The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

 I enjoy this author, and I was intrigued by the title, so I picked this up at Deseret Industries one day when I was waiting for Len. It is very depressing on the one hand, in the graphic way it illustrates the life of southern slaves in the early 1800's. It also depicts slave owners' lives, and women, in particular, had little freedom either. I almost gave up on it several times as it was so depressing. However, I was in Napa, and didn't have anything else at hand, and began to really enjoy the story.

I like that the two Grimke sisters were real heroes in a very closed time. I enjoyed learning more of their possible back story. I especially enjoyed Handful's life, and the courage her mother displayed. The ways slaves quietly rebelled was interesting to read. The limits of both women's lives was amazing; how they broke out took unbelievable courage. These women really inspired me, even though much of the story is fictionalized. It felt possible. It felt like it could have happened this way. I appreciate Kidd's imagination, especially the way Handful's mother told her story through a story quilt. 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

 This was a tough book in some ways, because of the tough situation that Demon was born to... And yet it kept calling me back to see what would happen next. Demon's character is so endearing and you're pulling for him and sense his goodness despite his challenges and his reckless choices.

Just as interested as I was in the plot, I was also captivated and totally impressed with Kingsolver's amazing ability to weave the characters that mirrored Dickens' characters in David Copperfield. They were like shadows of each other...not totally alike or predictable, but you could sense the similarities, and the names and common characteristics were like, WOW. Knowing David Copperfield's world and just waiting for how Kingsolver might interpret it for her time and place, was a real kick. I loved that aspect of this entire read. Knowing that Copperfield ended up happy helped me hope that Copperhead would too, and then kept me going despite the depressing milieu of the story. 

I also learned a lot about drug addiction and about the values of the people of this Appalachian country folk. Their culture and people are maligned and they feel it keenly. What Demon doesn't know is amazing...and this is revealed throughout the book, but mainly when he first goes to a city and a zoo. It was heart-wrenching to understand the breadth of his ignorance. 

Kingsolver is brilliant. The characters and plot were beautifully and naturally crafted and completely believable. Heartbreakingly so. For example, Angus's father, the coach, and his drinking and inability to connect much with the world outside of football. I really admired Angus as a character too, and her independence of thought and action. She was like a lifeline for Demon. The entire Peggott family was so fascinating and such a model of love and acceptance for Demon and the other "misfits" in their family. It was amazing to read about a character like June Peggott and what a fabulous influence she was...It made me hope that I could be that person for someone in my world...

All in all, an inspiring and challenging read. Will I take it on again? I'm not sure... But it definitely is enhanced by knowing Dickens' story first. A great pair of readings. 

The Heart is a Lovely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Why do I keep finding stories set in such dismal environments? I'm not sure why, but here's another depressing time and place. However, the characters are fascinating, and the story portrays life in the 1930s as very hard and hungry. These are people who struggle and work and still don't get ahead. I almost gave up multiple times, but then there would be some eloquent speech by one of the characters, primarily the maid Portia's father, the black doctor in this small mill town. And then I would try to follow the thinking and the pain that this man was living. Fascinating.

The other fascinating character was Mister Singer, a deaf mute, who was completely embraced and revered by the other characters. He listened so sympathetically and meaningfully...It was perhaps intended irony that this character couldn't respond, and the ones who revered him projected his responses. At any rate, that was interesting. Also, the 13-year-old Mick was a girl with great musical power and memory...another interesting character. But these characters were in a story and setting so bleak and without any visible hope, that I almost stopped reading several times. The story ends without any hopeful rays apparent, or any resolve.

I did marvel at the sophisticated thinking and speaking of the characters since McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this. I picked this up at the used bookstore, thinking it was a classic. Maybe it is, or maybe it isn't...but I won't be picking it up again. It will go into one of the Little Library boxes around Bismarck.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

This delightful little book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It was sitting in one of the little libraries on the corner of our street here in Bismarck, and I decided to enjoy it again. I believe I read it in junior high? Not sure...of course I've seen the movie, black and white, if I recall correctly. Mark Twain captures the thinking and craziness of kids on the brink of adolescence. For example, the way they flirt and then ignore each other, play mind games, and engage in great leaps of imagination and superstition are all perfectly captured. I also enjoyed remembering that the adult world is completely unintelligible to adolescents. The long summer days and how they filled them was fun to read.

