The Women by Kristin Hannah

So there's good news and bad news. Good news is, I loved this book. Bad new is that I had my top five already written up before I finished The Women, and now I have to rewrite it. It's definitely worth the extra work though (although the book that got booted might disagree).

The Women is set during the Vietnam war and follows the path of Frankie McGrath, who comes from an affluent family that proudly celebrated military service. Following the path her brother took, in 1966, idealistic 20-year old Frankie impetuously enlists to serve as a combat nurse. Her experience is so minimal that the only branch that will take her is the Army. And it's with them that she spends two years in Vietnam, treating not only servicemen wounded from the war, but local Vietnamese as well. In addition to seeing the horrific wounds caused by guns, bombs, and napalm, Frankie experiences attacks on the hospital and the loss of loved ones.

I couldn't believe Frankie's time in service took up only about a third of the book. It was so packed with information and so fascinating that I just couldn't understand what more there could be that was as memorable. But Hannah delivers from the first page to the last, continuing Frankie's story until 1982. 

After her 2nd tour, Frankie returns home to people spitting on her and cursing her for her service. Her  family denies she was ever in Vietnam, having told their friends she was studying abroad. Even the VA turns Frankie away after she seeks help dealing with her nightmares and anxiety, telling her "women weren't in Vietnam." 

With her family's refusal to acknowledge the war, the military's lack of support, and her closest friends hundreds of miles away, Frankie doesn't know how to keep her life together. And being with her through it all is captivating. Sure, this book is about the Vietnam war, but it's more about trauma. Hannah manages to remove the stigma of a lot of things Frankie deals with, like drug abuse, PTSD, and psychosis. She walks us through the metamorphosis of a bright-eyed, naive young girl to a broken, lost woman. And it all makes sense and feels so deeply personal.  

While the story is primarily about Frankie, The Women is ultimately about all the women who served in Vietnam, like Frankie's best friends Barb and Ethel. Although they and other characters play a smaller role, Hannah gives all of them dimension. And while they are all far from perfect, they are perfectly written. 

This is not just a good story, it has historical significance with themes that are still relevant today. Hannah's dedication to her research and to the women she honors is fully realized in The Women and I couldn't recommend it more!

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo is a story that you chew on. You can't just sip it and multitask and hope to passively absorb it. You have to pay attention and actively read (or listen, in my case). But it's so rewarding when you finish it, and worth the extra mental effort.

If you're like me and thinking a Bardo is something like a bar, you are completely wrong my friend. In buddhism, a bardo is a liminal space between death and rebirth. So we are visiting this space along with Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, who died at age 11 from illness. Saunders uses both fact and fiction to weave a story of Willie's visit to the local cemetery after his death.

Willie meets a host of ghosts who have somehow avoided the judgement that sends them to their eternal fate, whether it's heaven, hell, or something in between. Saunders introduces various ghosts, each with their own backstory and...peculiarities...that have manifested in death.

Like Roger Bevins, who grows extra eyes, hands, and noses, among other things, when he can’t quiet his mind, which is pretty much all the time.

And there's the Reverend Everly Thomas, who has "eyebrows arched high...hair sticking straight up...mouth in a perfect O of terror." But despite his surprising appearance, he speaks with "the utmost calmness and good sense." If you're wondering why the Reverend hasn't managed to move on, his story delves into the judgement phase of death that we don't see with the others (and which was executed unnervingly in the audiobook).

Or Jane Ellis, who is surrounded by 3 gelatinous orbs - each representing one of her 3 daughters. Whether or not the orbs bear down on her, depart, or become life-sized manifestations of her daughters expressing a difficult situation, they cause Ellis severe distress. Also, sometimes Ellis saw everyone as a giant mustache with legs (which she despised of her husband).

And there's Mrs. Blass, once wealthy, but in death smaller than a baby, who gnaws at rocks and twigs, gathering and zealously defending them, counting and recounting her possessions, always short a few things.

And Trevor Williams - a hunter who has to briefly hold each animal that he killed, with loving attention while the animal is in the state of fear when it passed. And until that fear passes, he can't let go.

What the book reveals, that I won't, is each of their backstories - how they died and why they are stuck in the cemetery. Saunders makes each ghost unique and strange with paralleles between their lives and afterlives that are both compelling and at times, unclear.

What is clear, however, is that everyone is "stuck" in a way in the cemetery. Bound to the bardo. But there are ways to leave. In fact, a lot of the newly dead briefly come to the cemetery but quickly move on. But for those who don't, occasionally they are visited by sinister creatures, who come in a form most tempting to each individual and compel as many as they can to leave. Those who do, disappear with a lightning crack.

