end, however not without some startling brutality. 

I would really have to be careful what kid I handed this book to- there are scenes of dog-baiting for training, and also badgers are used (although one is rescued from that fate to be kept as another kid's pet - which is problematic too). The dog fights are described in detail also, and the attitudes of the people who engage in that activity- some of them value the dogs for what they see as bravery and grit, others are just in it for the betting or bloodlust; all of them scoff at newer standards that breed dogs just for show (dog fights having been outlawed a decade earlier when the story is set, so the men hold them in utmost secret). So it's got a lot of examples of rough living, unkind and even illegal behavior. But it also shows how this negatively affects the family, and how the boy works out for himself that things ought to be different. That's why I found it outstanding. For such a short book, this has so much going on. Incidentally, the main character here made me think a lot of Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden- sour and unhappy at first, then undergoing a significant change- although in this story that transformation is a lot slower and only just beginning to show fruit when the pages close.

Rating: 4/5         129 pages, 1978

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail

by Thornton W. Burgess

This little book has three storylines. In the first two chapters, Peter Rabbit decides he doesn't like his name and is going to go by Peter Cottontail. Which is silly, because it's not that different from his current name. Even sillier is that he puts on airs to seem like someone different, and refuses to answer to his old name. His friends soon use this to play a trick on him, which makes Peter realize it was a mistake and drop the name change.

Then for many chapters Peter, some of the other little animals and Reddy Fox repeatedly pull pranks on each other, some just for laughs, and others to get even with those who had tricked them. Not sure that exactly sends a good message! A big part of this is Reddy trying to catch Peter so his sick Granny Fox can eat a rabbit dinner. Of course he doesn't, because none of the named characters in the books ever do get eaten- although Reddy eats unnamed chickens, mice, etc in other stories. So you know well he's a predator but the banter between him and Peter Rabbit make it seem half in jest. The fox gets frustrated after trying many different methods to catch Peter and finally gets the weasel to help him out, but even though the weasel can fit into Peter's narrow paths among the brambles, he too gets foiled and Peter stays safe. In another part the fox runs into a wasp nest, gets stung and his face swells up. He plasters it with mud and the other animals make fun of him, but then become bold around the fox, seeing that he's hurt. Reddy then tries to pretend he's still disabled after feeling better so he can catch someone, to no avail.

The final part of the book has Peter puzzled at the actions of some of his friends, who are preparing for the winter- squirrels burying nuts, the woodchuck absolutely stuffing his face, and he is astonished when he sees Grandfather Frog bury himself in the mud. He doesn't seem to know anything about how other animals hibernate or migrate to avoid the winter cold. When someone clues him in that his friends the skunk, raccoon and others sleep most of the winter, Peter thinks this is a fine idea and determines to try it himself. Of course it doesn't work, and when the others realize what he's doing, they play another trick on him. 

Not quite as engaging as some of the other Burgess I've read, but still a fun little book. I don't have a hardcopy, this one's on my e-reader.

Rating: 3/5               120 pages, 1914

Wild Cats

A Grosset All-Color Guide
by Michael Boorer

Wanted to read a book about a bobcat or lynx, and I don't have any that specific. This one is an overview of all wild cats (featuring a lynx on the frontispiece). It has the basics. How they evolved, structures of a cat's body, a few pages about domestic cats. Then it dives into the wild cats. All the small cats- ocelots, servals and bobcats to the flat-headed cat, kodkod and jaguarundi- get just a few paragraphs, with the exception of the puma that has a several pages with more details on behavior. Most of the cats it's very minimal information- distribution range, how many young in a litter, size and markings, what they eat. Beyond that, very little is consistent. For example some wild cats the book told me the gestation period, others there's no info on that. Maybe because it wasn't known? It is a rather old book. Names thirty-six feline species whereas the count I found online goes up to forty, depending on if some are actually considered subspecies or not. (Here's the lynx)

The last part of the book has the big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard and cheetah. This is more interesting; it goes into a lot more details about behavior and especially interactions with man. I did learn some surprising facts, such as that snow leopards have been found to make a den in vulture nests. Tigers will eat carrion or remains of their prey that have partly spoiled in the heat, if they are hungry enough. The book does have some old ideas, though- such as that cats are mostly driven by unthinking instinct, and will react the same way to a situation every time. It describes how lion-tamers are able to intimidate the big cats in order to display them for the public, and matter-of-factly relates how tigers, leopards and lions were hunted for sport (also with some notes about man-killers). Then there's this odd tidbit:

Lion hunting as a sport became really popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. This was the period when a man disappointed in love was supposed- if he could afford it- to redirect his resentment toward the fauna of Africa. 

