11/22/63 by Stephen King

Rating: 4 of 5 stars 

Pages: 864 pages
Published: November 2011

11/22/63 was published in 2011, and I received an electronic copy as a Christmas gift later that year. The e-book has sat dormant in my Nook library all these years. A Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club community reading group prompted me to finally dig in and read this tome! 

The time-traveling story features Jake Epping as the main character, and the set-up is seemingly simple: Jake’s dying friend discovers a portal back to 1958 and compels him to use it to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But if you didn’t know already, there’s nothing simple about changing history. Stephen King takes his reader on a windy journey that includes several road blocks when Jake tries to fix something because the “past is obdurate” as well as coincidences because the “past harmonizes.” The overall plot is simple, but the detailed presentation is complex and engaging. 

What I loved most is how King makes the past feel alive. You don’t just read about the U.S. in the 60s. You smell the food, hear the music, and feel the slower pace of life. It’s intoxicating reading about it through Jake, a white man’s eyes, and you can understand why he is tempted to stay. (As a Black American reading about this time, where segregation and Jim Crow were prevalent, it’s a bit horrifying. And personally, I’m good in the current craziness in which we live.)  

The premise of the book, thwarting the assassination plot permeates the novel, but the heart of the book is Jake’s relationship with Sadie. Their love story makes the moral dilemma even sharper. If you could save millions by changing history but risk losing the person you love the most, what would you do? Who would you choose? And here’s where the book really got me thinking. We all have moments in our lives we wish we could rewrite, but are the ramifications of change worth it. As King illustrates, tampering with the past doesn’t guarantee a better future. In fact, it often makes things worse. Maybe the wiser path is to learn from history, honor its lessons, and focus on shaping the present. 

Recommendation: If you’re looking to read one of the most prolific writers of the time but aren’t intrigued by his standard horror, consider this book. King stated that he specifically wrote it trying to get a different reading demographic. I strongly recommend 11/22/63. It will allow you to meditate on fate, choice, and the messy beauty of living with the past instead of trying to erase it. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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One Night in Georgia by Celeste O. Norfleet

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Pages: 304 pages
Published: June 2019 

Shortly after I read One Day in December, I stumbled upon One Night in Georgia and the juxtaposition of the titles made me smile. The synopsis of latter made me want to read it. The novel is set in the late 60s where the black is beautiful and Civil Rights Movements are in full bloom. The main character, Zelda, meets up with her college friends and sorority sisters, Veronica and Daphne, near the end of summer to drive from New York to Georgia where they will resume their college education at Spelman University. They meet up with family friend*, Daniel, who escorts them on this tumultuous trip that includes several episodes of racism, terrifying encounters with the police, and some fun and excitement. However, the tone of the book foreshadows a pivotal event that changes the lives of the college students forever.

At just a little over 300 pages, this book is not overwhelming. It actually reads much faster that one might expect. I enjoyed taking a peek back in history through Norfleet's eyes of this time period. It was an important one for African Americans, and the first part of the novel was spot on in capturing the time period, retelling actual events that occurred, and illustrating similar events through fiction. However, about halfway through the book, it changes from a study of the African American condition to a kind of cheesy love story which later evolved into some 50 shades-type prose, and the ending just fell flat for me.

I was hoping for better character development and resolution of the major issues presented like Zelda's relations with her mother, and the relationship between both of them and her stepfather. I wanted more of a conclusion about how Zelda could begin healing from her father's death. The other friends, who had major roles in the story, had their endings wrapped up much too quickly in a few sentences without really dealing with the heavy issues (arranged marriage, sexual assault, biracial identity) they were tackling. Overall, I felt like Norfleet took the easy way out with the ending and left too many other issues up in the air. What began as a driving and intriguing story quickly lost its power and effect.

Recommendation:  Even though this was a quick read, I would not recommend this one. There are other books that deal with some of the major issues in this book in a more effective way. And maybe that was the problem, the author tried to cram too much into one story and didn't know how to synthesize it all. So disappointed!

*The Goodreads synopsis says Daniel is a family friend of Veronica, but I am certain he was a family friend by way of Zelda. I'm not sure if this the publisher's error or an error on the part of Goodreads.

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

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My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King

Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Narrators: Phylicia Rashad and January LaVoy
Length: 14:20:00
Published: June 2017 

In the midst of a reading slump, I solicited help via social media and was provided with several recommendations. The first I chose to take up was Mrs. Coretta Scott King's autobiography, My Life, My Love, My Legacy. This book was published in 2017, more than 10 years after her death. The book is a chronological story of her life as it was told to Dr. Barbara Reynolds.

For this re-telling, I selected the audiobook which was read first by January LaVoy then after Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, was read by Phylicia Rashad of The Cosby Show fame. My biggest question was why the change in narrators. I think maybe the publisher wanted to give readers an audible signal that Mrs. King's life vastly changed after her husband's, her love's murder but that she continued to live a life full of charitable work and purpose.

And that is my biggest takeaway from this wonderful book. Mrs. Coretta Scott King was an activist in her own right. She was an educated and independent woman who was a loving daughter, mother, and wife. She was a fierce partner and confidant during her husband's very demanding and successful life. I truly enjoyed listening to the stories, many that I've heard growing up, from her perspective. It was also eye-opening just how much she did after that fateful day in April of 1968. Her strength through harassing and threatening phone calls, her patience with an often-traveled spouse who's work was never done, and her persistence and commitment to non-violence when there had been so much violence against her family. I appreciated how she shared private bits of her relationship with her children. I also enjoyed learning little facts about her that I never would have known, like her reason for never re-marrying and who funded her living quarters in the latter part of her life.

Dr. King is well known for his eloquent speaking and presentation skills. This book proves that Mrs. King was also a talented communicator. In this book, her prose is rhythmic and inspirational. I closed my listening app feeling satisfied as it ended with this:

For struggle is a never-ending process, and freedom is never really won. You earn it, and win it - in every generation. -Coretta Scott King

Recommendation: I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. It should resonate with any reader on a variety of levels as it activates a wide range of emotions. Mrs. King has left a long-lasting legacy that her children and grandchildren should be most proud of. I am thankful for the recommendation from Kara, and I hope my review is a way of paying it forward to another reader.

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

Read More