Michal: the story of love turned into bitterness

Michal was the daughter of Saul and David’s first wife. She was a woman of strong emotions who often found herself unable to control the important circumstances of her life. She was a woman who could think and act quickly when it was needed, but she would also lie when under pressure and allowed herself to become bitter. She would find herself ensnared in the drawn out battle between her father and her husband, which would leave her bitter and resentful. She would, for a time, share a passionate love with her husband. It is the only time in the Bible that a woman is described as loving a man (1 Samuel 18:20). But that love would turn cold. What is her story? How did she turn from a woman in love to one who hated her husband? What lessons can we learn from her story? 

Her story is short, spanning decades but two main details are known about her. Her love for David and later her resentment toward him. She loved David since he was a shepherd boy who felled the mighty Goliath. There are two parts to Michal’s story. In Part 1, she is a woman in love. She helps him escape from her father’s pursuing army. Lies to her father’s guards to buy him time. In Part 2, she is queen as David is now king. She is horrified as she watches, from a window, as her husband dances and leaps as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the city of Jerusalem. Her love has turned to loathing. She confronts him, telling him that a king should not act in such a way. David responds that he danced for the Lord and no one else (2 Samuel 6:21-22). The distance between them grew and their silence thickened like ice. The Bible’s last statement on Michal says she spent the rest of her life alone and childless (2 Samuel 6:23).

At the heart of her story is worship. Worship can take several forms in prayer, song, dancing and musical instruments. For many people, there are only right ways to worship. The person who sings off key with tears rolling down their face is truly worshipping as the person who sings perfectly and subdued. But what many people forget is that at the center of worship is the heart and a life dedicated to God. God makes it clear he won’t be satisfied with only the forms of worship, because that is not the focus. If a person’s heart is not for God, then their worship is meaningless, empty. True worship, whether it is dancing wildly as David did, or the person singing off-key, is a joyful noise to the Lord (Psalm 100:1-2). Michal’s contempt for David’s worship shows her own lack of true dedication to the Lord. She was content to be a critical spectator rather than a true worshipper. It may also be jealousy that if David had such love and devotion for the Lord, she may have thought he didn’t love her. Maybe she wanted that love all to herself. 

Michal is an example of how quickly life’s unexpected turns can make us bitter, if we do not guard our hearts with care. Bitterness will make a bad situation worse. What fueled Michal’s bitterness? Was it because she was a mere pawn in the battle between her father and her husband? The Bible doesn’t speak if she had any faith, did she go through the motions like her father? Whatever the reason, Michal grew to be more like her father than David. Like her father, her heart for David went from love to hate. She was a victim; but being a victim doesn’t excuse her behavior. Even victims have choices. The power to choose the attitude of our hearts. We are not responsible for all that happens to us, but we are responsible for how we respond. The Bible doesn’t tell us why Michal remained childless. Was it because God didn’t allow her to conceive? Or is it possible that the coldness between them, resulted in David setting her aside for one of his other wives that would follow? 

In conclusion, Michal was a woman driven by love and bitterness. She helps the man she loves escape the murderous intent of her father but later becomes bitter toward the same man. She despised David, in her eyes, for his wanton worship. The heart behind worship is more important than the method of worship. Whether someone is dancing in the streets or singing off-key, as long as the heart is filled with love and appreciation for the Lord, it is pleasing to him. This concept is what Michal misses. Maybe she wasn’t a woman of faith. She may not have believed as David did. Whether way, Michal lives out her life alone, possibly forgotten. The main lesson from her story is we control how we respond to life’s circumstances. We either play the victim and sulk or we rise to the challenge and learn to move forward. 

Radar Girls: a great story about a forgotten piece of WWII history

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman is a story inspired by the real women of the Women’s Air Raid Defense (WARDs). Daisy Wilder is a woman who prefers horses to people, bare feet and the ocean to high heels and parties. As an outsider, she was always told she wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t important enough. Then, in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, she enlists in a top secret program. Under the constant fear of another invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into the blacked out airstrips and track unidentified planes across the Pacific skies. Not everyone is convinced the women are not smart enough to handle the job. They must rise above their differences to band together and work side by side, to show that a woman can do the task at hand. With the lives of the pilots, and America’s future on the line, Daisy is determined to prove herself worthy. She cannot fail, especially when the man she loves is among the pilots depending on her. 

