Nonfiction Review: ALL MY KNOTTED-UP LIFE: A MEMOIR (+Discussion Questions)

All My Knotted Up Life: a Memoir by Beth Moore

Tyndale Momentum, 2023. 304 pages.

Many years ago the Women's Bible Study at church used a video series by Beth Moore and her organization, Living Proof Ministries. Every woman in our group really enjoyed the study, especially the video portion where Beth was filmed speaking to a group of women on Ephesians, a New Testament book of the Bible. I thought she was incredibly warm, personable, and, surprisingly, funny. I looked forward to every session. After that session ended our group went on to study some other topic or book of the Bible and I didn't think about Beth Moore much after that until her name came up in the news.

In 2016 Beth Moore made a bit of a splash in the news because she was one of the few well-known Christians to criticize publicly then-candidate Trump for his Access Hollywood tape where he talked about the way he treats women. I remember being pleased when I heard this. Finally a Christian standing up to despicable Trump behavior. What we didn't hear about on the news was how awful the people in her church and the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC) treated her after that criticism. Christians were angry with Moore, not Trump. 

Moore was back in news again in 2021 when she announced she was splitting from the SBC over the church's handling of sexual abuse cases among pastors. The abuse had been going on for decades but had only recently come to light. Instead of dealing with it church was covering up these crimes. When she confronted the church's leadership over their white-washing of these serious findings, the men on the council essentially told her to "shut up and stay in your lane." She'd had enough and she quit her association with the denomination, which meant it also ended her association with her own congregation. Once again, I rejoiced that some woman was finally standing up to those bullies, disguised as men of God. What I didn't know at the time was Beth Moore, herself, was a sex abuse survivor.

All My Knotted Up Life is Beth Moore's story, starting in her childhood when, as a young child, she was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. It continues through her young adult years where she heard the call to serve God, and onto her ministry years and beyond.

I loved every minute listening to this remarkably candid, funny, excruciating memoir. Beth read the book herself and her Texas drawl is so charming. In fact, I kept thinking her voice reminded me of someone I know well and then realized I have a friend, also from Texas, who sounds just like Beth. I was charmed. I cried as she shared hard stories for her to tell and couldn't help wondering if some of her friends from her old congregation are ashamed at the way they treated her as she tried to stay faithful to God and his calling in her life.

As a Christian I found much comfort in her words. It is so hard to confess to being a Christian these days when so many Christians behave in such un-Christlike ways... purporting to love Jesus but then being the most angry, racist, sexist, unforgiving people on the planet. Not Beth. She's one of the good ones.

This is her story.

My rating: 5 stars.

Note: This is a reposting of the review I wrote in November for this book combined with another memoir, Stay True. I separated it out here and reposted it so I could add the discussion questions, below, for book club discussion groups.

Book Discussion Questions

1. What did you think of the book and your reading experience with it?

2. Have you had any previous experiences with Beth Moore's writings or Bible Studies. If so, in what capacity and what did you think of that work/study?

3. What surprised you most about Moore's story?

4. Moore used a lot of foreshadowing in her writing about events in her childhood before she revealed she was sexually abused by her father. What were some examples of this foreshadowing and how did it make you feel as a reader?

5. Beth Moore described one episode when her father abused her after driving home from a lesson in another town. Do you think this was the first time for this type of behavior? Why or why not?

6. According to A.I.:

Research indicates that child sexual abuse is a significant issue within religious communities, including families of reported Christians. While abuse is generally more common within a child’s home (regardless of religious affiliation), studies have identified specific risk factors and patterns within Christian and other religious settings, particularly involving patriarchal authority structures, the high trust placed in leaders, and a tendency toward secrecy or shielding offenders. 

Do you agree with this statement? How did this same pattern follow Beth Moore throughout her life and her ministry?

7. There were super serious parts to this story but also some very funny moments. Give some examples of the humor used in the book.

8. Moore was a devoted church-goer even as a child and dedicated her life to God even at a young age. Then as an emerging adult she had a mystical experience while a counselor at a girls' camp where she felt the presence of God come over her. (p.112-3) What did she do next? (p.115) Do you recall your baptism and a conversion experience? Talk about them. Have you ever experienced God's presence in this way?

9. Mental illness is a recurring theme throughout the book. Talk about Moore's mother and her husband and their struggles with their mental health issues. 

10. Respond to this quote from the book: "Some of us have prayed hard. And wondered why on earth everything always had to be hard."

11. Beth Moore felt called to Christian ministry yet she kept trying to manufacture how she would serve God. How did she get involved in women's ministry and where did it lead?

12. Beth got herself crosswise with the Southern Baptist Conference several times in her life, the last being in 2021, when she left the conference and her church. How did you feel about these experiences? The reactions from her friends? Her church? Her family, especially her husband.

13. There were a lot more topics we could talk about from the book. Were there any we missed you'd like us to address in our discussion? Expand.

