What I'm reading ...

I have started reading How Not To Be a Boy by Robert Webb. It is time for non-fiction and I figured this might be light enough after the last book which, though very enjoyable, sapped my emotional energy. Here's the blurb:

Rules for being a man
Don't Cry; Love Sport; Play Rough; Drink Beer; Don't Talk About Feelings
But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone?
Looking back over his life, from schoolboy crushes (on girls and boys) to discovering the power of making people laugh (in the Cambridge Footlights with David Mitchell), and from losing his beloved mother to becoming a husband and father, Robert Webb considers the absurd expectations boys and men have thrust upon them at every stage of life.
Hilarious and heartbreaking, How Not To Be a Boy explores the relationships that made Robert who he is as a man, the lessons we learn as sons and daughters, and the understanding that sometimes you aren't the Luke Skywalker of your life - you're actually Darth Vader.

Small Great Things - by Jodi Picoult

Cutting to the quick: this was a really great read. The most remarkable thing about it [which becomes less surprising when you think about it] is that it is 5 years old, but is bang up to date and topical. It looks at racism and Black Lives Matter issues and is very relevant to recent events. This seems prescient, but actually these issues have been around for ever.

The quality of writing, as I would expect from this author, is superb. I liked the organization of the book. Each chapter is written from the viewpoint of one of three characters: a black nurse, a white lawyer and a white supremacist skinhead; the name of the chapter is their name, which eliminates any confusion. The book feels very well researched. I always want to learn something from reading a book, even a novel. There are lots of details of legal procedure and medical matters and interesting observations on American society.

I found the book quite emotional, particularly towards the end. There are strongly emotional issues discussed and the quality of writing leads the reader to get involved emotionally. Overall, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who cares about the current BLM issues or even if they just want a pleasantly challenging read.

I loved this quote from Nelson Mandela: "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”

A useful English lesson: "Equality is treating everyone the same. But equity is taking differences into account, so everyone has a chance to succeed."

What I'm reading ...

I have started Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I have been sitting on this book for a while and, feeling it was time for some “serious” fiction, it has reached the top of the [virtual] pile. I have enjoyed the author’s work before and think that this book may well be quite topical. Here’s the blurb:

When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father.
What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.
Small Great Things is about prejudice and power; it is about that which divides and unites us.
It is about opening your eyes.

On the Road: Adventures from Nixon to Trump - by James Naughtie

As expected, a good read from a well-informed author. The book has lots of detail on many aspects of US politics over the time period that he covers and I learned a great deal. Oddly, it seems a little “thin” on the Obama era, even though Naughtie clearly liked the approved of the guy. His attitude to Trump is also clear.
The book took a while for me to read, as, despite being well written, it is quite dense - there is a lot of information. I was very slightly disappointed by there being so few personal “adventure” stories, but it was a worthwhile read nevertheless.