August 2023 MBR The Biography Shelf

The Biography Shelf

Sacajawea: Mystery, Myth, and Legend
Candy Moulton
South Dakota Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813386, $14.95, PB, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/sacajawea-mystery-legend-Candy-Moulton/dp/B0C7S9NLX5

Synopsis: Many myths, mysteries, and legends surround Sacajawea (May c. 1788 - December 20, 1812 or April 9, 1884). She is one of the very few Native American women whose name and singular significance have not been lost to the historical record of American history. Without Sacajawea's knowledge and assistance, the Corps of Discovery venture (better known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition) to explore the furthest reaches of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase could very well have failed.

Critique: Featuring a section of black/white historical images, eighteen pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and an eleven page Index, and published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press, "Sacajawea: Mystery, Myth, and Legend" by Candy Moulton is a compact but definitive combination of biography and history that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Native American Biography and American History collections and curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Candy Moulton (https://candymoulton.com) is the co-owner of Wood Mountain Productions, has written fifteen Western history books, co-edited a collection of short fiction and an encyclopedia and written, produced, and been a reenactor in several documentary films.

King John's Right Hand Lady
Sharon Bennett Connolly
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781526756060, $49.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/King-Johns-Right-Hand-Lady/dp/1526756064

Synopsis: In a time when it was the men who fought the wars and the women were to stay home, the Lady Nicholaa de la Haye (born c. 1150; d. 1230) held Lincoln Castle against all-comers. Not once, but three times, earning herself the ironic praise that she acted 'manfully'.

Nicholaa gained prominence in the First Baron's War, the civil war that followed the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215. Although recently widowed, and in her 60s, in 1217 Nicholaa endured a siege that lasted over three months, resisting the English rebel barons and their French allies. The siege ended in the battle known as the Lincoln Fair, when 70-year-old William Marshal, the Greatest Knight in Christendom, spurred on by the chivalrous need to rescue a lady in distress, came to Nicholaa's aid.

Nicholaa de la Haye was a staunch supporter of King John, remaining loyal to the very end, even after most of his knights and barons had deserted him. A truly remarkable lady, Nicholaa was also the first woman to be appointed sheriff in her own right. It was her strength and tenacity that saved England at one of the lowest points in its history.

Critique: With the publication of "King John's Right Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye", academician and historian Sharon Bennett Connolly eloquently and with great attention to historical detail, demonstrates that the Lady Nicholaa de la Haye is one woman in English history whose story needs to be told. Featuring a section of full color photos, three Appendices (The 1215 Magna Carta; Enforcers of Manga Cart - The Twenty-Five; The Charter of the Forest 1217), eighteen pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a four page Index, "King John's Right Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye" is readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49) and will prove an enduringly valued and highly prized addition to community, college, and university library Women's History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum British Royal Biography studies lists.

Editorial Note: Sharon Bennett Connolly has been fascinated by history her whole life. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Sharon has studied history academically and just for fun - and even worked as a tour guide at historical sites. Sharon writes her own blog, www.historytheinterestingbits.com, researching and writing about the stories that have always fascinated, concentrating on medieval women. Her latest book, Defenders of the Norman Crown: Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey, released in May 2021, is her fourth non-fiction book. It tells the story of the Warenne earls over 300 years and 8 generations. She is also the author of Heroines of the Medieval World, Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest and Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England. Sharon regularly gives talks on women's history; she is a feature writer for All About History magazine and her TV work includes Australian Television's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' (https://historytheinterestingbits.com/about)

An Atomic Love Story
Shirley Streshinsky, author
Patricia Klaus, author
Turner Publishing Company
200 - 4th Avenue North, Suite 950, Ashville, TN 37219
https://turnerbookstore.com
9781618580191, $27.95, HC, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Love-Story-Shirley-Streshinsky/dp/1618580191

Synopsis: Julius Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904 - February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. He is often credited as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in organizing the Manhattan Project, the research and development undertaking that created the first nuclear weapons. (Wikipedia)

Set against a dramatic backdrop of war, spies, and nuclear bombs, with the publication of "An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life" co-authors Shirley Streshinsky and Patricia Klaus reveal a vivid new view of a tumultuous era and one of its most important figures.

