Book Blog – Page 10 – …on the B.L.

To Obama by Jeanne Marie Laskas

October 12, 2018October 14, 2018 RaeAnna

Read YESSS!!!
Length 352
Quick Review A snapshot into the hearts of America. Oh my goodness. I cried so much. Filled with real letters from real Americans with real joys, worries, sorrows, and more. It’s hard not to be affected by it.

Up until reading To Obama by Jeanne Marie Laskas, I had never even thought of writing to the president. I always was under the impression of “what’s the point?” Up until President Obama, there probably wasn’t much of a point. There was no system.

When Obama walked into the White House, he made sure the mail was a priority. It was a way for him to connect to his people. The mail room was a mess. He decided he wanted to read ten letters a day, which became known as 10LAD. Over time, everyone in the White House was reading the mail, and if they weren’t, they wanted to be. A system was quickly put in place to read and reply to the mail. Occasionally, Obama would reply to a letter writer himself. The letters people sent in would be read and would even affect policy.

The people in the mail room were important, and their job was not easy. They were on the receiving end of every feeling America was having. Their job was not only to process the mail but to process American emotions. They read, they filed, they reported, they responded, they bonded. The workers became close because their experience was a unique one. I wish I could describe it to you, but you should just read To Obama.

There are samples of letters throughout the book. They are so moving. They express feelings and opinions on all sides of the political spectrum. What you believed didn’t matter; what did matter was that Obama believed each and every person mattered. That was the driving force behind the mail room: you matter. It was evident. To Obama was a mantra for so many people. Small children wrote in asking for help on their homework. Partners wrote in expressing their gratitude for the ability to finally marry. Conservatives wrote with disgust. Democrats wrote out of disappointment. Families from 9/11 wrote out of exhaustion. People wrote for so many reasons. Why? Because they felt like they mattered.

Laskas focused on several letter writers from various backgrounds who wrote for different reasons. This cemented the mission of the mail room in reality, in how it touched people’s lives, in the ways it helped people. Laskas also focused on the people who ran the mail room because they were the ones who kept it going.

It was so well written. I rarely cry over books. I pretty much cried the entirety of To Obama. There is so much pain and happiness and success and failure within the pages. It takes snapshots of American flowing with so much raw emotions. It’s hard not to be overwhelmed taking it all in. I ended up having to read for an hour at a time, so I could take in what I just read. I’m an empath, as so many bookworms are, and it’s an intense read. Considering the outcome of the election, this was an interesting book to take in.

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Memorable Quotes
“Little hard data exists about constituent mail from previous administrations.”
“little by little, voice by voice, the mail could drive actual policy decisions.”

Title: To Obama, With love, joy, anger, and hope
Author: Jeanne Marie Laskas
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525509387

Books, Fiction

How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs

October 5, 2018March 29, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 256
Quick Review In How to Love a Jamaican, Alexia Arthurs compiles a book full of resonating short stories. I can’t stop thinking about the various characters and stories she tells.

Reading *How to Love a Jamaican* by Alexia Arthurs.

Alexia Arthurs was born and raised in Jamaica before emigrating to New York with her family at 12. These experiences are highlighted in her collection of short stories How to Love a Jamaican, which was published earlier this year. I was drawn to her stories because she attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and I’m from Iowa. I always root for people who have a connection to Iowa. Although, I have no idea if she liked her time in Iowa or not.

She starts of her book with a bang. Immediately she captured my attention. Even though I’m not black or Jamaican, I can completely identify with the story about friendship and college. It is incredibly relatable. I was taken by the sentiment: “I don’t know why more love stories aren’t written about platonic intimacy.” Boom. Feels were hit. I had to finish the book in one sitting; I was so captivated by her words.

Jamaica, immigration, and family are almost characters in their own right as they wind their way through How to Love a Jamaican. Each story fleshes out their entities more and more fully. Jamaica is ever present in the story and the characters minds, which extends to the reader.