Really?  Men who felt jilted used to go off and blast animals to make themselves feel better? I'm sure some of them did, but I never realized it was a socially accepted thing to do so. I had more of the impression men went on safari hunting trips to show off, bag trophies, or just enjoy their marksmanship skill. Anybody heard this before? On a smaller note, I did find it odd that the author described the base coat color of tigers and leopards as brown, but said that cheetahs are yellow-tawny. Hm, I've always thought of tigers as basically orange, and leopards as yellowish.

Overall, an interesting little book if you're into cats, or just want to gather some facts on them. However a lot of the unknowns when this was printed are spelled out elsewhere now, and most kids would of course just look stuff up online anyway. I do really like the illustrations by Peter Warner (they look like gouache paintings). Here's some samples- ocelot:

Sand cat:

'King' cheetah:

Nevertheless, if I ever have to cull my library because of space issues, I'm afraid this one will probably go. I have other books on wild cats that are more comprehensive and more current.

Rating: 3/5            159 pages, 1969

Flight of the White Wolf

by Mel Ellis

Boy and his pet wolf go on the run after the wolf kills a valuable, pedigreed dog that was pestering it. At first he's chasing his wolf to try and catch it- even though he raised the wolf from a pup, it doesn't let him come close enough to touch. When he doesn't return after a while, people assume the wolf killed the boy, and armed hunters with dogs come after them. Now boy and wolf are fleeing in earnest- he can't stand to see the wolf killed and can't figure out how to recapture it. It's companionable enough, but won't follow back to the kennels where they lived. So they strike out north, for a forested area devoid of people where the boy has heard a wolf pack lives. He wants to introduce his wolf to the pack hoping they'll accept him and the wolf can live free in the wild.

Most of this is an adventure story, the journey through the woods trying to find shelter, food, and evade capture. More than once the boy and wolf have to face conflict for their survival- confront a dog that tracked them, kill birds or rabbits for food, get the wolf freed from a leg trap. At one point the boy resorts to stealing food, though he does manage to contact his parents (who for some reason are ok with this dangerous trek- the kid is fifteen, and apparently they have a lot of confidence in his abilities-) at one point and get supplies and food, so then he goes into small towns to buy food along the way. Lots of places are named in the book, I glanced at a map and was easily able to see the route they took. Even though the writing style didn't really appeal to me, I really liked how realistic the wolf's character was written- its modes of communication and wariness reminded me a lot of those in Julie of the Wolves. Appreciate that even though there's quite a lot of killing, it's very matter-of-fact, and made clear that it's done by necessity. I think kids -especially those who like adventure stories (such as those by Gary Paulsen) and animals would find this book more exciting than I did, though I like it well enough to look for a few more by this author. There's only one part that made me raise my eyebrows: when the boy mentions an uncle who used to give him a glass of wine before bedtime, how he missed that!

Rating: 3/5                   195 pages, 1970

A Pigeon and a Boy

by Meir Shalev

I didn't realize this when I first picked it up (at the Book Thing), but it's a love story. Two love stories actually- past and present which have an almost too tidy connection, but also confused me at first keeping straight who was who. Doesn't help that the narrator sometimes addresses his mother in second person, other times referring to her in third. Not just in the same chapter or paragraph, but often in the same sentence. This is also a war story, and pigeons have a key role, because several of the main characters work in pigeon lofts. Two of them start as young people, boy and girl in different cities, sending love notes to each other via the birds (even though they're only supposed to carry official messages). I did like the parts about the pigeons and how they are kept, the symbolism quite strong as a lot of this story is also about home. What makes a home, what holds you there, what draws you back when you've been away. And a large part is also about one character (present day) having an old house remodeled to suit his tastes exactly. Some parts were interesting and others bored me a lot and then a key event occurs which seemed so implausible (plus the pigeons start talking to people- and this is not a talking animal story- maybe they were delusional?) that I really had difficulty finishing the book at all. Well, it certainly was a romantic idea, but kind of ridiculous too. I did not like the ending. Characters did things that seemed really unlike them, made no sense, and even angered me. This one's not staying in my collection.