Another thing that is revealed is that the bardo is not a space for children. So when Willie shows up, the others become concerned after he lingers longer than he should. They don't want him to end up like Elise, the 14 year-old girl who ended up staying...

But there is something about Willie's father, who visits, and mourns, and holds Willie in death. Everyone sees something about him that makes them believe they can use him to help Willie leave.

There is so much to unpack in this book, which is strange, funny, and haunting all at once. You'll think about your life and death and everything in between. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil some of the other themes that are explored in this book, mainly those having to do with why the ghosts won't leave the Bardo and the toll that staying takes on them.

A note about the format of this book: I listened to the audiobook and found myself scratching my head. There are so many characters who just...speak. Meaning, one person talks, then another, and there isn't any narration or even mention of "this person said..." or "replied this other person..." And there were a lot of characters, so I kept getting lost in terms of who was who.

So I was really curious about what the hardcopy text actually looked like. And when I saw the formatting, it all came together. Here's an example:

Efficacious

roger bevins iii

Yes, efficacious, thank you friend

hans vollman

So each character speaks and you know who it is by seeing their name below what is spoken. But that is lost in the audiobook. Although, the audiobook was great in that each character was a separate voice actor. So hearing Nick Offerman (as Hans Vollman) talk about pooping in his sickbox in the first chapter was a very rewarding experience, but also very confusing, because I had no idea what he was talking about.

The book is also written in alternating chapters. One is in the cemetery with the ghosts. The next is a series of citations, some real, some not, that gives context to the events leading to Willie's death. The citation chapters are also strange to hear via audiobook and might be a reason to pick up the actual book instead.

In the end, I listened to the last part of the book using both the audio and hard copy versions and felt like I got more out of it that way. I even went back and reread certain parts, which made more sense after I realized what was going on.

But whatever your medium, give it a try. This is a book unlike any other you've read. And it's worth the effort.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath have stored..."

Were you oblivious like me that these were the words in the first line of the Battle Hymn of the Republic? I'm not sure if these are the same grapes Steinbeck is referring to, but there is enough wrath in the world to go around, whether it's the wrath of the Union army during the Civil War or the wrath of the promise of a better life out west.

Strangely and coincidentally, my mom mentioned she was reading a book about the Dust Bowl just as I was starting Grapes of Wrath. I didn't really know what the Dust Bowl was before I read this book, but when my mom mentioned that her father came to California from Oklahoma in the 1930's and even joked about being an, "Okie," I was a lot more interested in knowing more. She was loving her book so much, she didn't want to get to the end. I, on the other hand, was trudging through Grapes of Wrath one chapter at a time.

Steinbeck writes about the Joad family, who travel from Oklahoma to northern California, like so many families did in the 1930's, when dust storms destroyed their crops and livelihoods. Promises of work in the fruit orchards lured families west, hoping to start new lives. We take this journey with Tom Joad, his siblings, parents, grandparents, and other stragglers they meet along the way. Their journey is rife with car troubles, death, more car troubles, more death, and camping. So much camping. If you're averse to camping like me, the fact that the Joads rarely bathe and take a mattress from their car to the ground back to their car is only part of the horrors Steinbeck presents.

Steinbeck intersperses chapters about the Joad family with narrative chapters about the next topic to be broached. For instance, the first chapter is about the dust storms. He writes extensively about how dusty things are, how the dust formed, how the dust darkened the sky, how the dust muffled sound, how the dust settled on everything, how the dust covered the ground. Do you get the idea? You don't, trust me. I remember thinking, "he just spent an entire chapter on dust storms, this is going to be a looooooong book." Then the next chapter was about Tom Joad beginning his adventure. The another narrative chapter, this one about a turtle on the road. It took some getting used to. The narrative chapters were a more general approach to what the Joads were experiencing specifically. I appreciate Steinbeck's ability to paint a picture using these narrative chapters, but it felt more like an academic exercise getting through them, rather than an enjoyable relaxing read. Hence my aforementioned "trudging" comment.

Overall, I enjoyed reading about the Joads - what ma was going to make for the next meal, where they would camp next, what their next (mis)adventure would be, when they'd get to bathe...And I definitely got a feel for a way of life and a time period I have no knowledge about. While I've read online many things about the book people find offensive, the only thing I picked up on were a few uses of offensive language referring to specific groups of people. While issues surrounding religion, communism, and unions still have the ability to turn people into crazy nitwits today, I think there was a lot less tolerance for what Steinbeck wrote about then than there is now.    

While I don't regret reading the book, would I recommend it? Nah. I think I'll try the one my mom was raving about and see if it's less of a chore to read. 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This historic drama has all the elements I love about a book - great characters and a compelling story that we follow through several generations of the same family, from Korea to Japan and beyond. In the background of Pachinko is Japan's occupation of Korea and the experience of Koreans in Japan before, during, and after this occupation. 

