Weekly Reader: Underground by Kit Sergeant; Sergeant's Female Spies Take on The American Civil War

 

Weekly Reader: Underground by Kit Sergeant; Sergeant's Female Spies Take on The American Civil War

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The previous book by Kit Sergeant, 355, told the story of Meg Coughlin, Sally Townsend, and Elizabeth Burgin, three women who spied during the American Revolution, one of which may have been the mysterious enigmatic "355," a woman who wrote missives directly to George Washington himself.

Her next book, Underground: Traitors and Spies in the Civil War, transports us to the War Between the States. She tells of four women who spy for both the Union and the Confederacy in a compelling narrative that gives both sides to a war that still resonates throughout American history and current events.

As with her previous works, Sergeant captures different women from various walks of life that contributed to the Civil War in their own unique ways. Hattie Lewis is the second woman employed by Pinkerton's Detective Agency (the first being Hattie's mentor,Kate Warne). After successfully and secretly hiding and protecting President Elect Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt, the boys at Pinkerton's take notice and offer Hattie tougher and more dangerous assignments including spying.

Mary Jane Richards Bower is an African American woman who had been  freed by her employer, Miss Lizzie. Grateful, Mary Jane offers her services by working in various wealthy Confederate homes and passing information to the Union. Her contacts eventually take her to the home of one Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy.

Belle Boyd is a young opinionated Southern Belle who uses her femininity and penchant for firearms to obtain information on behalf of the Confederacy in tempestuous Baltimore, which has mixed residents on both sides of the conflict.

Loretta Janeta Velazquez Williams, a New Orleans widow, takes a more direct approach to the action than the other three lead characters. She dons men's clothes and fights for the Confederacy under the name Lt. Harry T. Buford. 

I have mixed feelings about this installment, as compared to 355 and L'Agent Double which I felt were terrific with no argument. Right or wrong, a lot of my emotions towards Underground have to do with current controversies towards the Confederacy and how it is presented in historical textbooks and popular culture. There are some interesting chapters where Belle uses most men's perception of femininity against them by playing the flirtatious Southern Belle while obtaining and passing information. It's also interesting that Loretta goes the opposite extreme and dons male garb to become a soldier. However, their unapologetic Southern pro slavery views make it hard to be empathetic and root for them.

Many times their racism is made completely clear as they think of black people as subhuman. Loretta is particularly upfront using derogatory terms in her first chapter. The fact that these are women challenging roles that society expects from them and they do not see the correlation towards African Americans doing the same is jarring at best and hypocritical at worst. I know we shouldn't put modern views on the past but there are times when the difference between past and present cannot be ignored and this is one of those times.

Because of that the stories of Hattie and Mary Jane are much more interesting. Hattie tries to break through the all men society of Pinkerton's and eventually earns the respect of her colleagues through her tenacity, courage, and persistence. She spends much of the book on an extended cover assignment where she and a colleague pose as husband and wife. It's a difficult assignment as Hattie must reconcile her personal feelings with her responsibility and duty as an investigator and spy.

Also interesting is Mary Jane's story. Similar to Belle using the masculine views of femininity against her opponents, Mary Jane uses white assumptions about black people against them. She poses as an illiterate kitchen maid but can read very well and is able transcribe missives and documents. She makes her employers believe that she is unintelligent when she is quite brilliant and observant. Also of the four stories, hers is the most suspenseful as Mary Jane ends up working for Jefferson Davis' household right in the belly of the beast of racism and separatism if you will. Her time there is filled with tense moments as she is well aware that any false move, any mistake, and she could be killed by a family who wouldn't bat an eyelid over killing one of their slaves.

Unlike 355 where the stories overlap as the three leads meet and become friends, there isn't much overlap between the four stories. They cover a wide ground of several states so it is not likely that these women would have been able to physically encounter each other very much. There is one awkward early chapter where Belle attempts to seduce "Harry" but Loretta leaves before too much happens, but that's it.

Instead their connections are more thematic then physical. This is particularly prominent when Belle and Hattie are imprisoned at the same time for different charges. The women handle their imprisonment in their own unique styles as Belle flirts with guards and makes powerful allies on the outside that vouch for her. Hattie faces her imprisonment with stoic patience but also quiet terror especially when one of her fellow investigators is executed. 

Underground is yet another achievement in Sergeant's series by giving faces and names to women who otherwise would have gone unknown. It's about time they spoke and acted for themselves.

New Book Alert: Skadegamutc Ghost Witch By Ian Conner; Native American Folklore Mixes With Modern Horror

 

New Book Alert: Skadegamutc Ghost Witch By Ian Conner; Native American Folklore Mixes With Modern Horror

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Skadegamutc Ghost Witch by Ian Conner is like one of those ghost stories that you read in Haunted Places collections or hear about in an urban legend. It tells of an old evil spirit with a fascinating backstory that intrudes upon the present day to enact some sort of vengeance or malicious intent on subsequent generations. A story like this might be familiar, but Conner gives it enough atmosphere to send chills down your spine.

A mysterious creature called The Skadegamutc or Ghost Witch has been haunting the Pequabuck Lake in Nollesemic Village, Maine. Many people since the 16th century have been missing and some have drowned despite varying degrees of swimming ability. In 2005, disappearances are quite high particularly because Carlyle Allen, a wealthy developer, wants to build new property in the area leading to more people and more victims to fall prey to the Ghost Witch's clutches.

What is known about the Ghost Witch is that it sometimes takes the form of a beautiful maiden that lures its prey. It appears to have a fondness for twins since many of its victims either are twins or are parts of families that have them. It also seems to have a vendetta against the Two Spears and Four Claws Families, two local clans who have been sworn enemies of the creature for 500 years.

The Ghost Witch is an actual figure from Wabanaki folklore. In Conner's book, it is given a chilling backstory and modus operandi that gives this old narrative a modern scare.

