Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion

A new year, a new discussion.

I buzzed through Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean in just a couple of hours, it was so engrossing. It was the paired biographies of a crime victim -- the only survivor of her immediate family -- and what her life was like after she barely escaped dying at the hands of the other subject of the book, the guy who killed her parents, brother, sister and the killer's own wife. It was well-written and utterly gripping.

5 stars.

Has anyone in this group read anything by Michelle Tea? I have read her memoir, How to Grow Up, about 5 times and always find a new detail, quote, or anecdote that strikes me.

Ann wrote: "Has anyone in this group read anything by Michelle Tea? I have read her memoir, How to Grow Up, about 5 times and always find a new detail, quote, or anecdote that strikes me."

*shrug* I never heard of her.

Now reading The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire.

no, never heard of Michelle Tea.

Was reading Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T Chang and here's the review I posted...

A book recommended to me - a fascinating trip into the heart of factory girls working in China in the last decade. The book focused on two girls from the countryside and their journeys while also touching on the author's own history. Donguaan is where all the factories are that make anything from toys to electronics to clothing. Migrant workers make up most of the population in cities like these where workers sleep in dorms and send home money, at night they enrol in self improvement classes. The girls are strivers and navigating a world free from family ties, like most of us in our late teens and early 20s, finding their place. Like many, once they leave home, they leave for good..but still have to face the pitfalls of men, dodgy bosses, and a finding contentment in a world where girls are not worth much and will never inherit land like boys do.

Like a movie I saw called 'Working Girl' about a young lady landing her first job in Manhattan, these girls go to reinvent themselves and chase after success. Some talk their way into a job, others lie, and still others take the easy route and become kareoke girls and never tell their parents what they actually do. What they do know is they can't stay subsisting on the farm - there's nothing for them there

Tears of the Silenced by Misty Griffen
3 stars
This book reminded me of A Child Called It. It is just page after page of intense abuse by this girl's mother and her boyfriend. They were not Amish but posed as Amish as a way to keep people from investigating them. Later her and her sister were sent to an Amish community when they became too big for the parents to beat. So there is a lot of Amish customs to learn from this book. I did not read the reviews for this book until I was done, which I was glad. When I read this book there were some things that just didn't seem true. For one thing, when she was little it just seemed like she was wise beyond her years, especially when it came to medical things. Also, she seems to read a lot into what other people's thoughts are. I thought the incident with the dog was a little weird. There are a lot of comments from people that know the Amish traditions and they commented that some of the things that happened did not match what they knew about the Amish. There are a lot of comments from people thinking this book is not entirely factual. I tend to agree.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
4 stars

Trevor Noah is the guy that took the place of Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. I mostly saw him on Facebook pre-election and thought he was hilarious so decided to check out his book. He was born in South Africa and he talks a lot about Apartheid. During Apartheid, it was illegal for a white person and a black person to be together and a person could go to jail if they were found out. Trevor was born to a white father and a black mother, hence the title of the book. Trevor loves his mother and she is hilarious. You can see where he gets his sense of humor, although I don't think his mother even knows she is funny. I wish there would have been pictures, but they were so poor they maybe didn't have money for film or even a camera. Trevor really doesn't get into how he came about coming to America or how he came to get the job at the Daily Show. Perhaps, that is for another book.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
Phillip M. Hoose
4.5/5 stars
This actually is a YA book and fairly short but nevertheless a fascinating story of a group of Danish teenagers that refused to accept Nazi occupation during WWII while most of the adults accepted the occupation and went along with it. Most of the books that I have read on WWII did not discuss Denmark so I found this very interesting.

Just started Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier by Alan Napier and James Bigwood. Really interesting so far.

Julie wrote: "
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club..."

You might like A Conspiracy Of Decency: The Rescue Of The Danish Jews During World War II

I set The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire aside because it was boring me to tears, and because the whole book (as far as I got into it) seemed to be "we really know nothing about this part of his life, but we're reconstructing it based on sheer guesswork." They could have summarized all that in a few pages but they give it chapter after chapter. Bah!

Fishface wrote: "I set The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire aside because it was boring me to tears, and because the whole book (as far as I got into it) seemed..."

I'm glad I am not the only one that could not get into this book. There were a lot of good reviews so I wondered what I was missing.

Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "I set The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire aside because it was boring me to tears, and because the whole book (as far as I go..."

I loved that book. I thought it was so interesting. But it is okay-we all don't like the same things and heaven knows there are a billion more books to read.

Lady♥Belleza★✰ wrote: "Julie wrote: "
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club..."

You..."

Thanks for the suggestion- added to my list.

Settle for More by Megyn Kelly
5 stars

Like many, I did not know who Megyn Kelly was before her run-in with Donald Trump. I was hoping in the book she would address the issues she had with him and she did. Even though the public knows most of what happened, the book gives her personal take on the situation. It really is amazing how childish a 70 year old man can be, especially one that is going to lead the country.

What I enjoyed the most were the stories about her mother and grandmother. These two are hilarious and I think she should write a book about these two.

I think this would be a good book to give a young girl or woman to teach them that they can do anything if they work hard and persevere. That is the main message of the book.

by Douglas Boyd - 2 Stars

Anyone who follows my reading knows I absolutely ADORE the women of SOE and their role in WWII. So, when Netgalley offered me an advance copy of Agente, which promised to look at not only their activities, but others women's roles in espionage over a wide range of conflicts I was immediately interested. Then, the introduction promised, "this book explores why female agents from all social backgrounds and many different countries volunteered over the centuries for this dangerous life, how effective they were and what training, if any, they were given," I was really excited about that since in my study of history it seems that women are more heavily represented for Russia even though it was well known that their careers were often ended by execution and from Jewish backgrounds (and the book seemed to validate that assumption). The opportunity to understand the WHY of those decisions really intrigued me. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the work.

First, and foremost, the book failed to fulfill the promise of "exploring" the enumerated topics listed above. From an historical work exploring connotes analysis. The author sometimes, but not always, simply stated a reason - such as avenging a loved ones death. If information was given on training it was a simple statement of what areas they were trained in. The author did a better job of showing the number of countries and conflicts women represented with a few resoundingly effective accomplishments.

Second, the book lacked focused. The title and introduction says it will focus on those in the secret service. However, only about half of the women in the book were spies. The remaining were collaborators, part of resistance movements, provided comfort to those considered enemies, or were forced to endure torture as a result of being a resident in occupied territory with a very odd and disjointed paragraph on Aubrey Hepburn that certainly didn't fit. All of these are meaningful and gut-wrenching topics, but it caused huge deviations from the premise and the space dedicated here may have better served the author to flesh out the aspects that did tie into the premise. Finally, there was a frustratingly lack of detail behind positions put forth. For instance, in the chapter Women Against Hitler the author states, "While willing to risk their lives on courier missions, all four women refused on principle to carry out sabotage." What principle? Why? Exploring items like this would give the reader a much better understanding into the mind of these women.

There was a great deal of promise within the book, however. The chapter on the women of SOE, while not without flaws, brought to life the things these women endured, and I'm pretty protective of their memory. The flaws were not enough to elicit any ire from me. So, that's a really good thing. The chapter entitled Heroine or Liar did a good job of presenting both sides of the argument, I was utterly fascinated by Dvorah in The Pearl in the Lebanese Oyster, and I learned a few interesting tidbits, such as Women's History Month is directly tied to Betty McIntosh and I found some women I want to study further.

A better premise may have been looking at the bravery of women during wartime. It is also an important topic for study. So, I would recommend this book for anyone interested in women's experience in wars throughout history or someone looking for a very high level over the topic.

A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life by Pat Conroy
4 stars

Pat Conroy passed away last March. This is a compilation of blogs, (a word that he hated), journal entries of his thoughts, and tributes from his wife and friends. It didn't say what he died from but it was obvious that he knew his time was short. He knew a lot of people that have gone on before him and wrote about them, especially his father, of whom the books The Great Santini and The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son are based. Like most of us, he left this world with things undone.

If you are a Pat Conroy fan I think you will like this book. It is a short, quick read. If you don't even know who he is you might not enjoy it so much. This book made me want to check out the Conroy books I haven't read yet. So sad that the world has lost such a talented author.

A side note: When reading this book I wondered if my favorite author Rick Bragg knew Pat Conroy, as they are both from the south and have similar writing styles. Sure enough, Rick wrote a passage for the book.

Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler, by Jessica Speart
5 stars!

