This week, our First Impressions readers recommend Crossing the River by Carol Smith. In this poignant memoir, the author reflects on the death of her young son and the grief and hope she encountered in the stories of others she met while working as a medical reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
If you haven't yet read Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt, visit the site to read reviews of this powerful debut novel. Those who have read it should stop by our Book Club discussion and weigh in.
We also have an Editor's Choice review for Charles Person's memoir about the Freedom Rides, Buses Are a Comin', and a lot more below.
Very best,
Davina
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Of Women and Salt
by Gabriela Garcia
From the Reader Reviews
"This debut novel is a must-read! From the cigar factories in Cuba to the streets of Miami, Garcia's writing compels the reader to encounter the lived experiences of each of the female protagonists. Immigration and detention, poverty, isolation, drug and/or marital abuse, and mother/daughter relationships are predominant themes. While at times difficult to savor due to the traumas experienced by each of the women portrayed, this timely book should be on everyone's reading list." - Karna B.
From the Discussion
"I really enjoyed this book! I liked traveling through time learning about cigar making, revolutions, immigration and deportation. I fell in love with the characters and saw how the previous generations still lived within each woman. I felt like the ending came together beautifully." - Jessica F
"Of Women and Salt was beautifully written, and the characters were believable and engaging. I appreciated how the author connected the familial traumas from one generation to the next. The contrast in the US treatment of immigrants based on their country of origin was vividly depicted." - sjd
"I really enjoyed it overall. I liked that it was a multi-generational immigration novel about women that was messy and a little weird in both structure and subject matter. That's still not the expected route for such stories to take, and it's an approach that upends popular narratives suggesting that immigrants and marginalized people need to be perfectly sympathetic or exotic objects in order to be seen as human or worthy of attention. It's not a book that particularly asks for the reader's sympathy, but it engages on a deep level and offers a close-up and interesting view of several flawed, willful women." - elisabethc
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Flatiron. Novel. 224 pages. Published March 30, 2021 |
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Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title. |
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Crossing the River
by Carol Smith
"What a powerful book! Crossing the River is well written, heartfelt, enduring and a testimony of a mother's love, but I also came away with much more than another way to examine and cope with loss. The book is full of lessons on living life to the fullest; coping with everyday pain and disappointment; and being the best mother, father, sister, brother, friend and neighbor you can be. I found myself marking passages that I felt would make me feel more alive, more aware and more secure in the world. I will be buying copies for friends because I will hold onto this copy of Crossing the River for myself." - Debra C. (Vienna, GA)
"This book is both personal and universal. Carol Smith smoothly intertwines the tragedy of her own life - the death of her young son - with stories about tragedies in other people's lives. Being a medical reporter puts her in a unique position to meet people who are facing challenging circumstances and become immersed in their lives. I found the book readable – it kept me interested from chapter to chapter. It was heartening to watch as she grappled with her own grief, drawing solace and courage as she spent time with others who wrestled with different, but equally devastating, situations. For me, the main takeaway was that suffering is part of being human and a path toward healing is formed by being present with others' pain, as well as with one's own. Smith grew more open, with herself and others, acknowledging the joys and pain her son had brought into her life. As she did so, she was able to move forward, and I hope that reading her story will help others to do the same." - Laurie W. (Sunnyvale, CA)
"Wow! What a poignant, painful journey into hope. I was mesmerized by the author's beautiful prose and her openly honest and painful exploration of her lingering grief over the death of her son. The journey that carries her across the river to hope and acceptance is inspiring, as are the stories she shares of others who are experiencing loss. These stories are so powerful and the insight the author gains from them so meaningful. This is a book that should be read more than once, as it's bigger than just one woman's struggle with grief. I found myself writing down quotes in my journal so I could reread them and regain the perceptions I got when reading the book. I highly recommend it." - Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
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Abrams Press. Memoir. 272 pages. Published May 4, 2021
Number of Reader Reviews: 20, Readers' Consensus: 4.7/5.0
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For Members: The BookBrowse Review |
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The just-published issue of The BookBrowse Review, our twice-monthly membership magazine, is packed with new reviews and articles; plus author interviews, recommendations for book clubs and previews of notable books publishing over the coming weeks.
An individual membership to BookBrowse is just $39 for a year. Find out more!
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Fort Dodge, IA
Leon County, FL
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New Providence, NJ
Beauregard Parish, LA
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Buses Are a Comin'
by Charles Person
The lion's share of the narrative concerns the Freedom Rides, but every chapter is peppered with references to other important moments and people in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as ties to current events such as the murder of George Floyd and Colin Kaepernick's taking a knee at NFL games. As such, the book is not only a memoir and a snapshot of a critical juncture in America's history, but extremely relevant to our current state of affairs. Person's prose flows smoothly between these subjects in a conversational tone; the fact that his account is so evidently personal heightens its impact on the audience. And the author's description of the rides is intense.
I'm a white woman who was born after the events Person narrates. As such, my experience of the book may well be different than that of others who are more knowledgeable about the early Civil Rights Movement. I personally found Person's recollections eye-opening. Sure, I'd heard about Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat, and the Greensboro Four's sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter. But Person writes about many important people and events in the Civil Rights Movement that I was completely unfamiliar with. Perhaps more importantly, reading his memoir gave me a new understanding of the risks people took in the name of merely being permitted to do everyday things white individuals could do without even thinking about it. My ignorance of exactly how dangerous these seemingly mundane actions were underscores my lack of understanding of the challenges faced by Black people and other people of color today; the book was a true wake-up call. ... continued
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Beyond the Book: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
The HBCU designation was created by the Higher Education Act of 1965, which defines an HBCU as "any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association."
The first all-Black institute of higher learning in the American South was Shaw University, founded in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1865 by Henry Martin Tupper. A Massachusetts native, Tupper was a chaplain for the Union Army during the Civil War, and became aware of how slavery had impacted African Americans. He began teaching Black men in Raleigh to read and write, and eventually bought a plot of land with savings from his military service, along with funds from organizations such as the Freedman's Bureau. There, he and his students constructed a two-story building that served as both church and school. ... continued
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St. Martin's Press. Memoir/History. 304 pages. Published April 27, 2021
Critics' Consensus: 4.6/5, BookBrowse Rating: 5/5
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Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win a 6-month membership to BookBrowse.
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The answer to last week's Wordplay: P M Fly
"Pigs Might Fly"
Meaning: It doesn't bother me
Meaning: A sarcastic remark used to indicate that an event is very unlikely and/or to question the credulity of someone. For example, "he said that he'd tidy his room today," to which somebody might reply "... and pigs might fly" or other variations such as "when pigs fly" and "oh look, I think I saw a flying pig."
According to America's Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Titelman, the expression "if a pig had wings, it could fly" traces back to Proverbs of Scotland (1862). ... continued
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- Norton halts publication of two books by Blake Bailey
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At BookBrowse, we believe that the very best books do more than just entertain and engage, they also enlighten, wrapping us in their world, giving us a window into the lives of others or a mirror to reflect on ourselves. These are the books we seek out and feature on BookBrowse, both fiction and nonfiction. |
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Published every Thursday, BookBrowse Highlights is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also offer Publishing This Week every Sunday, and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.
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