BOOKS I FINISHED - MAY 2025

Flying Colors: The Story of a Remarkable Group of Artists, written by Tim Lefens and narrated by Grover Gardner

A random "skip the line" selection from Libby, I found this book fascinating. The author, who I discovered died in August when I looked him up online, was a painter who was invited to show slides of his work at a school for people with physical disabilities. The students he met with were unable to use their hands and he became inspired to find a way for them to paint. His determination led to their ability to create their own works of art, first in the privacy of their classroom and later with lots of public visibility. The artists' opportunity to paint was an unfamiliar freedom of expression that made a radical difference in their enjoyment of life, self-confidence, and futures. 

Heads up that there's more language than I prefer, but one of my primary reasons for reading is to better understand people whose lives are totally different than my own. In this case, I found the trade-off of language for learning worthwhile.

The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor, written by Eddie Jaku and narrated by Raphael Corkhill

I absolutely loved this short book, which I got as a "skip the line" option on Libby. It's as heartbreaking and appalling as every Holocaust story, yet it's also inspiring and redemptive. Written when Jaku was 100 years old, his story leaves no excuse for people to wallow in bitterness about the hardship or trauma they've faced. I'm sure the print version is great, and I know some versions include photographs, but the narrator's accent in the audiobook made the story seem more personal and alive to me.

1:42:12, Without friendship a human being is lost. A friend is someone who reminds you to feel alive.

2:01:54, There is no medicine for your morals. If your morals are gone, you go.

2:31:25, Where there is life, there is hope. And where there is hope, there is life.

2:51:42, It was the duty of the fortunate to help those who are suffering and that it is better to give than to receive.

3:01:17, Love is like all good things in life. It takes time. It takes work. It takes compassion.

3:31:35, Here are the lines I try to live by and which I like to include when I speak publicly: May you always have lots of love to share, lots of good health to spare, and lots of good friends who care.

3:41:36, Hate is the beginning of a disease, like cancer. It may kill your enemy, but it will destroy you in the process too.

The How & the Why, written by Cynthia Hand and narrated by Phoebe Strole and Erin Spencer

I'd never heard of this random "available now" Libby selection before, but I needed something to listen to and it sounded interesting. Told in alternating voices, it's a YA novel about two teenage girls, one newly eighteen and the other sixteen. The first was adopted as a newborn into a loving family and would like to find her birth mom. The second is the birth mom and her narration is the letters she wrote to her daughter during the pregnancy. There were two parts of the story that I think were supposed to be surprising but I saw coming a mile away, and another that I didn't until it was happening. It's a tender story about family, friendship, that I found myself choked up over a few times, both with the primary plot line and a secondary one.

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, written and narrated by Salman Rushdie

While standing in front of a crowd in 2022 to talk about the importance of protecting authors from danger, the author of this book was brutally attacked and nearly killed. This memoir describes the violent act, as well as his process of both physical and emotional healing. Evidently this attack was big news and the perpetrator was just sentenced for the murder attempt this month (a separate federal trial for terrorism is pending), but I'd never heard of Rushdie or how a novel he published in 1988 led to a call for his death by the leader of Iran. While I disagree with some his perspectives and certainly can't relate to his life experiences, I agree with his support of freedom of speech and his opposition to religious violence. Plus, I always love to learn more about lives that are different than my own. Despite my previous ignorance of his situation and our different religious beliefs (he lands solidly in the atheist camp and I believe the Bible) which are referred to throughout the book, I found this random "skip the line" Libby selection interesting. 

32:37, In the presence of serious injuries, your body’s privacy ceases to exist. You lose autonomy over your physical self, over the vessel in which you sail. You allow this because you have no alternative. You surrender the captaincy of your ship so that it won’t sink. You allow people to do what they will with your body - to prod and drain and inject and stitch and inspect your nakedness so that you can live.

35:31, However, as the attentive listener will have guessed, I survived.

39:35, More than three-quarters of my life as a writer has happened since, as I used to say, the excrement hit the ventilation system.

1:06:54, But in the greedy west, where attention has become the thing most hungered for, where the quest for followers and likes is the new gluttony, privacy has become unnecessary, unwanted, even absurd.

