Above the East China Sea: A Novel by Sarah Bird

Above the East China Sea: A Novel.  Sarah Bird. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. May 2014. 336 pp.  ISBN#: 9780385350112.

Pregnant Tamiko, 15 years old, is so overwhelmed by the invasion of Okinawa by the Americans and the loss of her sister, Hatsuko, that she jumps off the Okinawan cliffs to her death.  At the bottom of the East China Sea, she and her unborn baby await the kami or (God-spirits) to take them to the after-world.  In order to attain this glorious end, they must await the coming of another living person to whom they will attach and enter into their final journey. While they wait she tells the story of her family’s participation in the defense of their homeland.  Every word, deed, thought and feeling is expected to glorify their Emperor and the upcoming victory of the Japanese soldiers and sailors who will free them from the Americans.  Tamiko’s mother knows better and speaks what Hatsuko and Tamiko fear are traitorous words that could guarantee severe punishment, if not death at the hands of Japanese.  For Tamiko’s mother knows about the strength of the “sleeping giant” who has been awakened by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  Hatsuko, however, who is in love with a Japanese officer, is so besotted with the Japanese soldiers and propaganda that she is determined to help them in what she believes will soon be a brilliant victory despite the horrific conditions of the camps and military hospitals on the island!

Years later, Luz James, the rebellious daughter of an American military officer, is mourning the loss of her sister Codie, an Air Force enlistee who was killed in Afghanistan.  Codie is so very angry at her mother for talking Codie into enlisting that she blames her for Codie’s death until soon after Luz discovers a letter written in Japanese that leads her to begin a quest to discover the roots of her family; for if she succeeds in this search, the “yuta” or seer will make contact with Codie and then Luz can ask her what direction the rest of her life should take.  The journey she shares with Jake and sometimes her other druggie acquaintances is phenomenal for the secrets it reveals not only about her own family but also that of Tamiko and Hatsuko’s family.  It’s a coming-of-age story of parallel lives that eventually will coalesce the two stories into an aspect of Okinawan history little known to most Western readers.

For Okinawa had its own proud history but gradually through poverty and ill fortune turned into the Okinawans being considered un-Japanese and therefore inferior to their Japanese neighbor.  Americans are initially portrayed as having no history to respect and honor, an attitude that will alter dramatically because of the events depicted in this complex novel. 

Above the East China Sea: A Novel is a phenomenal read, as layers and layers of truth and lies are revealed, like peeling an onion to reveal the potent and magnificent taste hidden inside.  The devastation of Okinawa during the war, as well as the depth of service of American soldiers, who sacrifice more than their lives, is gradually exposed in an unforgettable, irresistible way that defies the imagination! Superb work of historical fiction!

The Chronicle of Secret Riven: Keeper of Tales Trilogy - Book Two by Ronlyn Domingue

The Chronicle of Secret Riven: Keeper of Tales Trilogy – Book Two.  Ronlyn Domingue.  Atria Books.  May 2014. 400 pp. hbk. ISBN #: 9781451688917.

A thousand years after the Mapmaker’s war (described in a previous novel by this same author), Secret Riven is born to a historian father and a mother who is able to translate multiple languages.  Secret cannot speak for years, a lack that seems to strengthen her talent for telepathically communicating with plants and animals.  Her contact with nature is limited at first until her father receives a plush job that enables them to move to a town bordering on multiple forests and groves, filled with animals that are totally unthreatened by Secret.  In fact their love for each other as well as respect is obvious on their every meeting.

During these later years her mother’s emotional attacks increase.  They seem somehow to be related to her own mother, Zavet, but nothing is ever described to clarify what these attacks are, why they occur and how she can be helped since Secret immediately hides as soon as these horrible episodes occur and her father is almost completely unaware of their occurrence. 

Secret does have two very special friends, one Prince Nicholas, the son of the kingdom’s ruler and the other an old woman who lives in the forest.  Nicholas accepts Secret exactly as she is, even after she develops a sickness with an extremely high fever and awakens to discover she can translate an old, almost unknown, language.  At the same time, her mother dies and Secret believes the two events of illness and death are connected.  The old woman in the forest is there for Secret but all of a sudden Secret seems to be reluctant to share all of her thoughts and feelings with her former friend.

