One True Thing, by Anna Quindlen

One True Thing by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Ellen Gulden visits her parents' home for a few days, she does not expect her life to drastically change. But that is exactly what happens in One True Thing by Anna Quindlen.

Ellen has a successful career as a magazine writer in New York City that suits her perfectly. During her visit home, she and her brothers learn that their mother, Kate, is dying of cancer. Their father, George, lets Ellen know that he expect her to leave her job to come home and care for Kate, as no one else will do; her brothers are still in college, George, a professor at a local college, cannot take time off, and demands that Ellen is the one who will care for Kate. Ellen resists, but, in the end, is back soon to care for Kate.

The first part of One True Thing shows the interactions of the two women, one who is driven to the point of having been described as "the girl who would walk over her mother in golf shoes," the other a homemaker to perfection. Ellen has always lived for her father's approval, while rejecting her mother's traditional life. Yet she comes to realize that there is much more to her mother than she had realized.

As part one progresses, so does Kate's cancer, so that at the end of the first part, she finally passes away...with a little help.

Part two of the novel details the aftermath of Kate's death. Ellen is arrested, as the district attorney (along with others in town) thinks that Ellen has performed a mercy-killing of her mother, for several reasons: she was Kate's primary care-giver, an autopsy showed that Kate had enough morphine in her system to kill her (morphine having been prescribed to keep her pain to a manageable level), and, years earlier, a then 15-year-old Ellen had written that euthanasia should be legal; if we put a terminal pet to sleep, why not people?

Of course, Ellen didn't do it; she suspects her father did. We read where Ellen stays, how she deals with a grand jury, how she mistakenly believes her father helped assist Kate in dying, and, in the end, how it turns out both were wrong: neither one killed Kate.

One True Thing may sound morbid, and while part of the story's premise - dying of cancer - may be difficult, the book is actually beautifully written and shows how the two main characters (Ellen and Kate) grow closer because of the horrible circumstances. Anna Quindlen has taken what could be a difficult premise and used it to skillfully write a beautiful story of love, strength, and the idea that things are not always as they appear. It is a book to be read again and again.

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Taveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While many people grew up knowing, and growing into, their faith, whatever faith their lives lead, others didn't find their route to God/Allah until later in life. In Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott wrote about her path from unbeliever to believing in God, and becoming a liberal Christian.

The early part of the book describes her youth, playing tennis, growing up with liberal parents (her dad, a writer, mom, who became an attorney later in life) who happened to be nonbelievers. In the book, Lamott wrote about her years of heavy drug and alcohol use, of having several abortions, and, finally, deciding to keep one of her pregnancies. During this time, she would go to a large nearby weekend flea market, which happened to be across the street from a Presbyterian church. Eventually, the singing coming from the church drew her in, though she wouldn't stay for the sermon. But the message, music, and love she felt from the parishioners drew her to God.

This isn't a straight-forward "this is how I got saved and never messed up ever again" type book. Far from it. Anne Lamott is still a lefty, still into causes, has an irreverent sense of humor, and is still trying to find her way in this world. A good part of the book deals with having her son, Sam, while still muddling through the early days of her faith, bringing Sam to church with her, where some of the older women insist that Lamott "let me see my baby."

For anyone who wants to read about someone else finding their own path, whether or not the reader is a believer, Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith is a satisfying read.

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Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, by Anne Lamott

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most readers I know - and I'm including myself here - tend to classify writers and books, even if it's on a subconscious level: there are writers we absolutely love, those we can't stand, and those we're neutral about.

Since discovering Anne Lamott's books maybe twenty-plus years ago, I've absolutely loved her writing. There are one or two of her books I couldn't get into, but that's fine, since most of what she's written is wonderfully quirky. She has this really funny, left-wing way of looking at things, not unlike my point of view, not to mention a touch of drama-queen-ness that I love.

That said, I'd been meaning to reread Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, her book about her first year as a single mom, for a while. I first read it back in 2013, and am not sure why I waited so long to reread it. Finally, I broke down and decided to give it another read.

