When Washington Was in Vogue
Edward Christopher Williams

Williams writes a love story that takes place in Black American high society in Washington, D. C. during the 1920s. Nowhere in this Harlem Renaissance story is there mention of one white character, white racism or segregation's ugliness. This is an anomaly! There are situations, however, when a lighter-skinned person denigrates a darker-skinned person or when some characters turn out to be less scrupulous than others.

The romanticism is refreshing as the description of elegant attire, social etiquette, and gentlemanly respect for others is a prominent theme. Of course, the 1920s was a pre-electronic age so social events occurred frequently where homemade cooking, piano playing and formal dancing ruled the scenes. To me, this would have been a great time to be 20 years of age with the hat and clothing fashion, Art Déco style furniture and architecture, social charm and elegance in America.

The fact that it was written by the first African-American professionally trained librarian in America had great appeal to me also. Check it out!

Reviewed by Jane B.

How to be Alone: Essays
Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen, the author of The Corrections, is perhaps more famous for his disinvitation to the Oprah Book Club than for his rich work as a social commentator. In this collection of essays (mainly from New Yorker articles published in the 1990s), he discusses not only this infamous collision with popular culture, but also subjects as diverse as his father's struggle with Alzheimer's Disease and the near collapse of the Chicago postal system.

Of particular interest to readers and writers, however, are his takes on what it means to be a reader in the digital age, how readers interact with the world created by a novel, and how the writer of a social novel in the style of Dostoyevsky or Thackery can be relevant in an age where most of life's social dramas play out on television or in the virtual world of the computer.

Franzen takes a topic and spins it in such interesting ways that I think you'll find this book to be absorbing on subjects you didn't even realize you were interested in. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Sarah J.

Master & Commander
Patrick O’Brian

Master & Commander is the first book in O'Brian's splendid 21 volume series which spans the years of the Napoleonic Wars in England and Europe, and even includes the War of 1812 between England and a young United States of America. Yes, these are naval novels, chock full of specialized sailing vocabulary from the 1800s, but you don't need to know the difference between a mainsail and a staysail, or know where the futtock shrouds are located to enjoy these books.

The protagonists, Jack Aubrey, navy captain, and Stephen Maturin, physician/intelligence agent, are introduced in Master & Commander. There begins an unlikely but long lasting friendship between two very different men, brought together by a mutual love of music. True, much of the action does take place aboard a 19th century British frigate, but O'Brian wrote about so much more than merely men and ships. Friendship, love, the politics of the time, naval life, as well as philosophy, plants, animals (especially the birds!), music, food, religion, and more--O'Brian touches on them all, and in every book.

Use a dictionary for the specialized vocabulary if you absolutely must, but the story won't be spoiled if you don't. The true appeal of Master & Commander is the utterly real universe O'Brian creates from the lives of his characters.

Reviewed by JoEllen L.

Dreams from My Father
Barack Obama

Dreams From My Father, by U.S. Senator Barack Obama, is a fascinating account of a remarkable young man's journey into self-discovery through the tracing of his African roots. To say Obama had an interesting childhood would be a gross oversimplification. He spent his first formative years in Hawaii, then moved with his mother to Indonesia and back to Hawaii for high school. His father was mostly absent except in the accounts his mother and her parents have of him, and his singular example as a driven, intelligent, and fair man are standards to which young Barack is held. He develops intellectually as a remarkable student and eloquent speaker, and his growth as a person is highlighted by his engagement with a myriad of puzzles concerning his identity: as a black man, as an American, as an organizer and concerned citizen, and finally, as the heir to the legacy of a father he barely knew, and who died before he had the chance to reach out to him.

I was drawn in from the beginning as Obama recounts his childhood. He was a perceptive kid, with large shoes to fill and a mother who kept his intellectual and moral developments firmly on track. His dealings with various racial and cultural problems deepens as he grows into the man he is becoming, and despite his remarkable gifts, he can also be impulsive, self-absorbed, and occasionally downright rude. It is his growth through these obstacles that prepares him for the later challenges that come along, and I enjoyed seeing him stumble as well as succeed.

The book is highly readable: the pacing is good, the characters are easy to imagine and relate to, and some parts are very memorable. I can only compare Dreams From My Father to a good novel, which is appropriate, as it reads like one in many places. For anyone curious about the man in the Senate and what struggles he's dealt with, I highly recommend Dreams From My Father.

Reviewed by Tony G.