Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

 I finally figured out the free Libby library app, and was able to listen to the amazing novel about an uncompromising woman Chemist from the sixties whose sensibilities were wayyyyy ahead of her time, and probably could have only be written in retrospect. 

I enjoyed the characters, the dog, and the way the story told the backstories of the characters. Although they were all somewhat extreme and cartoonish, they had real things to say and brought the theme to life. The way the different threads came together at the end was marvelous to behold.

HOWEVER! The notion that scientists have to be dishonest or deny evidence to believe in God is utter trash and completely untrue! I understand the frustration with religion and the hate it can spawn when misguided, but still, I don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. And I don't even believe women were so "religious" in the sixties, the way they were portrayed. To posit atheism as the main character's philosophy, based on "science" and as a natural conclusion, was disingenuous at best. All science and all evidence-based vs. religion is a false dichotomy and I didn't like the way it was woven and portrayed.

And yet...there is truth in the notion that many traditions will keep people oppressed and women especially. 

The plot moved beautifully forward and I envied Elizabeth Zott's commitment to do what she felt was right, no matter the consequences. 

I also enjoyed the notion that chemistry and cooking are about life and are important. Well done. Mostly okay language, too, with a few exceptions. Rather graphic rape scene, but it served a purpose.

Listening to this story was delightful and made my walks and housecleaning very enjoyable!

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

This book captivated me right from the start! It was one of those books that called to me between chapters and made me want to stay awake to read more. Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader in 1967 and he is hilarious, sensitive, real, and smart. He imagines his teacher, Mrs. Baker,  is at war with him, and details her dirty looks, quotes her, etc. Each chapter is a new month in the school year, and as their relationship develops, you can feel the mutual admiration. It’s wonderful!

Another reason I liked it was the time…people are smoking, Viet Nam War is running in the background, and so are flower children. It’s richly and accurately done!

This is alternately tragic and funny by turns…Holling’s parents, particularly his father, are dolts. They are heartbreaking! But Holling’s ingenuity and independence are developed because of this… There aren’t many books that make me cry real tears, but this one did, in several places. The caring teacher, the heartless parents, the big sister’s problems, the POW arriving home, the love between teacher and student, all were very sweet experiences for me.

One of Mrs. Baker’s tricks is to require Holling to read Shakespeare during their Wednesday afternoons together. He is the only Presbyterian student who doesn’t have to attend either Catholic or Jewish services on Wednesday afternoons. This gives him ample time for private tutoring from Mrs. Baker, and the reader gets a fresh chance to appreciate Shakespeare’s lessons as well. Totally delightful!

I sent this book as an audio gift to Annabee for Christmas this year. I can't wait to see how she likes it! Gabe's fourth grade teacher has it in her classroom collection, but I think it's too sophisticated for him...I wonder if Ann will think it's okay for hers? I really think she'll enjoy it!

The Help

I had a day of traveling through airports and my sister Jane gave me the perfect traveling companion: The Help. It was a delightful blend of humor, history, very interesting and real characters, and poignant story. We're reading it in our book club, and I can't wait to hear what others thought of it. Two things I noticed...the author began and ended the book in the same house. I thought that was kind of cool, considering how the story spans several homes and years. The other thing I noticed is that it's a very feminine book. I know many women who have read it, but haven't heard of any man reading it. There is only one main male character, and we never learn what he's thinking. The story is told from three different women's point of view, and there is only one mail character that comes up much. So that was interesting...it describes a primarily woman's world from women's points of view.
When I really like a book a LOT, I tend to want to be in it til I'm done, despite what other things might be going on. I call this the addiction factor. I would rate this book as having an addiction factor of 9 on a 10-point scale. It's also a measure of the engagement of my brain in the story and this one was high. I also appreciated all of the wonderful philosophy and love and forgiveness that were shown by the characters. The courage was astounding. It was amazing to think, too, that all of this hatred and racism existed without question in Mississippi as recently as the 70's. I know it still exists, but this was very overt and violent without the benefit of protection of the law or system. Amazing...