The House of Kennedy

The House of Kennedy by James Patterson and Cynthia Agen    432 pages

Excellent book on the Kennedy family sharing stories from relatives, friends, political colleagues and more.   Lots of information shared here from their Irish beginnings to the Kennedy cousins.  If you are a fan of the Camelot days of Jackie, John, Caroline and John-John, you will really love this book.   Lots of info never told before.   I highly recommend this one.

 - Shirley J.

#NotYourPrincess: Voices Of Native American Women

https://slpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=notyourprincess&searchType=smart

#NotYourPrincess: Voices Of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy & Mary Beth Leatherdale

“Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.” This was a fascinating collection of poems and short anecdotes, and other miscellanea.  This is a great book for anyone concerned about racism.

Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists

Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists by Martha H Kennedy   255 pages

This book was published in partnership with the Library of Congress and is a presentation of women in American illustration from the late 19th into the 21st century.  The author focuses on forms that haven't received much attention before, including political cartoons, editorial illustrations and cover designs, to show off the contributions of many women whose work has been overlooked.  She breaks down the book into sections, so you read about women who did cover designs, advertising work, etc. The book focuses on 80 women who created these works and you learn about their stories, artistic training, their experiences of gender bias in the workplace and much more.

I found this book fascinating!  I knew about some of these women, but I didn't know about a lot of them ---- and being able to learn about them and their work in the context of the societal norms of their day was really interesting. 

Hank & Jim: The Fifty –Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart

Hank & Jim: The Fifty –Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman          Audio Book: 13 hours     Hardback Book: 384 pages          

I hated to come to the end of this book.   It was that good.   I had no idea what great friends actors Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart were.    This is an absolutely charming book telling the life stories of both men from the time they met during their college days all the way to the end of their lives, every page was a joy making the reader feel so involved in their lives it was like living there right along with them and all of their showbiz pals.   Honestly, you get to see these two fellows grow up before your eyes from kids in their respective home towns, Fonda in Grand Island, Nebraska and Stewart in Indiana, Pennsylvania.   You meet their parents and siblings, get a feel for what their homelife and home training was like then to their childhoods (Jimmy Stewart was putting on plays and charging admission at an early age)  then to young men going to ivy league institutions for their collegiate years afterward soaring to careers on stage in first Summerstock then in New York spiraling to films in Hollywood, California where their legends grew on the big screen.   I learned so many things about each of these guys it was the most pleasureable read I have experienced in a long time.    It was like opening a family album, albeit two families of whom I learned a great deal about but the same kind of feel like looking at snapshots of the past with family elders telling you the story behind each.   I loved this book.    It discusses their military careers – Fonda got the bronze star for decoding info that saved lives and Stewart who entered the Army’s AirForce (they weren’t two different military units yet, during WWII) as an aviator having gotten his pilot’s license while living in Beverly Hills and flying his personal plane out of Burbank Airport.   Stewart remained in the reserves as long as they would let him before retiring him.  During which time, Stewart was promoted to Brigadier General in 1959 and they retired him on May 31, 1968 (he had been drafted for service in 1940).   Neither man would speak to anyone of their time in the military and once when Steart’s step-son had a school project to do on WWII he asked Jimmy about it and Jimmy replied, “There are lots of books on the subject go read them.”   The list of friends the two men shared reads like a who’s who of Hollywood’s golden years.   So fascinating to learn about their get-togethers of family BBQs and playing cards, having each other over for dinner, getting to know their kids and how the celebs inter-acted with them, the elaborate pranks Hank and Jim pulled every chance they got.    Such a fun read.    I recommend this to every fan of biographies, fans of the two stars themselves, fans of Hollywood and the A-Listers back in the day and really, anyone looking for a feel good read, it was so uplifting to see the inner lives behind the celebrity facades that hid a lot of inner turmoil and down to earth fun.    I had no idea what a ladies man Jimmy Stewart was.     Fonda himself had 5 wives but didn’t find his soulmate until the 5^th and last wife.   Jimmy Stewart waited to marry until he was 41.   He met the right gal (though he had apparently met a lot of the wrong gals prior from his 20s till then partying with loads of movie queens till then) and once married never strayed till death did them part after which he was a lost man until his death.   The book talks about the hobbies the two men shared – a love for building and flying remote control airplanes and building huge kites to in their later years growing fruit and vegetables on their properties with Fonda getting into Bee-Keeping and sharing the honey produced by his hive as gifts to friends titling it “Hank’s Honey”.    Two totally different personalities that jived so well it was an original bromance.   So many good tales are shared here and their passion for acting – Fonda loved the stage more than film, Stewart loved film more than the stage.    At face value two unique individuals once the layers are peeled in the pages of this book the reader will find out what truly unique individuals they really were.    So good!   I cannot recommend this book enough.   Truly delightful.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women by Elena Favilli and
Francesca Cavallo     212 pages

