American Widow

American Widow

by Alissa Torres

illustrated by Sungyoon Choi

224 pages

*** About the Book ***

On Sept. 10, 2001 Eddie Torres went to work for the first time at the World Trade Center in New York City.  That evening he and his wife, Alissa, who was 7 months pregnant, had a fight, and they went to bed angry with each other.  The next morning he headed off to his second day of work.  Just a few hours after leaving the house he was killed when terrorist attacks caused the the Twin Towers to collapse.  Alissa's life was changed forever.  The next few months were a blur, filled with condolences, offers of help, deep depression, the birth of her son, and days upon days spent in bed.  Then came the mass of paperwork and unfulfilled promises of aid from the government, and feelings of anger and jealousy from friends, neighbors, and strangers.

This is the story of Alissa's life in the months after Eddie's death. It's the story of how one woman dealt with her very personal loss under the close scrutiny of the public eye.


*** Why I Read It ***

I don't know where I first heard about this but I've had the title written on a post-it note on my desk at work for over a year.  When my book club voted to do a graphic memoir month (graphic memoir rather than graphic novel) in September I knew this was the book I wanted to read.


*** My Thoughts ***

Talk about perfect timing ... I picked up this book on Sept. 9 and started reading it the next day.  I read most of it on Sept. 11 - exactly nine years after the tragedy that was 9/11/01 and the death of Alissa's husband, Eddie.

This is a very moving and personal book.  As I read it and looked at the illustrations I kept visualizing myself in Alissa's situation, or in that of her friends.  I imagined me being the one not knowing what to say, or saying the wrong thing.  It was also a very informative book. I know I heard about many of the financial and political issues surrounding the families of the 9/11 victims but reading Alissa's story made it all very personal and very clear. In addition, it is a quick read despite the large number of pages.  I was able to easily read it over three days without devoting that much time to it. (I lent it to a friend and she read it in two days.)

That said, I'm still not a huge fan of graphic novels or graphic memoirs.  Although I like the illustrations and feel that they certainly add to the story, I'm much more text-focused and I know I don't appreciate symbiosis of the text and the visuals the way I should.

For those of you who ARE graphic novel/memoir fans, I highly recommend this book. It is well worth tracking down a copy; Alissa's story is heartbreaking yet uplifting.  For those who aren't fans of graphic novels/memoirs, I'd still say the book is worth reading - just don't expect it to change your opinions about the genre.


*** Your Thoughts ***

What do you think of the recent trend toward memoirs in graphic format?  Which ones have you read?  Are you familiar with this book?

The Baltimore Book Festival

You all know how excited I am about the upcoming Baltimore Book Festival, right?! In addition to the two panels I'm moderating, there will be a bunch of other events going on.  Here are some excerpts from the Festival's official press release listing just SOME of the many authors who will be there over the weekend. It will be so much fun!!!  I'll definitely be there on Sunday, and maybe Friday as well. Let me know if I'll see you there.

Also, if you are planning to attend the National Book Festival in DC on Saturday then check out this post from S. Krishna's Books and add your name to the blogger get-together list.  I won't be there for the festival itself but I'll be joining everyone for dinner.

THE BALTIMORE BOOK FESTIVAL WELCOMES AUTHORS NIGEL BARKER,

HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE, JESSE VENTURA, SHERRI SHEPHERD AND MORE!

The 15th annual literary arts celebration takes place September 24-26, 2010

• The three-day festival features more than 200 celebrity and local authors, poetry readings, workshops, children’s activities, panel discussions, cookbook demonstrations, more than 100 exhibitors and booksellers, live music, food and more.
  
• This year’s author appearances include actress, activist and philanthropist Holly Robinson Peete, author of My Brother Charlie; Nigel Barker, photographer and “America’s Next Top Model” judge; Sherri Shepherd, actress, co-host on “The View” and author of the humorous autobiography Permission Slips; southern cuisine experts Matt Lee and Ted Lee, authors of The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern; Michele Norris, acclaimed journalist and host of NPR’s “All Things Considered;” former governor, wrestler and actor Jesse Ventura, author of American Conspiracies; Judge Glenda Hatchett with her new book Dare to Take Charge: How to Live Your Life on Purpose; New York Times bestselling author Ree Drummond with her latest book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl; and former NFL quarterback, television/radio personality and philanthropist Rodney Peete, author of Not My Boy!. The Baltimore Book Festival is free and open to the public.
  