14. Can you imagine asking a friend or family member to read this book? Elaborate.

*I wrote these discussion questions for my own book church made up of a bunch of women who attend the same church as me. I couldn't find any questions online which I though really delved into the depth of the book as much as I hoped they would. Feel free to use these questions for your discussion groups. If you paste any of them onto your post or in printed form, please give me credit. Thank you. Anne@HeadFullofBooks

Review: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

Title: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games #0.5)

Book Beginning quote:

     "Happy Birthday, Haymitch!"

     The upside of being born on reaping day is that you get to sleep late on your birthday. It is pretty much downhill from there.

Friday56 quote:

     So don't feed the nightmares. Don't let yourself panic. Don't give the Capitol that. They've taken enough already.

Summary: It is the Quarter Quells which means there will twice as many tributes competing in the Hunger Games this year. Twenty-four in all. So when Haymitch Abernathy is selected to represent one of the four from District 12, he isn't really surprised. This is his story.

Review: Back in 2008 I became a Hunger Games fan. I was a fledgling teen librarian at the time and I was thrilled to find a book kids were really excited about. To a small degree the series became like that generation's Harry Potter. I wasn't blogging at the time but by the time Catching Fire came out a year later I was, so I did a combination review of books. Read it here. Over the next several years I re-reviewed both of the books once more (Hunger Games here; Catching Fire here) and had many more mentions of the books in my blog when I created several different lists of favorite/most popular books in the library. In 2010 when we were preparing to receive the third book in the series, Mockingjay, I was thrilled and created an announcement post. (Read it here.) I ordered three books to arrive the day it came out in August 2010 so my daughters and I could all read it at the same time. Here we are doing just that:

Me and my college-age daughters reading Mockingjay the day it arrived in August 2010.

And here is my review of Mockingjay written just five days after the launch of the book.

Fast forward ten years to 2020 when Suzanne Collins published the fourth book in the series, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I was retired by then so I have no idea what kind of reception the book got in the library. Were teens familiar with the series anymore? I didn't know. My younger daughter, who was home with us for COVID lockdown, and I planned to read this one at the same time but my older daughter hijacked my copy of the book before I could get to it. Not together, but the three of us all read it eventually. I didn't like this prequel, considered #0.0 in the series, as much as the originals. (Read my review here.) For one thing I thought the book was too long and could easily have been published as two books. And I realized I didn't feel the need to know how President Snow got started with the Hunger Games. I am realizing just now as I type this, perhaps I didn't like this book as well because I didn't like the COVID lockdowns and had a lot of trouble settling down with books in general that whole year. Not the book's fault, but COVID's? Hmm.

Proof that the series was popular with teens in my library. Hunger Games and the two sequels (at the time) were all in the top ten for circulations in my library over the eleven years the school was open. I created this list on the last day of school in 2016.

Knowing I was so ambivalent about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I hesitated getting very excited about the fifth book in the series, Sunrise on the Reaping. You'd never know this, however, since I went ahead and preordered the audiobook to arrive the day it was published in March. In fact, I let both of my girls listen to it on my Audible account first. Then I kept putting off listening, finally resolving to listen to the book before year's end. I finished it in the nick of time, on December 26th. And here I am reviewing it almost a month later. Dragging my feet again. My last review from books read in 2025.

To say that I was delighted with Sunrise on the Reaping is an understatement. I felt like I was back in 2008-09, reading Hunger Games and Catching Fire for the first time. I was just as enthralled with the story and horrified by the whole premise of the games. Exciting parts were exciting and the backstory was the best of the whole set. But here is my favorite part, which was very different than the other four, Sunrise on the Reaping was stuffed full of poetry. The book almost sang for it. In my opinion it made the emotions of story more amplified. A good deal of the poetry was from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven". I recognized it. But a lot of the poetry went unattributed in the audiobook like the snippet below was from William Blake's "Auguries of Innocence". I looked it up. And I imagine a good deal of the poetry was written by Collins herself.

"A truth that's told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent." --William Blake

It was on the point of the poetry that Don, my husband who listened to the audiobook with me, and I diverged on our review of the story. I loved it, he not so much. Or to be more precise, he didn't care for the way that the book's narrator, Jefferson White, read the verses of "The Raven." He read with a definite beat, almost like a drum beating out the rhythm. I interpreted this as the beating of Haymitch's heart or the drumbeat going on inside his head. A picky detail but it lost a rating point for Don. I gave the book a 5-star rating, he gave it 4-stars.

As you can see from this disjointed and long-winded review, I have had a lot to do with The Hunger Games over the past seventeen years and have loved most of those moments, especially those shared with my family. Do I need another sequel/prequel? No, I'm satisfied with where the story let us off at the end of Sunrise on the Reaping. Will I read another sequel/prequel if another comes along. Yes. Yes, I will. I'm a fan, remember?

 

Now it is your turn to share what you think of the Hunger Games series or tell us about the book you are currently reading... comment and link up below.

Review: A MARRIAGE AT SEA

Title: A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

Book Beginnings quote:

March 4, 1973. 

Maralyn looked out at emptiness. There was little to see but the water, shifting from black to blue as the sun rose. A clear sky, the ocean, and themselves: a small boat sailing west.

