Stitches by David Small

Stitches is the haunting, graphic memoir of the award-winning children’s illustrator, David Small. As a child, Small's health problems were treated with a series of x-rays, administered by his father. The resulting cancer went long untreated and caused the loss of one of his vocal chords. Since the surgery, he has never been able to speak in more than a whisper. In a story that could only be told graphically, Small shows how his own enforced silence was a reflection of the silence in his own family. The spare text and monochromatic illustrations reinforce the lack of dialogue.

If you have always wanted to try a graphic novel, Stitches isn't a bad place to start. It has been highly-praised by a number of reviewers and can be read in less than an hour. As a word of caution, the book does contain some nudity, language, and acts of violence. Elements such as these tend to be harder for some readers to "skip over" as you could in a novel.


Readalikes:

Persepolis and Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi. Another great graphic memoir which depicts Satrapi's life in Iran, during and after the Islamic Revolution. It was adapted to film in 2007.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. The children of Rex and Rose Mary Walls learned from a young age to take care of themselves, spurred on by their nomadic and frequently neglectful parents.

The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg. Laura Bartone must reconcile her sister's accusations of abuse by her mother, with her own happy childhood.

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson

Amy Dickinson, best known as an advice columnist and contributor to NPR, has written a lovely little book detailing her life as a member of a female-dominated extended family - the "queens" of her hometown, tiny Freeville, New York.

A unique feature of her family is that the few men in it tend to pack up and leave town, which was the case with both Amy's father and her husband (although her husband did maintain a relationship with their daughter, Emily.) For the most part, women in her family have had to fend for themselves. The bits and pieces that Dickinson shares regarding her female relatives are few and far between, I would have loved to hear more about them.

The book is basically snippets of a life - from her childhood to marriage to motherhood, to welcoming love into her life after a long dry spell. Dickinson does not delve too deeply, yet manages to share some deeply personal moments. I really enjoyed this book - Dickinson's voice is funny and familiar, as well as warm and inviting. Again, I would have really enjoyed hearing more about her amazing mother and other female relatives, perhaps there will be another book in Ms. Dickinson's future! For further information on "Mighty Queens," go to: http://www.themightyqueensoffreeville.com/

In Contempt by Christopher Darden

In 1995 it was difficult to find an adult American unaware that O.J. Simpson was on trial for the murders of Nicole Brown, Simpson's wife, and Ron Goldman, Nicole's friend. The media blitz of what became known as "The Simpson Trial" was unprecedented and the news coverage was constant. Perhaps interest was so high because the trial touched a nerve with many Americans on many levels. Without question, the trial drew a heightened awareness to the issues of domestic violence, unjust police practices and the state of race relations in America, all, still "hot button" topics today.

This book gives a firsthand account from the perspective of co-prosecuting attorney, Christopher Darden.

Darden spends a little time at the beginning of the book describing his childhood of a rather meager existence but makes clear that strong family ties and a hard work ethic were instilled in him. He describes the people who helped him along the way and gives a personal glimpse into what he considers his own failings, especially in his adulthood.

However, the meat of the book really is an account of the circumstances that lead to Darden becoming co-prosecutor and some of the highlights, and "lowlights", of the actual trial. Darden recounts conversations between himself and famed defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, lead counsel for the defense, F. Lee Bailey, co-counsel for the defense, Marcia Clark, co-prosecuting attorney and Judge Lance Ito, whose face graced many a magazine cover and TV screen during the lengthy trial.

Darden also talks about the personal torment and ridicule he and his family endured because of his role in the trial as an African American male co-prosecuting an African American male.

He recounts the many pieces of evidence and replays the now famous moment when O.J. Simpson attempted to put on the infamous "bloody glove", describing in detail what he saw from exactly where he stood in the court room, and the media circus that preceded, and followed, that moment.

As an added bonus, for those who are inclined to listen to the audiobook version, Darden reads the book himself. So it is like a personal conversation listening to him, and the reader is immediately transported back to 1995 and the hoopla that surrounded what many called "The Trial of the Century".

Other books written about the trial include: Murder in Brentwood by Mark Fuhrman, 1997 and Without A Doubt by Marcia Clark, 1997, as well as the much publicized If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer released for publication in 2007. The latter book was originally scheduled for publication and then cancelled by the publisher because of public outcry that a murderer was profiting from his crime. However, the rights to the book were awarded to the Goldman and Brown families and became part of the financial settlement award as a result of the guilty verdict against Simpson in the civil suit brought by the families against Simpson. The civil trial found for the families and against Simpson in 1997, a decision that was upheld upon appeal in February, 2008. The families also added some 14,000 words to Simpson's original manuscript, and added the subtitle, Confessions of a Killer.

Mrs. Lincoln by Catherine Clinton

While much is being made of Abraham Lincon's 200th birthday this month, and rightly so, I thought it would be interesting to examine the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, the much maligned and possibly misunderstood wife of President Lincoln. While there have been several biographies published about Mrs. Lincoln, some damning and some sympathetic, I chose the most recently published version to start with.

Mary Todd was born into a highly respected and politically connected family in Lexington, Kentucky. While both she and her future husband lost their mothers at a tender age, Mary's new stepmother went on to give birth to eight additonal children, when, added to Mary and her 5 siblings, made for a very large and disjointed family. When Mary, as a young woman, had the opportunity to escape the household to stay with her married sister in Springfield, Illinois, she jumped at the chance.

Mary took Springfield by storm. Highly educated and politically knowledgeable, her lively personality soon catapulted her to the top of Springfield society. Before long, she was introduced to another up and coming resident, Abraham Lincoln. The courtship of the Lincolns was long and tumultuous, even breaking apart for a brief while before ultimately ending in their marriage in 1842. As a young bride, Mary learned to pinch pennies, made her own clothes and supported her husband in every way - encouraging him to take more care with his appearance, making sure he did not skip meals, and even bringing him out of his well-known melancholy spells.

As Mary stands by her man, Lincoln vascillates between running his law practice and political activities, not winning very often, but becoming more and more well know with each foray. Despite being defeated in the 1858 Senate election, Lincoln, as we all know, was elected president 2 years later, and the family made the move to Washington D.C. Here, Mary, despite finally making it to the top, was shunned by Washington society and became a favorite target of journalists. Weathering this while helping her husband cope with the Civil War while several of her family members fought against the Union was exhausting for Mary; when the war ended and Lincoln was reelected, both of them were looking forward to the future. Mary's dreams of a long and enriched life with her husband were shattered when Lincoln was assassinated, an event that haunted Mary for the rest of her tragic life.

If you would like to gain further insight into this tragic figure, as well as learn more about President Lincoln via his wife's role in his successes, this is a great place to start. Catherine Clinton's interpretation is timely and well-researched, and provides a balanced look at a woman who balanced her own ambitions with her family's needs, suffered great losses, and never quite recovered from the deaths of her husband and children.