A memoir

The Beauty in Breaking ~ by Michele Harper, 2020, memoir, 304 pages

Michele Harper is a female, African American emergency room physician in a profession that is overwhelmingly male and white.  Brought up in Washington, D.C., in a complicated family, she went to Harvard, where she met her husband.  They stayed together through medical school until two months before she was scheduled to join the staff of a hospital in central Philadelphia, when he told her he couldn’t move with her.  Her marriage at an end, she began her new life in a new city, in a new job, as a newly single woman.

In the following years, as Harper learned to become an effective ER physician, bringing insight and empathy to every patient encounter, she came to understand that each of us is broken — physically, emotionally, psychically.  How we recognize those breaks, how we try to mend them, and where we go from there are all crucial parts of the healing process.

The Beauty in Breaking is the story of Harper’s journey toward self-healing.  Each of the patients Harper writes about taught her something important about recuperation and recovery.

1. How to let go of fear even when the future is murky.
2. How to tell the truth when it’s simpler to overlook it.
3. How to understand that compassion isn’t the same as justice.

As she shines a light on the systemic disenfranchisement of the patients she treats as they struggle to maintain their health and dignity, Harper comes to understand the importance of allowing ourselves to make peace with the past as we draw support from the present.  In this book, she passes along the necessary lessons that she has learned as a daughter, a woman, and a physician.

Online comment:  "Overall, the author tells an incredible story of overcoming her childhood trauma, dealing with racism and sexism, and growing into an ethical human being."

1. On Monday, I wrote about the tittle (dot) over the letters i and j, HERE.
2. On TWOsday, I was thinking about okra and walking, HERE.
3. Wednesday's Word was "remit," HERE.
4. Thursday's subject was the Book Bike visit to the Crown Center, HERE.
5. Friday's "book beginning" was from Tom Brokaw's memoir, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Beginning ~ with America's land rush

Beginning

In the late nineteenth Century, in the Great Plains of Middle America, the American savanna, the land rush was on.  It was a vast swath of real estate that was low on water and rich in challenges — from brutal winter seasons to scorching summers.  Until recently it had been the home of enormous herds of antelope and American bison, the magnificent beast prized for its rich pelts and thick cuts of red meat.

Never Give Up: A Prairie Family's Story ~ by Tom Brokaw, 2023, memoir (South Dakota), 139 pages, 10/10

Tom Brokaw’s father, Red, left school in the second grade to work in the family hotel — the Brokaw House, established in Bristol, South Dakota, by R. P. Brokaw in 1883.  Eventually, through work on construction jobs, Red developed an exceptional talent for machines.  Tom’s mother, Jean, was the daughter of a farmer who lost everything during the Great Depression.  They met after a high school play, when Jean played the lead and Red fell in love with her from the audience.  Although they didn’t have much money early in their marriage, especially once they had three boys at home, Red’s philosophy of “Never give up” served them well.  His big break came after World War II, when he went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers building great dams across the Missouri River, magnificent structures like the Fort Randall and the Gavins Point dams.  Late in life, Red surprised his family by recording his memories of the hard times of his early life, reflections that inspired this book.

Tom Brokaw is known as one of the most successful people in broadcast journalism.  Throughout his legendary career, Brokaw has always asked what we can learn from world events and from our history.  Never Give Up is a portrait of the resilience and respect for others at the heart of one American family’s story.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Pedal power

Yesterday, the Book Bike came to the Crown Center from one of our nearby libraries, bringing some free books for the residents and some books that we could check out using our library cards.  I added two free books to my own shelves and checked out another one using my library card.  I will tell you about them over the next few days (one is a novel and the other two are memoirs).  Our local book bike looks a lot like this one in Los Angeles.

At the moment, I am struggling through a very confusing book with alternating chapters about two characters (both women) on different sides of a war, and it's hard to keep up with the two different sets of people.  I may give up and throw it across the room.  (Well, not really, but I am feeling very annoyed.)

Today, I was out walking in the neighborhood just before time for our August "Birthday Bash" with a singer and cake and ice cream.  I didn't plan to go, but I decided "if someone invites me as I pass through the lobby after my walk, then I'll go."  One of my Russian friends said, "Come go with me."  So I went, and I did enjoy singing with everyone when the singer told us to join her on a few of the songs.

The word for today is REMIT

remit (/riˈmɪt/) verb = send back.  If you remit payment, you send it back to the person you owe it to.  This is why I am pondering the word "remit" in the first place:  I got a bill in the mail from my doctor, which included these words (in all captal letters, by the way):

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE AND REMIT TO:

So I'll set this to post for Wednesday Words, then go put the envelope in the outgoing mail.  I will also be getting in some more steps for today.