Rating: 2/5                  311 pages, 2007

Maverick Cats

Encounters with Feral Cats

by Ellen Perry Berkeley

The author and her husband lived in a rural area of Vermont, and soon noticed cats around their property. At one time or another they fed or closely observed six different cats, and here describe the feline characters. Some only came to eat and they left again without much interaction. One brought her kittens, which disappeared within a few days. An obviously ill black cat staggered onto their driveway, laid down and died (while the author watched from inside, considering shooting the cat to end its misery but unable to bring herself to do so). Two male cats- one that hangs around for a while then goes off to make its individual living elsewhere- they often see it at some distance in a field later on- and another which starts to act pushy towards a female cat they really admire- are prominent characters. The cat that gets the most pages is a female tortoiseshell that gradually became very friendly and eventually lived inside their house. In alternate chapters the author discusses facts about feral cats. There's several studies on feral cat populations on individual islands mentioned, how the cats do or do not affect other animal populations. Other studies on feral cat numbers in different areas of the country, how prevalent disease is among them, how old they live, etc etc are also referenced. This book was written before trap-neuter-release was really done, so other methods of control- and questioning the need for it at all- is gone over. Reports on findings inside the stomachs of feral cats are given, indicating that they don't kill many songbirds- the vast majority of their prey is rodents. It's a nice little book, but seems to have so many unknowns stated, especially in those chapters on studies that don't have any consensus- because many of them were not finished, or done extensively enough, or had different results in different areas. The main conclusion I drew was that cats are definitely survivors, they don't really need people, they are very much individuals, and thus is all the more a mystery and pleasure when they share your home. But I would have preferred more detail about the cats the author personally knew, then reading all the people she quoted. Maybe this is one of the first books to consolidate research on feral cats, but if so it's done rather casually is my opinion.

Rating: 2/5           142 pages, 1982

The Triumph of Seeds

by Thor Hanson

How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History. This book was plenty interesting. Some parts are about the minutiae of how seeds work- what kinds of energy storage different species have, what triggers growth after periods of dormancy, how they have evolved chemicals to avoid being eaten (which humans use for medicine and poison in turn) or fruits to tempt animals to disperse them (make humans in essence slaves to plants in some cases). Other parts are about the history of seeds that had huge impacts on civilizations: coffee beans, cotton, wheat, chili peppers, etc. Other sections are more personable, describing the author's own investigations into the nature of seeds, including participation of his enthusiastic three-year-old son, and his interviews with researchers who do various work dealing with seeds. Sparked a lot of interest, and prompted me to attempt to finish another heavier book simply titled Seeds which is more like a dense textbook and has been languishing on my bedside table for months on end.

Rating: 3/5             277 pages, 2015

Grow More With Less

Sustainable Gardening Methods
by Vincent A. Simeone

This book looks nice, but was a disappointment for me. It has thick, glossy paper and clear photographs, but they're often not identified so you might not know which of the plants in the text is pictured. As the material seems aimed at beginning gardeners, this felt lacking. I do appreciate the message, to use gardening methods that are environmentally friendly and cost effective: saving water, selecting plants that require less care, encouraging wildlife etc. However there wasn't much new material in here for me. It wasn't interesting until page 90 where I was looking forward to the chapters about integrated pest management and attracting wildlife, but even that felt bland. I dutifully finished the book hoping to glean something, and noticed after a while that a lot of the text is repetitive, there are quite a few typos, and the information never gets deep enough to actually be useful. For example, the charts never tell you much more than the text itself did. One section in the book says you should survey insect pests on your plants regularly and lists things to gather for the task, but then doesn't tell you how to use the items. Also, the chapter intros have a printed background of burlap texture, which makes the text annoyingly hard to read (might have worked if the font was bold for those pages). It also tends to veer slightly off-topic sometimes, into other ways you can make your home and landscape more 'green'. Not just about gardening, and I didn't learn a bunch of new ways to recycle and save in the garden like I'd hoped. So I can't recommend it, except to absolute beginners who want a nice general introduction into organic, sustainable gardening.