In the early decades of the 20th century, three highly ambitious women found their way to the West Coast, where each was destined to collide with the young Robert Oppenheimer, the enigmatic physicist whose work in creating the atomic bomb would forever impact modern history.

His first and most intense love was for Jean Tatlock, though he married the tempestuous Kitty Harrison (both were members of the Communist Party) and was rumored to have had a scandalous affair with the brilliant Ruth Sherman Tolman, ten years his senior and the wife of another celebrated physicist. Although each were connected through their relationship to Oppenheimer, their experiences reflect important changes in the lives of American women in the 20th century: the conflict between career and marriage; the need for a woman to define herself independently; experimentation with sexuality; and the growth of career opportunities.

Critique: "An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer's Life" is eloquent, detailed, documented, and draws upon a rich collection of firsthand accounts. The result is an intimate, informative, and simply fascinating portrait of shared tragedies, betrayals, and romances on the part of an gifted man and three bold women -- revealing how they pushed to the very forefront of social and cultural changes in a dangerous and volatile era. Enhanced for the reader with photos, a bibliography, footnotes, and an index, "An Atomic Love Story" is highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library American Biography, World War II History, and Nuclear Weapons Development collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "An Atomic Love Story" is also readily available from the Turner Publishing Company in a paperback edition (9798887980058, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: Shirley Streshinsky is the author of three works of nonfiction and four historical novels. As a journalist and travel essayist, she has written extensively for Redbook, Glamour, Preservation, American Heritage, The American Scholar, and Conde Nast Traveler and has been featured on NPR. She is the recipient of the Society of Magazine Writers' Award for Excellence and the National Council for the Advancement of Education Writing Award.

Editorial Note #2: Patricia Klaus received her PhD in Modern British History from Stanford where she specialized in women's studies, the history of marriage, and the study of war and literature. She has taught at Yale, Stanford, and the University of Virginia and has published scholarly papers on the subject of women.

Gwen John
Alicia Foster
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500025574, $39.95, HC, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Gwen-John-Life-London-Paris/dp/0500025576

Synopsis: Gwendolen Mary John (22 June 1876 - 18 September 1939) was one of the most significant British artists of the early to mid-twentieth century, active in both Paris and London, and featured inthe highly influential avant-garde Armory Show in New York in 1913. Demolishing the myth of the recluse, this sustained critical biography of a much-loved artist locates her firmly in the art worlds of London and Paris, where she chose to live and work.

Deftly written by Alicia Foster, (who is a critically praised art historian and authority on the artist), Gwen John is based on original research, and examines John's importance in the context of twentieth-century art. While tracing the development of her work and its significance, the biography also explores John's relationships both personal and artistic, including her friendship with Rainer Maria Rilke and her romance with sculptor Auguste Rodin.

John, who was born in Wales, spent the latter part of the nineteenth century in London and then moved to Paris where she remained for the rest of her life. She was a contemporary of Paul Cezanne, Marie Laurencin, Paula Modersohn-Becker, and Edouard Vuillard. The book brings these two fascinating cities and John's milieu to life and introduces readers to lesser-known artists whose lives and works have slipped into obscurity. Both a study of an artist whose importance and recognition continues to grow, and of the artistic world of Europe in the early twentieth century, this book provides a compelling portrait for anyone interested in the life and work of a key figure in the history of art.

Critique: Featuring 92 color and 30 black-and-white illustrations, fourteen pages of Notes, a one page Select Bibliography, and a five page Index, 92 color and 30 black-and-white illustrations by art historian and biographer Alicia Foster "Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris" is the first critical, illustrated, and comprehensive biography of the life and accomplishments of the influential female artist Gwen John. An impressively engaging, informatively detailed, and expertly documented portrait of her life, her work, and her relationships, "Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris" is a significant and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, art school, college, and university library Women Artist Biography collections and supplemental Art History curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Alicia Foster (https://artuk.org/discover/profile/alicia-foster) is an art historian, curator, and novelist. Her publications include Tate Women Artists, Tate British Artists: Gwen John, Nina Hamnett, and a novel entitled Warpaint. She has also curated exhibitions and written the catalog for Radical Women: Jessica Dismorr and Her Contemporaries.

Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir
Julia Cameron
St. Martin's Essentials
c/o St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250883957, $23.00, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Floor-Sample-Creative-Julia-Cameron/dp/1250883954

Synopsis: Julia Cameron has transformed the creative lives of millions, showing them that creativity is their uniquely human birthright.

With the publication of "Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir" Julia tells the story behind her artistic life -- detailing her years in New York, her time as a writer for Rolling Stone, her turbulent marriage to Martin Scorsese, and her painful struggle with alcohol -- which ultimately led her to recovery and the methods that would form the backbone of her book, "The Artist's Way" (which has been translated into forty languages and sold over five million copies to date).

The life Julia shares in her memoir is tempestuous, flitting restlessly across the country, falling in and out of love, wrestling with alcohol and mental health, but through all of it, always, her art was a fixed point and north star. Featuring a brand new prologue from the author, "Floor Sample" is honest and unapologetic, a glimpse into the heart and mind behind "The Artist's Way".

Critique: Original published in hardcover in May 2006, "Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir" is now newly published by St. Martin's Essentials in a paperback edition and in a digital book format ($12.99). Eloquent, fascinating, candid, informative, "Floor Sample" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists as well as community and academic library Contemporary American Women's Biography/Memoir collections.

Editorial Note: Julia Cameron (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Cameron) is credited with starting a movement in 1992 that has brought creativity into the mainstream conversation -- in the arts, in business, and in everyday life. She is the author of more than forty books, fiction and nonfiction; a poet, songwriter, filmmaker and playwright. Commonly referred to as "The Godmother" or "High Priestess" of creativity, her tools are based in practice, not theory, and she considers herself "the floor sample of her own toolkit."

My Father's War: A True Story of Nazism and Treason
Bjorn Westlie, author
Dean Krouk, translator
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299343248, $19.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/My-Fathers-War-Nazism-Treason/dp/0299343243

Synopsis: "My Father's War: A True Story of Nazism and Treason" is simultaneously a history of the Nazi occupation of Norway in World War II and a son's sincere attempt to understand the silences, motivations, and experiences of an estranged father.

Carefully researched and deftly combining family memoir and historical retelling, Bjorn Westlie uncovers his father's actions as a volunteer soldier for the Waffen-SS, the military wing of the infamous Schutzstaffel (SS), in the invasion of the Soviet Union. Balancing his role as both son and critical investigator, Westlie unflinchingly interrogates his father's fascist convictions, which speak to the appeal Hitler's ideology held for a small, disgraced segment of Norway's mid-century population.

A story of collaboration, tragedy, and treason, "My Father's War" reveals the little-known history of Norway's frontkjempere (front fighters), the atrocities the Waffen-SS committed against Ukrainian Jews, and the complex legacies of ethno-nationalism in Norway.

Critique: Ably translated into English for an American readership (and providing an insightful introduction), Dean Krouk makes available "My Father's War: A True Story of Nazism and Treason", author and biographer Bjorn Westlie's story of his father's activities as a member of the Waffen-SS is sober, reflective, candid, informative, and provides the reader with a factual, informatively detailed, and well written account of the attraction of fascism in a world at war -- and its personal costs and consequences for the families and the post-war lives of war crime committing members of the Waffen-SS. A unique and exceptional contribution to the growing library of World War II Histories and Biographies, "My Father's War: A True Story of Nazism and Treason" is particularly recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, community, and academic curriculum WWII studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "My Father's War: A True Story of Nazism and Treason" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.95).

Editorial Note #1: Bjorn Westlie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bj%C3%B8rn_Westlie), who has worked as a journalist and historian, is the author of Oppgjor i skyggen av Holocaust (Reckoning in the Shadow of the Holocaust) and four other books.

Editorial Note #2: Dean Krouk (https://gns.wisc.edu/staff/krouk-dean), is an Associate Professor of Scandinavian studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the author of two books, including The Making of an Antifascist: Nordahl Grieg between the World Wars.