A children's book that reinvents fairy tales, inspiring girls with the stories of 100 great women from Elizabeth I to Serena Williams.

This is a great introductory book to the lives of women. The book covers historically famous female figures as well as contemporary figures, giving a brief story-like overview of their life and accomplishments. While the stories are only a page long, they are a great starting place to get any child excited about a particular figure and in this way inspire them to seek more in-depth biographies.  I love the illustrations for this book. Each woman has a different artist's portrait of them and all are beautiful, colorful, and capture their subject very well. The book is laid out well and covers a very diverse range of women from all over the globe and a wide variety of ages.

I would highly recommend this book to young children, but even as an adult, I highly enjoyed reading this book myself and learning about the lives of women I myself had never heard of until this book. It was a wonderful read.

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo               Hardback Book:  212 pages                         

Many of the short biographies told here begin “Once Upon a Time there was a woman who…”    These are great short biographies of 100 women who have lived throughout history in countries all over the world brought together and while true stories they are presented in story book fashion.    I really enjoyed this book.    Many of the names you will find here are big names in the history of their home countries, but, perhaps little known here though many of the ladies discussed are from the United States, too.    I love that the book is all inclusive regardless of race, faith or lifestyle choices.  It is truly diverse and chock full of information set forth in honest and open language.     I could see parents reading these stories aloud sharing the idea that women are achievers in every field you can imagine and many are stories of the struggles the women went through competing against men,  overcoming social prejudices whatever odds they were up against to achieve their dreams and goals.     From astronomers to bicyclists,  directors to pirates, physically challenged in a multitude of ways, all overachievers, all winners in their chosen field.   Congratulations to all the women who have fought against stereotypes and kept going eyes on the prize until they got to the finish line beating out the bullies trying to stop them.   BRAVO!!!

Father of Route 66

Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery by Susan C Kelly.  288 pages.   not held at SLPL.

While you've most likely heard of Route 66, did you know there was one man who was the main force behind creating this road?    This biography of Cy Avery takes us from his beginnings as a farmer and teacher, to his careers as an oil man and politician.   While the focus is on Avery, the book also provides in-depth information on how, as the need for good roads (i.e., not deep, mud-filled paths) developed, how people who had the vision for roads and highways worked with the U.S. government to make these dreams into a reality.

I picked up this book as part of a project I'm involved with, and came to it with no knowledge of Cy Avery at all, and only a bit of knowledge about the creation of Route 66 and the U.S. highway system.    It was interesting to read about this man, who was very passionate about not only roads, but also providing access to water in Tulsa, Oklahoma.   There was more to Avery than Route 66, as well; he stood up to the Ku Klu Klan, and developed plans for a municipal airport.    Admittedly, I sometimes found the book a bit dry, although it was rich in detail.   However, the author brings so much information to this biography that it was easy to get a clear picture of not only Avery, himself, but of the United States in that time in history.

I don't know if I'd include this in with biographies I'd suggest to all readers, but if you're interested in Route 66, or how some of the national roads came into existence, then it's definitely one to read.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson   480 Pages

Erik Larson’s latest book provides me with my second reason why she has no desire to ever, ever take a cruise. The first was all the books I’ve read on the Titanic.

