Manda's Bookshelf
It's been far too long since I posted one of these reviews, but my absence does not indicate a lack of reading, I promise! Especially since my used book store was offering double-trade in credit last month, which meant it was time to clean off some shelves lol
First up:
Eleanor vs. Ike - Robin Gerber
I picked this up on a whim at the Border's closing sale (and let us take a moment to lament *that* turn of events. *cries*) and was pleasantly surprised. This is one of those history-what if books, or alternate-history I guess, where the author changes one major event and writes what could have happened in the aftermath. In this isntance, the big "what if" is what would happen if Eleanor Roosevelt would have run for President against Dwight D. Eisenhower?
The author does a fairly good job of setting up the problems the Democrats (and Republicans) faced going into the 1952 election. Unlike the last couple of decades, in the mid-20th Century both parties saw some pretty significant convention fights for who would be the presidential nominee. Gerber lays those out while also giving us a glimpse into Eleanor and Ike's personal lives before the campaigns. Eleanor was already seen as world-wide foreign policy expert and "First Lady to the World" because of her UN work. Ike was the man who won World War II in Europe. America adored them both.
Most of the set up to the convention is historically accurate, with the big diversion from history happening as Adlai Stevenson takes the stage to accept the nomination for president. In the book, Stevenson suffers a fatal heart attack. In shock and grief, and with only one day left of the convention, the party leaders choose to nominate Eleanor in his place. Eleanor is the only "unifying" figure in the party as the rest of the men vying for the nomination are incredibly divisive. There's also the general idea that since Ike is so popular, they're going to lose anyway, so it's not really a big deal for Eleanor to run and (assumably) lose.
From there the book shoots off into a rather interest glimpse of campaigning, with some none-too-subtle hints and references to how things are now. There's also a somewhat unnecessary romantic storyline between staffers of Ike and Eleanor's campaign, but it sets up a climactic moment at the end of the book, so I'll forgive the author for it.
It's an enjoyable glimpse of what might have been and I won't give away the ending, although I'm sure you can figure it out. That's not to say it didn't have some flaws.
One, there's a totally unnecessary (and Mary Sue) moment where Eleanor meets a very young Hillary Clinton. I guess since Bill had his moment meeting JFK, Hillary should have had a moment meeting Eleanor? *facepalm* See my friends, even published authors have Mary Sue moments.
Two, the author just sort of brushed over Eleanor's (documented) relationship with Lorena Hickok. It's a relatively quick "oh yeah it happened, no big" sort of thing when Eleanor has to explain the relationship to her staff after a letter is discovered implying their romantic relationship. And after that... nothing. Hickok is barely mentioned even though she was one of Eleanor's closest and most trusted friends and advisors. Now from a storytelling point of view, sure, skip over the inconvenient piece of reality, but from a historical point of view, wow did the author miss the boat. I've read the book cataloguing the letters between Eleanor and Lorena, and it wasn't just a one time sort of thing. They had an ongoing, long-term relationship. Lorena lived in the damn White House! So, I was a bit irked this got played down relatively quickly and that it didn't have much of an impact on anyone else in Eleanor's campaign when it was revealed.
Those quirks aside, it was a fast, enjoyable read and a nice glimpse into what might have been in American politics if everything had aligned just right.
(b/c I can't figure out my pics at the moment...) 3 1/2 Kermits :)
Second (and on a completely different note):
The Prophet - Khalil Gibran
Published in 1923, this is a collection of 26 poetic essays on various topics from love and marriage to law and freedom. It's not a long book, and for those of you who aren't poetry fans, let me say it doesn't *feel* like poetry. More like a winding, lyrical, beautiful conversation about the nature of all these subjects and how to approach them.
There wasn't one piece of this I didn't love and I understand completely why most consider Gibran the 3rd most read poet behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu. The imagery is evocative and lovely. His use of metaphor is alternately precise, so you know *exactly* the feeling and thoughts he is trying to evoke, and then enigmatic so that you delve into your own thoughts to understand what his meaning is and what it means to you. Which is what I love about poetry - that the writer has a meaning unto himself and yet at the same time, you can find your own meaning within it.
I have no idea how I missed this earlier in my life, but I'm so glad I managed to pick up a beautiful hardcover with illustrations, etc, because this is going to be on my shelves forever.
And as a bonus - one of my favorite passages from the section on Love:
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; to return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
5 Enthusiastic KERMITS :)