The American Doctor
Savatore J. Forcina, MD
Gaudium Publishing
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592112098, $29.99, HC, 276pp

https://www.amazon.com/American-Doctor-Salvatore-J-Forcina/dp/1592112099

Synopsis: Born in Italy during World War II, Salvatore Forcina was a young boy who survived all odds by living through his young childhood without any real or proper shelter. Like many Italians during this time, a month after turning eight years old his parents migrated to Argentina, a developing country at the time rich with natural resources and hope for a more stable life.

Sent away to live with Redemptorist priests for seven long years as the only available option to study, this young boy struggled emotionally and psychologically with no social outlets and little emotional development. But Salvatore's dream to study medicine and help people propelled him to carry on and continue his education, eventually being educated and living on three different continents, each with a new language to learn and master.

Despite his meager beginnings which provided no social and little educational opportunity and despite the many years and setbacks it took him to accomplish this, his goal was ultimately accomplished because of his sheer determination. "The American Doctor" true-life story is motivating, uplifting and based on what genuine love of family can provide to someone.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and impressively well written memoir, "The American Doctor" is one of those exceptional life-story memoirs that are ultimately inspiring and truly memorable. An interesting and unusual life lived out in interesting and unusual times, "The American Doctor" is a highly recommended pick for community/academic library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The American Doctor" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Salvatore J. Forcina (http://salvatoreforcina.com) was born in Scauri, Italy in 1941. This was the time of World War II and the war and its aftermath presented locals with few options other than to flee their homes and later, ultimately their country. At eight years old he moved to Azul, Argentina where he attended Jovenado, a sleepaway school for boys run by Redemptorist priests. Salvatore's dream to study medicine and help people propelled him to carry on and continue his education, eventually being educated and living on three different continents, each with a new language to learn and master.

But She Looks Fine: From Illness to Activism
Olivia Goodreau
Gaudium Publishing
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592112104, $24.99, HC, 146pp

https://www.amazon.com/But-She-Looks-Fine-Activism/dp/1592112102

Synopsis: With the publication of "But She Looks Fine: From Illness to Activism", Olivia Goodreau tells is the intensely personal story of how she turned the physical challenges and emotional hardships she had faced since she was a little girl into an engaged life of advocacy for others.

So many young people are faced with life-changing hardships ranging from illness and disease to loss and calamity. What Olivia Goodreau discovers through her journey with chronic Lyme Disease, and what she has been sharing with the world, is that inside of every predicament is also a possibility.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "But She Looks Fine: From Illness to Activism" is an exceptionally well written, impressively candid, organized and presented memoir that will have a very special appeal and relevance for readers having to deal with the life-impacting and altering effects of a physical or emotional affliction of their own. An ideal pick for personal, professional, community, and academic library Social Activist & Medical Professional Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "But She Looks Fine: From Illness to Activism" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Olivia Goodreau (https://butshelooksfinebook.com) is the founder of the LivLyme Foundation and inventor of the free global app, TickTracker. Olivia founded the LivLyme Foundation in 2017 when she was 12 years old, to raise money for children who cannot afford their Lyme medication and doctors' visits and to fund research to find a cure for Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Olivia hopes the LivLyme Foundation will positively impact those that suffer from all tick-borne diseases. As the inventor of TickTracker, she is striving to educate the public and keep people safe while creating a database for research.

Driving Home Naked
Melinda G. McCall, DVM
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647425173, $17.95, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Driving-Home-Naked-Misadventures-Veterinarian/dp/1647425174

Synopsis: Have you ever driven home from work wearing nothing but a pair of rubber boots? For Dr. Melinda McCall, a large animal veterinarian in rural Virginia, she is living the dream. Caring for cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, llamas, and the occasional alpaca, unusual mishaps and mind-blowing adventures abound. Getting caught driving home naked after a tough day at work is just another day at the office for Dr. Melinda.

With the publication of her memoir, "Driving Home Naked: And Other Misadventures of a Country Veterinarian", the reader will enjoy traveling along in Melinda's vet truck as this fearless veterinarian confronts every obstacle that crosses her path while building a thriving veterinary practice with an all-female foundation.

