Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog

Re-read 18 years later

I met, Mary Crow Dog, in 1994, at her book signing, in Phoenix, Arizona. I was impressed that Mary took the time to not only sign my book, but she wrote a note and drew a picture. Richard Erdoes accompanied Mary, and he also signed his name under Mary’s.

When I read Lakota Woman in 1994, I enjoyed what I learned about the Lakota Sioux Nation’s people, customs, and history. Re-reading the book in 2012, I read for a different purpose. I’m writing a historical novel, and need to validate any facts I might include in my book.

Lakota Woman is just as fascinating a read in 1994 as it was today. Mary grew up as a Lakota Sioux on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Much like today, Pine Ridge was poverty stricken. Mary described her life, but she included other American Indians in her book.

She was raised in a one room shack, filled with many family members, with no amenities, much like camping. She described the daily life of Sioux women, and Sioux men, differentiating their roles. Ignorance was bliss for Mary, as she thought this was how everyone lived.  She viewed her childhood as happy because she basically had love in her family.  Domestic abuse was rampant in reservations, and there were dysfunctional families, as we call them today.

Indian children were sent to boarding school to ‘become white’, to shed their Indian ways and customs. The students were beaten and punished if they didn’t succeed in the daily attempts to change their traditional values. Mary left and became a street smart Sioux, she drank and shoplifted to survive.

As every teenager looked for something to be a part of, Mary joined the AIM (American Indian Movement). She was empathetic to her people and other Indian’s struggles and was hungry for knowledge. Mary shared the AIM events with her readers. Not all of it is pretty, by any means, but that is what is so fascinating. It’s a first-hand account of what American Indians suffered in the 1970’s.

Mary had a baby during the siege at Wounded Knee. Here she met her husband, Leonard Crow Dog; he was a medicine man and a leader, and also had children of his own. She was a naïve wife and mother, but she learned how to do both well and stood by her husband during his imprisonment and adversities during these tumultuous times.

The book includes sixteen photos that illustrate traditional customs, and put faces to names and places. Whether you read Lakota Woman to learn about the Lakota Sioux in general, or to obtain precise facts for your own research, it is the perfect book.

It is written on a young adult level, so it’s an easy read that any age would enjoy. It’s always fun to learn history through reading a story such as Lakota Woman vs. a textbook.

Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi

Values to Treasure

Her mother, an on the run criminal, her father, in and out of jail, Berdie Kaminski, finds herself on her own, at the age of sixteen. The only way she knows how to survive is to use her skills as a petty thief.

Berdie is aware of a treasure hidden in Liberty, Ohio, since the Civil War. She has a clue from her ancestors that will guarantee she finds the treasure – rubies. Being a thief, Berdie travels to Liberty to steal the treasure.

Lacking formal education, but possessing street smarts, Berdie can handle herself well. Because of her upbringing, she has trust issues, to say the least. Initially, she is guarded with everyone she meets in Liberty. But after living and working there, while searching for the clue that would change her life, she starts to warm up to the town and its people.

Berdie thinks maybe there is hope for her and she can change her ways. Deep inside, she wants to be a respectable person, and relinquish her life of crime. While searching, she discovers information about a freedwoman, named Justice Postell, and Berdie considers her a role model. Postell gives her hope to change her criminal ways.

Treasure Me has the most remarkable characters. The women who work at The Second Chance Grill are eccentric and fun. Christine Nolfi develops each character to relate to Birdie in their own way, making it a pleasure to enjoy the individuality of the characters.

Birdie has a love interest, which she struggles with because of her past, and Hugh is a very complicated man. It’s great fun to follow their relationship.

Treasure Me is an easy read as it flows smoothly from beginning to end. The characters are memorable, especially Theodora, whose character has an unpredictable twist at the end!

What does the title, Treasure Me, signify?  Does Berdie find the rubies and change her life? Does she leave Liberty? Does she learn the value of true friendship and family?

I recommend readers of all ages, who enjoy mysteries, and a bit of romance, to read, Treasure Me, by Christine Nolfi.

Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat

A history lesson of the French Revolution

The reader will experience The French Revolution, in 1789, reading this historical novel, Spirit of Lost Angels.  The journey started and ended with the life of the protagonist, Victoire Charpentie, a lowly peasant girl, from Lucie-sur-Vionne, France.

