33. The Pioneer Girl

33. Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Edited by Pamela Smith Hill. 2014. South Dakota State Historical State Society. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, memoir]


Pioneer Girl is a must-read for anyone who grew up loving, or perhaps, LOVING, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. Pioneer Girl is an annotated autobiography. The book itself is a draft of an autobiography written by Laura Ingalls Wilder circa 1930. Mother and daughter worked with this draft preparing to send it to various publishers (not just book publishers) for a year or two. (There are several draft versions of Pioneer Girl.) Eventually, the focus shifts from writing an adult autobiography to writing a series of historical fiction novels for children. The adult autobiography was "forgotten" as a book itself, and becomes a source--a good source--for mother and daughter to use in their own fiction. I didn't know that Rose Wilder Lane borrowed generously from her mom's autobiography while writing her adult fiction. Lane wrote Free Land and Let the Hurricane Roar (Young Pioneers).

The autobiography shares Laura Ingalls Wilder's earliest memories through her wedding day. (Those earliest memories are of being a toddler in Kansas.) These memories are, of course, in her own words. The writing is natural and casual. Some paragraphs are great at capturing details and specifics of an event. Other paragraphs are more of a rush, a blend, they seem a bit fuzzier, less exact. These are her very personal reflections written first for her daughter, and, then possibly for a larger audience. Wilder has turned reflective. She's older now, feeling that very much. (Her mom died in 1924, her sister, Mary, in 1928. She's wanting to capture these memories, these stories, to hold onto them perhaps.) One also sees the book itself as an act of love, an expression of love, a way of remembering and honoring.

The annotations are wonderful. They provide background and context. The annotations includes notes on a wide variety of subjects a) people b) places c) events d) nature e) culture (songs, dances, fashion), f) writing, editing, and publishing. There are plenty of notes that compare and contrast scenes and events as they appear in Pioneer Girl and as they appear in one of the original novels. Readers see how a memory recorded in Pioneer Girl is shaped and crafted into a finished product with plenty of detail and even dialogue. Readers see how Wilder carefully--oh-so-carefully--crafted the characters of the family. One gets the definite impression that she was purposeful with every scene, every book. It was no accident that Pa is so noble, independent, strong, and bigger-than-life almost.

I learned so much by reading Pioneer Girl. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who has enjoyed spending time with Laura and her family through the years.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

22. A World without Summer

22. A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out. Nicholas Day. 2025. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction, middle grade nonfiction, history]

First sentence: The only way to understand is to have been there. The world loud isn't loud enough. The word hot isn't hot enough. The word-- None of the words are enough. The only way to understand is to have been there. But if you had been there, you would be--well, you would be dead. So we will do the best we can.

Premise/plot: Nonfiction. History. Nature. Science. This is the story of the eruption of a the volcano Tambora in April 1815 and how it impacted the world for several years. YES, years. The book's title might mislead you into thinking it was a short span of time the world's global climate was changed by this volcanic eruption--and all its aftermath. But it was in fact several years before things began to stabilize and 'return' to 'normal.' Of course, that's not quite the whole truth. For that generation there would always be some effect. (For example, the malnutrition--starving or nearly so--of those growing up would leave a forever impact on their bodies whose growth and development would remain stunted.) 

The book is equally fascinating and bleak. It is impactful. For sure.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved much about this one. What I didn't love--well--I hated. The book doesn't allow much for subtly messaging the reader, allowing the reader to connect dots between the past and present. (IF in fact there are any dots to be connected between the past and the future.) The author is all about hitting readers over the head with a hammer. Perhaps with both hands holding a hammer. While I would say most of the book can be read and enjoyed, the agenda is so heavy-handed and extremely not subtle that it becomes obnoxious. There's a right way and a wrong way to get your message across. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes being subtle is more effective. Let readers reach their own conclusion and trust them a bit more.

 

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

21. Bittersweet

21. Bittersweet: Based on the True Tale of the Berlin Candy Bombers. Christy Mandin. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction picture book, history, world war II aftermath]

First sentence: A bitter war was over. But for Hilda, the war didn't end when the bombs stopped falling. The war raged on in her belly, a rumbling hunger that never seemed to go away. Her too-tight shoes pinched her toes. Rubble piled up where buildings once stood. Neighbors waited in long lines for little bits of food. Hilda's country was broken into chunks like a wheel of old cheese, each part controlled by a different military.

Premise/plot: This picture book tells of the Berlin Candy Bombers and how one man's act of kindness started it all. It is set in Berlin after the Second World War. While it uses Hilda as a main character, the story is true, or true enough. I believe it is classified as narrative nonfiction.

