YELLOW CROCUS by Laila Ibrahim

Yellow Crocus is a very good look at Southern families and their relationship with slavery.  Lisbeth Wainwright, born to white plantation owners but raised by her enslaved black wet nurse, Mattie.   Mattie is forced to leave her own small child to move up to the "big house" to care for Lisbeth.Growing up with Mattie, the child adopts her deep-seated faith in God and the tradition of hunting for yellow crocuses in the early days of spring. Even though Lisbeth has freedoms that Mattie does not have, the color of the girl's skin cannot protect her from the expectations of her mother and society placed on women born to privilege in the South.  Lisbeth struggles to reconcile her love for her caregiver with her parent's expectations.  Lisbeth becomes increasingly aware of the ugly realities of the American slavery system.  Lisbeth realizes she must make a choice between her parents mores and her own mores.  Her choice brings her to a place where she receives an outstanding gift.  4 Stars

HAVEN - The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How They Came to America, by Ruth Gruber and Dava Sobel

I absolutely loved this book.  Haven is the true story of Ruth Gruber who brought a boatload of 1000 refugees to the United States during Hitler's Nazi reign of terror in Europe.  Ruth's love and concern for these refugees grew to include all refugees of the Nazis.  She became their mother, their mentor, their savior.  Her compassion and understanding of all people was incredible to see.  Unfortunately America and other countries not under Nazi oppression were not as compassionate as Ruth and her boss.  It hurt my heart to know that after these countries knew what Hitler was doing to the Jews, they still shut their borders and and turned their backs on thousands and thousands of people running and hiding to escape the slaughter.

This book should teach us a lesson about loving our neighbors.  The entire world is our neighbor and turning our back on neighbors in peril is just plain wrong. 4 Stars

Concrete Garden Projects by Camilla Ardvison & Malin Nilsson

Great book with plenty of concrete garden ideas and easy to follow directions.  I love making things out of concrete and this book is a step by step manual that I keep close by.  3 Stars.

LAMB by Bonnie Nadzam

Lamb was a very disturbing book to read.  On the surface it appeared to be a story about a connection between a middle age man and a 12 year old girl.  There was no overt sexual abuse involved.  But under the surface, Lamb was a pedophile.  He stalked and subsequently took a vulnerable 12 girl to groom for his obsession.  Their 7 days on the road discovering exciting places was in fact a slow preparation of Lamb's ultimate plan.  In the end Lamb, for some reason, did not complete his plan.  Instead he returned the girl home.

Lamb knows he changed this girl's life, but he thinks he changed it for the better.  Even though there was no overt sexual abuse, there was implied sexual contact for the girl.  Each time there would be a whisper of sexual contact: Holding her, kissing her, having her sleep in the same bed with him.  Yes, this child's life has changed.  But not for the better.  He has changed who she is and it is a change that will follow her the rest of her life.  Abused children (and she was one) never get over their abuse. Sometimes they get beyond it but never over it.

Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook

Great cookbook.  Classic Bobby Flay:  makes his recipes seem easy enough for the most basic cook, yet elegant enough to impress everyone at your next dinner party.