Reviewed by Bev Scott Mary Bowser was born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia before the Civil War. She fortunately grew up knowing both of her parents. Her mother worked as a house slave in the Van Lews mansion. Her father lived nearby, working as a blacksmith. Also fortunate, Bet, the daughter of the Van Lews, saw […]
Book Reviews
Book Review: “Last Boat Out of Shanghai” by Helen Zia
Reviewed by Bev Scott Helen Zia has written a meticulously researched book with colorful and detailed descriptions of Chinese culture, politics and family life. She centers her story on four young people living in the sophisticated, westernized city of Shanghai beginning in the late 1930’s before World War II. Zia uses the lives of these four […]
Book Review: “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
Reviewed by Bev Scott “You have to read this book!” I was urged by friends and colleagues multiple times. Where the Crawdads Sing is the debut novel by a wild-life scientist, Delia Owens. It is now a best seller. As a young girl, Kyla’s mother abandons her. Eventually her brother and finally her father also abandon […]
Book Review: “The Tenth Gift” by Jane Johnson
Reviewed by Bev Scott The Tenth Gift, an intriguing book, consists of two stories masterfully intertwined. One is set in the 17th Century, and the other is set in the present. At the end of an adulterous affair with her best friend’s husband, the husband gives Julia “The Needle Woman’s Glorie.” At first glance, the gift appears […]
Book Review: “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
Reviewed by Bev Scott Although The Hate U Give is a young adult book, the story was riveting for me as a senior adult. Author Angie Thomas tells the story of a white policeman who kills a young unarmed black man with subtlety, humor, and multiple perspectives. Yes, it has some typical or stereotypical scenes. […]
Book Review: “The Road to Bittersweet,” by Donna Everhart
Book review by Bev Scott The Road to Bittersweet: In 1940, the Tuckasegee River in the Appalachian Mountains overflows its banks and forces Wallis Ann Stamper and her family to flee in the middle of the night. Wallis Ann becomes separated from her parents, younger brother and older sister, Laci, a mute and musically gifted […]
Book Review: “Sold on a Monday” by Kristina McMorris
Book Reviewed by Bev Scott Sold on a Monday is inspired by a photograph of children with the sign “2 Children for Sale” from 1948 which the author Kristina McMorris stumbled upon. The story challenges journalistic integrity, tugs at your heartstrings and offers a sweet love story. Ellis, an aspiring newspaper reporter in the early […]
Book Review: “Reliance, Illinois” by Mary Volmer
Book reviewed by Bev Scott I purchased this book Reliance Illinois at a reading by the author Mary Volmer. Reliance, Illinois tells a fascinating story, set in 1874 on the Mississippi River. The protagonist, a teenage girl of thirteen, Madelyn Branch (Maddy) pretends to be the younger sister of her beautiful mother, Rebecca. The story […]
Book Review: “Sweden” by Matthew Turner
Reviewed by Bev Scott This book, written as historical fiction, offers a mostly unknown story about deserters from the Vietnam War. Japanese peace activist guides worked with great diligence to help the deserters escape Japan to a safe haven, Sweden. I found the story of their perilous efforts to escape both the Japanese police and […]
Book Review: “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate
Book reviewed by Bev Scott Child abuse is a difficult topic for a book. Lisa Wingate states that she formed the book “from the dust of imagination and the muddy waters of the Mississippi.” She writes about experiences similar to those of real children taken from their families during the 1920’s through the 1950’s. Sadly, […]
