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!

 Dear Great Book Guru, I have heard that there are many celebrations planned this year for the holiday known as Juneteenth, and I’d like to learn more about it. Do you have a book you might recommend? Seeker of Knowledge

Dear Seeker of Knowledge, ON JUNETEENTH by Annette Gordon-Reed is the book for you! In a series of short essays, Gordon-Reed - a Pulitzer Prize winning historian - relates the story of June 19, 1865 - the day Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas, the state where she was born and her family had lived for generations. This slender volume (140 pages) is a history of the holiday but also a history of Texas from the 1500’s until the present time. The first celebrations of Juneteenth date back to 1866. These involved church-based communities in Texas, and the celebrations soon spread throughout the South. It is now observed throughout the nation with readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, readings of African-American writers, street fairs, rodeos, historical reenactments, and family reunions. Gordon-Reed’s book enumerates all this but she also illuminates the role Texas has played in the struggle for racial equality.  There have been horrific missteps, but the author reveals a strong affection for her flawed home state.  A challenging but ultimately rewarding look into our nation’s history. Recommended!

 

Dear Great Book Guru, I was checking my calendar and I see that next Wednesday, June 16^th, is Bloomsday. I usually celebrate with friends reading excerpts of ULYSSES but this year I wanted to do something outdoors and a little more special. Any thoughts?  Bloomsday Celebrant

Dear Bloomsday Celebrant, I have a wonderful suggestion for you.  As most of our readers know, Bloomsday is celebrated every year to commemorate the day James Joyce’s ULYSSES takes place: June 16, 1904. Joyce spent most of his adult life in exile, but he wrote obsessively about one place and one place only: his birthplace - Dublin.  In ULYSSES, we follow three main characters through the day into the night - seeing and experiencing Dublin as they did. But ULYSSES is more than the portrait of one city on one day - it is also the study of the epic wanderings of the Greek hero Odysseus (Ulysses) - mocking the wanderings of the most unlikely of heroes: Leopold Bloom.  On Wednesday, June 16 at 7pm, the James Joyce Society of Sea Cliff will lead a tour of Sea Cliff/Dublin stopping at parallel locations along the way. The tour will begin at the Metropolitan Bistro / Sea Cliff Water Tower (Martello Tower). This costumed, musically-accompanied excursion will take about an hour. Not necessary, but you might want to read ULYSSES AND US by Declan Kieberd or THE MOST DANGEROUS BOOK by Kevin Birmingham. Happy James Joyce Jaunt and Happy Bloomsday!

Dear Great Book Guru, As May comes to a close, I am preparing for a strong summer of reading. I’d like to start with some non-fiction.  What do you think is the best piece of non-fiction you have read this year? Strolling into Summer

Dear Strolling into Summer,  I have no problem choosing this one:  EMPIRE OF PAIN by Patrick Radden Keefe, author of SAY NOTHING, another GBG pick. Keefe writes about the Sackler family and how their dynasty changed the world forever.  In exquisite detail, Keefe recounts their history from 1930’s Brooklyn, to Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital in Queens, to palatial mansions here and abroad. Arthur, Mortimer, and Raymond are the three brothers whose lives, wives, children, and grandchildren populate this book.  Known for their lavish gifts to the Metropolitan Museum (think Temple of Dendur), the Louvre, the Smithsonian and many, many other institutions, their most enduring legacy will undoubtedly be the addiction crisis that has spread throughout the world fueled by their revolutionary advertising techniques and corrupt practices. Many consider Richard- one of the second generation Sacklers- to be the most responsible for the carnage, but others feel the oldest of the three brothers- Arthur- bears the largest share of blame. It was he who masterminded the family drug empire through inventive advertising, a glamorous drug sales force, lavish gifts to physicians, a group of dedicated lawyers, and a myriad of lies.  His brothers and he became billionaires many times over as millions became addicted to their drugs.  Keefe’s book is an indictment of one family and a culture that allows the few to accrue so much.  Highly recommended!

 

 Dear Great Book Guru, Last weekend my family gathered for a fabulous Mother’s Day celebration on our front lawn.  Book recommendations were flying wildly and one novel sounded particularly interesting…but I can’t remember the title.  It was set in present-day Belfast and the main characters were two sisters. Any thoughts?  Baffled by Belfast

Dear Baffled by Belfast, NORTHERN SPY by Flynn Berry is the book for sure, and it is a great choice indeed! Our narrator is Tessa, a recently divorced, new mother who has just returned to work at the Belfast offices of the BBC.  She looks with horror and disbelief on the news screen as she sees her sister Marian take part in a holdup orchestrated by the IRA. While both are Catholic, neither woman has been involved in the political and religious conflict that has consumed Northern Ireland for decades. While peace has nominally been declared, violence breaks out sporadically and the citizenry lives in constant fear.  Soon Tessa is drawn into a world of internecine intrigue to protect her infant son and sister.  Approached by both the British police and IRA rebels, she soon realizes she can trust no one as informers are revealed to be counter spies and counter-counter spies.  The more likable and sincere her contacts are, the more likely they are to be lying.  In the end, she realizes she can trust no one and the reader is left to wonder if we can trust Tessa herself.  Highly recommended!

 Dear Great Book Guru, Can Sea Cliff get any more beautiful?  The parks and gardens are ablaze with color and everyone seems in good spirits.  I am enjoying it so that I think I need a good, dark mystery to keep me grounded! Any thoughts?  Loving Spring in Sea Cliff

Dear Loving Spring in Sea Cliff, I just finished a very good Hitchcock-like mystery - EVERY VOW YOU BREAK by Peter Swanson. We meet Abigail a few weeks before her marriage to Bruce, a young wealthy tech entrepreneur. He is totally devoted to her and their courtship has opened up a world of opulence and ease that she finds dazzling but disturbing. Bruce arranges an elaborate bachelorette party on the West Coast and a rustic, tech free honeymoon in Maine.  All seems perfect but something is amiss, and Abigail can’t quite figure what it is. Throughout the novel there are colorful details of gourmet foods and wines, luxurious resorts and restaurants, loans and lies forgiven - all the makings of an adult fairytale - but something is not quite right. As the sense of foreboding increases, the reader is left to wonder can we trust the narrator – is this a nightmare or a dream come true? An exciting psychological thriller with many surprises - recommended!

 Dear Great Book Guru, Every year I look forward to the Long Island Reads event our local libraries host, and I especially enjoy John Canning’s witty observations.  Well… this year it was virtual and I missed it. However, I’m sure I can find a recording of it, but first - of course - I want to read the 2021 selection. Do you know what book was chosen this year?  Lover of Long Island Reads

Dear Lover of Long Island Reads, Always a great event and this year’s selection THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett made for a fascinating discussion!  The story weaves in and out of time starting in the 1950’s with the birth of identical twin girls, Stella and Desiree. When the girls are eight years old, their father is brutally murdered in a horrific, racially motivated attack in their small Southern hometown where skin color is very, very important…the lighter the skin, the more attractive the person is judged.  Finding life there very repressive, the girls run away when they turn sixteen. Stella decides to live as a white woman and ultimately vanishes.  Over the decades, their racial identities dictate the outcome of many life choices. They remain apart over the decades and it is only when their daughters meet that Stella and Desiree acknowledge all that separates and binds them together.  An illuminating story of the injustices that permeate American society - highly recommended!