The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton

 

Who is your favorite woman in history?

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton put together a collection of short biographies of inspirational women that includes pictures and personal thoughts.  I love history and have enjoyed reading about women in history since I first learned how to read.  One of my favorite women in history is Sojourner Truth as she made her final home in Battle Creek Michigan near where I grew up and I am inspired by her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech.  I appreciate her contributions to both the suffrage and anti-slavery movements in the 19^th century.  She is included in this collection.

My thoughts on this nonfiction book:

·       I loved this book.  It had biographies of some of my heroes in history (examples – Helen Keller, Marie Curie, etc.) and a lot of new heroes that I didn’t know about before.  I learned about a lot of new interesting women!

·       This was a hardcover book that is large and beautiful with glossy pages.  It was great to look at, but hard to read in bed at nights because of its size.

·       For each woman, Chelsea and Hillary took turns writing the biography of each women and including personal touches of why they thought the women were important from personal experiences such as being inspired by them growing up or meeting them in person.

·       The book included a nice diverse group of women with very different contributions to society and lived experiences.  It was very interesting.

Overall, The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton was an inspirational and interesting book.  It’s a great book to pick up and learn about a lot of different important women in history.  It’s also a beautiful book that can serve as a coffee table book or conversation starter.

Book Source:  Thank-you to #HistoryBuffsBookClub @History_In_Five and Simon & Schuster for the review copy.

Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr the Most Dangerous Woman in the West by Dane Huckelbridge

 

Do you like to read about outlaws?  If so, who are some of your favorite outlaws?  I have always found outlaws of the old west to be intriguing such as Belle Star, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Cole Younger, etc.

In 1889, Belle Starr was murdered only a few miles from home at the age of 41.  Belle Starr is an infamous Western outlaw, but what does one really know about her?  This biography fills in the details. 

My thoughts on this book:

·       I haven’t read a book about Belle Starr since I was a teen reading about the Old West.  I learned so much in the book.

·       The book does a great job of detailing the tumultuous times that Belle Starr grew up in.

·       In 1848, the year Belle Starr was born, there was a large influx of German and Irish immigrants fleeing their homelands and looking for refuge in the United States.  There was a refugee crisis unlike anything the world had ever seen. There was hatred and violence by American born citizens against these immigrants.

·       Missouri had a terrible time in the Civil War.  Instead of being able to join the Confederate army, teens and young adults were roving bands of marauders.  They weren’t given amnesty after the war as they were not part of the regular Confederate Army.  This started many lives of crime.

·       Belle is linked with Cole Younger and her first husband outlaw Jim Reed. A later husband was Sam Starr of the Cherokee Tribe.  Sam and Belle continued the life of crime.

·       Belle was a criminal and participated in stealing horses and other crimes.  Author Dane Huckelbridge tries to present facts as they are known and sort through the many legends that have grown up over time about Belle Starr.

·       It was interesting that Belle grew up in wealthier than normal family and was educated.  The Civil War changed the course of her life.  Her beloved brother was killed, her town annihilated and many of her friends and family were now outlaws.

·       The “wild west” of Belle Starr was Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

·       Belle was sent to prison at one point to Detroit Michigan, which is hard to believe.  It was one of the only female penitentiaries at the time.

·       The hardcover book has a great section of pictures and an informative index at the end.  As I flipped through the pictures and saw the picture of Cole Younger and Belle’s daughter Pearl, I decided I think they were more than friends.

Favorite Quotes:

“But as much as we may wring our hands or clutch our pearls while lamenting the discord of modern American life, the truth of the matter is thing:  the climate-controlled, cable-news-watching country of today is a pale and placid shadow of the brutal dystopia that stretched and burned between these two oceans in the middle years of the nineteenth century.”

“Exact figures are unknown, but scientific and historical studies have consistently reached the conclusion that around 90 percent of the total Indigenous population of the Americas died from Eurasian diseases in the decades that followed first contact.”  - This is horrifying to contemplate.

