True Notebooks: A Writer's Year in Juvenile Hall

After making it about one-third of the way through Roddy Doyle's A Star Called Henry, I became too confused by the Irish history and gave up.

I needed something compelling to read, so I took out Mark Salzman's True Notebooks: A Writer's Year at Juvenile Hall from the library. It was recommended to me because I enjoyed the two books Wally Lamb has edited from his work at the York Correctional Institute (thanks Kate).

It was told in a different style than Wally Lamb's two books, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Salzman narrates, explaining how he got involved in volunteering at a juvenile hall in LA and shares both good and bad experiences with the boys he works with. It raised so many questions about gangs, the juvenile justice system and the value of programs for kids who will spend their lives incarcerated.

I finished the book thankful for all that I have and all the opportunities I have been given.

The Flying Troutmans

The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews was such a fun book - in a kind of dysfunctional, watching a train wreck kind of way.

Hattie Troutman is living in Paris when she gets a call from her niece Thebes asking her to come help. Hattie arrives to find her sister, Min, in the midst of yet another mental breakdown and quickly finds herself in charge of Thebes and her older brother Logan.

After getting Min into a psychiatric hospital, Hattie decides to set off in the family van with the kids in search of their father who's last known whereabouts was South Dakota.

Throughout the road trip, Hattie, Thebes and Logan learn much about each other and develop a closeness that is touching.

A quick read that is over before you are ready for it to be.

A Border Passage

For September's book club, we read A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed. I only made it halfway through the book, as I found Ahmed's writing confusing and her not a very believable memoirist.

The rest of the club loved the book, so I feel like I missed something. I am going to hold onto the book and listen to an interview with Ahmed on "Speaking of Faith" and maybe it will make more sense.