This lovely little book is an ode to teachers; its positive message is a balm in these days of undervaluing teachers and book banning.
As the jacket text says, “Everyone can name a teacher who had an impact on their life. Educators not only open our minds to new ideas, but they also...
This book reminds me of how our lives and relationships can be enhanced by books. In 1958, Sylvia Blackwell arrives in the small town of East Mole as librarian for the Children’s Library. The library is declining, and Sylvia makes it her job to re-introduce literature to children and adults. Vickers gently and...
…..a good poem shucks the oyster shell of one’s mind to reveal the pearl within.
Contrary to my original belief, The Offing is not a thriller assassin novel. No one gets “offed!” The offing means “the distant stretch of sea where sky and water merge.” The novel is set in the summer of 1946 in...
A Short Report on a Long and Fabulous Book
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is the winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (shared with Trust by Hernan Diaz).
The book is structured like Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield and Kingsolver uses that...
Ban this Book, by Alan Gratz, is a story about empowerment and coming of age through education. When protagonist Amy Anne finds out that her favorite book (as well as several others) has been banned from her elementary school library, she starts finding her voice. Devastated that it has been taken off the shelf, Amy...
How Beautiful We Were, by Imbolo Mbue, is a story mainly about environmental degradation, but education plays an important role. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells us of the catastrophic effects of oil spills and river pollution on the land and on the people of Kosawa. Children die from poisoned...