Literary Radio Host Rills on Equality and "The Girl with Braided Hair"

Title ‘The Girl with Braided Hair’
Author Margaret Coel
Publisher The Berkley Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York
10014-3658
www.penguin.com
Price $16.29 Amazon
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (September 4, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425217124
ISBN-13: 978-0425217122

Reviewed by Connie Gotsch

Liz has to get off the rez, or angry AIM members will drive her off--into a grave. Packing her baby into her old car, she scrapes money together for gas, and heads for Denver.

With that incident, Colorado mystery writer Margaret Coel begins her thriller, ‘The Girl with Braided Hair.’ A professional historian, Ms. Coel has spent much of her career researching the Arapaho and their lives on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, first for nonfiction books, and now for novels.

She has written 13 mysteries featuring Arapaho lawyer, Vicky Holden, and Catholic priest, Father John O’Malley as protagonists. Together they solve murders. Sometimes the police, Vicky’s children, people working at Father John’s mission, or Vicky’s love interest, Adam Lone Eagle, help out. Sometimes they hinder the process.

In ‘The Girl with Braided Hair,’ Vicky and Father John must identify the skeleton of a person killed in 1973 and left to rot in a shallow grave along a highway. The plot has all the elements of a typical mystery: false leads, uncooperative witnesses, threats to Vicky and Father John, cliffhanger car chases, and an explosive climax that reveals both the killer and the victim’s identity.

This model might lead to repetitious themes and predictable twists, especially after 13 novels. Margaret Coel avoids that trap. The components required for a good whodunit serve her as a framework around which to weave thoroughly researched Arapaho history, adding education to the fun of a good thriller.

For ‘The Girl with Braided Hair,” Coel examines the American Indian Movement (AIM), its origins, the struggles that drew people into it, and the related attitudes about it that linger today on the Wind River Reservation.

Her characters come off as solidly three-dimensional against this background. Vicky Holden is a kind, sincere person who wants to use her education as a lawyer to do right for her people by supporting ordinary individuals. She eagerly accepts a request from her neighbors to find the identity of the skeleton.

Her lover, Adam Lone Eagle, carries on the struggle by looking at the actions of large entities, in this case corporations discriminating against Native Americans in hiring practices. He does not approve of Vicky’s choice to leave an important case and chase down the name of a long-dead person about whom no one has cared before.
Father John struggles with alcoholism, an impending transfer, and a spirit that would much rather deal with people than the invoices, checkbooks, memos, and papers required to run a mission on a reservation. Perhaps he also harbors a love for Vicky that he cannot fulfill

In the end, the murder victim while undeserving of death, has by choice trusted vicious people. Thirty years after the heyday of AIM, the individuals who both loved and hated this person suffer repercussions from their emotions, and related decisions.

However, strong characterization and presentation of Arapaho history alone do not raise ‘The Girl with Braided Hair,’ above the typical good ole murder thriller. Margaret Coel adds one more element to make that happen. She uses the story to introduce several good and universal questions that everyone must face in some way.

What is the right way to lead a struggle for equality? What’s important to fight for in that process? What do people do at any given time that leads to good or bad outcomes? What decisions haunt them 30 years later? How important is individual identity and why? How long should a person hold on to something he loves? When is it time to move on?

Margaret Coel’s approach makes readers think about their own life decisions, and the effect those decisions have on themselves and others. An author who does that is always fresh, even if she writes a thousand stories about a particular set of characters.
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Reviewer Connie Gotsch is the author "A Mouth Full of Shell" and "Snap Me a Future" published by DLSIJ Press.
She is featured in "The Complete Writer's Journal" published by Red Engine Press --www.redenginepress.com
She is also a radio host for KSJE.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Conor and the Crossroads: At It Again!

Title - Conor and the Crossworlds: Book Two: Peril in the Corridors
Author - Kevin Gerard
ISBN - 9781583852385
Genre - Young Adult Fantasy
From Journal - Front Street Reviews
Publisher - Cold Tree Press
Reviewer's Rating - Top Shelf!

