Archive for the ‘Simon & Schuster’ Tag
Josie Fair meets Alix Summer on the night of their 45th birthday; they were born the same day, the same year in the same hospital.
In None of This is True, Lisa Jewell has crafted a dark thriller difficult to put down.
Alix is a popular podcaster and Josie leads a seemingly quiet, unassuming life. That is, until she convinces Alix to feature her as the subject of a podcast. As Josie shares her life story: meeting her husband, Walter when in her early teens. Despite the 27-year age difference, they marry and have two daughters who are now grown. One ran away from home when she was 16; the other stays closeted in her bedroom playing video games.
Alix is the mother of two school-age children and married to a successful businessman. They’re experiencing some rough spots, but she’s confident they will pass.
Chapters are identified by date beginning June 8, 2019, continuing to March 2022 – with a few gaps of weeks and months. Also interspersed in most chapters are the texts from the interviews Alix conducted with Josie and descriptions of a “Netflix Original Series” based on the interviews, and more, entitled “Hi! I’m your Birthday Twin.”
It’s evident early there’s something unsettling about Josie. It’s not just the story of meeting her husband at such a young age, there are also glimpses of odd, disconcerting behavior. Still, Alix is intrigued and ready for a new project.
As the narrative progresses, it’s difficult not to question who’s genuine.
None of This is True
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2023
370 pages
Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo is the account of the enterprising quest for freedom by Ellen and William Craft. They left slavery in the south, became celebrities in the north and ultimately found freedom in England.
What sets their story apart is the manner in which they executed their getaway: Ellen dressed as a man accompanied by her slave, William, traveled by train and boat to free states. It helped that she was fair-skinned and her disguise allowed her to appear sickly; thus in need of William’s assistance.
Woo sets the scene for their daring escape by describing the lives they left behind, including patrimonies and their roles: Ellen as the property of wealthy landowners and William in bondage as a cabinet maker. Their fear of being caught is palpable, yet with each receding mile, glimmers of hope surface.
Once in the north, first Philadelphia and later Boston, they are revered and celebrated for their bold exodus. Here, however, is where the narrative loses steam. Woo mentions abolitionist after abolitionist, from Frederick Douglass to William Wells Bell, among numerous others. She also names the many individuals who harbored the Crafts. Despite their assistance, the threat of being caught and returned to the South never diminishes.
Realizing they’ll always be at risk, they continue their journey northward to Canada and finally, Halifax, where they board a ship bound for England.
Woo’s research is extensive and the Crafts’ story is an important one. However, there’s an abundance of unnecessary detail.
Master Slave Husband Wife
Three-and-a-half Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2023
420 pages, includes Notes on Sources, Notes and Index
Louise Penny is well-known for her Inspector Gamache mystery series, and, of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is, well known. Period. The appeal is that they teamed up to write State of Terror, a thriller that blends Rodham Clinton’s knowledge of politics and international relations with Penny’s skill of setting a fast-paced, engaging and intriguing narrative.
Ellen Adams is the new president’s Secretary of State. She and he are long-time rivals, so Ellen is certain she’s been set up to fail. Shortly after her appointment to the post, a series of terrorist attacks around the world occur. To further complicate the situation, her estranged son, a journalist, may somehow be involved.
As Ellen works to determine the source of the attacks, it becomes clear to her that previous administrations may have had a hand in the current chaotic, and dangerous, situation she faces. Dealing with the aftermath of the bombs, her son and a possible conspiracy put her in an unenviable position.
An element of intrigue practically lingers on every page. In true Louise Penny style, solving the crime isn’t the only aspect of the plot. Friendships and familial relationships are just as critical to the storyline as those involved in the transgressions under investigation.
State of Terror Four Bookmarks Simon & Schuster, 2021 494 pages, includes acknowledgements
Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg is subtitled A Memoir on the Power of Friendships, which could be changed to A Memoir on Power Friendships.
Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent for NPR, first met Ruth Bader Ginsberg long before either had established their careers. As their stars rose, their relationship flourished. Yet, RBG’s isn’t the only name Totenberg drops recounting dinner parties and other social events.
Friendships with her NPR colleagues, in particular Susan Sontag and Cokie Roberts, have been previously celebrated in another memoir. Additionally, Totenberg counts several former Supreme Court justices, reporters, her sisters and many others among her friends.
