Audio Book: Dreams from My Father

Dreams from My Father:
A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama

Length: 7 hrs 13 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: After reading Elizabeth the Queen, I was on a world-leaders biography kick. Since I've always been a little fascinated by Barack Obama's dual status as politician and celebrity, this one seemed a good choice. Throw in the fact that it is READ BY THE AUTHOR AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE SWEET BUTTER, it was a no-brainer.

Basic Premise: This memoir begins with Barack's grandparents and follows through to his wedding to Michelle Obama. It does not, as I assumed it would, address his presidency, or even his senate seat. It was published in 2004, as you may notice, 5 years before Obama took office. (For the record, I did not notice and had to look it up.) It focuses on his father, the void his absence left in Barack's childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, and his journey to finding the role his father's legacy would eventually play in his larger life.

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
First of all, I don't care what the book is about - if Barack Obama is speaking, I'm listening. There were actually a few times I got caught up in the timbre of his silky smoothness that I realized I didn't know what was going on and had to go back. 

Voice-appeal aside, this book was far more interesting that I had expected. I think I knew his mother was from Kansas, but I had never really thought much about it. When describing his parents, he drew on his mother's Kansas roots when he contrasted her to his Kenyan father. As his maternal grandparents were instrumental in his upbringing, it was neat to read about the role Kansas played in their lives. I also had no idea that he spent several years of his young life in Indonesia, a country I visited last year and to which I have some family ties. But I particularly enjoyed his early years struggling as a community planner in Chicago prior to the meteoric rise we all know about. He had to work closely with churches and church leaders, and his spiritual development, while not discussed at length in the book, is an object of fascination. The book's primary focus is on his father, and during this time in his life, he takes a trip to Kenya to meet his father's family, including brothers and sisters. This trip proved very formative in his journey to find a place for his father in his own life.

I was disappointed that it stopped so soon, but it did pique my interest about reading The Audacity of Hope. Unfortunately, it was not available on Overdrive, nor was Michelle's biography.
:(
Maybe some day!

Book: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

Length: 264

Format: Paperback
Price:  $11.24 on Amazon
How I Heard: This title was the only one I had heard of on my Ethnic Literature course list. (And the only one that gets its own post!)

Basic Premise: Janie Crawford has led a sheltered and rather privileged existence for a colored girl under the pear tree with her grandmother. When her ailing grandmother convinces her to marry, however, that charmed existence goes up in smoke as Janie learns to navigate the wider world of work and strength and men. 

My Take: 9.8 out of 10 (scale here)
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I read it amidst a list of books which left me angry and confused, but this one left me feeling real and hurt and loved and free, which is really what books should do. I can't believe I had never had occasion to read it before this class.

First of all, I fell head-over-heels for Janie. Her poise and self-control, coupled with her sharp wit and discretion made her a quick object of my admiration, mainly because I posses none of those things. The hardships she endures at the hands of the men in her life make her better instead of bitter, and it makes things all the better when she finally does find happiness. But oh the happiness...I don't want to give anything away, but ohmygoodness...you just have to read it. Really, you should.

Hurston's dialogue was read-out-loud hard, and when I couldn't figure it out even then, I found the book on Hoopla and listened to Ruby Dee's BRILLIANT rendition. (Truly, if you are interested in this book, let Ruby read it to you.) Hurston is famous for her use of Southern dialect. She is also famous for being utterly unappreciated in her own time. The woman died on welfare, struggling to make ends meet because her brilliance wasn't recognized until well after her death. Because Hurston wasn't writing about race in the Harlem Renaissance (which, if you're unfamiliar with the movement, was about racial inequality), she was shunted to the side in favor of others who were. Hurston, instead, was writing about identity, feminism, and independence (and I know this because I did a paper and a presentation on Hurston and am now an expert). 

I gave this a 9.8 only because I suspect the fact that all the other books for this class were so horrible had a pull on my emotions and therefore may have inflated my experience a bit. Regardless, this was a truly excellent book that will go down as one of my all-time favorites.

Audio Book: Elizabeth the Queen

Elizabeth the Queen:
The Life of a Modern Monarch
by Sally Bedell Smith

Length: 21 hrs 20 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: I read Diana, Her True Story because I stumbled upon it at the library, but I was looking for a biography on the queen. When I saw this one on Overdrive, I thought PERFECT. 

Basic Premise: This biography of Elizabeth II chronicles the queen's life and reign, beginning with the abdication of her uncle, Edward the VIII, the reluctant reign of her father, George VI, and her premature ascension to the throne at the age of 26. It follows through her marriage and family life, the larger diplomatic and societal struggles of her reign, and the challenges her children and their spouses have posed to the monarchy. Having been published in 2012, it would seem that it concludes somewhat prematurely.

