The Orphan's Tale

Title: The Orphan's Tale

Author: Pam Jenoff
Genre: historical fiction, Jewish fiction, WWII
Summary: (From Goodreads) A powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan's Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.

Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
Rating: Very good.
Why I Like It: Another interesting aspect of WWII, concerning the circus
Other: listened to it on audio
Reviewer: Patsy

The Warmth of Other Suns

Title: The Warmth of Other Suns
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Genre: Non-fiction
Summary: (From Goodreads)  In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.

From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.

With stunning historical detail, Wilkerson tells this story through the lives of three unique individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, who in 1937 left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi for Chicago, where she achieved quiet blue-collar success and, in old age, voted for Barack Obama when he ran for an Illinois Senate seat; sharp and quick-tempered George Starling, who in 1945 fled Florida for Harlem, where he endangered his job fighting for civil rights, saw his family fall, and finally found peace in God; and Robert Foster, who left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career, the personal physician to Ray Charles as part of a glitteringly successful medical career, which allowed him to purchase a grand home where he often threw exuberant parties.

Wilkerson brilliantly captures their first treacherous and exhausting cross-country trips by car and train and their new lives in colonies that grew into ghettos, as well as how they changed these cities with southern food, faith, and culture and improved them with discipline, drive, and hard work. Both a riveting microcosm and a major assessment, The Warmth of Other Suns is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work, a superb account of an “unrecognized immigration” within our own land. Through the breadth of its narrative, the beauty of the writing, the depth of its research, and the fullness of the people and lives portrayed herein, this book is destined to become a classic.

Rating: Excellent!!

Why I Like It: This epic migration took place from 1915 to 1970. It was interesting to think about & compare it to what was going on in our grandparents, parents & my own life at the time. Learned a lot!

Other: listened to it on audio, long book - 622 pages

Reviewer: Patsy

Brown Girl Dreaming

Title: Brown Girl Dreaming

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

Genre: memoir

Summary: Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Rating: Very good

Why I Like It: I enjoyed the style of her writing. It is all in poem but with her style of poem writing, it was very easy to listen to and so well done. Loved the history I learned from it!

Other: Audio, read by author who did an excellent job!  Award won: 
John Newbery Medal, National Book Award for Young People's Literature and
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth / Teens.

Reviewer: Patsy

Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City

Title: Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City
Author: Phillip Hoose
Genre: nonfiction
Summary: The true story of the all-black high school basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana, masterfully told by National Book Award winner Phil Hoose.
By winning the state high school basketball championship in 1955, ten teens from an Indianapolis school meant to be the centerpiece of racially segregated education in the state shattered the myth of their inferiority. Their brilliant coach had fashioned an unbeatable team from a group of boys born in the South and raised in poverty. Anchored by the astonishing Oscar Robertson, a future college and NBA star, the Crispus Attucks Tigers went down in history as the first state champions from Indianapolis and the first all-black team in U.S. history to win a racially open championship tournament—an integration they had forced with their on-court prowess.
From native Hoosier and award-winning author Phillip Hoose comes this true story of a team up against impossible odds, making a difference when it mattered most.

Rating: Very good!!

Why I Like It: Interesting history, easy to read, & great pictures.

Other: At this 1-11-19, Warren Central, a big school in Indpls. extended their basketball winning streak to 45 games and tie Crispus Attucks for third on the all-time state list. 

Reviewer: Patsy

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Author: Gretchen Rubin

Genre: Nonfiction, Healthy-living

Summary: (from Good reads)  Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference. 

Rating: Very good

Why I Like It: I listen to Her podcast, "Happier” which I really enjoy! I got this book – Listened to audio which I think is the best way to read it & use the book as a reference. On the podcast it’s Gretchen & her sister talking, they share about their families, give encouraging ways to be happy.

Other: I suggest maybe you could listen to the podcast first & see if you’d be interested in the book.

Reviewer: Patsy

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Title: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
Genre: fiction
Summary: (from Goodreads)
"No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one."

Rating: A new favorite!
Why I Like It: 
 I loved this book. You go along with Eleanor as she works through her struggles, grows in understanding herself, and grows in building healthy relationships. While at times it was hard to read, the humor throughout the book really helped. Also, throughout the book the love and care of people helping her really energized me in loving my neighbor.

A quote that captured what I liked about the book, "I smiled at her. Twice in one day, to be the recipient of thanks and warm regard! I would never have suspected that small deeds could elicit such genuine, generous responses. I felt a little glow inside-not a blaze, more like a small, steady candle."
The book in some ways reminded me of "The Rosie Project" and in some ways reminded me of "Language of Flowers". But really it was completely it's own wonderful book.
Other: It is going to be made into a movie
Reviewer: Brigette

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

Title: The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion Author: Fannie Flagg Genre: Fiction with half the story told during WW2 Summary: (From Amazon)
"Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America’s twentieth-century story, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie Flagg."

Rating: A new Favorite!   
Why I Like It: I found this book really funny. Also, I really enjoyed learning a different side of history of WWII. Also, it is very easy to read.

Other: This has a character that is also in the book "Welcome to the World Baby Girl" but each book can stand alone.
Reviewer: Brigette