The Books of July

July's book reading was pretty much non-existent but those I read were diverse and for the most part, worth the time.

 

"The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown

You may have seen the film "The Boys in the Boat" this past winter -- a welcome entry to what is usually a somewhat dismal film season. (It's now available for rental on some streaming services). Or, you might have seen the PBS "American Experience" documentary about the 1936 men's Olympics rowing team (available on pbs video). Even so, don't let that motivate you to pass up Daniel James Brown's excellent book upon which both were based.

Yet another I'm adding to my so-far "best of 2024" list, Brown writes history much as another favorite of mine, Erik Larson does. It's well researched but very lively, telling the story through the lives of those who lived it. 

For those who know little of the story, in the 1930s, in the midst of the Depression, a group of young University of Washington freshmen tried out and were selected for the U's rowing crew. They shocked everyone, including their freshman coach Tom Bolles and the senior coach, Al Ulbrickson, with their skill and their potential. Could they possibly take on rival California -- or other leaders in the sport?

Ulbrickson saw potential in the group as competitors in the 1936 Olympics to be held in Berlin. Largely a group of working class boys, they formed a cohesive group -- one that didn't always win, didn't always shine, but always fought to be best and had the promise to do so. 

Of this group, Joe Rantz is the central character. More or less abandoned by his family as a teen, for Joe staying on the team was essential to staying in college and he worked hard as a janitor at night to pay for it. The story follows Joe through his struggles with family, school and even, at times, the sport. But it also focuses on many of the others of that team, bringing a richness and completeness to the boys in the boat.

Running parallel to life in Washington is that of life in Berlin as Adolf Hitler was determined to present a clean, sanitized Germany to the world in 1936, one in which Germans were dominant but people were friendly, anti-semitism simply did not exist and no one could imagine the impending war. We follow filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl as she prepares her landmark documentary "Olympia" and the mechanics the Third Reich took to put their own spin on the games. 

Yes, you'll learn a lot about rowing and now that I have, I'm rather geeked to watch the sport this summer in the Paris Olympics. But most of all, you learn about a group of men with courage, heart, and determination. It's an inspiring book and worth every minute spent reading it.

"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

Like probably many people, I never knew that the Biblical patriarch Jacob (father of the 12 sons, including Joseph -- with the amazing technicolor dreamcoat) -- had a daughter. His only daughter was Dinah, daughter of his first wife, Leah.

In this historical fiction novel, Anita Diamant takes the barely-mentioned story of Dinah and weaves a picture of life in biblical times, largely from the perspective of the women in Jacob's life -- Leah, Rachel (his beloved), Zilpah and Bilhah, the four mothers of his children.

The Red Tent is the sanctuary of the women during their moon cycle or menstruation when they are kept separate from the men. In the red tent, legends are shared, women are prepared for adulthood, marriage and childbirth, and where babies are born. While the men are tending flocks, the women -- the wives, concubines and maidservants -- are spinning and making cloth and clothing, baking bread, cooking and serving as midwives to others in the area. 

The book follows the lives of the women Dinah calls her "four mothers" from the arrival of Jacob  into their lives, and Dinah's life until her death. Her youth, spent with the "mothers," shows her growth, her sense of tradition, and her launching into the world of midwifery, followed by her separation from her family and her new life in Egypt.

Remembering that there is little historic reference of Dinah in the original text, Diamant had plenty of room to weave and interesting and fascinating story with no real documented fact to follow. This does not make the book any less intriguing. But it is, as she reminds us, historic fiction.

This fact led me to the internet to check out some of the traditions and events she cited. In her own Q&A she says there's no historic evidence to support the idea of the menstrual tent in the pre-modern world, but it felt historically plausible to give them one. She also said her research focused on the everyday life of women in the ancient Near East, concentrating on food, clothing, social organization and medicine in the era of c. 1500 BCE. (The scenes of birth make "Call the Midwife" seem like "Sesame Street.")

My take? An interesting look at the lives of women in a time of which I know little with a good story that ties up many loose ends. Whether it is factual or not, or even based on fact (given that the books of the Bible are part of oral history and stories passed down and consequently, likely to a variety of interpretation over time) is relevant only if you are a stickler for fact. I am, but was happy to let it go in this case.

"Sins Out of School" by Jeanne M. Dams

I know. I said I wouldn't read another of Dams' "Dorothy Martin" mysteries for a bit. And I probably would have waited a little longer had I not been home and the books I wanted to read were at the lake. As it was, I rather enjoyed this one -- and it was a super fast read.

I still am glad I don't personally know Dorothy Martin, because she is such a snoopy busybody it would drive me nuts. (Although, she is a very nice lady and if I knew someone who was murdered, I would want her on my side!) But she is a pretty good sleuth. In this outing, she is called in to substitute teach a class when the teacher doesn't show up for work. When Dorothy finds out that the woman's husband had been murdered and that Andrea (the teacher she was replacing) might be the chief suspect, she decides to investigate herself. Of course, Andrea (as well as her nine-year-old daughter, Miriam) had motive. The victim, John Doyle was a member of an extreme, almost cult-like religion and ruled his family stiffly and without love or warmth, all but imprisoning his wife and daughter with great emotional abuse.

But was he the only one who had motive? Might he be blackmailing those who run the church for skimming money off the top? Or Amanda's sister, Gillian? Or a few others along the way? 

I may not like Dams' main character, but I do enjoy her supporting cast -- Dorothy's husband, her neighbor, the tolerant police detective Derek. And her plots are pretty clever. Not a waste of time for a super-quick summer read. 

"The Darkest Evening" by Ann Cleese

One of the more recent entries into the "Vera" series, "The Darkest Evening" is set shortly before Christmas. Lorna Falstone leaves her home with her baby, Thomas, in tow. Not long after, somewhat lost in a blinding snowstorm, Vera finds an abandoned car with baby Thomas inside and no Lorna. Concerned, she leaves a note that she has taken Thomas and to contact her. Then she heads to the nearby manor house, seeking a phone signal.

Brockburn Manor has memories for Vera. It is part of her not-all-that-distant family past through her reprobate father Hector's line. The Stanhopes who live there now are people she's not seen since she was a child. Daughter Juliet, now married and owner of the manor, welcomes her, although her mother, Harriet, is less friendly. The Stanhopes are having a party, hoping to court donors to supporting the manor as a center of arts in the area, organized by Juliet's husband, Mark Bolitho.

It's not long after Vera's arrival that Lorna's body (identity still unknown) is found by a tenant of the estate, coming to Brockburn to pick up his daughters, who were serving at the party. Vera's team must first find the identity of the victim to ensure Thomas is united with family. And then, it is a matter of finding who killed Lorna. And why.

There is (as always) no shortage of suspects. Was it Thomas' father (no one knows his identity, either)? One of the Stanhope/Bolitho group, concerned that Thomas might be eligible to inherit Brockburn? Any of the tenants of the Brockburn estate, many of whom knew Lorna as a younger woman and might have an ax to grid? 

As always, Cleeves weaves an interesting plot. And in this version, we get to know more of Vera's backstory, as well as see her young DS Holly Jackman come more into her own. A worthy entry into the Vera Chronicles.