Year 3, week 14: The Soul of America

This week's book:
The Soul of America
By Jon Meacham

This week's book was the last book of 2019 for my book group. I had been dreading reading it not because it is poorly written, but because I don't really go out of my way to read history books. The book chronicles the United States from its birth to more recent times. It focused on different presidents and different turning points. Some of the most important things that were covered were the birth of America, the Civil War, women's rights, the Civil Rights Movement and the KKK.

According to the book, fear drives us either to change from what we don't like or turn and hide. It seems that every thirty years, our country goes through a very conservative period. We as a nation make great strives, and then we take a step back.

I did find it interesting that the book covered that the President has to make the right choice for the country, even if it isn't their own personal opinion. The President of the United States of America according to the book needs to be the moral compass of the country. Washington could have been made king; the way he ran this new country as the first President was very important. If he would have taken a third term or been some power hungry man, we as Americans would be in a much different country. When John F. Kennedy was running for President, he made it clear that he was for the American people and wasn't just going to be listening to the Pope as our first Catholic president. Also JFK wanted the Civil Rights Movement but didn't think it could be done at the time, where after he was assassinated, Johnson could step up and make major strives for equal rights. President Lincoln wasn't for ending slavery per se, but he really wanted to reunite the country during the Civil War.

The book was a good reminder that the country was literally divided and people were killing each other, yet we as a country always came back together. One man in my book group was even discussing that if Lincoln hadn't been killed that American might have reunited quicker because he was so well spoken, but I don't know if that's really true. Slave owners weren't going to jump on board of treating their former slaves like real people with rights. The book also brought up that the mindset of not liking African Americans, isn't just that white people don't think that African Americans were less than them, they just thought that white people were just better, hence White Supremacy, which is always scary.

Some of what I could relate to what is going on right now in our nation is that some things never change, people want everyone to speak English and that was happening to the immigrants from Italy and other countries over one hundred years ago. We are a young country and we are still trying to figure out what we are doing. We add things to our Constitution and keep trying to make it better. Like I said earlier, we had a Civil War and came back from that. It was interesting to learn that our country's Constitution is the longest running one even though your country is so young. Also our rights in this country are from God, not from the government. In some other countries, the government would dictate number of births and what your actual rights are (we have the Bill of Rights written for that sole purpose).

One of my friends from my book group said on Sunday, "Every book I read in this group makes me a better person. I may have not picked a book or would have ever read it, but it makes be a better person after I have finished." That's how I feel about this book. I'm glad I read it and I feel like I am more informed and better for it. Does this mean I am going to go out and pick up more history books? No. Would I recommend it, meh, maybe if you like history?

Year 3, week 13: Little Women

This week's book:
Little Women
By Louisa May Alcott

With the weather being so weird and snowy, I thought this would be a great time to read Little Women again. I know the book takes place during all the seasons, but I feel like it's a wintery story.  I feel like everyone, especially young ladies, should read Little Women at least once in their lifetime. If you don't know the story of Little Women, first of all climb out from that rock you live under, and second go read it before you go and see the newest film adaptation. The quick summary of the book just in case is that there are four sisters: Meg (the one that wants a fancy and expensive life), Jo (who basically wants to do all the things that boys could do at the time), Beth (a timid, shy girl that doesn't want to leave the house) and Amy (an artistic flighty youngest sister). The family has lost their money due to the father educating an African American child during the civil war. Their next door neighbor’s grandson, Theodore Laurince, moves in and the sisters all fall for him and become a great little crew that do everything together. The story follows all of the little women while they grow up.

I have always loved the story of the Marsh sisters, but I think/know the obsession started after I saw the film adaptation in 1994 which starred Winona Ryder, Christian Bale and Susan Sarandon to name just a few. The film started my love for Christian Bale, which even though he can be a royal poop, hasn't completely gone away. His portrayal of Teddy, Laurie, or any variation on it made me come to the conclusion that I wanted to marry someone just like him. He was a total sweetheart to all four of the Marsh sisters. I was speaking to a friend a while ago about the book, she reads it every few years (it made me think of Rachel from Friends) and she agreed that Jo should end up with Laurie, not Mr. Bear. Not only did she share the same sentiment but she called him Mr. Bear as well. When rereading the book it brought me back to preteen me, all those years ago.