Rating: 2/5              192 pages, 2013

LionBoy

by Zizou Corder

This book is set in some unexplained future (oil reserves are run out, everything's electric or wind-powered but then there's an animal wandering around that sounds like a sabertooth tiger, from the description). The protagonist, Charlie is ten- though he often sounds much younger. His parents are scientists and get kidnapped, Charlie sets off to find them but is very much frightened by a local thug who appears to be chasing him. However he has a secret ability- Charlie can talk to any member of the feline family (the backstory on how this happened is both charming and rather simplistic). So with cats as allies to spy for him and bring him messages, he sets off on a hopeless-looking quest to rescue his parents. Not very far into the book he winds up with traveling circus, that's on a ship. As in, the ship is permanently decked out to house the animals and people, and give performances in a big top rigged in the center. Very elaborate and imaginative. Charlie is both awed and thrilled by the circus, and dismayed at how the lions in the act are treated- drugged to keep them calm and compliant. He makes a mad plan to help the lions escape the circus, and they in turn promise to help him find his parents again. All along, there's hints at bigger secrets looming than just his cat-communication ability which I'm sure will be explained in further books, as this is the start of a series that purports to be full of adventures.

This was fun, and the cats are just great (better characters than the lions, in my opinion). I certainly enjoyed reading it, although there are some awkward points. Lions don't purr, for example (unless in this future they've evolved to do so?) Sometimes a character in the story suddenly knows something they obviously didn't before, without an explanation, which is a tad annoying. Other times a minor character was taken out of the action for a very silly reason that made no sense. I did like that the author made some obvious points against stereotypes- Charlie himself is from a mixed-race family, and he often comes up against people make erroneous assumptions about his background, or about people of other nationalities as they travel, which he quickly points out are wrong. There's also the thoughtful contrast between Charlie's love of the circus flair and skill of the performers, and his unhappiness at how the lions are kept captive. But then there's this other storyline thread of big business and pharma going at odds against those who are actually trying to cure disease (asthma). It's a strange mesh of themes. Parts of this book reminded me of Heartsease- probably the futuristic setting and all the to-do with canals. I don't know if I quite liked it well enough to seek out the sequels on my own, but if my nine-year-old wants 'em, I'll be happy to read the rest.

I found out it's written by a mother-daughter team, Zizou Corder is their joint pen name.

Rating: 3/5           275 pages, 2003

more opinions: 

Inkweaver

Thistle Chaser

The Transgender Teen

by Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney

The authors are the founder, and the executive director of an organization called Gender Spectrum, dedicated to helping us understand gender diversity. The book has fourteen pages of detailed references from studies, reports, documentaries and interviews. Subtitle: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Teens. I'm a parent here. We are trying to be supportive but I have to be honest- it's difficult. I won't have a lot to say solid about this book because there's still many things I don't understand, and other things that are too personal to our family right now. When you're still learning about something- a very large and complicated something with a ton of pressure to get it right because your child's health and well-being is possibly at stake- it's hard to even see if the sources I have at hand are accurate or not. How can I judge the material when I don't have a lot of background information or experience with it? It took me a long time to get through this book- I read it in pieces over the past few months. Really, that should tell me something perhaps- the last book I struggled through had its own issues, which I'm kinda blind to while I'm reading. This one sounded great while I was in the pages- definitions explaining unfamiliar terminology, outlines of adolescent developmental stages, reassurances that you're not alone, explanations of the unique stressors gender diverse teens go through, ideas on how to foster resiliency and so on- but when I sit back and think about it all, I feel rather let down. Seems like it touched shallowly on many things but never gave answers to the hard questions or concrete enough details in the examples. Also quite a lot of the material is repetitive so that gets boring, frankly. I was still feeling good about it though until I start looking at other reviews on the big site that's swallowing the world, and Goodreads. Now some scrutiny throws doubts on how biased the book might be, how lacking in critical information or discussion of the negatives. I received this book from a facilitator at a parent support workshop I attended. I'm going to pass it on to another parent- and continue looking for more material to read.

