Of Bitter Herbs And Sweet Confections: A Long Journey To Evade The Holocaust

The author of the novel that is the subject of this review, Of Bitter Herbs and Sweet Confections, approached me on Goodreads and sent me a review copy.  Later I discovered that I had purchased it on Amazon some time ago, and hadn't gotten around to reading it because of all the requests I get from authors, publishers and publicists.   There are books that I recently acquired that aren't being read because my mind is currently engaging with this book by Susan Shalev.   So it's Susan Shalev's turn to get  her novel blogged by me.

                            

This is a coming of age book about a Jewish girl in Poland during the Holocaust which was an existential crisis for Jews.  The central character may never have gotten a university degree as she hoped, but she gets full marks just for surviving. Shalev tells us in the Epilogue that the protagonist, Tanya Anglische, is based on Tamar Englander Shalev, the author's mother in law who is now deceased.

I have read numerous books about the Holocaust.  The most recent was A Bookshop in Berlin at the end of last year which I reviewed here. I also took a Holocaust course at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.   So I can be forgiven for not reading novels that take place in this context very often.

I thought that the most unusual aspect of Shalev's book was that her family spent a good part of World War II in Siberia where they were sent by the Russian military.  They may have endured hard conditions in Siberia, but they were nowhere near as horrific as the camps where the Nazis consigned Polish Jews.  Tanya even got to attend school where a teacher gave her a book that she found inspiring.

The title and author of this Russian novel certainly caught my attention.  It was The Wizard of the Emerald City by Volkov.  Did this book actually exist?   I wondered if someone had translated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  into Russian without crediting the author, L. Frank Baum.  My research revealed that Baum's first Oz novel was published in 1900.  Fictional Tanya  tells us that Volkov's book had appeared in 1939.  I found a page devoted to it on Wikipedia, The Wizard of the Emerald City on Wikipedia.  The number of differences between Volkov's version and Baum's  caused me to think of it as transformative. I decided that Volkov's work could be viewed as alternate universe fan fiction.  There were sequels that had no resemblance to Baum's Oz novels.  So it seemed to me that Volkov had his own alternate continuity.  Since I'm fond of both fan fiction and alternate universes,  I was pleased with myself for making this discovery through Shalev's novel. 

I decided to find out more about the history of Hebrew University which Tanya wanted to attend.  In the process I discovered that the Bezalel Academy of  Art and Design (founded 1906) and the Technion (founded 1912) were established even earlier than Hebrew University.  The Technion is considered instrumental in establishing Hebrew as the eventual language of Israel through choosing Hebrew as their language of instruction.  I learned about a Battle of the Languages at the Technion.  German was originally supposed to be the language of instruction there because a German Jewish organization called Ezrah founded the Technion. So reading Shalev's book caused me to educate myself about Israel's educational institutions.  I also discovered a great deal about the war of 1948 in Israel that I hadn't known, and that I will be pursuing by reading history books dealing with this period.

I always feel grateful to books that prompt me to do research.  I give them an additional star on Goodreads for all the information I discover.  Of Bitter Herbs and Sweet Confections was an engaging novel that inspired me to do massive amounts of research.

                            

                                

The Giant: A Historical Novel About A Renaissance Artist With Imposter Syndrome

Jacqueline M. Howard, art historian and author Laura Morelli's assistant, invited me to do a Q&A with Laura Morelli for two of her upcoming novels.   This Q & A will eventually appear on this blog.   The first of the 2020 Morelli novels, The Giant,  has already been released at the beginning of June, but I didn't have an opening in my schedule to read and review it until now.

I reviewed Laura Morelli's earlier book, The Painter's Apprentice, on Flying High Reviews (FHR) here because that novel is consistent with FHR's  focus on strong female central characters.  The Giant is told from the perspective of a male protagonist.  This is why I am blogging about it on Shomeret: Masked Reviewer where I review anything that interests me.    The Night Portrait is the 2020 Laura Morelli novel that won't be released until September.  I am still awaiting a digital ARC of that book from Net Galley.  I expect to review it on FHR because it has two female protagonists, then follow it up with the Q&A on both books.

          

 

  Since I had actually pre-ordered The Giant before Jacqueline Howard contacted me, I received access to all the marvelous bonus materials that Laura Morelli made available to all those who pre-ordered.   After finishing The Giant, I  read through all that additional material which provided me with more topics for this review.

The Giant is the story of how Michelangelo's David came to be.  Creating an image of  a shepherd boy from a huge block of marble appears to be an effort to make David as physically formidable as his giant opponent, Goliath.

In the Master Class video about this novel, Morelli discusses how this statue was meant to be a symbol of the city of Florence which wanted to be considered the equal of giants like Rome. 

My perception of David as a Biblical figure is that he has always been political.  When he became King of Israel, David established a dynasty.  The stories that are told about him are intended to glorify that dynasty descended from the tribe of Judah which became royalty among the Jews from then on.  David represents the people of Israel.   The particular story of David versus Goliath symbolizes the victory of a small powerless people over their enemies.   This is the way Jews have always seen themselves to this day. I am speaking as  someone who grew up being told that I was a descendant of David.  He is at the center of my cultural heritage.  I understand that Christianity adopted David along with all the rest of the figures of the Hebrew Bible.  So he became a hero of the Western world.  Then through the power of Michelangelo's creation Florence claimed him.  Yet David and Goliath was born as a political story in the Bible.

