In 1999, each of the LLLI Founders was asked to share her current reading favorites--a list as delightfully diverse and unique as the Founders themselves.
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g Mary White: I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Harper & Row, 1960). I had read it a long time ago and of course have seen the movie. It’s a wonderful story. I also enjoy mysteries—a-la Martha Grimes, Anne Perry and Edith Pargeter (a.k.a. Ellis Peters).
g Marian Tompson: The book I am enthusiastically reading and cannot put down this summer is Radical Healing: Integrating the World's Great Therapeutic Traditions to Create a New Transformative Medicine by Rudolph Ballentine, MD, physician, psychiatrist, herbalist, Ayurvedic practitioner, homeopath, and teacher. Beautifully written and easy to read, Radical Healing offers a vision of medical care that comes out of Dr. Ballentine’s vast experience which recognizes illness as an opportunity for growth that can go far beyond recovery.
g Betty Wagner Spandikow: Romance novels are my favorite and if they have a bit of history to them I like them better. My current favorite author is Julie Garwood. She writes an interesting story without a lot of sex. I think I've read most of her books, but keep on the lookout for others. One I still have on hand is a hard cover of The Wedding (Pocket Book, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.). I saved it as I thought it would be a good one to send to a granddaughter when she is getting married (and I do have a number of granddaughters of an age to be married!). I read all of Susan Phillips books too and enjoy them very much. It is interesting to see how much more polished she is with these later books than with the first ones she wrote.
g Mary Ann Kerwin: I particularly like biographies, history, and English novels such as those written by Jane Austen. Many of the books I have read this year reflect selections made jointly in my book club—one that four friends and I started in 1964 when our families were young. Two of my recent favorites:
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin (1994 Simon & Schuster) is a historical portrait of the United States during 1940 to 1945, a time period I am very interested in because I can recall my childhood impressions and now have questions relating to the events of that era.
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (1996 Simon & Schuster) is the painful childhood memoir of the author, who was born in New York but grew up in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. I was especially interested in reading this because my grandparents emigrated from Ireland.
Other books that I’ve enjoyed this year are Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose ; Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom; Country Days by Alice Taylor; and Charming Billy by Alice McDermott.
I also try to read daily from a book my older brother gave me last Christmas, Journeying with the Lord: Reflections for Everyday, by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the widely admired Archbishop of Milan, Italy (1987, Alba House, NY).
As you can guess, the table next to my bed is piled high! I can never really find enough time for all the books I aspire to read.
g Mary Ann Cahill: I’m not reading as much as I’d like—there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Mainly I read periodicals, though I recently finished With God in Russia (1997, Ignatius Press) by Walter Ciszek, who grew up “tough” in a Polish neighborhood in the US, became a priest in the Eastern Rite, went to Russia under an assumed name in order to serve the Polish/Russian people living under Communism. He was accused of being a spy, imprisoned and forced into slave labor building the huge Russian industrial centers in Siberia. All told, he was kept in Russia 23 years. This story is told straightforward and without animosity. The effect is an incredible example of courage and faith in God overcoming totalitarianism. I grew up during WWII and remember the Cold War vividly. This was a look behind the scenes. It made me realize again how fortunate we are in this country
g Edwina Froehlich: I can never pass up a bookstore; consequently I am often into three or four books at a time. Currently I have two that I purchased and three from the library—all calling to me.
Uncovering Clinton by Michael Isikoff (1999, Crown Pub.) was on the less-than-half-price shelf which is always an eye catcher for me. I recognized the author as an experienced and credible reporter of the political scene and thought his version of the happenings would be interesting—and it is.
Between Death & Life is by Dolores Cannon—she is a past life regressionist and the possibilities of reincarnation hold a fascination for me. Lady Be Good is by Susan Phillips, who is a retired Leader I remember from when she was active in Ohio LLL. This is one of many she has written. When I am in the mood for a pleasant romantic novel with a happy ending I have this to refer to. Besides, paperbacks are small, light, and easy to read in bed.
Silver Wedding is by Maeve Binchy, who writes delightful stories about life in modern Ireland. She is a real people lover and a fascinating storyteller. In my mind I actually live with the characters in her story. It is always hard for me to tear myself away and get to my chores when I am in the midst of one of Binchy’s tales.
Everyday Blessings by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn is about parenting and though that is no longer my main focus in life, I had noticed the book in LLLI’s catalogue and made a note to get it. My procrastination in the matter came to an abrupt halt when I discovered that I was to have the privilege of introducing these authors at the LLLI Conference in July. I am only part way through the book at this point but I surely wish I had had it 40 years ago! I am now truly eager to meet the authors in person.
g Viola Lennon: One of the best books I have read in ages is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (1997, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., NY). The style of the writing fascinates me. It has a lilting quality as if written in Japanese and translated. Not so—this is a first novel by Golden, who is an American.
Early in the story, two young girls are sold into slavery after the death of their mother. One is assigned to a house of prostitution, the other has two choices: she can become a maid for the rest of her life, or she can train to be a geisha. A geisha is an entertainer—sometimes more. She must be educated, learn to dance, play a special instrument, and register in her town.
Watching Sayuri study, you see a whole different culture with its own value system. Honesty is admired, hard work is appreciated, and loyalty to one’s supporters is paramount. We view her struggles not only to become a very important geisha, but also to find happiness and contentment. I will never see the word kimono without remembering Sayuri and her story.