Just when you think there are no more stories to be found from World War II, there comes the radar girls. When researching the women of WARD, the author came across a quote from one WARD, who said, “When the fly boys got lost, we brought them home.” A great statement to the important place these women had in the war effort and a place in our history.  Radar Girls is a beautiful story of determination, friendship and love in wartime. Set in the beautiful islands of Hawaii, the readers take a journey from radar towers on remote mountaintops to underground bomb shelters where these women answer the call of duty and help win the war. It is a story of self-discovery, to rise above the opinions of others that one is not good enough, to find strength and courage to prove them, and yourself, wrong. I loved all the characters who, by the end of the book, felt like family and dear friends, I was sad to see them go. I loved Radar Girls and highly recommend it. 

Radar Girls is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

Come for Me, Darling: a disappointing love story

Come for Me, Darling by Alexis Anne is the first book in the Calusa Key series. It is a story of small-town friends who fall in love on a small island in Florida. In the first book, we see the story of Benjamin “Ben” Kaine, a celebrity contractor who takes old homes and returns them into the homes of people’s dreams. He has been hired by Paris Montague, on the behalf of her sister, London, to restore their late grandmother’s house for sale. London is the girl he fell in love with in high school but never had a chance to tell her how he felt. Now they are back on the same small island and Ben is determined to not let this chance slip by. Will he be able to convince her to take a chance on love...with him? 

I liked the description for this series. Unfortunately, Come for Me, Darling was a disappointment. It began with a narrator in the first person and switches first person narrators without telling the reader. It was bogged down with childish antics and pranks. As the first book in the series, I expected a romantic story which would urge me to read the rest of the series. I felt there wasn’t enough chemistry between Ben and London. I didn’t care for the other Kaine brothers or Anderson sisters to want to read their stories. Come for Me, Darling fell short of expectations and I do not recommend it. 

Come for Me, Darling is available in paperback and eBook. 

A Curve in the Road: when life takes an unexpected turn

A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean is the story of a tragedy which exposes the secrets and lies behind a picture perfect marriage. Abbie MacIntyre is living a dream life in picturesque Nova Scotia. She is a successful surgeon, married to a handsome and successful cardiologist, and has a model and talented teenage son. One fateful night, everything changes. When a drunk driver hits her car, Abbie is rushed to the hospital. She survives but the accident brings forth secrets she thought were impossible. She begins to question everything, even her grip on reality. Her perfect life begins to crack and threaten to shatter her world completely. As her search for answers tests her strength, but slowly she tries to move forward, beyond anger and vengeance, to learn to heal and trust again. Can she put away the anger? Can she move past vengeance? Will she find peace in her new life? 

A Curve in the Road is an interesting story about learning to live again after tragedy. It is a well paced story and held my attention. I was able to finish the book in one day. The secrets that were revealed weren’t as shocking as I thought. However, I liked that Abbie struggled to deal with the information and the aftermath of moving forward. She behaved as a woman torn between anger and love, which makes the betrayal more devastating to Abbie. I liked Abbie’s supporting characters as well. They are her voices of reason and helping her stay on the right path. Of course, there are characters I hated and was glad they only appear briefly in the story. I recommend A Curve in the Road. It is a story that the image we see may not be the real story. 