Rating: 3/5               336 pages, 2016

a small splurge-

I miss the library. My kids do, too. Third-grader is bemoaning the fact that she's read all the books on her shelves and has nothing new (this is true). Well, except the Magic Treehouse series. She tried a few, didn't really care for them. So I put them up on the book swapping site I belong to, and let her pick some titles for herself. Half a dozen on the way now!

Then I decided to support an independent used bookstore, and made an online purchase. I looked for titles by some of my favorite authors that I've been wanting to try (most of which are not available at the library anyway). Did the same on the swapping site. Here's all those:

Discovered a fellow member with very similar taste in reading material. Who was offering two-for-one on the paperbacks. So I also chose a ton of unknowns, just for the heck of it. (I have lots of points on that site to use up). In the mood for juvenile fiction, so ended up with this lot, which came today:

Finally, picked these out for my kid. I might read some of them, too! She just got a new book for her birthday, so has something to read now. A family member gave her a gift card and guess what, she used it to order a book by her favorite author- however it's not out in print until July. Now she has more books while waiting for the one she really wants (seventh in the Upside-Down Magic series).

Of course, I'll always let her borrow age-appropriate books from my shelves, but she's not quite as keen on animal stories as I am . . .

Lad: a Dog

by Albert Payson Terhune

This was a favorite of mine many years ago, and it hasn't lost much by its age. I didn't realize back then, but it's based on some true stories about the author's dog, a purebred collie. I might be biased due to nostalgia, but I thought the stories really well-told, with great characters some noble and sensible, other foolish or rough around the edges. Lad the collie dog has pretty much free run of a large estate on the edge of a lake. He pays close attention to his master's commands and has his duties as guard dog, but also a sense of mischief and likes to chase squirrels. Suffers the attention visitors give him (because he's so beautiful) only because his master orders him too, attacks tresspassers without pause, and loves little children no matter how much they mishandle him. He's just an overall fantastic dog. Well, some of the stories seem rather over the top- the dog is just a bit too perfect- even when he's accused of some wrongdoing it always turns out to be a mistake- but I greatly enjoyed them regardless. Lad shows his intelligence, grit and sense of honor at every turn. Among the adventures he is taken to a dog show (and hates it), gets lost in the city and finds his way home again, saves a crippled child from a snake, rescues a puppy from drowning, rounds up a visitor's straying sheep without any training (but then doesn't know what to do with them), defends a stranger from a bull at a livestock show, and in the end (getting old) has to defend himself against other dogs on the estate who suddenly decide to overthrow his dominance.

There's more detail and complexity to these stories than you might expect, quite a few have surprising turns and are just as much about the people Lad adores and serves, as they are about the dog himself. It's really a glimpse into the past. Looking at other views on Goodreads reminded me how some of the attitudes in this book will be problematic to modern readers- especially children- the dogs often bite people ("slashed to the bone" is a common phrase), and are beaten by their loving masters to teach them. Although the author gives them limitations, they still understand more than is really possible, (though it doesn't go so far as to make them speak). The attitudes towards uneducated people, those of lower economic standing, and women, is less than stellar. Any child younger than five is referred to as a Baby. It's pretty obvious what the author's attitude about certain aspects of "modern life" in the early 1900's was! And yet, I was glad to read it again. It's that nostalgia. I'm glad I knew this book as a kid. I wonder if I'll like Terhune's other books that I never read before, as much? Going to find out at some point, I acquired several off Project Gutenburg for my e-reader.

Rating: 4/5                286 pages, 1919

more opinions: Semicolon
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Irish Red

by Jim Kjelgaard

Another re-read from my childhood. I read quite a number of Kjelgaard's books, mostly dog stories, way back in the day. This one is sequel to Big Red, I don't have a copy of that so couldn't refresh my memory, but I recalled enough that I wasn't lost trying to piece together the backstory too much.

It's about a father and son team, Ross and Danny, who live in a mountain cabin somewhere in New York. They make their living hunting and trapping for fur, also occasionally guiding visitors to fishing spots. Nearby lives a rich man with a large estate who keeps bird dogs for show and competitions. Ross and Danny have a cherished Irish setter dog named Red who, as far as I could figure out, was mated with the rich man's dog Sheilah so now Ross and Danny are raising the puppies at their cabin. They want to prove to their employer what great dogs Irish setters are. But there are new men at the kennels, who have brought English setters, claiming these as superior dogs. They put one of the Irish setters and an English setter in a impromptu field trial. The English setter wins (although Danny thinks this is an error, having seen the Irish setter point some wild birds that nobody else saw). So Danny and Ross have to admit the English dog won the contest, and they move the Irish setters down to the kennels agreeing to work with the new man and learn his methods.

