Leah: unloved by man, loved by God

As we learned in last month’s study on Rachel, Rachel wanted a child as Leah had and she did all she could to achieve it. We see in Leah’s story, Leah wanted Jacob’s love as Rachel had and she did everything she could receive it. Through her story, we see the marriage customs of the time as well as lessons about love, beauty and seeing what God sees. Even though she was insignificant in Jacob’s eyes, she was particularly important to the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel and to us. With her story, we learn that no one is insignificant in God’s eyes.

Capable of both strong and enduring love, Leah was a faithful wife and mother. She was manipulated by her father; she became jealous of her sister. With each child, the unhappy Leah hoped to gain her husband’s affection and each time her disappointed grew. Maybe Jacob resented Leah for her part in Laban’s deception, although she hardly had the power to refuse. She had known heartache. Her only daughter, Dinah, was raped by a local prince when they returned to their homeland (Genesis 34:2) and her sons, Levi and Simeon, avenged their sister by murdering the men in an entire village (Genesis 34:25). Her son, Reuben would disgrace himself by sleeping with his father’s concubine, Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). It wasn’t all bad for Leah. The promise of a Savior was carried, not through one of Rachel’s sons, but through Leah’s son, Judah, whose descendants were including David, Israel’s great king and Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. With her son, Levi, the priestly line would be established. The story of these two sisters remind us that life is fraught with sorrow and peril, much of it caused by sin and selfishness.

Marriage customs in ancient biblical times are quite different than our current customs. Marrying for love is a modern requirement, tracing back to the Romantic Era (approximately 1800-1890). Most marriages occurred for money or politics and alliances. It was also frowned upon that a younger sister marry before an older sister. A bride and groom are usually young, about 12 and 13, and the union is arranged by their parents with the couples’ consent is rarely requested or required. The ceremony itself is usually short but the festivities would go on for days. The groom would dress in colorful clothing and sets our for the bride’s parents’ home, accompanied by his friends, attendants, and musicians. The bride awaits, having been washed, perfumed, and dressed in an elaborate dress and jewels. The bride and groom then would lead a procession through the village with music and torchbearers to the groom’s parents’ home. Once there, the feasting and celebration would begin and last for several days.

There are a few lessons we can learned from Leah’s story. First, what God considers beauty is far different than what we would call beauty. Leah She is described to have “weak eyes” (Genesis 29:17), obviously wasn’t very pretty as Rachel. People will often judge others by outward appearances, but God always sees and judges ones’ heart. In Max Lucado’s book, In the Eye of the Storm (1991) in which he talks about holiness in a bathrobe. We are at our holiness with that first look in the mirror in the morning and what makes it holy is its honesty. We see what God sees and loves. No makeup, no jewelry, no fancy clothes, just us. Second, jealousy often blinds us to God’s blessings. While Leah was focused on her jealousy of Jacob’s love for Rachel, she ignored the blessings that God had given her, that he didn’t give to Rachel: six sons. Third, the same God who saw Leah’s misery and sorrow, sees ours. No mater how small or large, God knows our circumstances, our feelings, and hurts. He is moved by our sorrow and he is willing and able to step in and create something in and through us.

In conclusion, Leah was a woman who longed for the love of a man who probably couldn’t or wouldn’t give it. She wanted the devotion her younger sister got and when she didn’t, she turned to jealousy. But through Leah’s sons, two powerful tribes of Israel would be created. While we view marriage today as an act of love, marriage in the ancient world had strategic planning. Even if we don’t know it, think it or possibly believe it, God sees us. He sees our tears. He is moved by our sorrows and he will work in our lives in ways we couldn’t possibly fathom.

The Wildflowers at the Edge of the World: drama set during the Yukon Gold Rush

The Wildflowers at the Edge of the World by Shaylin Gandhi is set at the height of the Yukon Goldrush in 1898. Sophia Bellerose leaves behind her life in San Francisco to try her luck in the Yukon. When she arrives in Caribou Crossing, she soon realizes that the town isn’t as glamorous as advertised. She soon finds a home and a job at The Scarlet Blossom, the local whorehouse, for Madam Irene Blumen. At the Blossom, Sophia learns that the other women, Temperance and Annie, as well as the barman nicknamed the Professor, have their own stories and secrets that have brought them to the icy Yukon. Stories and secrets that they desperate to find and even run from if necessary. When Irene dies in an accident, the three women must find a way to move on and survive as the Reverend Gray begins to blackmail them. Told from the perspectives from the different characters, it is a story of gold, greed, love and redemption. Can someone truly find themselves in the wilderness of the North?