I loved learning from Laura Morelli's Master Class that Michelangelo's David was placed where the ascetic Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities took place.  So many works of art were destroyed there.  We will never be able to experience them, but Michelangelo's David can be said to represent the victory of art over Savonarola's fanaticism.

One of the questions for book clubs dealing with The Giant asks readers about their favorite character in this book.  Initially, my favorite character was Lucia, the sister of  the  artist protagonist Jacopo Torni.  Jacopo actually existed, but Laura Morelli gave him some pretty serious problems in her novel.  I was angry at Jacopo for causing Lucia so much anxiety, and preventing her from getting on with her life.  She felt she had to take care of Jacopo, and I wondered if he was worth her sacrifice.  Jacopo was actually feeling the same way because he suffered from Imposter Syndrome.  Being a friend of Michelangelo  caused him to think that he could never measure up.  Lucia was certain that Jacopo's problems went much deeper.   After a while, I started seeing a pattern that suggested to me that Jacopo, as portrayed by Laura Morelli, was what we would call bipolar.  After reading the entire book I was no longer sure that he really was bipolar, but he was certainly an addictive personality which led him into repetitive acts of self-destructive behavior.

Laura Morelli  also caused me to examine Michelangelo's psyche as well. If Michelangelo's barrier to working with others  was a psychological limitation,  could it be that this great artist would have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder if he'd lived in our contemporary world?  This seemed to me at least possible.

The historical personage that I felt was portrayed most negatively in The Giant was Leonardo Da Vinci. This true Renaissance Man, in both senses of the term, would have been considered a towering genius in any era.  Yet in this novel he's shown as a cold, arrogant and intolerant individual.  This doesn't offend me at all.   It seemed to me that Laura Morelli's version of Da Vinci condemned sculpture and sculptors as inferior because he didn't have  Michelangelo's supreme skill in that area, and it made him feel insecure.   He probably set extremely high expectations for himself.   If he wasn't able to excel at sculpture by his own standards, then he had to convince himself that sculpture simply wasn't of any real value.  It's sad when someone feels the need to tear down others in order to feel good about himself, but it's very human. 

This leads me to Laura Morelli's video "What's The Difference Between Art and Craft?"that was included in the bonus content. I agree with the idea that this is a false distinction. I would assume that the illumination of books that Jacopo's father and Lucia did was probably considered a decorative craft rather than art by those who established the art versus craft ideology during this time period.  I did get the feeling that Jacopo's father was generally respected.  So perhaps the view that crafts were inferior to art was starting to take hold, but wasn't that well established during the period when The Giant took place.  

My grandmother did crewel embroidery.   Nobody in my family considered her an artist, but I saw her work displayed on the walls of her apartment when I was child. I thought it was absolutely awesome.  I didn't care whether crewel embroidery was an art or a craft.  I just thought it was beautiful.

This review touches on some of the themes that arose from my reading of  The Giant and the supplemental materials that form its background.  If my perspective is in some ways different from Laura Morelli's, it is because Michelangelo's David is an icon with enough depth that it can be variously interpreted.  It is also true that each book is different for every reader.  I hope that readers of this blog who go on to read The Giant will be repaid with their own unique insights on the ideas and characters they encounter in the pages of this book.

                                    

Reviewing Current Black Slavery in the United States on Juneteenth 2020

The 19th century abolition of slavery is the reason why Juneteenth is celebrated, but black slavery in the United States still exists.  So I have decided not to sprain my arm patting myself on the back.  As an ally, I would be remiss if  I  didn't point this out.  This is a review blog, so I am describing this situation and evaluating it.

There are two categories of current black slavery in the United States of America that I know about.  There are probably others.  Readers, if you are aware of other types of current black slavery, please comment on this post and let me know.  We all need to know about all the manifestations of systemic racism before we can remedy them.

The first category is slavery in prisons.   Slavery in prisons has become massively profitable for private prisons.   Yes, there are other ethnic groups who are enslaved in prisons.   Yet it's important to realize that an alarmingly high percentage of prisoners are black.   This is due to selective enforcement of laws.  See Michelle Alexander's book,  The New Jim Crow:  Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.  Why do I say that prison labor is enslavement?  Well, they are paid a pittance, but private prisons charge them for basic services. So prisoners soon find themselves in debt. 

What do we do to end prison enslavement?  We need to end private prisons.  It's abhorrent that there are Americans who are making a business out of profiting from prison labor.  Some suggest incremental reforms that make it illegal for prisons to charge for certain things.  Others suggest that prisoners be allowed to make minimum wage.  Yet the real solution is ending private prisons.  If no one profits from prison labor, the motivation for it vanishes.

