Chains

Grades 6+
by Laurie Halse Anderson


Isabel tells the story of her life as a slave in New York City at the beginning of the American Revolution. She was sold with her five-year-old sister to a cruel Loyalist family even though the girls were to be free upon the death of their former owner. She has hopes of finding a way to freedom and becomes a spy for the rebels, but soon realizes that it is difficult to trust anyone. She chooses to find someone to help her no matter which side he or she is on. 


With short chapters, each beginning with a historical quote, this fast-paced novel reveals the heartache and struggles of a country and slave fighting for freedom. The characters are well developed, and the situations are realistic. 


An author's note gives insight into issues surrounding the Revolutionary War and the fight for the nation's freedom even though 20 percent of its people were in chains. Well researched and affecting in its presentation, the story offers readers a fresh look at the conflict and struggle of a developing nation.


If you read Fever 1793 and liked it, this would be another great historical fiction novel to read. And if you liked this book, check out the sequel. 

The Book of the Maidservant

by Rebecca Barnhouse
After taking a couple days off from reading (it's awful, I know. But sometimes the brain needs a break), I was in search of a book to read. Browsing the shelves, I came upon this pretty book and thought I would give it a try. Sometimes you CAN tell a good book by its cover!

Johanna is a servant girl to Dame Margery Kempe, a renowned medieval holy woman. Dame Margery feels the suffering the Virgin Mary felt for her son but cares little for the misery she sees every day. When she announces that Johanna will accompany her on a pilgrimage to Rome, the suffering truly begins. After walking all day, Johanna must fetch water, wash clothes, and cook for the entire party of pilgrims.

Way back when, I learned bit about the medieval era and in particular Margery Kempe. This is an interesting take on what life was like back then and also what it would have meant to be a servant to an upper class woman. Very thought provoking.

Wikipedia page on Marge Kempe

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Elizabeth Kostova's first book, The Historian (a story about the infamous Dracula), met public acclaim quickly and hit right before the Twilight vampire craze began. This, Kostova's second work of fiction, is a story of obsession, mental illness, the power of art, and the human ability to hope and love.

Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe is a psychiatrist who lives by himself, paints on the evenings and weekends, and likes his solitary, simple life. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

I am going to get my gripe out right off the bat. I've got to say it but I don't want to dwell; this book was really long. I listened to it and it was 17 audio discs. The book is 564 pages. Aside from the Bible, I think this might be the longest book I have ever read. I should have know that the book was going to be so long because The Historian was so long. At times, the book felt slow (when too much information was dispursed) and then at times it flew by (when Kostova didn't tell you everything and you HAD TO FIND OUT. I am of the mind that less is more!). It wasn't until the last disc (about the last 50 pages) when it is revealed the reason behind the title, which was kind of frustrating.

Ok. That aside, Kostova does an excellent job of creating believable characters and characters with whom the reader would want to be friends. As the reader, I was able to listen to the characters grow. Creating realistic characters is quite a feat and one that I apprecaite.

Another excellent aspect is the amount of research I know it took to write this book. The acknowledgements at the end of the book are mammouth. Kostova did research on psyciatry, 19th century authors, art school, being a professor, modern day psch wards, the medical profession, being an artist...There are so many things to discuss with this book and it would make a great book club book if the book club members can get past how long the book is.

There were great plot twists and the ending was a surprise to me. Good book. Very good listen.

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

Grades: 9-12

I have undertaken the mammoth responsibility of reading I, Claudius by Robert Graves. Now, the book isn't even really that long. I guess it is like 400 pages. That is not the problem. And it's not that the book is dry or boring, it is just a commitment. I am entering another time, a time before watches, computers, cars, electricity, radio, Nike shoes...really, there is more that that world didn't have (that I need and use in everyday life) than what that world did have. The book is just epic.

It is the "auto-biography" of Claudius the grandson of Augustus Caesar (Octavian), or the great-grand-nephew of Julius Caesar. The book is based on the historical accounts of the time. However, it is important to not that the historical accounts wildly vary. History at that time is more relative. I mean, Homer's Odyssey is, for the most part, considered a historical piece--you know the whole thing with the sirens and the cyclops. So while this book is definitely historical fiction, it is still mostly fiction. There is just no way we can know for sure what happens.