If you can't tell I would definitely recommend reading the book.

Year 3, week 12: Harvesting the Heart

This week's book:
Harvesting the Heart
By Jodi Picoult

Why are moms so tired? I can't speak for all the mothers in the world, but for this mom in particular, it's because I don't know if I ever get to the deepest level of rem sleep EVER anymore. I am always partly awake. Even when I want to sleep a small human needs something, to nurse or have me read Vampirina Ballerina for the millionth time, or discuss why you can't wake up in the middle of the night and play Zelda and not be tired in the morning. Yes I have an amazing husband and yes he does the dirty work of being a parent, he is my rock and I am insanely lucky to have him. Literally every adult has told me in very clear words that I am so lucky to have him as my partner because he is the best. I know this, trust me I know I have found my other half and no one would be better to me or really would be able to put up with my issues and personality.

This week's book is all about being a mother and how maybe not everyone is cut out for the job. Not every woman dreams of being a mother, having little tikes running around all over them, and that's okay. It is not for everyone. It bugs me so much when people ask when they are going to have a baby. Having kids is not for everyone. Maybe they want to travel or become some high powered such and such at their job, or maybe they don't want to be a mom. It's okay, you don't have to be flipping mom to be a human woman on the planet Earth. You can't go part-time as a parent, or I guess you can but I can't actually fathom being able to do it. I'm not meaning being a working mom, or a mom that has split-custody of their child because both of those situations doesn't mean you are not there for your child. I mean not being there emotionally and physically there. My children keep me guessing every step of the way. They make me happy and heartbroken, crying tears of joy and sadness but there is not one part of me that ever doubted that this is where I want to be. I have dreamt of being a mom for as long as I can remember.

The main character in the book seems like a leaf in the wind, she kinda just goes from place to place not making any choices. Her mother left when she was little and she doesn't want to be a mom, and guess what; when she marries this turd of a guy and she gets pregnant and becomes a mom, she gets super overwhelmed and runs, just like her mom. The book was written in 1993 and postpartum depression wasn't really talked about at the time. The main character is literally telling her husband and doctor how she is drowning with the new role she has and they don't listen. Having a new baby is overwhelming and it can seem like you can't leave the house or get back to what you were before this tiny human needed you for everything, especially if you are breastfeeding. I was lucky because I didn't suffer from postpartum depression; I had a supportive husband and I had my mother for a few months before she passed. I had started this book months ago and I kept putting it down because I became more and more pregnant with a baby I had been trying to have for two years, and I didn't want to read a book that was about some weak vanilla girl that had no backbone. But when I was able to listen to the book on Libby (app on my phone from my library) I was able to get through the book. It was actually perfect timing to read the book.
My role model as a parent is my mom. She passed away when I had only been a mom for about four months. I had just turned twenty-seven about two weeks before and I was heartbroken. I focused all my sadness into being the best mom that I could be. Did I become an awesome mom? Well, no. Do I try my best everyday? Nope, kinda, maybe, who knows?

I wasn't super impressed with the book if I'm honest. If you are set on reading one of Picoult's books just read one of her newer books, she has definitely gotten better the longer she has written. I would suggest Second Glances, it's my favorite of her books.

Year 3, week 11: A Map of Days

This week's book:
A Map of Days
By Ransom Riggs

This week's book is Ransom Riggs’ fourth book in the series of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It is also the last of my blogs for Halloween books this year. The series is a story of people that have super powers that have to hide from normal people, and they battle monsters. These people live in the safety of "loops" where you relive a single day over and over again. Tim Burton even made a film adaptation a few years ago.

This fourth book is kind of a standalone book separate from the original trilogy. The characters go to America, which is different from the 1940's England setting in the original story. I was a bit annoyed by the main character. I found him super whiny and wished other characters would take charge of the plot. The book was alright, it just needed to be a little shorter. Each of the books are over five hundred pages, so like two thousand pages of one story. If you have already read the first three books then you should probably read this book, but if you haven't started yet, then don't.