The focus of the story is actually Mike, one of the Irish setter puppies. He's the runt, and appears to have the least promise, being headstrong and reckless. Runs around causing trouble, only listens to commands when he wants to. The new men don't see him as worth working with, so he's left alone. But when they show their training methods to Danny and Ross, another of the young Irish setters is beaten with a leash and Danny and Ross are furious. They believe the dogs should work for a man out of love and loyalty, not fear of punishment. They quit on the spot and move to a cabin further up the mountain with only one dog, Red. The puppy Mike escapes the kennels and goes to the original cabin, but nobody's there. He hangs around for several days and then starts roaming the woods, pointing game birds by instinct but unable to catch any. Eventually he comes across Danny's trail and finds the men at the distant cabin.

The climax of the story comes when Danny takes Mike along on a day trip to check a new area for game animals. A storm comes up and they have to survive overnight in unexpected snowfall when Danny is injured by a falling tree branch. At one point a cougar stalks them, hoping to catch and kill the dog, but Mike keeps it at bay. (Danny never finds out what the dog was barking at). The whole experience has a profound experience on the young dog, who starts paying more attention to humans, realizing they can work together for mutual benefit. In the end, Mike participates in another trial against an English setter (the rich man wanting to give them another chance) and proves himself- his knowledge gained in the forest and his independent thinking show up the other dog with its more rigid training.

Really a lot of this story is about character, especially that of the dogs, how the men saw something promising in Mike but waited for him to mature instead of forcing him into obedience when he was young and wild. Some parts of the story are told from the dog's viewpoint, and those were my favorite sections to read. I don't know how much appeal this book would have for kids nowadays- I won't actually recommend it to my nine-year-old- she'd probably be upset reading about how the men butchered a hog, shot at game birds, trapped weasels and foxes. But for the memories and the nice look at character building (in an animal), I enjoyed it myself.

Rating: 3/5          182 pages, 1951

The Adventures of Ol' Mistah Buzzard

by Thornton W. Burgess

Haven't read one of these in a long time. It was fun, an engaging little story and I actually learned something new. In Ol' Mistah Buzzard, the little animals of the Green Meadows are nervous. There's a large bird circling high overhead which they don't recognize. They do admire how he can stay aloft for ages without flapping his wings (some call this 'lazy') but fear him as a bird of prey. Turns out it is a visiting buzzard (aka turkey vulture) from 'Ole Virginny' and when the possum hears the vulture is nearby, he hurries out to welcome his friend. As soon as Unc' Billy Possum explains that Mr. Buzzard is harmless, the other animals relax. Peter Rabbit is very curious about the visitor. It's springtime and all the other birds are building nests to rear their young. Peter figures the vultures, being such large birds, must have a huge nest that's easy to find. So he goes looking for it- but is surprised when he can't find any nest evident where the vulture pair (Mrs. Buzzard having arrived at this point) are hanging around, even with obvious hints that they do have a pair of eggs. Sammy Jay helps him discover where the vultures have their nesting site, though he plays a trick on him first- as he's rather affronted that the rabbit keeps asking impertinent questions and poking his nose into matters that others want to keep secret.

So the main moral of the story is: mind your own business and respect others' privacy. Also, things aren't always what they seem. I did find it a little annoying that at the start of each chapter, the author reiterated what had occurred in the prior chapter, but as he meant these as bedtime stories for children, I bet this saved many a parent from having to remind their kid what was going on in the story. It got less prevalent further into the book. Also, the last two chapters felt tacked on, jumping suddenly from the current storyline of Peter trying to learn where the vultures nested, to Peter and a bluebird talking, wherein Peter learns another fact about how the vultures live. Felt like it was just a way for the author to add another snippet of info. I didn't mind too much.

As you can tell by the publication date, this story is dated and it shows in the language. While most of the animals speak "regular English" (as my kid would say), the vulture visiting from 'Down South' has a heavy drawl which is kind of cringe-worthy. I was able to take it in stride, even find a bit of humor in it, but there are newer editions where I think some of that language has been modernized- see the cover image depicted for example.