The rest of the novel concerns an attempt by a powerful man to “use” Secret’s skills for a secret purpose.  The novel is rather vague from this point on, but Secret has several fearful experiences that increase her suspicion that an evil battle is nearing, one she can’t pinpoint but feels in every fiber of her sensitive being!

The Chronicle of Secret Riven…is an interesting read but is rather slow-moving and never seems to provide enough clues to keep the reader’s interest.  The development of her special skills is what holds the reader’s attention.  More clues and action are needed and hopefully will be provided in the sequel to this novel.

Pressed Pennies: A Novel by Steven Manchester

Pressed Pennies: A Novel.  Steven Manchester. The Story Plant. May 2014. 355 pp.  ISBN#: 9781611881356.

One morning Rick wakes up and realizes just how miserable he really is. He’s got everything but nothing, good job, plenty of money, the best home and summer home, and a wife who doesn’t have the time of day for him.  Her only comment when he tries to discuss their growing separation is to tell him to quit moaning and grow up, facing the reality that hard work is the foundation of their grand lifestyle.  That just about finishes it for Rick who decides to divorce his wife; but that even reinforces his emptiness and the shallowness of his connection to those outside of his lavish, opulent circle.  Yes it seems change needs to happen and soon!

Abby has also gotten divorced from her ever-drinking husband but the pain of his presence or lack of presence is gradually tearing their daughter Paige apart.  Thank goodness that Abby and Paige, however, have a strong bond that hopefully nothing can break apart.  For Paige is hurting in ways that Abby can only heal with her maternally deep, deep love. 

Abby moves and meets Rick and the rest of the story is about their memories, their increasing love for each other, and a conflict they never imagined could happen.  Does the future hold a life together or are they forever doomed to loneliness and lack of focus with the rest of humanity. 

Steven Manchester has written another best seller – it’s got just the right amount of passion and romance – lovely and awesome!  But it’s also got just the right amount of very real conflict that is a huge obstacle to the dreams and desires of Rick and Abby, without being over the top or excessively melodramatic.  It’s a story that could happen and probably does in any small town or big city home and that makes this novel all the more tender and special.  You continue to dazzle readers with your sensitive and graceful writing – don’t stop, Steven Manchester!!!! Gutsy and beautiful novel!!!

Covet: A Novel by Tracey Garvis Graves

Covet: A Novel.  Tracey Garvis Graves. Plume: Penguin Group (USA). April 2014. 336 pp. pbk. ISBN #: 9780142181126.

Chris and Claire Canton’s marriage is on the rocks.  Chris has just gone back to work after being laid off from his former job for a year; he’s a workaholic who now has to be away four days and nights a week.  Still depressed because of the constant stress of being unemployed and now having a very stressful job that asks more and more of him, he has just about totally turned off to Claire.  Claire, on the other hand, has gone beyond understanding Chris’s worst fears and now feels totally alone, raising her children by herself most of the time and receiving zilch attention from her totally preoccupied spouse.

Add to that some neighbors with their own problems of excessive drinking and more and the reader begins to wonder if everyone’s life is so screwed up.  But Claire is about to enter a dangerous zone that begins being stopped by a police officer, Daniel, for a back light that’s out and enters into a new relationship phase that Claire calls “just good friends.”  In our current social world where half of all marriages dissolve, one wonders where Chris and Claire are headed – or not!

How does one decide when it’s better to keep fighting for a love gone awry or let go and move on to other pastures?  Are there depths or degrees of love that determine how one responds to that question? Or perhaps it’s the kids that motivate one’s response to that question?  For Claire and Chris, their children are initially oblivious but then seem to fine-tune to the negative vibes rippling through their parents’ brief encounters. 

How about when one fights for a marriage and the unintended discussions turn into angry eruptions?  And what about how the economy resounds in families’ lives so that every person is expected to deliver higher and higher quotas of product delivery that is really the equivalent of two or three people working?  There are other questions about the “roles” of husband and wife in contributing to the family’s bank account through work and more.

Covet: A Novel  initially reads like a stereotypical story of a declining marriage and yet one might want to read it with some of these relevant questions in mind that almost every American couple will be asking at one time or another because this novel portrays the reality of the American economy now!  For that reason, this is a novel deserving to be read and pondered by many, many readers!

