Becoming

Becoming
by Michelle Obama
Crown Publishing, 2018, Auto-Biography, 448 p.
This is a candid and engaging memoir of America's first African American first lady. Michelle Robinson grew up in an apartment above her aunt's house in the south side of Chicago.  Her parents were working class, but sacrificed to give her and her brother the best education they could manage.  Michelle worked hard at school, and got good enough grades to be accepted at Princeton and then at Harvard Law School. Soon after she started her career as a corporate lawyer, she was assigned to mentor a young law student with an unusual name, Barack Obama.  The rest is, as they say, is history.

Ms Obama's story is engaging, inspiring and well written.  Her candor, high ideals, and good humor come through in every chapter.  I loved how she described in detail what life in the White House was really like, but the heart of the story is her own journey from being an insecure girl to being a confident and powerful woman. Not only has this book been a huge hit nationally, but also locally.  It has been one of the top 10 most read e-books/audio-books of Highland residents ever since it came out. 

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Tale of the Last True Hermit

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
By: Michael Finkel
Vintage Books, 2018, 203 pg., Nonfiction

Perhaps at some point you have considered abandoning modern society? About leaving all of the hubbub behind to live simply in nature? Would be as simple as we imagine? Furthermore, would you do it alone? When was the last time you were truly alone, away from the world? No phone, no computer, no internet, no car, no lights, maybe a book or some music, but no contact with anyone? How long did this last? Maybe you have never experienced this before at all. But if you were able to live like this, how long would you last before you become lonely or depressed? Hours? Days? Months?

What if it was years? 27 years. Many of us may not be able to cope with that much distance from others humans. Perhaps we would loose our minds, but one man did live on his own. For 27 years in the woods of Maine he lived all alone, with no contact and no help. One day in 198- Christopher Knight willingly left behind his entire life and walked into the woods. He wasn't even sure why he did, he just did. When he emerged 27 years later people were shocked by his story. Some believed him, others said it was a lie. Some people felt he should be left alone, others were furious at him(there had been legends of a hermit around the pond where Knight lived that frightened locals), some believed he had a disorder, others were afraid to be around him. This is a fascinating biography a man who left his whole world behind him, in favor of home in woods.

Educated

Educated
By Tara Westover
Random House, 2018. Biography. 334 p.
Tara is raised in a fundamentalist/ survivalist Mormon home.  Her paranoid father mistrusts anything having to do with the government so his children don't attend school, go to the doctor or even have birth certificates.  Their education as children mostly consists of long religious rants by their father.  As the children grow up, one of the brothers becomes increasingly abusive, while another decides to escape the family homestead and pursue an education.  Tara has to decide which path she will take, but leaving her mountain home, as caustic as it is, will take a huge emotional toll on her.  Only when she gets a real education does she begin to be able to separate her self-image from the unworthy way her family had treated her.

This is an incredibly heartrending and honest memoir that has been the top most requested e-book at the Highland Library for four months running.  The amazing thing about it is how the author is able to look back on the way her mind bent and twisted to try to justify and live through what was happening to her. The writing is masterful, but there is a hint that it is even yet hard for her to fully understand her earlier life objectively.  Part of her is still the abused, brainwashed teen on the mountain.  I think it is the vulnerability the author embraces that has made this a best seller.

Warning: this is adult literature.  It contains some really graphic and gritty scenes of violence and emotional abuse.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
By Russell Freedman
Clarion Books, 1993. 198 p. Youth Biography
Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my heroes.  She was born into privilege but suffered from awkwardness and shyness.  When her parents died she was sent to live with relatives until she finished school.  She met her dashing future husband at a party, and was surprised when he continued his attentions when he could have had any of the eligible girls in their social circle.  Lucky him.  With her support Franklin Roosevelt rose to become one of our country's greatest presidents, and Eleanor became one of the most beloved of all first ladies.

I am a huge fan of Russell Freedman. His writing is so masterful that it transports the reader into the mind and heart of his subjects.  He writes for a young audience, and handles difficult topics discretely and in a way that is age appropriate.  Eleanor's life and accomplishments are so inspiring that this is a great choice for kids who need to read a longer biography for school. It is no wonder that it won a Newbery Honor in 1994.

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Footbal Team

 

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
by Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Book Press, 2017. Nonfiction. 280 p.

Jim Thorpe was the son two mixed American Indian/European parents. He attended the Carlisle Indian School which had as its purpose to eradicate the "Indian" part of its students. Jim hated school and often ran away, until he was recruited to be on the school's track team.  From there he joined the football team and under the coaching of Pop Warner, the team became one of the best collegiate teams in the country. Recognizing Jim's amazing athletic talent, Warner encouraged Jim to try out for the 1912 Olympic team.  He made it onto the team and ended up winning the gold in the pentathlon and decathlon.

Here is a great nonfiction book for football fans and non-fans alike. Sheinkin shows how Warner helped football evolve from an unrestrained brawn brawl to the complex and much safer game it is today. He also explores the complicated relationship between the Carlisle School, the coach, and the students like Thorpe in relation to the cultural annihilation practiced at the Indian schools at the time.  Although this is in the adult nonfiction section, it will also appeal to sports or history loving teens.

Samurai Rising : the epic life of Minamoto Yoshitsune

Samurai Rising : the Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
by Pamela S. Turner
Charlesbridge, 2016. Biography, 236 p.
Yoshitsune was one of Japan's most famous Samurai.  He was a bold, reckless, fierce and cunning warrior.  This engaging biography recounts his life during the complicated warlord culture of 12th century Japan.  Turner does a good job of making the arcane time period accessible. One way she does this is by using analogies to modern life, like when she compares Yoshitsune to a star quarterback, but his older half brother was like the owner of the team.  Her biography is carefully researched, and she mentions her sources in the text and in an author's note at the end.  Medieval Japan was a cruel and violent place, and Turner doesn't shellac any of the graphic details of her heroes' exploits.  This is not a good choice for the squeamish at heart, but history buffs, or even teens who like high action computer games, will probably love it.