Friday56 quote (from page 28, last page of preview):

But like all utopian visions, theirs had its contradictions

Summary: Maurice and Maralyn are an odd couple. He is an awkward loner. She is outgoing and friendly. They both have a dream of running away from all responsibility -- to drop out and sail away. The only thing is neither has ever sailed before. Most people's dreams would stop at this point, but not these two. They actually set about making their dream come true, selling everything they own, building a boat, and in June 1972, they set sail, leaving England forever (they think.) All goes well for nearly a year, before they find themselves in the Pacific stranded in a lifeboat and a dingy after their boat is sunk by a random whale strike. Now the story shifts to one of survival at sea. The couple has to find ways to stay alive while battling their inner demons. The marriage is put to the greatest of tests.

Review: A Marriage at Sea is my last book of 2025. I had wanted to read it as soon as I heard about it. What I didn't realize at the time was how long ago the story happened, over fifty years. It is unimaginable today that someone would set sail without GPS or even a radio. But of course, GPS wasn't invented yet and Maurice, in particular, didn't want to rely on a radio or anything other than his own knowledge and ingenuity when they set out on their worldwide trip.

All goes well for the couple as they cross the Atlantic, make their way through the Panama canal, and find themselves in the Pacific about 300 miles from the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, when a whale surfaces underneath their little boat. An hour later they are marooned in their lifeboat and their dingy with the few provisions they could gather before the boat sank. The next 117 days, the couple have to find a way to survive when all they have is each other and their fraying wits.

I've been thinking about the word "obsession" in the subtitle. What a weird word to place in a book title of a book about a shipwreck. Or is it? Maurice and Maralyn become obsessed with their dream to sail away, leaving their life behind them in England. Maurice becomes obsessed with learning everything there is to learn about nautical tables and tides. They both become obsessed with their roles aboard ship. Maurice, the captain, refers to himself as the god of the boat. While they are in survival mode, Maralyn becomes obsessed with keeping Maurice alive since he deeply depressed. Years after their rescue, we learn of Maurice's deep obsession with Maralyn herself. Yes, it was a story about obsession, making it a unique angle on the story.

My rating 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

 

-Anne

Review: THE STARS ARE FIRE (+Discussion Questions)

Title: The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve

Book Beginnings quote: 

A spring of no spring. Grace pins Gene's khakis to a line that stretches diagonally over the yellow linoleum of the kitchen. Only heat from the stove will dry the cotton.

Friday56 quote: 

She floats with her arms out beside her. She lets the waves push her closer to shore. She catches a scent she doesn't associate with the ocean. She stands and sniffs again. A faint whiff of smoke.

Summary:

In October 1947, after a summer-long drought, fires break out all along the Maine coast from Bar Harbor to Kittery and are soon racing out of control from town to village. Five months pregnant, Grace Holland is left alone to protect her two toddlers when her husband, Gene, joins the volunteer firefighters. Along with her best friend, Rosie, and Rosie's two young children, Grace watches helplessly as their houses burn to the ground, the flames finally forcing them all into the ocean as a last resort. They spend the night frantically protecting their children and in the morning find their lives forever changed: homeless, penniless, awaiting news of their husbands' fate, and left to face an uncertain future in a town that no longer exists. In the midst of this devastating loss, Grace discovers glorious new freedoms--joys and triumphs she could never have expected her narrow life with Gene could contain--and her spirit soars. Then the unthinkable happens and Grace's bravery is tested as never before. (Publisher)

Review and Discussion questions: The Stars are Fire was this month's book club selection and it just so happened I was in charge of the discussion (asking the questions and keeping the discussion going.) Even though The Stars are Fire wasn't my favorite book of the year, three women in attendance said it was there's. So what do I know? We had a lively and thoughtful discussion which makes even 'meh' books worth it. Read through the questions and you will get an idea of the themes we discussed: the roles of men and women in society in the 1940s; the redemptive power of friendship; and how to make ones way when everything seems impossible.

The Stars are Fire discussion questions --

1. The book opens with an epigraph, a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet: Doubt thou the stars are fire / Doubt that the sun doth move / Doubt truth to be a liar / But never doubt I love. Why do you think Shreve decided to begin her book with this quote? Is it a good starting point?
2. Talk about the arc of Gene and Grace's relationship and marriage. What signs were ignored in the beginning that became bigger over time? Was there ever a point at which their marriage could be saved?
3. Marjorie told Grace to compartmentalize to maintain her sanity. What did she mean by that? What was some other advice that Marjorie gave to Grace which you thought was wise/unwise. Explain.
4. Gene was a very complicated character. What did we learn about him throughout the book that helped us understand him a little better?
5. Merle seemed to be an unbelievably awful character. Why do you think she had such expensive clothes? Why do you think she hid her jewels? Why do you think she disliked Grace so much? 
6. Talk about the roles of men and women in 1940s. Use examples from the book to make your points.
7. What role does Rosie play in the book? How important is Grace's friendship with Rosie?
8. After the fire, why does Grace think Gene walked away from his life? What did you think happened to him as you were reading?
9. Talk about Grace's relationship with first the musician, Aidan, and second with the doctor. What did these relationships do for her?
10. What aspects of the story did you have the most trouble believing/picturing/understanding? Were there any inconsistencies you couldn't square? What aspects of the writing did you like/not like?
11. Anita Shreve was married four times, before dying in 2018 from cancer. She published many books over her career, with The Pilot's Wife and The Weight of Water probably being her most famous. The Stars are Fire was her last book. Her novels are best known for their twisty, un-put-down-able plots. Did you feel this way about The Stars are Fire? Have you read any of her other books you'd recommend?

