The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kid

There is much evidence for a historical Jesus but not much is known about his life between birth and the time before his death.  Kidd, best known for her earlier novel The Secret Life of Bees, imagines a very human Jesus - a Jesus who falls in love - a Jesus who marries.  And although the Christian story Jesus is woven throughout the book, this is a story of Ana, the wife of Jesus.  Ana lives a privileged life as the daughter of Herod's scribe but is still constrained by the traditional role of women.  She secretly writes stories of brave women like Jezebel and Bathsheba on anything she can find - including broken pottery and stolen papyrus.   Hoping to escape a marriage she does not want and fearing that her writings will be destroyed, she wanders the hills in search of a safe place to hide her stories.  It is at the mouth of a cave that she meets Jesus.  He is a thoughtful, gentle person who totally supports her desire to be a strong, educated, independent woman.  This is a good thing since they are often separated for long periods of time.  Neither lives a conventional life. Both experience the need to hide or run as they challenge the society around them. This is Jesus the zealot.  This is Ana in search of the sacred feminine.  We know how His story ends but Ana lives on with the support of a very enlightened aunt who has secrets of her own.  There have been many attempts by both historians and theologians to fill in the life of Jesus. Although much research went into this novel, I doubt that being included in that particular body of work was Kidd's intent.  It is a bit more fiction than history.  But she raises interesting questions about how the lens we use to examine that time in history affects how we understand it.  And (for a real teaser) you will never guess who Ana's brother is.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

     Young-sook is an old woman living on the Korean island of Jeju.  For most of her life she has been a "haenyo" - remarkable women free divers who tend the "wet fields" around Jeju for various shell fish and kinds of aquatic food. Her memory is awakened by a black and white photograph handed to her by a young American tourist.  It shows a much younger Young-sook and Mi-ja, a young woman who was once her best friend.  Young-sook tells the young American she does not recognize the woman in the photo. 
    And so we go back to 1938, to the wonderful matriarchal community that existed on the island.  Men were often the caretakers of home and children while the amazing free divers dove as deep as 60 feet harvesting what they could to eat and sell.  The stories of the two women encompass both WWII and the Korean War.  The history of what happened in Korea was intensely research and I was particularly surprised to learn what happened on this unique island.  War is not the only tragedy that affects the lives of the two women as they grow up.  As strong as they are, cultural expectations are even stronger.  Unforgivable choices are made.  Unbreakable ties are broken.  In the end Young-sook must both confront and forgive a history she cannot change.

Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump

The best thing I can say is that it fed my rage.  Multiple levels of dysfunctional family behavior polished by an undeserved sense of entitlement. At some points, it could be perceived that Mary Trump was supplying an excuse for his atrocious behavior.  At some points, she seems bent on blaming the Trump family for her own father's unhappily tragic life.  It would have had to be much better written to be convincing on either count. Glad this horror is closer to being over.

The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor

     Two stories intertwine over an unopened letter and an unusual stamp.  Story one unfolds in contemporary LA.  Katie Nelson's life is not going well but she can at least make good on a promise to care for her failing father's stamp collection.  Included in the collection she takes to philatelist Benjamin Grossman to be evaluated is the an opened letter.  It will lead the two of them on a search across Europe and into their own life histories. 
    Story two happens in Nazi occupied Austria.  Young Kristoff becomes an apprentice to Frederick Faber, printer.  Faber and his family, including his determined daughter Elena, are willing to do anything to oppose the terror that has destroyed his country.  A tiny edelweiss hidden in a stamp becomes a message to the resistance, a bridge across decades and a link between the two stories.  I love happy endings and the link to real events makes this one even better.  

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

 In the middle of the 19th century, as the plantations in Virginia begin to wear out the rich tobacco producing soil, Hiram Walker is born - son of the master, Howell Walker, and grandson of Santi Bess, the slave who is said to have walked into the Goose River with 48 other "tasked" and disappeared only to emerge on the shores of Africa.  Hiram is valued for his seemingly eidetic memory but as the story unfolds an even rarer gift is exposed.  Because of his connection to Howell Walker, Hiram walks a fine line between the "tasked" and the "quality" and often lives in both roles.  There is a lot of history including an encounter with "Moses" Tubman and an unusual exploration of the relationship between the black and white culture of this particular time and place. This novel feels a great deal like The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead but with an even stronger African flavor.  The language is beautiful providing a more misty mythology than jarring magical realism feel.  The cruelty and horror of slavery is mostly revealed through the destruction of the "tasked" family unit which was at the core of slave survival. And - the ending - can't wait for that book group conversation. 

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

 The proposal of a public school for the gifted in Crystal, Colorado causes turmoil in the lives of four families.  The wives in the four families have been friends ever since their 5th graders were born and like most families of privilege, are prepared to do whatever is necessary to make sure their children get into the school.  The issues of privilege, competition, and parenting are front and center - mostly shown in their worst light.  It could have been about 100 pages shorter but would stimulate great discussion about privilege, education and the choices we make as parents thinking they are "best" for our kids. Bet you never see the ending coming.

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Thurston

 This is a collection of short stories by one of the important voices of the Harlem Renaissance.  I struggled with the vernacular in the beginning but it is worth it to fall into the rhythm of the language, the times and the lives she spotlights.  The title of the book references the act of achieving something the hard way and this is at the core of each of the stories.   Thurston died impoverished and these stories were believed to be lost.  Glad they were found.