This was a dual biography -- about a prosecutor turned tae kwon do expert turned U.S. Fish & Wildlife undercover agent, and an entrepreneur who found his true calling in driving rare insects to extinction so he can make a mint selling them in the black market to collectors. It was also a true-crime story, about how the agent worked for years to capture the butterfly trafficker. Almost the whole story is told in the third person, taking us through the life of Ed Newcomer of Fish & Wildlife, as he tries to piece together a case against Yoshi Kojima, who has an incredible bulwark of scams, evasion tactics and stalking horses standing between him and the law. Hardly a word this guy says to anyone turns out to be true and it's Newcomer's job to build a credible, provable case against a guy who knows how to worm out of almost anything. It's a maddening story but ultimately a satisfying one. Considering that we're talking about a bunch of shady butterfly collectors, the case is remarkably suspenseful and gripping. I highly recommend this one.

Fishface wrote: "Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler, by Jessica Speart
5 stars!

This was a dual biography -- about a prosecutor turned tae kwon do expert ..."
Shady butterfly collectors??? Never knew!

Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis

4 stars.

An 18 year old American teenager with a love for Jesus goes to Uganda and falls in love with the children...adopting 14 orphaned/abandoned girls in the process. It's a totally different kind of book, and while some may call it naive the reality seems to be Katie is learning to be a mother and God is teaching her a new kind of love she wouldn't have experienced in her spoiled middle class background in America.

I couldn't keep up with the number of children Katie wrote about, they all were loved by her and called her 'mommy' some with horrific backgrounds, serious health issues, and in a neglected and pitiful state. Katie painstakingly nursed them back to health with the kind of grace that only God can give. Inspiring.

Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love

3 stars

I would say for fans of the Beach Boys only...like most memoirs, the childhood parts are the most interesting before it ends in a morass of lawsuits, brawls, embezzlements, abuse drug addictions, sex, more drugs, divorces, love children, insanity, death threats and inevitable rock and roll. Oh and TM. (Transcendental Meditation). It was the 60s. Anything goes..or went.

Great harmonies by the way. But its true the Beach Boys never really grew up to become Beach Men.

Selina, that sounds like it would really disillusion any Beach Boys fans! Maybe it should be only for people who hate surf music.

Selina wrote: "Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love

3 stars

I would say for fans of the Beach Boys only...like most memoirs, the childhood parts are the most interesting before i..."

Sounds interesting. It's hard to imagine fame and fortune don't buy happiness.

well you can have happiness but at a price...it only lasts a few seconds and then you have to keep up with the drug taking/weird spiritual practices. lol

Fishface wrote: "Selina, that sounds like it would really disillusion and Beach Boys fans! Maybe it should be only for people who hate surf music."

well..I would say fans tend to idolise their heroes but this might have the opposite effect...the Beach Boy ego clashes are dripping off the page in this memoir.

It seems like Brian Wilson wrote a memoir as well.

All these Beach Boys shenanigans remind me of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spinal Tap, the Archies...it's kind of all one archetype. I would assume that Dennis Wilson smoked a lot more loco weed than Theodore Chipmunk, though.

Fishface wrote: "Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spinal Tap, the Archies...it's kind of all one archetype. I would assume that Dennis Wilson smoked a lot more loco weed than Theodore Chipmunk, though."

Simon seems more like the weed smoking type.

Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier
Alan Napier and James Bigwood
3/5 stars

Alan Napier is probably best known as Alfred the butler in Batman the TV series but he had a very fascinating life and career outside of Batman. Born and raised in England, he was related to the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on his mother's side. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then spent his whole life acting on the stage, in movies and on TV. The book discusses his life, family and working in the entertainment field.

Originally written by Napier, James Bigwood took over finishing the book and adding comments to the sections written by Napier. At times this was hard to put down especially when discussing his family and growing up in England. Some of the discussion of his roles was a little overwhelming since most of his career he had small roles and a lot of them. But overall I enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about him.

Selina wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spinal Tap, the Archies...it's kind of all one archetype. I would assume that Dennis Wilson smoked a lot more loco weed than Theodore Chipmunk, though."

S..."


Or Dave! Leading the little rodents astray!

Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spinal Tap, the Archies...it's kind of all one archetype. I would assume that Dennis Wilson smoked a lot more loco weed than Theodore Chipmu..."

