Belinda’s Book Nook Review: Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock by David Margolick

February 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment

elizabeth and hazel

Title: Elizabeth and Hazel Two Women of Little Rock
Author: David Margolick
Copyright: 2011
Genre: nonfiction
Format: hardcover

Synopsis (from publisher):

“The names Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan Massery may not be well known, but the image of them from September 1957 surely is: a black high school girl, dressed in white, walking stoically in front of Little Rock Central High School, and a white girl standing directly behind her, face twisted in hate, screaming racial epithets. This famous photograph captures the full anguish of desegregation – in Little Rock and throughout the South – and an epic moment in the civil rights movement.”

My review:

This book is the second book for my book club for 2014.  I was very excited to begin reading it and what great timing, February is Black History month.  I have to admit that  I don’t recall learning about the Little Rock Nine in school.  I definitely did not know the names Elizabeth Eckford or Hazel Bryan. So I read this book with deep interest and a heavy heart.

The author, David Margolick explores the lives of these two women as they first meet in front of Little Rock on the first day Central High School is forced to integrate, as they cross paths many years later and strike up an unlikely relationship.  He explores the impact this photograph of Elizabeth with a  sea of white people behind her yelling the most awful things on Elizabeth and Hazel as well as the country. Elizabeth and eight other black children endure the most difficult situations on a regular basis once inside the school. 

As an, African American, I found this book difficult to read at times.  I struggled through the very beginning when Margolick described the lynching of a black man named John Carter in 1927.  My heart ached for the injustice of it all, that adults and small children witnessed the hanging and that no one intervened.  Margolick used many examples to set the tone for the climate in Little Rock before settling into the story of the integration of Central and the lives of Elizabeth and Hazel.

I found the story telling very easy to move through but the content is what gave me pause many times.  For example, the use of the N-word (I don’t even like to write it) was widely used and that never sits well with me.

I think he did an amazing job of developing the stories of the parallel lives of both Elizabeth and Hazel.  Sadly, the overall experience kept Elizabeth from fully moving forward.  I believe one does not have to forget to move forward but I think Elizabeth has been deeply traumatized and it makes moving forward almost impossible without proper help and guidance.

Hazel managed to learn some from the experience and move forward to some extent. However both women seem to be filled with so much doubt and plagued with insecurities to truly resolve their differences.

One quote I especially l liked and had to add to my list of quotes was from Bill Clinton who was speaking at the fortieth anniversary celebrations at Central high school, “Reconciliation is important not only for those who practiced bigotry but for those whose resentment of it lingers, for both are prisons from which our spirits must escape.”

Despite my difficulties with the content, I found this book to be a very quick read. I am truly sad that I am only learning about this story now. I feel it should be on everyone’s list to read even a high school requirement.  Elizabeth in particular never received any help (emotionally and monetarily) for the sacrifices she has made and the money she made from speaking along with her job barely afforded her a life above poverty.  I am truly saddened by this. She went to battle on the front lines of racism and bigotry in this country and paid dearly only to live her life in poverty.

I gave this book five butterflies (stars) not because it is great writing but because it is a catalyst to much needed dialogue about race relations in this country and can help enlighten all of us.

Belinda

5rating

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Belinda’s Book Nook Book Review: The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill

February 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment

the charm bracelet

The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill

Holly O’Neill knows that every charm bracelet tells a story.

Many years ago she was sent one with just a single charm attached. The charms have been appearing ever since, often at challenging times, as if her mysterious benefactor knows exactly when she needs a little magic in her life.

As a result, Holly’s bracelet is her most prized possession. So when she finds someone else’s charm bracelet, she feels she has to try to reunite it with its owner. Even if the only clues she has to follow are the charms themselves.

On a search that will take her all over New York City at Christmas, Holly becomes ever more determined to piece together the details of this other charmed life. But what she doesn’t know is that her quest may also lead her somewhere she never, ever expected . . . 

I bought this book  on sale for  $1.99 on my Kindle back in November and didn’t get around to reading it until January while I was reading, “The Ruins of Lace“.  I used it on days I felt I didn’t want to read the dark places in The Ruins of Lace.  The Charm Bracelet, immediately struck a cord with me because I have a Pandora bracelet and one of the reasons I really love collecting beads to put on it is the meaning behind each bead.  Although not all of my beads have the same personal significance as the main character Holly in this book, but I do cherish mine.