We begin in the 1880s in Korea. Hoonie is the son of parents who run a boardinghouse for fisherman. Their lives are meager, but stable. Hoonie eventually meets his wife, Yangjin, through a matchmaker and she joins him and his parents at the boardinghouse. Hoonie and Yangjin have a daughter, Sunja who manages the boarding house with her mother after Hoonie's death. Eventually, Sunja's path intersects with two men and she is presented with different choices that will have far-reaching effects on her and her family's future. She marries and immigrates to Osaka with her husband, living with him, and her brother and sister-in-law.

Sunja has two sons, raising them in Japan with her husband and his family. During World War II, the majority of the family is relocated to a farm in the country until they can be reunified again in Osaka. Unable to return to Korea, Sunja's son's aren't able to fully realize their heritage and culture. And as Koreans in Japan, they aren't accepted as Japanese. In fact, they must hide their true lineage in order to avoid the pervasive racism experienced against Koreans. 

The book ends in the 1980's with the stories of Sunja's two sons and one grandson and how, despite following very different paths in their lives, they all end up in in the pachinko business - one embracing it wholeheartedly, another reluctantly, and the third, inevitably.

This book is about a family living their life and how seemingly simple decisions can have life altering affects. But, unlike some books where the circumstances are unique or exceptional, in Pachinko, this family is a picture of probably millions of families across the world, making the seemingly simple decisions people make make every day - should I give this person the time of day? Should I marry this person? Should I try to reconnect with an estranged family member? Should I accept someone's charity? 

In Pachinko, we have the benefit of hindsight to evaluate these decisions and question whether or not they were the right ones. But I suppose we can do that in our lives and the lives of those before us. It's just easier (and let's be honest, more fun) to do with someone else. 

What makes Sunja's family unique for me is their place in Japan, as Koreans. And while they are a seemingly ordinary family, they lived through extraordinary times. But what makes this story the same as my (and everyone else's) own is the family's desire for wholeness. It's a timeless narrative that we all can relate to.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I wasn't sure what this book was about, just that it was good. So I took a chance and was thrust into the interrogation of a Scottish World War II war prisoner for the Germans. The subject of the interrogation? Not your usual WWII prisoner, as it's a female. And she seems especially...perky?...for being interrogated. Okay, maybe perky isn't the best choice of words, but she's definitely not short on wits, snark, or even a sense of humor. And who can resist someone who says things like, "buckets of blood" as an expletive? It is this voice that kept me intrigued as I progressed through the first part of the book.

I wasn't sure the story was interesting by that point. And it wasn't clear where things were headed, but I damn well knew I liked this chick and wanted to hear what she had to say.

We eventually get the gist that there are two women serving in the military, one as a pilot, and another a radio operator, or something...They develop a friendship that is forged by the vagaries of war. Their unique positions in the British war effort offer a refreshing take on the genre as well.

One of the best things about this book is how each detail is carefully researched by the author. She tried to make things historically accurate, and where she took liberties, she tried to at least make things plausible, asking some literary forgiveness in that respect. In doing so, she provides an amazing war story whose unfolding is a slow-burn, but well-worth the wait.

Roots by Alex Haley

Roots is a work of historical fiction written in 1976 by Alex Haley. He begins with the life and eventual capture of his great-great-great-great grandfather Kunta Kinte in Africa. In what follows is a mostly fictional story, except for possibly a few details and Kinte's lineage.

Fiction or not, Roots is an amazing saga of nine generations. The most intriguing part of the book, for me, was the beginning, which focused on Kinte's life. After Kinte was transported to America to be sold as a slave, I understood how he yearned for his village, the sounds of the monkeys in the trees, his simple hut, hunting for food, and being so self-sufficient. When I first started reading about life in his village I thought how horrible it must be to live in such primitive conditions. But by the time Kunta was kidnapped, I saw how beautiful and amazing his life had truly been.

It was also interesting to see how, when Kunta lived as a slave on two American plantations, he despised the American slaves. Their culture was so completely different from his, and they seemed more complacent to him, as he couldn't understand why they didn't all try to escape. In the first of many personal compromises he would make, he married a Christian American slave and struggled with instilling his heritage in his daughter, Kizzy. The fact that slaves were not allowed to read or write (and Kunta could do both, in Arabic), made it even more difficult. In addition, after Kizzy was sold to another plantation, her ties to her father and mother were completely severed. What would Kunta have thought, to know that his grandchildren would grow up to be culturally similar to those American slaves he despised? His dreams of a family, living as Muslims, repeating the traditions he grew into, would never be achieved.

