more than letters on a line today

  the Personal Librarian Marie Benedict  and Victoria Christopher Murray 4.8 stars   Belle needs to hide her Black roots to reach any success as the librarian in JP Morgan’s life. The story of how this comes to be, the individual and separate commitments of her father and the dedication of her mother underlie who and what she becomes. Rich in the history of segregation, the importance of education, and the world of language, this book is also a valuable read on the endless attainment and possession of the wealthy of that time. The ability of the privileged to live a life dedicated to accumulation as Belle works each day to hide her parentage is well explained. The book does not dissolve into the painful sacrifices made by ‘coloured folk’ in order to survive but tells the history of two sides. If you are interested in manuscripts, auctions, travel and acceptable relationships of the time this is the book for you. This book is authored by two people and I am always cu...

A History of Burning  Janika Oza    debut novel, pub date May 2, 2023 3.5 stars  This is a book covering a lot of history and many deep, interesting characters. It traces the route of Pirabhai's family through the generations from India, Africa, Britain and Canada.  I really wanted to like this book more, and am somewhat familiar of the history and circumstances faced by visible minorities from this part of the world (as I am one) but I found the overwhelming belief that 'family survives no matter what' tiresome by the end. I wish that the weight of obligation and duty were also covered. The numerous people mentioned from neighbours, friends, school mates was really too much for me (SO much detail) and other essential pieces of the family dynamic were missing (Meetu, what was the family's response, how did they cope?) and I wanted to know more of how the ending transpired.   I felt that the author shared an overabundance of accumulated misdeeds of disc...