The Book of Negroes/ Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

This is one of the BEST books I have ever read!! It is definitely in my top ten. It is by a Canadian author, Lawrence Hill. In Canada it was published as The Book of Negroes and in the US it was published as Someone Knows My Name. It is about a woman, Aminata, who at 11 was taken from her village in Africa in the mid 1700's and sold into slavery in the US. It chronicles her life from that age, crossing the ocean, becoming deathly ill, sold to an indigo plantation owner, and then sold again, being separated from any friends and loved ones, and so on until she dies as an old woman in England. The writing is amazing, the story is amazing and the characters are amazing. It really made me so grateful for the life I have, because we CAN NOT comprehend what so many people went through for so many years. Some of the stories she tells are horrendous. I don't know a lot about the history of slavery, especially American history so it was really interesting for me to read about what was going on politically during that time. I just thought the author did such a good job of telling a story that didn't place blame on any specific group of people, but to the individuals involved in the slave trade. And obviously there were a lot of them. But this book wasn't a book geared directly for black people. It was written for all people and it humanized a time period that we hear about but don't really get. I've read books that have left me feeling almost guilty for being white, but this book is not like that. Slavery has existed as far back as we know in some form or another. It's really made me pay attention when people use the words "slave" or "slavery." I read something online where someone was complaining about immigration laws in Canada and commented that we're becoming "slaves" while the immigrants get everything for free. I was a little mad because this person probably has never experienced real slavery in any way and to so easily toss that word around made me quite annoyed. (If these people have lived in Canada all their lives then I can pretty much guarantee that they have no idea what slavery is.)
One part I want to mention is when Aminata is first taken from her village and marched for months to the ocean, chained and naked, she has no idea why she is being taken. When she learns that it is to be a slave to the white men across the ocean, she is shocked. She thinks, why would anyone go through all this trouble to capture people and ship them across the ocean, dying and sick, just to do work that they could do themselves?? It's incomprehensible to her. It's incomprehensible to me as well. It was all about power and greed, I suppose. They bought and sold and stole people because they could. Just unbelievable...
Please, read this book if you have any inclination!! Even though there are some terribly tragic and heart-wrenching events in this book, I felt very uplifted and educated reading this book. It made me think about the human spirit and the will to survive and thrive. I thought a lot about what I would do in these situations and how hard I would fight for my freedom.
So there it is. I can't wait to hear from anyone who has read it!

For those of you who are really sensitive, it contains violence and some sexuality (rape, but not graphic).

Authors with a niche...

So lest you think that I LOVE everything I read (because I just finished another one!!) I thought I'd discuss authors that have their niche and stick to it. And I want to know what you think. So I recently read another Jodi Piccoult book. She is the author of My Sister's Keeper. I've read several of hers. Here's the thing: Most of her books that I've read follow a formula. She writes various chapters from various characters points of view. Most of her books have some legal drama as well as medical ethical dilemmas. I enjoy her books, but they're almost all interchangable to me. I pretty much know I'll enjoy it, but it's not anything new. I guess most of them challenge some beliefs I have, but at the same time I can't relate because her characters are so extreme in their choices.
Another author who sticks to one type of story is Nicholas Sparks. He's the one who wrote the Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle, etc. So all his books are love stories, set in North Carolina, and someone pretty much always dies. I stopped reading his books because they have a little too much sex in them (not all of them, but most of them) and because they are all the same.
So what do you think? Is there an author you love because you know their work and know you'll like it? Or do you crave variety? I guess I like a little of both. Sometimes it's nice to know I'll like something and that I can just read for the entertainment, but I definitely enjoy something totally different.
Well, I just finished an AMAZING book that I'm dying to blog about but it will have to wait until I can truly sit down and tell you about it.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Here's the author's website for a full synopsis.
This is a good one! (I guess I don't read "bad" books because I seem to like all of the ones I've read lately!) My mom suggested this after I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (it's the same author). A note about the author: I mentioned in a previous post that she was not Chinese, but I read her bio and I think her father was Chinese, at least part, if not full. If you've ever seen her picture, you'll see why I assumed she wasn't. As well as that she did research in China as a "foreigner" so I thought she was not of Chinese decent.
Anyways, I have to say that I liked this one better than Snow Flower. It's starts in the 1930's in Shanghai and follows the lives of two sisters who fall from their comfortable statuses in Shanghai to poverty and tragedy when their father loses everything to gambling. They are sold as wives to be sent to California. I found it easier to envision and "relate" to because it's more recent times than Snow Flower. This is the next generation after foot binding. It's a great story. My only complaint is the ending. It seems like it is set up for a sequel. If it isn't, then I really don't like the ending because it really leaves the reader hanging.
Content warning: There is a rape scene that is disturbing. Other than that, there is very little sexuality and language.