“Nearly as long as the legend of Belle Starr has circulated throughout the American consciousness, there have also been naysayers and detractors who have sought to diminish her criminal reputation.”

Overall, Queen of all Mayhem by Dane Huckelbridge is a fascinating look into the life of one of America’s most infamous outlaws as well an intriguing look into America at the time.  I highly recommend it.

Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum

 

Title:  Desi Arnaz:  The Man Who Invented Television

Author:  Todd S. Purdum

Narrated by:  Todd S. Purdum

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 24 minutes

Source: Thank you #DesiArnazBook #HistoryBuffsBookClub @History_In_Five for the physical book review copy.  I purchased the audiobook copy on Audible.

Do you enjoy classic television shows?  If so, what are some of your favorites?  One of my favorite classic TV shows is I Love Lucy.  I watched the reruns a lot while I was growing up.

Desi Arnaz:  The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum is a riveting biography that tells the story of Desi Arnaz from his childhood as a Cuban aristocrat to his groundbreaking artistic and business drive that made I Love Lucy a success, to his downfall.

My thoughts on this book:

·       Desi was raised in a wealthy and elite family in Santiago, Cuba.  After a revolution, his family fled to Miami and lived in fair different circumstances.

·       It seemed like Desi had a great personality and got along with a lot of people.

·       Desi faced racism that kept his career down.  He kept being called the “Mexican,” even though he was Cuban.

·       Ricardo Montalban arrived in Hollywood during Desi’s time as a young actor and received the types of roles that Desi really wanted.

·       Desi was the behind-the-scenes force who got the I Love Lucy show off the ground.

·       He was the first Latino to star in Network primetime TV.  He is also still the only Latino to be a studio head still sixty years later. 

·       He rose to great heights in the entertainment world and with his skill was able to diffuse the “Lucy is red” problem.

·       This biography was interesting and sad.  I teared up a few times while listening to the audiobook.

·       It was excellent on audiobook and kept me riveted while doing chores.  I liked that the author narrated the book.

·       Great research was involved in putting this book together.  The author used unpublished interviews, letters, journals, and other materials.  The Arnaz kids provided access to a lot of material.

·       Desi Arnaz was always underestimated due to his accent and being from Cuba, but he had a great sense for what the public wanted to see on television.

·       It was interested that he couldn’t read music, but he made it as a musician!

·       I was sad that Desi’s demons tore apart his relationship with Lucy.  It’s sad to love a real-life married couple on TV and find out that the husband was a serial cheater.

Overall, Desi Arnaz:  The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum is a fascinating look into the life of Desi Arnaz and the many ways that he created the items we take for granted as a part of television today.

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy

 

Title:  The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America

Author:  Kostya Kennedy

Narrated by:  Johnny Heller

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Length: Approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes

Source: Thank-you to #Netgalley for the review copy. 

Who is your favorite historical figure?  I enjoy reading about all historical figures.  I find that I learn so much more than I did back in school when you only were able to kind of skim over the personalities as you learn about the overall picture of history.

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, a Boston based silversmith, engraver, and anti-British operative set out on a dangerous mission to let American colonists know that British troops were on their way. 

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       Revere had 18 previous rides to report about British movements, but the one we know about had consequences across the war.  He was paid for these rides, and it helped to supplement his income.

·       I listened to this audiobook back in July on a trip to visit colleges with my son.  We both enjoy American history and this audiobook.

·       This year is the 250^th anniversary of Paul Revere’s most famous ride.

·       The audiobook had a good description of Paul’s family, Paul Revere himself, politics, and important figures of the time.

·       I was intrigued learning the story of Joseph Warner, Paul Revere’s friend who was killed.

·       William Dawes rode with Paul Revere and many people are angry that he doesn’t get more credit.  The book discussed a poem about Dawes that stated that this name was not as poetic as Revere and that his why he is not famous.  Revere’s ride was more impactful, and he was more important in the revolution movement.  Dawes is known today because of Revere.