My thoughts: What a great story! I'd read a little about the Berlin Candy Bombers but not in such a kid-friendly format. I thought it was a great story. Nonfiction that reads as easily as fiction. I would definitely recommend this one for elementary ages.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

18. If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon

18. If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon. Ellen Levine. Illustrated by Elroy Freem. 1986. 80 pages. [Source: Bought] [4 stars, children's nonfiction]

First sentence: One hundred and fifty years ago there was no railroad that went all across the country. There were no cars or buses or airplanes. The only was to travel across the country was to ride a horse, or if you went with your family, to travel in a covered wagon. In the 1840s and 1850s, thousands of people traveled West. So if you lived at that time, there was a chance you might have traveled in a covered wagon. This book is about traveling and living in a covered wagon. It tells what it was like to be one of the early pioneers to travel to Oregon.

Premise/plot: What you see is what you get. Each two page spread answers one question. All questions relate to traveling in a covered wagon or traveling west. The questions cover the basics and also goes beyond that a bit to more specific, detailed questions. Will it answer every single possible question? Maybe. Maybe not. But it is a great nonfiction book to pair with fiction titles.

My thoughts: I don't remember all the books in this series, but, I know there were a few at least. I loved these kinds of books as a kid. I was so happy to thrift a copy of this one!

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

48. Death in the Jungle

48. Death in the Jungle. Candace Fleming. 2025. 346 pages. [Source: Library] [YA nonfiction, nonfiction, true crime, 5 stars]

First sentence from prologue: On Friday evening, November 24, 1978, CBS broadcast a special hour-long report: "The Horrors of Jonestown." 

First sentence from chapter one: The first time Jim Jones asked followers to play dead was on an autumn night in 1941.

 Premise/plot: The story of Jonestown and Jim Jones written for a slightly younger audience--young adult instead of adult. It is a heartbreaking, tragic, fascinating story--a story of how one man used charisma, manipulation, and fear tactics to build and lead People's Temple. This didn't happen overnight. He didn't step up to speak one day, one time and get a mass following willing to do anything and everything he commanded. It was a slow process, a long con if you will, that took decades. He started in a "Christian environment," using Christianese--using the traditions and vocabulary of the Christian faith--to gain his first followers. Influenced by the "faith-healers" and the more flamboyant Pentecostal style, he figured out what his audience wanted to hear, and played it up. He used tactics that allegedly some mediums and psychics use--from what I can tell--to "prophesy" messages to specific individuals. He was a showman. Everything was crafted for a certain purpose--to gain more and more power and prestige and acclaim. 

He may have started with a "Christian" message, a "Christian" prophecy, a "Christian" God, but it was a sham through and through. He began shedding the 'Christian' skin little by little by little by little--slowly but surely getting his audience used to his message. If he'd out and out stated clearly and precisely his views--especially at the start--his following would likely have left him recognizing him as dangerous. Within a decade--maybe a little more--he had abandoned the pretense. There was no God in the sky, only a GOD on earth, Jim Jones himself was GOD. He staged fake assassination attempts. Pretend to be shot. Pretend to be dead. And then have a pretend resurrection and come back to life. This lines up with his pretend miracles and signs. 

Another tactic was creating fear, building it up,  and hyping up this chaotic doomsday prophecy or forecast. Distrust everybody. Trust only him. 

The story is told through many perspectives--many of which were his followers [or former followers]. 

The tension builds throughout as the story nears its end.

My thoughts: This one was fascinating and horrifying. It is, of course, dark and horrifying. It isn't light reading material. But I do think it is an important story to revisit. 

Will today's YA audience be familiar with the story? That's a good question. Honestly I don't know the answer. But the story itself is fascinating and compelling. One thing that stood out to me--and I have no comparison to other books about it, since I never finished any (though there's a great one that I put down and never got back to)--is her emphasis that there was murder. There were signs that the tragic ending for some/many was NOT voluntary.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

21. Camera Man

 

21. Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. Dana Stevens. 2022. 447 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction, biography, history, culture] [3 stars]

First sentence from the introduction: I first fell for Buster Keaton twenty-five years ago, when he had just turned one hundred. It was the spring of 1996, and I was spending the year studying at the University of Strasbourg, close to the French-German border in Alsace.

Premise/plot: Camera Man is closer to a book of essays than a 'proper' biography. For better or worse. (I am not saying that it is 'for the worse' for every reader.) The focus is rarely solely on Buster Keaton. He's merely a piece of a puzzle in her discussing broader subjects. Her interest is in history, culture, theatre, film, and to a certain degree how terrible, horrible, and obviously wrong (aka cringe-worthy) 'the past' was about anything and everything since it doesn't align [close enough to suit] with contemporary opinions, values, morals, and beliefs. The book is certainly not celebrating Buster Keaton's legacy, examining his films for what they are, or diving with any depth into the subject of his life (aka proper biography).