I loved Ms. Gandhi’s debut novel, By the Light of Embers, and eagerly looked forward to reading her new novel. I liked how The Wildflowers at the Edge of the World began with drama and suspense, but the last quarter of the novel seemed to drag as if Ms. Gandhi really didn’t know how to end the story. It had far too many chapters. While they were short chapters, the constant changing narrators was distracting that I missed a major detail as I turned the page. This story didn’t live up to the magic and emotion that captivated me in her first novel. I wasn’t as investigated in any of the characters. One issue I had is that a couple of the characters were bisexual, but it felt out of place and fell flat as nothing came of it. It was teased and built up but, in the end, the bisexuality of these characters didn’t affect the outcome or the plot. Why have the bisexuality in the first place? It was a detail that wasn’t necessarily, especially if the detail doesn’t contribute to the story. It felt like the detail was added just to be there. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to other books by Ms. Gandhi, unfortunately The Wildflowers at the Edge of the World didn’t have the same magic.

The Wildflowers at the Edge of the World

is available in paperback and eBook

Flowers in the Snow: a sweet story but left much to be desired

Flowers in the Snow by Danielle Stewart is the first book in The Edenville series which opens with Betty with her family as she receives the last letter from a dead, old friend. As she struggles with opening the letter, she tells her family how she met her friend. Rewind to 1961 in Edenville, North Carolina at the height of the KKK and the continued struggle to integrate the schools. Betty, then 11, meets Alma, 10, as she is running away from a group of boys who mean to harm her. Betty defends her and takes her home where she meets Alma’s family. Despite the social climate and warnings to stay away, Betty is drawn to the warmth and love of Alma and her family. As the tensions rise, Betty and Alma must find a way to stay friends. Will there ever be peace in their tiny town, or will it be destroyed by hate?

Flowers in the Snow is a sweet, dramatic story about a friendship that society didn’t want. The events of the story were a little farfetched and, in some cases, over too quickly. For instance, one male character in the beginning is as mean as they come and in a few short chapters, has made a complete 180. It was a good read, but I think it was over far too much and the author probably is hoping readers will continue the series to learn more. I’ve read other books which did a better job in telling a story of unlikely friendship in an uncertain time. I feel, as a first book in a series, Flowers in the Snow, should have gone a little more in depth and set up the rest of the series better. I doubt I will continue the series. Overall, I liked the series, there just isn’t anything pulling me to read further.

Flowers in the Snow

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Substitute: cute but not very interesting

The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank is the first book in The Wedding Pact series. It is the story of Megan Vandemeer. She meant to tell her parents about her broken engagement. But six weeks later, she boards a plane back home to Kansas City for a wedding her parents think is still on. She is terrified to reveal the truth, knowing her mother will place the blame solely on Megan. Once on the plane, she takes a dose of Dramamine for her airsickness and has a couple drinks to calm her nerves. She finds herself spilling her story out to the handsome stranger seated next to her. Josh McMillan boards the plane to Kansas City on a desperate effort to save his company. Although Megan is completely loopy, her honesty and humor charm him and he decides to help her off the plane. When an overheard comment mistakes him for Megan’s fiancé, Jay, and Josh has no choice to play along. They decide to have a very public break up. But as they do the pre-wedding activities her mother has planned, the less they want to break it off. Can this charade really be happily ever after?

I’ve read a few fake pact leads to real romance type of stories before and The Substitute is definitely one of those stories. It has a great start as Megan gets on the plane and meets Josh. After that it really slows down until the last quarter of the story. I just didn’t understand how Megan, who stood up to her mother once before, couldn’t do it again and tell her the engagement was off. I also don’t believe that after 2 years of dating, her family has never met Jay or seen a picture of him! The story is sweet and the banter between Megan and Josh is fun but there were events that just didn’t seem plausible or realistic. Overall, it was a cute story but didn’t hold my interest enough to continue with the series. If you enjoy the fake pact love romance stories, you may enjoy The Substitute.

