Book Review: Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury by Drew Gilpin Faust

Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury by Drew Gilpin Faust
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Parts of this book seemed like a mirror to my own past, even though I am at least ten years younger than the author. However, I did grow up in Virginia and the attitudes and experiences she describes are so familiar that I could hear them in my head as I read the words. Her writing could have been just as applicable to my older cousins, who also participated in some of the civil rights volunteer work as Dr. Faust. I looked up to them as if they held all the wisdom of how to navigate the rapidly changing world.
But, alas, of course they did not.
To her credit, the author was very often in the right place at the right time to be a part of some history-making events, such as the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, and Dr. King's commencement address to the Bryn Mawr Class of 1966. She convincingly portrays her own engagement with civil rights and anti-war efforts in language that is authentic and compassionate. I do try to hear the voices of baby boomers who may be the exceptions rather than the rule because as a whole, this generation largely abandoned those early dreams for capitalist-inspired ones.
And though the author clearly has her faults, I am grateful to be able to read her story in the context of the times it describes as events unfolded. The writing is crisp and self-aware, even self-critical at times. Through it all this is a story of a young woman coming of age in an era of unquestionable privilege, who slowly realizes that it is her call to do what she can to do better. She fearlessly travels with a student group behind the Iron Curtain to wage peace and converse with real individuals living in completely foreign situations. She takes what she learns and applies it, even realizing that college may not be her best option for ultimately fighting for social justice and peace, but she does it anyway because it is expected, and she does sprinkle those at-the-time radical ideas throughout her college papers and essays.
I like this young near-radical Drew Gilpin. Seen through the lens of years, Dr. Faust does a remarkable job of making her real and relatable. I'd just like to know what comes next, how she navigated the years after graduation, as she assumed her career as a historian and author. Perhaps she'll humor us with that story soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for offering the free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities: Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change, and a Disappearing Middle Class

Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities: Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change, and a Disappearing Middle Class by Patrick M. Condon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I participated in a workshop of Dr Condon's back in 2020, and purchased a copy of his book as a result. Although his ideas, radical they may be, seem to be based in common sense, in my opinion he places an unrealistic amount of confidence and reliance on the practice of urban design. He makes an excellent case for letting communities grow and prosper organically. He makes absolutely no case for urban design offering any sort of relief from draconian zoning and other controls that make it next to impossible for organic economic livelihoods to prosper - other than to state his belief that it should.
Well, maybe it 'should,' but it simply isn't likely.
Having worked in land use and zoning most of my adult life, and finally breaking free of it a few years ago in favor of a more useful career in parks planning and improvements, I fully agree that zoning is the problem. But hidden behind these codes, and strongly backing them, is the belief by many politicians and other decision-makers that in order for communities to prosper, and even survive in many cases, we must bend to the wishes of the wealthy and powerful. Land owners, bankers, developers, builders, real estate brokers. Zoning conforms exactly to what these power-wielders want, and the actual needs and goals of the community be damned. See, it is relatively easy to change zoning to allow what the powerful desire. All you need is a couple of public hearings and a relatively skillful technical writer. But to change it to meet community needs? To address a lack of viable commercial space for small producers and artisans? To build a school? To - gasp - require affordable housing? The well-funded powerful will rise up and fan the flames of fear, distributing "studies" and "information" and suddenly your public hearings are full of angry voices shouting that their tax dollars do not support such changes. The fearful can be manipulated like sheep, and almost never disappoint. And so, time and time again, proposals that would actually improve the lot of the not-so-powerful fail, never getting past the starting line of a majority vote in favor.
Condon barely acknowledges these truths, and so his argument is missing a major component: that of a real solution. Urban designers can potentially design all sorts of small spaces and interlinked uses, with lovely gardens and aesthetically pleasing structures that assuredly take into account the health, safety, and welfare so jealously guarded under the purview of zoning. Still, his examples are interesting, even if they could never be transmogrified to the modern US without a failure of the powerful. Which, unfortunately, means we are still looking for answers.

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Review: The Snow Hare

The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a magnificent story.

Generally, I shy away from stories about people during war, especially if it seems there may be character death. I’m easily triggered by famine, torture, and painful things involving children, so I was a bit anxious from other descriptions and reviews, and as I read, there were hints that these things might be ahead.

The writing was so beautiful I could not stop, however. Lena is a rational, intelligent woman who grew up quickly under circumstances not of her own making. She shakes her fist at a world that continues to deal her shock and disappointment, and endures buffeting by winds of a changing world. But she is rarely afraid, and stands up for herself, choosing her own path when she can - rightly or wrongly. She finds joy and sorrow, love and laughter, and even in her regrets she is still true to her own way of looking at life.

The characters are endearing, even when they’re mildly frustrating. You can clearly see the life they live.

I do not want to spoil and it’s difficult to write about this story without doing so. Do yourself a favor and dive in. Like Lena, Grigori, and the ones they love, you will learn that the secret to life is to fully live in the present moment. To capture the sight of a bird soaring up to the clouds, to savor the taste of delicious food on your tongue, to wrap yourself in the warmth of your loved one. The author delivers these heady experiences and more, and you will not regret living in their world for the time you spend there.

Five glorious stars. This is how literary fiction is done.

***Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Co. for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.***

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Book review: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls

I absolutely loved this book. It was written with a clarity and authenticity that is simply too rare these days.

Winifred Bright lives with her father in the cemetery where he works, among quiet tree-lined paths, headstones, and ghosts - real and perceived. When her 16th birthday plans don't quite go over as planned, she encounters an actual spirit in the cemetery, who leads her on an inner journey to self discovery and the opportunity to find closure over her mother's death.

A coming of age story, beautifully crafted, with unique plot twists and finely drawn characters. I was absolutely enchanted with this book and will definitely be looking for more by this author.

***Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the Advance Reader Copy***

Finding Hope in a Confusing, Sad, and Painful World

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was definitely a needed read, for me at least, at this time. So much to worry about. So much to consider and sometimes it seems so overwhelming.

But Goodall's calm, reasoned, considered responses to the interview questions that became this book and the format it is written in bring the reader into her world. You can see the beautiful trees outside, feel the quiet hush of water flowing in a nearby brook. You can feel what worries Jane, too, and observe as she works through it with patient persistence.

Jane describes her five reasons for believing that we will survive as a species and the planet will recover and thrive, in spite of everything that is going on with climate change and desperate conditions everywhere. They are logical and make a lot of sense, and will give you a lot of food for thought.

Highly recommended for everyone who cares about the planet. It will give you renewed hope, which is what we all need right now. And it will show that like little drops of water that eventually wear down whole mountains, it's our collective actions that will save this planet.

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