Murder at the Mission

 

Shortly before reading this book, I spent a beautiful night in the Marcus Whitman Hotel. Still the tallest building in Walla Walla, Washington, it's long been THE place to stay for people coming to the small town. We went for our anniversary to drink wine in the gorgeous vineyards. Everywhere you go, there are reminders of the Whitmans and their mission. 

In this book lies the real history of their legacy.

I've known for a long time that the stories we grew up learning about Native Americans in the West were problematic. This book lays all of them bare. The Whitmans were just the start in many ways. And we still have a long way to go before the horrors committed against tribes in this region are recognized.

This book focuses primarily on Marcus and Narcissus Whitman, who came to the Walla Walla area from the east coast at a time where missionaries were in high demand. Their very marriage, in fact, was formed so that they would come west. They set up their mission near what is now the town of Walla Walla, but early writings show the relationship they had with the Cayuse Indians was not at all a harmonious one.

The way we often hear the story is that the missionaries brought disease to the tribes, so the tribes murdered them. On the surface, that is true. But the intricacies of the relationship leading up to the Whitman murders cannot be ignored. There were others pulling strings, there was resentment and more.. And when the Whitmans were murdered, it set off a chain of events that is still being felt today.

This book is rich in history and, towards the end, felt more like a textbook than it did at the start. However, as someone who lives in this region of the country where so much racial reckoning is underway, it's an important read to remind us there is still so much for which to atone.

Work Happy

 

I'm not coordinated enough to read two books at once, but this was a little amuse bouche I snuck in and I'm so glad I did.

I've been a longtime admirer/disciple of Jill Geisler. She was one of the first women TV news directors in the country and has since become an incredible coach, scholar and trainer. She doesn't just coach about TV news (though she's still really good at that). She also writes books, lectures and more about the things we can do to improve life for our co-workers. 

Most of Geisler's principles in the book I've heard before, through lectures or other trainings. Still, holding this book in my hands gave me a tangible reason to look again at how I'm managing my team. Everything feels like a reset, mid-way through this pandemic. While much of what we've done as bosses feels like triage, getting back to the principles of what makes us good bosses felt like a great refresher. And now that I have the book on my shelf, I can go back and remind myself of these lessons when I feel that joy slipping away.

Her lessons focus on being a good coach and mentor, setting boundaries and showing just enough of yourself to really connect. I'm forever grateful for Geisler's presence in my life and even more grateful she passes these lessons on to the world.

Your Heart is a Muscle The Size of A Fist

I need a step back to really appreciate this book. Now, a few weeks past finishing it, I realize what an incredible story it told.

This book surrounds the WTO riots in Seattle in 1999. What started as a protest quickly deteriorated into vandalism and violence. Police used tear gas, protesters broke windows. It may sound a little familiar now, but this was the protest that defined Seattle and much of the unrest often expressed in the Pacific Northwest.

This book tells the story of the riots from several perspectives. From police officers, from protesters, from a diplomat who came to the WTO to hopefully be taken seriously after years of trying. They all converged in a small part of the city on that day and no one came away unscathed.

I just read a review that said the subject got away from the author and that the novel ended up being a "trainwreck." I, however, think that it explores riots and protests the way we should all approach them: by understanding the people and the stories behind the action.

Nightbitch

 
Nobody was more thrilled that I was reading this book than my two sons, who seemed to giggle every time they read the cover.

They would have been even more titillated if they had read the book itself.

Nightbitch was novel du jour this summer, showing up on every booklist I could find. I know we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but how could you not? And when you hear the plot - a stressed-out mother who's slowly turning into a dog at night - well, how could you resist?

I fell victim to all of those things. I loved the first half. Then, I found myself thinking this would have been a better short story.

There's so much to relate to here for anyone who has ever been the mother of a newborn. Your body is no longer your own, your brain is fried, you find yourself dreaming of running away in the middle of the night. Your hair is messy, you smell like someone else's barf... It's a life-altering, character-changing experience.

In this book, the woman - referenced only as "the mother" - truly believes she's transforming into a dog. Hair is growing in strange patches around her body, she begins craving raw meat. She even goes as far as to assume other mothers she knows are, in fact, dogs she sees around the neighborhood. Add to all of this, she has an absentee husband who works out of town and only comes home on the weekends to "rest" and gently pat her on the head.

Hell of a plot, right?

Somewhere around halfway through, though, the metaphor started to go a little far. Maybe I'm too dense, but I couldn't tell what was metaphor anymore and what actually might have been happening. I don't know if the author intended for that confusion, but it made me more frustrated than intrigued.

If you've ever been the mother of a newborn, I do think it's worth a read. There are observations here that will feel somehow comforting, even has this bitch goes a little too far off leash.

Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19

 

I believe I suggested earlier not to read a book about a pandemic during a pandemic. If you must, this work of non-fiction is a worthy exception and I'm glad I was not only ask to read it, but to interview the author as well.

Dr. Kari Nixon is a humanities professor in Spokane where I live. She's a great Twitter follow and a great TV interview! She also has a really interesting way of looking at COVID-19, as someone who studies 19th Century life and medicine from the humanities perspective.

I'd heard from a co-worker that this book made her feel hopeful somehow about the times in which we're currently living. Then, Dr. Nixon asked me to host a book discussion through our local indie bookstore. That was the push I needed to begin

Dr. Nixon calls herself a "disease lover" - she's fascinated by how close we're all connected when it comes to infectious disease. Her book not only discusses how society has thus far adapted to the pandemic, but also how it mirrors pandemics and diseases of the past. 

This was a fascinating read about how, against so many odds, humanity has survived plagues and smallpox and HIV and beyond. It's about trusting our gut, listening to voices that wouldn't always be listened to, and remaining hopeful right now. When you're able to look at other pandemics from the past, it really does make you more hopeful about the future.

I loved this book and Dr. Nixon's writing. I loved chatting with her and getting to ask all the questions I had when reading it. And, I loved being a know-it-all about past diseases and viruses after I read it.

I highly recommend it, even after this pandemic is (mercifully) over.

Animal

 

Summer came and left without a warning...

That's both the reason I am so far behind on these book reviews AND the opening lyric of one of my favorite Richard Marx songs! Yes, I have more than one favorite Richard Marx song (hello, Hold on to the Nights?!?!) But, as I finally clear some time on a Sunday afternoon, I realized I was behind on these reviews. 

NINE BOOKS BEHIND.

Yikes.

Starting here, to a book for which I had high hopes, but didn't quite get there for me. I absolutely devoured Taddeo's non-fiction book Three Women. This one started strong and was incredibly dark in places, yet still left me wanting more.

Every review you see will say this is a story about feminine rage. Our protagonist is a woman wronged by men at nearly every turn (who also does a fair amount of wrong-ing of her own.) After witnessing a violent act, she packs up and moves across the country in search of answers only one person can give her. She's looking for revenge and looking to be avenged. She's an unreliable narrator, which is what makes the book compelling. But the darkness her character experiences - and delivers - didn't, for me, lead to a worthy payoff.