Genre: Children/Biography

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Through the years I have enjoyed reviewing Brad Meltzer’s adult novels. He weaves intrigue into history and keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. I must admit, I am equally enthralled with his children’s series, Ordinary People Change the World.  We have reviewed several books in this series, each one informative and charmingly illustrated.

I am Billie Jean King (Ordinary People Change the World) is the latest in his series, and tells the story of the tennis champion’s introduction and further adventures in the sport she excelled in. The first pages introduce us to a very young Billie Jean who is mesmerized by all kinds of sports. Unfortunately, growing up in the forties and fifties made it difficult for her, as a female, to be accepted into the world of sports.

Meltzer shows us how, with the support of her family, she discovered her talent in tennis and never looked back. There are so many lessons in this well done children’s book, that I think it should be required reading for young children facing a world that isn’t always accepting of them. The author seems to have a talent for picking out “heroes” that ultimately change our world for the better.

I enjoy the combination of narration and dialogue that should definitely keep children interested as they learn more about working hard and achieving their goals.

- Beverly

​Publisher - Dial Books
Date of Publication - February 5, 2019

​Genre: Memoir/Food & Wine

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I have been a fan of Gourmet Magazine for many years, and Ruth Reichl’s name has been a familiar one for many years. In her book, Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, Reichl did a masterful job showing us how an eight year old little girl grew up to change the world of food.

Ruth read her first Gourmet while on a business trip with her dad when she was eight. She was hooked, but a great deal happened in her life between then and when she was offered the position as Editor in Chief of the very magazine that changed her life.

Before she took that position, she spent years as a restaurant critic, coloring her writing with a touch of her Berkeley hippie past. She had become a bit disenchanted with the stodginess of Gourmet and felt the magazine was not keeping up with the times.

When she was offered the top position at Gourmet, her first inclination was to turn it down. She felt as though they would hold her back in their desire to maintain the status quo. They convinced her that they wanted to modernize the magazine, and so began her reign as queen of all that is delicious.

This is a comfortably written book that introduces us to great chefs, great writers, and great food. I loved reading about her life before and her tenure at the magazine that helped me through many a cooking crisis. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to cook, read about chefs or simply loves to eat.

- Beverly

​Publisher - Random House
Date of Publication - April 2, 2019

​Genre: Children's Book/Non-Fiction

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Brad Meltzer has been writing his Ordinary People Change the World books for several years now, and I believe that this “ordinary” author is changing the world with this series. He makes these people so relatable that children start to imagine that they might change the world too.

I Am Sonia Sotomayor introduces us to the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, and this book is just as charming as the fifteen previous ones. We see her as a young girl always getting into mischief. From her family's favorite refrain - “ Sonia, what have you done now?"  - I related to her dreams of being the next Nancy Drew, as I watched her mature through the pages.

These books are exceptionally well written for young children who will learn so much about these individuals in Meltzer’s pages. History is easy for young ones to grasp when they see it through the eyes of the characters themselves. Christopher Eliopoulos does an excellent job illustrating Meltzer’s ideas through the colorful pages of the life of one of America’s top justices.

If you are buying gifts this year for children in grades K-3, I strongly recommend all of the books in the Ordinary People Change the World Series.

​-Beverly
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Publisher - Dial Books
Date of Publication - ​​​​November 13, 2018

​​​Genre: Non-Fiction

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Coincidentally, I have spent the last few days appreciating what I have, and then I came upon Neil Pasricha’s book, The Book of Awesome. Here is a man who truly recognizes what is awesome in life. Think about it...you are standing five deep in a checkout line, and a new line suddenly opens up...awesome. Nothing is cozier than your warm underwear, straight from the dryer. Passing a police car when you AREN’T speeding is AWESOME.

Pasricha’s book is filled with so many of life’s everyday pleasures. It is difficult to keep from smiling as you turn the pages and relate to most of what he is saying. He talks about things like passing a bunch of green lights in a row and I get it. I always feel like I hit the lottery when I sail by one green light after another. Half way into his book I started making my own list, and that made me smile even more.

The Book of Awesome will not be voted book of the year. It isn’t a literary epic and probably won’t win a Pulitzer Prize, but if you want a few hours of appreciating the world you inhabit, then this might be just the book for you.