Can't wait for his memoir. ALVIN!!!! My life with the Chipmunks. by David Seville.

A Little Thing Called Life: From Elvis's Graceland to Bruce Jenner's Caitlyn & Songs in Between by Linda Thompson
4 stars

I was not really familiar with Linda Thompson. I'm sure I've heard her name before, after all she was a girlfriend of Elvis, married to Bruce Jenner and David Foster. I was most interested in her life with Jenner and Foster. Her time with Elvis takes up almost half the book but I really wasn't all that much into it. Really, if you've read Elvis Bios before there is not a lot new here. I think I could have done without the graphic sex parts, which really were only a couple of paragraphs, but really, do we want to know??? At times she does get a little too intimate but if she didn't we would think she was holding back, so I guess she probably cant win on that one. So, in the book she comes across as very kind and caring to all her husbands. Maybe a little too perfect although at times she will admit she has her drawbacks too. I was interested to find out she wrote one of my favorite songs, To Where You Are, made famous by Josh Groban, and the one I picked out to play at my mother's funeral. The rest of her songs that have lyrics in the book I don't think I know. If you are interested in any of the above people I think this book would be worth your while.

Selina wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spinal Tap, the Archies...it's kind of all one archetype. I would assume that Dennis Wilson smoked a lot more loco weed tha..."

LOL!

Surviving Centrepoint by Ella James

I picked this up because Centrepoint was notorious as a kind of hippie commune that became the centre of sexual abuse and drugs in the north shore of the town where I live, Auckland. The leader of the community, Bert Potter, was convicted and jailed for numerous sexual crimes involving those who lived there from the 70s-80s.

Ella James (not her real name) has written this memoir of what it was like to live in Centrepoint she came to it as a teenager and was abused by Bert and the men there, was encouraged to become sexually active and take drugs, and was part of the whole cult of CP which was based on 'encounter' psychology and weird eastern philosphies - Potter was a disciple of a guru called Bhagwhan ??

The CP premises now have been taken over by a trust - after Potter was convicted and jailed - he died in 2008 in hospital from alzheimers. I was invited to a garden meeting there, I had no idea it was the notorious Centrepoint until someone told me, its been turned into a benign commune still with elements of hippie lifestyle but definitely not a place I would return to again!

This book is a memoir of the time there, the victim didn't have the courage to speak to the police until years later after she left, traumatised.

Sounds interesting! Going to check it out. Thanks for sharing.

Koren wrote: "A new year, a new discussion."

Yeah, it was harder to get through than other books I've read, but I really enjoyed "Wilson", a biography by A. Scott Berg. Apparently, he is a total scholar, very much detail about Woodrow Wilson from his birth to death. He also wrote "Lindberg". I wonder if its in great detail also.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
3 stars

I wanted to read this book because I loved Lauren Graham on Parenthood. I miss that show so much. I have not really been able to get into Gilmore Girls so much so that is probably why the book was a disappointment to me. But, I should have expected the book would be more about Gilmore Girls, as that is in the title. I would have liked to have read more about Parenthood, and of course, her brother on the show and partner in real life, Peter Krause. This book moves along rather fast and you feel like she is talking to you the way she does on the show...fast and at times rambling. If you love Gilmore Girls you will love this book.

Condition Critical by Echo Heron
4 stars

What its like to be a critical care nurse. This was written in the late 80's so I found a few things that were dated, but I don't think things have changed a whole lot as far as staffing shortages, demanding bosses, and crazy patients and even staff members. If you like medical profession memoirs this is pretty interesting. Most of it tended to be on the negative side and made me wonder why anyone would go into nursing after reading this.

by Ben Utecht 3.5 Stars

"I now understand that our existence as human beings lies in our ability to remember. Everything that matters about our identities - our very sense of self - comes from our memories. We may live in the present, but that doesn't last. Every moment quickly slips into the stream of short-term memory and journeys toward the ocean that is the long-term memory center of the brain. There our memories take root, shaping us, refining us, defining who we are. We are the culmination of all we have experienced, all we have thought and read and believed, all we have loved. We are living memories. Without memories we cease to be ourselves. In a very real way we cease to be." (Pg. 9)

Ben Utecht played five years in the NFL for not the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals, winning a coveted ring Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLI. Yet throughout his college and professional career he suffered five documented concussions and untold undocumented ones, often referred to as "getting his bell rung." The concussions eventually took their toll and he now lives with permanent decreased memories and cognitive abilities.

