The Lemon Tree

The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan

Read February 2024 - Books With Friends

This is a book that I believe everyone should read.  I knew that I didn’t know much about the middle east, but wow... this book enlightened me in ways far beyond my imagining.  The author manages to inform us about the history of both sides - the Palestinian history and the Jewish history.  That is so important.  The awful part is you begin to realize how deep the conflict is and how there really doesn’t seem to be a ‘good solution’.  Heartbreaking in so many ways.  

Note - there is also a Young Readers version of this book.  That seems very important to me.  

The book begins in 1967 with a young Palestinian man, Bashir Al-Khayri, returning to Israel to his childhood family home and ringing the doorbell.  Years earlier his family had fled (or been pushed out) and a Jewish family escaping WW2 Europe later moved into the ‘abandoned’ house.  A young member of that Jewish family, nineteen year old Dalia Landau, opens the door when he rings and thus begins a decades long friendship that is complex and ultimately hope-filled.  We learn details about both families and their extreme hardships.  This book showcased so well the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - shown here in the stories of just two young people, Bashir and Dalia. 

A friend, and member of this book club, created the following list of phrases and points as an easy reference resource.  I really appreciate this list and it is especially helpful for those who are listening to the audiobook as well. 

43 - fragility of goodness

82 - “country without a people, and people w/o a country” Really?

84 - single vs 2 separate states

104 - custodian of “abandoned property”

107 - told Palestinians had “run away”

108 - first paragraph

114 - 2nd para - plea to God

115

116-117 discrimination, dark and light Jews

118 Sabra

119 never again

122

124 force expelled us and only force will get it back

125 water

147 house tour

160-161 indigenous people ignore

161 last sentence

177-178 Ahmad visits his house

179-180 Dalia feels betrayed

186 sadati

193 “stone” revolution

194 Hamas

199 Netanyahu

200-203 Dalia’s letter

204 UN sanctioned right of return

212-213 Can they compromise?

216-220 Bashir’s letter

During our discussion one member mentioned a podcast with the two primary people from this book, Bashir and Dalia.  I defintely intend to listen to this. 

From NPR's Fresh Air "Homelands" series (~1998), with Bahsir and Dalia talking (about an hour) : https://freshairarchive.org/segments/sandy-tolans-lemon-tree

And this is a short clip (~8min), cut from the Fresh Air series, if you just want to hear the voices and a few quick pieces:

https://www.npr.org/2006/06/04/5449840/lemon-tree-finds-friendship-amid-mideast-conflict 

Another link - author Sandy Tolan speaking about his book The Lemon Tree - Video of Sandy Tolan (~2006) discussing The Lemon Tree at a book talk: https://www.c-span.org/video/?193422-1/the-lemon-tree-arab-jew-heart-middle-east

I absolutely recommend this powerful book and rated it a 5. 

His & Hers and And Then She Was Gone

His & Hers by Alice Feeney 

And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Read January 2024 - Zoom Reading Circle

For January, I didn’t much care for either Zoom Reading Circle book selection.  :(  So I'll just post about them together... they will forever be lumped together in my mind, that is for sure.  

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

I listened to this one and while I guess I liked it better than the other book this month, I did not find it an enjoyable read.  It was just all so dark and seemingly pointless.  So many nasty people that you don’t care for or root for and so much awful behavior treated as a norm. Maybe it is how people act all the time, but yuck... it was awful. Basically, a news reporter is covering the murder of a woman in Blackdown and her ex husband is the detective on the case.  Turns out they both have deep connections to the murder victim going all the way back to high school.  And there are more ’twists and turns’ and connections which basically make you feel icky most of the time. The ending was so convoluted that I literally said ‘What???’ a couple of times!  Not my thing, this book.  I rated it 3 on Goodreads but honestly, it was a 2 for me.  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 3.1 stars.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
If you can believe it, I disliked this one more than the first one.  In fact, I refused to finish it.  It was far too gross and awful to slog through anymore.  I don’t know why people would be entertained by truly horrific human behavior against the only character in the whole mess of a book that you can like or feel sorry for... a young teenage girl!  So much in this book to make you go ‘Ewwww...’  And when it got to more graphic depictions of the violence against the teen, I just was completely done.  No reason I can think of to fill my head with that trash.  Awful.   :(   This was a 2 or even a 1 for me.   :(  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 3.3 stars. 

