Teaser Tuesday: The Fruit of Her Hands

The Fruit of Her Hands: the Story of Shira of Ashkenaz, Pocket Books, 2009.

"My heart ached for Papa. I forgave him for all the times he had yearned for a boy - times when I felt disappointed that I was not enough for him." p. 55

This story of Shira, the wife of Rabbi Meir in 13th century Europe is based on author Michelle Cameron's research into her family tree. In the book Shira grows up to meet and marry Rabbi Meir and raise a family in the midst of pogroms and anti-Semitism in the 13th century.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Choose two sentences from your current read, and add the author and title for readers. Anyone can join in.

(Book received from the publisher for later review).

Book Review: Painting the Invisible Man by Rita Schiano

A memoir about a Mafia family written as contemporary historical fiction, Painting the Invisible Man by Rita Schiano is based on her own story of growing up with the memory of a father killed by the Mafia.

This is the second or third novel I've come across that is basically a memoir but written as fiction, to avoid claims of inaccuracies.

From the publicist: " In Rita Schiano's compelling novel, Painting the Invisible Man, (the author) explores her own past through fiction rather than memoir. She wanted to avoid the debacle that James Frey created over his memoir, A Million Little Pieces, where inaccuracies and exaggerations invalidated the telling of a true story....Painting the Invisible Man takes readers on a journey inside the world of a struggline Italian family on the fringes of the Mafia."

In the novel, the main character Anna Matteo discovers newspaper articles about the killing of her father two decades earlier. She sets out to find the truth behind her father's murder and the exoneration of the supposed triggerman. However, this is not a mystery novel, but a story of a father-daughter relationship, what the daughter discovers about her father after his death, and her reaction to those involved with his killing and the murder trial that followed.

This is a valuable insight, I think, into one family and the consequences of their connections to the Mafia underworld. It's also about coming to terms with one's family history and past.

"I'll never know if my father, in the last moments of his life, prayed for forgiveness, atoned for his past mistakes. I do know that in resurrecting his memory - and my memories - I have found forgiveness and have been forgiven."

The book is also about a writer and the muse she has adopted - another writer of family secrets, Amy Tan. It is also about pushing oneself to put down words on paper in the process of becoming a writer.

"Okay, Abba, focus," I tell myself.
Family secrets. Family sectets are skeletons in the closet, are 'ills that flesh are heirs to.' I write this down. Secrets are hurtful. Secrets cause harm. Secrets wound. I add this to the page."

I found the character of Anna Matteo intriguing. She writes about her gay relationships and her family history with equal candor. Remembering that the novel is both memoir and fiction, one can't help but wonder how much is truth and how much fictionalized. I recommend the book for readers interested in the Mafia, the writing of memoirs, and the emergence of a writer.

Rita Schiano is a freelance writer and author of the novel, Sweet Bitter Love, 1997.
(Received from the author/publicist for review)

Movie vs. Book: The Time Traveler's Wife

I know The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger got many rave reviews so I chose to see the movie today although I had really felt like watching a light film about food, Julia and Julie, which is also in the theaters.

That may be the reason I didn't enjoy The Time Traveler's Wife. I found it depressing, not just sad. It also combines many different genres and is confusing as a result. It was a Back to the Future type of fantasy, plus a tragedy and a romance, in addition to being science fiction (with the seriousness of Frankenstein but without the horror aspects). I came out of the film feeling unsatisfied and a bit distressed, as I had been looking forward to an entertaining afternoon with the likes of Meryl Streep in a film about cooking.

I haven't read either book as yet. Maybe The Time Traveler's Wife has really excellent prose, and there may even be pathos in Julie and Julia, which I plan to read. I may skip The Time Traveler's Wife, but I know many readers will want to read it for the same reasons I didn't like it in the film.

Book Review: Possible Futures, Creative Thinking for the Speed of Life, a review

I liked the premise of this book, Possible Futures: Creative Thinking for the Speed of Life by Jude Treder-Wolff and agreed to review it after reading a synopsis by the author/publicist. Those who wonder about the direction our wired society is taking us, will be challenged by the author's ideas that "technology overload" and "social media fatigue" should be balanced by creativity and "real life" social connectedness.

Possible Futures poses a serious and relevant question to the "Facebook generation" and answers it: Are we becoming too disconnected from real life and being driven at too fast a speed by new, fast-paced technology - communicating instantly, for instance, via computers, television, our cell phones, and other electronic devices? Are we ignoring our mental and physical well-being by the "consumer culture" that urges us to do nothing more than spend more and possess more? Why does all this matter? The author feels that our experiences can and do change and affect the brain and how it functions, and these changes affect us psychologically and emotionally. These arguments certainly made sense to me.

