Review 310: The Sediments of Time

The Sediments of Time: My Lifelong Search for the Past by Meave Leakey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fantastic book.

Part memoir and part science with the evolution of hominids. Leakey starts with her beginnings, born during WWII, but doesn’t linger long on her childhood, it was just enough. Although the book is a mix, it feels more an autobiography, as it keeps going back to her life but there is a ton of science, as that was a huge part of her life and what she is deeply involved in.

Her husband Richard came from the famous Leakeys and is quite an amazing person in his own right. He overcame many medical issues, first his kidney then a plane crash, which he survives but caused more medical issues. His perseverance to survive is extremely strong. I may have to read a book about him.

The children are mentioned, and they follow in the family business of becoming scientists and help on digs, they aren’t mentioned very much. A little surprising since one daughter is co-author of this book. Most of the book discusses the finds and discoveries in the field, and how that fits into what we know and have learned about the evolution of these ancient hominids. It is fascinating and the journey takes you places that may seem unrelated at first, but no, it all fits together.

This was a fantastic book! I listened to the audiobook, which was nicely narrated. However there are photos in the book, which do help to view while reading if you have access to those.

Review 309: Take My Hand

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This historical novel is based, inspired by real life events. It’s shocking to find there were some programs set up to sterilize women deemed unfit. Who are defined as unfit for motherhood? Most often it is the poor, people of color, disabled that are targeted. Stories like this help to highlight travesties of the past, to humanize what happened, and help to ensure these flawed decisions and actions are not repeated.

The setting is Birmingham, Alabama, with the frame of the story told by Civil Townsend, to her twenty-something adopted daughter, about her life when she was around the same age. Looking back to the early 1970s, when Townsend started her first job as a nurse at a family planning clinic. Civil’s first assigned home visit takes place in the country to give birth control shots to two sisters. What she finds transforms Civil’s life trajectory.

The two sisters are young, not of age, and one is mute. They live in abject poverty and don’t go to school. Civil feels her duty to help this family and get them into government housing, so the father, grandmother and girls no long have to live in a one-room shack with an outdoor toilet. Civil becomes embedded with this family, quickly questioning why they need birth control at such a young age, before the younger has even started her periods. Then one day the girls are sterilized, the father and grandmother being illiterate, hardly knew what they signed for. Civil, along with the family, file suit against the clinic where she works. It turns bigger than this case and their lawyer sues on behalf of the hundreds of other women found in a similar situation.

The story is heartbreaking, yet wonderfully told. There are moments when the past is broken with the present, speaking to Civil’s daughter, and a few times it felt awkward, but it comes together at the end.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 308: Lost Memory of Skin

Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book two weeks ago, but wanted to leave some thoughts on the book, as it still hasn’t left me and likely won’t for a long while.

Parts of this book may not be an easy to read, fair warning. We have, an unnamed character who goes by the Kid, a fitting nomenclature. He’s young, early 20’s but looks even younger and despite his age also seems to know very little about the world. He was stunted, some said he was slow to learn, didn’t have the right circumstances growing up. A single parent, left alone too much, and he found porn early and way too often. Once out of school he signs up for the military but was discharged, due to a misunderstanding. Then he quickly found himself in a situation he should have known better, a mistake is what he calls it, and now he is a convicted sex offender.

The Kid is homeless, living under a bridge, a causeway along with other sex offenders, as there aren’t many places to live that is far enough away from where children may congregate. The police and politicians want to look like they are doing something, randomly clear out the place, arrest those who don’t leave. The kid considers jail as an option, where else can he go?

The story of Kid’s conviction takes a long while to be explained. This eventually is drawn out by a man who is known as The Professor, is an extremely large man, a genius that wants to interview the Kid for research on homelessness and sex offenders. The Kid doesn’t understand but goes along with it. They become friends of a sort, perhaps because the Kid has never had a friend before. He was a loner growing up. The Professor’s story becomes a large part of this novel as well.

These two are juxtaposed, one that seemingly had a perfect life growing up, except for his large size, and the other with a single mom who practically ignored him. These two are nearly opposites, one with everything and the other with nothing.

The ending of the book is amazing. There is so much more to say about this book, such as how it reflects on society as there are people in situations where we consider them as throwaway people, without delving into more of their story, we look at them as monsters. How did these people get to that point? There are rough spots in the book, taken overall this book is one of the better ones, making the journey very worthwhile.

Review 307: What You Can See from Here

What You Can See from Here by Mariana Leky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was originally published in German a few years ago and now have an English translation. The setting is in a small village, with its share of quirky characters. The main character is Luisa, young for the first part of the book and then around 15 years later, grown yet still young. book. She experiences childhood trauma with her best friend, Martin, whom she knew she’d marry, ends up in a tragic accident. Luisa’s father travels around the world more than is at home, but he bought a dog they end up naming Alaska. Her grandmother seems to be the one who is more the center of her world than her parents. Also, the optician, who is secretly (not so secretly) in love with her grandmother.

Despite the difficulties the characters face the book is more focused on love, and some of the unusual ways that it ends up being expressed. There is a light-heartedness in this book, that makes you think no matter the difficulties or what happens, it can be overcome. This was an enjoyable read, and fans of Frederick Backman will likely enjoy this book as well.

Review 306: Canopy: Poems

Canopy: Poems by Linda Gregerson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

These poems will certainly hold up to a second reading. There are layers and often multiple subjects within a single poem. I had hoped for something more focused on nature, while there are glimpses, these are not fully that.

