She Had No Choice is a family drama which originates in Sonora, Mexico. The year is 1918 during the Spanish influenza epidemic. The Ramirez family has already lost four children due to the outbreak. Juanita and Emilio make the decision to give up the land and home they own in Mexico and flee to Arizona to save their family.
Once in Arizona, the family is free from the flu epidemic; however, life is far from easy. Work is hard to get for migrant farm workers and the family suffers. Juanita dies and Emilio is left with his sons and two daughters. He sends one of his daughters, Sophia, to live with his sister, Consuela, in Phoenix. He thinks she will have a better life. For six years Sophia works as a servant girl for her Tia and the abuse only ends with Tia Consuela’s death.
Sophia makes poor decisions regarding men. She ends up alone and pregnant with her first daughter, Eva. Her second relationship she is a victim of domestic abuse from Carlos, who continually beats and abuses her and her children for 25 years. She has a child almost every other year and her life is a living hell.
Eva’s life is not going as expected. She is abandoned with two children. She is determined to rise above her adversities while trying to help her mother escape abuse from Carlos.
Does Eva succeed? Does Sophia have any part in the plan? Does either woman find real love?
Burroughs writes with such intensity and you feel what each character is going through on each and every page. She states the book is inspired by a series of true stories. I feel this enhances the reader’s expectations.
The story ends in 1960 and I am hoping for a sequel! Sophia and Eva, along with their families, have come a long way since 1918. I want to follow their lives and I have no doubt all readers who enjoy She Had No Choice will agree.
Book Review by Mary Crocco
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The Dig: Zoe and Zeus by Audrey Hart
Greek Mythology has never been more entertaining than in Audrey Hart’s novel, The Dig: Zoe and Zeus. Hart integrates values and morals for the young adult readers while taking all her readers on a journey back in time, 3,000 years to be exact. The year is 1000 BC, and the place is Crete, an island in Greece.
Zoe is a 17-year-old teenager who attends Greeley Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut. She is a loner with a laissez-faire attitude about her appearance, such as her cowlick and her smile. She doesn’t like groups and she feels like an outcast most of the time. She has trust issues, but she does have a best friend, CeeCee, who has a different way of seeing and doing things, especially when it comes to boys, but nevertheless they are best friends.
Zoe lost her parents when she was 12 years old and her Aunt Sophia and Uncle Alex look out for her. She loves them both very much. Aunt Sophia and Uncle Alex wait for Zoe to arrive in Greece for her seventh annual archaeological dig. Being the loner that she he is, Zoe is looking forward to being alone and doing what she loves best, getting down and dirty in a dig.
But this is not the archaeological dig Zoe expected. She ends up traveling through time to the year 1000 BC, where she is a goddess who possesses magical powers. She meets all the other Greek gods, goddesses, nymphs and more in the Kocaba forest. Now keep in mind, Zoe doesn’t like Greek mythology. She thinks the gods are unlikable, impulsive, and egotistical. Then she meets Zeus, who ends up . . . well; you must read the book to find out!
There are outstanding subliminal messages hidden in The Dig: Zoe and Zeus. They address friendship, trust, self-esteem, bullying, and love, just to name a few. Hart integrates academic lessons learned in school that students believe have no relevance. She introduces new vocabulary and endless metaphors to enjoy. She uses current TV shows and pop culture to keep the young reader interested.
I recommend The Dig: Zoe and Zeus for readers of all ages. Young adults will truly enjoy this adventure while secretly learning life lessons. Adults will appreciate the humor Audrey Hart sneaks in just for us, such as the reference to the Three Stooges!
I look forward to the second book in this trilogy!
Book Review by Mary Crocco
Mrcrocco.wordpress.com
Zoe is a 17-year-old teenager who attends Greeley Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut. She is a loner with a laissez-faire attitude about her appearance, such as her cowlick and her smile. She doesn’t like groups and she feels like an outcast most of the time. She has trust issues, but she does have a best friend, CeeCee, who has a different way of seeing and doing things, especially when it comes to boys, but nevertheless they are best friends.
Zoe lost her parents when she was 12 years old and her Aunt Sophia and Uncle Alex look out for her. She loves them both very much. Aunt Sophia and Uncle Alex wait for Zoe to arrive in Greece for her seventh annual archaeological dig. Being the loner that she he is, Zoe is looking forward to being alone and doing what she loves best, getting down and dirty in a dig.
