AJ Arndt Book Reviews

Source: D.Bryant Simmons

In this first book in The Morrow Girls series, D. Bryant Simmons sparks a dialogue about domestic violence.

In How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch we're introduced to Belinda who's being raised by her single-parent father in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Most folks call her Pecan, on account her Daddy loved pecan pie almost as much as he loved her. Life is good.

All is well in with their world. That is, until a handsome stranger moseys into town and takes a shine to Pecan. Dad, of course, doesn't trust Ricky Morrow as far as he could throw him. And then...(bum, bum, buuuum). Dad dies suddenly of a heart attack.

Still reeling in grief Ricky convinces Pecan that they should be married and he'll take care of her. The new family of two picks up and moves to Chicago so Ricky can be the boxing champion he dreams of being. Once in Chicago, the babies start coming and the abuse begins.

So begins Pecan's journey into the depths of her hell.

Ms. Simmons has done a brilliant job of crafting a story that will stick with you for a long time. She takes her time in describing the characters so that they are so vivid in your mind, when you look up, you expect to see them standing there. The emotion...turmoil, pain, and rage can be felt deep, deep into your soul. Pecan fiercely attempts to protect her children emotionally and psychologically from the atrocities that they witness at the hands of their father. You can feel all of that.

For a chance to win a copy of this book leave a comment on my source post.

Although a work of fiction, this is autobiographical for too many. The shame of the victims. The constant living in fear. Survival mode.


Some staggering statistics and factoids from The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Safe Horizon

• Domestic Violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another. 

Source: NCADV

• An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year
• Children who witness violence between one's parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. Boys are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults, perpetuating the cycle of abuse to the next generation. Girls are more vulnerable to abuse as teens and adults.

• Most domestic violence are never reported - help change the facts. Speak up, speak out, and make a difference for victims of domestic violence.

• If you need help:
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• The National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
• The National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline: 1-866-331-9474

John and Martha Beck had two Harvard degrees apiece when they conceived their second child. Further graduate studies, budding careers, and a growing family meant major stress--not that they'd have admitted it to anyone (or themselves). As the pregnancy progressed, Martha battled constant nausea and dehydration. And when she learned her unborn son had Down syndrome, she battled nearly everyone over her decision to continue the pregnancy. She still cannot explain many of the things that happened to her while she was expecting Adam, but by the time he was born, Martha, as she puts it, "had to unlearn virtually everything Harvard taught [her] about what is precious and what is garbage." After reading the description on the back of the book (above) I thought I would really love this book. But I didn't.

Although Martha Beck's voice sounds genuine, she came across as whiny to me. I realize she was struggling with a difficult pregnancy which she later found out was because of an immune disorder. Her husband's job took him to Asia for weeks at a time which left Martha to care for their toddler daughter on her own, adding more stress and responsibility. But still, she was whiny. For the duration. While pregnant, she also  experienced a number of unexplained spiritual encounters. She called them her "puppeteers."

When, through prenatal testing, she learned that the child she was carrying had Down Syndrome, she became even more "woe is me." She was given her options, and chose to continue carrying the baby.

She spoke frequently of her fear of what others would think of her retarded son, but I think her biggest obstacle was herself. She often referred to her unborn son as "damaged."

Her writing is good but I didn't find it especially funny let alone "frequently hilarious" as the blurb on the front cover said. Maybe a chuckle or two, but again, not hilarious.

Worth your time? Sure. A lot of folks gave this book rave reviews. I didn't hate it. I finished it. Just a bit disappointed. I was expecting more from Expecting Adam.

Helicopters. Guns. Corruption. Explosions...

NON. STOP. ACTION. My first note I jotted down was on page 11, "begins with action immediately." I'm not kidding, it kept me on the edge of my seat (or edge of the bed) until the VERY LAST PAGE.

The GOTU (Guardians of the Universe) special narcotics squad is out to put an end to drug smuggling across the border, under the competent leadership of Robin Marlette. When they get a lead on a giant operation and end up killing the brother of the number one drug lord in Mexico, they uncover some serious corruption in not only their department, but also of prominent elected officials. The drug lord isn't very happy that his brother was killed and promises some sick-ass revenge.

We also get a peek into Robin's life as a devoted husband and father. He loves his family very much, and proves that he would do anything for them. Whereas he's a tough, but fair law enforcer, we get to see his gentler side with his family.

Some of the "cop-speak" in the book was unfamiliar to me, but then I thought that for those that read this genre, wouldn't want it dumbed-down. It wasn't enough to leave you clueless as to what was going on either. I used to work as a paramedic before my baby started school, and I certainly wouldn't want a diluted medical thriller.