One of the best chapters in the entire book is the first where the Reader is first introduced to this enigmatic spectre in the 16th century. It takes the form of a Maiden that captivates four young women who consider themselves homely as compared to this otherworldly beauty swimming in the lake. As they swim, the girls not only find that they have become beautiful, but are drawn to this mysterious maiden. The Ghost Witch gives an alluring almost erotic presence as it draws the young mortal woman only to take their lives. A story with variations that are repeated so often that it has become hoary and even cliche is transformed into a moment of seduction and terror thanks to Conner's engaging writing. 

That seduction and terror continues for centuries as people are  drawn to and appalled by the Ghost Witch and its actions. It seems to get off on people's most negative emotions like insecurity and greed. Perhaps the Ghost Witch is a metaphor for unbridled and extreme desires and what happens when those desires overpower and take control. They draw someone towards them to a dark and disturbing end.

What is compelling about the Ghost Witch is that it harbors no distinction between who it attacks (except that it has a fondness for twins). Male or female, white or Native American. It's all the same to it. While there is a subplot about redevelopment and the potential destruction of the land and environment, it's clear that the Ghost Witch is not there as a symbol of Mother Nature's rage. In fact, since it uses the most negative emotions to draw prey inside, maybe it's hoping for more greed from the developers and rage and hopelessness from the residents. More negative emotions means more humans to play with and snack on. However, The Ghost Witch doesn't care who it hurts. It will destroy anyone that is unfortunate enough to cross its path.

In fact, its worst enemies are from the Two Spears and Four Claws families. While the Ghost Witch attacks in the present, we are also given the back story of how this creature came to be and why the families are united in their drive to destroy it. For spoiler's sake, I won't go into it in this review but it is compelling and makes the characters more understandable.

 The history gives more dimensions to this inhuman character and its enemies to remind us that it once was actually human, came from somewhere, and fell in the worst way possible. The backstory also reveals why the Two Spears and Four Claws families are so determined to destroy the Ghost Witch and why the current generation feel that it's their responsibility to end this evil once and for all.

Skadegamutc Ghost Witch is a construction and restructuring of an ancient folk tale. By giving us its origins, motives, and means, Conner shows that this is not simply some unstoppable demon. Instead it was once human and like all humans is prey to weakness. If understood, it can be defeated.

Weekly Reader: Nightfall Gardens (Nightfall Gardens Series Book One) by Allen Houston; Memorably Eerie Mysterious Novel Tribute To The Dark Gothic YA Novels of Our Youth

 

Weekly Reader: Nightfall Gardens (Nightfall Gardens Series Book One) by Allen Houston; Memorably Eerie Mysterious Novel Tribute To The Dark Gothic YA Novels of Our Youth

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: While I read Nightfall Gardens by Allen Houston, I kept picturing in my head the illustrations of Ed Gorey. Nightfall Gardens is that kind of deliciously wicked Gothic YA novel. It evokes the writing style of books like The House With A Clock On Its Walls by John Bellair, Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton, or A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. It's that type of book where eerie things happen in a dark and imaginative setting to some young children. The best YA books are the ones that remind us that dark magical spooky things can happen even to young people and aren't afraid to give their young Readers a bit of a scare. Allen Houston excels at that.

Lily and Silas Blackwood are part of a family of traveling actors. They haven't exactly achieved success, because of dwindling audiences, leaky theaters, and a lead actor who is a full course ham sandwich. After their latest lackluster performance, Lily encounters a very sinister looking man who frightens her on sight and reveals that he is her uncle Jonquil.

Jonquil has reunited with his brother's family to inform them that his mother, the guardian of the mysterious Nightfall Gardens is dying. Nightfall Gardens needs a new female heir or all hell will break loose, literally, and to keep the family tradition going, Lily is selected for the position. After Lily's parents turn the offer down flat,  Jonquil and his men kidnap Lily to take her to Nightfall Gardens with Silas in tow. The children have to be prepared for Lily's new role as Guardian and Silas' as a Rider (or security guard for the Gardens and the people inside the manor). The Blackwood children are introduced to their eccentric grandmother, Deiva, and the Gardens' creepy denizens including ghosts, fauns, werewolves, gargoyles, and Cassandra, a sardonic girl with green skin and a huge grudge against the Blackwoods. Oh and should they want to leave, well they can't. The Nightfall Gardens are cut off from the rest of the world including Lily and Silas' parents.

Nightfall Gardens is one of those memorable settings that are found so often in children's literature: brilliantly imaginative, at times sinister, but knows how to capture that wonder and zeal. Think Wonderland, OZ, Never Land, Hogwarts, Fantastica, The Labyrinth, or The Woods in most fairy tales. We may be stretched by our wonder and imagination. We might love to visit these places but we never forget that there are often dark mysterious forces at bay.

Nightfall Gardens is like every haunted mansion that has ever existed and considering its backstory, it could be seen as the original haunted mansion. (I won't spoil the surprise but let's just say that it involves a certain Greek woman and a certain box which should not be opened.)

Nightfall Gardens gives an unmistakable eerie yet seductive aura from the moment that Jonquil and the Blackwood children enter and face a group of violent Pans. (Not cookware, Pan the satyr from Hellenic mythology. They were the wild feral creatures, half men and half goats, who loved to play their pipes, frolic in the woods, and do unspeakable things to ladies).

 It's the kind of place where that shadow that you swear is a rack of clothes really is a monster in the closet. "Dark is never far and is always looking for a way in," Jonquil says and he is not kidding. It is always dusk or dark around the Gardens. The Gardens themselves draw magical creatures towards it, making living there an unpleasant but enchanting home for the Blackwoods and all who inhabit it.

