South of Broad

Bibliography
Conroy, Pat. South of Broad. New York: Dial Press, 2009.

Plot Summary
Leo King shares the story of his life in Charleston and the many people that he encountered one summer that became his life-long friends.

My Thoughts
The story was compelling, but the last hundred pages seemed a bit...forced. It is like Conroy is trying to include all the cliches (e.g., gay actor with AIDS, pedophile priest, emotionally distant mother). I enjoyed the characters, but question the believability of this group of kids becoming life-long friends, especially friends that literally drop everything for two weeks to help one of the group. I also think it was a bit too convenient for one of the town's businessmen to help Leo so much.

I didn't like how Conroy finished Sheba & Trevor's dad's story. Again, it didn't seem believable to me. Conroy makes references to Broad Street in Charleston and how this is both a physical dividing line of the town as well as a socio-economic one. Haves and have nots, privileged and poor, black and white are all issues described in this book.

Leo, known as Toad, has a nervous breakdown at a very young age. This breakdown is evident throughout the story, yet he seems at times, the most sane and normal of the characters. I enjoyed reading about his paper route, as I once had a route myself. The paper carrier is a great observer of people. Leo eventually leaves the route and becomes a journalist for the paper that of his childhood route. His parents past also become an important piece of Leo's story. Once he learns of his parents' past, Leo begins to understand so many things of his own life.

This was my first read of Pat Conroy. I will probably pick up another of his books because I enjoyed most of this book. I found myself underlining passages in the book because of the way they were written. Conroy's characters are memorable.

Ironically, there is a reference to September 8, which I read on September 8.

A Literary Guide to Flannery O'Connor's Georgia

Bibliography
Gordon, Sarah. A Literary Guide to Flannery O'Connor's Georgia. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2008.

Plot Summary
This is not a work of fiction.

My Thoughts
I bought this book at Andalusia, Flannery's farmhouse home, on my first trip there. What a great reference book for me. The next time I go to Georgia, I will try to spend more time in Milledgeville and look around. Reading this book helped me visualize where Flannery spent her time, not only at the house, but points of interest in town (some places not still standing). The text is informative but not dense. The pictures capture more than I was able to collect during my short visit. I'm happy that I picked this book and hope that I remember to take it with me on my return trip.

Side note: I read this coming home from Atlanta. If I'd been paying attention when purchasing the book, I would have realized the tour guide at Andalusia was the consulting editor of this book. D'oh! I missed an autograph opportunity.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling

Bibliography
Jackson, Neta. The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007.

Plot Summary
This is the sixth installment of the story of twelve diverse women who meet at a Christian women's conference because they are assigned to the same prayer group. When tragedy befalls one family, the group acts beyond the limits of the conference to become the Yada Yada prayer group. When tragedy finds the main character Jodi, she realizes just what this sisterhood of prayer partners means to her. She grows in her faith and her own Christian understanding. Not everyone experiences the same life, even if they live in the same town or attend the same church.

My Thoughts
I'm a bit sad reading this book, because I think it's the last in the series. I've grown fond of these women and look forward to seeing what's in store for them next. I am intrigued as to how these women deal with adversity and grow their faith. Jodi questions God, as I often do, but the Voice inside us both says, "My plans are not your plans. Be alert; My Spirit is moving. Think of the possibilities" (Jackson 287). Jodi often goes off trying to do things her way, when she realizes that sometimes it's hard knowing what is the Holy Spirit and what is her own wishes (Jackson 348). Whew! I know about that struggle!

As Avis explains one night, "Each one of us...finds herself in both roles--running the race of faith, and encouraging each other when we falter" (Jackson 372). I do not have an official Yada Yada group, but I do have friends that help my run my race.

I'm going to miss the Yada Yadas.

The Amazing Faith of Texas

Bibliography
Spence, Roy. The Amazing Faith of Texas: Common Ground on Higher Ground. Austin: Idea City Press, 2006.

Plot Summary
This is a collection of brief sketches of various Texans discussing their religion/spirituality/faith.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading and learning about different religions that exist in my home state. I've never heard of Christian Contemplative or Baja'i before reading this book. The sketches cover a wide variety of people from across the state. The photography is compelling. It is almost like this is an adult picture book. I kept looking at the buildings thinking that I've seen them. They are universal in many ways. Some of the photos did not have a caption of where it was taken (there is an index to tell), so I enjoyed thinking that the building was familiar.

I read this book in less than an hour. The text is limited to one page per person and there are pages without text.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught

Bibliography
Jackson, Neta. The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught. Nashville: Integrity Publishers, 2006.
Plot Summary
This is the fifth installment of the story of twelve diverse women who meet at a Christian women's conference because they are assigned to the same prayer group. When tragedy befalls one family, the group acts beyond the limits of the conference to become the Yada Yada prayer group. When tragedy finds the main character Jodi, she realizes just what this sisterhood of prayer partners means to her. She grows in her faith and her own Christian understanding. Not everyone experiences the same life, even if they live in the same town or attend the same church.
My thoughts
Once again, Neta Jackson has created a community of women that I can relate to and she steps on my toes a little. As I've read this series, I just get more and more connected to the characters. What's going on with them? What is going to happen next? How are their bonds going to be strengthened and challenged and shredded and strengthened and challenged and... I am finding myself looking up the scriptures referenced instead of just reading over them. In this book, I'm seeing Philippians 4:6 as a recurring note to myself. I need to think about this one more!