Claudius is an unexpected hero. He stutters, has a permanent limp, drools, and is frequently ill. It is amazing that he lived at all. Think about the kind of medical care he would have received. Basically, none. Sure they had doctors but they didn't know anything. Plus, he is born into a family that is famous for the "accidental" deaths, back stabbing, immorality (despite Octavian's insistence of the old school moral code), and borderline incest.

I mean look at this family tree! This family tree is ridiculous. When you have to list the number of times a person is married and who that person had affairs with, the family tree gets very confused. Basically, you might be a redneck if your family tree needs a key. But, let's keep in mind that marriage is a different thing then.

Double click on image to see full display.

Now this could be very confusing because everyone basically has the same name. Rome is a culture of nick names because of this fact. But Robert Graves writing as Claudius is very clear when he mentions someone. But, it's still confusing.

But, it is not at all boring. Look at that family tree! HOW COULD IT BE BORING! You have Tiberius and Caligula as characters. If you don't know anything about those two, then you are in for a scandalous surprise. Tiberius hated being emperor. He built a pleasure palace in Capri. There he holed up and when not participating in demented and strange activities, he spent his time being paranoid.  He was able to run away to the country because of the momentum of the economy that Augustus left behind. When it was discovered the kinds of things he was doing there, it is thought that he was murdered by his great-nephew, adopted son, and successor Caligula (although it is not clear exactly what happened. Tiberius was in his 70s. He could very well have died of old age.).

Now, Caligula was just about as bad but he was just stinking crazy. At one point, while fighting in England, he ordered his troops to charge the ocean. He was just crazy. Although, he is considered moderate a moderate ruler for the first few years of his reign. After these relatively peaceful years it is thought that Caligula suffered from the end stages of syphilis which caused his insanity. But you have to think about how Caligula would have been effected by Tiberius's peculiar tastes as they spent a good deal of time together. Make a long story short Caligula is assassinated and our good Claudius becomes the emperor!

So it is sooo not a boring book, but as you can see complicated.

EPIC!

Eli The Good by Silas House

I know we've always been told not to judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the cover of Silas House's newest novel I knew I was going to love it. Just look at it. . .that gorgeous sunlight flowing through that leafy canopy. Stare at it for awhile. Can't you just smell the earthiness of it?

Okay, so I'm going to love this book. That's what I told myself, but, wait a minute--it's about the Vietnam War. For someone who majored in History that shouldn't be a problem, but I have a bad history when it comes to reading books having to do with the Vietnam. They're always too depressing (think In Country) or gory (think The Things They Carried), and they tend to give me nightmares. Silas House, how could you do this to me? And with your Young Adult debut?! After much anguish, I mustered up the courage to read Eli the Good, and I loved it!

It's the summer of 1976 and the whole of the US is finding itself in a paradox. The Bicentennial has everyone in patriotic celebration, but the anger and disillusionment from the Vietnam War still pain the country. Ten-year-old Eli Book realizes this all too well. His father, Stanton, was one of the men who survived the conflict physically, but was mentally scarred instead with post-traumatic stress syndrome. To make matters worse, Eli’s war-protesting aunt comes to stay with the family. While her free-spirited, music-adoring lifestyle is a welcome refreshment, she is hiding something that casts another shadow over the family. The bitter resentment Stanton feels toward his sister’s protests of war increases the tension in the household. Despite this palpable bitterness, Eli’s own sister begins to call the war into question—further fueling the conflict. Eli also has questions, but they are ones he does not think he can ask. He feels a distance between himself and his mother, and he knows his father will never talk about what happened to him in Vietnam. For solace, Eli turns to his best friend and neighbor, Edie, who is also struggling to cope with familial turmoil. In this delicately handled and endearing coming-of-age tale, Silas House has managed to take on the burdensome confusion and hurt carried by children of Vietnam War veterans while exerting the universal truths of love and hope. Eli the Good just might make me read another book about the Vietnam War. So, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Grades: 5+