Treder-Wolff has a solution or an antidote for the fast pace of our modern times. Creativity counts! Her answer:

" Our brains are designed for creative challenge. Our souls crave meaning. The human mind is juiced by experiences that combine novely/mystery with emotional involvement and a feedback loop of some kind, such as music, theater, comedy, dance/movement, play. Any kind of creative experience will do, whether it is scientific research or making an experimental papaya pizza or redesigning the baby's room to make better use of space, but the most direct route to the learning/expansion wellspring of feel-good brain chemicals is the artistic experience itself." (ch. 4, p. 59)

Jude Treder-Wolff is a licensed clinical social worker, creative arts therapist, and certified group psychotherapist. She also does play writing and acting. I was impressed by how well her work is researched and documented, supported by almost 18 pages of references. I think the book presents some serious challenges to our 21st century way of life and her conclusions are well worth examining.

Maybe book bloggers can pat themselves on the back for using technology and social media, and being creative all at the same time!

Author: Jude Treder-Wolff
Paperback: 174 pages
Publisher: Lifestage, Inc.
First edition (October 8, 2008)

Wordless Wednesday, Aug. 19

Quiet time with water and mountains, all in calming blue!

Review: Rooftops of Tehran: A Novel by Mahbod Seraji

The Rooftops of Tehran

From the publisher's description:

"In a middle class neighborhood in Iran's sprawling capital city, seventeen-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend, Ahmed, joking around and talking about the future. Even as Pasha asks burning questions about life, he also wrestles with a burning secret. He has fallen in love with his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. And despite Pasha's guilt ridden feelings for her, over the long, hot days his tentative friendship with Zari deepens into a rich emotional bond.

But the bliss of those perfect stolen months is shattered in a single night, when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah's secret police. The violent consequences, awakens Pasha and his friends to the reality of living under the rule of a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice from which Pasha may never fully recover.

In a poignant, funny, eye-opening and emotionally vivid debut novel, Mahbod Seraji lays bare the beauty and brutality infused in the centuries old Persian culture, while reaffirming the human experiences we all share: laughter, tears, love, fear, and above all, hope."

This is a touching love story of two young people who have deep feelings for each other in spite of tradition and custom that have made other plans for them, and despite political circumstances that also change their fate. Pasha and Zari are neighbors whose innocent and seemingly carefree summer suddenly becomes serious and tragic.

"And so every night, Zari and I get together on the roof. I never see her. She sits on her side of the wall, and I on mine. Ten centimeters of brick separate us, but I can almost feel her warmth. I press my palms against the wall and imagine I'm touching the curves of her face."

The author, Mahbod Seraji, is working on a second novel and says that he may write a sequel to Rooftops of Tehran, continuing where Pasha and Zari left off. We can only hope he does that! I gave this book four stars.

(Book given by the publisher for my objective review).

Book Review: Sweet Mary, a Novel by Liz Balmaseda

"Sweet Mary shimmers with authentic Florida heat," says author Carl Hiaasen, right on the glossy front cover of the book. This arrived in the mail and is a new novel I'm looking forward to reading.

The plot revolves around a case of mistaken identity. In this case, a woman with a long name, Dulce Maria "Mary" Guevara, is accused of being a "cocaine queen" and sets out to clear her name by going after the real culprit. This begins a set of adventures in Florida!

The author, Liz Balmaseda, is a Cuban-American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works for The Palm Beach Post. She knows Florida and her territory. Sweet Mary is her first novel.

Update:I've finished the book, a fairly quick read. I found the plot pretty predictable and the book a "routine" mystery. There are no twists or turns in the story line, no violence per se, and no elaborate endings. A nice mystery that's definitely not a thriller as initial descriptions may have suggested.

Enjoyable, especially for the portrayal of a divorced mother trying to clear her name so she can take care of her son Max while avoiding any new conflicts with her ex-husband Tony and his new wife. Tony tried to get sole custody of Max while Sweet Mary was in jail and even after charges against her as the "cocaine queen" were dropped.

An answer to a plot query from Michael re the plot: Mary set out to prove her innocence so she could regain joint custody of Max and avoid a drawn out custody battle with said ex! A lot of people will find her quite a sympathetic character. Great mom! I do recommend this for a nice summer read!

(Book received from the publisher for my objective review.)