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)
Obviously, because of my extensive knowledge on the queen gleaned from watching The Crown, I fancied myself the expert. (Did you appreciate my very British phrasing there?) Having recently watched the second season, I can say there were few surprises. However, as I went on, I realized I was, in effect, getting spoilers. My expertise really starts in the 80s, so the rest of the 60s and all of the 70s was a blank slate. It was interesting to see the things the show included and skipped as opposed to Smith's account. There were a few that weren't mentioned in the biography, which caused me to wonder about their historical accuracy. (There is a historical companion to the show, but I have not read it. I put it on my Christmas list, but then I thought that was displaying my obsession a little too broadly, so I took it off.) Overall, though, the picture of the queen, painted both by the show and this biography, is that she is the essence of poise and dignity, but isn't afraid to ride her horses, yell at the races, adjust to the times, and occasionally (though rarely), do the unexpected.

I haven't figured out royal biographies yet. This was clearly an unauthorized biography, although Smith has met Queen Elizabeth several times. She frequently quoted Charles's biographer, or Philip's biographer, so there is some sort of official capacity for biographers, I just haven't figured that system out. I don't know if the biographer is assigned by the palace, or whether the object picks someone they like, or whether Queen Elizabeth's official biography has been all but completed and he/she is just waiting for the queen to kick the bucket...? I don't know. Either way, I was pretty pleased with this one. There were times where I felt she was stretching, grasping for something meaningful to report, but overall, I liked it. Smith has also written a biography of Princess Diana and has recently released a biography of Prince Charles. Having just read about (and frankly, feeling a little tired of) Diana, I'm not really up for that one, and as Charles is perhaps the royal personality I find least interesting, I'll be skipping that one, too. Maybe if she writes one on Kate, Meghan, or one of the boys...

Audio Book: Love Warrior

Love Warrior
by Glennon Doyle

Length: 7 hrs 45 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard:  I follow her on Instagram since reading Carry On Warrior

Basic Premise: This memior chronicles the story of Glennon's marriage, how she handled her husband's shocking infidelity, and how she was able to rise and continue with her marriage, raising their three children, and living life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I fully intended to read this book right after it came out, but I got busy and then kind of forgot. And then I was playing that game where your last audio book has expired and the book you really want isn't available, so you sort of search whatever you can think of that sounds interesting because you don't want to start doing laundry and going on your morning walk without one. Somehow this one popped up and was available, so I snagged it. I knew this book was about Glennon's marriage. I also knew her marriage ended the week the book was released. Lastly, knowing Glennon through her other book, her blog, and her social media presence, I knew it would be very poignant and honest.

Love Warrior did not disappoint. It was raw and authentic (and included language that would have made listening out loud difficult with my kids around) and gut-wrenching, as her writing usually is. It was also wonderfully simple, as her writing usually is. She can say a lot with only a few words, and her skill puts her right up there with Lewis in my book. Her circumstances, flanked by her history with substance abuse and eating disorders discussed at length in Carry On Warrior, and revisited to a lesser extent in this book, are the sort you would see in a movie. Maybe one day, we will!

Listening to a book is always different than reading it. Glennon reads it herself (another thing I love about audio books...when the author reads it!), and she has a high, sort of tinny voice. As I always listen to books at at least 1.25 speed, she sounded a little like a chipmunk. I had to slow it down to curb the effect. But otherwise, I really did enjoy this book. It's hard for me to fathom an experience like the one she describes here (and I both hope and expect to keep it that way!), but reading books like this, in addition to increasing my compassion, makes me grateful for my own blessings.

Book: The Magnolia Story

The Magnolia Story
by Chip & Joanna Gaines

Length: 208

Format: Hardback
Price:  A Christmas gift from my kids!
How I Heard:  A Christmas gift from my kids!

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
This was a cute story about two cute people with a cute show. Cute is really the adjective. I read up on this book to see whether I wanted to read it. Our family loves to watch their show together (and there aren't very many shows that we can say that about...I think the only other one is "Dick Van Dyck") and the reviews were pretty brutal. It's true that the writing was not top-notch, but she's a designer, not a writer, so I feel like that's okay...? Anyway, the kids thought it would make a good Christmas present, and they were right. I really enjoyed it - it was a quick, fun read. Perfect for winter break!

The story is told by both Chip and Joanna (the font changes to indicating who is talking), but 80+% of the narrative is Joanna, with Chip piping in every once in a while. It begins with an accidental and humorous anecdote that resulted in the birth of their TV show, and then goes back to the start of their relationship. In equal measures, I would call it interesting, funny, entertaining, and inspiring. But there are also some eyeroll-worthy moments. For example, it was commonplace for Chip to sell something or buy something or do something huge without talking to his wife. Her attitude toward the whole thing seems to be, "Just go with it," which doesn't seem realistic to me at all. Maybe that's because I would never dream of doing something like that to my spouse, and I would murder him if he did something like that to me...?

Anyway, I liked this book. I will probably keep it instead of selling or giving it away (which is what I usually do with books), so that's a pretty good mark of how much I enjoyed it.