Barbara recommends several novels about the lives of women during World War II.
A Novel Virus: Tales of the Great Influenza
As this pandemic marches on, it becomes clear that that the Spanish Flu pandemic (which actually originated in Kansas) of over 100 years ago has much to teach us. The education is not just scientific, but the way people think and behave. I have some novels that use the Spanish Flu as a catalyst, and…
Beyond Beauty: Women In South Korea
Frances Cha's riveting debut, If I Had your Face, reveals modern-day South Korea to be influenced mostly by patriarchy and class stratification. The young, mostly working-class women in this novel are scolded constantly for not being mindful of the future, but when you can never make enough to buy a house or give any potential…
Debt, Drugs, and Dystopia
K.M. Szpara has created an all-too-plausible dystopia with Docile. Under a federal law, debt transfers to the next of kin, meaning one generation becomes responsible for the previous generation's financial responsibilities (student, medical, etc.), leading to intergenerational poverty for most of the population. The only way to realistically pay off this debt is to temporarily…
Mothers, Daughters and Cults in Fiction
Chelsea Bieker's Godshot is the story of Lacey May, a girl in a drought-stricken town under the sway of an unhinged religious leader named Vern. After her mother is cast out and leaves town, Lacey May is selected to be part of the "Bible Study Girls," who Vern has particularly nefarious plans for. Lacey May…
The Good, The Odd, and the Elemental
Victorian fantasy has had a bit of a renaissance recently, whether steampunk or the more traditional variety. I've got five titles for you, generally dealing with a bit of mystery and featuring strong female leads. Things in Jars refer to the unusual items and creatures that certain collectors prize in Jess Kidd's just-released fantastical mystery…
To Plot Against Her Majesty: 6 Books of Elizabethan Intrigue
England's Elizabeth I was virtually deified during her reign, known as Britain's Golden Age. Behind the mask of Gloriana, however, Good Queen Bess ran a police state that quickly stamped out the slightest opposition. The fact that she remained unmarried and childless was a cause of much concern. Intrigue was rife, even for the royal…
Top Pick: Al Pacino Turns 80
There are few actors as celebrated as Al Pacino. He's been acting for over 50 years, and turns 80 on April 25th. He's won pretty much every acting award they have including the Oscar, the Emmy, and the BAFTA, and been nominated for everything else. So here we go: the highlights of a storied career…
Games We Play With Children: 5 Books About Nannies
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid is sly, perceptive, and oh-so-timely. Alix, who is white, has cultivated a flair for communication and beautiful handwriting into a brand and is attempting to write a book while her newscaster husband weathers a professional storm after making a racially insensitive comment on air. Emira, who is black…
Queer in the West
"Out West" in the American popular imagination means wide open spaces, boot and saddle leather, and freedom. Of course, there were, and are, only so many freedoms allowed women and sexual minorities anywhere. This post looks at LGBTQ folks in the American West, past, present, and future. Upright Women Wanted by Hugo Award-winner Sarah Gailey…
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