·       The ride was intense and dangerous.  The book detailed the ride and made me feel the danger.

·       I liked the unique gravely voice of the audiobook narrator.

·       The book included detail on how Longfellow was inspired to write his famous poem.

·       It also explored Revere’s legacy and impact on popular culture.

·       It was interesting to learn that Revere rolled copper and helped keep the country going in the war of 1812.  Some historians think this is Revere’s most important contribution to the country.

Overall, The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy was an intriguing audiobook that gave the background of Revere’s ride and why it was important in history.

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

 

Title:  King:  A Life

Author:  Jonathan Eig

Narrated by:  Dion Graham

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Length: Approximately 20 hours and 45 minutes

Source: Review Copy from NetGalley

 

Have you ever read a biography about Martin Luther King Jr.?  I realized when this new biography of Martin Luther King Jr. came out last year that I’ve only read biographies of him written for children and it was more than time for me to read a biography of him written for adults.

King:  A Life is the first major new biography about Martin Luther King Jr in over forty years.   As it states in the introduction, this book is the biography of the real man, not of a saint.  He was a man with sins, doubts, and depression, but he also had a great vision for mankind and was a loving father.    It was a comprehensive biography that included interviews with a lot of different people in King’s life, his father’s unpublished biography, other biographies of those in his life (like his wife), and the FBI files that have been released.  It was a great overall look at King the man and the work that he did with his life.  My main takeaways were:

·       King suffered from what is now thought to be depression and anxiety.  He had anxiety attacks when he talked about how he may be killed.

·       People were trying to kill him all the time.  He was stabbed in the chest a book signing.  A bomb was place at this family home, but luckily didn’t go off.  He was constantly under threat.

·       It seemed strange that so many people wanted to use violence against a man who promoted non-violence.

·       White people thought that King was radical, while black people thought he was too conservative.

·       King cheated on Coretta Scott King from the moment they were dating and all through their married life.  I had a really hard time with this.  I know that other powerful men at the time such as JFK did the same thing, but King was a pastor.  The flagrant flouting of the ten commandments really bothered me. 

·       Speaking of Coretta Scott King, I want to read more about her.  She was a strong and smart woman on her own right that had to put her ambitions aside to become Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife.

·       The FBI and President Johnson were obsessed with King’s extramarital affairs and bringing him down.   

·       King’s children found out about his death on TV which I thought was heartbreaking.

·       King tried to make a social change.  Even though he used nonviolent methods, it caused strife, riots, burnings, personal persecution, and assassination.

·       The amount that Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished before dying at age 39 is amazing.

·       I loved the narrator of this audiobook, Dion Graham.  He had a deep soothing voice that was wonderful for narration.  He was also able to capture King’s cadence when he read quotes by him.

Overall, King:  A Life by Jonathan Eig was a fascinating and deep look into the man behind the martyr.  I am glad that I read this book.

Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Karen DeYoung

 

Title:  Soldier:  The Life of Colin Powell

Author:  Karen DeYoung

Narrated by:  Coleen Marlo

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 23 hours and 12 minutes

Source: Checked out with Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

What modern day political or military figure would you like to learn more about?  I was in middle school during the Gulf War when I first heard of Colin Powell.  I admired him and his career after that, but I realized when he passed away that I did not know that much about his life. 

Solider:  The Life of Colin Powell tells the story of Colin’s life from his birth through his role as Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration.  I learned a lot from this book.  I thought it was very interesting that Powell’s parents were Jamaican immigrants in the Bronx and that very much shaped his personality and ethics. He had very different views on race because of his parent’s heritage.   He joined the ROTC while earning his geology degree in college and joined the Army after graduating.  He loved serving his country and found that he was able to rise up the ranks in the army through his abilities.  He eventually became a four-star General, the National Security Advisor, the Joint Chief of Staff Chairman, and finally the Secretary of State.  He served in Vietnam and successfully lead the military through Desert Storm in the early nineties.