Two thoughts for today

Yesterday, I left my bag at the restaurant after lunch, taking my leftovers in one hand and my drink in the other.  Hours later, I was in a panic, realizing I had forgotten it.  So Jane, who had driven us to lunch, rushed me back over there.  As I came in the door, the woman who had taken our order was walking toward me with a great big smile on her face, holding out my bag.  Thank you so much, Patrice!

I have been doing a lot of walking in recent years, and it seems to be keeping me healthy.  However, my step-counter has a mind of its own, only counting the steps it decides to count.  If you use a pedometer you really like, would you please tell me what kind?  (I am 85, so one designed for runners is not for me.)

A tittle or two for today

tit·tle /ˈtid(ə)l / noun = a tiny amount or part of something.  The dot over the lowercase "i" and the lowercase "j" is called a tittle.  It may be a blend of "tiny" and "little."

Cat sayings on bookmarks

1.  Every day is Caturday.

2.  Stay paw sitive.

3.  You are purrfect.

4.  You are the cats pajamas.

Beginning ~ with a mention of Narnia

Beginning

My second-grade son, already an avid reader, has been living in Narnia for weeks now.  He has one book going on his own; we read chapters from another aloud at bedtime.  He is challenged and delighted by C. S. Lewis's language and imagery; for the first time, a flashlight shines from under the bedclothes.  But on one recent night Prince Caspian was set aside in favor of a storybook we used to read together when he was three.  Afterward, he gave a deep, nostalgic sigh.  "I remember when we first read that book, a long time ago," he said.  "Even though I'm old now, I still like it.  It reminds me of being young."

The Best American Short Stories ~ edited by Garrison Keillor, 1989, short stories, xvii + 315 pages

This 1998 volume is full of humor and surprises by new and familiar voices.  The Best American Short Stories every year offers the finest works chosen by a distinguished, best-selling author.  These stories were Garrison Keillor's choices, but the beginning above was from the foreword by Katrina Kenison, the editor of the series of annual short stories.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

I shudder for these poor mistreated books

Take a look at this "shelf of unfinished books" that I found HERE.  How many do you see?  Oooh, I could never do that to my books.  Doesn't that person have any bookmarks?  Or even a scrap of paper to mark the place where they quit reading?  With their spines cracked like that, I would bet those books feel worse than an old lady with arthritis in her spine.

Today's word is spud

spud / spəd / informal noun = a potato.  Spuds (the plural) are potatoes.  The popularity of the potato remains steady, thanks to its nutritional value and how relatively easy it is to grow.  It ranks fourth among the world's most important crops.

The illustration I found shows potatoes growing in a Gro-Sack, which I know nothing about.  Yesterday was National Potato Day, so I'm still thinking about potatoes.  Click HERE, if you would like to read what I posted yesterday.

It's National Potato Day

National Potato Day is celebrated on August 19th every year to honor the favorite food of many people ― potatoes.  Whether they are roasted, fried, boiled, or mashed, potatoes are the perfect side for any dish and everyone's favorite comfort food.  This fan-favorite root vegetable is a significant part of cuisines across the world and is enough to make people feel full.

Today, let's be grateful and appreciate potatoes, a vegetable that has been a part of people's meals for centuries with the first potato crops planted dating back to 5000-8000 BC in Peru and Bolivia.  It spread all over the world from there and is now a staple in several cuisines across the globe.  The versatility of potatoes allows them to be cooked in different ways and paired with almost anything.  They can be used not only as a side, but also as a key ingredient in pancakes, bread, soup, and even drinks.

Potatoes have been the primary source of sustenance for many populations over the years.  It is also so full of nutrients that people can live off only potatoes for months.  In fact, between 1845 and 1849 a plague in the potato crops left some of the population of Ireland without potatoes for 4 years, and millions lost their lives due to starvation.

French fries are one of the most popular ways to prepare potatoes.  In one year the average American eats 30 pounds of French fries.  French fries arrived in the United States in 1784 when James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's slave, traveled to France with Jefferson so he could learn how to cook them the French way.  After returning to the United States, Hemings used to cook French fried potatoes for Jefferson's guests.  When the recipe was shared in a cookook in 1817, they quickly became a hit that spread through the country.

A majority of Americans also consider potatoes to be among their favorite comfort food, but fried isn't the only way Americans like their potatoes.  They also have them mashed or baked.  Most people like to slather their spuds with butter.

On National Potato Day you can really go all out and eat potatoes for every meal.  You can use regular potatoes or sweet potatoes for any of these:  (1) hash browns ~ maybe alongside eggs, bacon, or avocado; (2) potato pancakes are also a good option for your first meal of the day; (3) tater tots; (4) potato chips; (5) chips and dip; (6) French fries.

Our Circle@Crown Cafe will be serving a variety of potatoes today, so you may want to pick more than one kind.  See you there?

