North Carolina's Sterilization Program
by Kevin Begos, Danielle Deaver, John Railey, Scott Sexton
I first heard about this story on an episode of Rock Center with Brian Williams and was intrigued and curious. There were state laws on the books from the 1920's through the mid-60's that allowed states to sterilize their citizens. The laws were designed mainly for institutionalized mental patients, but that was not always adhered to. After the world became aware of the atrocities that occurred under the Nazis in Germany, most states either reduced the number of sterilizations performed or overturned their laws altogether. However, the procedures done in North Carolina increased.
Against Their Will is a collection of stories first published as an award winning series in the Winston-Salem Journal. These journalists give an all-encompassing look into the history and creation of the program and the long lasting effects. Their are interviews with victims who were overwhelmingly sterilized without their consent along with the doctors and social workers who administered the program. Because this is a collection of newspaper articles, I found the subject easier to grasp than if it had been published solely as a history book. I recommend it to anyone interested in American history as well as issues pertaining to race and class.
by Kayla Perrin
This is the second book in the Harts in Love series. The three Hart sisters were estranged for many years and have come back to Cleveland for their aunt's funeral. In the first book, Always in My Heart, the sisters patched up their differences and are getting along better.
Natalie, the youngest, has just left a high-profile marriage to a basketball player who cheated on her. Staying in Cleveland for awhile will help her decide what to do next and she keeps busy by fundraising for a children's charity. When it looks like she will be working with local football star, Michael Jones, Natalie is skeptical. The last thing she wants to do is spend any time with a professional athlete. Adding more stress to her life is the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the mother that left Natalie and her sisters in their aunt's care.
I'm really enjoying this series, especially the different ways that the sisters handle learning more about their missing mother. Natalie, being the youngest, of course doesn't harbor the same animosity as her older sisters over being abandoned and is more dedicated to finding the truth. Each book reveals a little more about the mystery of their missing mother and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
The Story of Shoes And How They Define Us
by Rachelle Bergstein
The title and premise of this book are a little misleading. Or maybe my expectations were a little off. This was really a mini-history of shoes from the 20th century, beginning with the arrival of Salvatore Ferragamo on the scene and in America. Bergstein chooses to tell this story mainly through the tales of some iconic shoes: Dorothy's "ruby" slippers, stilettos (of course), Birkenstocks, Chuck Taylor's, etc.
While I did learn a few things (Ferragamo's history was really interesting), this felt more like a collection of anecdotes, insider tales and Hollywood stories about shoes. And the chapter on 70's shoes and platforms was mainly about men. Certainly not the book I was expecting, but a decent read nonetheless.
by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison's latest novel (or novella) is a compact tale tackling the broad subject of "home". Frank Money is a veteran returns to the US after serving in the Korean War. Like most Black soldiers of that time, he's returning to a country that could care less about his service and the trauma that he's experienced. Frank works hard at trying to achieve some level of normalcy and overcome the memories that he can't escape. He receives news that his younger sister, Cee, is in trouble and must pull himself together enough to come to her aid.
As usual, Morrison's writing is beautiful and descriptive, making even the smallest detail appear paramount to the story. It's hard to believe that a book that is only about 160 pages long could contain a wealth of storytelling. The plight of Black people in the 1950's is fully explored here: returning soldiers, travelling the country under Jim Crow laws, medical research exploitation, and much more. Morrison's incredible talent assures that no matter how many physical pages there are, her stories are always fully told.
