The Second First Lady

Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been looking for a good bios on the nation's founding mothers and I found one!

Having read bios on the male versions of the Washingtons, Adams, Jeffersons, Hamiltons, etc...etc...etc...I wanted to see the revolutionary period through the eyes of the women of the day. Abigail Adams is an important figure of the time and the fact that I didn't know her hardly at all rankled with me. Having read Woody Holton's Abigail Adams: A Life I feel like I know more than I could ever need to know.

I've read and seen numerous books and films on her famous husband John. Each mentioned and portrayed Abigail as a stalwart companion and alluded to her importance to him, but they never went into great detail as to why. They made it clear that the two were a good match, but didn't explain her role in the partnership. Holton has it covered!

As a biographer Holton is often generous and kind to Adams. You can tell she has an ally here in this author. Positive and affirming language was employed in places where negative terms could just as well been used. Example: never once did Holton label Adams a war profiteer, and yet that's just how she kept her family's fortune from ruin and even enriched it. The woman did what she had to and what her husband would not, though he benefited greatly from her efforts and seemed to generally turn a blind eye to anything he might see as being morally beneath him (that being said, there was a whole lotta stuff John thought was morally beneath him!).

What I enjoyed most about this was the look into the domestic side of life during the American Revolution. It's a period I've studied a good deal and usually that study ends up focusing on the war side of things. It's more exciting and there's more readily found information on the fighting aspect, as well as the government-forming period later. How the household was kept together seldom gets much play and so I appreciated that.

It was also great to know one of the country's forerunners in female equality. Like the sign-wielding parade marchers, Adams may have urged her husband when he was forming the new government to "remember the ladies", but more than that, she just went out there and showed how a woman could handle economic affairs, such as starting a business, managing estates and trading on the market. This at a time when women weren't allowed to...well...they just weren't allowed to! The husband controlled the wealth in those days. But Adams got around that and made a success of it. Without her, a lot of a people in her extended family, John included, would have been sunk.

Really solid read! Highly recommended!

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Superb Steam!

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic fun! Packed with Wodehousian humor!

Whip-smart author Gail Carriger kicks off a diabolically clever girl's school espionage series in style!

Whereas Austen prodded the society she was associated with, Etiquette & Espionage pokes fun at the Regency, early Victorian and Industrial Age manners and dress in a way that brands it with a slap on the ass!...a loving one though. It's clear that Carriger has an affinity for the period.

Set in a steampunk world, the book is all gussied up in the sort of lavish detail that evokes a magical world. The addition of supernatural creatures and the fantastical school makes one leap to make Harry Potter parallels, but actually the overall tone of this is more like Jonathan Stroud's wonderful Bartimaeus triology.

Clever, funny, and flat out fun!



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Chicks With Guns

Lindsay McCrum
Vendome Press
Reviewed by Nancy
5 out of 5 stars

Summary

In Chicks with Guns, Lindsay McCrum has created a cultural portrait of women gun owners in America through photographs that are both beautiful and in a sense unexpected. The book examines issues of self-image and gender through the visual conventions of portraiture and fashion, but the guns are presented here not as superimposed props but as the very personal lifestyle accessories of the subjects portrayed. And it defies stereotypes often associated with aspects of the popular culture of both guns and women. Like the 15-20 million women gun owners in this country, the women we meet in Chicks with Guns (their portraits are accompanied by their own words), reside in all regions of the country, come from all levels of society, and participate seriously in diverse shooting activities. The women here are sportswomen, hunters, and competition shooters. Some use guns on their jobs and some for self-defense. They may not all be classically beautiful, but in these photographs they all look beautiful, exuding honesty, confidence, poise, power and pride. They are real women with real guns that play a part in their lives. By focusing her camera respectfully on this particular aspect of the American scene, gun-wielding women and girls, Lindsay McCrum sheds new light on who we are in America today.

My Review

“I think all women should know how to drive a manual transmission and handle a gun.”
― Kate

I learned about this title while I was looking at Girl's Guide to Guns

So thrilled that my library had a copy!

The photos are gorgeous, the stories interesting and inspiring. Plus, I'm learning about firearms I hadn't heard of before. The only complaint is from my old eyes, wishing that the print used for the women's stories was just a little larger. I like the diversity of backgrounds featured, the variety of shooting activities and reasons for owning firearms, and the fact that not all the women are young. Many of the women come from hunting backgrounds, others are sport shooters, or just enjoy shooting targets, some are in law enforcement, and others merely want to protect their families.

