Discovering Authors, Old & New
October 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Pearl S. Buck, Pearl S. Buck Historic House, Perkasie PA, The Good Earth, Veronica Jorge
Pearl S. Buck has always been one of my favorite authors. Most know her 1931 novel, The Good Earth, and film of the same name, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. And in 1938, she was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for her depictions of China, where she lived with her missionary parents.
A prolific author, she wrote more than forty novels, over twenty works of non-fiction, an astounding bibliography of short stories, and stories for children. Even a cookbook!
And while she’s famous to us today, her male contemporaries were anything but supportive, often disparaging her writing skills. This prompted her to write other works under the pen-name, John Sedges, which were well received and lauded. Thus, proving her point that the hostility was against her as a woman, and had nothing to do with her literary abilities.
So, this past summer, I treated myself to a visit to the Pearl S. Buck Historic House in Perkasie, PA.
I wanted to learn more about this author. Instead, I discovered a remarkable woman whom I admired all the more. She was an accomplished pianist. She wrote about and worked tirelessly for women’s rights, civil rights, and for the education and improvement of women’s and children’s lives all over the world. She was also one of the first to write about and champion the cause of the handicapped, chronicling her own personal experience in The Child Who Never Grew, a heart-breaking memoir of her daughter’s rare developmental disorder, originally published in 1950. (Reprint, 2017, ISBN 978-1504047968).
Her foundation continues to advocate for all of these causes today.
And just when I thought the trip couldn’t get any better, I learned that the Pearl S. Buck Historic House also offers writing courses and has its own press center to help authors self-publish.
In keeping with Buck’s work toward empowering women, I purchased the following two books in the gift shop.
A Rose in a Ditch, by Julie Henning, (Pearl S. Buck Writing Center Press, 2019, ISBN 978-1-704786-438), who writes about her life in South Korea and being rescued and then raised in the U.S. by Pearl Buck as her own daughter.
And, Where the Stork Flies, by Linda C. Wisniewski, (Sand Hill Review Press, 2021, ISBN 978-1-949534-16-0). Struggling with relationship issues with her husband and her daughter, a librarian encounters a time portal and a Polish peasant fleeing her own unhappy marriage. Together, with a little magic help, they get their lives back on track.
And guess what? Turns out Wisniewski and I have several writer friends in common. How great is that!
I wish you all new and inspiring learnings and discoveries in your reading and writing journeys.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on November 22nd!
APPLE, TABLE, PENNY… MURDER A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
September 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Apple Table Penny .Murder, Book Reivew, Carol L Wright, Veronica Jorge
APPLE, TABLE, PENNY… MURDER:
A SUZY KEMP MYSTERY
by
CAROL L. WRIGHT
Cozy Den Press,
2023
ISBN 978-0-9742891-6-8
Transitions and downsizing are never easy, but after the loss of her husband, Suzy Kemp knows a retirement community is the best decision for her. Thankfully, she has her devoted son to help her through the process. And today she’s all set to move into the independent-living apartment she selected.
Suzy goes through the check-in process and final health assessments, but her mind is on her cute apartment with a patio and a garden, her furniture that should arrive tomorrow, and other details of her new life. Is it any wonder then that she missed a few of the memory test questions? It could happen to anyone.
Suzy finds herself being wheeled into a hospital style memory care unit instead of her own apartment.
She tries to adjust to what she hopes is a temporary situation, but making friends with people who can’t remember who she is, or who they are, is a challenge. Hearing screams in the night doesn’t help either.
Things take a turn for the worse when Suzy notices that Jeanette, one of the residents, is missing. Perhaps she’s gone home? Gotten better and moved into her own apartment? Like the one she should be in instead of here.
But when Suzy inquires about Jeannette, everyone pretends she doesn’t exist.
Suzy questions her memory and her sanity, but when another resident disappears, Suzy is convinced that something strange and criminal is taking place in the retirement community. But who’s going to believe her, a woman with memory issues? And who can she trust?
Suzy is determined to discover what’s going on. And it’ll take all of her deductive skills, and memory, to work out the clues that will hopefully prevent others from disappearing, including her.
Apple, Table, Penny…Murder, is witty and intriguing with just the right amount of suspense, mystery, and humor. A delightful and entertaining read.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on October 22nd!
Other Books Reviewed by Veronica
BLACK FOOD: STORIES, ART & RECIPES FROM ACROSS THE AFRICAN DIASPORA ed. by Bryant Terry—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
June 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Black Food, Bryant Terry, Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
I recently participated in a Community Read event at my local library, (Lower Macungie Library in Macungie, PA), in partnership with Longwood Gardens of Kennett Square, PA. This year’s theme was the connection between food and people, and food and gardening. The book we read was Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora, edited and curated by celebrated chef and writer Bryant Terry.
4 Color Books
an imprint of Ten Speed Press
2021
ISBN 978-1-9848-5972-3
Buy Links
The collection of essays and recipes was a unique exploration of topics such as, the bond between food and culture, food insecurity, the empowerment of taking charge of your food and health, the bounty of gardening, and food as a connector of people, among other topics.