The book moves back and forth in the present and past for Holly and Greg another character in the book. Although a few chapters in, I predicted what might happen, it didn’t spoil the book in any way. The story had a great mystery and an element of surprise at the end that made it worth the read. I liked all of the characters and felt she developed them well throughout the story.

The main character worked at a thrift shop and she had a beautiful way of describing the stories behind the clothing they sold.  It made me want to drop in on some of my local thrift shops. I love books that make you smile and feel that warm and fuzzy.  This book achieved that. It also makes me want to go buy some more beads for my bracelet!!

I would recommend this book.

I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.  I rate books on my GoodReads account so I will give it a go here too.  Hope it’s helpful!

Happy Reading!

Belinda

 

 

 

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Belinda’s Book Nook Review: The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony

February 6, 2014 by 2 Comments

ruinsoflaceThe Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony   –  The story begins with two sisters – Katharina, who is a lacemaker at the Flemish abbey of Lendelmolen; the other, Heilwich, who is a housekeeper to a nearby priest. Both stories are presented in the first person narrative.

Then other characters are added to the story – Denis, a border guard whose job it is to seek out the smugglers; a dog used for smuggling; Lisette, a young girl who has fallen under the spell of lace; Alexandre, a young man with no future of his own who seeks redemption and honour; and a scheming Count who hopes to use this precious gift as a bribe to secure his own financial future.

Let me first say that I am a member of a Barnes and Noble bookstore book club as well as some online clubs at GoodReads. I joined Barnes and Nobles’ group about a year ago. So last November we all had the opportunity to nominate a few books to be considered for 2014.  I nominated 3 or 4 and I believe two made the cut.  Ruins of Lace was one of them and our first book of the new year.  I chose it based on the description rather than a recommendation from anyone.  I also chose it because I enjoy historical fictions where I might learn something new. I knew nothing before about the history of lace in France.

As I began to read the book, I realized it was very dark and sad throughout much of the story. I started to worry about the book being a flop for my book club.  I kept thinking the members will be so disappointed about my selection but I pushed through the book because I was not going to the meeting having not completed my recommendation.

Since completing the book, I have changed some of my thoughts about the book. I won’t lie to you, it was a very sad story with some disturbing chapters. But I also remember feeling this way while reading The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. So I am trying not to let the difficult parts taint my overall thoughts on the book. Sometimes you have to see the hardships to understand the depths of a story. I do think the author captures some of this but I believe she had too many characters to keep many readers reading the book.  

I believe she could have removed the dog altogether and still make the point on how dogs were used to detect lace being smuggled.  I found it difficult to keep up with all of the characters so I ended up writing them down early on in the book. Once I did that it was smooth sailing. Each chapter moved from different characters and I found myself wanting to know what would happen so I pressed on.

One thing I realized is that the common thread between all of the characters is the lack of worthiness. Each character for various reasons felt unworthy in some ways.  This is what I believe motivated each character to make the choices they made throughout the story and I felt true empathy for many of them.

Would I recommend this book again? Maybe. This is not to say it is a bad book or that I didn’t learn some of lace’ history in France. I did in fact learn a great deal. If you can step back from the painful chapters, the story did cover important information about this period in history. Just be prepared to read some difficult things but know that everything weaves together at the end of the book.

If by chance you have read this book please share your thoughts.

Happy Reading!

Belinda

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Belinda’s Book Nook Review: Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

January 23, 2014 by 4 Comments
Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

 

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her…

This is my third book I have read by Susanna Kearsley and it did not disappoint. Like both Marianna and The Shadowy Horses, Ms. Kearsley conducted a lot of historical research to help create her stories.

This book slipped back and forth through time every chapter but again she has a great way of tying the times together even though they are at complete different times. She always has a very tasteful romantic aspect in her books surrounded by historical facts. She always piques my interest in aspects of history that I am clearly unaware.  Which is one of the reasons I gravitate to a lot of historical fictions.

The main character is a writer and the way this book is written gave me a chance to see the writing process from a writer’s perspective.  It explores the concept of ‘ancestral memory’,  the process in which a memory is passed down through the generations without the individual having any firsthand experience.  This,  I found fascinating and wonder if it is possible.  As usual, I did find myself swept up in the romance in the story and cheering for a certain outcome.  So if you are looking for a great read, I think this is one.

Happy Reading!

Belinda

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