Listening to this audiobook was a good review of modern U.S. history.  Powell was a very popular person in the United States and was an independent before becoming Republican in 1995.  He considered running for President and I know my Dad always regretted that he didn’t as he really wanted to vote for him.   Powell had a very successful career which only seemed to have a downside when he became the Secretary of State.  The George W. Bush administration had a lot of internal problems that hampered Powell.  After Powell gave his speech to the United Nations calling for war in Iraq, he faced a lot of political fall-out when no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.  It was a very unfortunate end to his otherwise great career.  It was also very un-Powell like as he had always stressed being prepared for such action and making sure the United States was successful and had an exit strategy.  He was a good soldier overall and always followed the direction of his commander in chief.

I enjoyed that author Karen DeYoung interviewed a wide swath of people for this book and was able to put together a riveting biography.

I enjoyed listening to this on audiobook, except for one item.  The audiobook was obviously originally on CD as it kept saying, “end of Disc X” all of the way through the audio.  I thought this was very annoying.

The Exceptions by Kate Zernike

 

Title:  The Exceptions:  Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science

Author:  Kate Zernike

Narrated by:  Kathe Mazur

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 14 hours and 31 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

What book have you read lately that really spoke to you?

As a female engineer, The Exceptions by Kate Zernike really spoke to me.  In this non-fiction book, the life of Nancy Hopkins is detailed as she starts her career in science in the 1970’s and then slowly realized that her career was impacted by discrimination based on her sex.  She put together a group of fellow female professors at MIT and together they put together facts and figures to point out the difference in their treatment as compared to their male counterparts.  In 1999, MIT admitted to this discrimination. 

This occurred while I was in college, and I had no idea. Experiences in this book were very familiar to me as a female engineer, particularly early in my career. I started to write out my experiences and it took over this review, so I eliminated them.  This book resonated with me.  This book is a great non-fiction counterpart to my favorite book of 2022, Lessons in Chemistry.

I thought Nancy Hopkins’ life was intriguing.  I like how she slowly realized that the deck was stacked against her no matter how much work she put in. The final straw was when a class she had developed was taken away from her and assigned to a male professor who was going to use it to write a textbook based on the class for one million dollars.  I also really liked the descriptions of the different science projects that she was working on in biology.  I thought it was fascinating.  I liked the history of her working with Crick of Watson and Crick DNA fame.  I couldn’t believe Crick grabbed her breasts the first time he met her.  It was so strange and awkward!  I also thought it was interesting that Hopkins didn’t think much of the treatment of Rosemary Franklin until she got further in her career and realized what happened.

The book also talked about MIT and its history.  I liked that Ellen Swallow Richards was mentioned.  She was the first woman admitted to MIT.  She was an unpaid chemistry lecturer and also an instructor of “sanitary chemistry.”  This was basically the start of both home economics and also the water quality chemistry that I use as an environmental engineer.  Finally in the 1970s, MIT expanded more female professors across campus in science and engineering.  Unfortunately, those numbers stalled through the 1990s even as the number of female students increased.

Kathe Mazur was a great narrator, and this was a fascinating book to listen to. I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in science and in equality in science and engineering related fields.

The Watchmaker’s Daughter by Larry Loftis

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of this book.

What do you think of the trend of naming books with relationships such as someone’s daughter, wife, sister, etc.?  I’ll admit, I am not a fan.  In this book in particular, Corrie Ten Boom was the first female licensed watchmaker in Holland.  Why is she regulated to being The Watchmaker’s daughter?

The Watchmaker’s Daughter is subtitled The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie Ten Boom.  At the start of World War II, Corrie Ten Boom was a fiftyish watchmaker living above her family’s watch shop in Haarlam in the Netherlands.  She was a devout Christian and couldn’t believe the treatment she saw of her fellow human beings because they were Jewish, old, or disabled.  She became part of the resistance and her and entire family worked to help everyone that they could.  They also hid Jews and “divers” (young men trying to avoid conscription by the Nazis) in their home.  The day came that they were discovered and Corrie Ten Boom’s life changed forever.

