The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (audio book, borrowed through Libby)

 While we were in Hawaii, I listened to this wonderful, somewhat sardonic book, read by the author. She is very entertaining, and very informal. She frequently takes asides and speaks directly to the listener and I enjoyed her humor and insights all along the way.

Maybe it was because there was so much to see while I walked or sat poolside in Maui, that it was sometimes hard to focus my attention. But even when I finished listening to this when we were home, and I was walking around the neighborhood, I found it hard to follow some the historical characters that were brought back up in later vignettes. It was kine of disjointed that way...

The stories of both women and men who made a difference in their time were inspiring to me. There are stories of courage, of great personal sacrifice, and so much more. These are not historical figures that I ever heard of before, so it was refreshing to learn about these people and ponder how I could emulate some of them...especially the woman who started a school for the children of slaves...and the school burned down, and she rebuilt it. Many of these stories related to education, and I felt like a spoiled brat being paid so generously and having such cushy teaching conditions in MY career. Honestly, these people are stellar! Very worth listening to....