"In July 1969, a hundred or so black women crowded into a room, their attention commanded by the sounds and grainy images issuing forth from a small b"In July 1969, a hundred or so black women crowded into a room, their attention commanded by the sounds and grainy images issuing forth from a small black-and-white television. The flickering light of the TV illuminated the women’s faces, the history of their country written in the great diversity of their features and hair and skin color, which ranged from near-ivory to almost-ebony, hues of beige and coffee and cocoa and topaz filling in between. Some of the women were approaching their golden years, the passage of time and experience etched in their faces and bearing. Others were in full bloom of youth, their eyes like diamonds, reflecting a bright future."
Hidden Figures is a remarkable account of a small number of intelligent, hard-working, driven and admirable African-American women who made significant contributions to the Space Race and to the fields of math, science and engineering. At a time when many parts of the United States still practiced segregation and racial prejudices were still widespread, their story is even more extraordinary. What a day it must have been for those women standing in that room in 1969 as the culmination of their dedication and perseverance was about to peak as the first man made his way to the moon!
This book is thoroughly researched and introduces us to four of these gifted women and their stories as they took the plunge into careers as mathematicians - or ‘computers�, as they were called before the age of information technology and digital electronics. Author Margot Lee Shetterly also provides us with many details of the civil rights movement, school segregation and eventual integration, and the aeronautic industry. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden faced obstacles and discrimination in the workplace, as they lived in a country where being a white male provided the best probability of equitable pay and chance of advancement. However, their brilliant minds did not go unnoticed and they garnered the respect from their coworkers and supervisors that they undeniably deserved. Their fighting spirits led them to opportunities that were previously unimaginable. And yet they still faced the ugly reality of “colored only� bathrooms and cafeteria tables in the workplace. It is extraordinary to think that while these women worked at a place as technologically progressive as Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Virginia, that this same state was steeped with the injustice imposed by the Jim Crow laws. The government fought against integrating schools, even to the point of closing down schools that attempted to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. Some schools offered incentives to black families that agreed to enroll their children in the black districts.
"Virginia, a state with one of the highest concentrations of scientific talent in the world, led the nation in denying education to its youth."
I feel I should mention just a couple of minor quibbles I had which kept this from being a 5-star book for me. First, I had hoped to feel more of an emotional or personal connection to these four awesome ladies. This piece was missing perhaps because we didn’t really get to learn as much about how they felt, but rather more about what they did. Second, the narrative jumped around quite a bit � both in time and between individuals. I think a more linear story with sections devoted to the individual women would have worked better for me. Nevertheless, it is a truly inspirational story that I think everyone should discover � whether through this book or by watching the movie (which I have yet to do myself). I think the best experience would include both.
"I want to be an engineer like my mother." - Levi Jackson to his mom, Mary Jackson � what a proud mom moment those words must have provided back in 1960! ...more
"Had the Keatings just put the gin in their liquor cabinet no one would have thought less of them. But Fix Keating had given the bottle to his wife, a"Had the Keatings just put the gin in their liquor cabinet no one would have thought less of them. But Fix Keating had given the bottle to his wife, and his wife, worn down by the stress of throwing a good party, was going to have a drink, and if she was going to have a drink then by God everyone at the party was welcome to join her."
A couple receives a very unusual gift at a christening party. I don’t remember anyone ever showing up with a bottle of gin at either of my children’s baptisms, but then again we didn’t invite every soul we knew and then some! In Commonwealth, an uninvited guest will provide the gin, the hostess will squeeze the oranges, and the neighbors will dash to their homes to add to the stash of alcohol. Well, if you’ve ever been to a party with lots of booze, which I suspect you have, then I’m sure you know that something is bound to happen. What happens at the christening party of pretty little Franny Keating will have a lasting effect on two families.