But this is not the archaeological dig Zoe expected. She ends up traveling through time to the year 1000 BC, where she is a goddess who possesses magical powers. She meets all the other Greek gods, goddesses, nymphs and more in the Kocaba forest. Now keep in mind, Zoe doesn’t like Greek mythology. She thinks the gods are unlikable, impulsive, and egotistical. Then she meets Zeus, who ends up . . . well; you must read the book to find out!
There are outstanding subliminal messages hidden in The Dig: Zoe and Zeus. They address friendship, trust, self-esteem, bullying, and love, just to name a few. Hart integrates academic lessons learned in school that students believe have no relevance. She introduces new vocabulary and endless metaphors to enjoy. She uses current TV shows and pop culture to keep the young reader interested.
I recommend The Dig: Zoe and Zeus for readers of all ages. Young adults will truly enjoy this adventure while secretly learning life lessons. Adults will appreciate the humor Audrey Hart sneaks in just for us, such as the reference to the Three Stooges!
I look forward to the second book in this trilogy!
Book Review by Mary Crocco
Mrcrocco.wordpress.com
Sunday, October 9, 2011
J.R.R. Tolkien by Mark Horne
This is a short biography of John Ronal Reuel Tolkien. He was born in 1892. He was an English writer, poet, philologist, (lover of learning and literature) and university professor. Horne wants his readers to know Tolkien’s Christian faith impacted his writing.
Born in South Africa he and his mother moved to England after the loss of his father. The beautiful landscape of England and his mother’s Christian influence shaped his writing style. He lost his mother when he was 12 years old, but he credited his love of language to her as she taught him Latin and French. He also learned Greek and Finnish in school.
Tolkien lived through WWI and WWII spending a short amount of time in a war zone. Even though the time was short, it also influenced his writing.
Tolkien became an English professor at Leeds, where he met and befriended C.S. Lewis. Lewis complimented Tolkien on his book The Fellowship of the Ring after reading the manuscript.
In this short biography, Horne wants his readers to know that J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing not only entertains but could challenge and inspire his readers.
Tolkien died in 1973. He is best known for the classic fantasy books, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings.
Born in South Africa he and his mother moved to England after the loss of his father. The beautiful landscape of England and his mother’s Christian influence shaped his writing style. He lost his mother when he was 12 years old, but he credited his love of language to her as she taught him Latin and French. He also learned Greek and Finnish in school.
Tolkien lived through WWI and WWII spending a short amount of time in a war zone. Even though the time was short, it also influenced his writing.
Tolkien became an English professor at Leeds, where he met and befriended C.S. Lewis. Lewis complimented Tolkien on his book The Fellowship of the Ring after reading the manuscript.
In this short biography, Horne wants his readers to know that J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing not only entertains but could challenge and inspire his readers.
Tolkien died in 1973. He is best known for the classic fantasy books, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
When I read Hemingway’s first paragraph in his story, A False Spring, I was captivated: “When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” These words epitomized young Hemingway’s harsh life in Paris.
In his story, The End of an Avocation, there is a paragraph where Hemingway described his feelings when he stopped working on horse races: “When I stopped working on the races I was glad but it left an emptiness. By then I knew that everything good and bad left an emptiness when it stopped. But if it was bad, the emptiness filled up by itself. If it was good you could only fill it by finding something better. I put the racing capital back into the general funds and I felt relaxed and good.” These words expressed a complicated time in young Hemingway’s life in Paris.
In the story, Hunger was a Good Discipline; Hemingway is a starving artist, literally. He shared his feelings: “I had not been worrying, I thought. I knew the stories were good and someone would publish them finally at home. When I stopped doing newspaper work I was sure the stories were going to be published. It is necessary to handle yourself better when you have to cut down on food so you will not get too much hunger-thinking. Hunger is a good discipline and you learn from it.” These words represented the reality in young Hemingway’s life in Paris.
During the tumultuous 1920’s, Hemingway struggled as a writer. In A Moveable Feast, he vividly tells his stories and describes his grueling daily routine walking the streets of Paris to settle into a café in his effort to become a successful writer. He wanted to be recognized and praised in the literary world.