Arthurs has a fabulous voice in these stories. It is personal and warm. Even when the topic is racism or immigration, there is always a warmth to her tone. This warmth, I can only assume, stems from a deep affection and desire to help effect change. There is a certain amount of nostalgia within the collection.

The stories are told from various perspectives. Depending on the story, the narrator is male or female. In some stories, there is a first person or third person point-of-view. It was done really well.

Two things I loved most about the stories are a constant search for belonging as well as a tension between the younger and older, or “country,” generations. They are very much part of the human experience. I believe everyone feels alone or out of place in the world. The feeling that the older generation just doesn’t get it is human. We all have grandparents or aunts or parents or friends’ parents who are out of touch with the norm of today.

There are so many things I loved reading in How to Love a Jamaican. It’s so exciting to read an author from a culture, which is probably known more for their bobsled team, than almost anything else. I just get excited when women of color win. This book is for sure a win. It was so good.

One story really hit home for me. The Ghost of Jia Yi is set in Iowa. (Yay Iowa.) It was eery. In the story, a college-aged woman is killed in Iowa. One of her classmates, the protagonist, ruminates on it. This was eery because two young women in college were murdered in Iowa over the past two months. One woman was murdered in my hometown. Very sad.

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Memorable Quotes
“I don’t know why more love stories aren’t written about platonic intimacy.”
“Iowa isn’t the kind of place Jamaicans talk about when they talk about America.”

Title: How to Love a Jamaican
Author: Alexia Arthurs
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9781524799205

Books, Fiction

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

October 1, 2018March 29, 2019 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 496
Quick Review A tail of ruin and riches, love and heartbreak, joy and sorrow. History and fantasy entwine in Imogen Hermes Gowar’s debut novel The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock to completely captivate the reader.

*The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock* || Fountain in Charleston

I was hesitant about this novel. I don’t read much historical fiction anymore because I have a tendency of getting caught up in the historical inaccuracies because I love history. So when The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar arrived on my doorstep, well, I hoped the writing was as pretty as the cover. I was exceptionally surprised.

Set in London of 1785, Mr. Hancock is a middle-aged merchant widowered many years prior. Anjelica Neal is a courtesan with a tenuous position but a lot of confidence. They are both getting by without experiencing joy. Their lives have completely different trajectories and motivations. Due to circumstance, they are brought together.

*The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock* by Imogen Hermes Gowar

Courtesans are often the subject and driving force behind historical fiction. It’s rarely done well or with any respect to the conditions sex workers were forced to live and work under. This is different. It’s gritty and real. It doesn’t use courtesans as a thinly veiled excuse to create sex and passion for women readers thirsting for a little jolt into their lives. Instead The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock uses courtesans and a brothel to critique modern day racism, sexism, and sex work. A staunchly feminist piece of piece of literature, it drags the reader into a plot of betrayal, obsession, and mysticism.

I’m not a huge fan of fantasy. I like my literature real and a little bit stressful. Imogen Hermes Gowar creates a completely believable fantasy for me because the mermaid isn’t a star in this. Though it motivates the plot, it sits in the backseat letting the more realistic plot play out.

The writing and narrative style is beautifully constructed. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock focuses on the perspectives of Mr. Hancock and Anjelica Neal shifting from chapter to chapter. Every once in a while, a secondary character’s perspective will be explored to add layers and complexities to the world created.

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Memorable Quotes
“Men are not fearful; they build one another to greatness. Women believe their only power is in tearing one another down.”
“Treat them as if they are the centre of the world, and they do not hesitate to believe it. A charmed life these men lead…”

Title: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
Author: Imogen Hermes Gowar
Publisher: Harper
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780062859952

Books, Fiction

The Garden Party by Grace Dane Mazur

September 27, 2018 RaeAnna

Read No
Length 219
Quick Review All the makings of an incredible novel, but instead it is forgettable even as you’re reading it.

Reading *The Garden Party* by Grace Dane Mazur in Vizcaya’s Gardens in Miami.