• On Saturday, the festival welcomes renowned authors Amy Dickinson, The Mighty Queens of Freeville; Jesse Ventura, American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies That the Government Tells Us; Sherri Shepherd, Permission Slips: Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break; and Wes Moore, presented by CityLit Project, who shares his story The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. Featured authors for Sunday are Warren St. John, Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town, the 2010 One Maryland One Book, presented by the Maryland Humanities Council; Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl; Michele Norris, The Grace of Silence; Judge Glenda Hatchett, Dare to Take Charge: How to Live Your Life on Purpose; Holly Robinson Peete, My Brother Charlie and Rodney Peete, Not My Boy!.
  
• The Festival Stage features well-known authors and spirited panel discussions. Highlights are mystery authors Charles Todd and Caroline Todd, An Impartial Witness; NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality; financial guru Deborah Owens, A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security; novelist Jon Clinch, Kings of the Earth and Essence bestselling author Michele Andrea Bowen, More Church Folk.
  
• The Children Bookstore Stage is home to some of the nation’s best and favorite children and young adult’s writers and illustrators. On Friday at 5:30pm, Zombies versus Unicorns Debate takes place when Team Zombie takes on Team Unicorn to prove which fantastic creature is superior. Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier lead their authors in a debate inspired by their new short story collection Zombies versus Unicorns. Participating authors are Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan; Carrie Ryan, The Forest of Hands and Teeth; Diana Peterfreund, Ascendant; and Kathleen Duey, Silence and Stone. Writers Nikki Grimes, Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel; Rebecca and Ed Emberley, If You're a Monster and You Know It; and Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day join in the literary arts fun as well.
  
• New this year, on Saturday only, members of Maryland Romance Writers, part of the Romance Writers of America, present Maryland Romance Writers with panels and readings from regional romance authors Catherine Asaro, Diamond Star; Mary Jo Putney, Never Less Than a Lady; Rebecca York, Dragon Moon and more.

BBAW: Looking Ahead

Today's Topic: Future Treasures -We’ve been visiting each other and getting to know each other better…now is your chance to share what you enjoyed about BBAW and also what your blogging goals are for the next year! (Details on the daily topics can be found at the BBAW website.)

I enjoy BBAW every year even though I get complete computer burn-out by Friday.  I love the daily topics and seeing everyone's different takes on them. I haven't had a chance to visit all that many new-to-me blogs this week due to my work schedule, so ...

Goal #1 - check out the Mr. Linky posts on the BBAW blog and visit some new bloggers over the next few weeks

A lot of my time right now is focused on preparing for the two panels I'm moderating at the Baltimore Book Festival.  That leads me to ...

Goal #2 - continue to build connections between local (MD/DC/VA/PA etc.) bloggers via the new database and help bloggers work together to promote literary events in our general area

Once things settle down after the Festival I need to reevaluate the time I spend on the internet.  I need to make time to work on some other projects which means that I will ...

Goal #3 - establish a schedule of blogging time and (attempt to) stick to it - assign myself a certain number of hours during the week, on specific days, and do all my blog writing in that time

And one other thing I'm planning to do in the coming year, simply because I miss the pleasure it brings, is ...

Goal #4 - make re-reading books more of a priority

Those are my immediate and long-term goals as of today.  Do any of your goals match mine?

BBAW: Treasures from the 1970s

Today's Topic: Forgotten Treasure - Sure we’ve all read about Freedom and Mockingjay but we likely have a book we wish would get more attention by book bloggers, whether it’s a forgotten classic or under marketed contemporary fiction. This is your chance to tell the community why they should consider reading this book! (Details on the daily topics can be found at the BBAW website.)
There are two books that blew me away this year. Both were written in the 1970s (the decade in which I was born - what a coincidence!) and both deserve so much more attention than they are getting today.