Certainly, the most engaging narratives are those regarding RBG. Totenberg refers to her intelligence, kindness, quiet nature and love for her husband Martin who died in 2010. Earlier, Totenberg’s first husband died after a long illness. Both women provided support and comfort to the other. When the journalist remarried, the justice officiated.
Totenberg briefly shares her family background and her entrée into journalism: first in print media and later among the first of NPR’s staff. She remains a contributing journalist and has received numerous accolades for her work.
Each of the 17 chapter names includes the word friend or friendship. From love to fame, from hardships to lost, aspects of various significant connections significant in Totenberg’s life are recounted. Not only does the reader learn more about the author, but an added benefit is the opportunity to reflect on the importance, and variety, of friends in one’s own life.
Dinners With Ruth
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2022
304 pages, includes notes, acknowledgements and index
When considering what I know about mothering, I must thank my mother first and foremost. I may not be the stellar student, but she is the exceptional teacher. With this in mind, I found Jessamine Chan’s ironically-titled The School for Good Mothers heart-wrenching. Chan’s writing evokes a range of emotions related to the subject of child rearing, neglect and relationships. The reader is left with much to consider.
Many women have neither strong role models, nor good maternal instincts. Both are true for Frida, mother of a toddler, whose limits are tested thanks to a lack of sleep, her job and the recent separation from her husband and his relationship with a younger woman.
One day, Frida leaves her young daughter, Harriet, home alone to run an errand. Frida is gone for two hours.
Of course, this is irresponsible and unforgivable. However, what evolves is also unacceptable. Frida is subjected to 24-hour surveillance and limited supervised visits with Harriet.
The only way for Frida to be reunited with Harriet is to undergo a year-long program designed to teach her, and other mothers, to be a better parent. Here’s where things go off the rails. Some of the women’s infractions are horrendous, others accidental. The mothers are incarcerated and given robotic dolls on which to hone their skills. The staff is unsympathetic and the parenting courses are often unreasonable (ie., speaking “motherese”).
Chan’s characters are vividly portrayed. Their losses are palpable. Child abandonment warrants repercussion, but not through draconian means.
The School for Good Mothers
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2022
324 pages
I recently discovered the unexpected pleasure of Carol Anshaw’s Carry the One, which had been buried in my nightstand stack. (The unforeseen is or should be, after all, one of the joys of picking up a new book.)
Through richly developed characters, smooth transitions of the progression of time and several relatable subthemes, Anshaw has crafted a meaningful story about the impact of tragedy – even when there are degrees of separation from it.
Soon after Carmen’s wedding reception, five guests including her siblings Alice and Nick and their partners Maude and Olivia, who are all on drugs or drunk, are involved in an accident. On a dark, deserted road their car runs over a young girl.
Each passenger, as well as the wedding couple, deal with the accident in different ways. Olivia, who was driving is sent to prison where she undergoes a dramatic personality change. Alice immerses herself in her art by painting portraits of the deceased girl as she would have grown up. Carmen, who was not in the car, engages in community activism; and Nick, who is overwhelmed with guilt, tries to overcome his addictions in order to be the man Olivia insists he become.
Their success in their respective endeavors varies as time passes. This progression is smooth. It’s subtly indicated through someone’s birthday, a current event and the age of a beloved dog – among other observations.
Anshaw incorporates wry humor in this engaging, relevant narrative while portraying vivid emotional pain through familial and romantic love.
Carry the One
Four+ Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2012
253 pages
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney has been on my nightstand for years; I’ve lost track of how many. I’m sorry I didn’t read it sooner.
The author evokes the loneliness and bitter cold of Canada’s Northern Territory in the late 1860s. Alternating between the first person voice of Mrs. Ross and that of an omniscient narrator, the scene is set to unravel the mystery behind the brutal murder of a French trapper found in his cabin. Mrs. Ross is the first to discover the body and the first to wonder about the absence of her teenage son, Francis.
The small settlement, rich with gossip, lacks law enforcement, which results in the arrival of Hudson’s Bay Company representatives to investigate. An assortment of characters, from refined gentry to trappers and Indians, among others, figure into the story.
Family histories (and secrets), personal backgrounds, Native American relations with settlers, the stark landscape and unconditional love are given equal weight throughout the narrative. Although Mrs. Ross is the character with whom the reader becomes most familiar, her first name is never revealed. She does not believe Francis is capable of murder, and she has little faith that those searching for him will give him the benefit of innocent until proven guilty.