The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor

I loved this book! It's about a family in Ireland in the 1920's. The father, mother and 8 year old daughter, Lucy, live in a big house and land that has been in the family for a long time. They love their life and home there, but their safety is threatened because of the unrest in Ireland and a strong opposition to the English (Lucy's mom is originally from England). After stopping an arson attempt by some young men, the father decides to move the family to England for their protection. No one wants to leave their beloved home, but Lucy doesn't understand the situation her family is in. The night before their planned departure, Lucy runs away, hoping to delay and ultimately stop their move to England. Not long after leaving home, Lucy breaks her ankle in the woods near her home. Her family looks for her only to find evidence that leads them to believe she has drowned in the ocean. Her parents assume she's dead, stop looking for her, and in their overwhelming grief, leave for England as planned. This story is all about choices, consequences, misunderstandings, and guilt.
I really enjoyed it. The ending dragged on a bit for my liking, but overall I liked it a lot. It's fantastic writing. I found it to be a very tragic, but not depressing story. It's also very clean. No sex, no profanity, so it's a good suggestion for a book club that might have more sensitive members. I would love to hear other opinions on it if/when anyone else reads it!

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

See the authors website for a synopsis.

My sister-in-law told me to read this book so that she had someone to discuss it with. I'd have to say that it's a bit controversial for more conservative, Christian readers. When I first started, I almost quit reading it. The book is about Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob, from the bible. As someone who believes that Jacob and his son, Joseph were indeed prophets and therefore righteous men, it was a little uncomfortable to have that challenged. But I read it all and in the end, I really liked it. The author has written this as a work of fiction, based on what is in the bible. I was able to distinguish when the author was taking great liberties and what was truth. It made me go back and read the stories straight from the bible and I was amazed at how much of it was true! Since the book is written from Dinah's perspective, much of the book is her thoughts and perspectives of what was going on. It's a very raw and gritty book and it might make some uncomfortable. In my opinion, it was a barbaric time when life was about survival and morals were not always universal. Again, this book made the feminist in me a little angry, but that's okay. I'd say it's primarily female book and I'm not sure how male readers would take to it, especially since much of the book is reference to menstrual cycles and child birth. I know my husband had no interest in reading it (or hearing about it, for that matter, but I didn't give him much of a choice). I would LOVE to discuss this book more! My sis-in-law and I talked for hours about it. I recommend it to those of you who can take the discomfort and having their beliefs challenged. After reading this and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I'm actually ready to read something light and less thought provoking! I'm thinking that I'll go back and read the Harry Potter books or the Twilight books, just for a break.

Content warning: This book contains some mild sexuality, but it's not too graphic.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago. I really liked it. It's been compared to Memoirs of a Geisha, which I have also read, but I liked this one a lot more. It's takes place in 19th century China and follows the life of Lily, a daughter of a farmer. It's about the Chinese practice of foot binding (which is no longer done, thankfully) and women's roles. Reading books like this bother the feminist side of me. I am amazed at what women went through (and were put through). It was terrible. The beginning dwells a lot on the foot binding and match making that young girls went through, but the book is really about the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower, who are matched as friends for life upon beginning the foot binding process. When I started this book, I had to go do a search online for images of foot binding, just to see what exactly it looked like. Go here to the authors website for a better synopsis of the book and also to see some pictures of foot binding.