Dire circumstances dictated that Victoire leave her home of Lucie to become a scullery maid for a Paris, France nobleman. Her boss was anything but noble, and Victoire suffered at his filthy hands. Realizing the nobles took advantage of all lower class people, Victoire vowed to change this injustice.

More unfortunate dire circumstances placed Victoire in an asylum. It is here she met her match for obtaining justice. The two women were a force to be reckoned with. Her new partner in crime taught her the aristocratic ways of a woman, so she could be successful when they parted.

Victoire was a fast learner, and applied her new life skills to benefit her during the revolution, to overthrow laws regarding the treatment of common citizens, and women, in particular. She wanted revenge desperately for the nobleman’s class.

Whenever I have read a well written, well researched, historical novel, I’m amazed at the amount of history I have learned from reading a book. Liza Perrat captivated me with quite a history lesson of the French Revolution.

Well-developed characters kept my interest throughout the entire book. I could visualize each character in the beautifully written settings, pleasant or otherwise, revealed before me in, Spirit of Lost Angels. Combined with the hell of the era, Liza Perrat managed to teach lessons of love, hope, and adversity.

I recommend, Spirit of Lost Angels, by Liza Perrat, to readers of all ages. It’s an extraordinary way to learn about France in the 1700’s.

Popular Television by A. Jarrell Hayes

The Dark Side

Seventeen diverse short stories are compiled in this 138 page book. Hayes includes all the genres in his collection, from humor to horror.

The title refers to the fact that the stories are not suitable for TV. Too violent and upsetting to visualize, for the most part, yet digestible through words, is Popular Television.

I recommend Popular Television by A. Jarrell Hayes for readers who enjoy the dark side of humanity.

An Illegal President by Pat Lawrence

Whom can you trust?

Talk about a page turner, I read the book from cover to cover without putting it down. Great political suspense!

A United States Congressman, Paul Garrett, is kidnapped. Unfortunately he had his two children with him, which made the sinister plan become complicated.

A conspiracy lurked behind the kidnapping, offering Garrett the nomination for President of the U.S. He thought he had a chance to beat an incumbent President and be the most powerful man in the country, maybe the world.

His wife, Wendy, hated politics, and his children, Jack and Denise, are put through hell. Garrett learned a difficult lesson about trust during his near run for president. All these factors weighed in on Garrett’s decisions and how he would live his life.

Pat Lawrence’s writing style kept me captivated on every page. I recommend, An Illegal President, to readers of any age.

Into the light (The Portal) by Luke Meier with Joe Meier

A clever, sci-fi story, written by an eight year old boy! Way to go Luke! 

 

Into the light, is a story about a boy named Leo, and his dog, Bucky. Leo thought it would be okay, just for a minute, to look for Bucky’s short red leash, in his Dad’s forbidden basement. Bucky enters a portal he found, and Leo soon followed, only to end up in another universe.

Lots of adventures occurred in their quest to get back home. Don’t miss any of the action packed suspense, in Luke Meier’s, forty-eight page debut novel, Into the light (The Portal).

Changing the Future by Paula Martin

Happily Ever After

Changing the Future was a very nice romance novel. It was a love story with down to earth characters. When Lisa and Paul’s relationship ended, it wasn’t a bed of roses for either of them. Miscommunication and trust issues broke them apart.  Five years flew by when they unexpectedly ran in to each other at Lisa’s college where she worked as a professor.

Old feelings surfaced and conflicts arose. They both felt guilty about how things ended. Lisa kept an unforgivable secret from Paul, and Paul harbored unjustifiable feelings of jealousy towards a male friend of Lisa’s.

Toward the middle of the story it became repetitive. Conflict lagged at this point and I thought it wouldn’t redeem itself. But it came back to life with Paul’s close call and it ended happily ever after.

Changing the Future was predictable, which is always a disappointment, no matter what the genre.

Paula Martin wrote beautifully written dialogue, and her characters were well developed. Lisa’s son was a bit too perfect; especially with the curve ball he was thrown. But he was as lovable as Paula’s other characters.