When I get better at shooting, maybe I will be in a future edition posing with my Walther PPQ or the Ruger 1211 10/22 rifle my husband got me for Christmas, but I'm not nearly as photogenic as the women who grace these pages.

A Whole Lotta Hormones

The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The way some men talk about women I'd assumed they'd think The Female Brain was a work of fiction, "'Cuzzin' womens ain't got none brains, heeyuck, heeyuck!" It's too bad that most of those guys are illiterate, because they're the ones that need to read this the most.

In The Female Brain, neuropsychiatrist Dr. Louann Brizendine uses clinical research and the experience of counseling patients to examine how the many various hormones flowing through a woman's body may affect their actions and behavior. It covers the emotional development and brain processes of women through the various stages of their lives, beginning at the beginning with childhood, moving through the tumultuous teens and the horror that is puberty and progress through womanhood into old age.

The use of science to dissect human behavior is tricky since our moods, reactions, etc are slippery little fish. Brizendine's use of animal research raises validity questions (I.E. rats are not humans, so how can it apply?), however she is the first to admit that none of this is 100% pure, unadulterated fact. Just the same, there are some insights within The Female Brain that appear to be highly probable cause-effect truths, and even if they're not, this whole subject is still very fascinating!

I found the entire book entertaining and, admittedly, quite a bit of it to be enlightening, as I imagine it might be to most men. Even some women would do well to give this a read, because how often do you hear yourself say something like, "Sometimes I just don't understand my mother/daughter!"?

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Sing You Home

Jodi Picoult
Atria Books
Reviewed by Nancy
3 out of 5 stars

Summary

One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds.

My Review

This is the first novel I’ve read by Jodi Picoult. I admire her courage and honesty for tackling such issues as infertility, gay rights, parenthood, and religious beliefs. I read somewhere that Jodi’s own teenage son came out to her while she was writing this book. He’s very fortunate to have such supportive parents.

Zoe Baxter is a music therapist desperate to have a child. Max, her husband of nine years, has his own landscaping business, enjoys surfing, and struggles with alcoholism. Unable to cope with their infertility or mend their broken relationship, he leaves Zoe. Zoe then meets and falls in love with Vanessa, a high school guidance counselor. Zoe still wants a baby, and Max is still not ready for fatherhood, but both parents want what’s best for their embryos left at the fertility clinic after their divorce.

I loved Zoe’s profession as a music therapist. While not very high-paying, she gets to make a difference in the lives of those who suffer from dementia, autism, and mental illness. I imagine this is a very satisfying, yet very emotionally draining career. Vanessa also does well for her young charges, especially depressed and suicidal Lucy, who benefits from Zoe’s music therapy.

The problem here is that Zoe and Vanessa are so perfect in every way. With no flaws, they lacked depth and complexity. Zoe’s agony over her inability to have a baby was heartbreaking, but I also felt deeply for her ex-husband, Max, who felt he was merely being used as a sperm donor.

After the divorce, Max moves in with his Christian brother, Reid, and his wife, Liddy, and finds comfort and peace in their church.

The Christian characters in the story also suffered the same lack of depth, particularly the church officials and lawyers. While it is evident that the author has done extensive research on in vitro fertilization and music therapy, I wish she had been more thorough and fair in her portrayal of Christianity.

A balanced perspective would have made this story much more compelling and thought-provoking.

Zoe and Vanessa marry in Massachusetts and honeymoon at the Highlands Inn in Bethlehem, NH and I couldn't resist checking out their rainbow chairs.

Love and Greasepaint

Tipping the Velvet

Sarah Waters

Review by Zorena

Four Stars

Summary

This delicious, steamy debut novel chronicles the adventures of Nan King, who begins life as an oyster girl in the provincial seaside town of Whitstable and whose fortunes are forever changed when she falls in love with a cross-dressing music-hall singer named Miss Kitty Butler.

