The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill
by Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch
The Nazi Conspiracy (12/19/2022)
This book hooked me from the beginning. The writing style was very engaging and informative. I have not read much about WW2 and had no clue that the 3 main Allied leaders had met. The intrigue around if the conspiracy was real and the thoughts around why it may or not have been was fascinating including the ideas of gamemanship on everyone's sides. I think this near end section would provide plenty of fuel for book club discussions. And you don't have to be a WW2 fan to enjoy this book.
Scatterlings: A Novel
by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe
Scatterlings - starts out great (10/12/2022)
I zipped through the first part of the book as I was enthralled. I was heartbroken by some actions in the beginning, including by the government who made the act of interracial relationships illegal - horrible! I appreciated learning some history of South African including more about European Imperialism in the region. However I had a really hard time once getting to Alisa's journal. Some parts I skimmed to try to finish the book. I can see from some other reviewers greatly enjoyed the book. (I'd actually give it 3.5 stars rather than 4 if I could.)
There are many issues that would be great for book club discussions - the choices made by the variety of characters and the relationships between family members, servants and friends.
Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History
by Lea Ypi
Free - A Different Perspective (11/30/2021)
Just as I enjoy International movies for the varied approach and perspective, different from the typical US point of view, I appreciate international books for the same reason. Free offered the idea of Freedom from an Albanian point of view at two different times in history which frequently contrasted with US views of freedom. I loved the various ways that Ypi explained how each of her parents and her grandmother approached aspects of life - such as money.
Each chapter of the book would provide topics for enthusiastic book club discussions. I enjoyed parts of the book and some vignettes definitely stuck with me and made me laugh at times. Though the book was not one that I "could not put down".
Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America
by Nefertiti Austin
Mothers (8/19/2019)
I looked forward to receiving this book and reading Nerertiti's perspective on motherhood and adoption. Parts of the book kept me engaged as when she wrote about her parents and grandparents. Her descriptions had depth and I felt like I'd met her grandparents. I loved the section with the comments her male friends made about her raising her son. Hilarious.
Other parts I tried to read through quickly as I felt like I was being beaten over the head with a sentiment of otherness and her assumption that all white moms were the same. I've seen many moms with low income, or family turmoil or other challenges from a variety of backgrounds trying to do what was best with their children and having a hard time.
I respect that she chose to create this memoir partially as a result of not being able find something similar when she was considering adoption as a single Black woman.
The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World
by Laura J. Snyder
Interesting HIstory of Science (1/9/2011)
I found this book to be hard going. It wasn't difficult to understand but rather dense. I did enjoy the mixture of personal information about the men as well as the scientific history. I don't agree that the book would appeal to a wide variety of readers. I could see my dad, a retired aerospace engineer, appreciating this book and finding numerous sections on which to comment and discuss.
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