Thus, she sets out on her own search with the help of William Parker, a half-breed previously held custody on suspicion of his role in the murder.
Doubt and faith vie as the prominent sentiments in this fast-paced whodunit adventure.
The Tenderness of the Wolves
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2006
371 pages (plus summary and Discussion Points)
The Library Book might be better titled The Los Angeles Central Library Book. Author Susan Orlean provides an exhaustive history of the downtown LA library. The 1986 fire that destroyed four-hundred- thousand books and other materials including periodical, numerous collections and caused extensive damage to the building is the starting point for her overview.
The fire, how it started and efforts to rebuild are the most engaging aspects. While the Central Library isn’t exactly a phoenix rising from the ashes, it’s close. Arson is suspected and one suspect, since deceased, is profiled in great detail. Harry Peak is a charismatic wanna-be actor. He was also a chronic liar. He lied to friends, family, arson investigators and attorneys.
Orlean incorporates a fun, clever approach to each chapter citing four references that provide context for what will follow. For example, it’s clear from the sources cited that Chapter 11 will be about fund raising.
Where the narrative bogs down is in the history of the library’s various directors. Granted, some were more colorful, more resourceful, less interesting, less impactful than others. These chapters were on the dry side.
The most fascinating aspects, in addition to the learning about the fire itself, were learning about the librarians, their specific job descriptions and their commitments to the library and its patrons.
It’s clear Orlean has a deep respect for the roles libraries serve, but there was too much in her book that is the stuff of trivia competitions, something that doesn’t appeal to me.
The Library Book
3 Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2018
319 pages (including notes)
Red Notice by Bill Browder is a true-life tale involving financial investments, conspiracy, Russian intrigue and, ultimately, murder. A look at how U.S. laws are enacted is also included. A red notice is essentially an international arrest warrant. Putin tried, unsuccessfully, to have one placed on the author. The political climate with Russia makes this a timely read.
Browder recounts his experience as a foreign investor in Russia following the breakup of the Soviet Union. He discovers a motherlode, secures investors and founds his own capital management firm. Initially, the focus is on Browder’s financial acumen. Then, things get ugly for him and his associates when he exposes corruption in – surprise! – the Russian government.
Browder’s visa is revoked, but he’s able to covertly move his company’s holdings out of Russia saving his clients’ fortunes in the process. However, this isn’t where the author reveals his valor. That comes in the narrative’s final third as he seeks justice for the abuse and murder of his friend/attorney, Sergei Magnitsky, who revealed a multi-million dollar fraud committed by the Kremlin.
Browder’s efforts, along with assistance from U.S. government officials, helped put in place the Magnitsky Act, which, initially*, blocked Russian officials and business leaders from entering the United States and froze their assets held by U.S. banks.
Guilt motivates Browder’s actions, but the true hero of the story is Magnitsky who steadfastly believed truth and fairness would prevail.
With some exceptions, such as occasional extraneous details, the rapid-fire pacing makes Browder’s story engaging.
Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man’s fight for Justice
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2015
396 pages, includes notes and index
*The act was expanded in 2016 and now applies sanctions to human rights abusers worldwide.
I read Tattoos on the Heart several years ago. Gregory Boyle, the Jesuit priest who founded Homeboy Industries (HBI) in Los Angeles, wrote about his experiences working with gang members. Each chapter left me in tears at the heartfelt stories Boyle shared of those attempting and often overcoming daunting challenges of their life circumstances and poor choices.
Barking to the Choir, Boyle’s new book, is more introspective. It has plenty of heartbreaking vignettes of homies facing incredible odds, but its pull on the heartstrings is looser. In both books an abundance of joy fills most pages even in the direst situations; but this time Boyle’s messages about hope and acceptance are tempered with his interpretation of understanding God’s word. This isn’t a bad thing.
Simple acts of kindness, not just from Boyle, but among the marginalized he writes about are moving. Major leaps of faith, again, not just from the author, but among those populating his world are thought-provoking. I’m left to consider blessings in my own life and the positive choices I’ve been able to make because of the family environment I had.
Father Boyle injects a healthy amount of humor while recounting events of those who pass through HBI’s doors. He isn’t preaching, or barking, but he certainly leaves the reader with much to consider. Two ideas, in particular, in the book resonate with me: awe and judgement. The former is what we should aspire to in our interactions with others; the latter is, unfortunately, more prevailing.
Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2017
210 pages
The Blue Page Special 