 

A Curve in the Road is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

A Woman of Intelligence: a 1950s spy story

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe is a spy novel set in the early 1950s as the Red Scare takes hold of the nation. Katharina “Rina” Edgeworth is a born and bred New Yorker. She has married the ideal husband, the talented pediatric surgeon, two sons, a Fifth Avenue address, high society parties. To the outside world, she has the perfect life. But appearances can be deceiving. As the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League educated and speaking four languages, as a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she was recruited as a translator at the newly formed United Nations. She devotes her days to the promise of world peace and her nights to the promise of a good time. But life as a wife and mother, Rina feels trapped in a gilded cage and she is desperate to escape. One fateful day, she is approached by the FBI to be an informant. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy and the FBI has tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate his inner circle. Enter Rina, the perfect woman for the job. Can she navigate the demands of the FBI, secrets and keep her everyday life safe and secret? 

A Woman of Intelligence is described with the “fast-paced twists of a classic spy thriller, and the nuanced depiction of female experience” and “shimmers with intrigue and desire.” I can say it failed to live up to this description. Maybe I’m not familiar enough with spy thrillers, not my usual genre, but the story was anything but fast-paced. The references to the Cold War events as they happened was interesting as the McCarthy hearings were headline news at the time. Rina was a very hard woman to care for. She whined and complained more than anything else. There were too many comments about the socialites and the fashion of the day, then the spy intrigue. The author tries to show how underappreciated the stay at home moms were, and often still are today, however, it did not improve my opinion of Rina. I can appreciate that the author wanted to show a woman who is more than just a wife and mother. Overall, I enjoyed A Woman of Intelligence, it just was not as exciting as I expected. If you are a fan of Karin Tanabe, you may enjoy A Woman of Intelligence. 

A Woman of Intelligence is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

A Trace of Death: a kidnapping mystery

A Trace of Death by Blake Pierce is the first book in the Keri Locke mystery series. Keri Locke is a detective with the Missing Persons division of the LAPD. She is haunted by her own daughter’s abduction, years before, never to be found. Still obsessed with finding her daughter, Keri buries her grief into her cases. When a routine call from a worried mother strikes a cord with Keri. Even though the teenager, Ashley, has only been missing for two hours, something in the mother’s voice tells Keri to investigate. Ashley is the daughter of a prominent California senator and is hiding secrets, as teenagers do. But Keri feels there is something more than just a teenager keeping secrets. When all the evidence points to a runaway, Keri is ordered off the case. But Keri won’t give up. Despite the pressures from her superiors, the media, and all trails growing cold, Keri refuses to let go. She knows that she only has 48 hours for any chance to bring Ashley home safe and sound. Will she find Ashley in time? 

A Trace of Death is a fast-paced thriller which I read in one day. It was an easy read without overly complicated clues and misdirections. I have read several of Blake Pierce’s mysteries and while A Trace of Death wasn’t as exciting as the others, I was still hooked and thrilled as I read. Keri is a typical cop who is tormented by personal issues that haunt her but makes her a brilliant detective. I particularly enjoyed the camaraderie between Keri and her partner, Ray, a former boxer turned cop. There were a few exchanges between the two that I laughed at and could see happening between friends. And there is the typical superior who can’t stand the troubled but brilliant female detective and has to eat humble pie later when Keri is proven correct. Overall, I enjoyed A Trace of Death. It was a nice, easy afternoon read. I liked the fact that I could read and enjoy the mystery without getting a headache from the over-the-top and difficult to read herrings that I’ve experienced in other mystery thrillers. If you enjoy mystery thrillers, you will enjoy A Trace of Death. 

A Trace of Death is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Molly Pitcher" the myth, the legend, the real stories

Everyone has heard of Molly Pitcher, the legendary woman who picks up loading the cannon after her husband falls in battle. Did you know that there was more than one Molly Pitcher? The story of Molly Pitcher is a composite folk hero inspired by the actions of different women in the battlefield during the Revolutionary War. According to historian Emily Teipe, the possibilities of who Molly Pitcher was are too numerous and asserts that the name is a collective generic term, much like "G.I. Joe."'  Molly Pitcher serves as a common label for the women who served in numerous ways in the army and colonial militia (Teipe, 1999). Here are just three women who helped build the Molly Pitcher legend. 

Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley was born on October 13, 1754. At 13, she became a domestic servant and would later marry William Hays, a barber. When the Revolutionary War broke out, William enlisted as a gunner in the Pennsylvania Artillery (Alexander, 2017-2018). Mary would eventually join him during the Philadelphia Campaign (1777-1778) and would winter with him at Valley Forge. She would bring water to the artillerymen. Legend says that Mary was carrying water for the troops at the Battle of Monmouth (June 1778) when her husband was wounded. She abandoned her water jugs to take his place loading the artillery. The personal account from Joseph Plumb Martin, a soldier in the Continental Army, describes a woman taking up the artillery but doesn’t identify the woman by name (Historic Valley Forge). There are some sources that claim that Washington even gave Mary Hays a commendation but no record exists. After the war, William and Mary returned to Pennsylvania, settling in Carlisle. William Hays died in 1786 and Mary would remarry in 1793 to John McCauley. Mary was awarded a pension in 1822 from the Pennsylvania State Legislature. She died on January 22, 1832 at the age of 67 (Historic Valley Forge).  

 

Margaret Cochran Corbin was born November 12, 1751. She was orphaned at 5 when her father was killed during an Indian raid and her mother was taken captive, never to be seen again (Michals, 2015). She joined her husband, John Corbin, during the war, working as a nurse for the injured soldiers. On November 16, 1776, during the Battle of Fort Washington, she dressed as a man and joined her husband on the battlefield. When her husband fell in battle, she took his spot. She was able to fire, clean and load the cannon with ease and speed, earning the nickname, “Captain Molly” (Michals, 2015).  She would be seriously wounded in battle herself. Her battle wounds left her unable to work to support herself and eventually even simple tasks became difficult (Women and the American Story). She would earn a reputation for being a bad-tempered, hard-drinking eccentric. She died on January 16, 1800 at the age of 49. In 1926 when the New York State Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution verified her account and she was reburied with full military honors at West Point (Women and the American Story). She is one of two Revolutionary soldiers and one of three women buried there. 

Deborah Sampson was born December 17, 1760 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. At the age of 10, she was forced into indentured servitude to Deacon Benjamin Thomas, a farmer in Middlesbrough (Michals, 2015). At 18, her servitude was complete and she would be able to work as a teacher during the summer and a weaver in the winter (Michals, 2015). In 1782, she disguised herself as a man to serve in the Continental Army. She would be chosen to serve in the Light Infantry Troops, the most active in the Hudson Valley from 1782-1783 (Serflippi). Her true identity went undetected with a few close calls. She was injured with a gunshot to the thigh. She would dig out the pistol ball herself (Michals, 2015) in order to avoid being discovered. She was eventually discovered when she fell ill. She served seventeen months under the name of Robert Shirtliff (May 20, 1782-October 25, 1783) before being honorably discharged (Serfilippi). She received a pension from the State of Massachusetts and in 1802, she spent a year lecturing in full military uniform (Michals, 2015). She died on April 29, 1827 at the age of 66.

In conclusion, Mary Hays, Margaret Corbin and Deborah Sampson are just three of the countless women who served during the Revolutionary War and embodied the bravery that became a part of the Molly Pitcher legend. Their stories are proof that the heroes of history aren’t just men, women joined the fight as well. That women have been willing to put their part for generations and is not just a modern phenomenon. Just like Rosie the Riveter is an allegorical icon for the women who worked in the factories and shipyards during World War II, Molly Pitcher is a composite of the women who served for the independence during the Revolutionary War. She represents the willingness to step in and help when duty calls. 

References

Alexander, Kerri Lee (2017-2018). Mary Ludwig Hays. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-ludwig-hays. Retrieved July 13, 2021.

Historic Valley Forge (no date). Molly Pitcher. Historic Valley Forge. https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/youasked/070.htm. Retrieved July 13, 2021. 

Michals, Debra (2015). Deborah Sampson. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson. Retrieved July 13, 2021. 

Michals, Debra (2015). Margaret Cochran Corbin. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-cochran-corbin. Retrieved July 13, 2021. 