The Substitute

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Book of Lost Names: a WWII story of survival and courage

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is a story of the French Resistance, the underground network which worked to fight against the Germans during the French occupation. The story opens in May 2005 when a German librarian is featured in newspapers as he announces that he wishes to return the books the Nazis looted from their rightful owners. An elderly woman sees the article and recognizes the book the librarian is holding is hers! She sets out to Berlin to retrieve the book and remembers the events which centers around it. The story then rewinds to France, 1942 when Eva Traube is a student living with her parents. She gets a warning from a friend that the police are rounded up the Jews and shipping them off. Not heeding the warning, Eva’s father is taken in the night and Eva and her mother must now run for their lives. They reach the small village in the Free Zone where Eva becomes a member of the underground network and their dangerous work against the Germans. Will Eva be safe? Will she survive? Will she be reunited with her father?

The Book of Lost Names is a gripping, heartbreaking and inspirational story of a people’s resilience and fortitude to fight back. From the opening chapter to the final pages, Ms. Harmel takes the reader on a journey of heartbreak and danger. Every character was great. Even the villains with their nasty attitudes are those you love to hate. I loved Eva with her courage and resolve although she was a bit naïve at times. Based on the real French Resistance, it captivated me as I realized that people did fight back and at the cost of their lives to save many more. It is hard to imagine the strength and courage these people had to risk life and limb for their cause. As one character notes, “With courage and a bit of faith,” the individuals of the Resistance did what they could to fight back, never truly knowing if it would work or if they would survive. Many of the events and attitudes in the book are eerily similar to events happening today and it saddens me that we still haven’t learned our lesson. I highly recommend The Book of Lost Names.

The Book of Lost Names

is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

How Lulu Lost Her Mind: a mother-daughter story

How Lulu Lost Her Mind by Rachel Gibson is the story of Lou Ann Hunter aka Lulu the Love Guru, business which includes a blog and numerous books. She is set to start her Find True Love book tour when she gets a call from her mother’s care facility. Her mother, Patricia, is 74 years old and suffers from Alzheimer’s. She was caught in a compromising situation and was no longer able to stay there. Lou Ann must now scramble to find a new facility or nurse for her mother’s care. Soon Patricia begins to talk about her childhood home in Louisiana and wishes to go back. When Lou Ann takes her mom along with her nurse, Lindsey, to Sutton Hall, her family’s estate. The house is in bad shape. With the help of a local handyman, Simon Broussard, Lou Ann sets about fixing up the house and taking care of her mom. Will Lou Ann find a balance between her mom’s care and her business?

I was intrigued by the book’s description that I picked it up, unfortunately it wasn’t the book I thought it would be. It is more a Women’s fiction, mother/daughter dramedy than a romance. Ms. Gibson’s descriptions of an Alzheimer’s patient, their behaviors and the progression were on the nose but her descriptions in other areas were very cringey and uncomfortable. She switches between proper terms and slang. There were many instances in the story that I had to roll my eyes, like “oh geez.” For instance, Lou Ann makes a comment that Lindsey always wears scrubs. What a minute? She’s a nurse, caring for an elderly patient, of course she’s always wearing scrubs! The “family secret” which is casually introduced and then revealed seemed to be an afterthought without any plan to fully flush it out. The ending itself and fell flat. This book was my first by Ms. Gibson and I’m not sure I would be interested in picking up any of her other titles. If you are a fan of Ms. Gibson, you may enjoy How Lulu Lost Her Mind.

How Lulu Lost Her Mind

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Bitter Roots: not the mystery I was expecting...and not in a good way

Bitter Roots by CJ Carmichael is the first book in the Bitter Root mystery series. In the small town of Lost Trail, Montana appears to be an ideal western town with its laid-back and simple way of life. When a shocking murder is discovered the day after Halloween. Zak Waller is the town’s dispatcher for the sheriff department and gets the call that will shake the town to its core. The victim is Riley Concurran, a 22-year-old woman, who is new in town. Sheriff Archie Ford quickly determines the suspect is an unknown outsider who has probably left town. But Zak doesn’t think so and does he’s own investigating. Even in a small town, everyone has their secrets and will do what it takes to protect it. Is the killer among them? Will Zak uncover the truth?

The synopsis for this book grabbed my attention and even compared it to Broadchurch, a British detective show, and I was intrigued. Unfortunately, Bitter Roots fell flat. The investigating into the murder of this young woman takes a back seat to the town people’s issues and secrets. It was boring, slow, and repetitive. With nothing really going on until the last few chapters when everything was put into high gear. Although, I liked Zak, the other characters were boring and even irritating. Especially Deputy Nadine Black, who I immediately disliked when she is introduced and never redeemed herself to be likable. The story was more of a suspenseful romance than a murder mystery, which is bogged down with so many storylines and characters that it was difficult to finish. Unfortunately, I do not recommend Bitter Roots.