I thought this was an entertaining book. The characters are very well developed and seemed so real. Six children and two sets of parents, a good deal of dysfunction, and some very interesting family dynamics make for a lot of drama. Shifting between characters and timelines kept the narrative engaging. I don’t think I would have liked this as much if it had been told in a linear fashion. The story jumped back and forth from when the children were very young, to teen years, to younger adults, and into middle-age. Adults grew into old age. It didn’t trip me up at all, as Patchett managed to pull this off with ease. I worried for these kids, out and about with no or little supervision � would they actually make it into adulthood?! My sister and I were watched like hawks by our parents, so I couldn’t at all relate to this story � perhaps that piqued my interest even more. As is the case with siblings and groups of kids, not everyone got along. Someone is always picked on or exploited for the benefit of the others. That was true here as well. I felt sorry for little Albie! There’s always that little kid that you see in action in real life and you think to yourself, “I wonder how he/she’s going to turn out?� Well, that’s what I thought about Albie. And I found out! I would actually have liked to learn a bit more about Albie in his older years, but there is no way Patchett could cover everyone in detail through adulthood unless she wanted to turn this into a family saga of sorts.
There were a couple of things I fussed about while reading this, so I’ll share here. I thought the ending was rushed. I just expected it to perhaps come together a bit more by the end, but it seemed to finish rather abruptly. Also, there was a mystery event that is revealed to the reader in little bits and pieces. I felt the suspense of this building up as I turned the pages. I was eager to return to this part of the story so I could find out what happened. When I did, however, I felt a bit underwhelmed. I don’t know why I thought this was leading us somewhere else. I felt sad rather than shocked. I guess I expected to feel more surprised. I really like Ann Patchett’s concise prose, her storytelling feels fluid even with shifts in time. I liked the reflection on the “what-ifs�. If this one thing had happened differently, then things would have turned out another way. The choices we make lead us down paths that we cannot know ahead of time, but we should know that all of our choices will affect more than just ourselves. This book would appeal to readers that like contemporary fiction and stories about interesting family dynamics. This is my second novel by this author, and I plan to read more! I’m giving Commonwealth 3.5 stars rounded up for the strength in the writing. ...more
"He had always said that the joining of a man and a woman was also the joining of two families. Ancestors, whole histories, came with the act, but so "He had always said that the joining of a man and a woman was also the joining of two families. Ancestors, whole histories, came with the act, but so did sins and curses. The children were the embodiment of that unity, and they bore the brunt of it all."
Homegoing is an astonishing and heartrending debut novel written by the undeniably talented Yaa Gyasi. Truly epic in scope, the book covers a span of about three-hundred years from the eighteenth century straight into the twentieth century. Alternating between Ghana and America, Gyasi weaves a masterful account of the lives of two sisters, Effia and Esi, and their descendants. One sister wed to a British slave trader and the other doomed to the horrific fate of a slave bound for the American south, both will suffer from the legacy of slavery, injustice and greed as the consequences seep through the generations of each of their families.
The reader follows a large number of characters who, for the most part, are given a single chapter in which we learn of their life, their hardships, fears and desires. On rare occasions, we are able to feel their joy. The symbolism of fire, water and a special necklace follow them all. I learned a lot about the tribal warfare of western Africa and the colonization by the Europeans, all which led to the realization of something as horrific as the trading of human lives in exchange for power and money. Some accepted the legacy of their fathers and mothers and others sacrificed so much to escape the injustices imposed on themselves and others. I was familiar with the stories of the southern plantations, the lives of those that were “free� but oppressed by the Jim Crow laws, and the great migration to the north where many sought what they hoped would be a better future for their families and children. But each story I hear is unique, each individual has their own personal sufferings, and I cannot help but feel for every single one. Many are such heartbreaking stories. Women like Willie who would set her soul free and learn to sing again, and men like Yaw who bore indescribable physical and emotional suffering but could also be set free by the gift of forgiveness � such accounts brought a glimpse of light back into their lives and this book.
