Dear Great Book Guru, We have had the most wonderful of summer  especially with all the  festivities marking Independence Day- from the Patriotic Bicycle Parade, the Reading of the Declaration of Independence,  to the ever sweet Happy Birthday USA party at the Children’s Library.  Now I have the time and desire for a good novel with maybe a little history thrown in.  Any ideas? Fan of the Fourth

 

Dear Fan of the Fourth, I just finished reading a compelling tale recommended by a favorite bookstore of mine: BOOKS ARE MAGIC in Brooklyn. The book is OUTLAWED by Anna North.  Set in a dystopian 1890’s Wild West where a mysterious illness has decimated the population, the novel traces the fate of Ada. When we first meet her, she is seventeen and recently married. From the beginning, it is clear that it is of the utmost importance to have children - many children - and not to is reason for banishment. When she does not become pregnant, she is sent away to a prison with other childless women.  The women she meets there form a bond of sisterhood, break out to find a new life for themselves., and find themselves outlawed by society.  The underlying feminist message of empowerment is folded into a fiercely engaging story that the reader will long remember. Recommended!