-Beverly

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Publisher - G.P. Putnam's Sons; Reprint edition
Date of Publication - ​​​April 15, 2010

​​Genre: Non-Fiction

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As a fan of "Real Time With Bill Maher", I am familiar with frequent guest Jon Meacham. I enjoy listening to him and decided to give his book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, a try, and though it is filled with depressing windows into our history, it gave me great hope. He isn’t saying that we aren’t in a frightening period of bigotry right now but rather that we have been there before and came out the other end.

He begins the book with then governor of South Carolina, Strom Thurmond on October 7, 1948. Thurmond was the segregationist Dixiecrat candidate for president, and he was railing against President Truman’s civil rights program that included anti-lynching legislation and protection against racial discrimination in hiring. He felt this would undermine the American way of life and stated “there’s not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigra race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes and into our churches.” He was interrupted by cheers and standing ovations, but ultimately he was defeated.

He was not the first, and surely not the last politician to rile up crowds. In August of 2017, white supremacy reared its head again in Charlottesville where twenty-first century klansmen and neo-nazis riled up a group of their followers in support of then Republican candidate Donald Trump. Meacham shared many surprising stories featuring our presidents through the years, but the most important thing to take away is that ultimately our better angels won the battles.

I found the stories interesting, the writing captivating and the message heartening. Thanks Jon, we needed that this week.

- Beverly
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Publisher - Random House
Date of Publication - ​​May 8, 2018

​​Genre: Non-Fiction

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I enjoyed this book more than I anticipated and believe it was fairly well written. In I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High Danza tells us that he always wanted to be a teacher, and after a bit of training bought into the idea of taking part in a reality show that features him teaching in a high school in Philadelphia. I have always been amused at people from other professions being certain that they would be outstanding teachers if given the chance. I have also watched the downfall of many people who attempted to make that career change.

Danza was given a tenth grade class to teach and admits he was given a few advantages. His classroom is large with windows for natural light. When he visits with another first year teacher at his school, he finds him teaching in a windowless room in the basement. Tony has under thirty students, therefore making teaching, grading and planning a great deal easier for him than for the average first year teacher who deals with 150 students a day. He also has a mentor teacher who sits in the back of the classroom to help guide him.

The book may not tell the story of a completely true teaching experience, but it does give the reader a sense of what a teacher goes through and one gets the idea that Danza really cares about his students. I enjoyed some of the personal stories he shared, both with his students and his readers, and I like watching him get involved in the extra curricular activities that presented themselves.

I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High, much like Up The Down Staircase and To Sir With Love, is a feel good book that will make you laugh a little, cry a little and probably wish you had the opportunity to spend a bit of time in Tony Danza’s classroom too.

- Beverly
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Publisher - Crown Archetype
Date of Publication - ​​September 11, 2012

​Genre: Non-Fiction

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Stuart Eizenstat first met Carter when he started working as policy adviser on Carter's campaign for governor of Georgia. From page one of his book, President Carter: The White House Years, it is obvious that the author admires the former President immensely, appreciates his strengths but also is aware of his weaknesses. Eizenstat shares his thoughts with his readers in a clear and concise way and helped me get a much better perspective of the Carter presidency.

Carter eschewed politics when it came to the duties of the President. He felt that once he closed the door to the Oval Office, policies should be made on merit not political agendas. In theory that is a top notch idea. In practice, he shares in hindsight, it isn’t always workable. “To be truly effective,” he explains, “a president cannot make a sharp break between the politics of his campaign and the politics of his governing.” Although people then, as people now, were/are disgusted with politicians manipulating the policies of our country, lessons can be learned from the experiment of trying to govern without it.

Eizenstat highlights so many of Carter’s accomplishments that we tend to forget, and he shows us that in his own quiet way this moral man laid the foundation for several positive changes in our country. His involvement in energy, environment, and transportation throughout his term showed his strengths in ways I hadn’t realized. The author is not shy, however, in listing the ex-presidencies failures , and this makes for a more well rounded book than some that I have read.

My take from this book is that Jimmy Carter is an extremely intelligent man of conviction who might have been a bit too moral for the sometimes dirty job of being President. This is a good book for those who enjoy looking back over history when the dust has settled.

