Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin

 "I gazed down the way we had come. The magnitude of the feat we had accomplished flooded in with the crisp air as I surveyed the vastness of the valley and the distant ranges. Patience and determination had carried us up and over the obstacles to that cloud-high perch, to a view usually reserved for eagles and angels. ... Only a few people ever are given the opportunity, or accept the challenge, to climb a thirteen-htousand-foot mountain. Few ever a chance to see that sublime view, breathe that pristine air, overcome those formidable obstacles, or feel that joy-filled exhilaration. And I was one of them."

 

The John Muir Trail:  211 mile hiking trail that runs from Yosemite Valley through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. 

Three women in their fifties, and one in her twenties.

Four weeks of adventure:  river crossings, alpenglow, lightning, snow, mountain passes, mosquitoes, wild flowers, peaks and valleys, beautiful lakes, beauty, struggle, friendship, and joy. 

"Succeeding at such a huge personal challenge changes a person. ... When we take on the nearly impossible and succeed, the impossible begins to look approachable."

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Thoughts:  I love hiking memoirs like this one. It's immersive, transportive, and inspiring. It made me wish I had adventurous hiking buddies like Joan's! Because this is the kind of adventure I've always dreamed of doing. I honestly don't know if I could handle the mosquitoes, or sleeping on the ground, not to mention having no bathrooms; and I don't know if my knees could take hiking up all those steep peaks only to then have to hike back down them. But wouldn't it be awesome to accomplish something this amazing and challenging? 

As John Muir wrote:  "Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain-passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action." 

Happy Reading!

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

 

Plot summary:  Margaret Jacobsen's life feels perfect. She has her MBA and the promise of a dream job. And her handsome boyfriend just proposed. Everything is falling into place. But then, on Valentine's Day, the unexpected happens and Margaret's life is changed forever, her future that seemed so bright suddenly gone. And everyone keeps telling her to be positive and smile...except for her physical therapist who barely talks to her; instead, he pushes her to try harder everyday. And her fiance? When he's not drunk he tells her he still loves her, but he never comes to visit her. Instead, it's her sister that shows up, the sister she's been estranged from for the past three years. Margaret's journey is one of pain and grief....and hope. And she learns some important truths along the way:

• Needing to find reasons to live had forced me to build a life worth living.
• The greater our capacity for sorrow becomes, the greater our capacity for joy.
• You have to live the life you have.
• When you don't know what to do for yourself, do something for somebody else.
• There are all kinds of happy endings. 

My thoughts:  This is one of those books that once I started reading it I couldn't put it down! Margaret's such a relatable character. Everything about her accident and recovery felt so real; I understood her moments of depression, cheered her resilience and moments of anger, and cried with her, too. And I loved her happy ending. Her sister, Kit, made me laugh; and I really liked Ian, her physical therapist. This book is so much more than a simple romance. It's amazing. And I loved it!

Happy Reading!

Other favorite Katherine Center books:

The Bodyguard

Things You Save in a Fire

Happiness for Beginners

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

 "Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding." 

From the blurb:  "Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course--Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. But Afi is not prepared for the shift her life takes when she is moved from her small hometown of Ho to live in Accra, Ghana's gleaming capital, a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them. She has agreed to this marriage in order to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so she must see it through. Or maybe not?"

My thoughts:  This is such a well-written and compelling book. I had a lot of sympathy for Afi and her situation. She's a bit naive when she first arrives in Accra, and she tries so hard to be a dutiful wife. But it's hard when Eli is never around; then when he does come around and Afi starts to fall in love with him, there's still the problem of the other woman. But Afi has spunk and an inner strength that I applauded. I loved how she defied everyone to find her own success and happiness. One of the other things I loved about this novel was being immersed in the culture and traditions of Ghana and getting to see the roles that women are still expected to fill there. It was very eye-opening, and sometimes sad. But Afi's story is full of heart and hope. 

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu

The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters

 

From the blurb:

"Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine—in the shadow of Chernobyl—seemingly with the world against her. She was born with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep, and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias.

"Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of what would be their child’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at age seven when Gay Masters waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances.

"In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Determined to prove herself and fueled by a drive to succeed that still smoldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four—winning against the world’s best in elite rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and road cycling competitions. Now considered one of the world’s top athletes, she is the recipient of seventeen Paralympic medals, the most of any US athlete of the Winter Games, Paralympic or Olympic.

"This is Oksana’s astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels—and how, with her mother’s love, she finally found her way into the light. Her message to anyone who doesn’t fit in: you can find a place where you excel—where you have worth."

My thoughts: 

Wow! This is one of the best books I've read this year. Oksana's story is both riveting and moving. I cried for her because of all the hard things she had to endure, and I cheered all of her breakthroughs and successes. She has such tenacity and grit and determination; I really admire her fire to win and her never-give-up attitude. 

"Ugly things happened to me. They. Are. Not. Me. No matter how ugly I feel, how much I hate my body, how much I hate my memories, I'm still worthy of love. Of a good life. This is what I wish everyone who's experienced physical or emotional  trauma could grasp: You are not the product of where you came from. You are not what happened to you...there's beauty in you."

 This amazing and emotional book is truly a memoir of courage and triumph! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Swan Dive: the Making of a Rogue Ballerina

 

Georgina Pazcoguin joined the New York city Ballet when she was just seventeen. In 2013, after dancing ten years in the Corps de Ballet, she was promoted, and became NYCB's first Asian American female soloist. Her candid memoir is a revealing look into the competitive (even cutthroat), demanding, sexist, and sometimes toxic culture that exists at the NYCB. What else comes through is her fierce love of ballet. In her twenty years as a professional ballerina, she's had some exhilarating highs and some devastating lows. She's persevered through it all. And she shares her struggles and her joy with refreshing frankness, honesty, and humor. 

