Facing Cancer From a Surprising Source: "All You Could Ask For", by Mike Greenberg - Book Review

Mike Greenberg, most commonly known as Greenie and the co-host of ESPN’s Mike & Mike, writes a novel from the perspective of three women. Huh? I was immediately skeptical. As metrosexual and into clothes shopping as Greenie is, at heart, he’s a sports nerd and I doubted he’d be able to convincingly shift into a women’s voice without sounding insincere. I was wrong.

Written as a tribute to his dear friend Heidi who lost her battle with breast cancer, Greenberg’s All You Could Ask For centers around three women, Brooke, Samantha and Katherine, who begin the story completely unconnected to one another. By the end, they have forged friendships through their shared experience that will bind them together for the rest of their lives.

While Greenberg occasionally drops in a silly cliché (no woman ever seriously says a guy makes her quiver), his insight into the female psyche is quite prophetic. He writes about broken hearts, loneliness, motherhood, and the depths of female friendship in ways that have you forgetting he’s a male author as you read.

He writes a touching story about a touchy topic. Cancer hits people where it finds them, and not all cancer sufferers handle their diagnoses in the same way. Even as a reader, I found myself judging certain characters’ reactions to their brushes with cancer but Greenie does this on purpose, I think. He does it to hammer home the idea that it is up to every person, in this book, every woman, to decide how and what to do with her body. Her body, her choice. In that vein, Greenberg speaks to a broader issue than cancer, whether he means to or not.

All You Could Ask For is a tearjerker, but in a mostly upbeat way. While cancer is the underlying common thread, Greenberg’s focus is the bonds that can be forged between women who truly need, love, and respect one another and how unassailable those bonds are once in place.

Kudos to Greenie for having the courage to write this book, doing it so well, and so beautifully honoring the life of his friend, Heidi. On top of his meaningful story, he contributed all of his profits from the book to The V Foundation for Cancer Research to combat breast cancer.

Published: 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Elizabeth's rating: 3 ½

"The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls", by Anton DiSclafani - Book Review

It's not easy transitioning into adulthood, and certainly not for a 15-year old southern society young lady in 1930. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls introduces us to Theodora "Thea" Atwell, narrator of this coming of age novel. Thea has lived an idyllic, autonomous childhood with her parents and twin brother in rural Florida until she becomes the center of a scandal and is sent off to boarding school. 

Thea is angry with her parents for sending her away, but she takes on the challenge of this new, foreign environment with poise. At times she is a youthful spirit, and at others she is wise beyond her years. She must learn to navigate the social strata of wealthy southern girls in this North Carolina landscape. She is a quick study and soon discovers who her allies and adversaries are. She is most at ease when in the riding ring as she expertly commands her steed, evoking the confidence of her youthful roaming at home in Florida.

Thea is a combination of innocence and shame, and author Anton DiSclafani artfully combines these traits into an authentic character. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a well-written book that gives nothing away. It is filled with suggestion, and gives credit to the reader to reach the correct conclusions.

Published: 2013
Publisher: Riverhead Books

Vickie's rating: 3 stars

"A Constellation of Vital Phenomena", by Anthony Marra - Book Review

I'll get this out of the way at the start. I was teary-eyed at the end. I always love a book where the pace seems to pick up as the end nears; you don't want to finish, but cannot stop until you've reached the conclusion, no matter how much you don't want to. There is a sense of urgency that compels you forward, until the choice is no longer yours. And you're left to contemplate the memory of the events and the emotions they've stirred in you. 

Such is the wonderful writing of Anthony Marra in his novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. The story covers citizens victimized by the two wars of the last 25 years in former Soviet republic, Chechnya. Every step of the way, Marra elicits profound empathy for each of his characters, all of whom are broken and deeply scarred. We have multiple protagonists, and Marra slowly unfurls the psyche of each of them - of how the wars have wounded them both physically and psychologically. He brings together Russian and Muslim Chechens whose lives intersect, conflict, and weave together in unexpected ways. 

The book begins with Havaa, an eight-year-old girl who is hiding in the woods after her father, Dokka is murdered. Long time neighbor, Akhmed finds her and takes her to safety, at risk to his own life. They find safety in a battered hospital with only one doctor, Sonja, who reluctantly takes the girl in. Over a five day period, we get to know Sonja, Akhmed, and Havaa, among others; and through them, journey through their memories of pain and love; of war and exile; and of traitors and deceit. 

Marra's telling of events seems so tangible and realistic. He spent time in in Chechnya and did extensive research to write this book, giving the reader a rare and authentic connection to a region we otherwise may hear little about. He deftly brings to us the anguish and brutality of war, along with the effects of mental and physical torture, whether self-inflicted, at the hands of Russian captors, or by human smugglers. Marra carefully brings each character alive with all their shortcomings and fears, poignantly delivering the desperation and longing in each of them. He infuses moments of lightness; whimsy as it naturally occurs, whether a defense mechanism or as irony in daily life lived in turmoil.