Teipe, Emily J. (1999). Will the Real Molly Pitcher Please Stand Up? National Archives. Summer 1999, Vol. 31, No. 2. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1999/summer/pitcher.html. Retrieved July 14, 2021. 

Serfilippi, Jessie (no date). Deborah Sampson. George Washington’s Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/deborah-sampson/. Retrieved July 13, 2021. 

Women and the American Story (no date): Life Story: Margaret Corbin (1751-1800). New York Historical Society Museum and Library. https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/the-american-revolution/margaret-corbin/#resource. Retrieved July 13, 2021. 

The Boy Between: the darkness of depression and the hope to find the light again

The Boy Between: A Mother and Son’s Journey from a World Gone Grey  by Josiah Hartley and his mother, bestselling novelist, Amanda Prowse. When Josiah, “Josh”, was nineteen, heading to university, the world seemingly opened at his feet, something changed. Without warning, his mental health deteriorated and he planned to take his own life. His mother found herself grasping for ways to help him with no clear idea if anything would work. Against all odds, they found a way out of the dark tunnel and they decided to write the book they wished was available to them at their darkest moments. While he suffered his darkest moments, his family suffered as well, dreading the day they might get the one call no parent wants to get. Their message is clear. For anyone with depression or a family desperate to help, you are not alone and there is hope. 

I have been a fan of Ms. Prowse for a few years and her stories are family dramas with no clear resolution. She finds herself in the middle of a family situation as devastating as the ones she writes about. Switching between Josh and Amanda, the reader gets a picture of both sides. Josh’s voice is raw and at times, extremely bleak. He often speaks with humor but always with honesty as he accounts his life with depression. Amanda’s voice is the heartbreaking, gut wrenching account of her own pain at watching her beloved son descend into darkness and her helplessness to stop it. The Boy Between is a beautiful, honest account of this family’s battle with depression. There were multiple sections in which I cried. My heart broke as theirs did. It is a must read for both parents and their children to understand the depths of depression and the hope that there is a way out. I highly recommend The Boy Between.

The Boy Between: A Mother and Son’s Journey from a World Gone Grey

 is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

 

 

The Therapist: a psychological thriller that blurs the lines of who you can trust

The Therapist by BA Paris is a psychological thriller and one woman’s determination to find the truth. Alice Dawson moved in with her boyfriend, Leo, into a newly renovated house in The Circle, an exclusive gated community in London, it was everything they’ve dreamed of. But the perfect house holds a terrible secret. As Alice gets to know her neighbors, she discovers the devastating secret and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before. Alice soon becomes obsessed with trying to discover what happened in the house and to Nina, but no one will talk about it. She also discovers that someone is playing a sick game with her, can she discover who it is before it’s too late? Will she ever truly find out what happened to Nina? 

The Therapist is my first book by BA Paris and I wasn’t sure what to expect as I read. At first, I didn’t care for Alice. I thought she was a bit whinny, always going on about her late sister who just happens to share the same name as the house’s former resident. But as I read and the clues about what happened became clearer, I found myself scared for her. I read late into the night, desperate to find out what happened to Nina and if Alice would escape the nightmare her dream house had become. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It has all the elements of a psychological thriller: misdirected clues, the secretive neighbors and a boyfriend who may not be who he says he is. I recommend The Therapist. Once you read, you will want to discover the truth. 

The Therapist will be available tomorrow, July 13, 2021, in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook. 

Beach Rental: when a business arrangement turns into something more

Beach Rental by Grace Greene is the first book in the Emerald Isle, NC series. On the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, in the small town of Emerald Isle, Juli Cooke is a hard-working woman who is getting nowhere fast. Until she accepts the proposal from Ben Bradshaw. He wishes for her companionship in his final days as he is dying from an incurable disease. He offers a financial incentive, which she accepts. A marriage of convenience that she has no idea will set her on a journey of hope and love. Luke Winters, a local art dealer, is Ben’s cousin and best friend. He resents Juli and warns her not to hurt Ben and he’s watching to make sure she doesn’t. Then suddenly, Ben dies, and everything changes. Juli struggles with her new role as widow, her place in the community, as well as the dangers from her past that won’t leave her alone. She is determined to fight for her new found future, filled with hope and love. 