Bitter Roots

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Blacks in the Revolutionary War

With recent events and the resurgence in popularity of Hamilton (2015), I have heard many stating that blacks have been erased from history. In a way, they are right. The contributions of minorities to this country have largely been forgotten or ignored. For the most part, there just isn’t time in school to teach everything about everyone. So, I decided to investigate black soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Some information I knew and others I did not. I was surprised that the information that I didn’t know. At the start of the War, Washington was opposed to recruiting black men. “Most southern slave owners (and many northern slave owners), found the idea of training and arming slaves and thereby abetting a possible slave rebellion far more terrifying than the British” (Collins, 2013). Eventually, as the war continued, the colonists need every man they could, and many black men served bravery.

I remember hearing the name, Crispus Attucks, in my history classes. Born circa 1723 in Framingham, Massachusetts, Attucks was a stevedore (dockworker) of African and Native American descent. Historians disagree on whether he was a free man or an escaped slave. March 5, 1770, a crowd of colonists confronted a sentry who had chastised a boy who complained an officer did not pay a barber bill. Soon townspeople and a company of British soldiers of the 29th Regiment of Foot gathered. The colonists threw snowballs and debris at the soldiers. Attucks, along with a group of men, approached, armed with clubs. A soldier was struck with a piece of wood. Some witnesses claimed was done by Attucks while other witnesses, including Samuel Adams, stated that Attucks was "leaning upon a stick" when the soldiers opened fire (Editors, 2020). Attucks and several others were killed. The event became known as the Boston Massacre. Many historians believe he was the first American casualty of the Revolutionary War. His body was carried to Faneuil Hall, where it would lay in state until March 8 when he was buried, along with the other victims of the massacre, in Boston’s Granary Burying Ground. “City leaders waived segregation laws in the case and permitted Attucks to be buried with the others” (Editors, 2020).

Salem Poor was born 1747 into slavery on a farm in Andover, Massachusetts owned by John Poor and his son, John Poor Jr. Salem bought his freedom on July 10, 1769 for 27 pounds, a year’s salary for an average worker at the time (National Park Service). In May 1775, Poor enlisted in the militia and served under Captain Benjamin Ames in Colonel James Frye's regiment, fighting against the British troops occupying Boston. His name is best known for performing heroically at the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775). There are no details to his exact deeds on the battlefield. The documents which survives state “to set forth the particulars of his conduct would be tedious” (National Park Service). Perhaps there were just too many to list. A petition to the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony, a man from Colonel Frye’s regiment “behaved like an experienced officer” and further calls him a “brave and gallant soldier” (National Park Service). Very high praise. The petition was signed by 14 officers who were present at the battle including William Prescott. Of the 2,400-4,000 colonist at the battle, no other man was singled out like Salem Poor was (National Park Service).

Prince Whipple (1750-1796), an African American slave and later freedman who accompanied his former owner, General William Whipple of the New Hampshire militia. According to legend, Prince Whipple was present on the Delaware Crossing on Christmas Day, 1776. The famous painting of the crossing, by German American artist Emanuel Leutze, has been said to depict Prince Whipple at Washington’s knee. There is a black man portrayed pushing away ice with an oar. However, many historians doubt that there is any basis for this story because General Whipple or Prince Whipple was present at the Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776) as the general was serving in the Continental Congress in Baltimore at the time. According to records, General Whipple granted Prince Whipple the rights of a freeman on February 22, 1781 and legally manumitted on February 26, 1784 (Portsmouth Town Records). The man in the painting could be Primus Hall (February 29, 1756 - March 22, 1842) who was present at the Battle of Trenton with the 5^th Massachusetts Regiment. According to his obituary, Hall was remembered, particularly by the younger citizens, for his “habit of recounting scenes of the Revolutionary War” (Minardi, 2010).