I modified these discussion questions from this site: THE STARS ARE FIRE 

-Anne

Review: POET WARRIOR

Title: Poet Warrior: a Memoir by Joy Harjo

Book Beginnings quote:

To imagine the spirit of poetry is much like imagining the shape and size of knowing. It is a kind of resurrection light; it is the tall ancestor spirit who has been with me since the beginning, or a bear, or a hummingbird. It is a hundred horses running the land in a soft mist, or it a woman undressing for her beloved in firelight. It is none of these things. It is more than everything. "You're coming with me, poor thing. You don't know how to listen. You don't know how to speak. You don't know how to sing. I will teach you."

Friday56 quote:

If I took those stories and thoughts of hell and placed them in a the crook of the tree in our yard, then the tree helped relieve the wheel of worry that followed the questions that turned in me. Why would the Creator-God make everything, then deem only those who were of a certain religion or church worthy of eternal life? 

Summary:  

Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as US poet laureate, invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her "poet-warrior" road. 

Poet Warrior reveals how Harjo came to write poetry of compassion and healing, poetry with the power to unearth the truth and demand justice. Harjo listens to stories of ancestors and family, the poetry and music that she first encountered as a child, and the messengers of a changing earth.  In absorbing, incantatory prose, Harjo grieves at the loss of her mother, reckons with the theft of her ancestral homeland, and sheds light on the rituals that nourish her as an artist, mother, wife, and community member.

Moving fluidly between prose, song, and poetry, Harjo recounts a luminous journey of becoming, a spiritual map that will help us all find home. (Publisher)

Review: As I poetry reader, I, of course, want to experience poetry through the eyes, mind, heart of poets from many cultures and experiences. Somehow I have never read any of Joy Harjo's poetry before this time even though she is a famed Native American poet from the Muscogee Nation. This book, her second memoir, was a nice introduction not only to her poetry but also to her Native storytelling style. As she shared her story about how she came to poetry, music, and art, her Poet Warrior poems told her story. These poems were interspersed throughout the book. For example, Chapter 1 starts here:

Girl-Warrior perched on the sky ledge

Overlooking the turquoise, green, and blue garden

Of ocean and earth.

From there she could hear the winds

Lifting from their birthing places

She could hear where sound began.

I confess at times to be a bit confused by Harjo's organization of information in Poet Warrior.

Her story was loosely chronological but not necessarily on a timeline I could perceive. Sometimes she'd slip into dreams and conversations with ancestors and other times she'd speed ahead in time to reveal something of meaning to jump back at a later point. At one point, I decided to just relax and not to worry if I didn't understand or know everything. I appreciated the storytelling aspect to this memoir, since it was so different than any memoir I've read before.

I was so touched by the Friday56 quote. At this point in her story she was a child attending church alone. She loved church, the rituals, the fellowship but even as a child she came to understand that the what the church was offering wasn't for everyone since there was such a strong message placed on being saved or you will go to hell. She worried about her mother. Would her mother really go to hell so they would be parted for ever in eternity. Isn't that an awful thought to place on a child's heart?

I recognize that this book wouldn't be everyone's cup-of-tea but I do encourage readers of my blog to read broadly and Poet Warrior is a book to consider and to savor.

My rating 4 stars.

-Anne

Review: WE'LL PRESCRIBE YOU A CAT

Title: We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ichida, translated from Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda

Book Beginnings quote:

Shuta Kagawa stood at the end of a shadowy alley, gazing up at a multipurpose building. After getting thoroughly lost, he had finally arrived. The structure looked like it had been built to fill the narrow gap between two apartment blocks.

Friday56 quote:

"I see," said the doctor. Then he broke into another smile. "We'll prescribe you a cat. Let's keep an eye on your condition." 

Summary: In a multipurpose building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto is the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. It can only be found by people who are struggling and need help in their life. The clinic is unique for another reason, they prescribe cats and require the patients to follow through on the treatment for the required number of days. To stop taking their prescription early might mean less than desirable results.

All five of the patients who find their way to this odd clinic and are able to open the door to get in, find themselves leaving with a cat even though they didn't want one. Yet, the human-animal bond is strong and eventually all five find their way out of their inner turmoil with help from their feline companions.

Review: I decided to read We'll Prescribe You a Cat as one of the last Goodreads challenges of the year. It isn't the type of book I usually read but I had seen it at the bookstore and thought it looked cute. And it was cute, and funny, and poignant. The cats didn't do remarkable things, they were just cats, but the impact their presence had on the humans was noteworthy. 