My thoughts: This is my third book about Buster Keaton. I read James Curtis' Buster Keaton: A Filmmakers Life and Buster Keaton's own autobiography My Wonderful World of Slapstick. I was disappointed with this one. I wanted more of the focus to be on Buster Keaton--professionally, personally, the work itself. He was ACTOR, DIRECTOR, EDITOR, GAG WRITER, STUNT MAN. Plenty of angles the book could have examined. Though perhaps the author's way of viewing Keatons' work with the lens of who could possibly be offended by this and how outraged should I be on their behalf it is perhaps a blessing in disguise that she limits her discussion of Buster Keaton to what she does. Though the author claims to have fallen for Buster Keaton, it seems more like a shallow fall that she has long since recovered from. She also takes the approach that his life might as well have ended after Steamboat Bill Jr. [And she's no fan of The General. In fact at times I get the idea she isn't really even a fan of slapstick comedy].

While I was mainly disappointed with this one, I will share what I appreciated. The first third of this one--perhaps a little more--where the focus is on the history of vaudeville and Buster Keaton's stage career as a child/young man--was solidly engaging. I had high hopes that her examination of his film career would be equally so. But here the focus shifts to other filmmakers, other films, other actors, film critics. More specifically in what voices were being heard and which were being "suppressed" or "oppressed" and the like. Obviously, the author's feminist world view is central to who she is and how she views the world. So I think depending on YOUR expectations, this one might prove worth reading? It was not for me in the end. I don't want someone telling me how I should react to Buster Keaton's movies.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

20. The House on the Canal

    

20. The House on the Canal. Thomas Harding. Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. 2025. 56 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, picture book for older readers, 4 stars, nonfiction]

First sentence: In the middle of Amsterdam, next to a canal, stands a tall, narrow house. It was built almost four hundred years ago and has served as a home, a warehouse, a stable, and a hiding place. 

Premise/plot: The House on the Canal is a picture book for older readers. It is nonfiction picture book that is more abstract in nature which makes it perhaps more fitting for older readers. It is the history of a house--a specific place throughout the centuries. The book roughly spans five and a half centuries. [Though don't trust my math!] It is the place--which in the opening spreads is not even a physical building yet--that is front and center. It all leads up to the time when the house was a hiding place for Anne Frank and her family. The house was rich in history before it became a warehouse and hiding place. This book sheds light on the some of the more permanent things in life.

My thoughts: This book gives the "Here" treatment to the Anne Frank house. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the book was in the works long before the feature film, Here, was released. The text has an almost poetic--definitely artistic--vibe. The illustrations are quite artistic as well. Definitely detailed enough to give study for those interested in art or history.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

19. My Wonderful World of Slapstick

    

19. My Wonderful World of Slapstick. Buster Keaton with Charles Samuels. 1960. 340 pages. [Source: Library] [adult biography, adult autobiography; film-making, show business, comedy]

First sentence: Down through the years my face has been called a sour puss, a dead pan, a frozen face, The Great Stone Face, and, believe it or not, "a tragic mask." On the other hand, that kindly critic, the late James Agee, described my face as ranking "almost with Lincoln's as an early American archetype, it was haunting, handsome, almost beautiful." I can't imagine what the great rail-splitter's reaction would have been to this, though I sure was pleased. People may talk it up or talk it down, but my face has been a valuable trade-mark for me during my sixty years in show business. 

Premise/plot: My Wonderful World Of Slapstick is Buster Keaton's autobiography written just six years before his death in 1966. (So it does not cover *all* of his career, but it does cover many years of his career.) Does the book cover anything and everything? Yes and no. There are chapters in his life that remain very much PRIVATE and undisclosed. Keaton is not one to name names--for better or worse.

For example, I am almost completely certain that he never mentions his first or second wives by name. His first wife is called "his future wife" or "my wife"  or "Mrs. Buster Keaton" and the like, but never her actual name or even nickname. She does appear by name in the book, but only because she appears in his filmography because she was his costar in Our Hospitality. There was a good reason he said zip, zilch about his second marriage. (I believe she was fond of lawsuits for ANYTHING and everything, no matter how tangential to the truth). It was his beloved [third] wife, Eleanor, who gets stories.

There are periods of his life where he shares in great detail about his life--both private stories and show business-y stuff. There are periods of his life where the details are harder to come by. Which is fair, in my opinion. He does talk industry both for STAGE and FILM and television. He has stories about people in front of the camera and behind it. He does not go into great detail about his own films. He does not take himself too seriously. It's like he'd rather shift into telling asides and anecdotes than to deep dive into his own brilliance at what he does/what he did. He comes across as very grounded. He says that Charlie Chaplin's problem was that he believed everything that was being said about him, written about him, and began to take himself too seriously and as [an elite] intellectual.