Plus, it was interesting to be introduced to characters who make another appearance in Huckleberry Finn. I'm ready to revisit that one, too. The description of Injun Joe is shocking in its racism, but is probably indicative of its time and context.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

This sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird is a delight to read because of the well-loved characters of Scout and Atticus. It was bittersweet returning to the South and Jean Louise's world... She saw how her life in New York had influenced her thinking...and how differently her father sees the world than she thought. Their conflict is heart breaking, and I didn't understand all of the nuances... My friend Mary lent me this book, and wants to discuss it. I think talking about it with her and with others like Christy will definitely help my understanding.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. My sister Ann recommended this one, which surprisingly I hadn't yet read. Her book club read it and she thought I would enjoy it. I did!

As usual, Kingsolver's characters are fascinating and their conversations make me chuckle. Her metaphors are AMAZING and often stop me in my tracks. I loved how the story unfolded and how Dellarobia Turnbow's character developed over the year of the story. It was a delightful read, even though the subject was a hard one...a marriage ending and climate change!

The science instruction inherent in any Kingsolver book is a gift to me. (Prodigal Summer comes to mind, in particular.) Weaving science into the story makes it much easier for me to understand and be interested. I appreciate the education!

Now here's the part that I found disappointing... This marriage and family is struggling. It's heart breaking to watch, yet so understandable! Dellarobia's thinking is such that any woman could relate--and her love of her children is clear and palpable. Her experiences in church and with her in-laws are all intriguing, often funny, and often heart-breaking. I was hoping throughout the whole story that Dellarobia would find a way to make it all work without divorce. That she did not, was disappointing.

I know many would cite irreconcilable differences, but I would not. Her husband Cub has a good heart, which she recognizes. They've already overcome so many challenges! She doesn't see a way to be a leader or have more patience with her situation or somehow make it work. That was disappointing because it could have been a road map for a different way of thinking and acting... This view of "finding ourselves" and putting ourselves first in a selfish way is the way of our current culture. There's a better way...See the excerpt from Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche that I added at the end of my reflection. That's an example of how different thinking might have helped this marriage succeed.

And let me say right here...it's easy to blame one's partner. But as I have learned from life, and first from C. Terry Warner, that when you give a (difficult or unlikeable) person a different kind of person to respond to, they change! In other words, YOU change, and the other person does too, in response, because you are giving that person a different person to respond to. My explanation is clumsy, but I know it's a true principle! It even works with children--and if you think about it and experiment with it, you will see that I am right! It's a wonderful, powerful principle because YOU have the power to change...and hence the situation does too.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

When this book was announced for our reading group, I thought, "Wow...it's been a long time. I read that in high school. I believe I thought it was really good. Okay...I'll read it again." Well, I didn't get to it before our group met, but I went to listen in to the discussion anyway. As usual, it was lively and enlightening. And at the end of the evening, I had snagged a copy to borrow and read. It was surprisingly engaging and wonderful. And...true test of a book I love...I began it all over again as soon as I finished it.

Here's what I notice about my reading of fiction. I get so engrossed in the story that I read fast and miss a lot. So, my second time through, I can slow down and enjoy it and catch many of the subtleties that I missed first time through. This book was very rewarding the second time through...many aspects of what was going on around Scout, the main character, caught my attention. It was just a wonderful story of wonderful people. Scout and her brother, Jem, and their friend Dill captured so much of the wonder of childhood that it was good for this adult to feel a little younger.

I have a friend here in Rapid City who named her son Atticus after Scout and Jem's father. I remember wondering at the time if this was really a character I would want to pin that on. Well, after reading the book again, I totally understand her inclination. Here's a father who treats his children with respect and talks to them expecting them to understand difficult issues. Their family relationships are rich and deep.

I also really enjoyed the part where Scout and Jem go to church with their black cook, Calpurnia. Wonderful scenes that are told with pathos. Calpurnia turns out to be a most worthy and interesting character.

I vaguely recall being amazed in high school that blacks were treated like that in the South. This work was published about the same time I was becoming aware of civil rights. Our country has gone through so much since then, yet this struggle and this story feel very current. Because I enjoyed this author so much, I was anxious to read her other books. But she didn't write any others! This is amazing to me...she said that she had written what she wanted to say and didn't want to say it again. She didn't enjoy the publicity or the spotlight that her success brought her, so she wasn't about to do it again. I think there must be a lot of the plucky Scout in her! This is definitely a classic and a joy and would be worthwhile to read and discuss again and again. Both the courage and the innocence of Scout speak to me.