Nonfiction: The Flower Bearers by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

It was the description on the book jacket that got me on this one, as well as the fact that the author is the fifth wife of famous writer Salman Rushdie. I was in search of a "serious" memoir, and Rachel Eliza Griffiths' The Flower Bearers would prove to fulfil the purpose.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book written by poet and visual artist Rachel Eliza Griffiths. It is a memoir that focuses most specifically on her relationship with her best friend, poet Kamilah Aisha Moon, who passed away suddenly on the day of Griffith's wedding to author Salman Rushdie. Less than a year later, Rushdie would be brutally attacked while speaking at an event, nearly losing his life after being stabbed multiple times. Griffith's book is about the two momentous events, and so much more, including the pandemic, the death of her mother, and her mental health struggles in the midst of all of it.

My Verdict: I admire any author who is able to pack so much life and story and introspection into less than 350 pages. Not only does Griffith talk about her relationship with and the death of Moon, as well as her marriage to Rushdie, but she examines her childhood with the mother that would not live to see the wedding, and discusses in depth her own experience with dissociative identity disorder. In a book that talks about being the fifth wife of a famous author, and the grisly attempt on his life, it is strange how that is not even the most interesting part of the book. Plus, there is Griffith's own writing and poetry that is discussed, as well as Moon's. It is a stunning memoir that is surprisingly easy to read, given the content, while also being heartbreaking, and ultimately quite joyful.

Favorite Moment: I enjoyed reading about Griffiths' time in college, in particular her years at Sarah Lawrence with Moon.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Alice Walker's In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, as Walker was a favorite author of Moon's. 

Young Adult Fiction: Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet

Not to judge a book by its cover, but I totally judged this book by its cover. I mean, look at it. The eye-catching pink and impossible to ignore blood dripping off of the letters. And then, that first word in the title...somehow I knew that the Beth in Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet was the third March sister in the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Usually I am not big on retellings or reimaginings, but after reading the premise, I knew I had to give this book a try.

The Situation: Ever since their dad published a book with his four daughters as the main focus, the lives of the March sisters has not been the same. By far his most popular book, Little Women tells a fictionalized story of their lives, and there are readers who love it, and plenty who hate it. Many protested the idea of a man writing about girls. Others believe it was exploitive...and included in that number are at least two of his own daughters. There is the attractive and responsible Meg; ambitious and driven Jo; the party girl screw-up Amy, whom every reader of the book loves to hate; and then Beth. Sweet angelic Beth, who dies at the end of her father's book. The controversy surrounding the book drives Mr. March into hiding, and life moves on as well as it can, until life decides to imitate art, and Beth is found dead.

The Problem: It was New Year's Eve, and while Meg is away at Harvard, Beth and Amy attend a friend's annual New Year's Eve party, as Jo stays home, content to work on her writing. But Amy comes back alone, and when Beth is still gone in the morning, she and Jo go out to look for her, only to discover unimaginable tragedy. Now with a murder investigation underway, the three remaining March sisters find themselves once again in the public eye, and due to the chaos of the night, seemingly everyone is a suspect. What becomes clear, is that everyone also has secrets they do not want uncovered by nosy detectives, including the surviving March sisters. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction that focuses on the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, from the Louis May Alcott novel Little Women, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. Each chapter is from the point of view of one of the sisters, including Beth, and is either set 'Then,' before Beth's death, or 'Now,' after she has died. Bernet brings the sisters into the modern era by giving them cell phones, social media accounts, email addresses, etc. But she also makes Jo's ambition a little more caustic, and turns Amy into a rebellious teenager who is constantly being suspended from school. The sisters also do not get along as well as they did in the classic novel, but they must work to stick together if they are going to find out what really happened to Beth.

My Verdict: I will first say that it has been years since I have read Alcott's classic novel, but I do remember enjoying it, and can recall enough to know that the sisters in Bernet's novel are very different, but with many similarities. The main similarity is that in both books, *spoiler alert for those who have not read the original* Beth dies. And while the original novel paints a picture of a sisterhood that many would envy, the girls in this book made me glad that I only had a brother. Die hard purists may have a hard time with how the sisters are presented against a modern day backdrop, but if readers can allow themselves to have fun with the premise and get a little lost in the mystery, I think they will enjoy hearing from the different sisters and seeing the drama unfold. 

Favorite Moment: Throughout the book, Beth is often seen as the forgotten sister, or at the very least, the one few are interested in. This is mostly because of the way her father portrayed her in his novel, so it was nice to see the moments when she would stand up herself, assert her own opinion, and go for what she wanted.

Favorite Character: Beth is an easy choice, but I will also pick Meg. She has her flaws and makes more than a few questionable decisions, but she takes her role as the oldest sister seriously and shows up for her family.

