Caleb's Crossing

by Geraldine Brooks

Bethia is a young Puritan girl who lives in a tiny island settlement of early American pioneers.  Although this group is more liberal than those from the mainland, her father still believes that they are there to save the souls of the "savage" Native Americans who already live on the island.  The two groups find a way to live together in a careful peace and Bethia's father even gains some followers.  However, he is constantly deterred by a powerful chieftain who has a lot of control over his people.

Amidst all this, Bethia explores her beautiful island and happens upon the nephew of this chieftain, whom she calls Caleb.  He teaches her about his customs and the island, while she teaches him to read and tries to convert him to Christianity.  They become as close as brother and sister, though they know this would be absolutely forbidden from both sides.  Later Caleb comes to live with the white settlers and becomes the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College.  But the pull of these two very different worlds takes its toll on him and changes him forever.  Bethia too learns more of what she really believes and herself walks a little in both worlds.

This book is loosely based on the story of a real young man named Caleb who graduated from Harvard.  There are very few details of his life, so the author admits that much of it is fiction, especially the character of Bethia.  However, the story has a feeling of being very honest and true to the time period.  Much of the book is about the struggle of finding what someone really believes for themselves, and how they reconcile that with what others believe.  The author doesn't allow herself to make judgements about what is "right" or "wrong", but tells a story about others trying to figure that out.  Its about friendship and love, and also about prejudice and hate. Its got a lovely little romance thrown in for good measure.  On another level, the book is also about the role of women in a society that hardly puts them much above the "savages", for even the Native Americans are allowed to go to school, whereas a woman is not.

Brooks has a haunting voice for description, especially the details of the beauty of the island, as well as the living conditions at the college.  The book made me extremely grateful for the education I received at such an easy price.  It has not always been so for others, nor is it even now for some.  The story made me take a deeper look at what I believe and reminded me how grateful I am to know that I have a loving, kind, and forgiving Heavenly Father who loves all his children.

Farthest North

by Dr. Fridtjof Nansen

Well, this was one hefty book and it took me forever to finish it.  Not because it was all that large compared to other books I've read, but because it was simply some heavy reading.  Its the true story, told through journals, of a group of Norwegians who attempt to make it to the North Pole in 1893.  Although they do not succeed in making it all the way there, they got closer than anyone else had at the time and also fulfilled a number of other plans they had to test some theories about the Arctic region and discover all they could to help future explorations.  The first travel as far as they can by ship, purposely getting themselves locked in the ice so as to be taken along with the drift of the icebergs.  Then, when they have gone as far as they can that way, two of the leaders of the expedition set off on dogsleds to make it as far as they can in that manner.  The ship continues on, headed for home, and the men on the dogsleds make it 146 miles farther north than another else before they are forced to head for home.

I enjoyed the details of the preparation for the trip, especially the details (not that I got it all) about the ship and how it was built, as well as the things they brought with them.  Life on the ship seemed pretty easy going and it was fascinating to think of people back then being so at easy in the north pole, not worried at all about being stuck in the ice for a few winters straight.  It details exciting events such as whales, ice breaking up, and bear attacks.  The real story begins though, when the two men take off on sledges, an arduous journey that is truly amazing as they go over rough ice, sleep together in a soggy reindeer sleeping bag, have to eventually kill off their dogs to survive, and winter in a homemade igloo for months on end.  This part is where it really got me, when they talk of living in a small confined space, no bathing, where their clothes begin to rot, and begin to have to ration their food.  And of course, one cannot help but be excited when they finally make it back to "civilization" and see their first fellow human in over a year.

However, as much as this story is interesting, there is a lot that bogs the reader down.  The journals of Dr. Nansen were not written to be entertaining or a "good read".  They were written to log events and scientific discovery.  Much of what is detailed is just that - details that are of not interest to me particularly.  And much of it is repetitive and mundane, because of the nature of the journey.  Traveling across polar ice is not the most exciting of adventures on a detailed daily level.  Curiously, I stuck with this book at times because of the nature of the story.  Every time I got bogged down, I felt myself feeling like if I gave up on these guys, they'd never make it home.  I felt like my reading this book was at times like their story, some exciting but much of it a little tiring.  For some reason I felt it would do the story an injustice if I didn't see it through to the end.  And I am glad I did.

Dragon's Gate

by Laurence Yep

Sorry I haven't posted a review lately, but big things are happening for us and its been a little crazy of late.  My reading time has been sparse, but I've managed to finally get through a rather large book I was working on.  But this review is instead about a book I read in between waiting for the library to let me check the big one out again, and which was much more manageable and enjoyable.

Dragon's Gate is written by Laurence Yep, a prolific author of children's and young adult books that tell stories centering around Chinese immigrants and their stories.  This particular book of his is about a young man who lives a good life is China but dreams of going to the "Golden Mountain" of America with his father and uncle, who proclaim it to be a wonderful place.  Through unexpected circumstances he ends up going to the Golden Mountain and finds out that it is not at all what he expected.  He joins his father and uncle who work blasting through a mountain to build the railroad.  The Chinese workers are treated poorly and unfairly as they work on the "Dragon's Gate" as they call it.  The boy Otter helps the other workers see the way they are being treated and begins a small revolt that leads to a strike.  The workers are able to negotiate for better treatment, but it forever changes young Otter and makes him see the world in a different way.

I enjoyed this story because it was based on true events.  It started with a lovely story about a small part of Chinese culture at the time, and then it moved into the terrible and true story of the Chinese immigrants that made much of the railroad and the Western expansion possible.  Yep does a fabulous job of understating things and not making them too melodramatic, mostly because a story like this does not need anything added to it to make it poignant, important, and touching.  I'm not the only one who thinks this is a great book since it won a Newbery Honor Award in 1994.

Mr. Chartwell

by Rebecca Hunt

Sir. Winston Churchill, the famous British politician, was a brilliant and talented man.  What some do not know is that he also suffered all his life from bouts of manic depression.  He called his depression the "Black Dog."

This book takes that premise and creates a fabulously inventive, original, and witty fiction about Churchill's interaction with his "Black Dog" and also tells the story of a woman named Esther who is also dealing with her own depression.  It is a quick read and quite compelling.

When you first start, the story is a little strange and mysterious.  But it leaves you intrigued, wondering just who this "Mr. Chartwell" is, and if you are able to suspend your disbelief a bit and let the story unfold, it is a wonderful narrative.  It may sound depressing, but it is actually full of subtle humor and wonderful descriptions.  I especially loved the historical details that Hunt includes about Churchill and his family relationships, and one cannot get enough of his fabulous words. 

My mother has long suffered from depression and while hers may not be as bad as what Churchill struggled with, it has many of the same characteristics.  This book gave me a better understanding of what it must be like to live with depression constantly threatening otherwise happy days.  It is an inspiring book and gives hope to those with depression, or those who try to help others deal with it.

If you know of anyone with depression, this should be high on your reading list.