Hitlerland

Hitlerland: American Witnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power (2012) by Andrew Nagorski. The author has done extensive research into a previously unreported area -- the experiences of Americans who lived in or visited Germany during the 1920s and '30s. Those who personally talked to Hitler are given special attention. For the record, Truman Smith was the first official to meet Hitler, in 1922. Others who observed the Nazi rise to power firsthand were newsmen, expatriots, diplomats, military attaches. Some of them were dazzled by the flash of Nazi theatrics, some were horrified by what they saw of Nazi ruthlessness and plans for future war. It's all laid out in this very interesting book, and for anyone with an interest in 20th-Century history, especially the Nazi era, I highly recommend it. Grade: B+

Drop Dead Healthy

Drop Dead Healthy (2012) by A.J. Jacobs. Subtitle: "One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection." Jacobs has fun pursuing "perfect health," although there's never any doubt that he will not attain his goal. He divides the body up into parts (The Stomach, The Heart, The Ears, etc.) and then does his research on each part, trying to determine what he should do to attain optimum health. This is not a serious book, but it's a fairly enjoyable read. And there is some useful information strewn throughout its pages. For example, "How to Eat Less" (The author actually lost 16 pounds during his two years of work on the book.). Altogether, not a great book but a diverting one. Grade: B

A Natural Woman

A Natural Woman (2012) by Carole King. Probably best-known for her album Tapestry, King here tells a straight chronological version of her life story up to the present, from her songwriter days in the 1960s to her present status as an iconic performer and activist for conservation. It's a pretty interesting life, but let's just say that as a writer, King is a good singer. Actually, her writing is not bad, it's just not inspired. The "Natural Woman" part of the title is a play on the title of a song King wrote early in her career, and the fact that she went "back to nature" in mid-career, buying a farm in Idaho and living there most of the year. I have to say that by the end of the book I wasn't sure I liked her. Some of her choices, especially parenting choices, seemed extremely ill-advised. Grade: B

The Newlyweds

The Newlyweds (2012) by Nell Freudenberger. This novel tells the story of Amina and George, two people who meet via Internet and eventually decide to marry. The twist is that Amina is Bangladeshi and George is American, so the clash of two cultures makes up the bulk of this book. This novel mostly tells Amina's story, as she is the one who is displaced and goes to live in America. Unbeknown to George, Amina plans to bring her parents to America after she has been here three years, and she plans for them to live with her and George in traditional Deshi fashion. The book is very entertaining, especially toward the end when Amina goes back to Bangladesh to gather her parents to her and bring them back to America. The contrast between Bangladesh and the good old U.S.A. is striking, and Freudenberger writes with authority, as if she had lived in Bangladesh herself. I recommend this book highly. Grade: A-

The Lifeboat

The Lifeboat (2012) by Charlotte Rogan. In 1914, on the eve of World War I, a passenger ship sinks and one of the lifeboats contains our protagonist, Grace Winter. At 22 years old, she is both a newlywed and a widow, her husband having been killed when the ship sank. The Lifeboat tells the story of her survival after the disaster in an overcrowded lifeboat. Framing the story of events in the lifeboat itself is the story of Grace's trial, after being rescued, for helping push a man out of the boat. It makes for absorbing reading, although I found it a little claustrophobic. Grade: A-  

The Cove

The Cove (2012) by Ron Rash. Set in North Carolina during World War I, The Cove tells the story of a brother and sister who are isolated in a backwards part of the state, where the sister, Laurel, is suspected of being a witch. She and her brother, Hank, try to make a go of it on their small plot of land, but it is a lonely life, especially for Laurel, who is set apart by her birthmark. Then one day, a stranger appears -- a mute man who plays the flute beautifully -- and seems to offer a chance for Laurel to experience the happiness she has been denied. But the people of the nearby town seem bent on making life miserable for Laurel, and when the stranger's secret comes to light it appears that she will have no chance for happiness. This novel was a good read, and draws the reader in with skill and poetic language. It's a well told morality tale, without a happy ending. Grade: B+ 

The Land of Decoration

The Land of Decoration (2012) by Grace McCleen. The Land of Decoration is a place in young Judith's bedroom, an imaginary land made up of scraps of rubbish which Judith picks up everywhere. Judith, who is bullied at school, comes to believe that she can create miracles by making changes to the Land of Decoration. But her grim, fundamentalist Father does not look kindly on her efforts to escape from their straight-laced existence. He is so grief-stricken by the death of his wife (Judith's mother) that he has trouble functioning as a father at all. Judith believes that he does not love her, and she catalogs the reasons why. This is a sad, yet ultimately uplifting novel that can grab the reader by the heartstrings and not let go. I liked it. Grade: A-