When Kitty is called up to London for an engagement on "Grease Paint Avenue," Nan follows as her dresser and secret lover, and, soon after, dons trousers herself and joins the act. In time, Kitty breaks her heart, and Nan assumes the guise of butch roue to commence her own thrilling and varied sexual education - a sort of Moll Flanders in drag - finally finding friendship and true love in the most unexpected places. (The Daily Telegraph)

My Review

While I have seen this book classified as a romance novel I was well pleased to find out it wasn't just that. It has romantic parts and sure there's some sex but it doesn't seem to be the mainstay of the story. Still, for those that like that, you'll get enough to titillate you but not so much that it would make the book considered trashy.

I can only describe it as a really good read and that is mostly due to the stellar writing and research done by the author. Like Tim Powers, Ms Waters has done her homework. This is the gritty and very real city of London in the late Victorian era. Her heroine has some very harsh life lessons handed out by the city itself and her perceived status in it. I have to say that I really enjoyed learning about turn of the century music halls and all the backstage doings that went with them. The history lesson in the hidden gay subculture was also a delightful eye opener.

This is a very different coming of age story and I love what the author did with it. Speaking of which, I think I'll be hunting out more books by Sarah Waters.

Girlfriend, You Need a Makeover

The Truth About Style by Stacy London
2012
Reviewed by Diane K. M.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I have a girl crush on Stacy London. Back when I had cable, I watched her on "What Not to Wear" every week and wished I could go shopping with her. She is so funny and lively and chic! She seems like a woman who has it all.

Her book, "The Truth About Style" was surprisingly personal. It was a relief to find out that the fabulous Stacy London also struggles with body image and confidence issues. As a child, Stacy suffered from a severe outbreak of psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder that left red welts and crusty skin all over her body. She said she spent years wearing only turtlenecks and long pants, even on the hottest days. She felt like a freak, and the kids in her school made fun of her. She eventually recovered from psoriasis, but in college she became anorexic, her weight dropping down to 90 pounds. Later, she couldn't stop binge eating and her weight climbed to 180. Stacy, now in her 40s, said her weight still fluctuates a bit, but she's smarter about knowing how to dress her body.

"Style, unlike fashion, is personal. It's about the individual. You have to know yourself in order to utilize style. Style isn't selling you a false promise. It's reality based, and operates on the knowledge of what is right for you. ... Style is about enhancing who you are, and not attempting to look like someone you'll never be. With style, there are as many ways a woman can look beautiful as there are women."

After sharing her story, Stacy introduces nine different women, each one who needs help with their style. Some women don't know how to dress for their age or a change in weight, others have trouble finding clothes because they're curvy or plus-sized or tall or petite; one is a breast cancer survivor who wants to feel feminine again, another is a perfectionist and is scared to buy anything in case it's the wrong choice, and one is a busy mom who hasn't bought anything for herself in years because she gives it all for her kids. Stacy said she solicited appeals from hundreds of women who wanted a style makeover, which she calls "start-overs," and she picked nine women who represent problems lots of us face.

"Making excuses and letting fear rule our style stop us from expressing our true selves and what we could look like at our best. We get in the way of our own potential instead of reveling in it. Negative thought-loops are self-perpetuating. If we don't like what we see in the mirror, we either ignore it or we overcompensate for it ... By changing your style, you're forced to change the way you perceive yourself. And if you can see yourself differently, you can start to feel differently. If you put on clothes that actually flatter your figure, you suddenly may not feel as badly about your body anymore. When you think positively about one aspect of yourself, it becomes easier to believe in yourself in lots of different contexts."

I related to several of the women's stories and appreciated the style advice Stacy gives to each. The book has lots of photographs, including before and after photos, and descriptions for the clothes and accessories. Stacy always advises people to dress the body they have now, not the one they wish they had:

"Nobody is perfect. Don't approach the mirror and hope, each time, that you'll look like someone else. You're going to be disappointed if you do ... No matter how much you subjectively love or hate your shape, it's still the same body you're going to wake up with each morning. Stop exhausting yourself hoping, wishing, praying to be someone different, and take pleasure in knowing that you are who you are, in all your fabulous uniqueness. Go about the business of working with that real body to create a style you love and can love your shape in."

At the back of the book, Stacy includes a shopping guide of stores and designers for different women's needs, such as plus sizes, petites, glamazons, shoes, denim, etc. I would recommend this book to any woman who feels like they are stuck in a style rut and needs a boost to get out. It's like getting a hug and helpful nudge from a fabulous friend.