"I never realized I was doing anything but trying to make people laugh when I threw my custard pies and took pratfalls. Like anyone else I enjoy being called a genius. But I cannot take it seriously. Neither does Harold Lloyd, as far as I know. The only one of us who listened and accepted the role of genius intellectual critics thrust upon him was Chaplin. Sometimes I suspect that much of the trouble he's been in started the first time he read that he was a 'sublime satirist' and a first-rate artist. He believed every word of it and tried to live accordingly."

I would have wished for a little more detail about the making of his own films, but perhaps he wanted his films to speak for themselves. Though at the time this was written, his films would not have been readily available for easy viewing. There were revivals of his films--his films being shown again in theatres, etc.,--especially in Europe. He was MUCH BELOVED in Europe, and I believe the book said Keaton was absolutely HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, MEGA-SUPER-POPULAR in Russia. [Which would make sense of the fact that so many Keaton channels on YOUTUBE are Russian.] 

It was his private stories that fascinated me. He writes in one chapter of several different practical jokes that he was in on. If I remember the story correctly, some big studio executive [or similar execs] were coming into town to meet Roscoe Arbuckle, the two came up with a great practical joke: dress Buster Keaton up as his BUTLER and let the comedy follow. He'd be the clumsiest, klutziest butler ever to see if any would recognize him--the theory being that BUTLERS ARE IGNORED--before the big finale. Arbuckle would finally "lose his temper" and let the butler have it to the astonishment of his guests. Meanwhile, Buster would slip out and return as himself--a rising star in his own right--and "meet" the guests. This was just one of many practical jokes he played. Though it was near impossible to pull the same joke twice because word would spread around town. 

It was his outlook on life--though he has repeatedly been called NOT introspective or reflective--that impressed me most. He writes,

"I think I have had the happiest and luckiest of lives. Maybe this is because I never expected as much as I got. What I expected was hard knocks. I always expected to have to work hard. Maybe harder than other people because of my lack of education. And when the knocks came I felt it was no surprise. I had always known life was like that, full of uppercuts for the deserving and undeserving alike. But it would be ridiculous of me to complain. I find it impossible to feel sorry for myself. I count the years of defeat and grief and disappointment, and their percentage is so minute that it continually surprises and delights me."

My thoughts: I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this autobiography. There was just something so grounded and matter of fact about his narrative style. He was amusing and fascinating. I imagine this book covers such a small, small, small fraction of stories he could have told.

Quotes:

• At any rate it was on purpose that I started looking miserable, humiliated, hounded, and haunted, bedeviled, bewildered, and at my wit's end. Some other comedians can get away with laughing at their own gags. Not me. The public just will not stand for it. And that is all right with me. All of my life I have been the happiest when folks watching me said to each other, "Look at the poor dope, wilya?" Because of the way I looked on the stage and screen the public naturally assumed that I felt hopeless and unloved in my personal life. Nothing could be farther from the fact. As long back as I can remember I have considered myself a fabulously lucky man. From the beginning I was surrounded by interesting people who loved fun and knew how to create it. I've had few dull moments and not too many sad and defeated ones. In saying this I am by no means overlooking the rough and rocky years I've lived through. But I was not brought up thinking life would be easy. I always expected to work hard for my money and to get nothing I did not earn. And the bad years, it seems to me, were so few that only a dyed-in-the-wool grouch who enjoys feeling sorry for himself would complain of them.
• The cast for our two-reelers was always small. There were usually but three principals--the villain, myself, and the girl, and she was never important. She was there so the villain and I would have something to fight about. The leading lady had to be fairly good-looking, and it helped some if she had a little acting ability. As far as I was concerned I didn't insist that she have a sense of humor. There was always the danger that such a girl would laugh at a gag in the middle of the scene, which meant ruining it and having to remake it.
• Even when making my two-reelers I worked on the theory that the story was always of first importance. But one thing we never did when making our silent comedies was put the story down on paper. On the other hand I never would agree to start shooting until I had in my mind a satisfactory ending for a story. The beginning was easy, the middle took care of itself, and I knew I could depend on my writers and myself to come up with any gags we might need as we went along.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

13. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

  

13. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. Jennifer Armstrong. 1998. Random House. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, biography, adventure, South Pole, survival]

Just imagine yourself in the most hostile place on earth. It's not the Sahara or the Gobi Desert. It's not the Arctic. The most hostile place on earth is the Antarctic, the location of the South Pole--what's the difference? The Arctic is mostly water--with ice on top, of course--and that ice is never more than a few feet thick. But under the South Pole lies a continent that supports glaciers up to two miles in depth. Almost the entire southern continent is covered by ice. The mammoth icecap presses down so heavily that it actually distorts the shape of the earth. The ice never melts; it clings to the bottom of the world, spawning winds, storms, and weather that affect the whole planet.