Hemingway writes with his direct style about his eccentric friendships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. These relationships and conversations are priceless. His wife and son are mentioned, but Hemingway’s purpose is to recollect his memories as a struggling writer.
The stories in A Moveable Feast are worth reflecting upon as they are thought provoking and real. I will end with the story Scott Fitzgerald where Hemingway says, “I was getting tired of the literary life, if this was the literary life that I was leading, and already I missed not working and I felt the death loneliness that comes at the end of every day that is wasted in your life.”
Hemingway began writing A Moveable Feast when he was fifty-eight years old. It was published posthumously in 1964. He committed suicide at the age of sixty-two.
In his story, The End of an Avocation, there is a paragraph where Hemingway described his feelings when he stopped working on horse races: “When I stopped working on the races I was glad but it left an emptiness. By then I knew that everything good and bad left an emptiness when it stopped. But if it was bad, the emptiness filled up by itself. If it was good you could only fill it by finding something better. I put the racing capital back into the general funds and I felt relaxed and good.” These words expressed a complicated time in young Hemingway’s life in Paris.
In the story, Hunger was a Good Discipline; Hemingway is a starving artist, literally. He shared his feelings: “I had not been worrying, I thought. I knew the stories were good and someone would publish them finally at home. When I stopped doing newspaper work I was sure the stories were going to be published. It is necessary to handle yourself better when you have to cut down on food so you will not get too much hunger-thinking. Hunger is a good discipline and you learn from it.” These words represented the reality in young Hemingway’s life in Paris.
During the tumultuous 1920’s, Hemingway struggled as a writer. In A Moveable Feast, he vividly tells his stories and describes his grueling daily routine walking the streets of Paris to settle into a café in his effort to become a successful writer. He wanted to be recognized and praised in the literary world.
Hemingway writes with his direct style about his eccentric friendships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. These relationships and conversations are priceless. His wife and son are mentioned, but Hemingway’s purpose is to recollect his memories as a struggling writer.
The stories in A Moveable Feast are worth reflecting upon as they are thought provoking and real. I will end with the story Scott Fitzgerald where Hemingway says, “I was getting tired of the literary life, if this was the literary life that I was leading, and already I missed not working and I felt the death loneliness that comes at the end of every day that is wasted in your life.”
Hemingway began writing A Moveable Feast when he was fifty-eight years old. It was published posthumously in 1964. He committed suicide at the age of sixty-two.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
Is Turn of Mind a murder mystery or a 1st person narrative of an orthopedic surgeon living with Alzheimer’s/Dementia? Alice LaPlante has combined the two for an extraordinary read inside the deteriorating mind of Dr. Jennifer White.
Dr. White is a 64 year old hand surgeon who becomes the prime suspect in her best friend, Amanda’s, murder. Reason being, four of her fingers are surgically removed from her hand.
Realizing this book is indeed a novel, I thought it was a fascinating way to enter the confused mind of a person suffering from this horrid disease. LaPlante’s use of a murder mystery for readers to experience this journey is genius.
Dr. White has two children, a son and a daughter, whose characters highlight the family dynamics brilliantly. It is another malfunctioning family, true, but LaPlante’s characterization of the family, friends, even the caretaker, make the difficult subject matter an outstanding read.
One who has a medical background may have some issues with facts, no doubt, but to the naked eye, Turn of Mind is a book of interest which leaves the reader feeling compassion for anyone suffering from Alzheimer’s/Dementia disease.
I recommend this book for mystery lovers as well as readers curious about Alzheimer’s or Dementia. My favorite books are written in first person, and I was not disappointed. For a first novel, you knocked it out of the park Alice LaPlante!
Dr. White is a 64 year old hand surgeon who becomes the prime suspect in her best friend, Amanda’s, murder. Reason being, four of her fingers are surgically removed from her hand.
Realizing this book is indeed a novel, I thought it was a fascinating way to enter the confused mind of a person suffering from this horrid disease. LaPlante’s use of a murder mystery for readers to experience this journey is genius.
Dr. White has two children, a son and a daughter, whose characters highlight the family dynamics brilliantly. It is another malfunctioning family, true, but LaPlante’s characterization of the family, friends, even the caretaker, make the difficult subject matter an outstanding read.