My only wish as I read this powerful story was that I could spend more time with each character. In some ways, this felt like a series of interconnected short stories. At first, I became a bit confused when the narrative jumped to a new character. A family tree at the beginning of the hard or electronic copy is definitely a plus. As the book progressed and I realized the intent, I easily settled in and went with the flow of Gyasi’s skillful writing. I just loved the way everything was tied together when I turned the last page. I will jump at whatever this author has in store for us next! I can only imagine the superb character development that would result from the penning of a novel with perhaps fewer characters. At the same time, I feel that the goal to present us with a saga illustrating the institution of slavery and its effect on multiple generations was accomplished with competence and dignity. I will not soon forget this stirring novel. Highly recommended with a rating of 4.5 stars!
"Evil begets evil. It grows. It transmutes, so that sometimes you cannot see that the evil in the world began as the evil in your own home."...more
"� the Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dream of empires res"� the Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dream of empires restored. No. His model for mastering his circumstances would be a different sort of captive altogether: an Anglican washed ashore. Like Robinson Crusoe stranded on the Isle of Despair, the Count would maintain his resolve by committing to the business of practicalities. Having dispensed with dreams of quick discovery, the world’s Crusoes seek shelter and a source of fresh water; they teach themselves to make fire from flint; they study their island’s topography, its climate, its flora and fauna, all the while keeping their eyes trained for sails on the horizon and footprints in the sand."
Moscow, 1922: Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has been sentenced to a life of isolation within the walls of the illustrious Metropol Hotel. His crime being simply that he is an aristocrat and a poet and therefore a threat to the ideals of the party. Removed from his luxurious suite and banished to the cramped quarters of an attic room, the Count resolves to make the best of his situation � which he undoubtedly accomplishes with the dignity of a gentleman and tasteful good humor.
You may ask how a story about a man imprisoned within such lodgings, no matter how grand the edifice, could hold your interest. Well, the answer is superb writing, wonderful characters, interesting history, dazzling storytelling, and a delightful dash of wit! I could carry on with more gushing adjectives, but I’m sure you get the picture! Needless to say, I adored the Count and this book. From the “Triumvirate� of close personal friends that share in the Count’s reverent appreciation of fine food and drink, to the adventurous Nina who teaches the Count the innermost secrets of the hotel, to the steadfast and reserved friend Mishka, to the lovely and celebrated actress, Anna, and to the unlikely party friend, Osip, we become bosom buddies ourselves with this diverse cast of characters. I did not want to leave these friends when I turned the last page!
The Count’s admiration of great literature and music and exquisite food are ones I suspect most readers will find quite delightful. One could almost imagine sitting in the Boyarsky, "the finest restaurant in Moscow, if not in all of Russia", across from the Count and indulging in the most enticing dishes, so vivid are the descriptions of the food. How about just a little taste of that Latvian stew � "The onions thoroughly caramelized, the pork slowly braised, and the apricots briefly stewed, the three ingredients came together in a sweet and smoky medley that simultaneously suggested the comfort of a snowed-in tavern and the jangle of a Gypsy tambourine." Or a generous pouring of a vintage bottle of wine � "In a sip, it would evoke the timing of that winter’s thaw, the extent of that summer’s rain, the prevailing winds, and the frequency of clouds. Yes, a bottle of wine was the ultimate distillation of time and place, a poetic expression of individuality itself." A cherished copy of Anna Karenina has been a constant companion of our distinguished Count, and I am sure many will appreciate the value of that sacred tome as well.
This book is not just a hedonistic treasure; there exists a compelling plot that Amor Towles executes brilliantly. You have to read it to see for yourself. Steeped in the atmosphere of the time and place, A Gentleman in Moscow is a book not to be missed. With the end of the year approaching and the time for resolutions to be put in place, I have resolved, like the Count, to try to live my life to the fullest, no matter what small literal and figurative boundaries in which I feel myself confined. ...more
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