My Latest Grievance

My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman (2006) 242 pages

Frederica Hatch is the only child of two university professors at a small women's college in Massachusetts. The family lives in one of the dormitories; Frederica's parents are houseparents, as well as active union leaders. Dorm life is the only life Frederica has known, other than the times she's at her friends' houses, or her grandmother's house during breaks when the dorms are closed. Frederica, from a young age, has been like a mini-adult; her parents have always been very open with her about life. 

Except for one thing: When she is almost 16, while staying at her grandmother's house, Frederica happens upon a photograph from her father's first wedding. No one had ever mentioned that her uncool father had been married to someone else before, especially not someone like Laura Lee French, who was glamorous and worldly, traits that are very different from her Frederica's mother.

When Laura Lee ends up arriving on campus to serve as a houseparent in another dorm, the small college is upended by her out-sized personality, manner of dressing, and unconventional behavior. Life will never be the same for Frederica, or her parents, for that matter! 

The Cold Millions

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter, 342 pages

In the early 20th Century, labor unions were struggling to gain a foothold in the American West, where mining barons owned every element of many towns. Spokane, Washington, was a booming city at that time, with several rail lines converging on the city, bringing plenty of transient workers to work the mines, crops, and other industries, but with little pay for their hard labor. In 1909 and 1910, the widening gap between the upper class and working class came to a head, with the IWW union staging a series of protests, which quickly became riots once the Spokane police force got involved. The Cold Millions offers a fictionalized version of those riots, telling the story of the Wobblies who fought and were arrested, as well as the union leaders who came in afterward to continue the fight. While it took a bit to get the story rolling, once it started moving, this was an engrossing and enlightening story, bringing to life several real-life leaders, including the formidable Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who took on the fight while 19 and pregnant. Highly recommended for those who want to know more about the history of the IWW.