Svetlana's Reads and Views

Title of the book: White Fragility; Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism Author: Robin Diangelo  Publisher: Beacon Press Publishing Date: 2018 ISBN: B07638ZFN1 Summary: The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, anti-racist educator Robin DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what can be done to engage more constructively. Author Info:  (From goodreads/wikipedia) Robin J. DiAngelo is...

Title of the book:  Signs in the rearview mirror; leaving a toxic relationship behind Author: Kelly Smith Publisher: Sunny Day Publishing Inc Publishing Date: 2018 ISBN: 9781948613019 Summary: What kind of person ends up in a toxic relationship? And why does she stay? This searingly honest novel answers both those questions head-on. Coming out of a failing marriage, Kelly turns to Gabe out of fear of being alone. Her gradual slide into danger is at once terrifying and inevitable, and the steps she takes to get out of it will both inspire and offer hope. Author Info: (From iRead Book Tours) Buy the Book: Amazon ~ B&N ~ Audible Add to Goodreads Meet the Author: Boston born and raised, Kelly now makes her home in Austin,TX with her three sons and one amazing Giant Schnauzer, Bullseye. Kelly has written for Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, and hosts a podcast, Let's Get Wicked Deep. ​Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook Personal Opinion: Quite often, ...

Name of Book: The Way of Beauty Author: Camille Di Maio ISBN:  B074H94421 Publisher: Lake Union Publishing Year it was published: 2018 Summary: Vera Keller, the daughter of German immigrants in turn- of-the-century New York City, finds her life upended when the man she loves becomes engaged to another woman. But Angelo Bellavia has also inadvertently opened up Vera’s life to unexpected possibilities. Angelo’s new wife, Pearl, the wealthy daughter of a clothing manufacturer, has defied her family’s expectations by devoting herself to the suffrage movement. In Pearl, Vera finds an unexpected dear friend…and a stirring new cause of her own. But when Pearl’s selfless work pulls her farther from Angelo and their son, the life Vera craved is suddenly within her reach—if her conscience will allow her to take it. Her choice will define not only her future but also that of her daughter, Alice. Vera and Alice—a generation and a world apart—are bound by the same passionate...

Name of Book: Queen for a day Author: Maxine Rosaler ISBN:  9781883285753 Publisher:  Delphinium Year it was published: 2018 Summary: After Mimi Slavitt’s three-year-old son, Danny, is diagnosed with autism, she finds herself in a world nearly as isolating as her son’s. It is a position she shares only with mothers like herself, women chosen against their will for lives of sacrifice and martyrdom. Searching for miracles, begging for the help of heartless bureaucracies while arranging every minute of every day for children who can never be left alone, they exist in a state of perpetual crisis, normal life always just out of reach. In chapters told from Mimi’s point of view and theirs, these women emerge as conflicted, complex individuals, totally unsuited for sainthood, often dreaming of the day they can just walk away. Taking its title from the 1950s reality TV show in which the contestants—housewives living lives filled with pain and suffering—competed with...

Name of Book:  Speak no evil Author:  Uzodinma Iweala ISBN:  9780061284922 Publisher:  Harper Year it was published: 2018 Summary: In the long-anticipated novel from the author of the critically acclaimed Beasts of No Nation, a revelation shared between two privileged teenagers from very different backgrounds sets off a chain of events with devastating consequences. On the surface, Niru leads a charmed life. Raised by two attentive parents in Washington, D.C., he’s a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school. Bound for Harvard in the fall, his prospects are bright. But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer—an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents. No one knows except Meredith, his best friend, the daughter of prominent Washington insiders—and the one person who seems not to judge him. When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. Coping with troubles of her own, howeve...

Title of the book: At least know this; Essential science to enhance your life Author: Guy P. Harrison Publisher: Prometheus Books Publishing Date: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-63388-405-2 Summary: This primer on essential scientific literacy gives readers the basics to understand themselves and the world around them, plus a glimpse of how much more science has to offer. Science tells us a good deal about who we are, where we come from, the nature of the universe, how our brains work, and much, much more. Unfortunately, most people are largely unaware of this treasure trove of information. As a result, we are more prone to do things like aim nuclear weapons at each other, inflate the meaning of cultural differences, lay waste to the land, poison and deplete the oceans, fill the sky with carbon, and generally make poor judgments that cause needless trouble. This book seeks to remedy this situation by providing scientific answers to the most basic yet important questions about ...

Name of Book: Promised Land Author: Martin Fletcher ISBN: 978-1-250-11882-0 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Type of book: Israel, 1950-1967, family, history, Mossad, Judaism, shaping, control, power, hidden secrets, wars, survival, travel, US Year it was published: 2018 Summary: "Promised Land is a great sweeping epic, reminiscent of Leon Uris’ Exodus." —Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Cuban Affair Promised Land is the sweeping saga of two brothers and the woman they love, a devastating love triangle set against the tumultuous founding of Israel. The story begins when fourteen-year-old Peter is sent west to America to escape the growing horror of Nazi Germany. But his younger brother Arie and their entire family are sent east to the death camps. Only Arie survives. The brothers reunite in the nascent Jewish state, where Arie becomes a businessman and one of the richest men in Israel while Peter becomes a top Mossad agent heading s...

Name of Book: The Devil's Wind Author: Steve Goble ISBN: 978-1-63388-484-7 Publisher: Seventh Street Books Part of a Series: Spider John Mysteries Type of book: 1723, pirates, mystery, love triangle, murder, seas, trap, islands, sailing, deductive reasoning, confrontation Year it was published: 2018 Summary: A historical mystery that blends nautical adventure in pirate waters with a locked-room murder mystery, featuring a pirate sleuth whose wits are as sharp as his blade. Spider John, longing to escape the pirate life he never wanted, has an honest seafaring job at last and a chance to return to his beloved Em and their child. But when Captain Brentwood is murdered in his cabin, Spider’s plans are tossed overboard. Who killed Redemption’s captain? The mysterious pirate with a sadistic past? The beautiful redhead who hides guns beneath her skirt? One of the men pining for the captain’s daughter? There are plenty of suspects. But how could anyone kill th...

Name of Book :A knife in the Fog Author: Bradley Harper ISBN: 978-1-63388-486-1 Publisher: Seventh Street Part of a Series: Prequel to Queen's Gambit Type of book: Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes prototype, Arthur Conan Doyle, England, 1888, Margaret Harkness, Joseph Bell, mystery, immigration attitudes, history, murders, friendship, mentoring, observation Year it was published: 2018 Summary: Physician Arthur Conan Doyle takes a break from his practice to assist London police in tracking down Jack the Ripper. September 1888. A twenty-nine-year-old Arthur Conan Doyle practices medicine by day and writes at night. His first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, although gaining critical and popular success, has only netted him twenty-five pounds. Embittered by the experience, he vows never to write another "crime story." Then a messenger arrives with a mysterious summons from former Prime Minister William Gladstone, asking him to come to London i...

Name of Book: Burton Blake Author: Robert Tucker ISBN: 978-1-944056-91-9 Publisher: Wise Words Part of a Series: The Revolutionist was prequel Type of book: 1940s-modern times, company, Blake corporation, father/son relationships, family, friends, power play games, politics, housing, money, wealth Year it was published: 2018 Summary: In this sequel to The Revolutionist, the American journey of three generations locks the neophyte company president, Burton Blake, in a vicious struggle with corporate intrigue, financial greed, and social corruption. Born to a taxi dancer at the beginning of the Second World War, Burton’s father, Elias Blake, never knows his natural father, who is killed in the South Pacific. He is raised by his mother and stepfather from her second marriage who makes his fortune during the post war real estate boom of the 50’s. Their untimely death by his business partner leaves the boy Elias in the guardianship of his mother’s best friend and her ...

Name of Book: Vintage 1954 Author: Antoine Laurain ISBN: 9781910477670 Publisher: Gallic Type of book: 2017, 1954, relatives, France, 1954 France versus 2017 France, nostalgia, finances, humor, time travel, aliens, wines, mixology, romance Year it was published: 2019 Summary: 'The very quintessence of French romance...' The Times When Hubert Larnaudie invites some fellow residents of his Parisian apartment building to drink an exceptional bottle of 1954 Beaujolais, he has no idea of its special properties. The following morning, Hubert finds himself waking up in 1950s Paris, as do antique restorer Magalie, mixologist Julien, and Airbnb tenant Bob from Milwaukee, who's on his first trip to Europe. After their initial shock, the city of Edith Piaf and An American in Paris begins to work its charm on them. The four delight in getting to know the French capital during this iconic period, whilst also playing with the possibilities that time travel allo...

Name of Book: Exposed Author: Jean-Philippe Blondel, trans. Alison Anderson ISBN: 978-1-939931-67-2 Publisher: New Vessel Press Type of book: Painting, relationships, aging, artist, fame, family, moving on, France, friendship, model/artist relationships Year it was published: 2019 (original in 2018) Summary: A French teacher on the verge of retirement is invited to a glittering opening that showcases the artwork of his former student, who has since become a celebrated painter. This unexpected encounter leads to the older man posing for his portrait. Possibly in the nude. Such personal exposure at close range entails a strange and troubling pact between artist and sitter that prompts both to reevaluate their lives. Blondel, author of the hugely popular novel The 6:41 to Paris, evokes an intimacy of dangerous intensity in a tale marked by profound nostalgia and a reckoning with the past that allows its two characters to move ahead in to the future. Characters: M...

