In the Midst of Winter by Allende and Dangerous Crossing by Rhys

Events in Isabel Allende’s latest novel, IN THE MIDST OF WINTER, span more than sixty years and two continents. The story begins with a massive snowstorm in Brooklyn in 2016, with Lucia Maraz, an academic from Chile, trying to stay warm in the apartment she rents in the brownstone belonging to Richard Bowmaster, an NYU professor in his 60’s. Due to an emergency, he has been out driving and skidded into the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented immigrant for Guatemala. Having taken the car without permission, she is petrified of her violent boss and turns to Lucia and Richard for help. As there adventures continue, these three learn to build trust and share the stories of their lives, including the losses of family members due to military takeovers in Chile, drug and alcohol abuse in Brazil, and gang activity in Central America. Throughout, Allende evokes empathy for the plight of immigrants and refugees, from Richard’s father who fled the Nazis to those who (roughly a decade ago) protected Evelyn on her own journey North. At times, the stories were violent, heartbreaking, and difficult to read, but seemed especially poignant given recent debates about DACA and news of the sanctuary offered by more churches opening their doors to undocumented immigrants facing deportation. Allende is an award winning author who is not afraid to write of political injustice and masterfully incorporates historical events into this moving (and yet sometimes humorous) novel. IN THE MIDST OF WINTER received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

DANGEROUS CROSSING by Rachel Rhys is not the “cozy, closed door” mystery novel that I had been anticipating.  It is certainly suspenseful, though, and offers an opportunity to discuss assumptions and prejudices about class, religion and gender. Told over several weeks in 1939, this historical fiction describes the ocean voyage of Lily Shepherd, a young girl traveling to Australia on an assisted passage program in order to take up a domestic service position. Onboard she meets Maria, a Jewish refugee, Edward, recovering from tuberculosis and his sister, Helena, as well as George, a bigoted fascist, and Eliza and Max, wealthy socialites. I had difficulty feeling much affection for any of the characters, but Lily has numerous adventures, even sees the pyramids, and experiences dramatic revelations. By the time the journey ends, two people are dead and the reader learns the surprising identity of the suspect police detained in the prologue. 

September Young Adult Fiction Titles ...

I have been reading some newly available Young Adult Fiction and even though they are from different publishers there was certainly similarities and a great deal of teenage angst over relationships in each.

My favorite was The Last True Love Story by Brendan Kiely.  Normally, I would shy away from a book with “love story” in the title, but this one is not so much about romance as it is about family, belonging, the legacy of Vietnam, coming of age and responsibility, Alzheimer’s, and racial identity.  Sounds like almost too much, but award-winning author Brendan Kiely effectively raises important questions while offering an entertaining travelogue.

The main characters are Teddy Hendrix, his grandfather, Gpa, and his school friend, Corinna.  The three embark on a cross country trip from LA to Ithaca, New York in order to help Gpa more firmly retain his memories of Gma and an earlier time.  Along the way, music and playlists from the 60’s and 70’s are cleverly incorporated into the The Last True Love Story in a very enjoyable way.  One recurring theme in the book is “the point of living is learning how to love” so readers do learn about the courtship between Gpa and Gma, plus flashback to their marriage during the Vietnam war era.  All of which contrasts with the growing attraction between Hendrix and Corrina. She is from Guatemala and struggles with identity both as an adoptee and as a person of color, yet she is able to reach outside herself and help Gpa and Hendrix as they deal with the range of emotions and behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s.  The Last True Love Story received starred reviews from both Kirkus and School Library Journal. Students will find something to relate to in this story, which will definitely encourage discussion and reflection.   

 

In addition, I read a preview of Kids of Appetite by David Arnold.  This title also shares the adventure of a road trip where main characters Victor Benucci and Madeline Falco take off in reaction to his Mom’s decision to remarry and her need to flee an abusive situation. Along the way, Vic and Mad need to confront a murder and plan to disperse his dad’s ashes. The preview of a few chapters was intriguing, but less memorable than expected from the author of Mosquitoland which won numerous awards. Kids of Appetite received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Voya. I am certainly curious to read the entire book which will be available on Tuesday, September 20.  

Finally, I began The Boy Who Killed Grant Parker by Kat Spears.  I have very much enjoyed her other novels, like Breakaway or Sway, but this one was simply too “high school” for me.  The characters, especially Luke Grayson, were rather immature and so very self-centered (and therefore almost caricatures) that it was difficult to feel any empathy for them. Sadly, Luke moves to a new school in an insular community and is subjected to bullying from other students and from adults (like the police chief and principal) who should know better.  Luke receives little, if any, support from his family and no-one except for Roger, who employs him and is a bit of a social outcast, seems willing to listen. I thought that Kat Spears’ earlier works (reviews linked above) were stronger than The Boy Who Killed Grant Parker  and would recommend beginning with those other titles instead.   

Do you have a new Young Adult (YA) title that you have really enjoyed?  Let us know as we have begun booktalking them to classes and want plenty of popular works to be available.  Some past student favorites are shown on this ever-changing Libguide: http://newtrier.libguides.com/independentreadingsophomore212  

The Taste of Many Mountains by Bruce Wydick

I simply can’t decide what this book, The Taste of Many Mountains by Bruce Wydick, about poverty and globalization, wants to be:

- A fiction story  - like when it tells about the young woman in 1980’s Guatemala; OR

- A “semi-fiction” work – when it focuses on 4 grad students in 2007; OR

- A non-fiction text when it educates about randomized sampling, the varieties of coffee and fair trade statistics.

I do think this was an admirable attempt to focus attention on an important and complex problem, but, sadly, I kept getting pulled out of the story every time the author switched focus. Most annoying were the four graduate students who, frankly, seemed clueless at times.  How could they be so concerned about exploitation and then (blissfully ignorant?) simply sit down to eat a poor family’s lunch?

Here is my suggestion:  publish a companion piece which visually tells the story of the coffee growers and makes readers truly care about them and their situation.  Some great role models for this would be Material World by Peter Menzel; possibly What Matters by David Elliot Cohen or even the format used in the newer Chuck Close: FaceBook.  Consider contrasting the living situation in Guatemala with that of coffee drinkers in Seattle and elsewhere ... Inviting students around the country to send photos and stories ... Be creative and encourage participation.

Also, to be more effective and to raise discussion, keep this as a work of non-fiction or as a type of memoir.  See, for example, titles like Kids of Kabul by Ellis (which my students love); or I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai or Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (also used in our curriculum) or possibly Little Princes by Conor Grennan.  Somewhat text heavy, Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy by Rivoli is another example of tackling these trade issues for a wider audience. [image source]

If it is not possible to re-shape the story, then please add more extensive and accessible footnotes like Rivoli did. Here, in Taste of Many Mountains, the author lists references by chapter, but it would have been helpful to have an bibliography (annotated, if possible) for future student work.  For example, Wydick refers to Black Gold by Antony Wild, but I do not think he mentions the DVD by the same name; he includes Uncommon Grounds by Pendergast, but does not seem to include the more recent Coffee: a Comprehensive Guide edited by Thurston and others.  And where are the website links?  I saw a very few, but several more about fair trade (even World Bank, IMF? WTO?) and sustainability/biodiversity (Rainforest Alliance?) could certainly have been included. There are literally millions of websites which discuss fair trade and coffee. Overall, this is a book with potential that is based on an amazing amount of work and I hope that the author and his team continue to produce material which will help us all learn more.