Reviewed by Mary Aycock for Front Street ReviewsConor and T


This second quest into the Crossworlds brings us into our main character’s life two years after the first story. The Lady of the Light appears in Conor Jameson’s bedroom and asks him to accompany her back into the Crossworlds to assist with a problem that was actually created when our young hero and his mentor, Purugama, had their first adventures together. Completely by accident, Purugama and Conor unknowingly created a situation whereby the Crossworlds corridors have been weakened and are now in danger of being destroyed by the Circle of Evil. Many horrible and treacherous evildoers had escaped their bonds when the corridors were weakened and could no longer hold them captive. Now they are on a vengeful drive to destroy all forces of good and all means of traveling through the Crossworlds corridors.

Conor decides to accompany the Lady of the Light to the Glade of Champions, where he meets Maya and the other Crossworlds Champions, Eha, Ajur, Surmitang and Therion. All of the Crossworlds Champions are amazing and endearing but GIGANTIC members of the cat family, just as Purugama was. Anyone who is a cat lover, including myself, would give their left arm to be in Conor’s position, meeting and being mentored by a giant Panther and Cheetah and Tiger and Lion, not to mention Maya, who has the outward appearance of a gigantic domestic cat, but is the Lord of the Crossworlds Champions. All are vested with special powers, which Conor gets to feel and enjoy and practice, as he accompanies Maya on several perilous quests to repair the Crossworlds corridors. Maya is the only one of the huge cats who can travel with Conor through the Crossworlds, but the other cats are able to lend Conor their powers and magical abilities to help him fight the many terrifying foes that are trying to prevent the corridor repairs. In order to give Maya the time he needs to work the repairs on the corridors, Conor must battle and defeat a human-dragon mutant, a formless entity and a shape-shifting master of darkness. Oh, the deliciously scary things we come face to face with on this journey!

The action-packed fast pace will have you turning page after page as fast as possible to see what comes next, because this author holds nothing back in his quest to show you every corner of the Crossworlds and all the dangers that lurk within. As Conor battles each wicked foe, your heart beats faster as you try to think past what is happening to all of the possible outcomes, only to be surprised by the turn of events.

The battle scenes are huge in dimension and impact as Conor fights for his life, using his wits and the powers of the mighty Crossworlds Champions. What incredible powers he wields as he fights the best (or is that the worst?) that the Circle of Evil can throw at him. Entire worlds are involved; the span of our imagination grows with each battle. As I was reading, I kept envisioning these scenes on a big screen, wondering how the movie world would create the amazing things that come straight from this author’s incredible imagination. This mind-blowing series of battles against the Circle of Evil’s finest team of destroyers would be quite a feat to translate to the big screen, but my goodness, what an awesome thing that would be to see and to hear! Hollywood, are you paying attention here????

I was impressed with the first book of "Conor and the Crossworlds” and was wondering if the second book would be as good as the first or, as sometimes happens, not live up to the promise. Well, let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed after reading the second book in a series that is turning out to be a highly entertaining and enjoyable read. There is so much MORE in this second book for everyone to enjoy, fast paced action, close calls around every bend, tender moments between Conor and the amazing giant cats who are the Crossworld Champions, surprises, treachery, deception, battles to end all battles and foes that will curl your hair!

There is a wonderful sense of right fighting against wrong in Conor’s perilous journey and you see him grow stronger and wiser with every confrontation. I truly think that we, as readers, grow with him and learn with him and come away with the sense that we want to change our world for the better, now that we know what can go horribly wrong if we continue as we are. Three cheers to the author, Kevin Gerard, for giving us reality’s lessons disguised as enchanting fiction.

I was carried along on this journey with Conor and Maya and the other Crossworld Champions and they will always be a part of my heart. This book will have to be reread, slowly this time, just so I can savor the relationships and the experiences once more. The author has left me with a deep hunger for the NEXT book in this series and, for all the world, I have NO idea where his imagination is going to take me next time, but I am ready for the ride! Bring it on, Kevin, but please bring it on SOON!