2:12:34, Let me offer this piece of advice to you, gentle listener. If you can avoid having your eyelids sown shut, avoid it. It really, really hurts. 

2:37:19, Dear listener, if you have never had a catheter inserted into your genital organ, do your very best to keep that record intact. 

4:53:52, Don't you think murder is the American sport par excellence? Americans murder one another in large quantities every single day. We murder everyone - children, adults, Jews, you name it. We murder in malls, in hospitals, and places of worship.

5:28:09, When the faithful believe that what they believe must be forced upon others who do not believe it, or when they believe that non-believers should be prevented from the robust or humorous expression of their non-belief, then there's a problem.

5:47:49, Time might not heal all wounds, but it deadened the pain.

The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing, written and narrated by Lara Love Hardin

I failed to make note of where I heard about this book, but it went on my TBR back in July and has been on my Libby holds list since February. This story of the author's drug addiction, theft she committed to fund it, time spent navigating life in jail, and difficult road to recovery pulled me in from the beginning. She made a lot of foolish choices that led to a lot of trouble, but that backdrop made her future success even more meaningful. I hadn't made the connection until listening to the book that she was a co-writer of a book I enjoyed several years ago. 

Her experience is another important reminder that our legal and prison system is flawed, often setting up for failure those who are trying desperately to succeed. It's also another important reminder that we can't know someone's whole story by looking at them - that those who appear to be good sometimes aren't and those who appear to be bad are often doing positive things in the midst of their mess. Language warning, as well as a few references to sexual activity in jail of those she was incarcerated with.

3:09:28, I wonder if showing up as a fake version of yourself is just as bad as not showing up at all. 

3:53:22, I wish I could say I did this because this one thing happened to me this one time. It would be so much easier for everyone. I wish I could trace it to being born prematurely or early childhood attachment issues or being abandoned, starved, abused. I wish I could say it's because every time in my life I wanted to say no to someone I never have. I wish I could say it's because of karma, a past life where I agreed to be an addict in this life. I would blame it on my brain chemistry if I could or a mental health diagnosis if I had one. It would be so much easier if every addict knew why they were destroying themselves. When I'm on drugs I feel happy. I feel like I belong in the world. I feel joy no matter what else is happening around me. Drugs give me what I'm looking for, what I need and crave. The truth is simple: Getting high feels better than not getting high and until that changes no addict will change. 

4:32:25, It's a system completely disincentivized to rehabilitate people. Their business model doesn't function without a high recidivism rate.

4:34:39, In high school I may have lived in a small apartment while my friends had big lawns, but writing transcended class. Writing transcended loneliness. Writing transcended self-doubt and fear and heartbreak. I never needed a drink or a drug to write. 

The Old Man and the Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway and narrated by Donald Sutherland

A classic I've never read (full disclosure - reading classics isn't a priority of mine), this short book was available immediately and gave me something to listen to while I worked in the yard and went for a walk. The story's about an old man, an unlucky fisherman who hasn't caught a fish in almost three months. He ends up catching the biggest marlin he's ever seen, but ends up losing it to sharks before he's able to get back home. I know it's a famous book that people like to analyze, but I found it to be boring.

The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice, written by Benjamin Gilmer

The author took over a rural clinic, one where the previous doctor, a deeply loved member of the community, coincidentally shared his last name. The original doctor had murdered his own father, a situation which greatly impacted the new doctor. Their interwoven story is about facing fears, pursuing information when things don't make sense, and always fighting for what's right. It's about the legal process, our prison system, and mental illness. With a clear desire for justice to be served humanely, this book, which I loved, is well-written, compelling, and eye-opening. 

p. 258, Then Christine told me one of the most shocking things I'd ever heard: There are ten times more seriously mentally ill people in the nation's prisons than in its mental institutions. 

"Of course, most mentally ill people do not commit crimes," she said. "But those who do have few opportunities for rehabilitation, because they are denied effective treatment once they are incarcerated. We have a reactive, not proactive approach."

p. 261, Most prisons in this country are engineered to be invisible. Hidden in rural communities, they are places where humans are stowed away and forgotten. Widespread privatization has only hastened the trend toward invisibility. Who, after all, wants to be known for making their money off the backs of those behind bars? 