I have read Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World five or six times now. (Most recently in 2022). The narrative is so strong and compelling, and, yes, even inspiring. It is definitely one of my favorite nonfiction books. And nonfiction isn't something I usually take the time to reread. It is rare for me to keep coming back again and again to a nonfiction book.

Originally published in 1998, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World won the Orbis Pictus Award in 1999. The book follows "the extraordinary true story of Shackleton and the Endurance." If you are unfamiliar with this story, then you really SHOULD read this one. It is a great introduction to the subject. Chapter by chapter, the book follows Shackleton and his men on their journey to Antarctica. Almost from the start, there are indicators that their goal, their quest, will not be an easy one to achieve. After a series of mishaps--thanks to nature--it becomes a long fight to survive. 

 The story is simple and yet dramatic. I think the story would be gripping no matter who told it. But I do think that Jennifer Armstrong did a wonderful job in painting a very human picture of Shackleton and his crew. I think the ending was beautiful--very moving! This one is a book I think everyone should read. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

61. Grace Notes

61. Grace Notes: Poems About Families. Naomi Shihab Nye. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [poetry, nonfiction]

First sentence (from the introduction): Families. They're our first circle. We wake up to them as babies, clicking into focus, identifying, absorbing...forever discovering who they are. Who we think they are is only one little window.

First poem:
My whole life
would not have happened without
a man whose name I do not know
who died in the snow.
He was young,
had been married only three months
to my mama's best friend.

 

This one is a themed poetry collection; it is without a doubt POETRY. But is it also a memoir or autobiography??? I think one could argue that it might very well be. I believe the author is writing personal poems about HER family. But it's not described as a memoir in its description so I'm hesitant to say emphatically that all the poems are autobiographical and this is a memoir in verse.

The target audience? I think the target audience would be older and not younger. These poems are COMPLEX, layered even. Sure, the words themselves may not be mature in nature, but the meanings and themes are so deep--philosophical and/or abstract in nature--that readers need as much life experience as possible to unpack the meaning. The poems are also REFLECTIVE and best read in the context of how they were written--during the grieving process. The parent-child relationship can be complex no matter the age, but the parent and adult-child relationship is more at play in this collection. It is more a journeying alongside the author as she explores relationships in the family through more adult eyes.

I do NOT under any circumstance expect all books to be written with a Christian point of view. I don't. I don't think that would be fair in general, however, I will note that this one is a patchwork--piecework--of many, many, many religions and spiritual faiths, none of which are particularly Christian. So you have a very reflective, philosophical, abstract book of poetry without a christian world view. This is neither good nor bad--it just is. Again, I do not expect all books to be Christian. 

Quotes

From "How Parents Ever Get Together Anyway"
The fact we exist at all
is a random grace note
of a forgotten symphony.

From "Mother Muscle"
Mother muscles become tough. They have to.
People pulling on them
all the time. Ferocious mamas
stomping through the tangled wilderness
searching for berries. Mamas worrying
night and day.

From "Sides of the Family"
These grandmas did not meet. But I think there were little lines
between them like dotted ripples in a star constellation diagram.
Big Dipper, small dipper, they both shone down on us
all our lives. They were constants.

From "Union Boulevard, St. Louis"
Life
is full of mysteries.
They're not mine, not yours.
They're life's.

From "Out"
No one is big enough to notice
all that might be noticed.
No one is small enough,
no one is big enough.

From "Every Age"
If you open the door
to happiness
what comes through?
Friends come through.
Something new comes through.

 From "Every Age"
Is it possible
to be every age at once,
forever?
Some say so.

From "The Pleaser"
Why do we need someone to say
you make me happy,
you're great.
Is that a basic need
like sleeping and eating?

From "In Morning"

Each morning
we put ourselves together
Try to imagine
what we will do,
gathering tools and
thoughts.
We carry the mysteries
no one explains.

Title: Write a seven-word autobiography right now

• Addicted to simplicity from very first day.
• Ever hopeful, every growing always asking why.
• So many places we haven't seen yet.
• The space around the poem is best.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

53. My Lost Freedom

My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story. George Takei. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction picture book, World War II]

First sentence: Hi, I'm George Takei, an eighty-seven-year-old actor.

Premise/plot: My Lost Freedom is a picture book biography for older readers. It is an autobiographical picture book of George Takei's time in several Japanese Internment camps during the Second World War. He was a young child--a very young child, just four years old. His earliest memories, his core memories, if you will, were formed in these war years. The picture book shares about this time in American history through a personal lens. It is personal yet broader than that. 