The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Read January 2024

Finally, I read the 2nd installment of the Thursday Murder Club, called The Man Who Died Twice.  A great book!  This is a truly interesting series with some of my favorite sleuths ever... 4 residents of a quiet and peaceful British retirement village.  :)  We get to interact with all four again as Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron set out to help a man from Elizabeth’s past and also find out who mugged and injured dear Ibrahim.  I have such vivid images in my mind of these 4 wonderful characters... and see Elizabeth clear as a bell portrayed by the great Eileen Atkins (Ruth from Doc Martin).  Can’t wait to read the next book in this truly enjoyable and well written mystery series!  I rated this book 5 stars. 

Don't Forget to Write

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino 

Read January 2024

Don’t Forget to Write was a terrific read!  It was humorous and poignant - something that I believe is hard to manage. The story follows a young college-age Jewish woman named Marilyn Kleinman who, in 1960, is anxious to explore the world and get out from under her father’s thumb.  However, after a rather public (and embarrassing) interaction with the Rabbi’s son, in front of the whole congregation no less, she finds herself shipped off for the summer to stay with her mother’s Aunt Ada, who happens to be a matchmaker in Philadelphia.  Marilyn is less than excited and expects the summer to be long and boring and rigid... but as she gets to know Ada, she also comes to understand herself and to see her life in a new perspective.  Marilyn and Ada are such marvelous characters - fleshed out so brilliantly by the author.  I feel like she must ‘know’ them in person.  I certainly wish that I did!  This was a 5 star read for me, for sure.  

A Botonist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (and more in this series)

A Botonist's Guide to Parties and Poisons and A Botonist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

Read January 2024

Saffron Everleigh Mystery series Books 1&2

I listened to the first two books in a new (to me) mystery series set in 1923 London, England.  In A Botonist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari, Saffron Everleigh is the first woman to become a research assistant at the University College of London, where she is an expert in botany, and thus, poisons.  In this first book a professor’s wife is killed by an unknown toxin and when Saffron’s mentor is implicated in the crime, she sets out to solve it.  She becomes close to fellow researcher Alexander Ashton as they unravel the clues and find the killer.  

The 2nd in the series, A Botonist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality, also features Saffron Everleigh, but instead of Alexander Ashton, she is joined in her investigation by Dr. Michael Lee, a physician.  I wasn’t so sure about bringing in a new male lead out of the blue, but grew to like Dr. Lee as well as Ashton.  (Although Ashton does return near the end of this book...)  This time around women are receiving bouquets of flowers with hidden messages based on the type of flower, and then they die of poisoning soon after.  I truly enjoyed both of these books and very much look forward to the third one.  The author does a good job of depicting the era and the place and Saffron is a great character.  It also highlights the difficulties of being a woman in a male-dominated field... something that sadly remains true in many cases to this very day.  I rated both of these book 4.5.

There is a 3rd book coming out in 2024 and I do plan to read it (and any others in this series). 

Democracy Awakening

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson

Read January 2024 - Books With Friends

One of the first books I read in the new year was Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson.  It is a stellar book.  It was a great book for group discussion.  I so appreciated hearing others thoughts and insights.  Heather Cox Richardson is an historian who is so good at re-telling stories and connecting the dots to bring historical context to present day situations.  She is a voice of reason and clarity in these extremely trying times.  One of my friends was able to hear Heather speak at an event in Texas and even shared a cab with her to her hotel!  That alone was pretty darn exciting!  :)  Truly this book should be on everyone’s nightstand.  I rated it 5 stars.

The Seventh Most Important Thing

The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
Read December 2023 - Zoom Reading Circle

The Seventh Most Important Thing was a December read for Zoom Reading Circle.  I believe this book is actually considered young adult fiction but it was based on a true man/event (which we all found quite fascinating!) 

The story starts with a young boy named Arthur throwing a brick and hitting ‘the junk man’ in the head. As part of his required community service (and at the request of the junk man himself, in lieu of a harsher sentence) Arthur goes to work for 120 hours for the junk man.  On his first day Arthur is given a list of the ‘Seven Most Important Things’ that he must gather each day in the provided old shopping cart.  They include glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans and mirrors.  Arthur can’t imagine that this is a serious list or that he is to go through people’s trash to find these ‘important’ things... but that is indeed the job he has been given for his community service.  So he begins...  When Arthur finally sees what the junk man is doing with these 'important' things, creating a massive piece of folk art, he realizes there is so much more to this job and that man than he ever could have realized.  And more to himself, as well.  This was a lovely book that touched my heart.  And led me to want to learn more about the folk artist, James Hampton, who really did build a Throne of the Third Heaven and it really did make it to the Smithsonian.  I rated this book 4.5 stars.  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 3.9 stars. 