I've always loved reading about anything that has to do with ballet, and this book is a very engaging memoir! It's interesting and eye-opening, and it gave me an even greater appreciation for the years and years of dedication and effort, and all the hard work that these dancers put forth in hopes of becoming a professional ballerina. This book is a 5-star read!

Happy Reading!

Two worth reading...

 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I never fully comprehended just how oppressive Apartheid was until I read this book. Trevor Noah really opened my eyes. His book is smart and insightful, honest and compelling. And I came away from it admiring both him and his fearless and amazing mother. Here's one of my favorite quotes from this book:

"We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited....My mother showed me what was possible. My mom raised me as if there were no limitations on where I could go or what I could do."

Who Says I Can't? by Coach Rob Mendez

Instead of focusing on the things in life he can't do because he was born without arms or legs, Rob Mendez chooses to focus on all the things he can do. It's a powerful message. I loved his honesty in this book, and his confidence, humor and positivity, too. Here's one of my favorite quotes:

"When an opportunity presents itself, you should be eager to seize it. That means not only recognizing the opportunity for what it is but also being willing to risk failure or embarrassment or any number of other negative outcomes."

These are two great nonfiction reads and I recommend them both.

Happy Reading!

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

 Adunni is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in a small village in Nigeria. Her mother is dead, and her father has just arranged a marriage for her with a much older man who already has two wives. The man wants a son and Adunni's father wants the money her bride-price will bring. What does Adunni want?

"My heart is starting to break because I am only fourteen going fifteen and I am not marrying any foolish stupid old man because I am wanting to go back to school and learn teacher work and become a adult woman....I don't want to marry any mens or any boys or any other person forever....That day, I tell myself that even if I am not getting anything in this life, I will go to school. I will finish my primary and secondary and university schooling and become a teacher because I don't just want to be having any kind voice....I want a louding voice."

But Adunni's journey isn't easy. First she's sold as a wife to Morufu, then as a domestic servant to a wealthy household in Lagos where she's not treated very well. Despite the struggle of being a young girl in a country that doesn't seem to value her, she meets a few kind people along the way who offer help and encouragement. Kofi, the chef at Big Madam's, tells her about a scholarship that would enable her to continue her schooling; and Tia, a wealthy London-educated neighbor, agrees to help her with her English and her scholarship essay. Even with their help, life for Adunni is still a struggle. But she never gives up on her dream. I loved that about her.

"A day will come when my voice will sound so loud all over Nigeria and the world of it, when I will be able to make a way for other girls to have their own louding voices.... A day will come...."

Girls in Nigeria don't seem to have a voice when it comes to making decisions about their own lives, which makes this coming-of-age story such a compelling one. I really liked Adunni's 'louding' voice and I think Abi Dare is a remarkable writer. I'm so glad she highlights the plight of Nigerian girls like Adunni in this book, how so many are devalued unless they're married, and how men often seem to think they can use them for their own pleasure and then toss them aside. I find it heartbreaking that there are still cultures in the world today where marrying off young girls is more important than educating them. I hope books like this one help change that someday.

Happy Reading!

Melody and I read this one together--which always makes a book more fun! Check out her questions to me below, then go check out her review of this captivating book. 

Melody's questions to me:

Q. What do you think of Khadija's death and Bamidele running off from his deeds and responsibilities? In your view, do you think there's closure to this case? 

A. Khadija's death was so senseless and unnecessary it broke my heart. The fact that she felt her future (and her family's dependence on her husband for food) was at risk if she didn't give him a son made her do something stupid, and she paid for it with her life. I'm not surprised her lover Bamidele ran off and left her to die. And the fact that he'll never have to pay for his part in her death is just another example of how unvalued women are in certain parts of the world. 

Q. Why do you think Ms. Tia wants to help Adunni and what have they learned from each other through their own issues? 

A. I think Tia is the kind of person who wants to make a difference in the world and who genuinely tries to be a good person, and that's why she talked to Adunni in the first place and agreed to help her learn better English. Also, having grown up in England, I think Tia saw Adunni not just as a maid, but as a real person when the other Nigerian women just dismissed her. But I think Tia's the one who ended up learning more about life, and what's truly important, from the time she spent with Adunni than anything Adunni learned from her. But I did really like their friendship. 

Other good reads set in Africa:

My Sister, the Serial Killer

Small Country

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa

The Hairdresser of Harare

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

 

"When I was a child, first discovering numbers, the secrets they yielded, the power they held, I imagined I would live my life unchecked, knocking down problem after problem that was set before me. And in the beginning, because I outstripped my classmates, my parents, and even my teachers it seemed possible that it would be so. That was pure hubris. ... Still, I never tried to hide or suppress my mind as some girls do, and thank God, because that would have been the beginning of the end."

Katherine is a math genius at a time when math is still very much a man's world. She's also half-Chinese with questions about her parentage that her father refuses to answer. And she thinks she might have found the mathematical key to solving the Reimann hypothesis. But will people believe the solution is really hers, or will they think some man helped her with it? Love, math and ambition are complicated problems for Katherine as she navigates and narrates her journey through life.

This novel is thoughtful, poignant, intelligent and beautifully written. And Katherine is a quietly compelling narrator. I admired her courage and her stubborn refusal to be viewed as less than just because she's a woman. From her third grade teacher to the college professor who claims to love her, Katherine has to battle just to have her own voice heard. It made me angry for her. (I found it a little heartbreaking, too.) Katherine's story drew me in from the very first page of this novel. (I even liked the math bits.) And though the ending left me feeling a little sad, I'm glad to count this as my first read of 2021. It's a good one.

Happy Reading!