The Garden Party by Grace Dane Mazur is a novel I tried very hard to like. Unfortunately, it just didn’t come together in a memorable way. It’s not a bad book. It’s not a bad story. On paper, the novel should be incredibly interesting and compelling. It just doesn’t manifest as such.

So here’s the story. There are two families coming together for a rehearsal dinner. Each family doesn’t much like the other because they’re vastly different. It takes place in the garden of one family. There are several generations present. Each person has their own inner dialogue and issues they are dealing with at the party. Including but not limited to: a love affair with a priest, a secret marriage ceremony, an old lady reminiscing on her lesbian tennis match, pretentious in-laws, idiosyncrasies, and so much more.

The cover of *The Garden Party* by Grace Dane Mazur.

The action takes place in the span of one evening. It’s a snapshot of lives being lived. The plot isn’t based in actions but the inner dialogues of the characters themselves. It is an exploration of human emotions, which is neither comprehensive nor enthralling. The narrative is also interesting because the story is told from every character’s perspective. I love this take. Unfortunately Mazur crammed The Garden Party’s pages with so many points-of-view, it became confusing. At times, there were up to four perspectives in the span of one page. Too much. Too many.

Very few of the characters felt compelling or even realistic. They seemed like caricatures of stereotypes of people we are all familiar with. The children speak like snobbish middle aged men. Not like the small children they are. It just wasn’t believable. There’s also some plot holes. I’m sure Mazur wanted them there to emphasize the fact that life is never visible and people have their own individual journeys.

It should be a family drama packed little novel. In fact it is a clever little novel full of insight and uniqueness. It just isn’t one of those books you’ll return to or ever think of again, except if you see the cover because it’s quite pretty. Even as I was reading the story, I was forgetting who people were.

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Memorable Quotes
“…that women were really dressing for other women.”
“…it was women who understood what other women wore, while men simply reacted.”

Title: The Garden Party
Author: Grace Dane Mazur
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780399179723

Books, NonFiction

I Should Have Honor by Khalida Brohi

September 7, 2018September 7, 2018 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 224
Quick Review As a little girl, her father wanted her to be a doctor, but she grew up to heal what doctor’s cannot: a healer of souls. A tragedy that began in love lead Khalida Brohi down a road that would help her change her family, change her country, change the world, and bring her love.

I Should Have Honor is Khalida Brohi’s memoir. Through her story, she also tells the story of her people. Before the age of 30, she has already accomplished so much good in her community and the world at large. She is the creator of the Sughar Foundation. With her husband, they founded the Chai Spot. Her life, from a very young age, has been dedicated to lifting women up and bringing an end to honor killings. Through her work, she has faced adversity, hostility, threats, and survived a bombing. Her resiliency allowed her to look passed these people’s actions, which stemmed from fear and ignorance, to continue her work helping women across Pakistan and the world.

Brohi grew up in tribal Pakistan. Her father had been lucky to have an education and believed his daughters should have one too. This was not common; it was hardly condoned. The combination of a progressive father, an education, a strong will, and a caring heart launched her on a mission to end honor killings in Pakistan and everywhere else. Her cousin was murdered in the name of honor at a very young age because she fell in love with someone she had not been betrothed to. This revelation rocked Brohi’s world setting her on the trajectory that led to her activism and social entrepreneurism.

This book came into my life as I renamed my blog. In my teen years, my life was irreversibly changed by a man taking what he thought he deserved. Brohi fights against honor killings in Pakistan. I have been speaking out against sexual and domestic violence in the United States for several years now. I don’t have the stage she does, but I want to start using my platform to advocate for women in my country struggling against a different kind of adversity. I found a kindred spirit in Khalida Brohi and I Should Have Honor.

Pakistan is drastically different than the United States and the Western world in many ways. I have had an interest in Southwestern Asia for several years now, so many things were not new to me. For those that have not read extensively about the region, Brohi does an incredible job providing background information on the politics, culture, religion, history, and even the clothes to help the reader understand and empathize with her people.