Right now we don't have a cat. But I have had cats my whole life. Our last two cats died at age 19 each and we felt it was time to take a little break from cat ownership, but if I need a fix, I just need to visit one of my daughters. They both have two cats now. I know the therapeutic qualities of cuddling with a purring cat and how much fun and how silly they can be. This book captured both the cuddling and silliness. At one point in the story, when the patient came home with another cat to join the first prescription cat, the two animals got a case of zoomies and made an absolute mess of the house. I didn't realize the word "zoomies" was  a word used by anyone other than us. Ha!

One of the things I appreciated about the book was the peek it gave me into Japanese culture.

If you want a lighthearted book with an intriguing solution to problems, I recommend this book to you. And if you become a fan, there is a second book in the series already published.

My rating: 3.5 stars.

Grandcats: Skimble and Sasha as kittens

Grandcats" George and Fred

Reviews for Three Novellas: WE THE ANIMALS; SEASCAPER; TEACHER OF NOMAD LAND

I'm wrapping up 2025 Novellas in November by reviewing the last three short novels I've read for the challenge.

We the Animals by Justin Torres

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. 128 pages.

This short novella is set in upstate New York. Three mixed-race boys tear through their childhoods both wild and imaginative. Their parents love each other but often do battle or disappear in a myriad of ways, leaving the three on their own for food or supervision. There is a euphoria to belonging to others like these boys belong to each other. The youngest of the three is unnamed throughout and the narrator of the story. He realizes throughout that he will eventually have to leave this bound as he views the world differently than his brothers. Described as "a coming-of-age story that is sly and punch-in-the-stomach powerful." 

I'd describe We the Animals as a boy book. It reminded me of a cross between The Clockwork Orange (violence and destruction); Catcher in the Rye (lost/confused boy(s) on the loose in a city); and Lord of the Flies (boys left to their own destructive devices). The three brothers, written in the incantatory royal "we", are growing up almost feral. When I checked other ratings and reviews on Goodreads, males rated the book generally higher than female readers (an observation, not scientific) which makes sense to me. I couldn't even begin to relate to these boys and how they kept themselves busy. For example, in one scene the boys sit around the table wearing raincoats and smash tomatoes with a hammer. (The mess!) I appreciated the writing techniques, which were quite unique, and the story under the story about trying to find oneself (LGBTQ) but I still didn't care for it.

This book came to my attention when it was listed on the NYT Best Books of the 21st Century last year. My recommendation, however, is lukewarm with a rating of 3 stars.

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

Scribner, 2025. 176 pages.

Seascraper is described as a "mesmerizing portrait of a young man hemmed in by his class and the ghosts of his family's past, dreaming of artistic fulfilment." The story is set in Longferry, a fictional coastal town in northwest England. It is based on the author's hometown of Southport. Thomas lives with his single mother on the edge of abject poverty. He dutifully goes to the beach with his loyal, working horse every day to scrape up the few shrimp he can find. He does this work because it is what he was taught to do by his grandfather. But his heart isn't in his work. What he wants to do is write songs and, hopefully, perform them in public some day. When Thomas is hired by a Hollywood director, Edgar, to show him around the beach, he starts to see his life through a different lens. The confidence he gains from his interactions with Edgar creak open the doors to another life for Thomas.

Seascraper is one of the group-read books for this year's Novellas in November challenge. I was pretty excited to read it as I'd noticed it was on the Booker Prize longlist, giving it literary cred. But as I started reading it I thought, oh no, I don't think I can read this if scraping for shrimp is all it is. But when Edgar comes to town, Thomas starts to imagine a different life for himself, the book became much more interesting to me.

In the end Thomas even sings and records a song he writes after having a very real dream about his father. I listened to the audiobook and was treated to the actual song, sung beautifully by the author. Lovely.

My rating, 4 stars.

Teacher of Nomad Land: a World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri

Levine Querido, 2025. 192 pages.

The year is 1941. Though Iran is a neutral country in World War II, both the British and Soviet armies are occupying the land and Nazi spies are lurking about.

Bakak and his little sister, Sana, are recently orphaned. Their father, a teacher among the nomads, was killed accidentally by the military, mistakenly thinking the nomads were the enemy. The two children, trying to devise a plan where they can stay together, decide Babak should to take up his father's old job but first they will have to intercept the nomads as they trek toward winter ground. Bakak straps his father's blackboard on his back and carries the textbooks in his arms that he will need. Sana, more resourceful than her brother, is prepared to forage for food.

After being rejected by the nomads, the siblings need to return to their hometown and hatch a new plan. Along the way the meet a Jewish boy who is hiding from a Nazi Spy. Suddenly all the children are in a race for survival. At one point, hungry and afraid, the children seek the help of a British soldier. Can children from different parts of the world find a way to communicate what they need without a common language?

I'll tell you what. I am a Daniel Nayeri fan. This is my second book I've read by him and both were excellent. Three of his published books have won an award: Everything Sad is Untrue won the Printz Award in 2021; The Many Assassinations of Samit, Seller of Dreams won a Newbery Honor in 2024; and this book won the National Book Award in 2025 for best Young People's Literature. The guy can write! And here is the thing. He is writing about stuff I know nothing about, but should. Iranian-born, he brings stories forward that folks in the west know little about. For example, in Teacher of Nomad Land I learned that Iran was a point of interest during WWII because of its oil. The allies didn't want the Nazi's to gain a foothold there because the oil would just enhance their military prowess. Also, Jewish children from Poland were given protection in Iran and eventually transported to Palestine. They were called The Tehran Children. 

Nayeri writes for children. This book's audience is for those kids in middle grades, 5-8. I initially thought the book was targeted at young adults until I started reading, then I realized it was aiming for a younger set. That explains the relative quickness of the action along the way. My husband listened to the audiobook with me and we both enjoyed the story a lot but noticed that we weren't the target audience. I actually think, with a little tweaking, it would make a very good adult book. The story is so illuminating. Though a middle grade book, it still qualifies as a novella at 192 pages.

Don's rating: 3.5 stars, mine: 4:5 stars.

-Anne

Nonfiction Review: ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS

Title: One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Books Beginnings quote:

Friday56 quote (from page 22, the last preview page):

Summary:

On Oct 25th, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet was viewed over 10 million times. 

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This chronicles the deep fracture which has occurred for Black, brown, indigenous Americans, as well as the upcoming generation, many of whom had clung to a thread of faith in western ideals, in the idea that their countries, or the countries of their adoption, actually attempted to live up to the values they espouse. (Publisher) 

Review: This National Book Award recipient has much to digest within its pages. Clearly the author is frustrated beyond words at the world's seeming disregard for the plight of the people in Gaza. But he places the lion's share of blame on progressives and left-leaning people who give lip service to being horrified by the atrocities in Gaza at the hands of Israel, yet take no action to go along with their words and objectively support Israel's right to exist and self-defense. Conservatives don't bear the brunt of El Akkad's disdain because they are who they say they are -- hard-liners, racists who generally hate anyone who is brown-skinned, reflexively supporting Israel no matter what. I guess he is saying the right has no answers and he doesn't expect their help. Since I'm a progressive, I felt chastised as I read. But it was a wakeup call, too. I'm glad the book received the award so it will receive some attention and hopefully wake up a bunch of us "slacker left-leaning progressives" (and hopefully others) with this call to action.

As Don and I discussed after finishing the audiobook, he was more critical ranking it with 3 stars. His biggest complaint was how the book -- he called it a long opinion piece -- called us out for our apathy without many constructive suggestions of ways to help. Call our congresswoman? She's a Democrat and her party isn't in power? Then what? 

As we listened we found ourselves going back in time since the book was clearly written during President Biden's term. The book was already in the publishing stages when the 2024 election went to Donald Trump. We couldn't help wonder whether the author has any different feelings toward the Biden administration's approach to Israel's war on Gaza since things have certainly gotten no better under Trump. There was no postscript to the audiobook to answer this question. One thing so many people don't seem to understand about politics: when you are frustrated by the party in power (especially one you largely agree with) and kick them out, the other side is going to be worse. At least Democrats have been advocating for a two-state solution and self-determination for Palestinians for decades. Trump and his acolytes only want tough talk in support of Israel, and want to raze Gaza to redevelop the coastline with luxury resorts for the rich and powerful. 

Clearly there are no easy answers and this conflict has been going on for thousands of years. Sigh.

The audiobook was narrated by the author, El Akkad, which I really appreciated. A bit about the author is probably warranted: Omar El Akkad was born in Egypt. He and his family were forced to leave their home due to the politics in the country. His father relocated the family first to Qatar for a few years. When he was 16 his family moved to Montreal, Quebec, where Omar finished high school. Eventually he got an entry-level job at the Globe and Mail newspaper and worked his way up to an investigative reporter. Often he received assignments because he was a Muslim or because he was an Arab, as if he would be the only one to understand the issue. Now he and his family live in Portland, Oregon.

Our ratings: Don -- 3 stars; Anne -- 4 stars.

Challenges: Nonfiction November and Novellas in November (for short nonfiction, 208 pages.)

-Anne

Nonfiction November: Jane Austen

All my reading challenges seem to be coalescing right now: Nonfiction November, Novellas in November, and #ReadAusten2025. In fact, sometimes I am a little overwhelmed by it all. Here are my reviews of two books I've read this month which fit, or partially fit, into all three challenges:

JANE AUSTEN

Jane Austen in 41 Objects by Kathryn Sutherland

Bodleian Library Publishing, 2025. 209 pages, including index and notes.

Back in October I read a wonderful review of this book by Brona at This Reading Life. She began her review confessing she had dilly-dallied (my words, not hers) writing about the book because she wanted to write something about "e v e r y-s i n g l e-o b j e c t". After reading the book I see why she felt that way. I, too, would love to gush about these 41 objects, some directly and others tangentially, related to Jane Austen. Never fear. I don't have it in me and why should I anyway? After reading this I hope you want to read the book, so you'll find out for yourself.

The covered objects form the breadth of Austen's life, so it is fitting that the book begins with her chronology: from the marriage of her parents in 1764 and ending in September 2017 when JA becomes the face of Bank of England £10 note. The author, Kathryn Sutherland, introduces her book by asking us to "imagine a life story as a house clearance -- that's how for many of us it finds shape, as objects are passed on, memoires stirred and made." Oh boy, do I agree with that sentence after spending the last two months helping my mother muck out her house where she's lived to the past thirty years. My siblings and I bickered over who would get what prized possessions: My older sister got the family clock. my younger sister got the silverware and the beloved Tiffany-style lamp, I got the elephant table, and my brother got whatever he wanted since he was kind enough to not fight us for our favorite objects. Each object held memories for all of us.

The 41 objects are arranged chronologically too, after the 1st object, the only known portrait of Jane Austen done by her sister. Each object is accompanied by a brief description of the object and then what is known to have happened to this object since JA's time. In the case of this well-known graphite and watercolor sketch (4 1/2 x 3 1/8 inches), it was sold at Sotheby's in May 1948 as part of the collections formerly owned by Charles Austen's granddaughters. It was purchased by the NPG, The National Portrait Gallery, in London.

The Chawton House, where Jane, her mother, and her sister were living at the time of Jane's death is now a museum. Many of the objects described in the book are on display there. It is obviously a destination spot for many Janites like myself. And when I do go, I will have a better idea what I am looking at. This house was officially opened to the public in July 1949 and has slowly resumed something of an identity of what it was like when Jane lived there. Some of the objects where actually hiding on the grounds and have been restored to their former spots in the house. For example, a fragment of the green leaf wallpaper when an old stove was moved. The design, now known as "Chawton Leaf", was reproduced by historic specialists and printed using the traditional hand-blocking techniques of old. It now hangs in the dining room.

Another item found on the Chawton grounds was a dried flower spray for the hair found in the rafters of an out-building. Jane and her sister comment about wearing flowers in their hair for some event in one of their many letters sent to each other over the years. Could this be the actual flowers they referred to? As I read about how objects like this were found and authenticated, I sat with my mouth open. It is minor miracle that so many objects known to used by or about a woman who lived 250 years ago can still be traced.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute exploring the objects in this book and now I commend this book to you. Ask for it at your library.

Challenges: Nonfiction, Novella (short nonfiction is accepted), and Austen-related. a trifecta!

The Friendly Jane Austen: A Well-Mannered Introduction to a Lady of Sense and Sensibility by Natalie Tyler

Penguin Putnam, 1999.

Oh boy, I had fun with this book. Ms. Tyler has done her homework and gives Jane Austen fans what they want...more information about Austen. To begin with she asks the question, How Do We Love Jane Austen? Let Us Count the Ways. The reader then takes a quiz to determine what type of fan school he/she belongs in: Janite; Gentle Jane; Ironic Jane; or Subversive Jane. Not surprisingly, I am a Janite through and through. (And who knew my love of Paul McCartney helps qualify me for this delineation?)

Next up, Part 1 covers Jane's early life and her juvenilia. What was it like living in those days? What about her siblings and parents? Where did she live and why did they move? How did her writing grow and change? All these questions and more were answered in this section. Text would often be broken up with text boxes with information which seemed like little asides. For example, one text box contained the names of famous people who lived during the same time as Austen---Beethoven, William Wordsworth, and Sir Walter Scott being three on the list. Illustrations related to Austen done by relatives are infrequent but add a nice touch. For example, Jane's niece, Anna Lefroy, made a nice drawing of the Steventon Rectory where Jane was born and lived until she was 24. My favorite bits in this section were samples of and explanations of Jane's early writings. Short quotes from her various stories were shared. And a timeline explanation of each of her pieces of "juvenilia" is very helpful to my understanding.

Part II explains each of her major works in detail. In addition to her own research, Tyler interviews college professors with knowledge related to Austen. Each interview is recorded in a short dialogue with the professor answering only one or two questions. For example, Why aren't Austen's novels considered part of Romanticism movement? or Why study Austen? There is a quiz in each of the seven sections in this part. I just took the quiz: Letter Writing in the Novels. The directions were to match the characters that wrote the following letter with its intended character recipient. I did pretty good but didn't know the quote from Sanditon nor did I guess this one. Can you? (Name the book, the character writing,  and the character recipient. No cheating.)

"A poor honorable is no catch, and I cannot imagine any liking in the case, for, take away his rants, and the poor Baron has nothing. What a difference a vowel makes!---if his rents were but equal to his rants." 

As I reread Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion this year I found the chapters on those books particularly helpful. See my review of Persuasion where I quote from this book often. After reading the section II out of order I went back and read about her other four books (Sanditon, though incomplete at the time of JAs death, was included.) I had the hardest time reading the chapter about Mansfield Park because so many people don't like Franny Price as a character. A whole list of famous authors writing snarky comments about Fanny was included. Poor Fanny!

Part III is about Jane Austen's legacy---the film adaptations, the continuations, sequels, and spin-offs, JASNA, JA retreats, etc. Since the book was published over 25 years ago, this section was woefully outdated so I just skimmed through it. 

I love the book so much I want Natalie Tyler to update it and put it back in circulation so you can all read it, too. I'm guessing your public library won't have a copy of it, but keep your eyes out for it at used bookstores. That is where I found my copy. It contains too much information to take in at once and I know you will want to go back and look up something in it every once in a while.