Kindred, by Octavia Butler

This story examines the hot-button issues of power and race by taking a modern-day character and placing her in the pre-Civil War American South.  Dana, an 1970s African-American woman, finds herself living as a slave on a plantation where she is owned by her distant ancestor. The strength of the book is the way in which the reader comes to understand the horrors of slavery by watching Dana degenerate and begin to compromise in order to survive.  For more details you can check out my complete review here.

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown

This non-fiction account of the destruction of the Native American tribes in the United States in the late 1800s is told from the tribes' point of view.  This book should be required reading in every American classroom and suggested reading for the rest of the world.  With heartbreaking simplicity it shows how a government can completely destroy a group of people.  If we don't understand history, how can we ever expect to do better in the future?  Although I read the original version, there is a new illustrated version of this book out now that is also very powerful.  You can read my complete review here if you are interested.



I'm looking forward to checking out the forgotten treasures that other bloggers have dug up!

BBAW: Branching Out?

Today's Topic: Unexpected Treasure - We invite you to share with us a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger. What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like?  (Details on the daily topics can be found at the BBAW website.)

If you are at all like me then you are constantly hearing about books outside of your comfort zone.  The biggest thing I've noticed in the blogs I read is that more and more people are getting into Young Adult (YA) and dystopian novels.

In order to broaden my horizons I decided to give some of these books a try.  And you know what? I'm not really a fan.  But you know what else?  I'm ok with that.  What I found by reading outside my comfort zone is that I'm really happy INSIDE my comfort zone.  It is there I find the books that truly excite me, books I want to read again and again, books I want to share with the world.

If it thrills you to continually explore new genres, do it.  If it makes you happy to stick within your established reading horizons, do it.   Through this experience I realized that what is important to me is that each reader finds the books that make him or her passionate about reading, and then reads those books.


[If you are interested in the YA and dystopian books I read, here are links to some of my reviews: The Hunger Games, Linger, Genesis, Unsigned Hype.]

BBAW: Interview Day

Today's Topic: Interview Swap!  Interview a blogger assigned to you by the BBAW team.  (Details on the daily topics can be found at the BBAW website.)

I'm happy to introduce you to a new-to-me blogger:

LibrarysCat Book List

Reading in 9 Lives

I really enjoy doing the interviews during BBAW each year and I hope you'll enjoy meeting LibrarysCat!

Let's start off with something fun. Give me one book I absolutely have to read, one book blog I have to visit, and one strange-but-true tidbit about you.

• You absolutely have to read Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson. It is a beautiful book about the growth of an unlikely friendship.
• A book blog you have to visit is Presenting Lenore who writes about YA literature so beautifully.
• A strange but true fact about me is that my father’s plane disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

I haven't read Astrid and Veronika but I'll definitely check it out! I'm already a follower of Lenore's blog, so that's good.  And that last item is definitely strange - I can't imagine what that must be like ...

Ok, now back to the basics. How long have you been blogging, and what's the story behind your blog's name?

Hmm, I have been blogging for about nine years, but blogging about books for only about three years. As for the name of my blog – every library needs a cat, sneaking about the stacks with soft paws.

I couldn't agree more about the cat!  Next question: There are so many book blogs out there now - what makes yours unique? Or, what are you most proud of when it comes to your blog?

I am not sure that it is unique. Although certainly we each have our own writing style and different things that we share which are of a personal nature – different levels of openness. I guess what I am most proud of is that I read a very wide variety of books – it is a rare book that I cannot finish.

Are you a book keeper, a book swapper, a book borrower, or something other species of reader?

I am a book keeper, much to my husband’s dismay. However, I do love to loan my favorite books to my friends so that they will read them and we can gush about them together. And once they are loaned, I usually don’t mind if they never come home.

I'm like that with books I lend out as well - as long as I know they are being loved somewhere else I'm ok.  Moving on ... list three things that you like to do that are unrelated to books.

• I love going to the beach. The sounds and smells are soothing to me
• I love playing with my three Chihuahuas – my husband and I treat them like they are babies.
• I love to crochet although I am not very good at it.

What author's book would you buy ASAP knowing nothing about it but who wrote it? What's so great about that author?