The publisher’s note in the beginning was appreciated, discussing the use of white space for poetry and how an eBook with an individual choosing the font size, spacing and such, makes it unpredictable how the poem line breaks would occur. I kept that in mind as I read the poem, as these stops are purposeful, and Gregerson had long lines.

It is hard to "rate" poetry as it strikes each individual in a different manner, more so than in fiction or non-fiction. Mood plays a big part of reading as well, at least for myself. I find poetry like a meditation at times, and Gregerson's held up to that view.

Book Rating: 3.5 stars

Thanks to Ecco/Mariner Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 305: Breathing Lessons

Breathing Lessons: A Doctor's Guide to Lung Health by MeiLan K. Han
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although this book is for a lay person, it is solidly from a doctor’s perspective and medical terms are used. Han will state what it is more commonly understood, term or condition, then use the medical term going forward. While the sub-title implies a how-to for improving lung heath, it is a bit misleading, as much more is covered.

We start out with the function of the lungs. There’s a chapter on how the lungs develop, which surprisingly isn’t fully established until young adulthood. The bulk of the book is describing the lungs as we understand them, some diseases, and how we don’t have good ways of measuring good lung health. Instead we measure when something is presenting as a problem. There is advice as well.

For good lungs, follow what is often said: don’t smoke, eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, and get exercise. One additional advice that isn’t as commonly mentioned is pay attention to air quality, outside and inside the home. Some chemicals or products can off-gas leaving an unhealthy home.

For the detailed information about the lungs, I found the book informative. I got the sense that research into the lungs is lacing compared to some other aspects to our bodies, and more studies need to be conducted for increased understanding. This isn’t a long book and can be a quick read.

Thanks to W.W. Norton and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Although I had an eBook copy I ended up listening to the audio book from the library.

The author, a doctor, did the narration for the book and that was well done. In fact, better than most narrations by author's of non-fiction. Too many sound as if they are bored, not Han, she was excellent.

Review 304: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

What I looked for in this book is new solutions, new ideas. Perhaps many of what Gates discusses is new to people, but I didn’t find anything too striking, nothing that got me very excited. In fact I was a bit worried when one of Gates solutions to clean energy is bringing back nuclear, although not exactly like we’ve done before. Less waste is good, but the lifespan and problem of very long-term storage is still a huge hurdle.

The book is organized into five areas that we need to solve. Gates provides the percentage that each are contributes to the greenhouse gasses that need to be reduced or eliminated, which are following:

• Making things (building, cement, etc.) – 41%
• Plugging in (energy) – 27%
• Getting around (all transportation & delivery) – 16%
• Growing things (food, animals) – 19%
• Temperature (heating & colling) – 7%

Gates mentions for his numbers, refining oil or making cars are counted in Making Things category, while the actual burning of gas is in Getting Around. Others may count those differently.

There are some solutions, some are policies, governmental agencies must do, such as supporting research to help businesses take those idea to implement. There are personal solutions as well but wasn’t the main focus of the book.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton, which I enjoyed. Bill Gates narrated his own introduction and if he did the entire book, I don’t think I would have made it through, Wheaton’s voice was more pleasing to my ears.

Review 303: Sugar Town Queens

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The main character Amandla acts fierce, and she has to growing up in a poor area in South Africa called Sugar Town. Her mother has memory and other issues, good days and bad. Amandla wants to know how her mother gets their money, as she doesn't seem to have a job, so follows her one day and discovers a family she knew nothing about.

Unfortunately, her grandfather is a racist, doesn't want a mixed-race girl around, nor his daughter. The grandmother on the other hand, while being very ill does want them around. The story is about how these two come to a resolution, and how Amandla learns her mother’s story.

While I enjoyed Amandla’s fierceness, I wished more of what she said in her head turned into actual words. I didn’t like how much more was inside her instead of in the outside world. I loved her friends and the other people in her neighborhood, well except for the bullies. Nonetheless the story was decent, a good read.

Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 302: Hummingbird Salamander

Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven’t read any of VanderMeer’s previous books, but I’ve heard of them, being some weird ecological horror type book maybe. This one seemed less horror-like, I guessed from the brief descriptions. Basically didn’t know what I was getting into. Perhaps that didn’t help, but the book itself was keeping you in the dark about what is going on, so I was confused for much of the book, and didn’t really enjoy that.

At the end the book felt like a thriller, or quest type book, where one clue leads to the next, and you have to be ahead of the bad guys that keep trying to kill you or those around you because they think they know something. Somewhat strange book for me. But I kept going trying to figure this thing out.

In the preface the main character says, “you can call me Jane. Jane Smith. If that helps.” She seems to be a typical suburban woman; married, one teenage kid and a job. The job is in a male dominated area, being a manger in the security industry (not fully defined) which helps companies be more secure. This brings along a level of knowledge and paranoia about privacy and tracking that most people likely don’t have. Add in her unusual size being tall, bulky, lots of muscle, an ex-wrestler turned weightlifter, maybe Jane isn’t so average.

Jane follows these clues to the detriment of her job, then her family. Then things get even worse. There were some interesting bits that remained with me, like how she named inanimate, yet important objects, like the huge purse had the name shovel pig and a burner phone named bog. The book seemed to have some statement on the upcoming environmental disaster but was so vague, difficult to get grounded into that.

Not sure if the style of this book is typical of VanderMeer, if it is I’ll likely avoid any future book. Didn't like the being confused nearly the entire time.