Mary E. Trimble

Beneath the Same Stars: A Novel of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War by Phyllis Cole-Dai is a remarkable novel based on true facts. The story takes place in southwestern Minnesota.

The Dakota Sioux, desperate for food, have been betrayed by the whites. They’ve been promised food and provisions if they would stay on a reservation. But relief isn’t forthcoming, creating suffering, distrust and bitterness.

John and Sarah Wakefield have come to the reservation where John will work as a physician. On occasion Sarah has assisted her husband in medical treatment of the sick and wounded. Not all is bliss in the Wakefield household, however. John gets angry, even abusive, when Sarah points out the unkept promises of the American government toward the Indians. When an uprising is feared, John sends Sarah and their two young children to what he considers a safe place. However, their wagon is waylaid by two Dakota Sioux, and they are taken captive.

Ćaske, a Dakota Sioux warrior, stops a wagon carrying a woman and her two children. He takes them as captors to his village. As it happens, Sarah and Ćaske recognize each other from when she and her husband treated him for a head wound. He takes them to his mother’s tipi where Sarah and the children are treated well, although they are resented by some in the village. Sarah has learned some of the native language through working with her husband, and Ćaske knows a little English. Together they are able to communicate. An affection between them grows, but how can it possibly endure? When it becomes apparent that war is at hand, Ćaske urges Sarah to return to her people, but she is loathe to leave.

Beneath the Same Stars is a gripping story of two people struggling between worlds. Sarah Wakefield was a true character who was caught up in the U.S. – Dakota War of 1862, a conflict between the Dakota nation and American traders, settlers and troops in southwestern Minnesota. The conflict lasted only six weeks but resulted in more American casualties than any other Indian war. The author’s vivid descriptions of the Dakota village and its people are fascinating, as are her insights of the Dakota Sioux regarding how the white man lives and their dishonor in not keeping their word. The novel turns historical figures into realistic, living characters. I very much appreciated the author’s insights into the plight of Native Americans.

Book Review: Human Voices

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Mary

Human Voices, a novel by Penelope Fitzgerald (1916 – 2000), takes place in London, England during the early stages of World War II. A very interesting Introduction, written by Mark Damazer, beautifully sets the scene of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) as it was during the early 1940s.

Anne Asra, the daughter of a widowed piano tuner, lands a job at the prestigious BBC working for Sam Brooks, the head of Recorded Programs. Anne is dedicated and honest, sometimes brutally so. For instance, at one point her boss asks her what she thinks of him. Her answer: “There’s two ways to be selfish: You can think too much about yourself, or you can think too little about others. You’re selfish both ways.” Yet she falls in love with him, a seemingly hopeless love.

I found this book fascinating. The BBC played a vital role during the wars years in its effort to keep people informed, but also entertained in the midst of chaos. There were nightly blackouts and the thunder of exploding enemy bombs going on all around them, yet they carried on. Most of the book takes place inside BBC’s walls. Sometimes when it was deemed unsafe to return home after work, it was necessary for employees to spend the night. The BBC’s concert hall was converted for this purpose which set the stage for interesting after-hours activity. What went on inside the BBC walls was sometimes hilarious, though typical of the British, understated.

The author of Human Voices, Penelope Fitzgerald worked at the BBC during the wars years, making the story authentic, believable, and above all, funny.

I have great respect for the BBC. When we served with the Peace Corps in The Gambia, Africa, we relied on them for our world news. We were fortunate enough to buy a combination AM/FM/Shortwave radio from an outgoing volunteer. It was particularly interesting to hear American news from a British viewpoint. In fact, it was on the BBC that we first heard about the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption taking place in our own home state of Washington.

I very much enjoyed Human Voices. It’s a fun read but also emphasizes the dedication to truth and information the BBC has always stood for.

Book Review: Looking for Jazz

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Mary

Looking for Jazz: A Memoir about the Black College and Southern Town That Changed My Life by Anna R. Hathaway is written by a white woman from the mid-west who accepts a teaching job at a black college in a small Georgia town. The book covers the turbulent, changing times, especially in the South, of 1968–1972.