It turns out that the Pans are just the opening act because Nightfall Gardens is full of surprises. The very ground has weeds and vines that appear to trap and scratch the unwary traveler until they bleed to death. Rooms appear and disappear and mirrors show ghastly reflections instead of the person looking into them. That's not counting the animals and humans, or those that appear as such, that surround the place.

Shades, or Ghosts, take the form of Lily to trap Silas and almost succeed. The White Garden, where the Shades live, is also home to Demons, Banshees, Succubi, Lords of the Underworld, and Wicked Crones. Grandma Deiva is forever waiting for the ghost of her late husband, the children's grandfather, to escort her to her death. Before that, the children have close encounters with him. 

There are some enigmatic figures called The Smiling Ladies that Lily and Silas are advised to just stay away from ("Someone you don't want to meet unless you want eternal sleep," a character somberly says). These creepy creatures are all there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for something, and are ready for the moment when they can strike and shed some blood.

Nightfall Gardens is the first book in the Nightfall Gardens Series, so it does what most first books do: sets up the world. Houston makes the Gardens an unforgettable place that the Reader wants to explore at least through writing. (This Reader is too much of a coward to go to a place like that for real.) Like many, the first book isn't so strong in plot as it is in tone. Plot points are introduced, but due to the book being part of a series, are not resolved by the end. This suggests that these will be ongoing struggles, motifs, and themes that will occur throughout the series rather than being resolved by Book 1.

Besides setting, Houston does a good job in characterizing the Blackwoods. This is a family that has a tremendous burden. They don't want to do it. They have often fought against it, but they know that they have to. Many of them are willing to sacrifice their own personal happiness and welfare to remain in this haunted and disturbing estate for the larger picture of protecting the world.

Since Lily and Silas are new to this responsibility, they try to fight it. Lily in particular is somewhat narcissistic and longs to return to the legitimate stage so she can become a star. When she hears about a possible loophole, she spends some time looking for it so she and her brother can be freed and not have to suffer the burden that their ancestors did.

Silas is more pragmatic and realizes that his own protective nature towards his sister was the reason for his arrival. He wasn't supposed to come and just forced his way in. However, now that he is here, he is determined to do what he can to protect the Gardens and especially Lily.

Nightfall Gardens is one of those literary locations that you will never forget. You might be too scared to visit and you certainly wouldn't want to live there. But you don't mind reading about it, so you can get a good old fashioned Gothic scare.

 

New Book Alert: The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis; Predictable, But Sweet and Romantic Novel About The Desire To Give Happy Endings

 

New Book Alert: The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis; Predictable, But Sweet and Romantic Novel About  The Desire To Give Happy Endings

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis is one of those types of novels with twists that you can see a mile away. The surprise revelations can be spotted in the next country with how predictable they are, especially if you have read a lot of these types of books that tell two stories: one historical and one modern. It won't be a big surprise that the two characters from different eras have a lot in common, or that the modern character learns a valuable lesson from the older character, or even (shocker), that the two stories of two complete strangers are actually connected. Despite or even because of its predictability, The Keeper of Happy Endings makes the Reader love the characters and want to see them get their happy endings after experiencing such hardship as war, abandonment, loss, abuse, and death.

The plot focuses on two women. The first protagonist is Aurora "Rory" Grant, a

young woman from the 1980's who is anxious about her fiance, Hux, a doctor who had been reported missing in South Sudan. The worry is intensified by the verbal abuse that she experiences from her mother, Camilla, a wealthy snobbish woman with extremely high standards that Rory feels that she can never achieve. Feeling lost and disenchanted, Rory decides to open a gallery and maybe display her own textile art. She has even spotted a lovely old building that would be perfect.

The building is owned by the second protagonist, Soline Roussel. In the present, Soline is an elderly recluse. As we learn about Rory's present, we also learn about Soline's past. She was one of a family of dressmakers, whose specialty lay in wedding gowns. The Roussels acquired quite a reputation as being almost magical with their talent. It was said that a bride who wore a Roussel wedding gown was destined to have a happy ending. 

However, the happy endings did not cover the Roussels themselves. Soline's mother had a  mysterious lover who disappeared before she realized that she was pregnant. Her grandmother was deserted by her husband after the birth of her second daughter. That daughter, Soline's aunt, became widowed when her husband died in a car accident during their honeymoon. The Roussel women put their pain and grief into their beautiful intricate designs earning the nicknames of "The Dress Witches." 

Soline also succumbs to the Roussel Family Curse of being unlucky in love. In 1943, shattered by her mother's death, her discovery of Edher father's identity, and the French Occupation by the Nazis, Soline falls in love with Anson Purcell, an American Red Cross medic. The romance begins sweetly enough but let's just say that things don't end well between them. 

The Keeper of Happy Endings is a lovely story which intertwines past and present like the threads that make a Roussel wedding gown. LIke with many of these stories, Rory and Soline's stories are paralleled. Both are talented artists with textiles and fabric. Both have missing lovers due to war. Both have to live up to their family's immense expectations. The difference between the two women is how they handle those similarities. 

Rory is a lot more passive than Soline. Though highly talented, Rory lacks self esteem to display her art. Hux gives her the suggestion to open the gallery and her friendship with Soline gives her the confidence to display her art. Until these influences, Rory never believed in her talent. 

However with Rory's mother, it is easy to see where Rory gets her insecurities from. Camilla micromanages Rory's entire schedule and commands that they meet for regular luncheons. The lunches usually consist of Camilla telling Rory everything that she feels that she is doing wrong, which from what I can tell, is everything that Rory is doing. She is constantly picking at Rory finding different ways to undermine her daughter's self esteem and unfortunately because Rory is still in close proximity to her mother, she is forced to listen. 

Anyone who has lived with a narcissistic verbally abusive parent will understand exactly what Rory is going through. That pain lasts into adulthood and many, like Rory, often accept it. Sometimes it takes an outside agent to break that cycle of abuse and dependency and lucky for Rory, Soline is that outside agent.