Rhode Island had trouble raising the enlistment numbers the Continental Congress wanted. At the urging of General James Varnum, the Rhode Island General Assembly authorized the enlistment of “every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave” who chose to enlist and allowed “every slave so enlisting shall, upon his passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free” on February 14, 1778 ( Lanning, 2016). “The 1st Rhode Island was a segregated unit, with white officers and separate companies designated for black and white Soldiers. It was the Continental Army's only segregated unit, though. In the rest of the Army, the few blacks who served with each company were fully integrated: They fought, drilled, marched, ate and slept alongside their white counterparts” (Collins, 2013) The regiment would participant in the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1778, in which they successfully held their line against the British and their Hessian allies for four hours and allowed the entire American army to escape a trap (Collins, 2013). The 1^st Rhode Island Regiment was also at the Battle of Yorktown, on the night of October 14, 1781, they took part in the assault and capture of Redoubt 10 (Collins, 2013). A monument to the 1st Rhode Island Regiment stands at Patriots Park in Portsmouth, Rhode Island on the site of the Battle of Rhode Island and the regimental flag is preserved at the Rhode Island State House in Providence.

In conclusion, it is disheartening to know that many black soldiers would return to the heavy yoke of slavery until their masters “remembered” they were promised freedom for their service, if they remembered at all. It is even more disheartening that they were forgotten in the aftermath as the colonists’ focus turned to becoming a nation. Retired Major Glenn Williams, a historian at the US Army Center for Military History, said it best. “They certainly did their part to earn not only their own freedom, but ours as well. We should never forget that for them, it was a double fight for liberty: their own and their country's” (Collins, 2013). Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough time to fully teach history and acknowledge every person’s contributions especially when schools are focused more on math and science. It is our responsibility to take the extra step and learn as much as we can about everyone who played a role in our history.

References

Collins, Elizabeth M. (March 4, 2013). Black Soldiers in the Revolutionary War. U.S. Army. https://www.army.mil/article/97705/black_soldiers_in_the_revolutionary_war. Retrieved July 10, 2020.  

Editors (June 1, 2020). Crispus Attucks Biography. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/military-figure/crispus-attucks. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

Lanning, Michael Lee (October 17, 2016). African Americans in the

Revolutionary War. https://media.lanecc.edu/users/escobarj/transfer/PDF_collection/African%20Americans%20in%20the%20Revolutionary%20War.pdf. Retrieved July 16, 2020.

Minardi, Margot (September 2, 2010). Making Slavery History: Abolitionism and the Politics of Memory in Massachusetts: Abolitionism and the Politics of Memory in Massachusetts. Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

National Park Service. (no date). Salem Poor “A Brave and Gallant Soldier. The American Revolution. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/salem_poor.html. Retrieved July 10, 2020.

Portsmouth Town Records, Vol. III, p. 95, New Hampshire State Library at Concord, New Hampshire

What You Wish For: an inspirational story to find joy in everything

What You Wish For by Katherine Center is the story of Samantha “Sam” Casey, a school librarian at the Kempner School, who hides from the world an embarrassing secret. Very few people know that she suffers from epilepsy but her boss and parental figures, Max and Babette Kempner, helped her see joy and create joy in her life. When Max suddenly dies, he leaves big shoes to fill. The staff at the school do their best to carry on until Kent Buckley, the Kempner’s son-in-law and school board member, announces he has hired a new principal and it is someone Sam knows! Duncan Carpenter was the guy she liked at a previous school when she was a mousy, quiet staff member and he was the exuberant, fun-loving teacher. But the man who arrived looks like Duncan, but he sure doesn’t act like Duncan. He begins by making major changes at the school and Sam will not stand for it. She immediately goes into action to get Duncan to leave or get him fired. What caused Duncan to change so much? Can Sam get to the bottom of it and show Duncan that the school doesn’t need his changes?

 

I LOVED this book. This amazing story grips you in from the opening chapter and never lets you go until the final sentence. I loved Sam. She was vulnerable and introverted. Even though her tendency was to hide from embarrassing moments, she found the strength to be front and center when the situation called for it. I also loved Duncan. When he is first introduced and he is not the man Sam remembered, I knew there was a reason behind his behavior. Sam and Duncan’s personal stories are heartbreaking, and I wanted to reach through the book to hug both of them. I loved each of the beautiful people who made up the staff at the school, even Sam’s quirky, math-obsessed friend, Alice. Katherine Canter provides a story with lovable and relatable characters to tell a story of survival and finding joy as joy is the cure to many negative emotions and situations. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll find that creating joy in your laugh helps chase away the negativity that surrounds you. Great advice for the world we live in now. I highly recommend What You Wish For!