The author, Kevin Gerard, lives in San Diego, CA, with his wife and four children. When he is not busy being a successful professor of sociology and statistics for California State University, San Marcos, you will find him doing fun things with his extended family in and around the San Diego area. The Crossworlds series provided the main impetus for his decision to pursue a professional writing career and may prove to him that he can now concentrate on writing full time, to the exclusion of all other endeavors.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Harry Potter and Tolerance! Big Subject to Consider!

Short Title: Prejudice in Harry Potter
Full Book Title: Prejudice in Harry Potter's World: A Social Critique of the Series, Using Allport's "The Nature of Prejudice"
Genre: Commentary on popular culture and literature; Literary Criticism
ISBN-10: 1602641536
ISBN-13: 978-1602641532
Author's Website: http://www.thelppc.com/featuredbook-prejudiceinharrypotter.html

Summary:

Prejudice in Harry Potter's World is a very readable academic study and a social commentary which the author discusses the discrimination issues raised in Rowling's series. All types of societal prejudices are metaphorized through Rowling's subplots: For example, the conditions in which werewolves live is a social parallel for disability prejudice in the modern world. And, of course, the Mudblood subplot teems with racial and anti-Semitic overtones. There are many other examples, all of which are highlighted and explained in Brown's work. These Harry Potter-related issues have so far been ignored or glossed over by the mostly-mainstream Harry Potter audience, commentators and literary critics. Of all the companions, study-guides, commentaries, etc., that have been written about the Harry Potter books, none have dealt with its social themes in depth until now. Brown's study is therefore the first of its kind, and a very worthy piece of scholarship.


Comments made by Erin Jade on Book-Related Discussion Topic (This is NOT an Amazon review):

"I actually just finished writing an essay on this very subject for a British Lit class. I always thought Rowling's themes about prejudice, racism, and discrimination were very clear, but discussing the books with others they always said they "hadn't thought about it," which I found disturbing. In searching for sources for my paper, I only found a few sites/books that mentioned it at all (and I must admit, I checked our library for your book, but with no luck). I think that it's partly because people are afraid, but also because the topic makes most people very uncomfortable.

One thing I pointed out in my essay is that Rowling has characters that are both good and bad display prejudice and discrimination, because we are ALL prejudiced in one form or another, and I believe that having to think closely about their own prejudices makes people horribly uncomfortable."

(Source: http://www.amazon.com/tag/harry%20potter/forum?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdForum=FxZZNCHJFAFY3A&cdThread=Tx10XJ3SA8YY7CI )

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Mayra Calvani Brings Us Crash and Marcelo!

Crash!
By Mayra Calvani
Published by Guardian Angel Publishing
Children's Picture Book, 24 pages, $10.95
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/crash.htm

Reviewed by Lea Schizas, for the Muse Book Reviews, http://themusebookreviews.tripod.com/

Anyone who is a parent with a child that has begged, hollered, and begged some more for a pet will enjoy Crash and Marcelo, the little boy who gets his wish. The glee and joy in his cute little face is described vividly by author Mayra Calvani.

Reading “Crash”, a child and a parent discover the responsibilities that come with owning a pet. Marcelo also discovers that naming his new family member is not as easy as he thought. Many ideas come to his head, none really fitting in with the cute Golden Retriever.

The name he finally picks surprises his parents. But as you read, you realize this is the PERFECT name.

Maybe it’s me but as I read Crash and several other children’s books I’ve purchased this week from some of my guest bloggers, the writing is so simple one would say, “Why didn’t I think of this?” Yet, writing for children isn’t as simple as one would think so I have to tip my hat to Mayra for yet another great read. The first book I read written by Mayra Calvani was The Magic Violin and, as in Crash!, I loved the descriptive details bringing the story alive. Her young character’s love and interaction with his new puppy came through, loud and clear.

This is a great book to buy for your child, you know, the one who is begging and hollering and begging some more for a pet. It will teach and prepare them for the responsibilities surely to come when a pet finally comes gift-wrapped.