Like Larson, I knew a bit about the sinking the luxury liner Lusitania, but after reading his book, I realize that my knowledge was skimpy at best, embarrassingly wrong at worse. I had always thought that the sinking of the Lusitania and other ships carrying American citizens is what propelled the United States into the Great War. Wrong. President Woodrow Wilson was a cool cucumber after the boat sunk, with the loss of life reaching a total of 1,198 of the 2,000 souls who were on board.

The ship left New York bound for Liverpool, England, on May 1, 1915. She was sunk by a torpedo form the German U-20 on May 7. When she sailed from New York harbor, she was booked to capacity. “This was, according to the New York Times, the greatest number of Europe-bound passengers on a single vessel since the year began.” Rather remarkable given that the war had been raging for ten months.

Larson gives reader lots of background information. I admit to discovering more about the politic of both Germany and the U.S., more about U-boats, and more details about the Lusitania than I ever though I would. Larson is an expert at narrative nonfiction that pulls readers into the story.

And while he is adept at making some boring topics interesting, his true success comes into his details about people. The U-20 commander, Schwieger, was a cold-blooded SOB. He didn’t think twice about sinking boats of all sizes, even those carrying large number of women and children. His main goal on each mission was to put as much tonnage as he could on the bottom of the world’s oceans and seas. The Lusitania’s captain, William Thomas Turner, was a credit to his position. I think I would have like him.

The parts of the book that I enjoyed most were the one about the passengers. Readers get to know several of the passengers. Larson paints vivid pictures of life aboard the liner.

The entire book leads up to the moment that a U-20 torpedo strikes the boat. The horrendous details that follow are enough to give readers nightmares. The sinking read much like the Titanic sinking: people jumping from the ship, the lifeboats (there were enough) not functioning properly, the debris that littered the ocean surface after the boat dropped below the waterline. To me, the most horrifying scenes were the people floating upside down in the water. They had put their lifejackets on incorrectly, thereby causing their heads to be forced underwater.

I give Dead Wake 4 stars out of 5. The details of the ships and the politics were a bit much for me. I think they could have been condensed somewhat. 

Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust

Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust by Sarah A. Ogilvie and Scott Miller   224 pages

 On May 13, 1939, the German passenger ship, MS St. Louis sailed from Hamburg for Havana. Aboard were 937 German Jews trying to escape the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich. All had landing permits for Cuba and many had waiting numbers for the United States. Before this voyage, the St. Louis had been a luxury liner. Captain Gustav Schroeder insisted that the passengers was no different than any other passengers.

Fifteen days later, the St. Louis reached Havana. Much to their surprise, the Cuban government denied the passengers entry. Negotiations lasted several days. Cuba continued to refuse, and Schroeder set sail for America. Pleas were submitted to President Roosevelt. Without hearing from him, the ship anchored in the waters off the coast of Miami. They were so close that the passengers could see Miami’s lights. With no word from Roosevelt, Schroeder has no choice but to return to Germany. I can’t imagine the fear the passengers experienced.

When the ship returned, the passengers were dispersed to four countries: England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The years passed. In the United States, the Holocaust Memorial Museum was constructed. Two employees, Sarah Ogilvie and Scott Miller began to wonder what happened to those 937 German Jews. Were they swept up in Hitler’s determination to rid the world of Jewish people? Did any survive the concentration camps? Did any make it to America?

So began the research project that became this book. In 1996, Ogilvie and Miller began the arduous task of tracking down 937 people. It was a daunting task considering WWII had been over for more than 50 years.

Ten years in the making (that’s how long it took to track down all 937), this book is filled with tales of death, survivorship, research, dogged determination and sometimes just plain ol’ luck. What affected me the most was the passenger list and the photographs from the boat. Pictures of people without names makes them less personal. When you sit down to read this book, be sure to have a box of tissues handy.

 

I give Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust 6 out of 5 stars