What You Wish For

is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

John Laurens: an unsung hero of the Revolutionary War

After watching Hamilton (2015) on Disney+, I was introduced to many people involved in the Revolutionary War that I did not know about before. One man, in particular, was John Laurens. In the musical, Laurens in played by the incredibly talented Anthony Ramos. The real John Laurens was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina. He is best known for his criticisms of slavery and his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for their freedom as U.S. soldiers. Laurens was an idealist who believed that the republican principles the Americans were fighting for were hypocritical if they continued to utilize slave labor and encouraged those around him to consider freeing their enslaved workers (Fitzgerald).

John Laurens was both in Charleston, South Carolina on October 28, 1754 to Henry and Eleanor (nee Ball) Laurens. Both families were owners of prosperous rice plantations. By the 1750s, Henry and his business partner, George Austin, were wealthy owners of one of the largest slave trading houses in North America. John was the eldest of five surviving children. He and his younger brothers, Henry Jr and James, were tutored at home then in England following the death of their mother in 1770.  As a youth, John expressed interest in science and medicine but persuaded law at his father’s urging. On October 26, 1776, he married Martha Manning, the daughter of a mentor and family friend. His only child, a daughter, Frances Eleanor, was born January 1777. Given the dates of his marriage and his daughter’s birth, it is safe to assume he was forced to marry for appearances sake. He was determined to join the Continental Army and fight for his country. He left law school as well as his, then, pregnant wife in December 1776.

General George Washington hired Laurens as his Aide de Camp. There he would meet and became close friends with Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette. He would gain a reputation for reckless courage in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777 and again at the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777. On October 6, 1777, he was commissioned and given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On December 23, 1778, Laurens would engage in a duel with General Charles Lee after Laurens took offense to Lee’s slander of Washington, an event which is featured in the musical. In March 1781, Laurens and Thomas Paine were sent to France to assist Benjamin Franklin, who was serving as American minister in Paris. Together, there were able to secure support, including naval support, which would prove vital at the Siege of Yorktown. Laurens returned to join the fight at Yorktown and serve under Colonel Alexander Hamilton. When the British troops surrendered on October 17, 1781, Washington appointed Laurens as the American commissioner for drafting the formal terms of surrender.

As British operations increased in the South, Laurens promoted the idea of arming slaves and granting their freedom in return. Laurens was set apart from other leaders in Revolutionary-era South Carolina by his belief that black and white people shared a similar nature and could aspire to freedom in a republican society” (Massey, 2003), he would write, “We Americans at least in the Southern Colonies, cannot contend with a good Grace, for Liberty, until we shall have enfranchised our Slaves." The Congress approved the concept in March 1779, but it was opposed. After winning a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Laurens reintroduced his black regiment plan in 1779, 1780 and 1782, each time being overwhelming rejected. According to Gregory D. Massey, Laurens speaks more clearly to us today than other men of the American Revolution whose names are far more familiar. Unlike all other southern political leaders of the time, he believed that blacks shared a similar nature with whites, which included a natural right to liberty and believed that liberty from the sweat of slaves was not truly liberty (2003).

On August 27, 1782, at the age of 27, John Laurens was shot and killed at the skirmish at Combahee River. He would be one of the last casualties of the Revolutionary War. Prior to the battle, Laurens was confined to bed with a high fever, probably malaria. When he learned that British troops were on the move, he left his sickbed. The forces would meet as Laurens led the charge. John Laurens was a man ahead of his time. To that extent, at least, his beliefs make him our contemporary, a man worthy of more attention than the footnote he has been in most accounts of the American Revolution (Massey 2003). Thanks to Hamilton, he isn’t a footnote anymore.

References

Fitzpatrick, Siobhan (no date). John Laurens. Mount Vernon Digital Encyclopedia. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/john-laurens/. Retrieved July 10, 2020.

Massey, Gregory D. (Winter–Spring 2003). "Slavery and Liberty in the American Revolution: John Laurenss Black Regiment Proposal". The Early America Review. IV (3). https://web.archive.org/web/20150216222608/http://www.earlyamerica.com/early-america-review/volume-1/slavery-liberty-american-revolution/. Retrieved July 10, 2020.

Alexander Hamilton: the man, the musical and thoughts for today

This weekend is the anniversary of the famous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. At dawn on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton met at Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton would later die the following afternoon on July 12, 1804, 216 years ago. With the help of the brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda, he is back in the forefront of American minds. With the release of Hamilton (2015) on Disney+, the story of this founding father is reaching a wider audience than ever before. While I was in school, I knew his name and his basic contributions as a founding father. I first learned of the famous duel, and this might be true for many people, in the 1993 Got Milk? commercial. However, it would not be until I was in college when I took a US History course that I was exposed to more detail about this man. I remember my professor being a great admirer of Hamilton and used him as an example of someone who pulled himself up from nothing and made his mark on history.