Added later:  Since today is also TWOsday, I've decided to have at least TWO kinds of potatoes.  Hmm, which variety am I in the mood for right now?

Musing about food

Yellow watermelon is a variety of watermelon with yellow flesh, naturally occurring and as natural as the more common red-fleshed watermelon.  It is known for its sweetness, sometimes described as honey-like or even with hints of apricot.  While it lacks the lycopene found in red watermelons, it offers other nutrients like beta-carotene and is a good source of vitamins A and C.  (I found this llustration online.)

You may wonder why I'm writing about yellow watermelons today.  On Friday, a neighbor wanted to share some chicken with me, which she put on a plate.  Then she started cutting up a yellow watermelon, which I tasted the minute I got in my apartment door because I have never even seen yellow watermelons, much less tasted one.  My Friday dinner was chicken and yellow watermelon, which I now highly recommend.  (Thanks, neighbor!)

Today is National Black Cat Appreciation Day

August 17 is National Black Cat APPRECIATION Day and a day for me to remember Clawdia, my little black fur buddy with a white heart on her chest.  (P.S.  I also wrote about National Black Cat Appreciation Day, HERE, back in 2020.  This day should NOT be confused with the one from 2018 below:

Saturday, October 27, 2018 = National Black Cat Day ~ for Clawdia

This Caturday post celebrates my very favorite black cat ... CLAWDIA ... yay!

1. On Monday, I mused about a book of historical fiction set in 1918 in Nova Scotia, HERE.
2. On TWOsday, I posted a couple of quotes I want to remember from Jonathan Livingston Seagull, HERE.
3. Thursday's subject, HERE, was what it feels like to be elderly.
4. On Friday, I posted the beginning of a book about Bernie Sanders, HERE.
5. My Saturday post was about Colleen's extremely tall sunflower, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Look at the unbelievable height of this sunflower

Colleen posted this photo of a sunflower more than twice as tall as her husband, HERE.  She added, "This is the stuff fairy tales are made of."  I agree with her.

Beginning ~ with an interview

Beginning (Preface beginning with the 4th sentence)

... in 2013, I spent a couple of hours chatting with Bernie Sanders for an interview ... it was a pleasure ― unfortunately, too rare an experience ― to be with a member of Congress who actually had an informed, complex understanding of the issues facing the people.

The Essential Bernie Sanders and His Vision for America ~ by Jonathan Tasini, 2015, politics, 176 pages

Meet the essential Bernie Sanders, an authentic and uncompromising champion of the people.  Bernie was an Independent United States  with a thirty-five-year career in public service, first as Burlington, Vermont’s mayor, then as Vermont’s sole representative to Congress, and then as a United States senator.  He was campaigning to become president of the United States when this book was published a decade ago.  His goal was to build a movement to take back our country from the rich and powerful, and return it to its rightful owners ― the American people.  (I also noticed that 75% of the people who commented on Amazon gave this book a 5-star rating.)

Wikipedia:  "Bernard Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is an American politician and activist serving as the senior United States senator from Vermont, a seat he has held since 2007.  He is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history, but maintains a close relationship with the Democratic Party, having caucused with House and Senate Democrats for most of his congressional career and sought the party's presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.  Sanders has been viewed as one of the main leaders of the modern American progressive movement."

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Speaking of being older . . .

At lunch recently, some of us were talking about what it's like to be old.  "Too much in the hard drive," Jane said.  That is a perfect analogy.

Two quotes to remember

Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The Complete Edition ~ by Richard Bach, 1970, 1998, 2014, literary fiction, 10/10

• "Heaven is not a place and it is not a time.  Heaven is being perfect" (p. 45).
• "To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is," he said, "you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived ... The trick was to know that his true nature lived ... everywhere at once across space and time" (pp. 56-57).

Historical fiction set over a hundred years ago

Come to the Window ~ by Howard Norman, 2024, historical fiction (Nova Scotia), 208 pages, 9/10

It’s 1918 in Nova Scotia in the final year of World War I.  The war in Europe grinds on, and the Spanish flu seems to be on an insatiable killing spree.  But in the small fishing village of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, a more confined drama ― harrowing and provocative ― slowly unfolds.  It begins when Elizabeth Frame murders her husband hours after their wedding and thrusts the revolver into the blowhole of a beached whale.

Crime reporter Toby Havenshaw is dispatched by the Halifax Evening Mail to cover the hearing, and his diary subsequently follows the surprising twists and turns of Elizabeth Frame’s flight from the law, accompanied as she is by a love-besotted court stenographer.  But Toby’s diary also paints a portrait of his marriage to Amelia, a surgeon just returned from the front lines in France and Belgium.  When a child is born to Elizabeth Frame on the lam, Amelia is drawn into events in ways she could never have imagined. Then everything changes.

Come to the Window explores a question both universal and timeless:  How does one recover hope in a time of great bewilderment and grief?