Beach Rental is a beautiful story of faith, love and miracles. I enjoyed every character. Juli comes from a harsh background. When she meets Ben, she enters into the relationship as the financial settlement would help her leave her dead-end jobs and give her the security she needs. What she doesn’t count on is enjoying Ben’s company and learning to care for him. Ben is a man of faith who doesn’t fear dying. He simply wants his last days to be happy and joyful and he wants Juli to help him fill those days. There were a few surprises that were unexpected and added to the story’s drama and resolution. Even Luke, who is harsh and skeptical of the relationship at the beginning, begins to see the effect Juli has on Ben. When danger comes to Juli’s door, Luke is ready to help her, for Ben’s sake...or so he thinks. I highly recommend Beach Rental. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Juli and Ben’s story and look forward to reading the rest of the series. 

Beach Rental is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

Maiden Voyages: the amazing stories of the women who traveled aboard the magnificent ocean liners

Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them by Siân Evans explores the women whose lives were transformed by the Golden Age of ocean liner travel between Europe and North America. During the early 20th century as transatlantic travel was dominated by the great ocean liners, many women undertook the journey. Some traveled for leisure, some traveled for work. Some traveled to reinvent themselves and find new opportunities. They were celebrities, migrants, refugees, aristocrats and crew members. The ocean liner was a snapshot of contemporary society, divided by class. From the A-listers of the day like Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker, to the steerage who sought to escape poverty. Ms. Evans sets out to bring their untold stories to light, to honor their trailblazing courage. 

Maiden Voyages is an engaging and informative book filled with the anecdotal social history of the women who crossed the Atlantic. Ms. Evans presents their stories in an engaging and fascinating portrait of these women’s amazing stories. Stories of women who went to work to support families, to escape pressures from society and seek adventure. I particularly enjoyed the story of Violet Jessop who survived several sinkings, including the Titanic, to be nicknamed “The Unsinkable Stewardess.” As well as the countless stewardesses who dared cross the Atlantic in war time, even after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915  and became nurses on hospital ships in World War II. Ms. Evans also features the stories of the war brides who were brought to America on ships like the Queen Mary. I highly recommend Maiden Voyages. 

Maiden Voyages: 

Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them 

will be available August 10, 2021 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.

Clawing Free: what if monsters are real? What would you do if they knew your name?

Clawing Free by Josh Roberts is a story that asks the questions: what if monsters are real? And what if they know you by name? Eleven years after the grisly death of her older sister, Mia, Elisabeth “Lissy” Oullette is struggling to move on as she tries to put the pieces of her life back together. She works as a waitress in Mitchum, Colorado, a small mountain town, when the anniversary of her sister’s death approaches and her life seems to be falling apart again. A series of mysterious deaths start occurring at the lake near town. As she and her friend, Neil, search for answers, Lissy finds herself being lured to the lake by something so evil and so powerful that it seems inevitable that the next death will be hers. What is this evil that has been lurking? Can Lissy find the strength and courage to defeat it? 

Inspired by C.K. Chesterton’s quote, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed” Clawing Free is a supernatural thriller as the heroine discovers a strength she didn’t know she had to defend her demons both real and the ones of her own making. A debut novel by author Josh Roberts, the theme of the love triumphs over evil rings throughout the story. Slowly, the layers of the mystery are peeled away, the reader is kept on the edge of their seat waiting, anticipating the discovery of the evil that hunts Lissy. The author’s descriptions of the monster are so vivid that I had no trouble imaging the horrifying evil in my mind. The final battle is intense and brings the story to a wondrous end. If you enjoy supernatural thrillers, you will enjoy Clawing Free. 

Clawing Free is available in eBook. 