I had read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom a few years ago for Rogue Book Club and it was inspiring.  It was her autobiography of these years in World War II working for the resistance and then being in a concentration camp.  What is different about The Watchmaker’s Daughter is that author Larry Loftis has put together the complete story from not only The Hiding Place, but Corrie Ten Boom’s other books as well as publications from other family members.  Into the story he also weaves other famous Dutch people at the time – Anne Frank and Audrey Hepburn, and relevant political events.  It was fascinating story and I couldn’t put this book down.  I stayed up too far into the night to finish it.  This is one of those rare non-fiction books that reads like fiction to me.  I also loved all of the pictures that were part of the story too.  I had never seen them before. 

What amazed me again in this narrative as it did in her autobiography was Corrie Ten Boom and her family’s great faith.  When Ten Boom and her sister Betsie were together in the concentration camp, they preached the word of God and kept their faith through the most trying of times.  They also were kind of like Pollyanna, always striving to look for the good and for what to be thankful.  They weren’t perfect, but they really tried. My favorite part was when Ten Boom and her family talked to the person in charge after they were first arrested.  They all discovered he was a person to witness to and got him thinking about Christianity, God, and the work that he was doing.  It was a nice wrap-up to discover that Corrie Ten Boom met him again after the war and he had completely changed his life around.  This was a great book to read during Lent and it made you think about keeping your faith through all of life’s trials.

I really liked at the end of the book that there was a section called “The Rest of the Story” that went into what happened to a variety of the people mentioned in the book complete with pictures.  This is always what I wonder about after a book ends, especially a nonfiction book.  The Author’s Note was also interesting.  This was my first book by Larry Loftis, but this book and his Author’s Note definitely made me want to check out more of his nonfiction books.

 

Favorite Quotes:

Corrie Ten Boom’s father was going to be released from jail as they said he could die in his own bed.  Opa responded, “If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.”

“We have learned so much here and now we must go all over the world to tell people what we now know – that Jesus’ light is stronger than the deepest darkness.  Only prisoners can know how desperate this life is.  We can tell from experience that no pit is too deep, because God’s everlasting arms always sustain us.”

“Each had a hurt he had to forgive, the neighbor who had reported hi, the brutal guard, the sadistic soldier.  Strangely enough, it was not the Germans or the Japanese that people had most trouble forgiving; it was their fellow Dutchmen who sided with the enemy.”

Overall, The Watchmaker’s Daughter is a book not to be missed.  I highly recommend it.  Corrie Ten Boom’s story is one that everyone should know.

Thomas Stone – Elusive Maryland Signer by John M. and Robert J. Wearmouth

 

Do you like genealogy?  I have always enjoyed it.  As a child I used to call my grandparents and great grandparents and draw out the family trees.  I always thought it was interesting.  As an adult, I thought it was very interesting to find out that one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was a relative.  My mother was a Stone.  She had two Stone first cousins marry in her family tree.  One of their other first cousins was Thomas Stone, the signer of the Declaration of Independence.

We went on a family road trip this summer to Gettysburg, Washington DC, and Virginia.  Our main focus was Washington DC and the area.  We went to Thomas Stone’s home, Habre de Venture in Maryland.  It’s a beautiful National Park.  It was a very peaceful place, and we got a wonderful personalized tour from the park ranger who gave us not only Thomas Stone’s history, but the history of the Stone family.