- Beverly


Publisher - Thomas Dunne Books
Date of Publication - ​April 24, 2018

Genre: Non Fiction

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Did you know that a pint of milk in a supermarket can contain milk from a thousand different cows, or that a raw carrot is still alive when you eat it? Were you aware that the average woman wears only half the clothes in her closet or that women look their oldest at 3:30 P. M. on Wednesdays? If you love finding out bits of information like this, than Lloyd, Mitchinson and Harkin’s book, 1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop, is just the book for you.

I am a trivia fan, so this book caught my eye. It turned out to be a book that lists many of the most outrageous pieces of information that I have ever come across. Do I believe it all? Perhaps not in its entirety, but I have no intention of checking it out. I just enjoyed it for what it is...a conglomeration of interesting historical, scientific and just plain trivial facts that might just make me the life of my next party.

The main author of this book, John Lloyd, is the creator of the BBC quiz panel show QI (Quite Interesting), and the other two contributed information to this book. I found it somewhat addictive and do find myself trying to search further on some of the topics. This might make a great gift for a teacher to use during down time in the classroom, as long as she encourages the students to verify the stated facts.

- Beverly
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Publisher - W. W. Norton & Company
Date of Publication - ​September 2, 2014

Genre: Self-Help

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All women (and men) want to look fabulous, and imaging consultant Natalie Jobity’s book, Frumpy to Fabulous: Flaunting It - Your Ultimate Guide to Effortless Style is a road map for those of us who aren’t sure how to achieve that fabulous appearance.  Her writing style is easy, and she pulls her readers in by asking questions that make them think.

I spend a great deal of time in my closet complaining that I have nothing to wear. Before me lies a myriad of shirts, skirts, dresses, etc, yet nothing seems to go together. Obviously I am not alone, and Jobity decided to capitalize (in a good way) on our weaknesses. Instead of assuming that her readers all have unlimited funds, she tells us how to save money. If you shop smartly, you can buy one piece, match it with something in your closet, and suddenly you look “fabulous.”

I love the part that tells us to “learn to love the skin we are in.” We all have positive and negative attributes, and if we focus on the negative the mirror becomes our enemy. According to this book, we average seeing our reflection at least 55 times a day. If we hate what me see that becomes pretty demoralizing. Jobity explains how we can flaunt what we never realized we had, rather than hiding everything under baggy clothing.

There are segments on accessorizing, dressing for various occasions and being the best we can be. She goes over the six basic body shapes and how we should dress for the shape we carry. She gives us examples of celebrities with our shape and anecdotes about other women who embraced their type and improved their look.
Dress to look taller or slimmer and feel beautiful instead of frumpy.

I had fun reading through this book and went on a mini shopping spree. I purchased a few shirts to go with my older skirts, and suddenly had two newish outfits. I am belt hunting now, hoping to dress up my denim. While I didn’t learn anything startlingly new, the hints are helpful, and hopefully will contribute to a fabulous new me.

- Beverly
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Publisher - Elan Image Management, LLC
Date of Publication - ​November 27, 2013

​Genre: Non-fiction

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My days as a debater/debate coach taught me the importance of looking at both sides before starting your argument. If you understand what your opponent wants, you always have a better chance of making your point. In How to Negotiate Like a Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Mary Greenwood thinks like a good debater and makes the art of negotiation seem easy.

When we talk about negotiating, many people think of business first and foremost. Greenwood teaches us that everything is a negotiation, and doing it correctly can save us money, time and heartache. We negotiate with spouses, our children and sales people. We negotiate with bosses, underlings and clients. If we are to be successful in these negotiations, then it stands to reason that we take advice from an expert.

Greenwood is just such an expert as she teaches us to determine goals and maintain focus in achieving these goals. She gives us rules, examples and even an index of terms. She tells us how to apologize and how to walk away from a negotiation. She explains the tactics involved with negotiating with a narcissist or a liar. She even helps with negotiating on the phone (start the conversation with “I need your help” so the person you are speaking to feels like part of the team that will solve your problem), and on line.

As an attorney she is obviously quite experienced with workplace negotiations, and generously shares her experiences with her readers. While this is not a Saturday afternoon beach read, the author has made an effort to write an easily understandable book that can help her readers navigate the more difficult roads of life.

- Beverly
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Publisher - iUniverse
Date of Publication - October 16, 2017