Rating: 3/5             192 pages, 1919

The Cartoonist

by Betsy Byars

A re-read from my childhood. It's about a boy named Alfie who likes to draw, especially cartoons. He's proud of his work and daydreams about becoming famous, but mostly keeps the drawings secret, working in a private attic space in his small home. Shared with his mother, older sister and grandfather, this house sounds really tiny. Alfie learns suddenly one day that his married brother lost his job and might come back home with his wife, to stay in the attic. His mother, indifferent to Alfie's need for private space, has big plans to spruce up the attic for them. Alfie protests, and when no one listens, locks himself in the attic and refuses to come out.

I had remembered vividly a lot of the details about Alfie's drawing- how he gets caught in class drawing instead of doing his math, how he imagines ideas and reworks them on paper- frustrated sometimes when they don't come out right. I had forgotten how much of the story is about Alfie's family dynamics- the older sister seems the most sympathetic and responsible, the mother feels overworked and exasperated by the grandfather, who bemoans his feelings of uselessness and tells the same stories over and over again. The family spends a lot of time arguing or sitting in front of the television- all the programs sound really inane and annoying- no wonder Alfie preferred to spend time alone attic- but it really makes me wonder if the author had something against tv viewing. I guess this is on my mind because my nine-year-old has been reading Roald Dahl's Matilda with her class, which also has a dysfunctional family with the parents really enamored of their television.

SPOILER In case you're wondering, Alfie does finally come down from the attic, not because of his mother's threats, his grandfather's cajoling, his best friend's attempts to get him to join activities, or his sister's expressions of understanding. For another reason entirely that erased the conflict. The sad thing is that the whole experience made Alfie realize he was avoiding things by spending so much time in the attic with his daydreams and his cartoons, and he made a motion to change that. It isn't clear at the ending if he stopped drawing altogether, but it did seem like his attitude towards his artwork had changed.

Rating: 3/5         119 pages, 1978

Talking to Strangers

by Malcolm Gladwell

I finished a book. I didn't really like it, so am having a hard time thinking what to say. The subtitle: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know. Which seems to be, in a nutshell: you'll never be able to judge strangers accurately. You will misread their facial expressions, truthfulness and intentions more than half the time. This book has lots of examples from famous court cases, encounters with police gone badly wrong, incidents of sexual assault and pedophilia, meetings between enemy leaders of countries, high ranking FBI agents who were duped by spies for years and so on. All about how people who are trained to pick out the lies and find the wrongdoers are so very often wrong. There's a part about studies that show how deprivation and torture makes prisoners very bad about providing information- it affects the brain, the memory- so the info they do give is probably inaccurate. So why do people keep getting tortured in order to extract information? There's another section all about suicides- in particular with details on Sylvia Plath- which I found educational to read in one sense, and very upsetting in another. The takeaway seems to be: as a human race we're bad at judging people we don't know. We guess wrong. So stop trying? It doesn't really give any suggestions on that. Only that we shouldn't be too harsh on people who were taken in by strangers or misled, because it's so very easy to fall prey. I found the implications depressing honestly. There's a lot more, but I don't really feel like thumbing through the book to remind myself of them right now. Check out Goodreads, or some of the links below. Lots of different opinions on this one.

Borrowed from my sister.

Rating: 2/5            386 pages, 2019

more opinions:
Book'd Out
Rhapsody in Books Weblog
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shelf glimpse

A peek at one of my TBR shelves, although the focus when I took the photo was a plant (this was on my garden blog).

Some time ago I rearranged all my TBR shelves (there's twelve now, with three additional stacks on the floor). Mostly by subject- so if I was in the mood for fiction, fantasy, a memoir or natural history, it would be easy to find something. But I also shelved all the books I've heard about from other bloggers, and those already on my written TBR from other sources, together. Figured it would give me some motivation to read ones I can cross off an actual list. This selection comprises four shelves out of the twelve. Sadly, I keep looking at them but have not felt like picking any up yet. Still working my way through stacks of Audubon and Defenders of Wildlife. Tried to read more of Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell last night, made it through only three pages.