When we don't see the places where people are incarcerated, it becomes easy not to see incarcerated people. It becomes easy not to think about the widespread disparities - of race, of class, of cognitive fallibility - that affect the way justice is decided in this country.

The Personal Librarian, written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

I thought this book had been on my TBR for a long time when a friend passed it along to me, but I couldn't find it when I looked. Maybe it's one that had been on my radar, but I'd never written down. Based on the life of Belle de Costa Greene, previously Belle Marion Greener, this biographical novel is about a black woman who, while passing as white, was responsible for the growth of J.P. Morgan's personal library, using his wealth to create the library of his dreams. For over forty years - from being Morgan's personal librarian in his private library to being the director of the library when it became public - she lived a life of public recognition while sacrificing much to hide her racial identity, a secret the revelation of which would have destroyed her and her family. I decided to listen to What Should I Read Next?, episode 463 - Remarkable stories that demand to be told, an interview with the books co-authors, right before starting the book, then stumbled upon a non-fiction audiobook about a white woman who discovered her mom was part black just after starting.

p. 125 ... while I will learn from my misstep, I cannot let the failure clip my wings.

The Remarkable Record of Job: The Ancient Wisdom, Scientific Accuracy, & Life-Changing Message of an Amazing Book, written by Henry M. Morris

A random gift from someone at church, this dive into the biblical book of Job looks not only at the man himself, but at what the book is about. Contrary to the popular thought that it's about suffering and our response to it, the author defends the position that it's actually about the creation of the world. Approaching the topic from scientific and historical perspectives, the book of Job shows how believing that God created the world, as outlined in the book of Genesis, is foundational to Christian faith.

p. 59, If it is the Lord who has blessed, then he has the right to withdraw his blessings. We do not merit his goodness, so what right have we to complain when he withholds it? 

p. 87, (speaking of creation) If God himself laid such stress on it in dealing with this most vexing of all human problems, we would also do well to give it priority when dealing with this or lesser problems.

p. 102, The construction of a relatively simple system such as a building requires an architect to determine the dimensions, a surveyor to establish the lines, and a builder to set the foundations. An infinitely larger and more complex "building" such as Planet Earth would require no less! The random processes of time and chance may destroy a building, but they could never construct one. 

p. 108, Therefore, God's central message to Job, and to us, is not an explanation of why the righteous suffer, but rather a call to sound belief in creation and an emphasis on our stewardship over that creation, under God. Afflictions that come our way can then be placed in proper context. We belong to him, both by creation and by redemption, and he has the right to do with us whatever he will. We can trust him, no matter what comes our way in this life, knowing that in the balances of eternity the Judge of all the earth will do right. 

p. 128, When we, like Job, see the magnitude and majesty of God as creator, the infinite perfections of his creation, and the multitude of marvels by which he sustains his creation, our doubts and petty problems are easily resolved, and we simply trust him!

p. 134, We are not to evaluate a person's spirituality by his prosperity.

Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives, written by Gretchen Rubin

Whether you read it in one short sitting or slowly work your way through in small doses, this collection of aphorisms will deliver some thoughts to encourage, challenge, or inspire you. 

p. 40, We know if something is important to us if it shows up in our schedule, our spending, and our space.

p. 40, We should pay special attention to anything that we lie about, or try to hide.

p. 57, Love says, "You're the best," and love says, "You can do better." Love accepts you just as you are, and love expects the best from you. 

p. 59, One way to thwart a conversation is to refuse to answer. Another way is to talk and talk. 

p. 77, Before declaring that something is superficial, unhealthy, inefficient, dangerous, disgusting, or immoral, we should consider: Maybe this just doesn't suit my taste.

p. 107, Don't put things down, put them away.

p. 134, Nothing is stronger than a weakness.

p. 134, One of the best uses of willpower is to avoid situations that require willpower.