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 or 1757 in Nevis, British West Indies. He would come to New York, orphaned, with no money to his name, at a time when change was brewing. He would become General George Washington’s right-hand man and eventually lead his own battalion at the Battle of Yorktown to help end the war. By the end of his life, he would accomplish so much. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the US Constitution as well as the first Secretary of the Treasury. He was the founder of the US financial system. He was the founder of the Federalist Party. He was the founder of the US Coast Guard and founder of the New York Evening Post newspaper. He was a prolific writer, writing 51 of the 85 Federalist Papers. He is generally regarded as an astute and intellectually brilliant politician and financier. He was also known to be impulsive which led to the end of his political career as well as personal issues. He was an abolitionist as he had written “Who talks most about freedom and equality? Is it not those who hold the bill of rights in one hand and a whip for affrighted slaves in the other?” However, his close friendships and other relationships, including his father-in-law, Philip Schuyler, indicated “he somewhat partook in the system himself” (Vincenty, 2020).

No musical since The Phantom of the Opera (1986) and Les Misérables (1980) had captured my heart, soul and mind but Hamilton has. I’ve been eager to see it since I saw an interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda when the musical was first gaining popularity. I’m not a huge fan of hip-hop but I was curious how Miranda would mix hip-hop with the story of Alexander Hamilton. When it was released on Disney+, I was excited, I sat down and prepared myself to see the musical that took the country by storm. From the opening refrains, I was hooked. The hip-hop rhythms worked and flowed. Telling his story as a young man of 19 as revolution was brewing through his political rise and fall, and ending with his death, Hamilton highlights the man, his strengths and weaknesses, and shows that Alexander Hamilton isn’t given enough credit for his role in the creation of this beautiful country. Even though the story is about Alexander Hamilton, I think Eliza Schuyler Hamilton is a heroine of his story as well. She would live additional 50 years after her husband’s death and worked to preserve his memory as well continue the work, he didn’t have a chance to do including abolitionist activism. One of my favorite songs is “Helpless” which tells the story of Alexander meeting Eliza, their romance and wedding. Another song is the ending, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” as the characters reflect on their legacies and how their stories will be told for future generations. It’s a reminder us to use the time we have because we never know if we’ll have more time.

In today’s social climate, many are looking back at our founding fathers in a new light. Many have called for their statutes to be removed. We, as Americans, have been taught to revere and hold the founding fathers and even our leaders, to hero/icon statues, that we often ignore or push aside their mistakes and faults. Because they were human too. As Shannon Lallier, co-author of Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family, said “He [Thomas Jefferson] was a brilliant man who preached equality, but he didn’t practice it. He owned people” (Halliday, 2020). We need celebrate these men and women’s accomplishments as well as acknowledge and learn from their mistakes and faults. Hamilton’s 5^th great-grandson, Douglas Hamilton agrees, “None of us are perfect. None of them were perfect” (Somerville, 2020). As Aaron Burr sings in Hamilton, “Life doesn't discriminate/Between the sinners and the saints/It takes and it takes and it takes/And we keep living anyway/We rise and we fall and we break/And we make our mistakes,” we need to examine the whole person in the situations in which they faced. They didn’t have the benefit of hindsight like we do. We can look back on their successes and their mistakes. To learn from their example. To be better. “I think we do need to keep the past. You need to understand it. You do need to learn from it. But, at the same time, you need to look forward and say, ‘How can we get better?” (Sommerville, 2020).

In conclusion, on this anniversary of the famous duel and his death, we look back on Alexander Hamilton. He was a man of flaws and amazing intellect. He wasn’t saintly, he made mistakes, but he left a legacy that we cannot ignore. Hamilton is a brilliant show about one man and the creation of our country. American is the land of opportunity and Alexander Hamilton is one of many examples of men and women rising from nothing to make a better life for him or herself as well as make a huge impact on America. There are many examples that follow him who came to this country with nothing and become something. We have the benefit to learn from history. To learn about the men and women, good and bad, to follow their path and avoid their mistakes. We cannot undo their mistakes, but we can learn from them. Erasing the statutes for the individuals’ mistakes doesn’t erase their successes and impact on our country. I highly recommend watching Hamilton, the brilliance of the music, the talents of the cast are worth the time spent.