In contrast to Rory's passivity, Soline is much more active. While her family already established their reputation as makers of dressing gowns, Soline's addition of bows to the gowns makes the company her own. She becomes just as well known in her own right in New England as her family is in France.

During the war, she volunteers at a hospital and becomes an ally to the French Resistance showing that she can be resourceful in times of great stress. She also has the strength to leave France when her business dries up and the Nazis are on the lookout for Resistors.

Some of the best passages that show Soline's more active character is when she arrives in the United States and like Rory finds herself in a potentially abusive situation. She stands her ground against her abuser and befriends a family member, even making some lovely designs to get back into the business. When Soline finds herself in a troubling situation, rather than accept it like Rory, Soline stands up for herself and leaves. Slowly, she retains her reputation in the states as a prominent designer. Hearing this story gives Rory the confidence to act upon her own life and take charge of it. Like the gowns that her family designs in the hopes that the bride will have a happy ending, Soline almost acts like a fairy godmother by becoming the catalyst for Rory to get hers.

As I said, the plot twists and revelations are somewhat predictable but their placement in the book is well executed. Usually, the revelations are at the end where the characters are gob smacked and strengthened by this deeper bond. Sometimes there is an epilogue that serves as a "Where Are They Now?" Moment to show how the characters reflected and evolved because of the deeper connections.

In Keeper of Happy Endings, the revelations occur towards the middle so there is more to be done. There are still hurt feelings. Characters say that they aren't ready for such a confrontation and still spend several chapters estranged. These characters' worlds are rocked by such news and Davis realizes that one chapter is not going to change that.

What actually stands out is how this news affects Rory. Far from the passive wallflower that she was before, she is compelled to act and fix what went wrong in the past. This news, along with Soline's friendship, propel Rory to bring about not only her happy ending but everyone else's as well.

Yes  The Keeper of Happy Endings is predictable. But it is also sweet, romantic, and filled with lovable characters that you root for. Yes you do want to see, and are glad when they finally get, their happy ending.

Weekly Reader: Home Front Girls by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan; Moving and Sweet Novel About Long Distance Friendship Between WWII Wives

 

Weekly Reader: Home Front Girls by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan; Moving and Sweet Novel About Long Distance Friendship Between WWII Wives

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: 

Wartime can make the strangest alliances and friendships. People who would never befriend or even associate with each other from different backgrounds, places, and statuses become allies, simply because they are fighting an enemy army or are at home while friends or family members are doing the fighting.

That is the situation found in Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan's Home Front Girls, a moving and sweet novel about two American women of different ages, classes, backgrounds, and parts of the country who become pen pals while their husbands fight in WWII.

Glory Whitehall, a young mother from Rockport, Massachusetts whose husband, Robert, is fighting overseas receives one of several addresses, presented by her church, to write to other military wives. Glory selects one with the lovely name of "Garden Witch." 

The "Garden Witch" is in reality Rita Vicenzo, a professor's wife from Iowa City, Iowa whose husband, Sal, is also fighting.

On the surface, the women would have nothing in common. Glory is in her 20's, has one young child and is expecting another, and is from a wealthy family. Rita is in her 40's with an adult son and is from an immigrant family.  Over two years of love, humor, tears, marriage, enlistment, anxiety, rekindling of romance, tested fidelities, and tremendous agonizing loss, the two unlikely women become best friends united by their grief and worry.

As the Readers peer into Glory and Rita's correspondence, they learn how similar and yet how different their lives really are. Both of them are worried about their husbands fighting and both feel isolated within their communities because of that anxiety even though they are surrounded by intrusive but well meaning gossipy neighbors, trying to be helpful but not always helpful female friends, and family members, especially children, with problems of their own.

As with many of the women whose husbands were fighting in WWII, the deuteragonists try to maintain brave supportive faces as they work, create victory gardens, use their ration coupons, attend military support rallies and fundraisers, and raise their children. However, by writing to each other, another woman who has been in the same situation as them, they can convey their worst fears and anxieties. They can let their guards down and reveal their vulnerabilities that they keep hidden from the people around them.

The book also explores their different issues and how they deal with them and help each other. Glory is younger and more impetuous. With Robert gone and two small children, she clings to her childhood friend, Levi. Levi has been a close friend to Glory and Robert and since he has a bad heart, he can't serve in the war. He helps Glory and becomes a surrogate father to her children. It isn't too long before Levi starts expressing feelings that he wouldn't normally express if Robert weren't around. Glory gives into her loneliness and deepest emotions and reciprocates her feelings towards Levi, despite Rita's objections. Glory finds in Levi someone to share her heart aching loneliness, the need to be with someone, that she has felt since Robert's been away. 

Rita also has problems of her own, particularly concerning her adult son, Tobias. Tobias has been romantically involved with a bar owner's daughter, Roylene. Things become more complicated when Roylene becomes pregnant and Tobias enlists before they are married. Despite her own reservations about the situation, Rita provides emotional and physical support to Roylene, becoming a mother figure to her and defending her status as an unwed young mother. Rita relates to Roylene's status as an outsider. She knows what it's like to be judged by a small town so she provides Roylene, the support that she needs.

Rita and Glory's lives change as they encounter death and injury from war. That's when their strengths are truly tested and they depend on not only their own resourcefulness and independence, but the love of the people around them and each other to get through the ultimate hardship of the war.

What makes this book's writing style is the way in which it was constructed. According to the Reader's Guide, Home Front Girls was written via emails between Hayes and Nyhan with each woman taking each character. Hayes, being younger, took the more free spirited and flirtatious Glory while Nyhan, being older took the view of the sardonic and opinionated Rita. In fact, like their characters, Hayes and Nyhan never physically encountered each other during the work of the book. They met after the book's publication and have since met other times (as their leads eventually do as well solidifying their friendship).  Knowing that the book was written similar to how the characters lived, physically separate but emotionally close adds a sense of unmistakable duality between creators and their creations.