Mike writes of what he knows.  He is a cop, who then became a lawyer, and has now started his third career as a writer. GOTU is the debut novel of author Mike McNeff and is the first book in his Robin Marlette series.

He's working on the second in the series, Shadow, which is due out this summer according to an interview I read. Will I continue reading the series? Oh, HELL YEAH! It's that good.

Well I've finished Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber. It was pretty good. It read like a Hallmark movie (I LOVE Hallmark movies). It's a lovely story of women and friendship. I especially like the lack of gratuitous filth. Don't get me wrong, there were tender moments and love. But...you get the point. 
 
Here's the synopsis in case you're interested:

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Thursday, 8:00 a.m. Breakfast Club!

In the introduction, Ms. Macomber tells that the inspiration for the book was based on a bit of her own experience. When beginning her business, she invited five women business owners/entrepreneurs over for tea. They decided to meet every...you guessed it - Thursdays.
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I really love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter as I wrote a little bit about here.

Chapter 1 - "Its the good girls who keep the diaries; the bad girls never have the time." - Tallulah Bankhead

Chapter 2 - "The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?" - Congolese proverb

Chapter 3 - "The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely." - Lorraine Hansberry

Chapter 4 - "Parenthood: that state of being better chaperoned than you were before marriage." - Madeline Cox

Chapter 5 - "Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't." - Erica Jong

Chapter 6 - "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." - Beverly Sills

Chapter 7 - "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." - Mary Kay Ash

Chapter 8 - "The worst part of success is to try finding someone who is happy for you." - Bette Midler

Chapter 9 - "What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." - Colette


Chapter 10 - "Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much the heart can hold." - Zelda Fitzgerald


Chapter 11 - "The only thing that seems eternal and natural in motherhood is ambivalence." - Jane Lazarre


Chapter 12 - "Unbosom yourself," said Wimsey. "Trouble shared is trouble halved." - Dorothy Sayers


Chapter 13 - "Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect." - Margaret Mitchell


Chapter 14 - "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." - Dolly Parton


Chapter 15 - "It goes without saying that you should never have more children that you have car windows." - Erma Bombeck


Chapter 16 - "Let me listen to me and not to them." - Gertrude Stein


Chapter 17 - "Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good personis like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian." - Shari R. Barr


Chapter 18 - "We're all in this alone." - Lily Tomlin 


Chapter 19 - "See into life - don't just look at it." - Anne Baxter


Chapter 20 - "The entry of a child into any situation changes the whole situation." - Iris Murdoch


Chapter 21 - "Only friends will tell you the truths you need to hear to make...your life bearable." - Francine du Plessix Gray


Chapter 22 - "It's not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is impossible to find it elsewhere." - Agnes Repplier


Chapter 23 - "It is never too late to be what you might have been." - George Eliot


Chapter 24 - "You don't have to know how to sing. It's feeling as though you want to that makes the day worthwhile." - Coleman Cox


Chapter 25 - "You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." - Joan Baez


Chapter 26 - "The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." - Martha Washington


Chapter 27 - "Make no judgments where you have no compassion." - Anne McCaffrey


Chapter 28 - "Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third." - Marge Piercy


Chapter 29 - "Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than break." - Jane Wells


Chapter 30 - "The dedicated life is the life worth living. You must give with your whole heart." - Annie Dillard


Chapter 31 - "Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations." - Faith Baldwin


Chapter 32 - "The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well." - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross


Chapter 33 - "The idea of strictly minding our own business is rubbish. Who could be so selfish?" - Myrtie Barker


Chapter 34 - "Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace." - Amelia Earhart


Chapter 35 - "It is best to learn as we go, not go as we have learned." - Leslie Jeanne Sahler


Chapter 36 - "Vitality! That's the pursuit of life, isn't it?" - Katherine Hepburn


Chapter 37 - "People change and forget to tell each other." - Lillian Hellman


Chapter 38 - " May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back." - Irish toast


Chapter 39 - "The excursion is the same when you looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy." - Eudora Welty


Chapter 40 - "May the hinges of friendship never grow rusty." - Unknown

This was the first book I read by Debbie Macomber. Any suggestions on which of hers I should read next?

Looking for a fun, quick read? I just finished I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. It's a collection of essays that are too DARN funny! It's a great summer read that doesn't involve an ounce of thinking. I'm all for not one iota of activity, even if it is just thinking. full review