Not only do we get different time periods from the 40s, 60s, to 80s, but also different points of view. Manya/Molly travels into 1986 to warn her mother Anna about Chernobyl. Then the story backtracks to 1961 to Philadelphia where Molly is grappling with her adoptive parents’ secrecy regarding her birth mother Anna. Molly copes by drawing her own comic series featuring her birth mother as Atomic Anna. We learn the back story of Anna’s scientific genius back in 1938. The time travel was really interesting in that it felt like realistic fiction. When the “unified field theory” was explained in the book it actually made sense. We then find Anna searching for her granddaughter Raisa in the 80s. The long line of scientific genius within the female line of the family was so wonderful in that they each had a different area of expertise. The power of each character is made greater by the other characters. As you time travel through the pages, empathy and respect builds for all three women. This was such a nice read that felt dramatic but also fulfilling. I felt smarter by the end and the science and math discussed in the story are still an enigma to me. Atomic Anna puts a realistic yet dramatic spin to women in STEM pioneers.
Untethered by Laura Whitfield is an empowering book that shows that leading an exuberant life gives you the wisdom to be a better person. Laura chased down each dream she had as they shifted and changed even as she feared the messiness which may result. The guilt she had at living a wild and precious life showed that her loss of innocence gained her hard-earned wisdom. The down-to-earth trials and tribulations she wrote about facing empowered me to move past my own guilt and embrace the lessons I learned in life. By writing her detailed story with such openness it proves that by sharing our own faults and strengths, we can give strength to other girls and women to chase their dreams knowing it may be messy but will be okay. I loved this coming-of-age story that details Laura’s life from childhood to adulthood. The nostalgic stories reminded me of sunbathing with baby oil mixed with iodine in the Babe perfume spray. Other stories allowed me to live vicariously by imagining what it would have been like to move to a big city and try to become a model. The unapologetic way she disclosed all her sexual adventures allowed for an openness that took the guilt away from the discussion of sexuality. Her early adult life including marriage had me flipping the pages even faster. Towards the last ¼ of the book, I was in tears. I love her perfectly flawed parents and felt like I was reading about a close loved one. And then the end had me crying happy tears. This is such an important story to embrace as a daughter, sister, woman, mom, and even business person.
The female narrator adds a lot more inflection and drama than the male narrator. This starts out a bit slow. Ronald was definitely an interesting character and added the most mystery to the story. The landscape could have been described a bit more for those of us not as familiar with the landscape. Connie was a perfect character to exemplify a tragic person who brought a lot of her problems on herself. I wish Cathy would have been developed more before she was kidnapped so we cared more about her. Overall, it could have been a bit quicker paced.
Did you have a coach or teacher who went way above and beyond for you in high school? Don't Know Tough by Eli Cranor features just such a character. Coach Trent Powers plays the archetypal nobleman driving into Arkansas in his noble steed, a Prius. He places his hand on the shoulders of the hopeful football players to atone for his wrongdoings as a teen. He’s no match for the quarterback who is a ticking time-bomb. Billy is a mounting threat to the Coach and the entire town. At 5’10” and 200 pounds, he lives in the shadow of his football star running back brother Ricky. Billy and Ricky live in poverty held down by their past and their lack of self-discipline. Their mother doesn’t help the situation and her drunk, abusive boyfriend makes it all much worse. Due to small town politics football features the many underlying struggles of the community. Coach realizes his job is on the line and must keep Billy on the field because a state championship will solve both their problems. Coach of course has a strong-willed wife and an even more stubborn teenage daughter, Lorna. Separated by social class, family support, and hope for the future, Lorna and Billy still find themselves intertwined. There’s a murder mystery and the list of suspects is longer than the list of people trying to give Coach football advice. This is a story that twists in many different directions which keeps the pages flipping. When I first started reading the story, I found myself very defensive. I was born and raised in Arkansas. It’s hard to read about poverty, racism, and abuse related to a place you love. Football is a huge avenue for hope, bravery, and mentorship. My high school won two football state championships while I attended so I know what it’s like to live in the shadow of a famous Arkansas football program. Our high school also had the kind of coaches and teachers like the Coach in this book who went above and beyond. So setting my emotions aside, the story was like driving on the old pig trail in Arkansas. It was curvy, overly decorated with yard art, and quite the exhilarating ride.
The romance in Going Public by Hudson Lin is like going to a hot springs and you have to go in a toe at a time to get in but once you're in it's ecstasy. Elvin is the personal assistant to Ray in the cutthroat corporate world of business. Ray, wealthy in his own right, works his butt off taking companies public. He has to do complete audits of the corporations to ensure any ghosts in their cleaning closets stay hidden or find somewhere else to haunt. Elvin helps him with not just the business audits but also makes his breakfast, sends Ray’s one-night stands on their way, and deflects unwanted coworkers. Elvin has secretly had a crush on Ray for quite some time. Ray has basically been sleeping with everyone he could. Ray starts having feelings for Elvin, but how can that possibly work when there is not just a great power difference at work but also a wealth gap. The steam building up in their desire to be together is a freight train that can’t be stopped. Love seeps off the pages due to the beautiful writing that can express the yearning and empathy Ray and Elvin have for each other. I loved that the newest company they were taking public created a moral dilemma to which Ray and Elvin didn’t agree. Workplace romances create an extra tension that wasn’t ignored in their relationship. The sex scenes fit with the development of Ray and Elvin’s relationship which makes them all the better. The sex scenes are very descriptive and extra spicy though! Overall this is a wonderful story and a great example of a loving relationship.
In When Darkness Comes by John Anthony Miller one of the main characters, Rachel does this not just to her boss but also to the French Police and the Nazi officers! (the epic scene is on page 122) And she’s only 16! I loved this historical fiction set in France during WWII. Several things set this book apart from all the other historical fiction WWII books. First, the dynamic duo cousins named Paul and Claire. Not many books celebrate cousins and this one beautifully portrays their familial love from the time they were children romping in the fields to adults fighting the Nazi occupiers in France. Second, not many books give you the perspective of the “bad guy” yet in When Darkness Comes we meet the astute businessman Julian Junot. This deeply layered character will have you in tears. Third, the strong heroine Rachel shows not just self-sacrifice but self-love. She reminded me that you cannot take care of others if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Lastly, it had a bookstore featured. I know, us book lovers love a book about a bookstore. Overall this is a sweeping power-packed 381 pages that fly by quickly. What I loved was that it had numerous main characters yet I connected and felt like I knew all of them. Those that love closed-door romance will enjoy the explosive sexual tension. (Page 287 had me swooning). This one also wraps everything up nicely and gives closure to most of the characters. The landmarks featured in the story will be great for those familiar with Paris. I also loved how the title is also used in passages in the book.