Home Front Girls is a novel that explores the deep friendship that women share as they support each other through stress and happiness, whether getting through war or writing a book.

New Book Alert: In Women We Trust by N.H. Sakiha; Important Book That Reveals The Struggles That Women Still Face

 

New Book Alert: In Women We Trust by N.H. Sakiha; Important Book That Reveals The Struggles That Women Still Face

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: It's no secret that while women have made great strides in some countries, even gaining leadership positions and have been able to openly argue for their rights, (and even in those countries, women still have to fight for their rights as seen in certain laws recently passed in a certain state), in many other countries, they are still lagging behind. N.H. Sakiha's fact based novel, In Women We Trust, reveals just such a situation.

Based on true events, the book is set in Pakistan and focuses on Gul and Badri, the children of housekeeper Zara Bibi. While accompanying his mother to the home of her employer, Sardar Timur Barlas, Gul is seduced by Sardar's daughter, Farrah. When the two are caught in private in a very compromising position, Gul is held before the public, whipped, humiliated, and arrested. 

To add insult to injury, Badri is also punished for her brother's crime even though she wasn't even at the estate when it happened. Instead, she is punished mostly for receiving an education, for being outspoken, and is seen as an example to young women and their parents. This case eventually becomes a cause celebre as many of the people in the highest positions including millionaires, journalists, politicians, and priests weigh in their opinions about this situation and what it means for families and the dynamics between male and female. 

In many of the best novels based on real life issues, the authors build complex issues around memorable characters who are not only well written as individuals, but stand for all real life people who live under these conditions. In Women We Trust does that rather well by giving us powerful leads in Badri and Gul.

Badri's introduction chapter reveals the world that she lives in and her inner strength in surviving it. Most of the book is told in flashbacks, so we see Badri in prison. She has been beaten, raped, assaulted, and treated like an animal, all for the supposed crime of being a woman. She is disgraced by society and feels unloved by her parents as they treat her like a pariah. During her imprisonment, she has a dream or vision of her grandmother, Mimi Jan,the only family member who valued her. MImi Jan reminds her granddaughter about her inner strength and courage. The vision gives her a will to fight.

 In one key moment, Mimi Jan tells Badri a familiar story about a man who falls in love with a fairy woman and steals her feathery wings to hold onto her. This is a frequently told fairy tale with variations told around the world. In fact, one of the most well known versions is told in Arabic lore about the Peri, a species of female fairies with feathered wings. The Peri's wings are stolen and she is kept by the man who stole them and forced to marry her. He hides the wings to keep her captive and so she doesn't remember her real identity. Years later (sometimes after giving birth to children), the Peri is told about the wings and she puts them on, leaving her husband behind. Her husband succumbs to madness because of his association with the fairy woman. (Another variation of this story can also be found in my review of Tales From The Hinterland by Melissa Albert.)

This Peri story is told by Mimi Jan as part of a longer story about a legendary prince and his lineage. While Mimi Jan's version leaves out the dark disturbing ending, the story of a fairy woman is an archetype and metaphor for the real life situation between men and women found within the book. Men in the book want to keep their women in captivity, while many of the women want to find their identities and self actualization. They want to be recognized as the focus of their stories, not as a stumbling block scapegoat or a femme fatale leading men to destruction.

This is the bravery that Badri displays throughout the book particularly during her imprisonment, the courage that says that she is a person and deserves to be treated as an equal. One of Badri's strongest chapters occurs while she is raped by a prison guard. He violates her and tries to break her spirit, but Badri stands her ground. She argues that she is not a slut or a whore and challenges both the guard and Sardar for their behavior towards her, the guard for the rape and Sardar for dismissing her.

While Badri is the main woman in the story, she isn't the only woman who is forced to take on a subservient role in this society. Many of the men in charge swear by a status quo that requires men and women to be treated separately. There are men like Sardar and the Imam Mullah Aziz who delight in the finest homes and reputations that Pakistani society has to offer. They dominate and control their homes with iron fists. When Sardar first learns about the encounter between Farrah and Gul, he vows to kill Farrah until she tells him what he wants to hear. Aziz openly insults and verbally abuses his wife in front of her children, treating her like a servant. The Prime Minister is in the middle of a scandal in which he promised to give a female French reporter, Arlette Baudis, a cell phone so they can exchange in private conversations. Many of these men brag about their sexual exploits while paying lip service to family values. (sound familiar?)

Even some men who don't take an active role in maligning women are still involved in the false perception of and domination towards women. Badri and Gul's father, Shams had little contact with his children before the trial and was unaware that his daughter was going to school. While he pleads for Gul's life, he is less interested in Badri's and finally accepts the punishments that they have been given.

Even a more enlightened character like agent, Aamir Shah who works alongside Arlette to expose the Prime Minister and give the Gul and Badri story worldwide coverage, still has shades of being a man caught up in his own sexist views. He mistakes a successful attractive businesswoman for a prostitute and can't resist belittling Arlette's provocative feminist views.

 Just like in real life situations, the men are often aided by conservative women who prefer to uphold the status quo. Sardar's wife, Sarah Kunam can be just as cruel as her domineering abusive husband. Since the household is supposed to be the woman's sphere, she whips and beats her servants like Zara Bibi to maintain control. She also beats Farrah to force her to say that Gul tried to rape her to take the blame off of her daughter. 

Similar to her husband, Zara Bibi becomes passive towards the treatment towards her children. Even though she pleads for their case, she reluctantly accepts their imprisonment falling into despair. While she isn't intentionally cruel, her passive acceptance towards this unfair treatment is a factor.