One who has a medical background may have some issues with facts, no doubt, but to the naked eye, Turn of Mind is a book of interest which leaves the reader feeling compassion for anyone suffering from Alzheimer’s/Dementia disease.
I recommend this book for mystery lovers as well as readers curious about Alzheimer’s or Dementia. My favorite books are written in first person, and I was not disappointed. For a first novel, you knocked it out of the park Alice LaPlante!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Bill Moyers Journal, The Conversation Continues
Bill Moyers was a guest on Tavis Smiley recently. It was great to visit with Bill as I miss his PBS show, Bill Moyers Journal. His last show was in April/May 2010. His book, The Conversation Continues, brought back memories.
On TV, I thoroughly enjoyed Bill’s engaging conversations about current events. He spoke with authors, poets, artists, scholars, political figures, and diverse activists, to name a few. My favorite conversations were with writers. He not only asked profound questions, but he invited his audience inside the author’s homes where we witnessed their idiosyncrasies. What fun!
When Tavis interviewed Bill on his show to promote his new book, I relived the conversations from TV. If you have never seen Bill’s show, you will enjoy this book. The written conversations will allow you to feel like you are viewing the TV show from the comfort of your living room.
The book begins with an introduction conversation with Jon Stewart. I understood completely why Bill chose Jon to introduce his book. See if you agree when you read it. Altogether, there are 47 conversations in the book. As I read them, I recalled the conversations on TV. I remembered that some made such an impression on me that I purchased the books immediately after watching the show. For example, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot wrote a book called, The Third Chapter. She talked about her book in such detail that when I purchased the book, I was very disappointed. There was nothing knew, she said it all to Bill!
Another book I purchased was John Lithgow’s, The Poets’ Corner. John was so inspiring talking to Bill about specific poems that I knew I had to own the entire book. I also purchased the CD collection of the poems. These are not John’s poems, they are a collection of poems, or as John puts it, The One-And-Only Poetry Book For The Whole Family. On the CD the poems are read by John and very special guests, some I recognized, some I did not.
I purchased Susan Jacoby’s book, The Age of American Unreason. I had to purchase this book because I needed words on a page to help me understand the words she said to Bill!
I recommend this book, Bill Moyers Journal, The Conversation Continues, to readers of all ages. There is a conversation in it for everyone. Bill Moyer is an extraordinary journalist. It’s always nice to have a picture to go with a conversation and Bill includes this feature for each of his conversations. Enjoy!
On TV, I thoroughly enjoyed Bill’s engaging conversations about current events. He spoke with authors, poets, artists, scholars, political figures, and diverse activists, to name a few. My favorite conversations were with writers. He not only asked profound questions, but he invited his audience inside the author’s homes where we witnessed their idiosyncrasies. What fun!
When Tavis interviewed Bill on his show to promote his new book, I relived the conversations from TV. If you have never seen Bill’s show, you will enjoy this book. The written conversations will allow you to feel like you are viewing the TV show from the comfort of your living room.
The book begins with an introduction conversation with Jon Stewart. I understood completely why Bill chose Jon to introduce his book. See if you agree when you read it. Altogether, there are 47 conversations in the book. As I read them, I recalled the conversations on TV. I remembered that some made such an impression on me that I purchased the books immediately after watching the show. For example, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot wrote a book called, The Third Chapter. She talked about her book in such detail that when I purchased the book, I was very disappointed. There was nothing knew, she said it all to Bill!
Another book I purchased was John Lithgow’s, The Poets’ Corner. John was so inspiring talking to Bill about specific poems that I knew I had to own the entire book. I also purchased the CD collection of the poems. These are not John’s poems, they are a collection of poems, or as John puts it, The One-And-Only Poetry Book For The Whole Family. On the CD the poems are read by John and very special guests, some I recognized, some I did not.
I purchased Susan Jacoby’s book, The Age of American Unreason. I had to purchase this book because I needed words on a page to help me understand the words she said to Bill!
I recommend this book, Bill Moyers Journal, The Conversation Continues, to readers of all ages. There is a conversation in it for everyone. Bill Moyer is an extraordinary journalist. It’s always nice to have a picture to go with a conversation and Bill includes this feature for each of his conversations. Enjoy!
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