Anna Mitchell, 23, with a Masters in English from the University of Wisconsin, accepts the position of instructor in the English department at Fort Valley State College in Georgia. Meanwhile, her husband begins advanced training 100 miles away at Fort Benning, and would soon join the elite Special Forces as a Green Beret, eventually serving in Vietnam.

During the first four years of Anna’s career, she saw many social changes: Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, The National Organization for Women (NOW) protested for women’s rights, the Supreme Court mandated public school desegregation, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a sit-in at Harvard, and a man landed on the moon. Meanwhile, the Vietnam “Conflict” raged on.

Anna was well received, although not all her classes were of particular interest to the students. She found the students and staff respectful, but at times she observed black and white communities segregated in restaurants, stores, hotels, and many churches. Even doctor’s offices had waiting rooms designated by signs reading “White Side” and “Colored Side.” Anna found striking differences between midwestern humor and southern humor, and especially black humor. She took it all in and strove to adjust to the various situations.

I enjoyed reading about Anna’s observations and personal twists on life as a white professor and wife in the South. Some of her experiences were unpleasant, some joyous, and through it all, I admired her open-mindedness and determination to make a difference. But did she find jazz? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Book Review: The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Mary

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, is a worthy sequel to his bestseller, The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Annie, eight, lost her left hand in a horrific accident at the Ruby Pier amusement park. Although the hand was surgically reattached, she still bore the scars both physically and mentally. She doesn’t remember the tragic accident, nor does she remember Eddie, the amusement park mechanic who saved her life.

Life is a struggle for Annie. She has no self-confidence and finds it difficult to achieve acceptance. One person who befriends her stands out in her young life, Paulo, but he moves to Italy with his family. Later, as an adult, he returns, they reunite and marry. Annie finally finds true happiness. But their bliss is short lived when a hot-air balloon falls from the sky.

Annie is suddenly transported into her heavenly journey where she reunites with Eddie, the amusement park mechanic. With Eddie’s guidance, she learns how her life on earth affected others. We are reminded once again how endings are really beginnings, how our lives profoundly affect others, and that every life matters.

I enjoyed The Next Person You Meet in Heaven as much as its prequel. Albom writes with heart. None of us knows what heaven is like, but it’s easy to believe that the imaginative heaven that Albom creates is plausible.

Book Review: The Covenant of Water

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Mary

The Covenant of Water, a novel by Abraham Verghese, is a fascinating story that takes place mostly in Southern India, 1900 to 1977.

Mariamma is only twelve when wed to Appachen, a forty-three-year-old widower. Even though marriage arrangements and its strict stipulations seem strange to the western world, that was the custom in India. In those days, the intended bride and groom normally didn’t even talk to one another beforehand. Her mother claims “The saddest day of a girl’s life is the day of her wedding.” When she arrives in Parambil, land of her husband’s 500 acres, Mariamma is frightened and terribly homesick. However, her husband is a compassionate man who understands his young wife’s fear and doesn’t approach her as a wife until she matures.

Mariamma becomes a loving companion to Appachen’s two-year old son, Jojo. Together Mariamma and Appachen have two more children, Baby Molay and Philipose. Jojo affectionately calls Mariamma Big Ammachi, meaning Big Mother; his father Big Appachen. Throughout her life, Mariamma will experience unimaginable changes, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss. Her faith, love, and strength sustain her family.

Some families have an affliction called “The Condition,” an aversion to bodies of water. Sometimes victims experience dizziness, headaches, and facial weakness. In Appachen’s family, almost every generation will experience a drowning. In Kerala it’s an inconvenient condition because they are surrounded by water. Appachen will go miles out of his way to travel by land rather than take a much shorter route by boat. The Covenant of Water follows three generations of Appachen’s family who suffer from this affliction.

Reading The Covenant of Water was a commitment, but well worth the effort. The novel is an epic of love, faith, and medicine. It’s hardcover 736 pages involve three generations, two continents, and several geographic locations. Author Abraham Verghese, whose parents were born in India, speaks with authority about life and times in India, and as an American physician is knowledgeable about the medical issues presented in the novel. I recommend The Covenant of Water to anyone seeking to learn about India and another way of life, the consequences of love, and sacrifices made so others may live.

