The outlier, really, is Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King. I don’t read tons of non-fiction, but I do enjoy learning more about the Civil Rights Movements in the United States and becoming better informed about African American history. When you look at the major players from he Civil Rights era, Thurgood Marshall ranks at the top. When Marshall argued, and won, the Brown versus the Board of Education case in 1954 to the Supreme Court, it overturned Plessy versus Ferguson from 1896, which established the concept of separate but equal. It was an enormous moment for our country. In Devil in the Grove, King helps illustrate that the win was many, many years in the making.
Devil in the Grove focuses on a murder and subsequent arrests, and murders, in Florida. The case, with any twists and turns, is interesting. What was more compelling for me, though, was to learn about Marshall and his approach to justice. He played a long-game. Many times over he went into cases knowing he would lose them but trying to help set precedent for future cases. Trial by trial, he built up to ending the concept of separate but equal. Given the circumstances in which he was working, it’s pretty remarkable that he could maintain that focus.
I wouldn’t gift this book to many people I know. At times it is dry and it is packed full of detail. I passed it on to my father, though, and he was immediately hooked. If you like history and biographies, and especially if you’d like to fill in some gaps in your understanding of contemporary American history, I recommend Devil in the Grove.
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When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt is a book I received for free from LibraryThing as part of a celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of the book’s publication. I picked it from my stack of books as something to read because I wanted something very light. The back-of-the-book summary included, “Fatty, fatty, two by four. Can’t get through the kitchen door,” which is mean but pretty much foretold what I could expect from the book. It’s not politically correct. It’s cute. It’s aimed at a very young audience. It’s listed at being for kids ages 10 to 14, which I feel is old given the storyline. But I wanted light and I got light.
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I enjoyed The Giver and was thrilled when I learned it had three companion novels. I’ve only read the first of those, Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. I was expecting a story that continued the adventure from The Giver so it took me a bit of time to understand what was happening – that Gathering Blue is it’s own, standalone story. (Or, at least, I think it is!) It’s a modern day parable that reminds me of the Narnia Chronicles. The books aren’t anything alike, but do try to convey lessons. Lowry isn’t heavy-handed in religious references like C.S.Lewis was, but there is still a sense of right versus wrong, accompanied by magic. I’m thrilled knowing the next two books are sitting near by bed but am trying to limit how fast I read all of the books. Soon, though!
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Some reviews of The Magicians by Lev Grossman talk about the book ripping off, or failing to rise to the greatness of, the Harry Potter books. Having not read those (I know … no lectures, please), I was impressed with how Grossman paid homage to his predecessors. The Lord of the Rings and Narnia Chronicles seemed well-referenced and revered. I spent so much time reading about Narnia and loved Tolkien’s novels when I was younger that reading The Magicians was like visiting somewhere known and comfortable.
I enjoyed it so much and am thrilled it’s part of a trilogy so I can read more about magic and adventures in the land of Fillory.
