Sula

 Sula by Toni Morrison (1973) 174 pages

I previously listened to Morrison's Beloved, but didn't grasp much of what it was trying to say. When The Atlantic published a "The Great American Novels" list in 2024 including Sula, I decided I should read another of Morrison's books. I'm from Ohio too. Medallion, Ohio is a fictional town, but I read it could be based on Lorain, Ohio to the west of Cleveland where Morrison grew up. Morrison explores the social changes in a black community called the "Bottom" between 1919 and 1965. There is a good bit in the beginning and end of the novel that does not focus on the title character, Sula. Instead, we meet Shadrack, who is a traumatized WWI veteran. He cannot readjust to living in "normal" society. Morrison's descriptions of the community are vivid. She then traces the lives of four women that are central to the relationships of the "Bottom." Eva is a mysterious figure who has a promiscuous daughter named Hannah amongst many other children. Hannah is the mother of Sula, who dies when Sula is still young. We spend quite of bit of time getting to know Sula and her friend Nel, but also Sula leaves for ten years for college. After college, Sula passes through many big cities, but is unable to find a man that she feels really connected to, so she returns to the Bottom. There is no straightforward plot, but a loose set of occurrences that resist simplistic notions of heroes or villains.

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry  by Fredrik Backman (2015) 372 pages

Precocious Elsa, seven years old, is often the adult to her grandmother's inner child. They share a made-up language as well as a make-believe universe. When her grandmother dies of cancer, Elsa is left with a treasure hunt of sorts, with letters to find and deliver to people her grandmother had known, most from their apartment building. Some of the letters are very difficult for Elsa to deliver, going to people like the man she'd dubbed The Monster. Delivering these letters gives Elsa a view into parts of her grandmother's life she never knew about.

In addition to mourning the loss of her fiercest champion, Elsa is not looking forward to the birth of her half-sibling, or to returning to school‒where she is constantly bullied for being different‒after the winter holiday.

I feel this story depicts the inner working of a child's mind so well. Backman's first novel, A Man Called Ove is now on my "must-read" list.

Paint the Wind

Paint the Wind by Pam Muñoz Ryan  325 pp.

This was another book for my 4th-6th grade book club. Orphaned Maya has been living with her extremely controlling grandmother since the death of her parents. She is only allowed to attend school and the only "entertainment" her grandmother permits is looking at old photo albums where her mother has been cut from all the photos. On the sudden death of her grandmother Maya learns that she will now live with her mother's family on a ranch in Wyoming, a family she does not know. There she is allowed the freedom to grow, learn, and given love and support. Maya's story alternates with that of Artemesia, a wild horse that once belonged to Maya's mother. When Maya and Artemesia finally meet it is life changing for both. This is a wonderful story by one of my favorite children's authors.

The White Giraffe

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John  180 pp.

On her eleventh birthday, Martine becomes an orphan when her parents die in a house fire. She is sent to live on a wildlife preserve in South Africa with a grandmother she has never met. Once there, a local "magic woman" tells her she has the gift but Martine doesn't know what that means. Eventually she discovers that the mythical white giraffe is real and poachers are trying to steal it. This is a lovely story that incorporates magical realism, adventure, the reality of the political and social problems in South Africa, and the problems of saving animals from extinction. This is the first book in the "Legends of the Animal Healer" series.

Tumbleweed Skies by Valerie Sherrard 150 pages

Paperback books tend to gather dust on the shelf in the children's department unless they are part of hyped popular series (like Capt. Underpants, Geronimo Stilton, or Rainbow Magic). This gentle historical fiction novel, deserves a better fate. This is written in the style of Gates Blue Willow Plate and MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall. When the economy dives in the 1950's, Ellie's father is forced to leave her with his deceased wife's mother on her cheerless farm in Saskatchewan. His goal is to make enough money as a traveling salesman to pick her up and find a new place for the two of them. Ellie's Grandma Acklebee has to be the most bitter grandmother I have come across in children's lit. Unmarried Uncle Roger, who runs the farm, is much kinder. Over time Ellie discovers the reasons for Grandma's behavior and it is based in pain, disappointment and guilt. The ending is not sugar-coated and it is believable and has an element of hope.