One of the biggest events is the merging of two churches into one. What a step and commitment of faith. I kept thinking about my own church and what would I say and think and do if we decided to join with another church (or have another church join with us). I'm glad to see this example and feel its realness.

Here's something that stopped my thoughts: "And then we get tangled up in our own mess. Sometimes God lets us flounder there a while, all tied up until we yell, 'Uncle!'" (Jackson 334). How many times have I been tied up in my own plans and not willing to listen to God's? How many times have I tried to justify my own actions because of my desires and not because I felt it's God's plan? Thankfully, God forgives me EVERY time I do my own thing and then realize it's not HIS thing. I'm also, like Jodi, trying "to learn what it means to use 'spiritual weapons,' but I still fail so often. Forget to pray until things fall apart" (Jackson 365). Reading this series has helped me focus. I'm moving out of prayer kindergarten. I'm learning deeper about having faith in God, "no matter what" (Jackson 372).

Only one more book in the series (I think). What am I going to do when these women aren't in my life anymore? Fiction will become a reality. I will look a little differently at my own circle and friends, remembering the Yada Yada stories. I will put my trust and faith in God and grow.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough

Bibliography
Jackson, Neta. The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough. Nashville: Integrity, 2005.

Plot Summary
This is the fourth installment of the story of twelve diverse women who meet at a Christian women's conference because they are assigned to the same prayer group. When tragedy befalls one family, the group acts beyond the limits of the conference to become the Yada Yada prayer group. When tragedy finds the main character Jodi, she realizes just what this sisterhood of prayer partners means to her. She grows in her faith and her own Christian understanding. Not everyone experiences the same life, even if they live in the same town or attend the same church.

My Thoughts
I feel like an extra member of this group (which they get in this book with Becky Wallace a.k.a. "Bandanna Woman"). I can identify with the narrator Jodi, but I'm starting to feel like friendships are forming with the others. I am seeing my world differently because of these books. What am I teaching my daughter and my students about diversity? Like Jodi's son, I wonder is there a point in trying? The main story of this book focused on Mark and Nony Smith. I felt the sting (which I wonder if Jackson meant) and almost cried reading this book. I am glad that I finished this book because there is hope, (Jodi sees a cardinal and realizes the bird is an analogy for the Yada Yada group itself) and yes, there is a point in trying (Jackson 24). . Thank you Ms. Jackson for once again stepping on my toes, making me think about tough topics and ultimately creating a world in the fiction that is very real.

One "take away" from this book I thought was a great idea: put an alarm clock outside your room set for curfew time. When the kids come in on time, they turn off the alarm and you get to keep sleeping. If, however, they are late, the alarm goes off, and you will know when they arrived. GOOD IDEA!

Half Broke Horses

Bibliography
Walls, Jeannette. Half Broke Horses. New York: Scribner, 2009.

Plot Summary
This is the story of Lily Casey. She is an Arizona cowgirl/teacher/wife/ that finds herself "penned up" in Phoenix. This book is part biography and part fiction written by her granddaughter, Jeannette Walls. As such, it follows the chronology of Lily's birth until the marriage of her daughter, Rosemary (which might be the metaphorical death of Lily).

My Thoughts
I enjoyed how Walls merged the real Lily Casey Smith with the fictional account because I couldn't tell what might not be true. I also liked the generation separation that Walls shows between Lily, her mother and Lily's daughter, Rosemary (later spelled Rose Mary since it "made for a prettier signature" (Walls 229) .

I believed in Walls' characters. She describes them and puts them in realistic (I think) situations for the time. The believability was a little stretched with Lily traveling four weeks across New Mexico by herself, but then again, it could have happened. I imagine Lily to be quite the tough woman, and she had to be. She literally lives in a man's world. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she enjoys life. She makes things happen. She is a survivalist. She is also practical, "hope for the best and plan for the worst" (Walls 257). Some members of my book club, however, found her to be selfish and immature. Perhaps.

Late in the book, Rosemary meets Rex. Lily says, "No better way to read a man's character than to watch him play poker" (Walls 254). She is almost as good reading people as she is reading horses. After meeting Rex, she tells Rosemary, "you'll never have any security with him" (Walls 257). I think this is prophecy for the next story The Glass Castle (which I've not read yet) which actually was written first, about Rosemary.

If nothing else, Lily is adventurous. She is always learning (flying a plane, earning her degree, picking up and moving to a new place) and tries to applies her lessons upon her daughter. Of course, much of this backfires.

I found myself underlining and marking passages that I felt were good descriptions of life. Early in the book, we learn from Lily's dad that "horses were never wrong" (Walls 7) and "God deals us different hands How we play 'em is up to us" (Walls 15). This might be why Lily can read a man's character through poker as mentioned earlier. Lily admires people that "never felt sorry for [themselves]" (Walls 11). She tries to instill into her daughter the valuable lesson that, "life's too short to worry what other people think of you" (Walls 198).

I was amused by her teaching experiences. She learned early in her career that "kids were like horses...get their respect from the outset" (Walls 92). She taught in places that no one else would. She got hired and fired and hired again. (I'm glad that I don't share that experience with her). She didn't like teaching in Phoenix because of all the "paperwork for the bureaucracy" (Walls 229). I can imagine what she would say about today's paperwork.

I feel like I've lived on an Arizona ranch for a few days. I want to capture that cowgirl spirit that Walls encompasses in her grandmother's story. If only I knew the stories of my grandmother's early life as well. I think there would be some similarities. I enjoyed traveling to the past through this book. It's worth the read. Giddy up!