The second category is domestic enslavement of African immigrants.   These may well be legal immigrants with visas. Some Americans are taking advantage of them by offering them jobs as domestic servants.  Then they confiscate their passports and visas, neglect to pay them and keep them working under abusive conditions.  Illegal African immigrants are even more vulnerable to this trap.  They are kept working by the threat of being reported to ICE.  I am aware that there are many other ethnic groups that are domestically enslaved or forced to work in other types of situations, but that would be the subject of another essay.

How do we end domestic enslavement of African immigrants?  Awareness is the main tool we have.  Obviously, this practice is already illegal.  So we need to be aware that this situation exists, and report it if we discover it.

I welcome comments on this review.

                       

                                      

The Talking Drum: A Novel About Systemic Racism in Urban Redevelopment

Publicist Laura Marie asked me to join the blog tour for The Talking Drum, the debut novel of Lisa Braxton.  The blog tour post is on Flying High Reviews.  I accepted the free review copy that Laura Marie supplied because I was interested in the issues involving race, class, immigration and urban culture conflict that Braxton raises.  The reason why I'm writing two different reviews is because Flying High Reviews is my blog for strong female protagonists. So my review there focuses on the female protagonist.   This one will deal with The Talking Drum's themes.

                               
                        

This novel called my attention to urban redevelopment.  The entire concept has always been about displacing people who are marginalized.   In The Talking Drum, the fictional city of Bellville, Massachusetts wanted to demolish the homes and businesses of a neighborhood primarily populated by African immigrants.  No, not white wealthy African immigrants.  Let's get real.  Urban redevelopment has never been aimed at them.   Cities usually want to eradicate neighborhoods where poor persons of color live, and I've discovered that the persons of color don't even have to be poor to be the targets of urban redevelopment schemes.  This is another manifestation of systemic racism.

Urban redevelopment didn't begin in the 20th century. When I researched the history of urban redevelopment in the United States in preparation for this review, I discovered that it had happened in 19th century New York.  A neighborhood of African American middle class property owners was leveled to create Central Park in Manhattan.  Don't believe me? OK, here are some links for you.  The Creation of Central Park and here's a Wikipedia article about that neighborhood-- Seneca Village . Are you saying yikes yet?  I was when I uncovered this outrageous expropriation.  How much is the land where Central Park sits currently worth?

Now I would like to talk about a couple of Senegalese characters in Braxton's book. 

Senegalese immigrant Mustapha Mendy owned a building in Petite Africa.  His highly successful restaurant was on the ground floor.  He was also continually mobilizing people against the destruction of Petite Africa.  It wasn't just about losing his investment.  Petite Africa was his community.

I felt that Mustapha's nephew Omar was in some ways the heart of  The Talking Drum.  He was totally devoted to drumming. Slaveholders in the U.S. feared the power of drumming so much that it was widely outlawed.  They knew that the drum is foundational to African identity. Omar's dream was an institute of drumming for teaching drumming to both children and adults. Yet Omar faced prejudice as an immigrant which discouraged him, and sometimes caused him to behave self-destructively.  His talent and love of his instrument did not prevent him from being flawed.  I think that Omar was the character in this book who was portrayed with the most depth.

I consider The Talking Drum an original and thought provoking novel.  For me, it's a strong candidate for best indie novel published in 2020.

                              

Conjure Women: Historical Novel About Two Generations of African American Healers

I expected to read Conjure Women by Afia Atakora sooner when I got my digital ARC from Net Galley, but unfortunately I get so many review requests directly from authors, publishers and publicists that I promise to review by a certain date or point in the month.  This June is especially busy with two blog tours, but I've shoehorned Conjure Women into my schedule by reading it at the end of May for a BOM (Book of the Month) discussion on a Goodreads group dealing with African American historical fiction called Black Coffee.  Before posting to that discussion, I'll be reviewing it here, on Goodreads and Net Galley.

                          

Afia Atakora was born in the UK and raised in New Jersey.  She graduated from New York University and received an MFA degree from Columbia University.  Conjure Women is her first novel.

I had a high level of respect for May Belle, the first of the healers portrayed in this novel. She protected those she loved when she could, and did what she had to do.  She was able to be pragmatic without losing who she was, and she really helped people.  She probably learned healing by observing her own mother and expected Rue to do the same.

I am probably the only reviewer who noticed Rue saying more than once that she didn't want to be a healer,  and I believed her.  So this was central to my understanding of the character.  She began her life as a slave which meant she had to follow expectations.  Because of her lack of inclination toward healing, she didn't  develop some important skills that her mother had.  Yet by the time she had the freedom to make her own choices, she was too committed to this life path that she had never wanted.  So I sympathized with Rue to a certain extent, but I thought she made some serious misjudgements that bothered me.

I've seen some reviews that wondered why the final scene, taking place in 1929, was included.  I found it to be consistent with my interpretation of Rue's character.  She was at the end of her life, but she was getting to do what she wanted in some small way.  This says to me that she didn't have any freedom before then which is rather tragic, but probably a true statement about the lives of many people.

Sad and truthful is a good general statement about Conjure Women.  The abolition of slavery didn't solve Rue's problems as an individual.  People can be bound by obligations and expectations that make them unfree for a good portion of their time on earth.