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Writing about what I have been reading and encountering in the media. |
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WELCOME TO MY BLOG! I comment on things I am reading, thinking about, encountering in media, and spiritual issues. I hope you will find something interesting. PS. I love feedback... |
| I see that I am behind in posting books, so it is time to catch up: Akiwenzie-Damm, Kateri, My Heart is a Stray Bullet, Kegedonce Press, Cape Crocker, Onterio, 1993. I was inspired to look for this book because I saw a poem and liked it, so I Googled the author, found the publisher and ordered the book. I am so glad I did. This poet is of mixed ethnic heritage, a native of Canada, and she writes with grace and honesty about her experiences. She writes about her ability to identify with the animal she eats. about her struggle with her place in her Native American community as a light haired, mixed blood person who grew up in the suburbs and about her feelings about her other Canadian community as a Native, about her connection with nature, and about her experience as a woman. I love this book and hope you will too. The Best American Essays of 2021, Schultz, Katheryn and Atwan, Robert, Editors, Mariner Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, Boston, NY 2021. Essays published in 2020 by well-established writers in a variety of publications. Topics include the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and personal relationships as they are influenced by contemporary issues. I found them all interesting, and well written, of course. It is a privilege to have skilled editors peruse many publications and pick out the best so I didn't have to do it myself. Holmberg, Charlie N., Keeper of Enchanted Rooms, 47 North, 2022. Fantasy is so refreshing in this difficult time. A little magic, a little romance, a little mystery and it all works out well in the end for the protagonists. Another of Ms. Holmberg's work, a sequel to this, comes out in the spring. I have pre-ordered it. I continue to work my way through Alexander McCall Smith's series, The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Good bedtime stories. Armstrong, Karen, Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, Audiobook, 2014. This is a remarkable book that could only have been written by someone who has spent a lifetime studying history of religion. It begins with the earliest evidence of religious activities found by archeologists and continues into the 21st century examining the interface between religion and war or armed conflict. Ms. Armstrong starts by acknowledging the common perception that religion causes war and the purpose of the book is to explore with the reader many historical experiences to discern whether this is actually true. She does a great job! It is a long book rich in detail and she accomplishes her goal. I read this because I have been interested in the question most of my life. I'm glad I did as her insights into this complex relationship make good sense to me. Erdrich, Louise, The Sentence, Audible, narrated by the author, 2021. I enjoy this author and felt lucky to learn this book was available on Audible. Ms. Erdrich does a wonderful job of narration and it felt as if she was just telling the story. The setting is the Native American community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it begins with background, then moves into the recent past including the pandemic and the George Floyd death and consequences for her community. The speaker is a woman who has served a sentence in prison, who spent that time reading book after book and studying a dictionary a former teacher sent her. With this and her bachelor's degree earned before prison, she finds a job working in a bookstore. This leads to the development of a sense of community and the reader is introduced to a number of interesting people, their priorities and their foibles and how the protagonist responds to each. The word "sentence" comes up in three different meanings. Very much worth the time to read it. |
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