References

Halliday, Ayun (July 6, 2020). Thomas Jefferson’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandson Poses for a Presidential Portrait. Open Culture. http://www.openculture.com/2020/07/shannon-lanier-poses-as-his-sixth-great-grandfather-thomas-jefferson-two-portraits-juxtaposed.html. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

Somerville, Bryant. (July 7, 2020). Westerville man, relative of Alexander Hamilton, talks history, today’s racial climate. WBNS. https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/westerville-man-relative-of-alexander-hamilton-talks-history-todays-racial-climate/530-9f3764fb-7a25-4845-921d-251ba5b5cf79. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

Vincenty, Samantha (July 6, 2020). Lin-Manuel Miranda Responds to the "Hamilton is Canceled" Controversy. O The Oprah Magazine. https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a33216431/hamilton-cancelled-lin-manuel-miranda/. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

The Day She Came Back: when your world turns upside down

The Day She Came Back is the newest book by Amanda Prowse. One hot August day, life began as normal for Victoria. She and her friend, Daksha “Daks” Joshi were going shopping and her gran, Primrose “Prim” was enjoying her tea and asking the girls to bring home some baklava. Unfortunately, it all ends tragically when she comes home and finds that Prim had died. Suddenly, Victoria’s world is turned topsy turvy and upside down. With the help of her friends and her grandmother’s friends, she gets through the first few weeks. But on the day of the funeral and mysterious woman comes and announces that she is her mother, a mother she lost had died from a drug overdose when she was a baby. At first, Victoria refuses to entertain such an idea but what if she is telling the truth? Why would Prim lie to her all those years? Angry, grieving, and shocked, Victoria struggles to trust anyone that she begins a downward spiral. Can anyone help her now? Once she learns the full story, can she trust anyone again?

The Day She Came Back is filled with very real and raw emotions from grief to shock and anger. I would expect nothing else from Ms. Prowse as her stories are very real and relatable. Imagine a day when you realize that everything you knew in life, everything you trusted, was a lie. It is heartbreaking and soul crushing and yet you must find a way back to a place of security and trust. Could you do it? When you find yourself at rock bottom, do you stay there or find a way to pull yourself back up? This is that story. Victoria must learn to find her security again, to come to terms with the life she knew with Prim and the lies she told. Although, it is not among my favorites of her books, I did enjoy it as Victoria, a young girl on the brink of adulthood is suddenly thrust into a big, cold world without a clue which way to turn. While I didn’t agree with Prim’s decision to lie to Victoria about her mother, but I understand her motivation. I highly recommend The Day She Came Back.

The Day She Came Back

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Almost Forever: not quite the story I was hoping for

Almost Forever by Deborah Raney is the first book in the Hanover series. It is the story of a community trying to move on in the aftermath of a tragedy. Bryn Hennesey is volunteering late one night at a local homeless shelter when a massive fire breaks out. Her husband, Adam, is a firefighter who responds to the call. The fire quickly gets out of control and five firefighters lose their life including Adam. In the days following the fire, Bryn must deal with her grief as well as her guilt as her last words spoken to Adam were in anger and a lie. Garrett Edmonds lost his wife, Molly, in the fire and, along with Bryn and the other spouses who lost his loved ones, they must learn to start over in life. As the investigators search for the cause of the fire, Bryn may hold the answer to all they need to know. Will she able to tell the truth she knows? Will Garrett be able to face life without his wife? Will they ever find the truth behind the fire?

I love stories about firefighters. They are the ultimate heroes in my book. So, when Almost Forever was suggested to me, I grabbed it. The previous book I read by Deborah Raney had me on the edge of my seat and I was eager to read another. However, this story stalled after the opening chapter. I found myself not caring for Bryn. Her constant internal whining was annoying. Even Garrett was hard to like. He talks about not liking his wife’s job, then why would you marry a woman who wanted to be a firefighter?!?!? I understand being stressed and worried that your spouse could get hurt on the job, but it is something you know before. I found myself questioning certain character behaviors and decisions. Like why would the wife of a firefighter, a lieutenant no less, would operate a business that wasn’t up to code? There are so many more example that by the time I finished reading I was cheering “it’s about time!” and that’s not how I usually end books, even when it was a book I end up not caring for. When a book is this tedious to read, despite the high reviews from other readers, it’s hard to recommend it.

Almost Forever

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook