February Titles // 2021

 

Mt. Seymour looking fresh

I don't have a book photo for you, as most of the books I finished were actually shown in January's post, but suffice it to say, it was a beautiful late Winter morning on the mountain a few weeks ago with this view. We'll be into ornamental cherry blossoms and daffodils soon enough, but I do love Winter and have enjoyed such an unusually sunny and enjoyable one on the ski hill!

This month's reads are similar to last month's, in that there weren't very many as far as quantity, but the quality was excellent. 

Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson - This was a book of YA poetry that I came across on a website (yikes, though I can't remember which one) and I instantly put it on hold at the library. History/memoir pairing with YA and poetry? Yes, please. It was right up my alley. I learned so much about George Washington Carver's life from this book, though I was aware in a general sense of what his most well-known achievements were. This man was absolutely incredible; he had strong faith and had a stunning amount of work ethic and integrity. Highly recommmend!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - This title was our February book club pick and nearly everyone enjoyed it. It was very atmospheric and that was the main reason I liked it so much-it's about a young girl in remote Alaska in the 70s, and it's very heavy on the place...and I've been to a lot of the places (even down to the Salty Dawg!) where she grew up. 
It's a very heavy story that includes a few different kinds of abuse, and the story is reminiscent of Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle (crazy parents, kids who need an exit strategy) only this one has the 'off the grid, isolationists' feel in dark, wintry Alaska. From what others said at our online book club meeting, it wasn't as good as The Nightengale, but definitely worth picking up.  If you love atmospheric books, this has it. 

Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher - This was a book I put on our website at Classical Education Books, and I hadn't heard of it before, but the author's name sounded familiar. Dreher takes the stance that there is soft totalitarianism coming to the US through cancel culture, political correctness, technology, and the witness of Eastern Europeans who lived through hard totalitarianism and communism. I found this book fascinating, but I found myself agreeing with only about half of it. 

A lot of his critiques focus on huge technology/social media businesses like Twitter and Facebook, but he completely omits the history behind how those companies were able to grow into the massive structures they are today (i.e. conservative policy that regards companies as people, started in the 80s). This is one of his first MAJOR omissions, and it's necessary for a counter to his argument (or a more balanced one by him?). The second is the lack of historical similarities between countries like Russia and the United States, and how the government has changed over time in each country. This is another large oversight that I kept waiting for him to address, but he never did. 
The book is a bit alarmist and with some of those omissions I struggle to trust him as an honest author, though I do agree that his premise of identity politics has accelerated dramatically with social media, and the American Dream that started out to be a religious ideal has turned into materialism in all manners and the pursuit of 'happiness' at all costs. 

The best part about this book is Pt. 2, where he postulates a model for Christian community, spiritual disciplines, and ways to reject ideas where freedoms are not a priorty, which I can heartily agree with. I loved hearing the stories of those who survived the Russian gulags, and very much admire their intense devotion to Christ during that horrific period of history. 
All in all, this book made me think deeply and take notes, which is the mark of a good book, I just wish the author had really looked into the WHYS behind some of the current day criticisms he has; it'd give the arguments a bit more weight. 

Read-Alouds

God King by Joanne Williamson - This was another book that was in my kids' Socials/Literature curriculum this year and it was also a good mix of historical fiction including characters I'd never heard of before (An Egyptian/Nubian prince named Taharqa) or never connected to live in the same time period. That's what I love about historical fiction: you know bits and bobs of stories from around the world, but books like this pull them in all together, along with rich details about the place and everyday life. This book brought together King Hezekiah, Amos the prophet, Taharqa and the Assyrians, and a very famous biblical pool: Siloam. 

Herodotus and the Road to History by Jeanne Bendick -  This was a quick little book that I decided to read aloud with my kids after realizing I want to read everything Jeanne Bendick has written about historical figures. She makes the stories interesting, full of facts and drawings, and funny. It's just under 100 pages and I believe we read through it in 3-4 sittings. Herodotus was a Greek who is sometimes named the first Historian, though as we find out in this book, not everyone believes his tales of travel and adventure.