 

Another situation in this book that mirrors real life is that when one group is marginalized, others are as well. Many hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan begin by attacking African Americans, but they have also attacked and fought against people of Jewish faith, Communists, LGBT people, and have definite views about the restrictive roles for women. Once one group is maligned and attacked, it becomes easy for hate groups and those in charge to do the same to others. (Think how many individuals and groups that Trump and his supporters have vilified and threatened.)

We see that In Women We Trust as the attacks are spread to others like the impoverished and those with disabilities. Gul's account is not believed because he is the son of a servant and in their eyes is unworthy of justice. Part of the reasons that Shams and Zara Bibi acquiesce to their children's imprisonment is because of their status as servants. They would have nowhere to go and would become beggars.

Gul's abuse is particularly cruel because of his poor status. Many wealthy men with connections get away with being alone with women and young girls, but Gul is made an example of. He is poor so is treated as less than human. His public punishment deprives him of his humanity as he is forced to wear a leash and is beaten before an audience.

Another servant who is treated very lowly is Chaman, a young eunuch. He stands outside of society, often mocked, derided, suspected of being a thief, and often ignored. He is seen and expected to be in the background if he is permitted to exist at all. However, Chaman is able to bring himself forward as a star witness to Gul's trial. Even though Chaman is vile, it's easy to understand why he chooses to act as he does. For the first time, he is listened to and is made important. 

While the situation is dour, there are some who fight against the circumstances. Farrah could be seen as a villain, since her seduction of Gul is what started the whole thing. Even though she seduces the young boy, she is mostly doing it out of curiosity, boredom, and frustration. She wants to do what most men do, take someone just because they can. Her seduction of Gul is her claim to take charge and assume any kind of leadership position. For once in her life, she gets to have power over someone else and a young man at that.

Another female character that challenges the status quo is Arlette. She is a very argumentative capable character. She gives Aamir her reasons over why she fights for equal rights for women and how she has seen such inequality in her own life and experiences, such as how men like the Prime Minister attempt to sexually assault her. She is the type of person who continues to do her job and to be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves. Perhaps, she is the type of woman Badri could become if she retains her fighting spirit.

Because of its close proximity to real life events, In Women We Trust, is very realistic on what the outcome of this trial could be. In a society in which such inequality exists and is filled with people of the highest echelon that refuse to let the status quo get shaken, anything but a guilty verdict is impossible to imagine. However, because of how public this case has become and because many are swayed by the poor treatment that Badri and Gul receive, there is an underground tension that is threatening to explode by people who are angry with being demonized and treated like second class citizens. Sometimes, the only way to change things is to express anger and outrage and force people to listen. 

What is apparent is this case of In Women We Trust ends up not just being about Badri and Gul. It is about all oppressed people, especially women, who have been forced into silence and have been dehumanized. They are finally ready to speak, stand up, and be counted as equal individuals.

Lit List Short Reviews: The Black Pages by Nnedi Okorafor; The Havoc Tree by Layden Robinson

 Lit List Short Reviews: The Black Pages by Nnedi Okorafor; The Havoc Tree by Layden Robinson

The Black Pages by Nnedi Okorafor

Nendi Okorafor's novella, The Black Pages is an enchanting book that combines African fantasy and mythology with current events.

Faro is a djin whose spirit has been trapped inside a book for over a thousand years. During an Al-Qaeda jihad attack in which several books are burned, Faro is set free. She wanders around Timbouctou, her book in hand to see the carnage and destruction. Meanwhile, Issaka, a student from Chicago ends up in Timbouctou right in the middle of this conflict. Naturally, Faro and Issaka are destined to meet.

Between the two characters, Issaka and Faro represent Timbouctou's past and present. Issaka stands right in the middle of violence, revolution, and a changing government. He,his father, and uncles hide several books and manuscripts from the library (and quite a collection indeed, considering the long history of the University of Timbouctou). Issaka understands the importance of protecting that knowledge and the fear that it brings. At one point he wonders,"How could Issaka sleep when he was lying on a bed in a room surrounded by items that could get them all killed?" 

Issaka doesn't feel like a hero. In fact, he would rather be in the United States, attending his studies and hanging out with his girlfriend. 

Of course being a typical modern kid, Issaka's smart phone is always on (even if it has reception trouble during sandstorms) and through that phone, Issaka receives an unusual connection. 

Okorafor cleverly updates the djin to modern day. When Faro's book is destroyed, she finds a way to travel through the Internet. Faro's journey is described as "lights, heat, acrid, and sweet smells the taste of salt and metal, and billions and billions of that which she had the closest relationship to words. In many languages. She could hear the world...what the world had become since her Imprisonment."

Instead of Issaka and Faro representing the new and old worlds respectively, the two characters mix both worlds. Issaka is a modern young man protecting the knowledge of the past. Faro is an ancient spirit using modern technology to make her presence known. The past and present are combined within these two characters.

The violence from Al-Qaeda mounts and affects Issaka personally and emotionally which results in him and Faro meeting. In their encounter some provocative questions are raised, suggesting that there is more to this story than the 31 pages have to give us.

Still, The Black Pages is a thrilling start in uniting a modern man and a mythological creature to explore Timbouctou's past and present and maybe save its future.

The Havoc Tree by Layden Robinson

Layden Robinson's short horror anthology The Havoc Tree is for those who like their horror filled with scares, gore, blood, and splatter and don't want to wait around for things like rising action and character development. If you are into quick horror, then this is the anthology for you. But if you like to build your fear slowly and want to get to know the protagonists before they meet horrible gruesome ends, then looks elsewhere.