Recommended Reading: Naturally, I recommend Alcott's original book, as well as Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight of Blood, a retelling of Stephen King's Carrie. 

Historical Fiction: The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams

What readers can expect from The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams is a multi-generational tale following a long line of women who each have their own story to tell; however, those stories follow a familiar thread, and a curse passed down though each generation.

The Situation: It is 1995 and if there is one thing Tati knows, it is that Sunday is when her grandmother, Gladys, will come into her daughter Nadia's basement to have her hair done before Sunday church service. The two will trade barbed words and back-handed comments until it is time for Gladys to leave, but Tati still will not be any closer to learning the one truth she has been chasing her entire life. Nadia refuses to tell her daughter anything about her father, and Gladys is keeping her mouth shut too. As Tati begins to dig, she will uncover secrets that go even further back than Gladys' past, and the real reason she left Lands End, Alabama all those years ago.

The Problem: Tati may be understandably desperate to know about the father she never met, but the truth may be worse than disappointing, perhaps even devastating. Every woman in the Dupree family line has had to confront their own history and pain, beginning with an unnamed woman who risked everything for a chance to be free. Evangeline did what she could to help Emma, and was pivotal in helping to bring Jubi into the world. But Jubi's own decisions, and Ruby's mere existence, would be its own tale filled with gossip and secrets whispered from porch to porch among neighbors. With Gladys as the oldest living Dupree woman, it is her decision whether to give up what she knows to her daughter and granddaughter.

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of historical fiction that tells the story of seven generations of women. The book opens in 1995, focusing on Gladys, Nadia, and Tati, but goes as far back as 1860 when Emma's mother is captured. Each woman's story is eventually revealed by a third-person narrator, though they are not told in chronological order, and most of the focus is placed on Tati and her desire to find out about her father. And the 'Dupree' in the title refers to Zephaniah Foster Dupree, the man who was master over Evangeline and Emma (and also Emma's father) before the Civil War changed their status as property, and who ended up leaving everything he had to them. 

My Verdict: With the stories of seven women to tell (though eight really), I knew there was going to be a lot of ground to cover, and some of it incredibly painful. And yet, what is found on these pages is somehow heavy, but not burdensome. There are moments that merit more than a grimace or wince, but they are in service to the story of these resilient women. While I did find myself more interested in what Tati was dealing with, each woman's story is necessary and adds to a novel that is both compelling and fascinating. 

Favorite Moment: Jubi makes a decision to not only confront the truth of her actions, but also the man who insisted on removing her from his life, despite their long history together.

Favorite Character: Tati has a tough time of it when it comes to dealing with her mother and grandmother. She has witnessed Nadia and Gladys' caustic behavior towards each other all her life, while also getting nowhere when it comes to information on her father. Her frustration is understandable, as is her stubbornness, and I could not help but cheer her on.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson. 

Nonfiction: 99 Ways to Die by Ashely Alker

The title of Dr. Ashley Alker's book, 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them, definitely got me interested, and the table of contents looked to be a wide range of ways to die, going from some that come to mind immediately, to those that are not usually top of mind, but no less deadly.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book written by emergency medicine physician Dr. Ashely Alker. Across 13 sections, topics range from infections to heart diseases to brain diseases to sex to poison to crime to warfare, just to name a few. Each section is then further broken down into specific topics, so the section on locomotion goes more into detail regarding cars, planes, and even ATVs. As a doctor in the emergency department, Alker has many personal stories from working in hospitals, but also several anecdotes from her travels around the world. And while there is a lot being discussed, specifically 99 ways a person can die, this still is not all the ways a human being can die, so a reader's personal topic of interest still may not be covered.

My Verdict: Despite the title of the book being very clear about what is in its pages, I was honestly surprised by the sheer amount of information that Alker provides. The book hits the ground running with the first section being on infections, followed by a section of vaccine-preventable diseases. By the time the latter part of the book is reached, and the reader finds themselves learning about death by volcano, so much wisdom has been imparted, not only about survival in general, but also about different causes of death in different countries. And while Alker's stories are often funny, some are heartbreaking, even devastating, but all are shared for the purpose of education and warning.

Favorite Chapter: My favorite section in general was on animals, although it would have been the section on locomotion had there been a chapter about trains. I love trains...

Favorite Quote: "Understandably, patients are nervous about sharing sexual history, but unless the findings are subject to mandatory reporting, your information is protected. Doctors understand sexual emergencies are traumatic for patients, but the last patient put a gun in his pocket and accidentally blew his penis off, so whatever you have cannot shock the emergency department. We've seen it. We've heard it. We are too desensitized and exhausted to have an opinion about it." - from the chapter on Sexually Transmitted Infections: Gonorrhea & Chlamydia. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend John Green's Everything Is Tuberculosis, which is briefly mentioned in Alker's book.