Wow, what a book. Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year moves with the speed of a small brook, meandering slowly along, rather than with white-water-rapids speed. It was taken from the journal Lamott wrote during Sam's first year. We learn that Sam spends some time being a little colicky, which works his mother's last frayed exhausted nerve and we feel her frustration. (Fortunately, she discovers how to help Sam through this.) We see him roll from front to back for the first time. We see everything Lamott goes through, her family and friends helping out, her wonderful sense of humor and irony, her love for Sam...everything.

All in all, Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year is a good book to read for anyone who's ever had children, thought about having children, knows children, and loves funny, left-wing liberal parents. It's a definite read, as far as I'm concerned.

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When Katie Wakes, by Connie May Fowler

When Katie Wakes by Connie May Fowler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been a fan of Connie May Fowler since reading Before Women Had Wings maybe twenty years ago. Blame it on Oprah Winfrey: this was one of the books Oprah mentioned that I decided to read. After reading Ms. Fowler's heart-wrenching book, I was instantly hooked on her writing.



In When Katie Wakes, Ms. Fowler tells her amazing story of breaking free from years of abuse with the unconditional love of her dog, Katie. While Before Women Had Wings was fiction dealing with domestic violence, When Katie Wakes is Fowler's memoir. In it, she chronicles the emotional and physical abuse she endured growing up. However, the majority of the book deals with the abusive relationship with a man thirty years her senior and how she managed to escape.



Early on in the book, she adopts Katie, a wonderful dog who, as dogs are known to do, gives unconditional love. It is this love that eventually gives Connie the strength to leave.



Many who read this memoir might be tempted to ask "What did she (Ms. Fowler) do to warrant this abuse? Why didn't she just leave?" Both are the wrong questions, no matter who is being abused, the age of the abused and abuser, the gender(s) of those involved, etc. The first question needs to be replaced with "Why did he/she abuse him/her?" The second question has many answers: financial, emotional, family situation, lack of services (including shelters), as well as a number of reasons. Rather than blaming the victim, we should marvel at the courage it takes for the victim to leave.



Courage is what Connie May Fowler eventually shows in this stunning memoir. While Katie's unconditional love helps her gather her courage, Ms. Fowler was also fortunate to have someone who, near the end, gave her hope. Between the two, Ms. Fowler was able to fully gather the strength and courage to escape.



This memoir is a must-read for anyone who wants a reason to cheer someone discovering her bravery.

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Before and After Zachariah, by Fern Kupfer

Before and After Zachariah by Fern Kupfer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Fern and Joseph Kupfer decided to have a second child, they had no idea how that decision would affect their lives, as well as that of their daughter, Gaby. In Before and After ZachariahBefore and After Zachariah, author Fern Kupfer describes Zachariah's failure to accomplish even the simplest tasks: walking, sitting, crawling, even holding his head up.

As an infant, Zachariah was breath-takingly beautiful: long lashes, blond hair. The book's cover shows a sleeping baby (Zach) with his parents and older sister. However, it soon because obvious that he was severely developmentally delayed. At one point, Joe was visiting his mother, who was dying of cancer, when Fern called after a visit to a hospital with Zach; the doctors where baffled by what was causing Zach's problems. Fern was an emotional wreck over the lack of a diagnosis. Fern describes the phone call with Joe as the worse case scenario, likening it to an over-turned boat: who do you save, your mother or your wife?

The couple go from doctor to doctor, parent-meetings, groups meant to help developmentally delayed children, any place that offers a shred of hope, to no avail. In the end, they place Zach in an attempt to save their own lives as well as Gaby's.

I had originally read Before and After Zachariah years ago, then reread it several years ago, then rereading again. The newer copy of the book has two epilogues. The first was written several years after the book first came out, then a second one in 1998. The epilogues tie up the loose ends, telling what eventually happened to Zachariah, to her marriage to Joseph, to Gaby, and how Zachariah's live affected all off them, as well as their extended family and friends.