Many of the stories feature narration that sounds, perhaps purposely so, like the rantings of someone having a nervous breakdown or in the middle of a psychopathic rage. In the first stories, "A Final Moment" and "I'm Coming (Continued)", the Narrator is trying to convince us that he fought against a mysterious IT while trying to hold onto what remains of his sanity. The trick is trying to figure out if he's telling the truth or hallucinating this terrible confrontation to cover up a worse crime.

The stories are pretty frank in their description of sexual situations and strong language. Sometimes the repetition of cuss words can get overdone like a kid learning to swear for the first time and using the words more for shock value than any other means. Readers who get offended by that sort of thing may want to avoid reading this anthology. But if you can get past the constant swearing and sex talk, the Reader is in for a good time.

In "The Suit" Sarah Lawson,  a young woman puts on a suit that gives her a certain arousal but becomes stuck to her as though holding her captive. The suit could be a metaphor for sexual assault as well as how the fashion industry controls people. Sarah cannot get the suit off and becomes a literal slave to fashion.

Robinson's stories explore the darkest depths of humanity and how many are controlled by their obsessions, lusts, hatred, and destructive tendencies. The story, "Mr. Sacorp" explores that as two characters, Mr. Sacorp and Memphis Buckminster, take their dislike for each other to more frightening levels. The tension is palpable as their rivalry becomes murderous and their violent tendencies are explored especially towards an innocent person.

The Havoc Tree is the right book that gets you right away to a good scare. It's not one that creates a lot of thought and analysis later, but it may give the Reader chills for some time to come.

Lit List Short Review: ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson; Everybody Poops by Justine Avery and Olga Zhuravlova; I Don't Want to Turn 3 by Gramps Jeffrey

 Lit Lists Short Reviews: ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson; Everybody Poops by Justine Avery and Olga Zhuravlova;  I Don't Want To Turn 3 by Gramps Jefferey

By Julie Sara Porter

ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson

ABC Animals by T.L. Anderson is a simple brightly colored fun book for children ages 2-6 to learn not only their alphabet but about different animals.

The illustrations are eye-catching with adorable animals with friendly expressions on their faces. It's hard not to smile when you see grinning dogs, dolphins, and deer. 

The text is easy. It only features the letters and the names of animals so children can read and understand the words. The pages just say things like "H Horse Hamster Hippopotamus."

 Anderson also chooses unusual animals to fit the letters, possibly to invite conversations between children and their parents. A child might wonder what an impala, an ibex, or a jerboa are and their parents could look it up or answer. The various animals could provide interactive conversation over the animals themselves.

ABC Animals is a bright fun and educational book that will teach children their letters and about the creatures with whom they share this world.

Everybody Poops by Justine Avery and Olga Zhuravlova

Kids like to laugh about disgusting things so they will certainly have fun with this book. It is funny and brings open something that people don't always like to talk about.

The book is repetitive reminding young Readers that everybody poops, children, adults, animals, even superheroes. It would be nice to explain why pooping is so important to the body for waste removal. But it is simple for children to read.

The illustrations are humorous showing characters in discomfort and then relieving themselves. Of course with a subject like this, they are bound to funny and they are hilarious.

Everybody Poops is a funny book that explains something perfectly natural and does it in a fun way. 

I Don't Want to Turn 3 by Gramps Jeffrey

One can imagine this book originated from a conversation between author, Gramps Jeffrey and his children or grandchildren.

I Don't Want to Turn 3 is about Jordan who isn't excited about his upcoming third birthday. He is used to being treated like a baby and adults letting him have his way because he is so young. When he turns three, he will have to learn about rules, sharing, and responsibility. The more Jordan thinks about it, the more he is looking forward to his upcoming birthday and growing older.

This is a simple story which teaches kids social skills, getting along with others, and the advantages and disadvantages to growing up and growing older. It is written from a child's point of view with an awareness that kids can be selfish and bratty at times but are also capable of learning and understanding.

The illustrations are charming in a cartoonish way. Jordan is always at the center because kids often want to be the center of attention. He is often surrounded by toys and other people struggling with what he wants and what he has to do.

Kids will find I Don't Want to Turn 3 completely relatable and parents will be able to recognize the world from their child's point of view.

New Book Alert: Enemy by Kimberly Amato; Yet Another Dark, Disturbing, and All Too Real Dystopian Science Fiction

 

New Book Alert: Enemy by Kimberly Amato; Yet Another Dark, Disturbing, and All Too Real Dystopian Science Fiction 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers (BIG HEAVY SPOILERS IMPLIED!!!) Here we go again.

Here we have yet another dystopian science fiction novel that might as well be (to borrow the old Law and Order ad catchphrase) "ripped from the headlines." 

I can't imagine why, but that has become quite a popular genre of late. (End sarcasm). I mean it's not like we are in an environmental catastrophe, been through a worldwide pandemic, have businesses who would rather work with a small workforce than kick in a few bucks so their employees can survive, student loan and housing crisis, inflation and no living wage to counter it, supply chain issues, international crisis with China, and had a former President with tyrannical ambitions encourage his own followers to attack the Capitol building or anything.

(Really, end sarcasm.)

Most people read and write for escapism. This genre is like the Universe saying "Not today, Bookworm! You're going to read it, write it, think about it, and you're going to like it!" 

Not only that but is it just me or do these dystopians get darker and darker? Just when you think you have read the final one, the bleakest one yet that squashes any hope for humanity, along comes another one which tops that. What, do these authors challenge each other to see who can be the most depressing?

Case in point, Kimberly Amato's Enemy which seems to have taken its inspiration from the Jim Henson series, Dinosaurs' final episode "Changing Nature" which seemed to have as its motto "If you want to get viewers talking and watching, then leave them dying and the audience crying."

I thought that Ark of the Apocalypse finally caused me to hit the bottom. Enemy reminded me that there is no bottom, just the big gaping abyss that Nietzsche spoke about. 

Ark of the Apocalypse had a plan of traveling to other worlds. The plan showed that while the characters who conceived it were unlikeable, at least something was salvageable. 