Some of the most beautiful moments are perhaps when narrating a letter written to Havaa about her father or other passages expressed in first person. Marra uses a poetic voice, so skillfully articulating the emotion of a father's subtly expressed, yet deep devotion to his daughter. Living under the dark cloud of war, occupation, and brutality heightens the senses, dulls sensitivities, and acutely alters human behaviors. We feel them - or as close to it as we can - through A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. 

Published: 2013
Publisher: Hogarth

Vickie's rating: 4.5 stars

A Great Sports Memoir in "Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile", by Nate Jackson - Book Review

This is a true football story. Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile is the memoir of a veteran player. I picked this book up after recently seeing the tail end of an interview with author Nate Jackson, and the commentator mentioned the book. I’m a football fan, but as an east-coaster, I’ve never heard of Nate Jackson, tight end for the Denver Broncos for six years, and with the San Francisco 49ers before that. So as we welcome in a new season, I thought I’d give it a shot, expecting little.  I got a lot.

It was a nice surprise that Jackson can write (without a ghost writer). Throughout his career, he took to writing as an outlet. After his NFL career ended, he enrolled in writing classes and pens football-oriented articles for Deadspin and other publications. Lucky for us, out of his articles emerged his memoir and a book deal.

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"Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol", by Ann Dowsett Johnston - Book Review

Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol is a sobering look – pun intended – at the role that alcohol plays in the lives of women. Ann Dowsett Johnston adeptly combines a well-researched analysis of women and drinking in today’s society with her own personal walk through alcoholism into sobriety. By using her own drinking history as a jumping off point for her research, she provides a vulnerability that makes the book much more relatable than had she just reported her findings.

Drink focuses on the dangers that women specifically face as it relates to alcohol, ones very different than those faced by men. Differences that start early on since most women, often as girls, start drinking to escape from whatever it is that ails them – insecurity, fear, abuse and neglect.

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"The President's Hat", by Antoine Laurain - Book Review

The President’s Hat is a prize-winning book and best seller in France about a magical hat and the power it has to transform the lives of those who wear it.  Taking place in the mid 1980’s, the hat belongs (and has the initials embossed to prove it) to then French President François Mitterrand. After dining in a Parisian brasserie, Mitterrand accidentally leaves his hat behind, only to be snapped up by another diner. He decides the black felt hat is now his - a souvenir of the sighting. And as he wears it home, he already feels a sense of strength and power.

The President's Hat
By Antoine Laurain

Author Antoine Laurain goes on to describe the next two years of the hat’s journey. First with our brasserie diner who receives a big promotion at work. He later leaves the hat behind on a train, to be picked up by a fledgling young writer who is involved in a love affair she knows will never end well. With the hat atop her head, she has the courage the break off the relationship and become a full-time writer and book store owner, her dreams coming true. The story continues with two more “keepers” of the hat, both also having life-changing experiences that come with the confidence and self-assurance of wearing the dapper accessory. 

The President’s Hat is whimsical and clever, bringing together a variety of interesting characters. It’s a feel-good, imagined story and a light read. While amusing and enjoyable, there was little depth. I found myself engrossed, but also looking forward to moving on to the next book. The thought of having a magic hat or elixir that helps people fulfill their true potential is a nice one though. I think we’ll have to dig deep and find that within ourselves.

Published: 2013
Publisher: Gallic Books

Vickie’s rating: 3 stars

Parenting Without Power Struggles, Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Cool, Calm and Connected, by Susan Stiffleman

Having a soon to be three year old, I read this book with the hopes of learning how to navigate disagreements with my son without acting like a toddler myself. Right off the bat, Stiffelman suggests that threats and bribery, two methods I routinely use at dinner, are ineffective. She advises that to be an effective “Captain of the Ship,” a parent needs to come along side a child rather than right at them.  Threats and bribery, she argues, turn child and parent into ‘two attorneys’ locked in battle with no one in charge. This rang true to me especially since I am an attorney.

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Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith - Book Review

Glaciers is a careful and quiet book. Alexis M. Smith uses straightforward prose in an authentic voice to bring her lead character, Isabel to life in her debut novel. Isabel is a 28-year old native of Alaska, living in Portland. She works with damaged books in the library, and we get to know her as she reminisces about childhood, the appeal of objects with past lives and an intriguing man. The reader picks up with Isabel during a single day of her life.

We learn throughout Glaciers that everything has an intimate story - either real or imaged. Isabel has collected old portraits of people and places, vintage dresses and used dishes. She thoughtfully conceives the journey and lives of these objects, pondering their significance, and weaving tales around them. Isabel describes recurring dreams, visiting far off locales, and has an understanding of literature, as simple as love notes on old postcards purchased in thrift shops, and the powerful pull of escape to those imagined places and times.

With delicacy in one of the chapters, Smith places us with Isabel and the object of her affection at work, having coffee together in the morning, yet knowing little about each other and the awkward energy between them. She then guides us to their brief, but close and personal encounter. We see again how important these stories are for Isabel.

While unassuming, Glaciers has just the right amount of complexity. It’s subtle with layers that build Isabel into a young woman of depth. A finalist for two literary awards when it was first published in 2013, it’s a very short book, read in a day. I’m looking forward to Smith’s next work.

Published: 2013
Publisher: Tin House

Vickie’s rating: 4 stars