On of the things I admire so much about I Should Have Honor is her honesty in her early faults. In the beginning, she believed happiness and freedom looked a certain way for women. Through meeting and talking with and being challenged by women she was close to, she learned to accept women’s choices, and there is no one path to happiness or even equality. Change can be made through many routes. When she first began her advocacy journey, Brohi didn’t realize the need to change women’s minds about traditional practices as much if not more than she needed to change the men’s.

I Should Have Honor is not a very long book. The chapters are short, which makes it perfect for anyone who wants to read it, but can’t sit down for long sittings. There are so many personal touches and stories; it’s not a book you’ll want to speed read. I took my time with this one. Enjoying every word because this book, Khalida Brohi’s origin story, matters. It will continue to matter for many, many years to come.

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Memorable Quotes
“Two children, two stories, were becoming one.”
“I slowly learned that “honor” killings – a custom not ordained by religion, caste, or tradition but done solely to restore men’s egos – weren’t just my tribe’s issue but took place all across Pakistan and all over the world.”
“They couldn’t see the wrongs in the cultural restrictions that I was trying to describe, or the physical and emotional harm some traditional inflicted on women.”
“Women’s mind-sets were also part of the problem.”

Title: I Should Have Honor; A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan
Author: Khalida Brohi
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780399588013

Lifestyle

Welcome to …on the B.L.

September 6, 2018September 6, 2018 RaeAnna

Still all about the books. Have no fear!

I started the blog Bookish Liaisons on December 24, 2016. I love the title. In the year and half since, I have grown so much!!! What started as a passion project is now a job. Woah. How, oh how, did that happen? Well, a lot of work and late nights.

I began Bookish Liaisons with the intention of being a bookish-lifestyle blog. The name Bookish (me) Liaisons (my adventures). Over the past few months as I have traveled more, soul searched, experimented, and thought about it, I decided to change the name of my blog. I love books, and I am still just as bookish as ever. However, there are things I want to touch on more than I do. I was feeling a little hemmed in by the title Bookish Liaisons because people only saw me as a book blogger. Books come first on this site’s menu, and it’s what I’ll write about most consistently. I just don’t want to feel the need to constantly post pictures with books or write solely about books or relating to books because the word ‘book’ is in the title. My life is a lot more complex than being a bookworm. I want to start exploring that.

As I was searching for new names for my blog, I wanted to keep or, at least, incorporate Bookish Liaisons somehow. I came up with …on the B.L.

Why?

B.L. = Bookish Liaisons. Get it! I am …on the B(ookish).L(iaisons). of life, if you will.

Also it’s a play on the idiom “on the DL” short for “on the down-low” meaning “keep it hush-hush.” I liked this word play for a lot of reasons. 1) It’s word play. I am a nerd, you know. 2) So much of what I read is not necessarily mainstream. I like to read female authors, minority authors, and unlikely stories. 3) I also want to start talking more about my past of sexual abuse because I have an audience. I would be remiss not to speak about such important things when I have people paying attention to what I say. I used to lecture at Iowa State University, written blogs, talked, and advocated for change regarding sexual and domestic violence. This is not new for me in any way, shape, or form; it is just new here. I have a history, which has not been gone into on this platform, and I want that to change. 4) I also want to advocate and educate myself and others on issues of intolerance, racism, and more because these things need to change, and unfortunately they’re all still kept pretty hush-hush – along with point three. 5) The fun stuff: food, clothes, restaurants, vacations, etc. I don’t necessarily do, wear, see, eat, or go to popular places. I like to find the new and different. I like supporting small, local, independently owned, and/female business.

Mostly, …on the B.L. is meant to use my platform to help affect change, encourage others to use their voices, or support people and business who haven’t found theirs yet. That being said, I can’t always live that way. Target is pretty great. (Not sponsored, but I’d be happy to chat!)