Thomas Stone is a direct descendant of William Stone, the first protestant governor of Maryland.  He was the oldest son of a second wife, so his eldest brother inherited the Stone estate of Poynton Manor.  Thomas Stone used his wits to study for law and build up his own successful practice.  He also married a wealthy woman, Margaret Brown.  With her dowry, he was able to purchase land build Habre de Venture.  They had three children, but Margaret was sickly and bedridden for the last ten years of her life.  While Thomas tried to care for his family, he also worked to get Maryland on board with signing the Declaration of Independence.  He also was a secret supply depot for the Maryland Militia during the Revolutionary War.  After his beloved wife died young, Thomas Stone died of heartbreak less than a year later at the age of 44.  His son died in a yellow fever epidemic and his daughters married and moved to Virginia.  Dying so young and working under the radar to get things done has made Stone an elusive patriot that not much is known about today.  I thought these quotes did a great job of describing him.

“Laboring often under very real threats of total self-destruction (family, estates, business, health) the sometimes foundering fathers prevailed in a great pioneering, audacious effort to create a new social order in which each individual stood a fair chance to enjoy security, agreeable livelihood, freedom from oppression - - ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,’ words we hope are familiar to all Americans.”

“And among his peers few have been less known and more neglected.”

“Among his peers in the Continental Congresses Stone stood tall and remained substantial, politically astute and highly respected figure right up to the eve of his very tragic death.”

“Stone’s life reflects a nature, background, ability and spirit for freedom not matched by most Colonials during the decade before the Declaration.  He worked to help remove the wrinkles from government under the Articles of Confederation.  He played a major part in marking out the spectacular trail from the Mount Vernon Convention of 1785 to the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention of 1787.”

“Thomas Stone is one of the least conspicuous of Maryland’s great Revolutionary heroes not because he was not entitled to the plaudits of the enthusiasts of the Republic then in the marking, but because he shunned notoriety, and was only given to a few intimate associates to know the true worth of the man.”

This biography was of great interest for me for the family history.  I also liked the pictures included.  My only complaint was that the layout of the book was a bit strange.  I would love to read this story as a historical fiction novel.

Book Source:  Purchased at the Thomas Stone National Historic Site.

Elizabeth and Monty by Charles Casillo

 

Title: Elizabeth and Monty

Author:  Charles Casillo

Narrated by:  Paul Heitsch

Publisher: Highbridge, a division of Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 47 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Overdrive.  Thank-you!

 Do you have a lifelong best friend?

 Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were unlikely best friends on the surface; they seemed more destined to be Hollywood lovers.  Elizabeth was a beautiful teenager on the verge of stardom and Montgomery Clift was a young rising star when they first starred together in A Place in the Sun.  Elizabeth fell madly in love with Montgomery, but he had a secret, he was gay.  The two had chemistry, but it was just as friends.  They loved bawdy humor and could commiserate on their stage mothers.  They remained friends through all of their trials through the end of Clift’s life and beyond.  Taylor’s work with HIV patients was partially inspired by Clift.

 I had just listened to the History Chicks podcast on Elizabeth Taylor and I wanted to learn more.  I was intrigued by this audiobook.  It told the story of the two stars lives and how their paths crossed.  Nothings was as shocking as the crash that changed Clift’s life forever.  Taylor saved his life that day, but Montgomery had a sad, slow decline until the end of his life at the age of 44.  I felt so sad for him and horrified.

 The only thing I didn’t like about this book was when it went into gossip about Clift’s genitalia.  The guy is dead . . . you can leave those details alone.

 I just rewatched The Heiress with Montgomery Clift and it has made me really want to rewatch A Place in the Sun to see the start of this great friendship. 

Eleanor in the Village by Jan Jarboe Russell

 

Title:  Eleanor in the Village

Author: Jan Jarboe Russell

Read by:  Samantha Desz

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 5 hours and 7 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio.  Thank-you! 

The subtitle of Eleanor in the Village is Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s Greenwich Village.  I love to read about first ladies and had not read much about that time in Eleanor’s life.  I was happy to be able to listen to and review this audiobook.

Eleanor in the Village gives an overview of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life starting from her parents getting together through her death.  It discusses Eleanor’s troubled relationship with her parents and how she became an orphan early.  She fell in love with Franklin Roosevelt, and it built up her self-confidence that he loved her as well.  Her marriage was troubled as she had an overbearing mother-in-law that took away Eleanor’s control over her own household and children.  She limped along at least secure in Franklin’s love, until one day she discovered letters in a suitcase from his mistress and discovered he really loved somewhere else.  That was the end of their physical marriage and they were a political partnership from that point on.  How did they work together and how did Eleanor become a powerful woman herself?

I loved reading about how Eleanor really came into her own once she discovered Franklin’s affair.  It was during this time that she lived in the Village and became friends with lesbian couples, free thinkers, and potential communists.  It was also during this period that J. Edgar Hoover started having her surveilled even though her husband was not in political office at the time.  I thought it was amazing to learn that there are still about twenty pages of secret files on Eleanor Roosevelt that the United States Government has not released to her grandson.  I thought it was also interesting that she had so many assassinations attempts against her with her work with civil rights in the South, and that the FBI did not work on trying to solve them.

Franklin Roosevelt was a great president, but a terrible husband.  I thought it was interesting how he was the “love of their life” for Eleanor and at least two other women.  This book examines Eleanor’s sexuality, but comes away with few conclusions.  She did have friends that were lesbian couples, and she had a love affair with a woman and a man.  It is not clear whether the relationships were consummated.  It also discusses how times were different back then where the press shielded the fact that Franklin and Eleanor did have an unconventional marriage.

My only negative was that I thought the book was going to really focus on Eleanor’s time in the Village.  It talked about it somewhat but was really more of an overview of her life with an emphasis on the Village.

Samantha Desz was a great narrator and I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

Overall, Eleanor in the Village is a good overview biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers by Claudia Kalb (TLC Book Tours)

 Have you ever wondered why some people are child prodigies while others hit their genius in middle or old age?  I have often wondered about this.  Spark looks into this phenomenon through the exploration of the lives of twelve geniuses from Pablo Picasso to Grandma Moses.    These stories offer “New insights into the relationship between brains, talent, willpower, and circumstance, illuminating the history, science, psychology – and humanity – of genus.”  Each chapter in the book is a biography of a genius in chronological order by the age in which their genius ignites. 

I found this entire book to be both enlightening and fascinating.  I love to read biographies of great people.  I really liked the fresh angle of this book focusing on when and what caused the spark of genius to ignite.  Some of my favorite people that I have read a lot about were included such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Maya Angelou, but there were many others such as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Fleming, Peter Mark, etc. that I had previously not known much about.  I enjoyed learning more about all of these people and loved the fresh perspective from author Claudia Kalb.

Favorite Quotes:

“What role do our personality traits play in the livelihoods we pursue?  Are we born with talent or lured by passion?  How do we discover the spark that fuels our souls?  And how do we know when we’ve found it?”

“Creative people in the arts – poets, writers, painters, sculptors – often emerge from troubled pasts.” 

Overall, Spark is an inspirational book for people of all ages.

Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette as part of the TLC Book Tour. Thank-you!  For more stops on this tour, please check out this link.

About Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers

• Publisher: National Geographic (April 27, 2021) • Hardcover: 368 pages Yo-Yo Ma’s ear for music emerged not long after he learned to walk. By the age of seven, he was performing for President Kennedy; by fifteen he debuted at Carnegie Hall. Maya Angelou, by contrast, didn't write her iconic memoir, I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings, until she was 40. What propels some individuals to reach extraordinary creative heights in the earliest years of life while others discover their passions decades later? Are prodigies imbued with innate talent? How often are midlife inspirations triggered by propitious events, like Julia Child's first French meal at the age of 36? Do late bloomers reveal their talents because their skills require life experience and contemplation?  

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About Claudia Kalb

CLAUDIA KALB is an award-winning author and journalist who reports on a wide variety of health and science topics. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History's Great Personalities. A former senior writer at Newsweek who has also contributed to Smithsonian and Scientific American, Kalb has written cover stories for National Geographic that explore genius through the lens of biography, history, culture, and science. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Find out more about Claudia at her website, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.