Need For reads

Today we offer something special: Reviewer Sala Wyman reviews the book and interviews the author. Nonfiction Make your poor husband an egg ALL THE WOMEN IN MY FAMILY SING : Women Write the World  –  Essays On Equality, Justice, and Freedom 366 pp. Nothing But The Truth Publishing Edited by Deborah Santana Reviewed by Sala Wyman As I looked through the list of luminaries who have praised  this book – such figures as Alfre Woodard, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Isabel Allende – my first thought was, “I have absolutely  nothing  more to say.” But as I relaxed into the pages, I was met with a rich tapestry of experiences from 69 women of all diverse races, backgrounds, and cultures. Every story is told with such vulnerability, ease, and raw emotion that I felt as if I were sitting with each writer, sharing tea while listening deeply to her words. There is brilliance in how this community of women captivates while revealing the struggles, unique for each one, to achi...

Nonfiction Moments in her life WHEN HISTORY IS PERSONAL By Mimi Schwartz 270 ppp. University of Nebraska Press Reviewed by Diane Diekman Mimi Schwartz grew up in the Queens borough of New York City, the first American-born child of German-Jewish immigrants who escaped in 1936 from Hitler’s Germany. She is now an award-winning author and professor emerita in the writing program at Stockton University. When History Is Personal is her collection of 25 essays, taken from 25 moments in her life. “Each essay focuses on a moment that matters to me,” she writes in the preface, “with an eye to the history, culture, and politics that have shaped it.” The essays are grouped into four sections. “Family Haunts,” covering her childhood and family history, is written from a youthful perspective. “In and Out My Front Door” and “Storyscapes” discuss experiences and conversations throughout her adult life. “Border Crossings” leads into the future, as she grows older and enters new territories of l...