If you are a football fan or the parent of a sports participant this is a must read. There has been a much more focused spotlight by the NFL and former players. But Ben brings a personal touch with the fullness of his story. It's a poignant memoir about faith, love, and appreciating each moment with with the ones you love.

A could of items to note, however. I thought from the subtitle, "A Letter To My Family," is a bit misleading. I expected this to be structured as an epistolary form. The letter comes in the last chapter. Up until that point it is a recounting of his experience in football programs. Secondly, faith is at the core of Ben's life. If discussion of faith bothers you this is not the work for you. It isn't didactic in nature. In fact, while being a Christian myself I don't align with his interpretation of the manifestation of God's power in our lives, but it didn't take away from my appreciation of the story

Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love, and Loss with Richard Pryor by Rain Pryor
4 stars

This girl really went through a lot growing up as the daughter of a celebrity. There is a lot here that would be considered abuse today. Not physical abuse, but just having parents that were self-absorbed and selfish. Even though her father was not the best parent in the world, he comes across as a likeable person. If you are sensitive to crass language this would not be the book for you.

Koren wrote: "Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love, and Loss with Richard Pryor by Rain Pryor
4 stars

This girl really went through a lot growing up as the daughter of a celebrity. There is..."
Reminds me of Lorna's book about growing up as daughter of Judy Garland. Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir Probably similar in many respects. Was her dad on drugs at all?

Richard Pryor? Heck, yes, he was on drugs. One of the most famous Richard Pyror episodes when I was in high school was the day he went running down the street with his hair on fire because he zigged when he should have zagged while freebasing coke.

Greatly enjoying For the Defense by Ellis Rubin, a well-known Florida criminal defense attorney sharing some of his zaniest court cases. He shares, not only the juicy details of the cases themselves, but how they affected him personally. He even shares the fact that he never would have become was he is if not for the support of his best buddy from Boy Scouts, who just happened to be 10-year-old Rod Serling. How cool would it be to have that guy as your best friend!?

Fishface wrote: "Richard Pryor? Heck, yes, he was on drugs. One of the most famous Richard Pyror episodes when I was in high school was the day he went running down the street with his hair on fire because he zigge..."

On drugs? That was a understatement but he was so funny!

Fishface wrote: "Richard Pryor? Heck, yes, he was on drugs. One of the most famous Richard Pyror episodes when I was in high school was the day he went running down the street with his hair on fire because he zigge..."

Yes, Selina, he did a lot of drugs. Fishface, I hope this isn't a spoiler, but in the book she says it is a myth that he was freebasing when that happened and the true story is that he set himself on fire after a suicide attempt while being strung out on drugs.

While reading this book, I wondered if his MS could have been caused by his 'unhealthy' lifestyle.

Fishface wrote: "Richard Pryor? Heck, yes, he was on drugs. One of the most famous Richard Pyror episodes when I was in high school was the day he went running down the street with his hair on fire because he zigge..."

Leading to as many jokes as there are matches in a matchbook. And me setting my nail polish on fire while showing one to somebody.

A Year Without Made in China: One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy
3 stars

This book is about a family that tried to live a year without buying anything made in China. As they learned, it is not an easy thing to do. This is written in 'blog style' so it was a bit of a disappointment that there were not any facts or statistics about the effect of buying foreign goods. I thought this book was lacking in a lot of ways. For one, I was wondering why Chinese goods were singled out but it was ok to buy any other country, so if you couldn't buy a product from China it was ok to buy it from Taiwan or Japan. I also found it frustrating that if they really, really needed something and couldn't find anything that wasn't made in China it was ok to have someone else buy it and give it to them as a gift. The thing I found the most frustrating was that the children seemed to get an awful lot of toys. At times the family was resourceful and would make something. I would have liked to have seen the possibility of buying at second hand shops and garage sales explored. This book is ok if you take it for what it is...a blog of a family trying something but not really wanting to 'suffer' too much

Reading Papillon, it's sort of a memoir/true crime. About a man who was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and proceeds to escape from prison.

Lady♥Belleza★✰ wrote: "Reading Papillon, it's sort of a memoir/true crime. About a man who was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and proceeds to escape from prison."

