January 2024 MBR The Biography Shelf

The Biography Shelf

Race Consciousness
Carol E. Leutner
https://carolleutner.com
MegaShift Publishing
9781087884783, $20.00 Paper/$9.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Consciousness-Personal-Political-Journey/dp/B0CFZJ59XD

Many books have been written about racial issues, but few adopt the reasoned and balanced juxtaposition between political and personal experience as Carol E. Leutner in Race Consciousness: A Personal and Political Journey.

Leutner grew up in Baltimore in the 1960s, a product of her times and the evolving racial consciousness that led her on many different paths. She worked with the Navajo Nation, which solidified her perceptions of systemic and ongoing racism, and then entered into an interracial marriage where she raised two biracial daughters, all the while absorbing the social and political consciousness of her times.

As part of this ongoing process, she reflected that knowledge back into her choices, actions, and observations. Leutner's memoir of personal empowerment and relationship-building creates a dialogue that moves between experience, ideals, and difficult choices made in navigating a biased system. Her political encounters and efforts lend a particularly intriguing piece to the larger puzzle of confronting systemic racism under all kinds of settings.

As her years in development work and law evolve, Leutner is continually challenged to reinvent her life, her goals, and her abilities as she decides which battles are worth fighting and when to set them aside for greater goals. These insights and their accompanying social and political revelations are particularly powerful when they are couched in personal experience and historical precedent outlined by one who lived these times and navigated these experiences.

All these facets contribute to a powerful story that deserves a prominent place not just in libraries strong in women's memoirs, but in discussion groups tackling issues of systemic racism and the influence and incarnation of racial politics in American society.

On God's Path
David Henry Maring
BookBaby
9798350908534, $19.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Path-Journey-Outhouse-Courthouse/dp/B0CLXGRPZZ

On God's Path: My Journey From The Outhouse To The Courthouse is a life memoir that spans over thirty years and many changes, documenting how David Henry Maring was blessed in his life with supportive, strong parents, equally "trustworthy and kind" siblings, and a Christian faith that grew with him over the years, from age ten onward.

His memoir, more so than most personal stories, lays hands on the spiritual nature of Christian foundations in family life and how these translated to choices and reactions to the world at large. Thus, his life story doesn't just evolve into, but represents the kind of steadfast faith that drives every facet of his personal and professional worlds.

Maring incorporates the reflections and experiences of his family, starting with his mother's early reminiscences of her choices to have six children (against medical advice) to consider how a work ethic and philosophy in her own life translated to building strong values in her children. His mother's early memories of her own upbringing and the structure she brought to Maring's world moves readers from early childhood to growing up with a self-employed father who worked seven days a week to make his small gas station a success.

It then reveals the rituals of rural America, from traveling fairs to early efforts to earn money and friends. Many of these memories are of bygone years that will seem odd to current generations, as Maring presents experiences nobody born in recent decades could have: "Other memories on Ashland are of a world that no longer exists. Like the man bringing a block of ice several times a week."

The heart of this story lies in how religion guides Maring's family and their lives as he traces moves, different churches, and family interactions with a few surprising revelations. Other important points lie in how Maring sojourns from a strong home foundation into the wider world, there to encounter distinctions among people that lead him to further cement not just his ambitions, but his determination to fine-tune his life.

Some of these experiences offer readers marked (perhaps even controversial, and good fodder for group discussion) insights on the life encounters that shaped Maring's psyche. From pressures to pursue a military career to financial challenges that plagued the aspiring young lawyer's uncertain career, Maring pulls no punches in describing his life and faith with an immediacy and honesty that will draw readers into the roots of his choices.

What do justice and injustice have to do with following God's path? Plenty, because Maring hones moral and ethical behaviors in the process of becoming a justice server that reflects his strong passion for the basic tenants of God's word: "I believe that God's plan for my life was realized by my public service in the judiciary. Throughout my legal career, I pushed reform. God's hand was upon me as I outmaneuvered powerful political forces and brought quick, speedy justice to our citizens by my rulings and orders."

Few memoirs capture the lifelong experience of choosing and reflecting God's path. Fewer are specific about the incarnation of God's desires within the context of the judicial system. On God's Path thus will reach beyond the usual Christian memoir reader and into circles of legal debate and discussion revolving around issues of justice and personal conviction. It deserves a prominent place in any library collection devoted to legal and judicial experiences.

Cast Your Footsteps
Agnes Mae Geisenhoner and Martha Voorhees
Independently Published
9798862007541, $26.99 Hardcover, $15.99 Paper, $5.99 Kindle, 549pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cast-Footsteps-Agnes-Geisenhoner-Russell/dp/B0CJL28LQ1

It's not unusual to pay tribute to bygone years and a family member via publishing their writings. What deserves special note in Cast Your Footsteps is its vigorous and uplifting notes of just why Agnes Mae Geisenhoner proved such a lasting force in her family and, via her words here, to the world.

Her granddaughter, who persevered in bringing her grandmother's gift to publishing fruition, explains her motivations for this pursuit. The tapestry of family experiences and history is woven upon the choices, stands, and commitments of prior generations whose leadership can prove a beacon to not just the family, but those outside its borders. These examples rarely come to light with such an enthusiastic display of experience, which is one of the hallmarks of this story.

The account reads with the drama of fiction, and also captures the major turning points, influences, and choices of a woman whose wish to have her words published was thwarted by running out of time to choose a publisher. From her early formative years as a 1800s farm daughter to the evolution of her love of history and family and her firm convictions that the underdog deserved respect and support in the wider world, Agnes Mae Geisenhoner represents not just the influences of the past, but the moral and ethical drives which honed her choices.

Her granddaughter only knew her for twenty years of that life, so discovering this written legacy (Cast Your Footsteps) provided a treasure trove of knowledge that assumes additional relevance and power when sent into the wider reading world for outside eyes to absorb. Family ties and times come to life through Geisenhoner's observations, from group fishing trips and the many places she visited and lived in to the encounters and relationships she cultivated, which were changed by the mettle of her convictions and growth.

History also comes to life under Geisenhoner's experiences. Family relationships assume three-dimensional form while the social issues which form from her convictions are powerfully captured in a manner modern audiences will well understand.

More so than most memoirs, Cast Your Footsteps is a tribute to not just a grandmother, but her family's lives and love. The multifaceted life and talents of this woman and the juxtaposition of family-growing moments with life-changing events makes for a powerful tribute that should be part of any book club discussion of family legacies.

Genealogy groups, in particular, will be fascinated with the idea of how living history is created from family ties generations later. Cast Your Footsteps is also highly recommended for libraries interested in accessible, appealing, powerful stories of bygone eras and the people who lived, loved, and celebrated their moments.

The Ride of My Life
Justin DeLoretto
DartFrog Blue
https://dartfrogbooks.com
9781961624177, $25.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook, 228pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ride-My-Life-Street-Motorcycle/dp/1961624176

The Ride of My Life: From Street Gangs to Motorcycle Clubs to Social Worker provides a powerful memoir about street gang and motorcycle club life that incorporates an unusual message about the life values such gangs can reinforce. One doesn't typically think of gangs in a positive light, but Justin DeLoretto's presentation of the pros and cons of gang activity and life translates to a vivid inspection that is eye-opening and thoroughly engrossing.

From its opening lines, The Ride of My Life captures the realities and illusions of DeLoretto's experience in a captivating manner readers will easily understand. DeLoretto's clarity in exploring the line between common perceptions of bikers and clubs and its reality creates a series of insights anyone interested in social issues and gang activity will need to know; especially because: "What most Americans know about motorcycling clubs is what they read in the press or see in television news bulletins. The biker life the press and TV describe often has very little to do with the life bikers actually lead."

As he reviews the values and perceptions that motivate and reinforce this community, readers receive a wider-ranging series of insights on clubs, support groups, and peer influences than most accounts of motorcycling even begin to offer. DeLoretto's transitions from club life to being a social worker bring readers along for a heady ride, contrasting environments which may seem polar opposites to outsiders, but which actually hold many facets in common.

His unique background lends to observations about the job and his clients which come not from the usual middle-class experience, but from the fringes of social experience. This, in turn, translates to invaluable observations about the effectiveness of his work and position: "They listened to what I had to say, and they said whatever experience and other people told them we wanted to hear, but it was just role playing. They had no real intention of changing. Working with people like that - trying to change the habits of people who have no intention of changing - can be soul destroying. It's the kind of thing that gets you wondering why you bothered to come in in the morning."

While The Ride of My Life might seem a memoir designed to appeal to anyone with a background in motorcycle clubs or gangs, its special value lies in examination, honesty, and self-inspections that make it particularly and highly recommended for those aspiring to make social work more effective. College-level classrooms tackling all kinds of subjects, from counterculture and alternative living to memoirs that capture growth and values, as well as students of social work and counseling, will find The Ride of My Life powerful, gritty, candid, and hard to put down.

A Search for Sanity One Step at a Time
Evelyn Leite, MHR, LPC
Living With Solutions
9798988772705, $12.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Search-Sanity-One-Step-Time/dp/B0CHGG2KJQ

Anyone who has struggled with addiction well knows that efforts to escape life can lead from denial to self-destruction. Finding the way out of these patterns of life engagement can be difficult, as Evelyn Leite demonstrates in her memoir A Search for Sanity One Step at a Time.

Unlike similar-sounding accounts of recovery, Leite adds an unexpected component to revelations of her life experiences -- that addiction holds a spiritual side that can eventually lead to not just a way out, but a better relationship with God. The blend of religious inspection and the routes of the recovery process receive inspiring personal insights as Leite's life unfolds.

It's unusual to find such a specific story that reviews the dual process of spiritual discovery and recovery, but Leite's words capture both, dovetailing them in ways that are candid, revealing, and thought-provoking: "I want to trust that Jesus died for me, and I'm feeling huge relief, but a part of me is still dubious. Deep inside me is this voice declaring, 'This is garbage. Why would you believe it?'"

Damned, blessed, or crazy? These are some of the labels Leite struggles with as she moves towards enlightenment, revising her ways of dealing with relationship crisis and life itself. The journey towards the light of realization and a new life approach receives powerful analysis in this story, which will inspire others mired in addiction. This audience receives a beacon of promise while following Leite's path away from trauma. In short, her memoir opens doors for readers via example, providing a key to redemption that follows her from making troubled choices to enlightenment.

Libraries and readers looking at faith-based stories of recovery and revelation will find A Search for Sanity hard-hitting, brutally honest, and filled with promise.

Urban Nomad
Freddie Kelvin
Tread Softly Press
9798842756346, $14.95 Paper/$4.95 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Nomad-Memoir-Freddie-Kelvin/dp/B0B9STGJFD

Urban Nomad: A Memoir follows the life of British author Freddie Kelvin, whose family escaped the Nazis and fled to England. In too many ways, Freddie is a major contrast to his parents, rejecting his Jewish roots and any plans for a conventional life to assume the trajectory of a wanderer. His explorations of self and the world evolve in this story, where he jumps between various careers and countries with astute cultural reflections on revised opportunities and choices.

Peppered with black and white photos that capture the high points of his experiences, Urban Nomad arrives with the passion and perspectives of a man whose search for self embraces family, different cultures, and social issues and experiences within and between nations. These reflections emerge as he considers the consequences of his professional and personal growth and forms new realizations.

The result is more than a personal travelogue, but a growth experience that follows a young man's entry into the world with an astute juxtaposition of personal, professional, and political wanderlust. Libraries and readers seeking a story of growth that embraces more than individual experience, traversing disparate landscapes that add their own special flavors of revelation and understanding into the mix, will find Urban Nomad an absorbing read. It will attract leisure readers as well as those interested in bigger-picture reflections and thinking.

Better Dirty Than Done
Rick Czaplewski, author
Michelle Gamble, editor
3L Publishing & PR
http://3lpublishing.com/3l
9798218293567, $19.95, PB, 154pp

https://www.amazon.com/Better-Dirty-Than-Done-Czaplewski/dp/B0CL164HW7

Synopsis: Already facing a wretched cancer diagnosis, Rick Czaplewski is a young man whose prospects for survival are dim as he learns his treatments have not worked. Writing against the clock, he feverishly authors a story of profound joy and sadness exploring the life he could have lived.

Desperately told, his story takes you through poignant memories, intimate relationships, and fantastical triumphs in a quest to make sense of it all and leave a legacy behind.

An inherently fascinating and inspiring memoir, "Better Dirty Than Done" will have readers questioning the value of how they are spending their own time. What would they do if their life suddenly had an imminent expiration date?

Critique: A compelling and vividly written reflection on both the fragility of life and its limitless potential for joy, "Betty Dirty Than Done" is beautifully told through an authentic, intimate and personal voice. Simply stated, with the editorial assistance of Michelle Gamble, "Better Dirty Than Done" by Rick Czaplewski is an inspirationally motivating read from start to finish for anyone seeking to make sense of their life. Unique, authentic, and one of those life stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Better Dirty Than Done" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library American Biography/Memoir collections.

General Joseph Warren Revere
William R. Chemerka
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9781629337876, $50.00, HC, 324pp

https://www.amazon.com/General-Joseph-Warren-Revere-hardback/dp/1629337870

Synopsis: Joseph Warren Revere was a grandson of the legendary Paul Revere. He served in the U.S. Navy; circumnavigated the globe; raised the first American flag in Sonoma, California during the Mexican War; battled pirates, sharks, and Indians; searched for gold; had a scandalous affair; joined the Union Army and received a court-martial for his actions at the Battle of Chancellorsville during the Civil War. And then he began the fight of his life.

With the publication of "General Joseph Warren Revere: The Gothic Saga of Paul Revere's Grandson", William R. Chemerka, (who is an award-winning educator, author, History Channel commentator, and recipient of the North Jersey Civil War Round Table's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012), brings the untold story of Revere's Gothic adventures to life in this detailed biography.

Critique: Featuring occasional B/W historical photos, three Appendices (Joseph Warren Revere and Family; Revere's Brigade within the Army of the Potomac's Order of Battle at Chancellorsville; Casualties in Revere's Brigade at the Battle of Chancellorsville), a ten page Bibliography, and a thirty page Index, "General Joseph Warren Revere: The Gothic Saga of Paul Revere's Grandson" is welcome contribution to the growing body of American Civil War Histories/Biographies. While a especially recommended pick for community and college/university library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "General Joseph Warren Revere: The Gothic Saga of Paul Revere's Grandson is also readily available in a paperback edition (9798656521581 $30.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.90).

Editorial Note: There is an extensive list of books by William R. Chemerka on the GoodReads website at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/111065.William_R_Chemerka

Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus
Lindsay Powell
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781848846173, $39.95, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Agrippa-Right-Hand-Caesar-Augustus/dp/1848846177

Synopsis: Marcus Agrippa (63 BC - 12 BC) personified the term 'right-hand man'. As Emperor Augustus' deputy, he waged wars, pacified provinces, beautified Rome, and played a crucial role in laying the foundations of the Pax Romana for the next two hundred years -- but he served always in the knowledge he would never rule in his own name. Why he did so, and never grasped power exclusively for himself, has perplexed historians for centuries.

In his teens he formed a lifelong friendship with Julius Caesar's great nephew, Caius Octavius, which would change world history. Following Caesar's assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC, Agrippa was instrumental in asserting his friend's rights as the dictator's heir. He established a reputation as a bold admiral, defeating Sextus Pompeius at Mylae and Naulochus (36 BC), culminating in the epoch-making Battle of Actium (31 BC), which eliminated Marcus Antonius and Queen Cleopatra as rivals. He proved his genius for military command on land by ending bloody rebellions in the Cimmerian Bosporus, Gaul, Hispania and Illyricum.

In Gaul Agrippa established the vital road network that helped turn Julius Caesar's conquests into viable provinces. As a diplomat, he befriended Herod the Great of Judaea and stabilized the East. As minister of works he overhauled Rome's drains and aqueducts, transformed public bathing in the city, created public parks with great artworks and built the original Pantheon.

Agrippa became co-ruler of the Roman Empire with Augustus and married his daughter Julia. His three sons were adopted by his friend as potential heirs to the throne. Agrippa's unexpected death in 12 BC left Augustus bereft, but his bloodline lived on in the imperial family, through Agrippina the Elder to his grandson Caligula and great grandson Nero.

With the publication of "Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus", historian Lindsay Powell is illustrated with color plates, figures and high quality maps. Powell also presents a penetrating new assessment of the life and achievements of the multifaceted man who put service to friend and country before himself.

Critique: Significantly enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informative Foreword by Stephen Saylor, illustrations and maps, two Appendices (Res Publica: The Commonwealth Systems of Government of the Late Roman Republic; Agrippa's Travels), a five page Glossary, a four page listing of Place Names, a three page listing of Ancient Sources, sixty-four pages of Notes, a thirteen page Bibliography, and an eleven page Index, "Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus " is a model of scholarship in both detailed documentation and research.

An exceptionally well written, organized and presented study, "Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus" is a significant and strongly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Ancient Roman History & Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus" is also available in a paperback edition (9781399024808, $26.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Editorial Note: Lindsay Powell (https://lindsay-powell.com) writes for Ancient History and Ancient Warfare magazine, and his articles have also appeared in Military Heritage and Strategy and Tactics. He is author of the highly acclaimed Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus, Germanicus: The Magnificent Life and Mysterious Death of Rome's Most Popular General and Eager for Glory: The Untold Story of Drusus the Elder, Conqueror of Germania, all published by Pen & Sword Books. His appearances include BBC Radio, British Forces Broadcasting Service, History Channel and HistoryHit.

Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens
Barbara E. Snedecor
University of Missouri Press
https://upress.missouri.edu
9780826222916, $50.00, HC, 414pp

https://www.amazon.com/Gravity-Selected-Letters-Langdon-Clemens/dp/0826222919

Synopsis: Deftly collected and edited by Barbara E. Nedecor, "Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens" is volume of letters written by the wife of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) -- Olivia Louise Langdon Clemens. She writes in her correspondence on her own terms, in her own voice, and as complementary partner to her world-famous spouse who wrote under the pseudonym of Mark Twain.

Olivia Celmens is revealed in her letters as an enduring friend, the mother to four children, a world traveler, and so much more. The frail woman often portrayed by scholars, biographers, and Twain himself is largely absent in these letters. Instead, Olivia (who Twain affectionately referred to as "Gravity" in their early correspondence) emerges as a resilient and energetic nineteenth-century woman, her family's source and center of stability, and a well of private and public grace in an ever-changing landscape.

Mark Twain's biography recounted in Olivia's letters offers new insights, and her captivating voice is certain to engage and enlighten readers.

Critique: A seminal work of original and meticulous scholarship, "Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens" is a major contribution to our understanding of the life and times of Samuel Clemens who the world will ever remember as the authentic American literary genium -- Mark Twain. Of special value to readers with an interest in women's biographies and 19th Century American literature, "Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental MarkTwain curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Gravity: Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $52.25).

Editorial Note: Barbara Snedecor (1929-2021) served for many years as Director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York. In addition to editing the second edition of Mark Twain in Elmira, she has contributed pieces to the Mark Twain Annual and American Literary Realism.

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