Book Review: Box of Rain

Box of Rain. Debra Borys. New Libri Press, Mercer Island, WA, December 15, 2014, E-book and Trade Paperback, 192 pages.

Reviewed by Starza Thompson.

A good murder mystery will take readers on a number of twists and turns, enabling them to ask questions, contemplate solutions, and find satisfying resolutions. Box of Rain by Debra Borys captures the fundamentals of a good murder mystery, all while weaving information about Chicago’s troubled youth into the story. This novel is a thrilling page-turner that delves into issues about family, gangs, homelessness, and trust.

Shorty Davis and Booker T. Brooks grew up together. Even though they both aged out of the foster system, they often visited Mrs. C, their favorite guardian. Mrs. C opened her house to everyone who needed a place to stay, regardless of who they were or what kind of hard times they came upon. She was well-known in the community and respected by all. Mrs. C loved the boys and when one of them found a dead body in the dumpster next to her house, she volunteered to lie to the police so the boys wouldn’t be incriminated. The police were getting suspicious, though, as more and more evidence pointed to Booker as the murderer. Reporter Jo Sullivan always had a soft spot for homeless teens, and Booker, trying to get an education despite his circumstances, didn’t seem like a person who would kill. What Jo found out put her in more danger than she could have ever imagined.

Box of Rain is the third book of Debra Borys’s Street Stories series. Borys has spent 12 years volunteering at various charities and programs that help the homeless, both in Chicago and in Seattle. As in her previous book, Bend Me Shape Me, her experience working with troubled youth is apparent throughout this novel. She is able to paint a realistic picture of homelessness, the daily struggles teens go through, and the people who try to help them.

When an author is trying to shed light on an issue, a cause, or a problem in society, they can sometimes be a bit heavy-handed in delivering the message, often losing the literary part of the novel in the process. This is not the case with Box of Rain. The issue of homelessness is expertly woven throughout the book, causing the reader to think about homelessness without it being the primary purpose of the story. The murder mystery comes first, taking the reader on an exciting journey, all while highlighting the hardships that many Chicago youth face. Box of Rain is an excellent gateway for readers who normally wouldn’t read a story about social issues to learn about homelessness without realizing it.

As a fan of murder mysteries, I really enjoyed the plot. From the beginning until the murderer was revealed, I questioned everyone’s motives and tried to figure out who was responsible for the body in the dumpster. Borys did an excellent job of leading the reader down false paths, painting a suspicious picture of almost everyone, and yet creating an ending that would shock even the most die-hard murder mystery fan. My only complaint about the novel is that Shorty and Booker’s dialogue was as stereotypical as their names. The slang felt forced and stereotypical rather than natural. I would have preferred more realistic dialogue that flowed better within the story.

Overall, Box of Rain is a chilling murder mystery filled with exciting twists that make the reader question every character, while opening the readers’ eyes to the plight of homelessness in Chicago. I recommend this book to murder mystery fans, social cause activists, and everyone in between. This book will not disappoint.

Book Review: She’s Not Herself

She’s Not Herself. Linda Appleman Shapiro. Dream of Things, September 2, 2014, Trade Paperback, 268 pages.

Reviewed by Serena Wadhwa.

In She’s Not Herself, Linda Appleman Shapiro tells the firsthand experience of growing up with a family member who struggled with a mental health issue. Shapiro, as a young child, tells the tale of what it was like growing up with a mother who wasn’t “herself” on many days, as the plaguing grip of her depression took hold and permeated much of Shapiro’s childhood.

What started out as a book meant to fill a gap for clients—Shapiro is a mental health professional—ended up being more a healing process for herself. She realized that, as a child of a mother with a mental health issue, she had a story to tell. Dealing with family secrets is one of the many obstacles to health most are familiar with, whether through personal experience, what we hear from friends or colleagues, or on a professional level. Shapiro recognizes this not just as a professional herself, but mainly as a fellow human being who struggled with many of the questions and imperfections some of us may be able to relate to. She courageously shares what it was like growing up not really knowing what was going on with her mother’s unstable moods, suicide attempts, and unpredictable clouds of darkness,  and, as a child, not being allowed to know that children “were protected.”