This was made into a film in 1973 with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. I remember seeing it in the theater. Very dark. Interested in your review when done.

by Kate Moore

IF YOU ONLY READ ONE NON-FICTION BOOK THIS YEAR MAKE IT THIS ONE!

A couple of years ago I saw a play entitled, Their Shining Lives. It was my introduction to this subject and I was determined to read a book on the subject. But, I couldn’t find one. So, when Netgalley offered an advanced copy of this book in return for a review I jumped at the opportunity, and it is exactly the work for which I hungered. It is set for publication this March.

In 1913, luminous paint was invented by Sabon von Sochocky of The Radium Luminous Materials Corporation in Orange, NJ. This paint created an industry used for watches with faces that glowed in the dark. When WWI broke out the paint was used for dial panels placed in military equipment. Plants across the United States hired thousands of young women, sometimes as young as thirteen years old, who often recruited sisters, to handle the fine details of painting numbers on the watches and dials. The girls were paid by the watch completed not by the hour. So, efficiency was of the essence for both the company and earning potential. They were good at it, sometimes pumping out 4,300 products a day. Many of the girls were of the top 5% earners of the era. In order to perform the tasks quickly and with perfection they were taught a technique – lip, dip, paint. Day after day for years the girls would use their mouths to bring the brush hairs to a fine tip, dip it into the paint, and paint the watch and dial faces. The paint contained radium, the substance that made it luminous.

Of the thousands of women who were employed in this manner this book follows thirty-four women who worked in two plants: the United States Radium Corporation in Ottawa, IL and The Radium Luminous Materials Corporation in Orange, NJ.

In the Prologue Moore claims she wants to do justice to the lives of these women. Although the number of figures she introduces to the reader is large and can take a bit to keep straight, she admirably follows through on her intentions. When these young women start working for these companies they are gregarious and full of hope for their futures. Not only did they embrace the economic opportunity presented them, but they fell in love with magical nature of the paint, often using it cosmetically to paint their eyebrows and lips before going out on the town. In their naivety they believed the company propaganda that the paint was safe and the popular assumption that radium is actually good for you. As one executive told them, “it will make your cheeks rosy.” However, one by one, they each began to fall ill. But, it was difficult to pinpoint the cause initially because the presentation of symptoms and when they began varied. Some became ill while still working at the company. Some didn’t become ill until years after. Fortunately, due to the monotonous nature of the work, the girls formed deep bonds over the years and it didn’t take long for them to collectively connect the dots. They banned together and fought.

But, it wasn’t an easy fight and the number of people that betrayed them is nothing short of disgusting. They were shunned by their community for going against a company that provided good jobs even during the Great Depression. They were betrayed by the company, attorneys and doctors who at first appeared to be heroes but in the end sold the girls out, and the government. But a few real heroes did emerge. Of special note are Katherine Wiley of Consumer League, Walter Lippmann, writer for The World, and Leonard Grossman, who spent thirteen years pursuing the cases through eight courts all the way up to the Supreme Court, absorbing all the cost himself. He successfully litigated the first case in US history in which an employer was made responsible for the health of its employees. Their fight was worth it. For the fight has had far-reaching consequences. Thanks to these girls a test was devised to identify radium in the body of a living patient, they affected legislation, impacted safety regulations at The Manhattan Project, and led to the creation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Moore’s writing is engaging. She does justice to the strength and tenacity it took for these young women to fight against all odds and takes the reader through every excruciating detail of the decline and death of the women in a way that makes you feel the loss as deeply as the men who loved some of them. There’s a heart wrenching court scene that had me sobbing right with the husband. But, she’s not only good with the emotional aspects of the book. She adeptly describes how radium works in the body in a way that is utterly fascinating and accessible to the lay person.

I simply cannot recommend this book enough. I’m sure it will be a favorite of this and may be an all-time favorite.

The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
3 stars
The story takes place in Darfur in Sudan during a time of war. The author got lucky in that he was able to hook up with a journalist as a translator. Aside from that the book is mostly about man's inhumanity to man. It was interesting to read about what his childhood was like before the war and what the country was like. The book was published in 2008 so I did a search to find out what has been going on in the country since then and it sounds like progress has been made but there still is some strife still going on.