Surviving the Taliban

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
2013
Reviewed by Diane K. M.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reading this book reminded me of how much I take for granted every day: Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. The freedom to go to the store without needing a male escort. And the ability to get an education, regardless of gender.

"I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children."

Malala, who is now 16, is an outspoken advocate for girls to have the same right to go to school as boys. In her native Pakistan, she lost that ability when the Taliban took over: "I was 10 when the Taliban came to our valley ... It seemed to us that the Taliban arrived in the night just like vampires. They appeared in groups, armed with knives and Kalashnikovs ... They looked so dark and dirty and that my father's friend described them as 'people deprived of baths and barbers.'"

The Taliban started bombing schools and decreed that girls couldn't get an education. Malala's father was a school principal and encouraged her to speak out. She was only 15 at the time, but threats were made against her and her family. And in October 2012, when she was riding the school bus with her friends, a man with a gun climbed aboard the vehicle and shot Malala in the head.

Amazingly, Malala survived the bullet and was able to recover. She and her family currently live in England, but Malala writes about how much she misses her home country and wishes she could return to be with her friends. Her graciousness was such that she did not wish revenge on her attacker, and instead prays for peace.

"I thank Allah for the hardworking doctors, for my recovery and for sending us to this world where we may struggle for our survival. Some people choose good ways and some choose bad ways. One person's bullet hit me. It swelled my brain, stole my hearing and cut the nerve of my left face in the space of a second. And after that one second there were millions of people praying for my life and talented doctors who gave me my body back. I was a good girl. In my heart I had only the desire to help people."

Malala's story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. I admire her courage and her tenacity, and also hope that her country will one day find peace. "Why are we Muslims fighting with each other? ... We should focus on practical issues. We have so many people in our country who are illiterate, and many women have no education at all. We live in a place where schools are blown up. We have no reliable electricity supply. Not a single day passes without the killing of at least one Pakistani."

The book is lovingly written, and I also appreciated her stories about the history of Pakistan and her people, the Pashtuns. While reading the book I realized that I knew more about the history of other countries in the region, such as Afghanistan, Iran and India, than I did about Pakistan, and it was very informative. I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in women's rights, current events, history or inspirational memoirs.

"Today we all know education is our basic right. Not just in the West; Islam too has given us this right. Islam says every girl and every boy should go to school. In the Quran it is written, God wants us to have knowledge. He wants us to know why the sky is blue and about oceans and stars ... The Taliban could take our pens and books, but they couldn't stop our minds from thinking."

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America

David von Drehle

Grove Press

Reviewed by: Nancy

4 out of 5 stars

 

Summary

On March 25, 1911, as workers were getting ready to leave for the day, a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York's Greenwich Village. Within minutes it spread to consume the building's upper three stories. With ladders too short for a rescue, firemen had to watch in horror, along with hundreds on the street, as desperate workers jumped to their deaths. The final toll was 146 people – 123 of them women. It was the worst industrial disaster in New York City history until 9/11.

My Review

Triangle:  The Fire That Changed America is a moving and riveting account of the Triangle fire of March 25, 1911, the deadliest workplace disaster in New York City for 90 years.  It destroyed the lives of 146 workers, the majority of them young immigrant women.

 

The author successfully brings to life the period before, during, and after the fire.  He looks at the social and economic conditions of the time, working conditions in the garment industry, and the labor movement that women were gradually becoming a part of.   Female garment workers were dismissed in large numbers for strikes and union activity.  With the support of Clara Lemlich, a young immigrant from Russia, and upper-class allies, the plight of the predominantly female garment workers became more widely known and was taken more seriously.  Unfortunately, safe working conditions, long hours, and workers’ compensation were issues that didn’t get addressed until years after the Triangle Waist Company fire.  

Von Drehle includes details about the workers – where they came from, how they lived, how they worked, and how they died.  He looks at court and public records, and provides a list of the victims who perished.  He also talks about the politics of the time, the Socialist movement, the corrupt Tammany Hall, the trial of Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, owners of the factory, and the high-priced attorney who successfully acquitted them of manslaughter.

This is a fascinating look at life in the early 1900’s, a moving tribute to those who perished, and a grim reminder that workers’ rights must be protected, or they will continue to be eroded. 

 

Also posted at Goodreads