Before and After Zachariah is a good read, and a book that should be read. For the reader who has never had experience with a child or sibling with developmental delays, this will give insight to one family's struggles, while those readers with this experience will find themselves nodding, thinking yes, yes, that's it exactly! If you're wondering what non-fiction book to check out, this one gets my vote.

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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While many Americans consider the U.S. to be a classless society, wanting to believe that one merely has to work harder to leave poverty for the ranks of the rich, this is not always the case. Much of the twentieth century, as well as the twenty-first thus far, has seen a definite class-based society, consisting of working class, middle class, and the rich. On either end are the working-poor and the ultra-rich, but these, too, fit into the class-based society.

In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, Barbara Ehrenreich explores how those in the working class get by (or not).

When Barbara began her trek into research for this book (1998) "it took, on average nationwide, an hourly wage of $8.89 to afford a one bedroom apartment," according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Keep in mind, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 hour, and hasn't budged since 2009 (https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/30/business/minimum-wage-2021-states/index.html). To afford a larger apartment or a house, especially in 2025, would take quite a bit more.

There are several ways that one could research Nickel and Dimed: book research (good enough for possibly a term paper or for background from years earlier); interviewing those who work at menial jobs (better); or, the way Ehrenreich worked: by deciding "to get out there and get my hands dirty (p.4)."

During her research time (1998-2000), Ehrenreich worked as a waitress in Florida, a house cleaner and nursing-home aid in Maine, worked as a Wal-Mart associate in Minnesota, all as a way to see what menial, low-paid workers go through to put a roof over their heads, pay their utilities, and food on their tables. While she could have bailed at any time, heading back to her comfortable home and life-style, she stayed the course and gives a good, true glimpse on what the working-class goes through to get by.

One thing that I found disconcerting was that yes, she could have bailed at any time, that she was playing the part of someone eking out a living on minimum wages. But the flip side is that she was able to pick up the nuances of what a low-wage worker goes through from first-hand knowledge, as well as through interviewing her coworkers.

I highly recommend this book. If one wants to get a good beginning knowledge on what a minimum wage worker goes through, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America is a great place to start.

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Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail, and a Cast of Unforgettable Characters, by Winton Porter

Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail, and a Cast of Unforgettable Characters by Winton Porter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been fascinated by the Appalachian Trail for decades. Wouldn't it be great to walk the Appalachian Trail, I thought when I first heard of it. Part of me would still like to give it a try.

Alas, life frequently gets in the way of our dreams, including (yup!) walking the trail.

Thank goodness for books about walking the Appalachian Trail. When I stumbled across Just Passin' Thru: A Vintage Store, the Appalachian Trail, and a Cast of Unforgettable Characters by Winton Porter, I had to read it.

Winton Porter had worked in outdoor retail businesses for much of his adult life. But somehow, his dream of something different kept drifting into his consciousness. So, in 2001, he and family moved to Mountain Crossings, a "little outfitter shop that sits astride the Appalachian Trail...in Blairsville, Georgia." In Just Passin' Thru:..., Winton tells of his family's new lifestyle, running the shop, supplying those "just passin' through" at the beginning of their north-bound trek on the Appalachian Trail. He introduces us to so many interesting characters who, for whatever reason, have decided to walk the A.T. Early on, he mentioned Grandma Gatewood (from Ben Montgomery's Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail), as well as recognizing a couple show up who was mentioned in A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. Then, there are many other interesting characters: Billy Bumblefoot, Brain Storm, Lego, and so many others who keep life on the trail interesting.

While I had been hoping for another book about one person's trek on the A.T., this was every bit as engaging, as any Appalachian Trail book, maybe even better. If you're looking for a good book that will put a smile on your face, as well as the need to tell anyone nearby, "Wait, you have to hear this!" before reading them a passage, Winton Porter's Just Passin' Thru by Porter, Winton (2010) Paperback is a must read.

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