It would be easy to assume that this is a bleak, glummy, downer of a book. But it isn't. The book shares memories of his family life, his friendships, his community. I think he was young enough to not know just how unjust and wrong it was. Know might be a very poor word choice, feel to the depths of his soul might be better but more wordy. I think his memories would be different if he'd been twelve or thirteen when he entered the camp with his family. I also am guessing that his family chose to make the best of an absolutely horrible situation. I think they chose to make it as much a home as possible for their children. 

My thoughts: I didn't know what to expect from this one. I'd read a few books for older readers (middle grade, high school, adult) on this subject. These especially from older perspectives are rightly so angry and bitter. This may be the youngest 'memoir' perspective I've read. It does include plenty of general information about this time period in history.

Easily a five-star read.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

29. A Murder in Hollywood

A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime. Casey Sherman. 2024. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Lana Turner paced the pink carpeted floor with a cigarette gripped tightly between her fingers. She took a deep drag into her lungs and blew out a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling of her spacious bedroom. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Cheryl, was in her own bedroom, sobbing hysterically. 

Premise/plot: Nonfiction with a gossipy twist--that is how I would describe this one. It gives brief biographies of Lana Turner and her immediate family (her parents, her husbands, her daughter) and brief biographies of a series of crime bosses (mob bosses) including Johnny Stompanato. The stories cross paths when Lana Turner entangles herself with Johnny Stompanato. This is a combustive relationship--for sure--leading to murder and scandal. Casey Sherman argues that it was not Lana's fourteen-year-old daughter but Lana herself who killed Johnny. 

My thoughts: This book is troubling and disturbing both in content and narrative style. I'll try to explain. This one goes into great detail--graphic detail--of horrific crimes. Many of these crimes are of the SA of a minor child variety. Of course there are plenty of other crimes as well that do not involve children. But still. This is a HEAVY read that is treated perhaps a little lighter than I would personally like. The book's approach--in my personal opinion--is like gossip, gossip, give me all the gossip, spill all the tea, tell me everything. It doesn't necessarily--to me--seem respectful. The content IS shocking and NOT shocking at the same time. Hollywood is presented as an absolute nightmare. The more power and influence, the more guilty you are of horrendous crimes. Nothing glamorous or glitzy--just very horrific crimes going on and kept hush-hush by the powers that be. 

This one is definitely more graphic than I like to read.

 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

26. The Beatles Couldn't Read Music?

Wait! What? The Beatles Couldn't Read Music? Dan Gutman. 2023. 144 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: Most teachers don't really want you to know anything about the Beatles! They want you to know about Abraham Lincoln and educational stuff like that.

Premise/plot: This is a "nonfiction" book. The framework is fiction, a fictional brother and sister duo battle it out to see who knows more about the Beatles. The information they're sharing is factual and nonfiction.  

The book talks about the band, The Beatles. It talks about the four members of the band, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Each Beatle gets his own personal biographical chapter. Other chapters talk more about the band as a whole--chronicling the timeline of the band. 

My thoughts: Did I learn anything new? No. Is that surprising? Not really if you KNOW me. I liked this one. I did. I was slightly annoyed by the fictional framework. However, I do appreciate that this one focused on the band AND the individuals within the band. I do think the Beatles are best introduced by their music. I know this is impossible to do in a book. Or perhaps not impossible, challenging enough, but the best way to get to know the Beatles is by....listening to the Beatles. Without that immediate connection to the music itself, I'm not sure how memorable or impactful or interesting or entertaining the book is. 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

21. Making It So

Making It So. Patrick Stewart. 2023. 469 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: We called it t'bottom field, never wondering where, in relation to "t'bottom," t'middle field and t'top field might be. 

Premise/plot: Making It So is Patrick Stewart's memoir. It doesn't get more straight-forward than that. He writes of his family, growing up, friendships and romantic relationships, and his career on stage and on screen. He has spent more time, I believe, on stage--doing live theatre productions--than on screen. But only because there have been decades where he was able to do both. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. Not all chapters are equally enthralling or fascinating. But all chapters were well written. The book covers so much more than just his years playing Jean-Luc Picard or Charles Xavier. He does mention that he watched the WHOLE Star Trek The Next Generation series before starting his memoir. He does talk about THE INNER LIGHT the absolute best episode of TNG. I think I will like it even more now--and I didn't think that was possible.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

18. Fighting With Love

Fighting With Love: The Legacy of John Lewis. Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illustrated by James E. Ransome. 2024. [January] 48 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction picture book; picture book biography; civil rights movement]

First sentence: Before John Robert Lewis was old enough to read the word "love" in his Bible, he could feel it all around him. 