Feminist revolution

The Book Club for Troublesome Women ~ by Marie Bostwick, 2025, historical fiction, 384 pages

Margaret Ryan never really meant to start a book club or a feminist revolution in her buttoned-up suburb.  By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman's dream.  She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia — one of Northern Virginia's most exclusive and picturesque suburbs.  She has a standing invitation to the neighborhood coffee klatch, and now, thanks to her husband, a new subscription to A Woman's Place — a magazine that tells housewives like Margaret exactly who to be and what to buy.  On paper, she has it all.  So why doesn't that feel like enough?

Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia's newest and most intriguing resident.  As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte's orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women — Bitsy and Viv — to the inaugural meeting.  As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they'd been sold isn't all roses and sunshine — and that their secret longing for more is something they share.  Nicknaming themselves the Bettys, after Betty Friedan, these four friends have no idea their impromptu club and the books they read together will become the glue that helps them hold fast through tears, triumphs, angst, and arguments — and what will prove to be the most consequential and freeing year of their lives.

This is a humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year — and also an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood.

Now I think I should probably re-read . . .

The Feminine Mystique ~ by Betty Friedan, 1963, women's studies, 239 pages

This book, published in 1963, was widely credited with sparking second-wave feminism in the United States.  Friedan used the book to challenge the widely shared belief that being fulfilled as a woman meant becoming a housewife and mother.

Friedan conduct a survey of her former Smith College classmates in 1957 and found that many of them were unhappy with their lives as housewives.  That prompted her to begin research by conducting interviews with other suburban housewives, as well as researching psychology, media, and advertising.

She coined the phrase "feminine mystique" to describe the assumptions that women would be fulfilled from their housework, marriage, sexual lives, and children.  The prevailing belief was that women who were truly feminine should not want to work, get an education, or have political opinions.  (I can confirm this.  I got married in 1959, and my husband pointed his finger at me and said, "You're my wife now, and women don't need higher education.")

Anyway, Betty Friedan wanted to prove that women were NOT satisfied and yet were not able to voice their feelings.  Yes, I think I will put this book on reserve at my library right now.

1.  On TWOsday, I wrote about two books by Rosemary Sutcliff, HERE.
2. My Thursday Thoughts were about being surprised that the "bug man" came to spray my apartment one day, HERE.
3. When I got up on Friday, I discovered it was International Cat Day, HERE.
4. My Book Beginnings on Friday, HERE, was from Anna Montague's 2024 book entitled How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?
5. Saturday I posted I love books, HERE, for National Book Lovers Day.

Sunday Salon is hosted

by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Yes, I love books!

International Cat Day

I almost missed it.  When I got online this morning, I saw that it is International Cat Day.  Okay, I've got this, even if I don't have a cat living with me these days.

Beginning ~ with Gwen pondering death

Beginning

"I really thought you died this time," Gwen sighed.  "I know I shouldn't freak out, but every week I just think, Well, this is it, you know?  It's going to happen, and I'm going to be the one to find her."

How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? ~ by Anna Montague, 2024, literary fiction, 244 pages

Most days, Magda is fine.  She has her routines.  She has her anxious therapy patients, who depend on her to cure their bad habits.  She has her longtime colleagues, whose playful bickering she mediates.  She’s mourning the recent loss of her best friend, Sara, but has brokered a tentative truce with Sara’s prickly widower as she helps him sort through the last of Sara’s possessions.  She’s fine.

But in going through Sara’s old journal, Magda discovers her friend’s last directive:  plans for a road trip they would take together in celebration of Magda’s upcoming seventieth birthday.  So, with Sara’s urn in tow, Magda decides to hit the road, crossing the country and encountering a cast of memorable characters — including her sister, from whom she’s been keeping secrets.  Along the way she stumbles upon a jazz funeral in New Orleans and a hilarious women’s retreat meant to “unleash one’s divine feminine energy” in Texas, and meets a woman who challenges her conceptions of herself — and the hidden truths about her friendship with Sara.

As the trip shakes up her careful routines, Magda finally faces longings she locked away years ago and confronts questions about her sexuality and identity she thought she had long put to rest.  And as she soon learns, it’s never too late to start your next journey.

This is a funny novel about love, loss, and new beginnings found on an unlikely road trip.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thursday Thoughts

Yesterday, "the bug spray man" came to each apartment on my floor to spray kitchens and bathrooms.  I did not get the notice, but luckily I was already dressed when they knocked on my door around 9:00 a.m.  I thought maybe I'd forgotten a notice, but a neighbor spoke to me later in the day, wondering if I knew they were coming.  So I wasn't the only one.  I was not expecting them, which means I did not pick up my bathmats that are in front of the shower, the sink, and the toilet.  Yuck!  Now I will have to wash them all.