Note:
THE AUTHOR IS DONATING 50% OF HER ROYALTIES TO
ALMOST HEAVEN GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE AND SANCTUARY,
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.
ALMOST HEAVEN-GOLDEN-RETRIEVER-RESCUE.ORG
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

The Ethnic Presidency: Talk About Timing

The Ethnic Presidency
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Reviewed by Nikki Leigh


I've never really kept track of the political process. I have my own opinions, but I never really understood the process of primaries, caucuses and so on. So, I had never noticed how various ethnic groups vote in specific ways. After reading The Latino Challenge and The Ethnic Presidency I have learned so much about the electoral process and the deeper ways that the issues affect various ethnic groups.

The Ethnic Presidency delves into the democratic and republican parties, the various candidates and the parts they are playing or have played in the primary process. It gives a large number of examples from past elections which show techniques that have brought in votes from all ethnic groups.

In the introduction to the book, Earl Hutchinson explains why this topic involves more than the fact that there is a woman and a black man running for president this year. That makes the 2008 election more unusual, but throughout the years the same elements and principals have come into play in many elections and that even applies to the elections when two white men were running for president.

For anyone of any ethnic background, any age or any gender who wants to learn more about how race, gender and ethnic background play a big part in the election process - this is a must read. This year, more than any other, race, gender and ethnicity will have a major impact on the presidential election.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

All The Romance of New Orleans in a Historical Novel

Title: A World Of His Own-In The Land Of The Creoles
Author: Arlette Gaffrey
Published by: Outskirts Press
Website: www.OutskirtsPress.com/ArletteGaffrey
Genre: Historical Novel
ISBN # 0-9788891-0-X




Reviewed by Amos Lassen for Amazon

I am originally from New Orleans and I never get tired of reading about my hometown.
From the moment I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. I find Arlette Gaffrey to be a very talented writer who knows New Orleans so well she really brings the city to life. The story line holds your interest from the first page to the last. This is a story of love, marriage and betrayal set against the background of the magical city of New Orleans.

As a child, Andre de Javon is torn from his family during the French revolution, and when he grows up he arrives in New Orleans to begin building a new life for himself. Through hard work and sheer determination he becomes wealthy and the owner of one of the most successful plantations in the territory.

Andre's mentor Jean-Claude Charlevoix has a young daughter Julie Marie who is in love with Andre even though she is still a child of eleven. She hopes Andre will wait for her to grow up so they can marry, but instead Andre marries the beautiful, spoilt, selfish Gabrielle Ste. Claire. Marriage to Gabrielle is a nightmare. Gabrielle sets their beautiful house on fire in a drunken rage, and she is caught in the fire and dies, leaving Andre with her illegitimate son.

Andre sees everything he's built go up in flames and is filled with grief and rage. But now he is at last free to marry the one he realizes he truly loves, Julie. However he is eleven years her senior and has a bastard son to boot. Will Julie still want to marry him?

This author Arlette Gaffrey has captured the color, charm and heart of New Orleans. She has also brought in several historical characters who played a part in that time in history. The infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, Andrew Jackson, Henry Shreve and others. Her historical facts are accurate, and the details of plantation life is true. Arlette also shines in her descriptions of the fashions of the day along with hair styles, fabrics and jewelry. She also very easily explains the French and Spanish Creole culture and this love story exudes romance.

The elements of a good story are here, the romance and historical background of 19th century New Orleans are all here.