With Enemy, there is no plan. There is no space travel. There is just survival and a slow countdown to extinction. 

There are various subplots in this book which takes place in the near future. The United States is taken over because of an alliance between a former American and Russian President. Obviously, it's part futuristic story and as of right now part alternate universe, because it practically stems from many of the fears over what would happen if a certain someone had won a second term. Though he's barely referred to by name, it's clear that many of the tyrannical 

legislation and requirements on the dystopian government's agenda are based on policies by a certain previous Presidential administration and its cult of followers.

Anyway in Enemy, the President of the United States, James Laskin is a puppet ruler under the true master,  King Valkov, "the one true ruler" of the world. Women, LGBT, and minorities are deprived of their rights. The dying environment has caused many to live underground. Prison employees are permitted to use brainwashing and torture and many are imprisoned for so-called "heinous" crimes like criticizing the government, being disabled, or emigrating into the country. There is no illegal immigration, because immigration is forbidden or rather I should say, that everyone who enters the country is considered an illegal immigrant. Of course the news is nothing more than propaganda and children are educated to fit the world government's definition of "God and Country."

Despite this tight stranglehold on truth and freedom, there are small cells of resistors that communicate with each other virally. 

Most of the protagonists of this story are part of one such cell. One of those members is Agent Ellie Goldman, a former Multinational Security Council Operative, who is now one of the heads of the Resistance. Besides helping people enter the country, she has one other goal in mind: to kill President Laskin.

However, there is dissension within the ranks as many male former military operatives turned rebels don't like being ordered about by a woman. 

Osaka, a Rebel, is undercover working for Laskin but she can't disguise her growing affection for the President's young son, Maxim. Osaka's lover and fellow rebel, Anton, is determined to rescue his captive sister, Nadja.

Riker's Island, a New York prison, is now a central hub or torture and brainwashing. It's run by the militant Col. Macalov and much of the nastiest work is headed by the sadistic Mr. Flannery, who would love to replace Macalov. Also, working at Riker's Island is low level Officer Tim Flynt who takes care of his mentally ill mother and younger brother, Sam, who may be interested in joining the rebels.

Meanwhile, President Laskin has a long list of enemies that he wouldn't mind doing away with and using the Resistance to do so.

The main emotion that runs throughout this book is a certain world weariness, perhaps from the Reader being bombarded with similar scenarios in fiction and probable ones in real life. The world weariness also exists within the framework of the book itself and within the characters. 

The rebels overall plans are to kill Laskin and infiltrate and destroy Riker's Island. They plan this while other cells around the world are destroyed and other rebels are killed, arrested, or converted. Because this dictatorship is worldwide, the odds of Ellie's cell doing any permanent damage is unlikely. There are other Rikers and many people to replace Laskin. The thing is they know it too. Their actions such as they are, are mere pinpricks towards the dictatorship. Ellie can only hope that what they do will inspire others to act.

These are people who have lived their whole lives under this regime and have either grown accustomed or apathetic to it. The ones that fight, have replaced ideals with survival. They have no plans on what to replace the dictatorship with, just live with it, fight against it, and be alive long enough to see it end.

After all with as much damage that has been done to the world, there may not be anything salvageable left to recover.

While weariness is the main emotion, there are some genuine heartfelt moments, particularly by characters who cling to friends and family members because that's all they have. Ellie definitely has tunnel vision in her desire to kill Laskin and is very militant and authoritarian towards her fellow rebels. However, she is grieving over the death of her wife, a woman who was the love of her life. She also connects with an immigrant family consisting of a single mother and her young children. 

Speaking of children, Osaka's bond with Maxim is moving as she sees not an enemy but a small child who is not at fault for what his father does. She becomes more of a parental figure 

to him than his actual parents.

There are some heartbreaking passages which reveal the real price of the war between the oppressors and the oppressed. When Anton learns of his sister's fate, his grief is real and believable showing that there is great loss on all sides. It's like a cry of pain that travels from the words to the Reader's souls.

Tim is an eyewitness to the torture of a rebel and is left traumatized by the experience especially by her calm acquiescence to death. While he remains working at Riker's for some time afterwards, it's clear this experience changed him and is part of why he is reluctant to discover where Sam's allegiances lay. He doesn't want his kid brother to go through that experience of torture with Tim having to helplessly watch and do nothing. Suddenly, these faceless rebels have names and identities to Tim and one of those is the person that he loves the most.

That care for character is also given to many of the antagonistic characters. Some like Flannery delight in cruelty while other like Valkov are far off and remote from the overall action, others are dissected more closely. Laskin is charming, crafty and is distant but concerned for his family. Macalov shows compassion in some of the strangest times such as when he refuses to torture a small child (True, that the child benefits him in his overall plans is a factor, but the fact that he stopped it at all is particularly notable.) They are portrayed as men who might have once been reasonable even idealistic, but like everyone else, made the choice to survive. They just chose to go with the regime rather than fight against it.

 Instead of a straight line between the Evil Empire vs. The Good Rebels, the line is faint and more jagged. Everybody exists in a shade of gray, suggesting there are no direct enemies because the real enemy is inside.

Which leads us to the ending. Because of the previous weariness and emotions of the characters, there is no thought that this book will end in victory for either side. There is some good tension as plans are made and sides attack and counterattack. However, any type of happy victory would ring hollow because of the somber tone that preceded it. Pessimism reigns throughout this book and is definitely present in the final pages.

Because of humanity's self destructive nature, no one comes out a winner. It gets worse in the final pages as at the very end, no one learns anything. This countdown to violence and destruction may continue and once again, we will head for extinction.

It's as though Enemy, literally is the final word on humanity's probable chances for existence. Let's listen to it

But for now, let it be the final word on the dystopian science fiction genre.