I would pick up any book written by Per Petterson. He is a Scandinavian author that I love. He manages to paint pictures with his words.

I don't think I've ever heard of Per Petterson - I'll have to check him out.  What is your favorite thing about the book blogging community? Your least favorite?

I love that people are so friendly and so devoted to reading – each blog has a little something different to offer and I learn so much each day as I move through my Google reader! The only thing I don’t like is that once in a while you run across someone who seems to think they are a better reader, a better writer, a better reviewer – oh you know the type. I really do not care for that attitude and thankfully it is rare.

Now for a bit of oddity: If you were a Muppet, which one would you be?

I thought maybe I would be Miss Piggy – you know - devoted to Kermit, smart and loyal. But because I didn’t know, I did what any librarian would do and found a test to take. I am definitely Kermit! Center of attention (really??) and green!

I love that you thought of finding a quiz to answer this question - what fun!

Thanks so much to LibrarysCat for answering all my questions.  You can visit her blog today and see what she asked me.  And please continue to visit her blog after BBAW!

Book Club Report: meeting an author

My book club has been around since 2005 and I really love being a part of it.  There are some fabulous women in there, some of whom I knew before the club began and some of whom I've only met because of the club.  In August we read our 46th book together.  Quite an accomplishment, no?

Anyway, our August book was FINNY, by Justin Kramon.  I first heard of this book in an email from the author - he was looking to connect with book clubs to discuss his book.  Then, while I was in NYC for BEA, I ran into Justin and had a chance to talk with him.  I came back from NYC and polled the gals in my club and we decided to read FINNY and invite Justin to our meeting to discuss it.  (I reviewed the book last month, in case you want to check out that post.)

Six club members were at this meeting, which we held at our local library.  Usually we meet at someone's home or church but this time we decided to be more "official".  (Actually, we were hoping we'd need the extra space so another local book club could join us, but it didn't work out.)

Each of the gals brought food to share.  The idea was to bring Maryland themed food since Finny (and our club) is from Maryland.  We had Berger Cookies and Crab Chips, plus local fruit salad and some standard finger foods.  Then we jumped right into a conversation about the book.

To start things off we went around the room and shared which character was our favorite and why.  Some we liked for their good qualities (like Mr. Henckel) and some we liked because it was like watching a disaster in action (Judith).  Then Justin talked a bit about the inspiration behind some of the characters and also where his idea for the book as a whole came from.

From there we talked about several of the books that influenced Justin's writing, but we focused mostly on GREAT EXPECTATIONS.  Justin explained that FINNY is meant to follow the same basic structure as Dicken's classic work, but to have a more modern feel to it. 

When you have an author at your meeting you can't exactly discuss a book the same way you would at a regular meeting.  For example, most people wouldn't feel comfortable saying "Oh I really hated the part whem ..."  So the conversation necessarily focuses more on the author's writing process and the inspirations behind the story.  If you get lucky an author may even give you insight into the why behind a character's actions.  Justin didn't indulge our curiosity in that area though - he really wants readers to draw their own conclusions about the characters and their actions.

One of the gals had already left before I remembered to get out my camera - darn! That's me in the white pants, and of course Justin is the only guy in the photo.

This is the third author my book club has been privileged to host and only the second to attend our meeting in person.  It would change the dynamic of our club too much if we did this kind of thing regularly, so we try to shoot for a once-a-year author meeting.  That seems to work well for us. 

Just is traveling the northern mid-Atlantic area to meet with book clubs; contact him on his website if you'd like him to come to your club's meeting.

I'm looking forward to seeing Justin again at the Baltimore Book Festival ... in fact, he might even drop in at one (or both) of the panels I'm moderating.  If you're there, be sure to say hi to the both of us!


Today's post is my stop on the TLC Book Tour for FINNY.  You can check out what other people thought of the book by following the links here.

BBAW: Meet Miss Remmers

[I'm a bit early for Book Blogger Appreciation Week (it actually starts tomorrow) but I have a book tour post that has to go up then so I'm putting Monday's BBAW post up now.]


Today's Topic: First Treasure - We invite you to share with us about a great new book blog you’ve discovered since BBAW last year! (Details on the daily topics can be found at the BBAW website.)