 Challenges: Nonfiction November, Jane Austen-related.

 

-Anne

Two Five-star Memoirs

November is coming to an end and so is Nonfiction November. I'm making an all-out attempt to review all the books I read this month for the challenge. Today I am highlighting two wonderful memoirs.

Stay True: a Memoir by Hua Hsu

Doubleday, 2022. 208 pages.

Writing a memoir must be very difficult. How do you write about yourself without sounding like you are bragging or being self-deprecating? It must be very difficult but Hua Hsu pulls it off perfectly.

Back in 2024 the NY Times published a list of the top 100 books of the 21st Century (so far) and Stay True was number 58 on that list. Here is how the newspaper describes the book:

An unlikely college friendship — Ken loves preppy polo shirts and Pearl Jam, Hua prefers Xeroxed zines and Pavement — blossoms in 1990s Berkeley, then is abruptly fissured by Ken’s murder in a random carjacking. Around those bare facts, Hsu’s understated memoir builds a glimmering fortress of memory in which youth and identity live alongside terrible, senseless loss. (NYT)

Both Ken and Hua are Asian but their Asianess is very different. Hua was born in the United States to parents from Taiwan and his father returned there sometime during Hua's teen years, leaving the parenting to his mother or to notes faxed back and forth with his father. Ken's grandparents came from Japan and settled in California. Some of his relatives spent time in internment camps during WWII. Even though the boys are American they both feel "other" at times and find their way to each other during their freshman year at Berkeley in the mid 1990s.  A deep friendship is formed, the kind of friendship that blossoms in youthful years and is hard to replicate in adulthood. After Ken's murder it is a miracle that Hua made it out the other side of his grief. But with the help of a college counselor, he does make it out to the other side, giving him time and perspective to write this marvelous memoir and a beautiful tribute to a friend.

When Stay True won the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography in 2023 the committee had this to say about their selection:

Determined to hold on to all that was left of one of his closest friends—his memories—Hua turned to writing. Stay True is the book he’s been working on ever since. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging (Pulitzer).

Don and I listened to the audiobook of Stay True, narrated by the author. We both rated it with 5 stars. Don was especially taken by Hua Hsu's ability to write about his experiences in the past without placing current knowledge and adult wisdom into the narrative. It felt like he was writing about something that just happened not something that happened almost thirty years ago. 

I get to check off a few boxes for different challenges:

• Audiobooks with Don
• Nonfiction November
• Novellas in November, which includes short nonfiction.

All My Knotted Up Life: a Memoir by Beth Moore

Tyndale Momentum, 2023. 304 pages.

Many years ago the Women's Bible Study at church used a video series by Beth Moore and her organization, Living Proof Ministries. Every woman in our group really enjoyed the study, especially the video portion where Beth was filmed speaking to a group of women on Ephesians, a New Testament book of the Bible. I thought she was incredibly warm, personable, and, surprisingly, funny. I looked forward to every session. After that session ended our group went on to study some other topic or book of the Bible and I didn't think about Beth Moore much after that until her name came up in the news.

In 2016 Beth Moore made a bit of a splash in the news because she was one of the few well-known Christians to criticize publicly then-candidate Trump for his Access Hollywood tape where he talked about the way he treats women. I remember being pleased when I heard this. Finally a Christian standing up to despicable Trump behavior. What we didn't hear about on the news was how awful the people in her church and the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC) treated her after that criticism. Christians were angry with Moore, not Trump. 

Moore was back in news again in 2021 when she announced she was splitting from the SBC over the church's handling of sexual abuse cases among pastors. The abuse had been going on for decades but had only recently come to light. Instead of dealing with it church was covering up these crimes. When she confronted the church's leadership over their white-washing of these serious findings, the men on the council essentially told her to "shut up and stay in your lane." She'd had enough and she quit her association with the denomination, which meant it also ended her association with her own congregation. Once again, I rejoiced that some woman was finally standing up to those bullies, disguised as men of God. What I didn't know at the time was Beth Moore, herself, is a sex abuse survivor.

All My Knotted Up Life is Beth Moore's story, starting in her childhood when, as a young child, she was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. It continues through her young adult years where she heard the call to serve God, and onto her ministry years and beyond.

I loved every minute listening to this remarkably candid, funny, excruciating memoir. Beth read the book herself and her Texas drawl is so charming. In fact, I kept thinking her voice reminded me of someone I know well and then realized I have a friend, also from Texas, who sounds just like Beth. I was charmed. I cried as she shared hard stories for her to tell and couldn't help wondering if some of her friends from her old congregation are ashamed at the way they treated her as she tried to stay faithful to God and his calling in her life.

As a Christian I found much comfort in her words. It is so hard to confess to being a Christian these days when so many Christians behave in such un-Christlike ways... purporting to love Jesus but then being the most angry, racist, sexist, unforgiving people on the planet. Not Beth. She's one of the good ones.

This is her story.

My rating: 5 stars.

Challenge met: Nonfiction November.

-Anne