Melinda's life has included prevailing through a fractured skull, back surgery, rare zoonotic diseases, and other extreme challenges. With stubbornness and grit, she surpasses the expectations of adversaries, including her own father, to become the owner of a successful veterinary business and mother of an inquisitive, spirited young daughter.

Offering a firsthand glimpse into the fascinating world of veterinary medicine, "Driving Home Naked" is a smart, riveting, and heartfelt memoir that will captivate animal lovers and inspire people to follow their dreams on any scale.

Critique: An absolutely fascinating, exceptionally well written, and fully entertaining true life veterinarian memoir that will have a very special appeal to fans of the James Harriot stories of his adventures as a veterinarian, "Driving Home Naked: And Other Misadventures of a Country Veterinarian" by Melinda G. McCall is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Driving Home Naked" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Melinda G. McCall (https://www.drmelindaauthor.com/about) owns a large animal mobile veterinary service in central Virginia. She and her all-female staff specialize in beef and dairy cattle herds, swine, small ruminant animals, and camelids. Dr. Melinda earned a BS in Biology from Queens University and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. A woman in a male-dominated field, she has mastered the ability to do the work she loves while educating and inspiring others through her expertise, passion, and grit. Dr. Melinda is passionate about agricultural education.

David Bowie: Rainbowman 1967-1980
Jerome Soligny
Monoray
c/o Octopus Publishing
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781800960633, $39.99 HC, $14.99 Kindle, 704pp

https://www.amazon.com/David-Bowie-Rainbowman-Jerome-Soligny/dp/1800960638

The only prerequisite for enjoying David Bowie: Rainbowman 1967-1980 is a prior interest in the musician's life and an ability to absorb a meticulously-done biographical sketch which contains well over six hundred pages of research and extensive interviews with those involved in Bowie's life.

Fans will find this new biography to be one of the most vibrant, revealing coverages of Bowie's life and art in print, reviewing his music and influences with a dedicated hand to detail that includes in-depth revelations by contemporaries such as Mick Ronson and other notable musical artists.

The depth of examination and insights contributes an authoritative understanding of Bowie's works that is both wide-ranging and essential to any serious understanding of his artistry, making David Bowie: Rainbowman 1967-1980 a top recommendation for any collection looking for an exhaustive, revealing coverage of his music and the milieu in which it was born.

Scratching the Surface
Allyson Steedman
Calathea Press
www.calatheapress.com
9781738665204, $14.99, PB, 230pp

https://www.amazon.com/Scratching-Surface-Allyson-Steedman/dp/1738665208

Synopsis: For her whole life, Allyson lived with chronic eczema. At times severe, she was told the condition was incurable and doctors prescribed topical steroid creams to help manage the outbreaks. She learned to live with it.

Now, well into her thirties, married and with a daughter of her own, life was busy and full of energy and seemed to be moving in the right direction. Until she stopped using the creams.

Plunged into Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), she faced years of debilitating effects that left her with increased loss of physical function, traumatic physical and mental pain and a greatly diminished quality of life. But through all the pain, a resonating within her of an undeniable truth emerged; that physical healing was only one part of the equation. That to truly heal, we must look deeply within ourselves to find the connection between our mind, body and spirit.

Through Allyson's journey, we can find a link to our own spirit and answer its call to live more authentically and with a full heart.

With the publication of "Scratching the Surface", Allyson Steedman challenges all of us to look beyond our physical limitations and current situations to find a deeper connection to ourselves and who we can truly be. She encourages us to shift our thoughts, shed our fears and equip our minds for a different outlook and to believe in our own intrinsic value.

Critique: Extraordinary, exceptional, impressive, informative, inspiring, "Scratching the Surface" is essential reading for anyone suffering from steroid withdrawal and anyone else having to deal with traumatic physical and mental pain brought about by severe or chronic illness. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99), "Scratching the Surface" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, and Self-Help/Self-Improvement reading lists.