Many years ago the author of this review actually lived in the building shown on the cover of the book, the courtyard is famous and the address is 734 Royal Street.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Journey Through the Quintessential Immigrant's Tale

Title: Kisses from a Distance
Author: Raff Ellis
Genre: Memoir

Reviewed by Hani Bathis for the Beirut Daily Star
Tuesday, February 26, 2008, Beirut, Lebanon


Raff Ellis' 'Kisses from a Distance' delves into the lure of migration, a subject that resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today

BEIRUT: Lebanese-American author Raff Ellis' "Kisses from a Distance" unfolds like a quintessential immigrant's tale. It follows a Lebanese story that is as relevant and familiar to today's Levantine audience as it would have been 100 years ago. Over the book's 311 pages, which are peppered with relevant and exhaustively researched history, Ellis tugs readers along on a journey down the snow-capped mountains of Lebanon, over land, across seas and oceans and into many strange and distant ports. The story anchors in New York and allows readers to experience the anxious excitement of the wide-eyed immigrant as he steps off the boat and sets foot in a new country for the first time.

In "Kisses from a Distance," Ellis chronicles a very intimate family history - his parents' marriage and migration to the United States and their struggle to raise a family and make ends meet in the small town of Carthage, New York, during the Great Depression. Ellis also gives readers a glimpse of Lebanon ravaged by war, famine and disease. But he also reveals the ways in which the country encompasses boundless hope and countless tales of courage, triumph and success.

That success, in particular, reflects the dogged determination of Lebanese immigrants to persevere against all odds, an attribute which continues to serve their adopted homelands well. The author's story is just one of innumerable ordinary, untold epics, a highly personal account of a sad history, presenting a proud and fiercely independent people who are all too often caught up in the region's tectonic political shifts.

The genesis of Ellis' family epic came after the death of his mother, when he discovered more than 200 letters among her personal affects. The letters from friends and family span 60 years, starting in 1925. They begin with traditional Lebanese greetings, and many kisses: "Kisses from a distance ... We kiss your cheeks ... I kiss you many times from this distance," thus inspiring the title of the book.

The real-life dramas unfolding between the pages of these letters, especially in the last half of Ellis' book, make for a very compelling read, turning "Kisses from a Distance" into a veritable page-turner.

The author's visits to Lebanon, his meticulous research and his tenacious quest to trace his family's roots - and those of all the characters involved in this complex story - further enrich the narrative. The well laid-out book, which is Ellis' first full-length effort, is divided into 41 chapters ranging from four to 12 pages.

Angele [the author’s mother], a prolific letter writer and a proficient linguist, corresponded regularly with her family in Lebanon, mostly with her brothers Youssef and Khalil, her sister Miriam and her mother Adela. Through their letters back to Angele, readers of Ellis' account learn of her death her new life in America, her pining for Lebanon and her unhappiness in marriage. The letters also peel back layers of her personality and in particular her religious fervor, which was a great source of comfort for her in the many family arguments that erupted over money and property.

As expressed in "Kisses from a Distance," the subject of migration resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today, more so than at any time since WWI. Once again, many of Lebanon's youth are seeking work in foreign lands to escape the instability and uncertainty in their home country. And one suspects that when and if they return, they too, like Toufic [the author’s father], will be both disappointed and dismissive.

Through her correspondence with her family, Angele learns of their struggles and frustrations, too. She learns of her sister Miriam's untimely death from a burst appendix, her younger brother Khalil's passing and her mother's worsening health until her ultimate demise. Angele watches from a distance as one after another of her loved ones perish.

The real-life dramas unfolding between the pages of these letters, especially in the last half of Ellis' book, make for a very compelling read, turning "Kisses from a Distance" into a veritable page-turner.

The author's visits to Lebanon, his meticulous research and his tenacious quest to trace his family's roots - and those of all the characters involved in this complex story - further enrich the narrative. The well laid-out book, which is Ellis' first full-length effort, is divided into 41 chapters ranging from four to 12 pages.

As expressed in "Kisses from a Distance," the subject of migration resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today, more so than at any time since WWI. Once again, many of Lebanon's youth are seeking work in foreign lands to escape the instability and uncertainty in their home country. And one suspects that when and if they return, they too, like Toufic [the author’s father], will be both disappointed and dismissive.

Raff Ellis' "Kisses from a Distance" is published by Cune Press, distributed in Lebanon by Levant, and available in the States in special edition hardcopy at www.raffellis.com, and in paperback at Amazon.com.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.