Name of Book: The High Court Author: Chris Ledbetter ISBN: 978-1-946700-72-8 Publisher: Month9Books Part of a Series: Sequel to The Sky Throne Type of book: Gods, goddesses, justice, friendship, brotherhood, couples, young adult, daily life, learning, surviving Year it was published: 2018 Summary: High atop Mount Olympus, dawn breaks on a new academic term. Normalcy has returned to campus following a harrowing expedition into The Underworld to rescue kidnapped students by Zeus and his fellow Olympians. Now, as they prepare to testify in The High Court, Hyperion will be tried for the attack on Crete and death of Anytos. Kronos will stand trial for the murder of Mount Olympus Prep’s Headmaster Ouranos. As the trials draw near, Mount Olympus Prep students and faculty are besieged repeatedly by a race of gargantuan stone and earth giants. Under heavy assault, the Olympians are forced to flee to the volcanic island of Limnos to regroup. Meanwhile, a toxic poison Zeu...

Title of the book: HIIT your limit; High Intensity Interval Training for Fat loss, Cardio, and full body health Author:  Dr. Len Kravitz Publisher: Apollo Publishers Publishing Date: 2018 ISBN: 9781948062244 Summary: Get lean, build muscle, and stay healthy in only ten minutes a day! A Fitness Hall of Fame inductee and world-famous exercise scientist explains the #1 new fitness trend and how to get and keep the body you’ve always wanted. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an extraordinarily effective form of training that mixes high- and low-impact activities during periods ranging from seconds to eight minutes. In HIIT Your Limit, Dr. Len Kravitz, who has been inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame and been an internationally-renowned exercise scientist for the past thirty-six years, and sold nearly100,0000 copies of his last fitness book, explains what HIIT is, how it effects your entire body (externally and internally), gives 50 workouts and a...

Title of the book: The Power of Context; How to manage our bias and improve our understanding of others Author:  Daniel R. Stalder Publisher: Prometheus Books Publishing Date: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-63388-401-4 Summary: A social psychologist focuses on a very common yet rarely discussed bias called the "fundamental attribution error," showing how being aware of this bias can improve our day-to-day understanding of others. Social life involves making judgments about other people. Often these snap judgments turn out to be wrong when we overlook context. Social psychologists call this pervasive bias the "fundamental attribution error." This book explores the many ways in which this error creeps into our social interactions, frequently causing misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and negative treatment of others. Psychologist Daniel R. Stalder examines common examples of this error, from road rage and misinterpreting facial expressions to "gaydar,"...

Name of Book: The Way of Glory Author: Patricia J. Boomsma ISBN: 978-1-7326820-0-9 Publisher: Edeleboom Type of book: Second Crusade, 1147-1153, English village life, Medieval Times, Queen Maude and Stephen, religion, muslims, christians, travel, Spain, Jerusalem, wars, siege, fighting, healing, learning from each other, morality Year it was published: 2018 Summary: Cate, a teenaged girl from twelfth century England, joins her brothers and aunt on a crusade to save Jerusalem that stops in Hispania to battle the Moors. Life on a battlefield strains the family's closeness as they confront the terror and contradictions of holy war. Cate's dreams of sainthood change to those of a husband and children when she falls in love with a soldier, but she finds no peace even after the family settles on land taken from the Moors. Cate's friendship with a conquered Moor soon leads to impossible choices as she faces the cost of betrayal and the loss of all she's kno...

General Information: Name of Book: From An-Other Land; Making Home in the Land of Dreams ISBN: 9789385854736 Publisher: Readomania Year it was published: 2018 Summary: Given The chance, would you be ready to immigrate.A majority would probably answer ‘Yes’. Yet, immigrants are looked at with either contempt or segregation and rarely compassion, in their motherland and abroad. Post The 2016 US elections, The rhetoric is further reverberating. From cancellation of refugee protection, zero tolerance and undercurrent crackdown on H visas to racism, profiling and discrimination—the resurgence of nationalism is hitting The globalised population head-on.But what is immigration today. A question of life or death. A fleeing of persecution. A compulsion. Or a mere pursuance of privilege. And, what is USA today, especially for Indians.From An-Other Land is a reality check and an emotional guide for anyone who wants to understand modern-day immigration to USA. Author: Tanushree Gh...