Blackbird Blues--A Deeply Human Novel Taking Place in Chicago in the Early 1960's

When I'm offered a historical fiction novel for review, I give it serious consideration if it deals with topics that interest me and seems unusual. Blackbird Blues is a first novel by journalist and psychotherapist Jean K. Carney that was pitched to me by publicist Jennifer Vance.  I was interested in this book because it had a female protagonist,  and centered on music, racism and illegal abortion. I had not read a novel taking place during this period in which a character had to go through the process of abortion.  I thought it would be provocative and intense.  So I accepted a copy for review.

                               

The 1960's are usually associated with hippies and protests, but all of that was happening toward the end of that decade. The early sixties mirrored the convention-bound 1950's that had come before it to a very large extent.

Readers will need to understand that women in the sixties had far fewer options than they do today.  This is the situation that brought about the 1970's feminist movement.

Protagonist Mary Kaye O'Donnell came from a devout Irish Catholic family who also had limited means.   They couldn't afford to send their very bright daughter to college.  So she chose to become a nun with the reasonable expectation that she might be given the opportunity for further studies through the Church.  Although the Catholic Church wanted those who entered convents to have a vocation, people often made such a decision for practical reasons rather than spiritual ones.

Mary Kaye also had a talent for singing, and she loved jazz.  Her mentor in this area was Sister Michaeline, a jazz singing nun.  Some readers of this review may be saying to themselves that they never heard of a nun like that one.  Since I knew that nuns might come from a variety of backgrounds, I wasn't surprised.  Like Mary Kaye, I began the book thinking that Sister Michaeline was very admirable.  I particularly admired her prison ministry.

Yet eventually we learn about the tragic past that motivated Sister Michaeline's actions, and her deep unhappiness that was caused by serious mistakes.  All the major characters in Blackbird Blues were complex human beings who did things that they should not have done.   I understood why they behaved as they did, but certainly none of them qualified for sainthood.  My feeling is that Sister Michaeline's worst mistake was caused by unacknowledged racism which had terrible consequences for everyone in her life.

Mary Kaye's mistakes were typical for teenagers.  I have always believed that straight A high school students would be smart enough to avoid such pitfalls.  Yet Mary Kay was also remarkably sheltered which went a long way toward explaining why she ended up facing the same sort of dilemmas as many of her contemporaries.  She was fortunate in having an extremely supportive father.  He too had his flaws, but his unwavering loyalty to Mary Kaye made him stand out for me.

Those who are accustomed to the protection of women's choices regarding procreation may be disturbed by the description of illegal abortion in Blackbird Blues.  Considering the current concerted effort to undermine women's freedom of choice in the United States, this is probably the most significant aspect of the novel.

There was something that I learned about Catholic history from a reference to it in Blackbird Blues. Pope Gregory XVI wrote an encyclical banning Catholics from participating in the slave trade in 1839.   There's an article about this Pope and his anti-slavery encyclical that appeared in The National Review.  Since I'd never even heard of this Pope, I found that pretty memorable.

So there is more than one good reason to read Blackbird Blues.  It has really good characterization and significant themes.  I applaud Jean Carney for having the courage to address these themes in her first novel.

                       

 

Eleanor Roosevelt's Vision of Democracy

I saw a reference to The Moral Basis of Democracy by Eleanor Roosevelt in a Book Riot  list/essay in which the Book Riot author found this 1940 book significant for 2019 readers.  I also noticed that yesterday was the day dedicated to Eleanor Roosevelt in The Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont.  So I read it on October 11 which was yesterday.

                                

The opening sentence may feel resonant for current readers:

"At a time when the whole world is in a turmoil and thousands of people are homeless and hungry, it behooves all of us to reconsider our political and religious beliefs in an effort to clarify in our minds the standards by which we live."

The historical section dealing with the approaches of the founders of the various colonies was occasionally eye opening.   For example, Quaker William Penn wanted to do away with inheritance entirely.  And people think some of the Democratic candidates for the 2020 Presidential race are radical!  There isn't one of them who goes to that extreme.

 On the other hand, William Penn's idea that prisons should be workhouses is unfortunately being replicated in our current prison system.   Involuntary labor is slavery.  I am reminded of Slavery and the Meetinghouse, a book which I reviewed at the hyperlink I provided.  It shows that there were hypocritical Quaker slaveholders who were reluctant to abolish slavery and excoriated Quakers who were strong advocates for abolitionism.  I believe that any society that allows slavery in any form isn't truly democratic.

Eleanor Roosevelt credits Benjamin Franklin with a view that may be terrifyingly prescient. In this book, she has Franklin state that the American Constitution would last until our society becomes so corrupt that it would be incapable of being anything but a dictatorship.

Roosevelt also tells us that Thomas Jefferson believed that the right to property was about everyone having the opportunity to own property.  She says that it isn't about concentrating all property in a few hands, and giving those few people unlimited rights.  That obviously isn't democratic.   Roosevelt believed that Americans had been led away from democracy by "the gods of Mammon".

I also agree with Roosevelt's emphasis on the importance of widespread citizen participation in democracy.  Today we see the emergence of networks to facilitate participation in an effort to salvage American democracy which is under threat.

Many readers will find Eleanor Roosevelt's style old fashioned and even offensive in terms of current political attitudes.  I did think that in advocating for Christianity as most consistent with American democratic values, she was ignoring the fact that there are two Christian approaches whose values are so fundamentally different that they lead their adherents in opposing directions.   Some Christians believe that wealth and success are a sign of favor from God, and that poverty is a sign of God's disfavor.  Therefore nothing should be done to help the poor.  Other Christian sects believe that God considers all human beings His children who are equal in His sight, and that they therefore should do everything they can to equalize opportunity for all.  These two approaches have divided America throughout its history and continue to do so today.

 Eleanor Roosevelt's perspective has its limitations, but I do think that she nevertheless has insights to offer us.   So we should be inspired by the nuggets of wisdom that can be found in The Moral Basis of Democracy.