by Gwen Putnam-Bailey

If you are ready for a change from your usual fiction and non-fiction selections, try a memoir to gain a new perspective!  Wine Girl, The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier by Victoria James is a refreshing story of a young woman who dares to compete at the highest level in the restaurant industry. James grew up in a poor and dysfunctional family and often felt lonely and unsure of herself.  She takes a job as a waitress in a diner as a teenager and begins to learn to like the feeling of serving people and cash in her pocket.  As she begins to grow up, albeit some hard knocks, she decides to dedicate herself to the hospitality profession.  She begins bartending at a high end restaurant and starts learning about wine from the sommelier.  This leads to a pursuit of specialized education in the form of wine tastings, formal education, and trips to wine countries (where she actually picks grapes in the field and learns how wine is produced!) She enters contests designed for the top sommeliers in the world and much to the surprise of the mostly older, white male contestants, she wins! The best part of this story however, is her resiliency in the face of adversity.  Victoria James was faced with ageism, sexism, and even sexual abuse in her rise to the top of her profession.  Despite this, she persevered and created her own unique path to success.  A wonderful memoir filled with inspiration for all readers, especially young women!   

 

I am currently reading a memoir by local author Bruce Valley who has just published a new book entitled: Zen and the Art of Collecting Old Cars: Adventures in Toyland.  Bruce is the author of Seahawk: Confessions of an Old Hockey Goalie, and Rye Harbor: Poems of the Seacoast. He was a former naval officer, test pilot, Washington speech writer and aerospace executive, with an amazing life- long hobby of collecting old classic cars!  I would not normally be interested in a book about automobiles, but am delighted with the back stories surrounding the buying, selling and pursuit of these cars!  They are personal stories beginning with his childhood dreams of car ownership and continue with each stage of his life.  Special memories involving his career, family, and travel coincide with the joy of car collecting. Each chapter details the acquisition of classic cars such as a Packard, GTO, Cadillac, Lamberghini, Thunderbird and so many more. The "hunt" for such cars is half the fun...the other half is the restoring, driving and eventually selling them. I am enjoying reading about some of Bruce's escapades while driving, and the cast of characters he encounters with each unique car. I also like that he included beautiful photos of the cars, some of them featuring his wife and children posed in the driver's seat! This book is laced with charm, humor and passion for his subject.  I recommend this memoir for Rye natives or anyone that is looking for an authentic voice in the avocation of car collecting!