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Reviews by Darlene G. (Allegany, NY)

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Ginseng Roots: A Memoir
by Craig Thompson

Honoring Complexity with Compassion (4/25/2025)

I chose to read Ginseng Roots because I am fascinated by graphic memoirs. I have only read a few, so I continue to be curious about how they work differently than traditional memoir. Ginseng Roots was a masterful weaving of childhood experiences, different cultural lenses, …more

A Council of Dolls: A Novel
by Mona Susan Power

Clever, sad, hopeful (8/5/2023)

Mona Susan Power does an excellent job of depicting intergenerational trauma and a certain level of healing- through time, doll "consciousness" and three related Native American women's stories. The use of the dolls as support and wisdom-keepers was clever and well-done; …more

Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood
by Tanya Frank

Hopeful In the Face of Broken Systems and Competing Needs (2/18/2023)

I am glad I read this book. I think it would be especially useful to people who are in relationship with people experiencing severe mental health issues. The author does a beautiful job conveying the competing needs to respect autonomy and to insure care for an adult child …more

Still Life
by Sarah Winman

Love of life through characters (10/17/2022)

To me, these characters were as evocative as any Steinbeck could craft. While the setting was primarily Florence, Italy and the themes art history, art, love and more - the quirky, lovable characters became like friends as I read. Sarah Winman adeptly weaves in whispers of …more

Dinosaurs: A Novel
by Lydia Millet

Why Five Stars? Or Very Good (9/12/2022)

I gave this book five stars. One for its starkness, perhaps like the glass wall of the neighbors' home- clear, economical, and open to the wider world. Two for the protagonist who is kind, naïve and grows kinder as he becomes wiser. Three, for creating complex characters …more

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li

Compelling, Kind, and Nuanced (6/15/2022)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The juxtaposition of the two sisters' lives, separated as young women, provided a way of seeing the split Chinese experience (Taiwan and Mainland China; Nationalist and Communist) with appreciation for the gifts and limits of the political …more

On a Night of a Thousand Stars
by Andrea Yaryura Clark

A satisfying read with twists (2/23/2022)

A lovely debut novel. An easy read despite its context. I had heard of The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a human rights organization that works to find the children stolen and illegally adopted during the 1976–1983 Argentine military dictatorship, and I wanted to learn …more

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager

Finding the light in loss (7/19/2020)

I enjoyed this memoir immensely. Although the story is about loss, grief, and how one woman went about building a new life for herself and her children, Sara Seager's love and steadfast curiosity about herself, life, and relationships are what stand out most for me. And, as …more

The Mountains Sing
by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Epic Perseverance (1/28/2020)

This book grew on me as I read. What I appreciated most about it was its success at reflecting the complexities (and horrors without gratuitous violence) of war and the effects that had on a specific family. I like that this was told from a Vietnamese viewpoint and over …more

American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins

Rich, heartbreaking and rewarding (11/26/2019)

A page-turner! Cummins has created a story full of tension and love, full of the natural human desires for safety, food, shelter, and community as well as the ways power, greed, fear, violence and judgments of the "other" can pervert humane behavior. She accomplishes this …more

Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America
by Nefertiti Austin

Motherhood & Adoption: Learning the Ropes with a Savvy Single Black Mom (8/26/2019)

I chose this book because I enjoy memoirs. I'm also a white woman who is interested in reading about the differences and similarities of a Black woman's experience of parenting, adoption and raising a Black boy. I'm glad I read it because it made me think about race, gender …more

Ellie and the Harpmaker
by Hazel Prior

The Heart of Character (4/7/2019)

This was a tender and easy read. The author, Hazel Prior does a lovely job with tension, so even though you imagine you "know" the ending, there are still enough questions and twists and turns to keep you reading. Also, because the setting and characters are from the UK ( …more

When We Left Cuba
by Chanel Cleeton

Light Historical Romance (1/20/2019)

If you enjoy historical romances, you may enjoy this book. For me, it was too superficial, which was unfortunate, because the political complexity the story was set against and attempted to convey offered a chance for deeper reflection. The love story read like most light …more

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