Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson



I wasn't sure, during the hurricane, if all the points of view of the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day were going to end with me feeling elevated by this read, but they did. Even though the storm was so completely devastating, the people of the town were able to regroup and rebuild. 'Honesty in your dealings with your fellow men' is an anchoring discussion point throughout the book. People who are dishonest with others cause a lot of harm.

There was a fascinating discussion of the inception of the weather bureau and it's involvement in the disastrous effects of the storm. Some of the personalities involved are so pompous as to be unbelievable, but their words are direct quotes from telegrams and etc. Also there was a semi-technical discussion of the way the winds move around the globe and how that affected the hurricane, and how hurricanes in general develop. I think a diagram would have helped me understand the winds better.

I highly recommend becoming familiar with the map of Galveston in the front of the book before beginning. Understanding the general layout of the town is important to the story telling.

The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom

I didn't finish this book - so much of it was just about the inappropriate relationships that were going on, and I didn't see that discussion abating any time soon. And the first chapter of the book is a flash-forward that shows you that the main character's mother-figure is hung and that she hasn't turned out to be a stellar mother herself. I wasn't interested in finding out how everyone got through the mess they were in in chapter 14 to end up with that body swaying from the tree and a seven year old whimpering at the sight.

Not recommended by me.



Behind the Scenes, by Elizabeth Keckley



This is the memoir that Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker was based on. It was quite a drag to read after just having read the other, because so much of the information and dialogue is exactly the same. I did enjoy reading Mary's letters to Elizabeth as they were compiled at the end of this book. This is an incredible story and a recommended read.

There are descriptions of slave beatings from Elizabeth's childhood and teen years, as well as footnotes about her delicately-described years as a forced mistress to a white man.