The Great Alone

 

Let me start out by saying I enjoyed reading this book and the 400+ pages went by quickly.

Let me also say it never could have lived up to the hype.

I post pictures of every book I read on Instagram. When I posted the picture of this book, the crowd went wild. People sent messages and comments, all saying this was one of the best books they'd ever read. The person who recommended it has never steered me wrong, either. But, given the pre-read adulation, I should have known I'd be somewhat disappointed.

The Great Alone is the story of a family, struggling to make it in the post-Vietnam 1970s. The dad was a POW and came back with an anger and depression that wasn't properly identified back then. He moves the family to Alaska to live on land left to him by one of his dead war buddies. The isolation of Alaska brings out his adventurous side - but also exacerbates the violence and rage buried within him.

Most of the story is told through his daughter Leni, who grows up loving her dad, but living in fear as she watches him beat her mom. She grows to thrive in Alaska, even as her father's mood gets darker and more violent and paranoid. 

So much happens to Leni and her mom. Too much, I would say, to make a concise story. I don't want to give anything away, but it got to the point where another bad thing would happen and it just didn't need to in order to advance the developments of the characters.

Looking back, it really is a story about war and family and the intense bond between this mother and daughter. There were heart-wrenching moments throughout. While it felt like it tied up into a bow at the end, it felt heavy-handed at times in the way the plot forced those character relationships.

People have told me that her other novel The Nightengale is the one I should read. It's on my bookshelf and I do plan to read it. This one, while I didn't love it as much as so many others did, did not deter me from trying this author again.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors

 

Oh man, this book had promise. Story, drama, characters... part of it was even set in Spokane where one of the characters came to play at an elite basketball college. 

It just seemed to go on and on a little too much. Maybe could have benefited from some more rigorous editing. 

The story begins with a young boy who falls off a boat in Hawaii. Sharks are swirling, but instead of devouring him, they gently return him to the boat. From that time on, he develops a healing quality. He becomes a legend, as people seek him out to bring healing. That legend brings his family much-needed money and a little bit of fame.

That son goes on to Stanford and becomes a paramedic, healing people even more. It comes crashing down when he can't save a pregnant mother and baby and he comes to question his entire identity.

That college basketball playing brother? He's a legend, too. On the mainland, he makes his family and Hawaii proud. But, when he squanders that opportunity, he questions his identity and value to his family as well.

Then, there's a sister away at school in San Diego. She has her own reasons for questioning her identity and always feels like she's not as special as her brothers.

The book is rich with character and you see the parallels between the siblings. But, it could have been told in far fewer pages. You feel all of the siblings get pulled back to Hawaii, left to wonder if they matter beyond those islands. But, the end gets a little jumbly for me, too, and I wish it could have sustained its strong start. 

The End of Men

 

In the words of the great Britney Spears: "Oops, I did it again."

In this case, I read another book about a pandemic during a pandemic.

Not great, Melissa.

To be honest, I don't recommend that at all, as fascinating and timely as this book was to read. I read it a few weeks ago, in a time where the pandemic was wearing me down the most. And as the pandemic in the book became more dire and depressing, I found myself wanting to stop reading it for my own well-being!

All of that said, it's a fascinating read and maybe you should put it on your list for when this whole COVID thing wraps up.

In this book, a highly contagious virus begins to sweep across the globe, leading to the shutting of borders and the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Sound familiar? Well, the twist here is that the only people killed by this pandemic are men. 

All the men.

Almost all of the men, actually. Only 10 percent of men have immunity. So the women of the world are left watching their husbands and sons die as they try to get the virus under control. It's hard to read. Kids die. Husbands die. But, it's interesting how many of the measures taken to bring it under control have been in place during COVID, especially when you consider the author wrote it before our current pandemic hit.

There's a lot to like here about the plot and drama and the way it all comes together. But if you're struggling emotionally with the effects of the real-life pandemic, you may want to keep this fiction on the shelf.

Creative Confidence

 

When people you respect and admire literally send you a book in the mail, there's probably a reason and you should read it.

A brilliant man named Tony Thompson read this in a business class and thought it might appeal to my management style. Not only was it a great read with great lessons, it was a quick read - especially for what could be considered a "business book."

David and Tom Kelley are brothers and creators; they're the guys behind IDEAO and the Stanford d.school. Their mission is to help people understand the power of creative thinking in creative new products and pathways. It's filled with fascinating case studies about how creativity allows people to look at the world differently, in turn becoming more useful and successful.

There are so many great case studies here, but my favorite is one where a company was trying to create more useful kitchen tools. As they developed an ice cream scooper, they could have made the handle better, created better leverage, etc. Instead, they simply watched people use ice cream scoopers. What they discovered is every single person did one specific thing: they licked the scoop before putting it in the sink. So, how did they use that information? They made a scooper with smooth lines to make that last act of ice  cream scooping more enjoyable!

There are more complex ideas here, too, about medical advancements and other major business innovation made possible just by people unlocking their creative thinking. At one point when I was reading this, I wanted to crawl out of my skin because I was so excited about different ways to look at the things I do every day.

This books is useful and powerful AND interesting to read. I'm now waiting for Tony to send me another one...

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who bought this book because it sounds a lot like Daisy Jones and the Six. 

I'm sure I'm also not the only one who found it to be similar in style only, but was a rich and powerful read on its own.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is told as an oral history of a group that had a moment of glory in the 70s. Opal was a Black woman from Detroit; Nev was a nerdy musician from England. Together, they found a unique chemistry that brought them close to musical stardom. But what people actually ended up remembering them for was the aftermath of a violent riot provoked by race.

The story is told through many characters, thanks to interviews done by a magazine editor who is writing a story about the duo and a possible return to the stage for the first time in decades. She happens to be the daughter of a drummer killed in that riot, who was having an affair with Opal. You read the story from the perspectives of the major players in their musical rise and fall.

It's a story about racial tension in the 70's, music, family and - more subtly - the appropriation of Black pain for entertainment. A picture of Opal and Nev during the riot took on a life its own and it was that picture and people's interpretation of it that carried their legacy forward.

I liked this book when I read it. I like the style. I connected with the characters. But, it meant something more after I heard the author on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. It brought to light a perspective I missed the first time through. 

A solid read with a deeper meaning, this book resonates with where we are right now.