Let me add a disclaimer. I listen to stories from my clients and students (I am a clinician and assistant professor) and often hear about family issues. While working with families is not my main area of clinical interest, I am always interested in hearing stories. And I do believe that our past influences our present. We learn and internalize certain characteristics, traits, and beliefs based on single or connected experiences from our past. So, in this respect, I was curious to read Shapiro’s story of her childhood and what is was like for her as a child to grow up with a mother with depression. Even though I don’t know Shapiro personally, I found that she did a nice job providing the threads that linked certain experiences growing up to behaviors, thoughts, and her way of being as an adult. I thought there were many moments where she gave some touching examples of how something that happened growing up became a pivotal point in influencing who she became.

“Spending the day in school gave me the freedom that Father probably felt at work, when he didn’t have to worry all day . . . Not until my walk home did I begin to feel nervous again. I would prepare myself for Mother’s mood, whatever it might be, and hope it would be ‘normal’ for the afternoon and evening. However, life at home continued to be uncertain. As always, we watched changes in her behavior, the sleepless nights, the restless days. Even when we were together, each of us felt alone.”

“Even now, with years of practice as a psychotherapist behind me and several years of my own therapy, there are times when life is relatively calm, and still I don’t trust that it will last—that somehow, in some way, a storm is probably looming.” 

I found myself experiencing similar emotions that the author indicated she felt as a child. As the reader, to be able to experience the horror, pain, confusion, terror, and determination of a young child at certain moments of their life is a rare opportunity. I’m not sure if this is the result of the authorship or because of what I do for a living; however, it does suggest that Shapiro is able to convey many of her most vulnerable moments in this book.

I struggled with a couple things in this book. At times, it seemed that the transitions were choppy. While I recognize that books have a limited number of pages, it seemed that some of the transitions from story to story were not as smooth as perhaps I expected or wanted. Shapiro also offers a reading group guide, which has several questions that can be used in a group setting. This confused me, as the author indicated that she wanted to write the story from the perspective of one who has experienced this firsthand and not as a psychotherapist. There wasn’t a rationale provided for this, which may have helped to clarify the author’s intention with the dual roles. Aside from these aspects, I found this book to be engaging and heart-and-soul igniting. It does provide one individual’s journey of what it’s like growing up with a family member who has a mental health issue and not only living with that disease, but living beyond it.

Book Review: Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery

Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery. Susan Croce Kelly. University of Oklahoma Press, September 2, 2014, Hardcover and Kindle, 288 pages.

Reviewed by Greg Borzo.

After reading the well-written Father of Route 66, it’s hard to believe that no one had previously written a biography of the influential and significant figure of Cy Avery. Automobile and highway buffs, as well as anyone interested in U.S. history, especially during the first three decades of the 20^th century, will be glad that Susan Croce Kelly has corrected this oversight – and done so comprehensively and compellingly.

Building roads and bridges, drilling for oil, developing real estate, farming and running for office, the remarkable Avery was active on several fronts during an interesting period in the development of the United States.

Most would say that his biggest accomplishment was to help lift the country, literally, “out of the mud” by promoting and building paved roads. The automobile had just taking hold in the United States, and Avery served on numerous organizations, associations, and government bodies planning and creating a logical, interconnected national highway system. Avery, however, believed that his biggest contribution was to bring fresh water to his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In any event, he was a consummate public servant and tireless promoter better of roads, automobile use, commerce, civic engagement and Tulsa, then the “Oil Capital of the World.”

Kelly’s highly readable book is far more than a biography of an overlooked yet critical figure. It’s also a story of the times Avery lived through, including westward expansion, changing agricultural practices and the emerging power of oil – characteristics that would go a long way to define 20^th century America. Due to a tremendous amount of research, manifested by her extensive footnotes, Kelly is able to write authoritatively. And when she addresses something that the record does not explain fully, she fills in the blanks convincingly.