How to Write a Memoir in 30 Days: Step by Step Instructions for Creating and Publishing Your Personal Story by Roberta Temes

How to Write a Memoir in 30 Days: Step by Step Instructions for Creating and Publishing Your Personal Story.  Roberta Temes, Ph. D. The Readers Digest Association, Incorporated. March 2014. 192 pp. pbk. ISBN #: 9781621451457.

For many readers who want to be writers, this “how to” book may seem either a God-send or another “come-on” or trick.  But in reality it is quite the former.  No, it’s not about just making a laundry list of memorable events in one’s life or the places to where one’s traveled.  No, it’s not about the famous people met.  It’s about encapsulating the thoughts and feelings about any summary of one’s life or singular people and events that led to more questions, analysis, feelings and perhaps even a moment compelling a change of direction or return to a former direction, or whatever emerges from the memory! It’s about the poignant, powerful, funny, sad and whatever moments to which we can all relate, and therefore it’s worthy of insertion in a memoir that will then appeal to all human readers.

The chapters are so devised that the suggestions belie any triviality or contriving a story that one hopes will totally engage readers.  It mandates honestly directly stated or written with subtlety more suitable to those prefer nuances.  Some examples – Imagine a moment when you were just “waiting” for something; describe it; describe an incident that changed the course of your life…because it was “beautiful, frightening, unusual, spiritual; describe (one by one) the conflicts in your life and how you reached within yourself to cope with them (can include strengths and failures); respond to trigger phrases such as how naive I was and then woke up to realize that…; describe a scene where something occurred that changed your thinking; write about moments when you observed something unique or common and describe how it affected you; etc. etc.

Sample responses are provided that keep one from moving into empty clichés or status quo responses; these are quite inspiring because they reveal some vulnerable or potent experiences, working because they are really more about uniquely internal reflections instead of standard experiences we all have. We may all have the same thoughts and feelings, yet the differences in experiencing them and expressing them is so powerful when someone else writes about them in this way.  An example: “…It is not an exaggeration to say I expected gold in the streets.  It was heartbreaking to arrive in the United States and live in a run-down apartment…” The writer sets his or her hopes on studying to make the American dream come true and sacrifices immensely to attain that dream – it’s not summarized like this sentence but we get a brief but determined paragraph on what led to the desire to study to succeed.

The author provides some comments after the samples, many of which include the correct use of words and grammar which enhances conveying one’s entire message, rather than distracting from it. Turning flat sentences into dynamic communication by adding “action” to one’s scenes is a wonderful chapter that adds reliability to one’s memoir which in turn guarantees generating constant interest in a reader. Guidance is also offered on how to describe the people in one’s life in an interesting manner and some brief notes are added on pre-publication tips.

All in all, How To Write a Memoir in 30 Days…” is a valuable writing tool for those who wish to start their first book or even those who have already written and are now ready for the memoir phase of their writing craft.  Very well done and highly recommended!  You’ll want to begin trying one or many of these suggestions immediately!

Feral Youth by Polly Courtney

Feral Youth.  Polly Courtney. Troubador Publishing Ltd. August 2013. 312 pp.  ISBN#: 9781783060580.

Alesha is the classic “feral youth,” and this is her heartbreaking story.  Illiterate, unwanted by her parents, kicked out of every school she attempted to attend, and feeling totally unloved except for her best friend, J.J. who only shows love and care to his elderly grandmother, “Nan.”

Alesha truly believes she has no options.  There’s a whole body of language that’s the Jamaican patois lingo of the gangs in the south end of London and the author supplies a glossary of meaning to those who haven’t a clue what life is like for these youths.  Most will never survive their young adult years; the others will wind up in jail. Their world is one of “survival of the fittest, but Alesha wonders in other words what exactly she’s fit for?

This young, 15 year-old girl, earns her money by stealing clothes, delivering dope, cowering in fear to the leaders of gangs who are also at war with each other.  Several times Alesha is the victim of violence, especially when she fails to pay up after one of her drug deliveries goes bad or when she fails to acknowledge that she is owned in reality by those bigger in the criminal hierarchy of the Peckham Crew.  Her closeness to J.J. and earning “p’s” (money) is her whole world and that world is about to undergo a violent transformation.