In full disclosure, there is some controversy surrounding the book that might make it unpalatable to some. A few years after its release, Haley was sued by author Harold Courlander and Haley settled, acknowledging that some passages were taken from Courlander's book, The African.

There were also questions raised about how true certain parts of the book actually were, in terms of Haley's purported research into his family's ancestry. 

Controversy aside, this was quite the read, and so worth it. It's heartbreaking, eye-opening, and likely a  different perspective on American history than many of us were offered in school. Highly recommend. 

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Part fantasy, part historical fiction, Shadow of Night is the second book in the All Soul's trilogy (and you really need to have read A Discovery of Witches first to get what is going on). As a tale about witches and vampires, there isn't a lot of action or back story on the whole witch/vampire/daemon culture. But this book was full of day to day details of life in 16th century Europe, which was a surprising highlight for me.

Shadow begins where Discovery left off, with Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont having time walked back to Elizabethan London. In search of the elusive manuscript, Ashmole 782, Diana is also hoping to hone her skills as a witch before they return to the 21st century.

We learn a lot about Matthew's past and his varied connections throughout Europe which include Queen Elizabeth and the emperor of the Roman Empire (or something like that). We also gain insight into Diana's unique skills, although I really wasn't visualizing the string metaphors Harkness used to help us explain them. We also get many examples of how Diana and Matthew are hopelessly devoted and bonded to each other. The latter involving the ever romantic rituals of bloodsucking and kissing third eyes.

It seemed the search for Ashmole and Diana's training were just vehicles for Harkness to explain what Diana and Matthew wore and ate from day to day, "Diana! Where are my hose!?" Matthew's many ties took them from country to country, meeting new characters that I couldn't keep track of and getting involved in tangentially related hijinks, the details of which I couldn't relate. But I certainly remember their accommodations and the social customs of each location.

At the end of the book, I felt the plot furtherance didn't match the geographical and chronological grandeur Diana and Matthew experienced. I'm worried that the third book will be another slow-moving read, especially without the historical interest the second held over me.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

"If there really were vampires, what would they do for a living?"  That is a question that this book became the unexpected answer to, according to the author on her blog.  As for me, although I've read that Harkness hasn't read the popular YA series, I'd dare say this book could be considered a Twilight for adults.  Compliment?  Or criticism?  You decide.  But at its simplest, there are vampires, witches, and daemons.  (If you're not sure what a daemon is...think borderline insane, ADHD, wildly creative person...beyond that, I haven't figured it out in terms of superpowers or anything).

Here's what I like about the book, and it mostly concerns the author.  Harkness is a historian.  She has several degrees and teaches at USC and has extensively studied the history of magic and science in Europe from 1500-1700.  If you, like me, have ever wondered why classes like this exist beyond giving history buffs something random to chew on, maybe this novel is one.  Harkness' love for these things is obvious from reading A Discovery of Witches, which is a historical work of fiction.  There are all kinds of allusions, most of which were lost on me, to scientists, authors, and novels.  The story spans a range of geography and time, and Harkness seems comfortable with it all.  At times, I feel our 1500 year-old, well-learned vampire Matthew can get a bit pretentious, but understanding Harkness' love for history forgives that for me.

The story begins with Diana, an alchemical history professor at Oxford university (if there is such a thing at Oxford, I wasn't able to figure it out from their website).  Diana is descended from a prominent line of witches, but has shunned her magical ability, at least to the degree it's possible (WHY!?!?!).  During her studies, she is able to recall an old, long-thought-lost volume of magic called Ashmole 782, and this draws the attention of not just her fellow witches, but other supernatural creatures as well.  While Diana doesn't realize the significance of her finding, it sets in motion a series of events that make magic an inevitable part of her life.  As she becomes entrenched in the mystery of Ashmole 782 (which you can read about on Harkness' blog), Diana meets Matthew, a geneticist (and also a vampire).  Why would a vampire be interested in an old book of magic?  Is there something extraordinary about Diana that Matthew sees?  How could Diana's find be the catalyst for a war between witches and vampires?

These are the questions A Discovery of Witches begins to answer, BUT...and here's where other reviewers and I agree, the pacing is slow.  In fact, it took me several months (if not a year) to get through this book as it was a between-book-read.  But I felt, by the end, Harkness had really laid out her premise and introduced her characters fully.  It also helped that the book picked up steam near the end and left off on a cliff-hanger that makes me really curious to see how she handles book two (yes, this is a trilogy...and yes, there is a movie in the making).

So, to be honest, this was a book I almost gave up on.  But in desperation for something to read, I finished it and now want to read the second book.  Probably not for everyone, but if I had you at "vampires" or "Twilight," then we already know you'll want to read it.