Online Journal
May 27, 2021: Coming in June 2021 in The Cocoa Beach Explorer I review a book on the first African Americans in the space program. We Could not Fail by Richard Paul and Steven Moss follows the experiences of five African Americans in the space program. This well-documented insightful book gives voice to these individuals’ experiences not only with NASA, but the hurdles that had to overcome in school, society (the civil rights movement), and with their own colleagues. In addition, NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movement edited by Brian C. Odom and Stephen P. Waring presents essays that explore various experiences of minorities during the historical Space Race in the south during the civil rights movement. This is a good compliment to We Could not Fail and a tool that may be used to teach more in-depth about the desire to use NASA as a way to improve race relations in the South and beyond and the fits and starts that still exist today. If you have not followed my reviews in the Cocoa Beach Explorer Magazine, here is link to the list of books on space I have reviewed so far: List of book reviews on the Space Race and Beyond.docx . Happy reading!
March 15, 2021: This month I read Washington Black by Esi Edugyan this story begins in Barbados during the slave era. This raw tale of the 11-year-old slave “Wash” and his journey out of slavery into adulthood, takes the reader around the world and into the lives of others on the edge whom “Wash” encounters while he is trying to make sense of the world. This sort of coming of age work is a must-read. It provides a richer understanding of the horrors of slavery and the long-term effects of not having the feeling of a sense of belonging.
In addition, I read my second and last self-help book: Share your Stuff. I’ll go First: 10 questions to bring your friendships to the next level by, Laura Tremaine. This raw honest account of anxiety and fear really brings friendships to the next level. I can argue my friend made me read this book, but once I got over myself, this book really gave me insight into myself and the type of friend I should be.
February 16, 2021: Wow February is flying by, but not before I can update you on my reading life! It has been a busy few weeks. In referring to our Reading Challenge for 2021 with Genres I don’t usually read: non-fiction history books, I recently finished Putin’s People: How the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West by Catherine Belton. This well-written easy to read tomb takes us back to Putin’s career in the KGB as the Soviet Union is collapsing and how he transitioned right into power in the new Russia with his “former” KGB colleagues at his side. If you grew up during the cold war the fall of the elusive Soviet Union exposed a broken oligarchy masked as communism that failed the people and their lands. Broken, Russia emerges with Putin as their leader and the perceived attempt of capitalism. With all the deceit, murder, and manipulation the reader is taken on a tour to the present-day relationship between the East and the West.
Also, this month I read my first ever self-help book: You are So Awesome by Neil Pasricha. Not a fan of the genre at all, I did not want to snub my college alumni book club members. This easy fast-paced read provides ways to navigate life by switching directions in order to keep moving forward. I must say I enjoyed reading some of the stories of others who have done this work and found their niche. Still not a fan of the genre, this book was a cause for reflection and rethinking how I approach my life.
January 15, 2021: As we are reaching the middle of the month, some authors’ work in translation I have enjoyed are Maria Duenas and Carlos Ruiz Zafon who both write historical fiction. Their stories draw the reader into vivid settings and deep characters with human conflicts that engage the reader at the outset leaving one to seek more of their work!
Authors whom I have enjoyed who published works in 2020 are Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, contemporary fiction but a powerful message about how misunderstandings, fear, and power can ruin young innocent people’s lives. The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett a riveting historical novel about twin sisters who are light-skinned blacks in the 1940s. Given the chance to pass as white, one abandons the family to live another life and the other stays feeling only half of a person always wondering what happened to her sister. Finally, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson is a non-fiction piece that looks at the United States through the lens of our unspoken caste system. Written in narrative form the author provides a raw view of how we still live in a hierarchy of human division.
January 3, 2021:
Print-out this template and join the reading challenge: Reader's Corner 2021 Challenge.docx
Hey there like-minded readers. Welcome to the Cultivate Readers and Writers webpage and my blog Reading Life 2021. This monthly blog will provide insight into my reading life, recommendations for your reading pleasure, and updates on the 2021 challenge. So check out Reader’s corner 2021 challenge and let us go on this ride through 2021 together.
