For the third year in a row, my husband and I participated in Fallen Heroes of Georgia's annual 1K, 5K and 10K at Lake Lanier outside Atlanta. The event honored the 209 Georgia soldiers who have given their lives since 2001. The organization uses the race as a fundraiser to honor these soldiers and their families. Each year, what continues to be so powerful for me is the way each soldier is remembered. Along the race route a sign with a soldier's name, rank, age, hometown and the date he or she was killed in action. Many of these soldiers' family members attend and stand by their family member's sign.

Some friends rode with us this year. On our way out after the race, one of them remarked about how young the majority of the soldiers are who have been killed. Sign after sign reported a soldier's age as 19, 20, 22 years old.

I was reminded of the book I'm rereading right now that my class will begin discussing this week, All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel about a group of German soldiers in the trenches during World War I. The narrator Paul keeps commenting on their youth, and feels old compared to the new recruits that keep joining them, even though he is only 20.

"Reinforcements have arrived. The vacancies have been filled and the sacks of straw in the huts are already booked. Some of them are old hands, but there are twenty-five men of a later draft from the base. They are about two years younger than us. Kropp nudges me: 'Seen the infants?'"

I nod. We stick out our chests, shave in the open, shove our hands in our pockets, inspect the recruits and feel ourselves stone-age veterans" (Chapter 3).

Book Review: Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

Published by: Dutton

Published on: January 15, 2013

Page Count: 352

Genre: historical fiction

My Reading Format: Advanced reading copy, Kindle edition

Available Formats: Hardcover, Kindle and Audible audio editions

Note: This review contains spoilers.

My Review:

This is the story of an unlikely friendship between First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her modiste, or dressmaker and dresser Elizabeth Keckley. Keckley, a former slave, sewed dresses for the wives of some of the Civil War era's most notable politicians and built a successful business in the nation's capital. Elizabeth knew the Lincolns very well and was present during some of their most intimate conversations and struggles. After President Lincoln's assassination, Keckley remained one of the First Lady's few true friends. She traveled with her to Chicago to help her set up housekeeping and hold Mrs. Lincoln together emotionally as best she could.

I thought the beginning of the book, while interesting, moved a little slowly for my taste. My favorite parts of this book were when Elizabeth was focused on herself and her business rather than just simply the Lincolns. Also, I thought this book was at its most intriguing when it showed Elizabeth and Mrs. Lincoln's relationship after the White House years.

But, I became frustrated quickly with the sticky situations Elizabeth found herself in over and over with her clients, particularly Mrs. Lincoln. (And, yes, I do realize that I'm looking at the book from a cushy spot in the 21st century.) In her early life Elizabeth had been the property of a kind slaveholding family. As an adult with a clear talent and business sense living in the Union, Elizabeth was still beholden to her clients in a way that meant she had to answer to them differently than she may have had to under different circumstances.

By the end of the book I was very torn about Elizabeth and Mrs. Lincoln's friendship. Mrs. Lincoln had depended upon her modiste and her husband for so long that she couldn't function without them both. Elizabeth was kind-hearted enough not to force Mrs. Lincoln to ever be completely without her. However, I was uncomfortable with Elizabeth's unwavering devotion to the former First Lady as she lost friends, incurred unimaginable amounts of debt and behaved in an unbecoming way. Then, when Mrs. Lincoln dismissed Elizabeth's friendship, I felt indignant and hurt for Elizabeth, who had remained loyal to the Lincolns for so many years.

None of this is to say that Chiaverini didn't do a great job tackling a tough subject, with a person at the center of the narrative whose importance has been lost in our history. I'm always fascinated reading extraordinary stories like this because they are so based in real events.

Former President Abraham Lincoln is receiving lots of attention these days, and I'm glad. I'm also glad some of his contemporaries, namely Elizabeth Keckley, are also finally getting their due.

Happy Presidents Day!

Three and a half out of five stars

Pride and Prejudice turns 200

One of my favorite novels, Pride and Prejudice, turned 200 this week. Coincidentally, it's what my high school students are reading right now and most of them are really enjoying it. (One student did remark that the Bennet sisters were stuffier than Alcott's March sisters, however.) Since another student expressed genuine surprise this week when I told him I'd never read a graphic novel, I'm going to say that this cartoon from NPR counts.

Just for fun, here are a few photos from my trip to Bath a few years ago where you can still feel immersed in Jane Austen's world.

It's Monday. What are you reading?

This event is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Here's what I'll be reading this week:

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker for a book review coming soon
Starting The Lincoln Lawyer on my iPod
Starting The Finkler Question in the car
Reading The Things They Carried and A Separate Peace because I'll soon be assigning them to my class

Happy reading!

Recent Read: Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics

Over Christmas I got in a little extra reading time and got to read a book I'd been looking forward to: Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics by Jeremy Schaap. I enjoy reading athletes' stories but didn't know much about Owens' accomplishments. Also, I didn't learn anything about the 1936 Berlin Olympics when I visited the city (but I learned plenty about other things) and was curious. Not only did I get what I needed to know about Owens and Hitler's manipulation of and propaganda for these Olympic games, several other things I've recently read also popped up here.

American Ambassador to Germany William Dodd got box seats during the Berlin Olympics to watch Owens run. (In 2012 I read In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson, an account of Dodd's time with his family in Berlin between the World Wars.) Author Thomas Wolfe sat with him in his box watching Owens win his three gold medals in three events (I visited Wolfe's Asheville home a few years ago and have just moved You Can't Go Home Again closer to the top of my reading stack). Also, there was mention of the eugenics programs in effect while Hitler was in power. Unfortunately, the same practices were also happening in some states in America, and exploring the program and its practice in North Carolina after World War II (when many states put an end to these programs) was something I spent a lot of time studying, contemplating and writing about in graduate school. 

New year, less clutter

Last week I read Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter Find Your Life by Gail Blanke. How much did I need this! It's the new year and I'm feeling the need to keep my house, and particularly my office, more organized this year. In the book, Blanke gives you the step-by-step, room-by-room instructions to clean out your house, followed by removing other unnecessary clutter in the form of old expectations, failures, relationships and other mental clutter. I'm planning to at least tackle getting the house together. (I figure the business goals I've set for the year probably suffice for the other.) So far I've cleaned out costume jewelry I haven't worn in too long and the master closet. I've got a bunch of stuff for Goodwill now. And, I can actually close my jewelry box! Up next: the bathroom cabinets.

Modern Sherlock Holmes Books: Love!

I've recently read two modern-day Sherlock Holmes novels, both of which I enjoyed, but especially The Sherlockian by Graham Moore. I saved The Sherlockian for my London trip back in the fall and it kept me occupied during most of my down time that week. It was quite a page-turner, and I got a surprise at the end that I never saw coming. I love when that happens. I was enjoying it so much that I picked up The House of Silk in a Waterstone's in London and recently finished that. While I wasn't as enthralled with it as I was The Sherlockian, I really enjoyed both of these modern stories with familiar characters.

Two years ago in London I visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street. It was cheesy enough that I enjoyed it but didn't feel the need to go back and see it again this past trip. I did get to meet Dr. Watson on my visit. Though he was certainly no Jude Law, he was a fun character who wanted to be in pictures with all the tourists.

(Photo by Melyssa)