Premise/plot: Fighting with Love is a nonfiction picture book biography of civil rights activist [and politician], John Lewis. 

My thoughts: There are a handful of picture book biographies of John Lewis. In fact, I think there are biographies of John Lewis for just about every age reader--children, middle grade, young adult, adult. I have read a few of these in the past. I wasn't expecting to learn something new. [Be reminded of previous facts, yes, yes, always yes. My memory doesn't hold onto all the details from every book.] What struck me with this picture book is the spread about how the activists [college students mainly] PRACTICED nonviolent protests. 

Quote: They took turns playing the part of the angry whites they would face, and acted out standing silently while being shouted and cursed at. They practiced how to curl in tight on the ground to protect themselves from kicks and punches that would beat down on them. They remembered to look into the eyes of their attackers, reminding them that a child of God was looking back. After hearing the words and feeling the fists, some never finished their training at Highlander, leaving as fast as they'd come, asking what kind of love means you've got to be beaten up outside and in. But John knew. "It is love that accepts and embraces the hateful and the hurtful." And so, John stayed and practiced some more.

The illustrations are quite engaging--bright, bold, colorful. 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

14. Mexikid

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir. Pedro Martin. 2023. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction Graphic Novel; MG Graphic Novel; Newbery Honor]

First sentence: They call me Peter...but my real name is Pedro.

Premise/plot: This one is a graphic novel MEMOIR. It is set in the summer of 1977. Pedro Martin is recalling/chronicling the adventures/misadventures of a family (round trip) road trip from California to Mexico (and Mexico to California). Being the seventh in a family of nine kids, he's got plenty of stories to share. Long story short, his family is going to Mexico to spend time with the grandfather and make preparations for his return with them to the United States. 

My thoughts: This one is great when it comes to details. I'll try to explain what I mean. His details help put you right there in the scene. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc. He is especially good at grounding the book in TIME and presumably in culture. 

I enjoyed this one much more than I thought I would. I am not usually a graphic novel reader. It's not my usual type of book to read. 

I will say that this one might not be for super-sensitive readers. Namely, his grandfather's "mission" to accomplish before they leave for the United States might make some readers squeamish. 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

12. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

An Autobiography. Agatha Christie. 1977/1996. Berkley. 635 pages. [Source: Bought] 

ETA: I reread this one in January 2024. It had been years since I first read this one. I have so many dog-eared pages from both readings. If I was to quote everything I marked to "remember" to come back to, it would be so long. Definitely glad I reread this one.

Agatha Christie's autobiography has been on my tbr pile for years now. I have looked forward to reading it for so long! I must admit the length had me a little intimidated. But once I started reading this one, I found myself completely absorbed in it. It is truly a fascinating read cover to cover. I think this one could prove appealing to a variety of readers.

Do you love history? I found Agatha Christie's Autobiography to be fascinating. This book is rich in details. Readers learn in great detail about her family and her growing up years. What Christie is describing is a way of life, and the way she saw the world around her. Her thoughts on her parents, grandparents, siblings, the family servants--the cook and the maids and nannies. You get a real sense of what it was to be a child (and teen) growing up in England in the 1890s and 1900s. She was "out" (ready to date) a year or two (or even three) before World War I began.

Are you interested in World War I? in World War II? Christie details what life was like during the war years. She was a nurse for a great part of World War I. She also assisted in dispensing drugs. She fell in love and got married during this time. During World War II she again did her part in the war effort. I believe volunteering in a hospital. She was in and around London during the War. She recalls how she rarely (if ever) took shelter during the raids because she was afraid of being buried alive under all the rubble. She had a grown daughter by that point. A daughter who fell in love, got married, and had a child during this time.

England was at war. It had come. I can hardly express the difference between our feelings then and now. Now we might be horrified, perhaps surprised, but not really astonished that war should come, because we are all conscious that war does come; that it has come in the past and that, at any moment, it might come again. But in 1914 there had been no war for--how long? Fifty years--more? True, there had been the "Great Boer War," and skirmishes on the Northwest frontier, but those had not been wars involving one's own country--they had been large army exercises, as it were; the maintenance of power in far places. This was different--we were at war with Germany. (257)

Are you interested in archaeology? in world-traveling? She spends a good deal of time recalling her travels around the world. She accompanied her first husband on an extended trip--covering several continents. (She left her (quite young) daughter with her mother and sister.) After her divorce--he fell in love with another woman and blamed her for it--she traveled on her own. On one of her trips to the Middle East, she met the man who would become her second husband. He was an archaeologist. While she did not stay with him the duration of all of his digs, she accompanied him on some, and visited on others. Readers learn that Christie LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to travel.