The book’s only flaw is that is seems predisposed toward Avery, like an authorized biography rather than a more objective book. The years Kelly put in researching this and her previous book, Route 66: The Highway and Its People, may have made her too fond of her tall, “dashing” Tulsan. Occasionally, she gushes over Avery, as when she calls him shrewd, spellbinding, eloquent, tenacious, someone to be reckoned with, quick witted, full of boundless energy and curiosity – all in one paragraph.

Perhaps Kelly’s admiration for her subject made her fail to notice some of his faults and mistakes. Avery operated in a wide-open time and place, and he laid a lot of pipe and pavement. This afforded him many opportunities to benefit personally from his positions of responsibility on various boards, committees, and commissions. Chances are that his record was not as squeaky clean as Kelly portrays it to be.

To her credit, Kelly raises some accusations of graft and corruption. Avery steered a municipal convention center to be built on his land. He extended construction contracts without seeking new bids. He was a member of the Tulsa Commercial Club, a “good old boys club” that ran Tulsa according to its own wishes. He bought land from Native Americans who “needed cash.” His beloved Highway 66 happened to pass alongside land he owned where he built stores and a gas station. During the Depression, he used Works Progress Administration crews that he supervised to build a pond and dam on property he owned. Many of these questionable practices must have advanced Avery’s career and contributed to him becoming a millionaire. Nevertheless, Kelly dismisses Avery’s accusers as “rancorous,” “vitriolic,” “infuriating,” “just politics” and “corrupt.”

Still, the book is an easy, enjoyable read. Its pages are full of telling stories and entertaining anecdotes. In one case, Avery battles with the governor of Kentucky over a claim to “60” for a highway running through each of their respective states. (Numbers ending in “0” had more stature.) Avery lost and Oklahoma ended up with the less desirable “66.” Nevertheless, Avery won in the long run by out promoting Highway 60 and turning Route 66 into an American icon.

Chicago comes up when the governor of Kentucky accuses supporters of the 2,448-mile Route 66 of being in the clutches of the Mob because the highway starts in Chicago.

After Avery created Route 66, the “Main Street of America” fell into disrepair, was broken up, and has been eclipsed by the Interstate highway system. Nevertheless, his legacy lives on, not only in what remains of Route 66 but also in the national highway system and other, far-flung areas, from agriculture to aviation. You’ll get a kick out of reading this book, which captures admirably the life of Cy Avery – an extraordinary, civic-minded, business-oriented Renaissance man – and the spirit of his times.

Book Review: Principles of Navigation

Principles of Navigation. Lynn Sloan. Fomite, Burlington, VT, February 15, 2015, Trade Paperback, 290 pages.

Reviewed by Terrell Isselhard.

“Avoid clichés, Journalism 101. But sayings were repeated because they were true. Then they became clichés,” thinks Alice, a small town journalist, in the opening chapter of Lynn Sloan’s debut novel, Principles of Navigation. Sloan does not avoid clichés. Instead, she approaches them with a wise self-consciousness and asks her reader to do the same. In doing so, she’s created a unique novel that challenges readers to think more broadly about what a family is and what it means to love.

Alice, who is trying to have a baby, reports for a local newspaper in rural Illinois where her husband, Rolly, is an artist and professor at a small liberal arts college. Rolly’s ambivalence about parenthood forces the couple to reexamine their marriage. Sloan interlaces this intimate struggle with the dawning of a new millennium, the Y2K scare, a potential sighting of the Virgin Mary, and subtle humor that eases the blow of what is at times a heartbreaking story. She manages to bring her reader into intimate spaces and deal with the complexity of marriage. Her prose is filled with vivid images and honest reflections from both Alice and Rolly, giving this novel a distinct voice that refuses to choose sides, allowing readers to embrace both Alice and Rolly’s journey. Alice’s profession as a small town journalist offers intrigue in a novel that might otherwise fall flat early on, and Sloan adds to the pleasure of reading the novel by speckling this story with wise, entertaining humor and hope.