Editorial Note: Allyson Steedman (https://www.allysonsteedman.com) is a former corporate event planner and entrepreneur. Her many endeavors include owning a specialty dog boutique, a party planning and event consulting business and a bespoke travel company. Her first hand experience with physical healing and emotional discovery has set her on a path to help others reignite their connection to their own spirit to help find joy, passion and abundance in their own lives.

Reclamation
Lona Cook
www.drlonacook.com
Houndstooth Press
9781544520353, $24.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/$6.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Reclamation-Evolution-Mess-Lona-Cook/dp/1544520352

"This book is about bearing witness to your life and reclaiming what we all have at our core: a connection to this divine life that is ready to unfold. A life that is working for us, sometimes in the weirdest situations and ways."

It literally took a gun in the ribs to spark realizations about author Lona Cook's life trajectory, described in her memoir of self-help "Reclamation: The Evolution of a Hot Mess".

Her growth was not a singular event, but a process that actually began long before this pivot point was reached. It involved forward and backward movements as Cook considered the spiritual and psychological ramifications of making or resisting change. "Reclamation" is the story of one door closing and another opening -- that of awareness.

"Do I continue on to where I was going or turn back?" This question, which arises after the life-changing moment in Costa Rica that almost ended all possibilities for change, is inherent throughout a process that Cook explains as being a growth opportunity.

The most intriguing parts of this memoir lie in its contrast between the "old" Lona's reactions to life and the newly aware personality willing to consider that odd events and coincidences might be messages to consider or embrace change and revolutionary thinking. As she progresses through new realizations about God, energy, and her place in the greater scheme of life, Cook begins to absorb the choices and flexibility involved in accepting new opportunities with newly awakened mind and heart.

This is not a linear or clear process. Her memoir candidly describes the back-and-forth process of confronting her ego, her beliefs, and her intentions with new awareness and responsibility. From learning to use her voice more effectively in the world and speaking from the heart to trying to help loved ones who can't hear such messages,

"Reclamation" is both uplifting and gritty. It adopts a poignant honesty that encourages readers to view their lives, beliefs, and driving motivations for relationships and choices in a different light. By couching her advice within a memoir that surveys her awakening and its processes, readers interested in self-help and awareness receive many insights into the pitfalls and possibilities of cultivating a new perspective, than translating that into relationship and life choices.

Libraries and readers interested in self-help and awareness will be the target audience for "Reclamation", but ideally it won't just repose on a library shelf. It should ideally become an active part of book club, psychology, self-help, and growth-oriented discussion groups interested in especially candid revelations about the process of growth and the bigger pictures involved in seeking transformation. "This snapshot we have in our moment right now is just one small sliver of what is unfolding."

When the Rivers Flowed
Marilyn Layman Mascaro
Warren Publishing
www.warrenpublishing.net
9781960146175, $18.95

https://www.amazon.com/Rivers-Flowed-Marilyn-Layman-Mascaro/dp/1960146173

As a child, Marilyn Layman Mascaro listened to family stories told by her grandmother. When the Rivers Flowed: An Ambitious Hillbilly And A Southern Flapper Discover Knoxville, Tennessee seeps from this foundation wellspring of knowledge to involve biography readers in the story of changing times in America, from the race riots of the 1920s to life in then-smaller-town Knoxville as it experienced sea changes in economics and social condition.

Readers seeking regional histories of cultural and social evolution in America could find no finer mirror of experience than Knoxville. Mascaro demonstrates this with a riveting blend of American history and local influence that brings these times and experiences to life through her family's history and involvements.

Of particular interest are the contrasts in class and social status that influence Earl and Marie's relationship early on. These are reflective of both community sentiments and the morals of the times.

Readers who would better understand the history and culture of the South and the political and economic forces that shaped it should begin with the personal stories narrated and contrasted in When the Rivers Flowed. Its ability to bring these times and influences to life makes for a stroll past newspaper headlines and into the lives of individuals who navigated the Great Depression and the social changes that buffeted their worlds. The resulting tale is compelling, personalizing history with lives that both reflect and defy some of the influences of their times.

Libraries seeking biographies of proactive individuals who both represent and depart from their Southern roots will find When the Rivers Flowed a powerful story that belays any thought that Knoxville's history or lives are staid.

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