Some of the stories were heart-wrenching. We followed the journey of one slave, ripped from her land, as she described braiding seeds into her hair in order to carry something of her food and culture to an unknown land.
The library, in addition, organized a variety of activities to enhance the reading and learning experience. In keeping with food and gardening, the library supplied planters, soil, and herbs for each of us to decorate our very own potted plant.
A registered dietician gave a talk on the common sense of eating well.
And as part of the book read, we each selected a recipe from the book to make and then share together. Below you can see my choice, Nicole Taylor’s Cocoa-Orange Fish. As she describes it on page 195 of the book, “Cocoa powder transforms both savory and sweet dishes. Its luxurious earthiness adds depth to proteins, like fish.”
I paired the catfish with okra and yams. The beverage is sorrel, also known as hibiscus flowers, with origins in Africa.
Black Food: Stories, Art and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora provides much food for thought (pun intended) and is an enlightening, inspiring, delicious, and empowering read.
And libraries are more than just a collection of books. They broaden our worldview and unite peoples and communities. I hope you enjoy and love your library as much as I appreciate mine!
Veronica Jorge
I’m off for the summer so see you next time on September 22nd!
Other Books Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
INCIDENT AT SAN MIGUEL BY A.J. SIDRANSKY—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
May 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as A.J. Sidranksy, book review, Incident at San Miguel, Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
Incident at San Miguel
By A.J. Sidransky
Black Opal Books 2023
ISBN 978-1-953434-96-8
1950s Cuba, the pearl of the Caribbean, is the idyllic home of the Cohen family whose ancestors found refuge in Cuba after being exiled from Poland during World War II and the Nazi regime. The two Cohen brothers, Aaron and Moises, are up and coming young men ready to make their mark on the world.
Aaron, a bank lawyer, enjoys the relaxing nonchalance of the tropics and is eagerly hoping for a promotion, and planning his wedding.
Moises, somber and studious, and at odds with his family over his political stance, spends his time engrossed in Marxism, grappling with what he sees as the corruption inherent in the current society.
The relaxing nonchalance of the island paradise is thrown into an uproar by the fire of revolution, and the eventual overthrow of the government by Fidel Castro and his brother Raul.
Moises, enraptured by the revolution, determines to fight against “the cathedral of capitalism and its den of thieves.”
When property and businesses are confiscated, the young men’s parents find themselves living their own parents’ nightmares of having to flee their native country.
Marked an enemy of the working class, Aaron the banker, is sidelined and must now kowtow to former aides. Attempting to obtain visas out of the country for his family, he finds himself trapped in a cruel game of cat and mouse.
Desperate to save his family, Aaron seeks out his brother Moises for help. But he’s part of Fidel’s group. Will he help? Can he trust him?
How strong will family ties prove for two brothers on the opposite sides of revolution and history?
Destructive alliances, family ties, and the uplifting power of faith, culture, and love make Incident at San Miguel a compelling and engrossing read.
For more of Alan Sidransky’s books, in which he writes about ordinary people faced with extraordinary events and situations, check out his website at www.ajsidransky.com. You can also read my reviews on this blog of some of his other titles.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on June 22nd.
Other Books Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
REFUGEE by ALAN GRATZ—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
April 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Alan Gratz, Refugee, Reviewed by Veronica Jorge, Scholastic Press
REFUGEE
Alan Gratz
Scholastic Press
2018
ISBN 978-0-545-880-831
News stories remind us daily of the migrant crisis throughout the world as people flee their homes for a variety of reasons. Refugee, by Alan Gratz, though written for a middle-grade audience, is a riveting novel for adults as well that draws us into the migrant experience from a child’s perspective.
Three continents. Three different time periods. Three children fleeing their countries.
Alan Gratz joins the past and the present to weave a gripping tale of the harrowing experiences of three children forced from their homes due to war and political unrest.
Josef yearns to celebrate his upcoming bar mitzvah and finally become a man. He just never expected it to be on a ship bound for Cuba, which he and his family board to escape out of Nazi Germany. When the ship is forced to return to Europe, and perhaps certain death, Josef finds himself thrust into adulthood and must make a decision that will determine the survival of his family.
Fast forward to 1994, when Cuba is teeming with food shortages and riots. Teenage Isabel finds herself on a questionable homemade raft. Together with her family and the neighbors next door, they depart for the United States. They just need the raft to hold up, avoid the Coast Guard, pray the sharks don’t get them, and hope that her mother, heavy with child, can survive the journey.
On the other side of the world, in 2015, war tears Syria apart, forcing Mahmoud’s father to seek a safe haven for his family. Amidst gunfire, danger, and the ever-present threat of death, they travel through Turkey and Serbia, enduring hunger, thieves, and prison. Mahmoud and his family continue onward through Austria and finally Germany, where the lives of the three children find a binding tie.
Refugee is a fast-paced, heart-rending story of the strength and courage of children and their valiant efforts, despite all obstacles, to forge a life filled with meaning and purpose.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on May 22nd!
Other Books Reviewed by Veronica
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