Early on in the story Alesha meets a middle-aged woman and piano teacher, Miss Merfield, who tries to show Alesha she does have options.  Depending on one’s point of view, one might feel deeply for Alesha’s attempts to change her life’s direction or one might perhaps feel quite irritated with her caustic responses in multiple scenes. For her lack of self-respect yields consequences in which she consciously or unconsciously sabotages her own chances for beginning a different lifestyle with reputable employment and education.  Others outside of her gang world certainly haven’t an ounce of sympathy for gang members like Alesha and a sense of empathy is as close as another planet.  For few of us can even imagine this poignant, tragic lifestyle endured on a daily basis!

One doesn’t enjoy this story but must acknowledge that it’s a necessary one that needs to be told.  For this astute author deeply believes that the public needs to acquire awareness of just how imprisoned these feral youths are in their own insecurities, fears, and the veneer of toughness.  One realizes how Alesha’s nasty attitude evolves from rejection to deep-seated anger that breaks out after any innocent or flagrant trigger appears.   One senses how sharing her story turns into a gross betrayal beyond words toward the end of the novel and another event will practically shatter her forever. No, it’s not far-fetched; it’s so very real, shocking!

This novel was based on the actual 2011 Blackberry London riots.  Polly Courtney, kudos to you for taking on such a huge task of delineating the world of the disenfranchised, of those with no hope and no future.  Whether they succeed or fail, the Miss Merfields of this world deserve even more acclaim for attempting to bring hope to youth who have no basis of believing in anything beyond their criminal and hard-hearted environment!  Words are inadequate to convey the impact of this story that deserves world-wide attention – for it isn’t only England’s problem – it’s ours, wherever we live! Highly recommended.

Heaven Sent by Jessica Damien

Heaven Sent. Jessica Damien. Tirgearr Publishing. April 2014. 402 kb.  ASIN: B00JRFGGZW.

Ben was enjoying a happy normal life with a beloved wife when an innocent sore throat turned into a death sentence.  Now Ben’s at the Pearly Gates of Heaven and is wondering what it will all be like.  Little does he know that he’s about to become an angel – an angel in training that is, as it seems admission is not as easy as a “guilty” or “innocent” announcement.  Well, Ben may have been successful in his human life but is a bit of a bumbler on the divine side.  Specifically, on his first assignment to assist a depressed human, Dorian, he causes the man’s death – forty-two years before it was supposed to happen.  Lordy, Lordy!

Now Ben and Dorian are a team and their job is to help others stuck in a rut, whether that be a woman who swoons over romance in novels and films but just can’t pursue some real romance for her own fulfillment or the guy who just can’t stop cheating on his wife, believing she knows nothing about his playboy status.  After meeting other angels – some in training and some obviously earning full “guardian” status – we meet a male and female angel who’re hot, hot, hot for each other whether together or apart. So far, it’s light and almost fun, right?  Hang onto your seat!

First the trainees must endure more training – basically, figuring out what powers they actually have and don’t have.  Can they imitate living beings?  Can they prevent certain actions from happening or can they only influence those who do the actual acting?  Does Michael, the head honcho of Angels, have supreme power or is he actually under someone else, like the handsome Donovan.  Are their double agents in the heavenly realm?

The plot ramps up substantially when a world-wide crisis arises! Seems a group of enemy angels has appeared and is planning to destroy the world, beginning in Ireland.  Is this really a plan to decimate the world or are these “dark” angels just wanting to have a super-fight with the heavenly angels.  It seems that the angels in training actually have skills that could help end this divine v. demonic battle.  The beautiful Alexa will actually be the one who is pivotal in forcing the guardian angels to act but what she will endure in the process will not be pretty at all!  The time of training called “observation” will indeed train the newly arrived divine residents to curb reactions and refine actions to productive movements that make change happen, with little damage elsewhere.  The tension of the plot in the latter part of this novel is quite a transition from its earlier pages but well worth the wait!

Jessica Damien has written a thriller, lightly romantic novel that has something for everyone, whether sacred or profane!  Very nicely done, Ms. Damien!