Shape of Mercy, written by Susan Meissner and narrated by Tavia Gilbert

This novel alternates between the 1600s and the present (the book was published in 2008). The centuries-old diary of a young woman who was convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials is owned by a woman in her eighties, and that woman has hired a college student to transcribe the diary. The story is not only entertaining, but also challenges us to examine our own prejudices in areas like religion, family expectations, friendship, the law, and wealth. I appreciate the lens of increased self-awareness this book has, not just a greater awareness of what others are doing wrong. Bonus points for an intergenerational friendship that develops, which I always love in a novel. I've enjoyed several of Meissner's books now, including this one.

9:14, And I have found that the rich and the poor have a hugely significant characteristic in common. As do the accuser and the condemned, the loved and the unloved, the free and the bound. We each think we understand the other. We don’t.

3:14:38, But Papa said, "One can not pretend that what one does not like does not exist".

Solito, written and narrated by Javier Zamora

I knew nothing about this book when I saw it as a 'skip the line" option in Libby, but the summary intrigued me. The author snuck over the American border as a 9 year old in 1999, traveling from El Salvador without any of his family members. What was expected to be a two week trip lasted nearly two months and the strangers he traveled with became like family. His frightening journey across the borders of three countries, a story made more meaningful by hearing it in his own voice, strengthens my immense gratitude for never having lived in a place so horrible that I felt I had no choice but to flee or to have my young children flee from with strangers. I think it's an excellent book. Heads up that there's quite a bit of swearing, in case that's a deal breaker. Although it was more than I prefer, it didn't seem gratuitous given the context.

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home, written by Jessica Fechtor

First there was an aneurysm that burst, then a series of complications. In this memoir, which I learned about on What Should I Read Next, episode 118 - The rhythm of a reading family, Fechtor describes with vulnerability, warmth, and humor the medical emergency that almost killed her and the lengthy ordeal that followed. Woven into that story are her family members, close friends, medical team, and a collection of recipes that were meaningful in her healing process. 

p. 85, My official prognosis, it seemed, was that I was going to be either absolutely fine or not, based either entirely or not at all on whether I crossed certain red lines, sketchily drawn - that may or many not be red lines at all. This is the prognosis of every human, of course, from the healthy and strong to the gravely ill, every single moment of our lives. We forget that. (And thank goodness.) One inconvenience of having just been nearly dead was that I could no longer help but remember. 

p. 156, Home is a verb. It's not only where we live, but how.

p. 198, You can cook for one. A fried egg and toast, a potato with cottage cheese, a single artichoke, steamed. Baking, on the other hand? I don't care how big your sweet tooth is, you can't eat all those cookies alone. You bake to share.

Baking means you have more than enough: more flour, more butter, more eggs, to make more cake than you need for just you. It means you have something to give away. Baking is an act of generosity, and thereby and act of freedom, since to be generous is to be free from the smallness of thinking only of yourself. 

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, written by Malcolm Gladwell 

I read this book slowly over nearly four months, one or two essays at a time. It's a compilation of things Gladwell wrote in The New Yorker from approximately the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. Broken into three parts - obsessives, pioneers, and other varieties of minor genius; theories, predictions, and diagnoses; personality, character, and intelligence - he gives the reader a wide variety assumptions to question and perspectives to consider. While some topics interested me more than others, I really enjoy his writing style. 

xiv, You don't start at the top if you want to find your story. You start in the middle, because it's the people in the middle who do the actual work in the world. 

xv, Nothing frustrates me more than someone who reads something of mine or anyone else's and says, angrily, "I don't buy it." Why are they angry? Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. Not the kind of writing that you'll find in this book, anyway. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else's head - even if in the end you conclude that someone else's head is not a place you'd really like to be.

White Like Her: My Family's Story of Race and Racial Passing, written by Gail Lukasik, foreword by Kenyatta D. Berry, and narrated by Bernadette Dunne

I came across this one while looking for an available audiobook by a narrator I've enjoyed. The author discovered as an adult that her white mom was actually part black, a secret she promised her mom she'd keep. After her mom's death, she decided to share the story publicly through Genealogy Roadshow on PBS. This book is not only about her mom's life and and the impact of discovering of her mom's passing, but also a deep dive into her lineage and the history of racism in Louisiana that led to the decision to live as a white person. Ironically, I'd just started reading a biographical novel about a black woman who passed as white just days before discovering this book.