The Beekeeper's Promise: a story of two women finding the courage to fight back

The Beekeeper’s Promise by Fiona Valpy is the story of two women. One lives during the World War II occupation of France and the other is a modern woman trying to put together the pieces of her shattered life and find herself again. Heartbroken and in need of a new start, Abi Howes takes a summer job at the Château Bellevue in the rural village of Coulliac, France. The voices of the past surround Abi as she stays at the château. She finds herself drawn to the story of one remarkable woman. A story that may change her summer and her life. Eliane Martin tends the beehives in the gardens of the Château Bellevue. There she meets Mathieu Dubosq and falls in love for the first time but as the rumors of war darken any hope for the future, she must decide to join the fight for France’s liberty or accept her new reality. Will Abi find a new meaning and purpose in life? Will Eliane find the courage to do what she must to survive? 

The Beekeeper’s Promise is an amazing story of two women who are faced with adversity which tests them body and soul. A growing number of books are now featuring stories of the French Resistance during World War II; but there are so many stories that can be told that it is not repetitive. Ms. Valpy has been able to bring the stories of the French Resistance to life as one community quietly but quickly standing up and fighting back. I’ve read a few criticisms that there seems to be no connection between Abi in 2017 and Eliane during the war. However, as Abi hears Eliane’s story, she finds the courage to move on from her painful past. I interpret it as Abi deciding that if Eliane can face the Nazis with the hope to survive, she can face the ghosts of her past and move on. The two women’s stories don’t need to be similar to find meaning and the strength to say “if she can do it, so can I.” I enjoyed this story so much that I wanted to see both women survive and thrive. I highly recommend The Beekeeper’s Promise. 

The Beekeeper’s Promise is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Hacking of the American Mind: an interesting look into the blurred lines between pleasure and happiness

The Hacking of the American Mind by Robert H. Lustig, MD, MSL, is the result of a discovery he made while researching and writing his New York Times bestseller Fat Chance, that the pursuit of happiness has been taken over by a culture of addiction and depression as well as pleasure being confused with happiness. He starts by explaining the differences between dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is the “reward” neurotransmitter that tells our brains we want more and substances and behaviors that release dopamine in the extreme lead to addiction. Serotonin is the “contentment” neurotransmitter that tells our brains that we don’t need any more and when it is in short supply, it leads to depression. Ideally, both neurotransmitters are needed. Dr. Lustig then presents studies, societal roles and government policies in the past 40 years that have promoted the pursuit of pleasure combined with the constant stress that has led to an epidemic of addiction, anxiety, depression, and chronic disease. The American people have been successfully imprisoned in an endless loop of desire, consumption and disease which escape is extremely difficult. As he presents a very hopeless picture, he offers a plan, a call to action that we can take back our health, well-being and the pursuit of happiness on our own terms. 

The Hacking of the American Mind was recommended to me by my cousin-in-law. I was intrigued by the premise. Divided into five parts, Lustig breaks down the biochemistry of dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter) and serotonin (the contentment neurotransmitter) and how they are produced and function in the brain, and how advertisers and the governments has “hacked” our minds into believing that pleasure is the same as happiness. He also offers a way that people can break free from this “hacking.” He proposes what he calls the Four Cs: Connect, Contribute, Cope, and Cook. There were a lot that I liked about the book. The sections on biochemistry, while scientific, are broken down in a way that it helps the reader understand why these two neurotransmitters are important. It is relatable as how sugar has invaded the food supply and has created a host of health issues. I liked that he admitted that obesity doesn’t always mean an individual is unhealthy. There were a few things I disliked about the book as well. Dr. Lustig is a bit preachy and condescending. At one point, he discusses studies on happiness, he states that 43% of Americans are unhappy, at least “those who admit it.” So anyone who claims to be happy is lying? Some may lie but not everyone. He takes some subtle and unnecessary political jabs that it’s obvious where he lies politically. While presenting the whys to our health issues, he often ignores other causes that happen along with the others. Overall, I recommend The Hacking of the American Mind as it is worth the read. 

The Hacking of the American Mind is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.