Oh Mexico! by Lucy Neville

This is a review of a book that is due for publication in August, 2011.  I read and reviewed the galley.

I really enjoyed this book. Oh Mexico! is a memoir by Lucy Neville of her experiences in Mexico City. Going from Australia to Mexico City was a culture shock for Lucy, to say the least. Lucy Neville weaves a wonderful image of Mexico that rings completely true. Her initial reaction to Mexico City is the exact same reaction I had the first time I went to Mexico City. As Lucy tries to assimilate herself into Mexican culture, I found myself visualizing her surroundings as well as her trials and tribulations. Her understanding of Mexican politics is spot on. Her characters are believable and joyful (especially Octavio!). I found Lucy's writing style to be witty, descriptive, and fun to read. Anyone who has ever experienced Mexico (or wanted to experience Mexico) will find this an enjoyable read.  3 stars

The Tigress of Forli, by Elizabeth Lev

The Tigress of Forli is a well researched historical account of Caterina Sforza, her extraordinary life and accomplishments. She was one of the most prominent women in Renaissance Italy. The story encompasses Caterina's life from childhood to her death. Caterina's life was a study of her perserverance, bravery, dedication, and focus. This story includes the history of her family and the part they played in politics in Italy in the late 1400s. Lev's portrayal of Caterina showed her to be a capable opponent in war, a caring mother, and protector of her children
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I know this account of Caterina was well researched but it was difficult for me to get through it. While being an interesting story and character, it read more like a textbook. The facts were laid out well, but I never got a true feeling of the essence of Caterina Sforza. Having said that, I still enjoyed reading about a strong woman in Italian history.  3 stars.

What I Hate, from A to Z, by Roz Chast

I received this book in a giveaway from Bloomsbury Publishing. Right from the beginning Roz Chast starts with a hilarious introduction.  Chast gives a thorough list of things she hates, from A to Z, along with a cartoon for each one.  The cartoons and narrative are funny and at times thought provoking.  I mean have you ever really thought how you feel about Ouija Boards or tunnels?  Roz Chast has.  Over and over I found myself laughing and agreeing with her. This is a fun book.  3 stars.

The Mis-Adventures of Phillip Isaac Penn, by Donna L. Petterson

The Mis-Adventures of Phillip Isaac Penn, known to his family and friends as Pip, is a great book for elementary school boys. I read this to my 5 and 9 year old grandsons. They loved it. It is the story of a boy who seems to stay in trouble but at the end of the day not only does he learn from his mistakes but he is also able to make his case that he didn't really do everything he was accused of doing. The reason I liked this book was each chapter is a day of the week and can be read one chapter at a time or the whole week at once. My 9 year old could handle hearing all 7 chapters in a single sitting but my 5 year old did better with 1 chapter a day. That gave him a chance to really digest the story and think about it. Each day ended on a high note with Pip learning a lesson (my grandsons, also) and feeling good about himself. I love children's books that deliver a good message. This one did a great job of it. I gave it 4 stars.

Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Mozes Kor

This book begins with a peaceful, comfortable Jewish family being taken to Auschwitz during the German invasion of Eastern Europe.  It is written for an audience of 6th to about 9th grade readers.  It is appropiately written for this age group.  Eva Moses Kor tells her story of the horrors inflicted on her and her twin sister, Miriam, at the hands of Dr. Mengele.  Dr. Mengele, better known in Auschwitz as the Angel of Death, preformed deadly experiments on over 3000 sets of twins during World War II.  Kor goes to great lengths to explain difficult issues in a way that this age audience will be able to grasp.  It is a moving story of one small girl who, through her own inner strength, was able to insure that she and her twin sister would survive.


But this story goes beyond the usual lessons  to be learned from the holocaust.  It is about learning how to forgive and what forgivness can do for survivors of any horrific ordeal.  Whenever I read a book about the holocaust it never ceases to amaze me what how we as a civilization can inflict such horror on one another.  And this story, in particular, is about horros inflicted on children.  Of course, we have to remember that this type of behavior was/is not limited to the Nazis.  Look what we did to people of color during hundreds of year of slavery. 

I think this is an important book for children  to read.  It can have a tremendous impact on them.  I took two of my grandchildren to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam to teach them about the holocaust.  They are different people now from having witnessed first hand the destruction of genocide.  3 years later they still think of Anne Frank and continue to have questions.  Their most often asked question?  "How could this happen?"  I have been able to explain that it is up to them to make sure it doesn't happen again.   I gave this book 4 stars.

All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann

All Different Kinds of Free is the story of a free black woman, Margaret Morgan, and her fight against slavery even as she was kidnapped as a runaway slave and sold into slavery. Even though this book is historical fiction, Margaret Morgan was a real person. She was the impetus for the case Prigg v. State of Pennsylvania. This Supreme Court case was the first time the federal government publicly made a pro-slavery declaration. This ruling further served to inflame both sides of the slavery and state's rights issues that eventually led to the Civil War.

Little is known about the real Margaret except that she was indeed a free black woman who was kidnapped, along with her children, by bounty hunter Ed Prigg who was working for her former employer. For the next 6 years Margaret lived a life of physical abuse, rape, degradation, starvation, hard labor, and desparation.  Even though this book tells Margaret's story, she actually represents what was happening to the entire slave population in the United States. It is hard to understand how we as a nation could have treated this segment of our society as we did.

This book reads as a novel (which it is) and a sort of biography of a brave woman. The content is sometimes difficult to read because of the nature of the story. You will shake your head and think "this can't be true. Surly we didn't treat people this way." But in fact we did. Sometimes we still do and that's what makes books like this so important. We must remember past bigotry and racism so that we can fight to make sure they do not continue.