Book Reviews
BY TARI HENDRICKSON, REVIEWER
Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki. Pataki’s book brightly illuminates the life and times of Margaret Fuller, an American woman who was among the first to champion women’s rights. It begins in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1836. There, Margaret is invited to the home of philosopher, poet, and abolitionist Ralph Waldo Emerson and his wife. Emerson and Fuller explore the life of the mind during walks, discussions, and sharing their writings. Each inspires the other.
Margaret proves to be a remarkable writer herself. She impresses those who come to know her as her life unfolds in Concord, Boston, New York, and finally, Italy. Her passion for writing, creating community, and championing women’s rights overpowers traditional commitments to marriage, a household, and children. She is the first woman foreign news service correspondent. She shares time with Frederic Chopin and George Sand.
Masterful storytelling makes Finding Margaret Fuller an enriching read, paying homage in fiction to a woman whose real life and work left an indelible mark on history.
Lincoln City Libraries has nine copies of this book and is also available electronically.
All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Meby Patrick Bringley. Bringley’s memoir invites us to consider career and life options. Following the devastating loss of his brother’s death from cancer, he decides to leave his job at The New Yorker to work as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He explains, “I had lost someone. I did not wish to move on from that. In a sense I didn’t wish to move at all.”
How many people can say they spend hours a day for years on end in rooms filled with masterpieces by Monet, Picasso, Renoir, and historical artifacts of the ancient Egyptians? Bringley learns to appreciate not only beauty, but also stories of priceless works of art. He learns about the nature of people who visit the art. His fellow guards also expand his understanding of all the ways there are to be in the world – indeed, they come from all corners of the earth.
Lincoln City Libraries has five copies of this book and is also available electronically.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride.Comedy and tragedy sit side by side in this book by an award-winning author. It’s filled with an array of characters that will keep you smiling while shaking your head: Fatty, Big Soap, Monkey Pants, and Dodo. Their monikers are fitting, you’ll find.
The story begins in 1936 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a place called Chicken Hill, a historically Black, immigrant, and Jewish neighborhood. Difficult moments and sweet ones intertwine in their lives, and the lesson here is that kindness prevails.
There is a Heaven and Earth Grocery store in the neighborhood. There are also backyards, a shul (or synagogue), a church, and a dance hall where life plays out.
What’s more, there is danger. There are character subplots. There is much depth to plumb. McBride writes with a gentle nature and good humor. Read this book for the memorable characters.
Lincoln City Libraries has 91 copies of this book and is also available electronically.
Tari Hendrickson is a member of two book clubs, one of which she founded 20 years ago. Her appreciation of good books is doubled when shared with others. She remembers the thrill when letters and words came together and made sense in First Grade at Sheridan School. Tari works at Eastmont Senior Living.