The summer of 1899 is HOT in Calpurnia Virginia Tate's sleepy Texas town, and there aren't a lot of good ways to stay cool. Her mother has a new wind machine from town, but Callie might just have to resort to stealthily cutting off her hair, one sneaky inch at a time. She also spends a lot time at the river with her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist. It turns out that every drop of river water is teeming with life - all you have to do is look through a microscope!As Callie ecplores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

I thought this would be a boring science story. It is funny. Calpurnia has an interesting point of view and comes to interesting conclusions. It also brings in some history without even meaning to. You know how people are still angry about evolution? Well, think about how people must have felt about it when the idea was fresh. Yeah, Calpurnia's neighbors are livid about the very idea of evolution. When Calpurnia tries to go to the library to get Darwin's book, the librarian refuses to give it to her. The librarian said it was inappropriate subject material. Such a change!

There were times when I laughed outloud funny. Just a really great story.

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

Grades 4+
Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother whose dreams of auto mechanic glory are fueled by the hard road coming to link their Indiana town during the early 20th century. Then, motoring down the road comes Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee’s life upside down.

This novel, with its quirky characters, folksy setting, classic cars, and hilariously larger-than-life moments, is vintage Richard Peck – an offbeat, deliciously wicked comedy that is also unexpectedly moving.

If anyone has read A Long Way From Chicago and liked it (and honestly what is not to like?), you will totally enjoy this book. There are some pretty silly characters but at the same time the sillier the events, the more believable the plot. The half inbred competitor mechanics are ridiculous, but you know there are people like that out there (right here).

I think what really makes a great books are its characters. What makes a great character is if I would want to be friends with him or her. I definately want to be friends with PeeWee, Jake and Irene. It's official. I love this book.

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

Grades: 6+

The Red Necklace is the story of Yann, a gypsy boy with the ability to read minds, and Sido, the daughter of a bankrupt nobleman. If either are going to survive the French Revolution they are going to need one another.

The power of gypsy magic was a well-accepted fact of the time period and the inclusion of the paranormal does not distract from the historical context of the novel, but actually adds to the dangerous and unpredictable atmosphere of the times. Gardner does an overall excellent job of depicting the Reign of Terror.

The night that Yann and Sido first meet, Yann is working as a magician's apprentice, putting on a show for Sido's father other members of the French aristocracy, including the sinister Count Kalliovski. When the magician is murdered by Kalliovski, Sido shows unexpected courage in helping Yann escape a similar fate.

Years pass before Yann has a chance to repay the favor. Sido, like all French aristocracy, is in danger of the raging passions from the hoi polloi, and also from an impending marriage to Count Kalliovski, a fate that is perhaps worse than death. Can Yann rescue Sido from both the guillotine and one of the most merciless men on the planet?

Gardner is successful in crafting a strong hero in Yann and villain in the Marquis de Villeduval, Sido's father and Count Kalliovski. Marvelous historical fiction set during the French Revolution. What more could you want when a novel contains mystery, romance, a magician, an orphan, a dwarf, an automotan and evil incarnate?

The Pox Party (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, #1) by M.T. Anderson

It is a very strange storyline. Octavian is a slave in 18th century America but he is not a slave the way generally understand the word. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest education, raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers. But as Octavian grows up he begins to realize that he is an experiment and begins to find shaming evidence that he and his mother are not always treated as equals. Everything would have remained the same until the house of scholars changes hands and the new master is not so kind to Octavian and his mother. When the disquiet of Revolution reaches Boston, everything changes.

The title comes from an interesting practice held among the rich during this time. Small pox was the scourge in the cities. People were dying. In a immunization-like fashion, people would gather as if to attend a party, purposely expose themselves to the pox, and then hang out and wait around for people to get sick. With the plague being monitored and only being exposed to small amounts of the pox, it was thought that people would have more of a chance to live. The smart thing was, that once exposed to the pox, you are immune. This is described in more detail in the book.

Historically and emotionally this is a very curious and interesting book. We have a Black narator/protagonist telling us a story about being a slave before we really think about slavery. I feel conflicted about the way Octavian is treated. At first he is very well cared for and but on the other hand, he is a SCIENCE EXPERIMENT! That is just so degrating that I can't reconsile the care put into the "project." There are so many interesting discussion points.

This is the first in a series and I really wonder where it is all going.