Sloan has published short stories in many reputable journals. Prior to writing fiction, she was a fine art photographer and taught photography at Columbia College Chicago. She also wrote for Afterimage, Art Week, and Exposure. Writing about the visual arts led to writing fiction. Principles of Navigation capitalizes on Sloan’s interest in both journalism and fine art.

The novel opens strong with a clear conflict and distinct set of characters. With each successive chapter, Sloan goes deeper into Alice and Rolly’s world. While a woman wanting to have a child, and a man not wanting to, could be a bit cliché, addressing clichés rather than avoiding them is ultimately a strength in this novel. Sloan seems to know that her characters are acting out stereotypically gendered roles. The novel as a whole seems to court cliché with the intent of turning it on its head, a bold move for a first novel, but one Sloan manages to pull off.

Principles of Navigation will appeal to readers of literary fiction. You don’t need to have an interest in the visual arts or be struggling with the question of whether or not to have a baby to enjoy reading it. Sloan is not afraid to put her characters in harm’s way, and she is capable of molding their struggles into a story that ends on a hopeful note. I look forward to Sloan’s next novel.

Book Review: Two Years of Heaven

Two Years of Heaven (Stories of Rekindled Happiness). JoAnn Fastoff. Chicago, IL, Fall 2014, Hardcover, 48 pages. Photographs by the author.

Reviewed by Lisa J. Lickel.

Fastoff asks the question: What if you could re-live the best two years of your life?

This lovingly and beautifully photographed short book contains several stories from people of all walks of life who share what, to them, were two of the best years of their lives. The author collected these stories and interspersed them with quotes and photographs of places both domestic and international.

The book includes stories from a professional chef, a secretary, many educators, an author, a playwright, and others. Fastoff unfortunately does not share much of how she chose these people beyond asking them for assignments on what made two years of their lives happy. She says that many of the people she asked had a hard time not only writing about their happy years, but also admitting to being happy.

Many of the stories are of two, non-consecutive years, often one from childhood or early adulthood, and another from later in life. One of the stories is about a year of childhood and baseball; happiness was having some skill and being Most Valuable Player. The other year of happiness for this person is later in life, one of reflecting and appreciating the good things. Next to that story, the author set a photograph taken of a sculpture of a baseball player in the Dominican Republic with some information about baseball in that country.

Other photographs are of parks, nature scenes, the Japanese Garden at the former World’s Fair site in Chicago, and the wind farm nearby. Quotes include prescribed ones, like this from Pharrell Williams: “Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.” Fastoff also includes one from the Buddha and many unassigned quotes, such as, “Take time to do what makes your soul happy.”

Fastoff also shares her happy years at the end of the book—the year she got her bike, and the year she moved to New York.

It’s always intriguing to me to peek into the lives of others, somewhat voyeuristic without having to admit to being nosy. Fastoff’s question is certainly interesting: What makes a person happy, and if they could, would they live those years over? Readers of memoirs, biographies, and nostalgia will find much to like in these memories. The photographs are lovely, as is the information that goes with them, and the cover is mesmerizing—a peaceful, washed sunset over a body of water on the front and sunset over a rural landscape on the back.

If I could change anything, perhaps in another edition, I would encourage Fastoff to have the book professionally edited and laid out. It’s too nice of an idea to let lack of front matter, unstandardized punctuation, and the misunderstanding that an author can write her own foreword take away any of the value; in fact, I’m holding my hand up, offering!

Fastoff, who holds a BA in Marketing, is the author of the Howard Watson Intrigue series including, The Smoke Ring, The Lie, and The Pack. She is also a playwright, a PBS television series writer and producer, a radio producer, a former columnist for various New York and Chicagoland newspapers and e-zines, and a former publicist for television and music personalities.