Some of my favorite passages...

In other words, there could be a lot of reasons why people decided to save some things and why they threw others away - reasons that might not make any sense until you dug much deeper.  Which, Arthur thought, might be a small clue to the Junk Man’s list. 

Have you ever met an artist who was creating heaven?  Lots of people have done Hell.  Hell is easy to create.  

...that’s the night when I had my first vision, my first dream, of building heaven out of broken things.

A lot of people have done worse with their lives than taking ugliness and turning it into something beautiful. 

Some angels are like peacocks.  Others are less flashy. Like city pigeons.  It all depends on the wings. 

If you are, like me, interested in more about the real man who inspired this tale, here are 3 links you should check out. 

Artist James Hampton

https://americanart.si.edu/artist/james-hampton-2052

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly

https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/throne-third-heaven-nations-millennium-general-assembly-9897

Taking a Closer Look at James Hampton's The Throne of the Third Heaven

https://americanart.si.edu/blog/throne-james-hampton

The Incredible Winston Browne

The Incredible Winston Browne by Sean Dietrich

Read December 2023 - Zoom Reading Circle

The Incredible Winston Browne 

I had mixed feelings on this book.  Part of me truly loved the down home story and I definitely felt I knew the people.  It depicted small town southerners pretty spot on.  :D  Good and bad!  It takes place in the 1950’s in Moab, Florida where the local sheriff, Winston Browne, finds out he is dying of cancer.  He doesn’t share this news with his friends or community, but just keeps on doing what he does... which is apparently helping everyone out and doing good works.  The author does a good job of making you feel like you know the characters and you do find yourself rooting for them.  

One part I didn’t like is that while this is clearly set in the 1950’s, with all the misogyny and etc of the era, there isn’t even the slightest bit of enlightenment that maybe these weren’t the best of times.  It is all just depicted ‘as is’... with no slight nod even to the future where some of this should never again go down that way.  In that way, this book seemed a bit backwards to me.  However, the overall ‘feel good’ aspect was there and by the end I was even finding myself a bit teary eyed - so I fell right into it.  :)  

There was a strange religious cult side story that was a bit odd, and definitely disconcerting, but ultimately, it was an easy ‘feel good’ read.  I rated it 4 stars.  Zoom Reading Circle rated it 4.2 stars.

Side note - I mentioned on our zoom that there was another book that kept coming to mind as I was reading the Winston Browne book… I highly recommend Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir about growing up in New York in the 1950’s - as a big Brooklyn Dodgers fan. You don’t have to even like baseball to love this book.  Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  Truly one of my all time favorite books. 

Some of my favorite passages - 

Here, nobody ever died.  At least not in print. They went 'on to Glory'. It was ridiculous. 

Even non-dancing Baptists, who were incognito tonight lest they be seen making repetitive dance movements. 

‘This was just dancing. Dancing ain’t the same as drinking.’ Spoken like a true Methodist. 

The whole world seems trivial when someone is dying, as though the world’s problems have always been trivial, but people have been too preoccupied to notice how silly they are. 

But he could see now that life wasn’t a journey; it never had been.  It was art.  Like a flower.  All a daisy has to do is bloom and be pretty.  There was nothing to accomplish, there was no path to follow, there were no mile markers.  Life was a blossoming thing, vivid and lovely in the sunlight. 

(Below is my favorite quote from the book - and really one of my favorite quotes EVER from a book!)

Winston Browne had known the greatest thing that ever was, and he felt so incredibly grateful.  Whatever you called it - life, existence, being the human experience - he had known it.  He had touched it.  He had held it.  He had loved it.  It was wild.  It was pretty, sad, remorseful, exciting, dangerous, terrifying, lonely, full of angst, peaceful, rewarding, cruel, sorrowful, interesting, gentle, surprising, and full of people.  Oh, the people.  They were the best part of it all.  Hands down.