When I attended BEA back in May I met a TON of book bloggers.  In many cases I had visited their blogs maybe once before, or seen their names in the comment section, or at least recognized their blogs' names.  But there was one blog that was completely new to me and that I find myself rooting for again and again ...

Miss Remmers' Review 

Miss Remmers is a brand new high school teacher who designed this blog for her students' use.  Her blog's tagline is: "To instill in students a passion for recreational reading."  Miss Remmers' Review features book reviews, "Get Caught Reading" photos, updates on the books her students check out from her library, and many other topics.  Her latest project - which was just approved by the school - is to teach The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins as part of her curriculum this year.

Miss Remmers has a passion for reading and she is actively working to instill that passion in her students.  I wish there were teachers like this when I was in school - I wouldn't have felt so alone and different because I loved to read.  She is the kind of teacher that my husband would have benefited from, the kind that I hope Kiddo has one day.

Just for fun, here's a picture of Miss Remmers and me from BEA.  No, I am really not that tall (I've never been called "tall" in my life) - I had on extra high heels and I think she was wearing flats.

I encourage you to check out Miss Remmers' Reviews - it's a blog worth following!

Today

Today ...

• I'm reading American Widow, by Alissa Torres.  It's a graphic memoir detailing the aftermath of 9-11-01 from the authors point of view: her husband died on his 2nd day of work in the Twin Towers.

• I'm watching a program on the History Channel called The Man Who Predicted 9/11, about a man named Rick Rescorla.  You may remember from my review of We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young that he was also in the Battle of Ia Drang; he was a hero again and again in his life.
  
  
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• I'm remembering the horror of of 9-11-01 and the days that followed.  It is a time I will never forget.

Recent DNFs - 7 in all

In an effort to get myself up to date I'm combining all my recent DNF (Did Not Finish) books into one post.  Here goes ...


I picked up several audiobooks for the long car rides over the summer.  The key is that they had to be interesting for the entire family.  That didn't work in all cases.

• Mr. Revere and I, by Robert Lawson - This story, told by Paul Revere's horse, could have been a good one since Kiddo loves this time period, however it was narrated by Davina Porter.  Although I LOVE her narration in general, she made this book sound like an adult book and Kiddo simply wasn't interested.  In reality, neither was I.
  
  
  
• Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, by Scott O'Dell - According to Kiddo, "I don't like Indians." Meaning, of course, that he's not interested in stories about Native Americans.  I did give this one a try though, since it follows the story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, but the story didn't catch my attention quickly enough.

Another long car ride found my husband and I (minus Kiddo) trying to listen to The Mutiny On Board HMS Bounty, by William Bligh and Norman Dietz.  What I failed to realize when I checked this out of the library is that this was the original account of the mutiny as detailed by the ill-fated Captain Bligh.  Man, was he ever long-winded! After the first 30 minutes or so, Hubby and I both agreed that we couldn't take any more of it. 


On that same car ride we tried to listen to an old favorite of Hubby's The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane.  How come I didn't know this was about the Civil War?  Honestly, I had no idea.  And unfortunately I just wasn't in the mood for a war story, so we gave up on it.




Then there was a case of mistaken identity.  In my mind I somehow (?!) confused The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro with Howards End, by E.M. Forster. (I'm still not exactly sure how I did that.) I listened to the first hour or so of Howards End and kept wondering when the butler would make an appearance.  When I finally figured out my mistake I was highly disappointed and simply couldn't get into the story at all.



I also decided to try another of Laurie R. King's standalone novels, Folly. I listened to the first hour or so before calling it quits.  Let's just say that although I truly love her Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books, I am not really a fan of her standalones.


And finally we come to Duality, by Aaron Chumbris, which is a mix of epic and urban fantasy.  I liked the premise of the book and generally enjoyed what I read, but after getting halfway through the book I really wasn't invested in the characters or the story at all.  In addition, I was reminded that fantasy in an urban setting doesn't really work for me.  I was able to visualize the standard fantasy portions of the book but I couldn't wrap my head around the urban sections. 


That's a bit about the books I've put aside during the course of the summer.  How many DNFs have you had lately?