Review: One Thousand White Women

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd 

by Jim Fergus

A so-so, alternative-history book. Three things fell flat for me... 1) The way the accents (Irish and Southern) were written made me gloss over their dialogue. 2) Too many characters to fully flesh out any one woman. 3) The low points in this story's plot (torture, rape, battle, etc.) far outweigh any moments of tenderness or happiness. With that said, I did find it good enough to add Fergus' other fiction, The Wild Girl, to my TBR pile. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSoup.com.)

Review: Walking the Rez Road

Walking the Rez Road

by Jim Northrup

First-hand accounts of contemporary life (post-Vietnam) on a Native Indian reservation through a mix of poetry and short story. I completely enjoyed how Northrup just goes for it in his poetry. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

My favorite poem includes these lines...

Someone says we begin to die
the minute we're born.
Death is a part of life.
Who knows why the Creator
thins the herd.
Another old saying says
we must all be prepared
to give up those we love
or die first.
Take time to mourn.

Review: Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A PracticalGuide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in YourRelationships

by John Gray

I read this book of curiosity. It's not that this book is wrong; it's impractical. People do exhibit the behaviors described in this book, but not because they are one sex or the other. The theories I can tolerate; the sweeping generalizations, I cannot. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

It's been a long time since I read this book, and the older I get, the more I appreciate it. In this story, it's the adults that make the real trouble and cover up their prejudices with hypocrisy ranging from white-lies to night-time terrorism. Even I found myself asking, ‘Why do grown-ups complicate things so much?' Between the simple pace, the Southern small-town setting, and the Scout's one-person narrative, I really slowed down to enjoy it this time around. And it's not the book that's changed; it's me. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

One of many excellent quotes from the book: 

"Dill was off again. Beautiful things floated around in his dreamy head. He could read two books to my one, but he preferred the magic of his own inventions."