Are you a rehab addict? Christie loved looking at houses, buying houses in need of repair, fixing them up, renting them out, and selling them. She owned many properties at various points in her life. I believe the book said she owned eight during World War II. The book talks about her remodeling and redesigning houses.

Are you interested in writing, in her writing life? You'll find plenty to delight you within her autobiography. She talks about different sides of her writing life. Her novels. Her mystery novels. Her plays. Her short stories. Her poems. She talks about her mistakes and successes. Readers learn about which books she liked best and which book she really, really hated!

It was while I was working in the dispensary that I first conceived the idea of writing a detective story. (289)

People never stop writing to me nowadays to suggest that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot should meet--but why should they? I am sure the would not enjoy it at all. Hercule Poirot, the complete egoist, would not like being taught his business by an elderly spinster lady. He was a professional sleuth, he would not be at home all in Miss Marple's world. No, they are both stars, and they are stars in their own right. (502)

Do you love to read? Christie shares her thoughts on her favorite writers and books!

I want to emphasize the fact that you do not have to love mysteries in order to find this autobiography of a mystery writer fascinating! I marked so many passages that I wanted to share with you. Too many to actually share. It would overwhelm any post. So just trust me, read this one!

I will choose a quote which happens to bring to mind a certain song from Frozen.

One of the first things that happens when you are attracted to a man and he is to you is that extraordinary illusion that you think exactly alike about everything, that you each say the things the other has been thinking. (228)

 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

7. Make Way

Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings. Angela Burke Kunkel. Illustrated by Claire Keane. 2023. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book for older readers; biography; art appreciation]

First sentence of 'prologue': In the beginning, a duck is an egg. A drawing is a blank page. A sculpture is a lump of clay.

First sentence of book: In the beginning, a boy named Bob lives in a place called Hamilton. He wanders the Ohio town with his dog, playing a harmonica, notes trailing behind them. Bob's mind whirs like a motor and his hands move constantly.

Premise/plot: Make Way is a nonfiction picture book for slightly older readers. I do think it is one that adults will be drawn to. It is the a) a mini-biography of Robert McCloskey, children's author and illustrator b) a mini-biography of Nancy Schön, an artist who was inspired by Make Way for Ducklings, c) the story of the impact of ONE children's book, the book being Make Way for Ducklings.

MY thoughts: I can't think about Make Way for Ducklings without thinking about my Mom. This is one that she regularly read to us (my sister and I). After reading this one, I immediately had to go put Robert McCloskey's book on hold. (In fact, I put on hold ALL of his books that my library had in their collection). I think that's a good reaction or response. I hope the author would approve! This picture book is like a love letter.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

193. Shipwrecked!

Shipwrecked! Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor. Martin W. Sandler. 2023. [October 31] 138 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Nonfiction]

First sentence: Almost everything made by humans, at one time or another, has been carried over the oceans. And it's not only people and goods that depended upon the sea for transportation. Ideas, cultures, religions, technologies, and the arts historically spread by seas. 

Premise/plot: Shipwrecked is middle grade nonfiction. Sandler introduces readers to seven shipwrecks, or, excavations of shipwrecks. The book focuses on how shipwrecks are discovered, recovered, salvaged, etc. What can we learn about the past by examining/exploring shipwrecks? How has the art or science of exploration/excavation changed over the past hundred years?

The shipwrecks discussed in this one include: Antikythera, Cape Gelidonya, Shinan, The Mary Rose, Sao Jose Paquete de Africa, The Hunley, The Erebus and The Terror. The book also includes a final chapter--or appendix--where other shipwrecks are featured. These "bonus" or "extra" shipwrecks get a few paragraphs each. 

My thoughts: I found this fascinating. I wasn't expecting to find it fascinating. This subject or sub-sub-genre isn't my usual "cup of tea." Yet I found myself absorbed in these stories. Mostly I found myself interested in the history of it all. 

Definitely recommended for those that enjoy nonfiction.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

191. What Was the Donner Party?

What was the Donner Party? Ben Hubbard. 2023. [November] 111 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: In late October 1846, one last push was all that was needed. One last push for the men, women, and children to reach the mountain summit--its highest peak--and cross to the other side. 

Premise/plot: This is a nonfiction chapter book about the Donner Party. The book summarizes this tragic historical event well. At least relatively well considering the audience. Briefly, for those not in the know, it is a wagon train adventure gone horribly wrong. 

My thoughts: Why. Why does this book exist. I have read a couple of books about the Donner Party. One was middle grade. One was young adult. One was adult. I don't know why elementary students would need such a gruesome book. Not that I'm judgy. Perhaps the gruesomeness of it makes it appealing? 

What you see is exactly what you get. It is a solid enough narrative that describes the events--what led to the tragedy, the tragedy itself, and the aftermath of the tragedy.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews