Golden Legacy by Leonard S. Marcus

Golden Legacy by Leonard S. Marcus is the story of Little Golden Books. How did they come to be, how did they change the market for children's books, whose careers did it start up, etc. I don't think I could gush enough about this book. It's absolutely beautiful. Marcus tells the story of the Western Publishing Company out of Racine, Wisconsin from its earliest beginnings. This small company started out just as printers but when the publishing company they printed a lot of books for collapsed, Western bought them out and embarked upon their colorful and successful career in children's books. The book is filled with breathtaking illustrations; it reminded me of everything that I loved about Little Golden Books as a little girl. And who doesn't have a favorite Little Golden Book? I think every child for the last 65 years has been impacted by these books. My mom still collects Eloise Wilkin books. My favorites were The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown and The Bunny Book by Richard Scarry. LGBs changed the children's book market by selling beautiful books for a price that parents could afford to purchase. At a quarter a piece, every child could own at least one, which encouraged reading at home. The books were also focused on the idea of writing for children about Here and Now as opposed to fairy tales. There are tales of the discovery of Richard Scarry and Gustaf Tenggren, and current children's authors as interviewed as to how LGBs impacted their lives and art. This would make a great Christmas present for any book collector, especially boomers who will be thrilled to see pictures from their childhood. As for me, it reminded me of the joy I found in these books as a child, and I've officially added them to my daughter's Christmas list.

One Drop by Bliss Broyard

One Drop by Bliss Broyard is the story of her father Anatole Broyard's passing as a white man. Bliss and her brother Todd were raised in uber-WASPy Connecticut with no idea as to their father's ancestry until he was on his death bed, and their mother forced the confession out of him. While Todd accepts the knowledge without much difficulty, Bliss is sent into a tailspin trying to figure out just how black she is and how she fits into the world around her because of it. Anatole, a daily book critic for the New York Times, is a powerful character: charismatic, suave, opinionated, and full of life. Bliss thought she knew him better than anyone, but the news of his secret makes her question everything she's ever known about him. The book is the culmination of sixteen years of research and genealogy to understand her father and both of his worlds: the one he turned his back on and the one he embraced. Bliss tells her story with surprising honesty and little guile. She relays stories of her own inherent racism with both surprise and sadness. As a high-schooler, Bliss had occasionally dropped the n-bomb and told racist jokes with her friends. Now with the news that she is black makes her confront her lingering prejudices. Bliss' research into her family's past is fantastic. She intersperses the stories of the Broyards with history putting the choices they made into contemporary context and giving depth to each character. Anatole's family was Creole in New Orleans, but his father fled with the onset of the devastating Jim Crow laws. His father, who had been a popular, powerful man in his neighborhood in New Orleans, was just another face in Brooklyn, and never recovered from the loss of community. Anatole's parents passed as white in order to keep jobs during the Depression, and he suffered for it. They lived in a black neighborhood where he was chased and beaten by boys with lighter skin. The anger from these incidents haunted Anatole until his death. He was hurt by his father's silence on the matter and determined to never let his children suffer like that. But Bliss does suffer, through rejection by her darker skinned cousins who never had the opportunity to pass, and through trying to figure out what box to check on forms: black or white? Anatole also suffers in that he seems to have made a Faustian bargain: he turned his back on his family and race and in return was never able to write with authenticity in the way he desired. His novel would never be finished. This is a fantastic book: easily read, great story, and eye-opening ideas. Bliss establishes the differences between Creole blacks and those who were slaves. While there is obvious racism between whites and blacks, less obvious is that of lighter skinned toward darker skinned blacks. Bliss never attacks her father for his choice, nor does she attack those who are angry with his choices. She presents the story of her father as a way for her to understand him better and in doing so offers the world the chance to question what does race really mean?

Home to Holly Springs

Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon is the first book in the Father Tim series. This book picks up shortly after the last Mitford book, Light From Heaven. Seventy year old Father Tim Kavanaugh has received a mysterious letter from his childhood home of Holly Springs, Mississippi saying simply: Come home. He left 38 years ago in anger and pain, but the letter haunts him and puts him on a 600 mile road trip to solve the mystery of the letter and bring healing to life-long wounds. First off, I've read a few reviews trashing this book for its coincidences and other trivial complaints, but what the readers are really upset about is that this isn't a Mitford book. While Cynthia and Dooley make appearances, this book is really about Father Tim becoming reconciled to his past. The storytelling is quite different than the Mitford books: in depth character study as opposed to sweet hometown dramedy. There are still quirky characters galore and Tim's honest faith and belief in the Lord. I really enjoyed reading this book. The dialog is terrific and perfect for the slow as molasses Southern feel of the book. Anyone who has read the Mitford series is familiar with Tim's anger toward his father. Here we begin to understand why Tim is so angry, but also why his father was who he was. Many mysteries are cleared up, but many more opportunities for storylines are opened. Yes, the coincidences run heavy, but God does tend to work that way sometimes. I was able to take all of them except for the final one involving Tommy Noles. My only other complaint: why on earth did Karon feel the need to give two people in Tim's past the same first name?? Two Peggy's makes for some awkward reading on occasion. There is one humorous editing error: Instead of saying that Cynthia was cleared to drive, it reads that she was clear to drink, making the rest of the sentence about her driving all over Memphis worth an unintentional giggle. Read this book with an open mind and don't expect Mitford. You won't be disappointed.

We Our On Our Own

We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin is the story of a young Hungarian Jewish woman and her small daughter struggling to survive through the Holocaust. Esther Levy is during her best to raise Lisa (really author Katin) while her husband Karoly is off fighting the Nazis during WWII. But one by one their freedoms are taken from them, including their right to own a dog or live in their apartment. Rather than go to a concentration camp, Esther fakes their deaths and flees into the countryside. She is forced to become the mistress of a Nazi commandant, raped by Russian soldiers, fights through a blizzard, and has an abortion. All in the quest to save her daughter's life. The scenes from the war are drawn in black and white with a charcoal feel to them. They are alternated with scenes from Lisa's life as a mother which are brightly colored, almost harshly so. The pictures are haunting and with a few simple strokes, Katin is able to bring remarkable depth and emotion to each frame. Several pages with the reunion of Karoly and Esther brought tears to my eyes and are examples of masterful storytelling. Another review here says that the book is pointless and doesn't have enough interest to merit publishing. I beg to differ. The Holocaust is such a huge tragedy that thinking about the death of 9 million is impossible to comprehend. But seeing the fight and heroics of a simple woman in the midst of the war brings home the destruction and devastation it brought. Not just to the landscape, but to the human spirit as well. It's a powerful story told about love and courage told with the same.