Even After All This Time by Afschineh Latifi

A Story of Love, Revolution, and Leaving Iran

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though, as my husband pointed out, the writing was not top-notch.  There is something about a true story that captivates me, particularly when I can learn about another culture.  The author tells of her early childhood in Iran, the revolution and death of her father, her mother’s struggles to get her children out of the country, and their new lives in America.  I found the first half when she was in Iran the most interesting.  The account of her father’s arrest and execution was heartbreaking.  It is quite telling how well Afschineh and her sister did in the American educational system, despite having no parental or adult help (they came alone to the U.S. – the mother did not make it til years later), and no money, and no English skills.  They attended a Norfolk public high school (a poor system), and yet graduated well, went to local colleges, and on to become a lawyer and a doctor.  So if these two kids could succeed, with such disadvantages, why can’t so many of our own American youth?  

Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne

A Sister Fidelma Mystery

I’m still in my current craze for historical mysteries.  I had heard of this author, so I decided to give him a try.  A true scholar, this book was brimming with Celtic lore.  I was interested to learn how liberated Irish women were in the 7th century.  It does make it easier for the author to create a heroine that 21st century readers can identify with (a little like cheating, really, to pick that time period).  That’s one reason I admire the Margaret Frazer series; she creates a female who fits well in her time.  

It took me a little while to get the many characters straight, as they were introduced a bit too quickly.  Otherwise, this was a very good read, although I was able to guess the murderer.  

The Mommy Brain by Katherine Ellison

How Motherhood Makes us Smarter

The main premise of the book is summarized in the subtitle, obviously.  I always assumed that motherhood was a learning experience, and thus would make you smarter, even if not in a PhD sort of way, but apparently a lot of women feel that being a mom is a mental liability.  Ellison is not a scientist, but presents much interesting research from real scientists to refute this misconception.  One bit I liked,
Women . . .  gather more data from their environment and construct more intricate relationships between the information.  By contrast, men tend to compartmentalize – to get rid of ancillary data and focus only on what they regard as important.  Mark George, the Medical University of Southern Carolina brain-scanner, suspects that, in practical terms, the difference may help account for how a guy can stay glued to the television through the ninth inning while his progeny are loudly murdering each other in the next room. (p. 75)
However, there is a lot more to this book than sometimes obvious observations about motherhood.  The author is a journalist, and writes from the point of view of a very career-oriented working mother.  This is not really a book designed for the stay-at-home mom, or even the lower-income working mom.  The book is jammed packed with mothers who have prestigious careers as editors, professors, scientists, etc.  
. . . Mayer, the Colorado Permanente doctor, who fits parenting in between working forty hours a week away from home and ten to twenty hours more in her home office. (p. 72)
Fits parenting in?  Those poor children.  
There are a few token references to grocery store clerks, but that’s it.  Only one stay-at-home mom that I can recall.  Ellison clearly cannot identify with this rather large group of American women.  She calls the working versus stay-at-home debate “passé”.  To those women who have not decided yet what to do, it is hardly passé.
However, most annoying, was that halfway through the book, her focus switched from brain research to the socialist propaganda that the government needs to provide top-notch child care for everyone, along with much longer maternity leaves.  Basically, we should be like the liberal Shangri-La, Sweden.  She also threw in a bit of environmentalism, and anti-Republican political commentary.  Off-topic!
So I can give you two reasons to read this book.  One, if you want to learn a smattering of science about what happens to your brain when you become a mother, read the first half.  Two, if you have a serious career, you can read this book to reassure yourself that having kids will not ruin your career, and can even help you a little (there is little discussion on how this affects the children).

The Hunter's Tale by Margaret Frazer

A Dame Frevisse Medieval Mystery

See my other posts on books by the same author. This one was quite good, except I did not care for the end when Dame Frevisse settled for letting the murderer go unpunished. Would a nun really have gone along with that? True, the murderer did go off to the village priest to confess and get penance, but that seems a little too easy for two particularly brutal murders. I'm not that well-versed in Catholic theology, so maybe I'm missing something here. Nonetheless, this was very enjoyable to read.