Book Review: Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Mary

Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era by J.v.L. Bell and Jan Gunia is a marvelous compilation of women of the wild and sometimes violent Pikes Peak Gold Rush years.

Ten women are featured, each unique in their own way, women whose lives profoundly affected those turbulent years. Probably many of the women named are unfamiliar to the reader, but all made their indelible mark in Colorado history.

Hard work, sacrifice and dedication made these ten women remarkable with their unsung heroism. The women—Native American, Hispanic, Anglo, and African American—had one thing in common: tenacity.

Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era is meticulously documented with annotations at the end of each featured woman’s chapter. Also, throughout the book are marvelous quotations. One of my favorite is from the section on Tsashin: Clement J. Frost, a Ute Indian, said, “The land doesn’t belong to the Indians; the Indians belong to the land.”

I was impressed with the depth of systematic investigation conducted for each subject’s life, research gleaned in books and also through state archives, museums, local historical societies and libraries. Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era is a valuable book for anyone interested in Colorado history, or for those who appreciate the role pioneer women played in paving the way for the future state of Colorado.

Book Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Mary

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, a novel by Kim Michele Richardson is an unforgettable story of poverty and bravery in the face of extreme prejudice. The story takes place in Appalachian Kentucky, Depression-era 1936.

Cussy Mary Carter, 19 is blue skinned. Blue skinned people were known for having a genetic trait that led to the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, causing the skin to appear blue. In those days, particularly in the hills of Kentucky, people with this affliction were considered “colored” and suffered the same stigma given to Blacks.

Cussy’s widowed father, a coal miner in ill health, wants to see that his daughter is married so that she will be taken care of, but Cussy resists a chance for “respectability” and instead joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project and becomes a librarian. Her duties as “Book Woman” don’t involve actually working in a library building, but rather riding her mule up treacherous mountains to deliver books and other reading materials to the poor hill communities. The books consist of big city library cast-offs plus home-made scrapbooks that contain recipes and other items of interest. Cussy takes her job seriously and tries to tailor reading material to individual needs of people on her route.

Many people are distrustful of Cussy’s blue skin. Although dedicated to her job, she sometimes faces actual danger among those she serves, but Cussy persists, firmly believing in the power of words. Not all on her route are approving of the Book Woman’s work. Some say, “A sneaky time thief is in them books. There’s more important ways to spend a fellar’s time.”

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is based on the true Pack Horse Librarian Project that existed 1935 to 1943. Book Women were paid $28 a month and had to furnish their own mounts. More than 1,000 women served in Kentucky. Author Kim Michele Richardson’s fictional account of this project is dedicated to those who served with “hope and heartbreak, raw courage and strength,” and to the historical blue-skinned people of Kentucky.

Book Review: Nine Years Among the Indians

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Mary

Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879: The Story of the Captivity and Life of a Texan Among the Indians by Herman Lehmann and edited by J. Marvin Hunter was first published in 1927, though I read the 2017 edition. J. Marvin Hunter personally knew Herman Lehmann, and this marvelous account is presented as given to Hunter “without exaggeration, nor boasting, with the hope that the reader will find it interesting and a true recital of facts.” And that’s exactly how I found this read, plus gaining a far greater understanding of the Indian’s plight.

Herman Lehmann was captured by a band of Apache Indians when he was about eleven years old. His first several months were grueling with cruel treatment and sometimes scant food. Eventually, he was accepted into the tribe, forgot the white man’s ways and became a fierce warrior, plundering horses and property and killing the white man who had robbed them of hunting grounds, destroyed game, and brought disease.

Four years later, when he was about fifteen, he had a misunderstanding with members of the tribe and struck out on his own, living in the wilderness for about a year.

He came upon a band of Comanches and was eventually adopted by them. During that time he met Quanah Parker, a leader of a Comanche band called Kwahadi. By this time Lehmann had forgotten his own language and was totally immersed into Indian culture.

The book contains many interesting facts such as Indians weren’t particularly afraid of regular army soldiers, but dreaded Texas Rangers and frontiersmen whose guns were always loaded and their aim unerring. Another observation I found interesting was that Lehmann found the Comanche a fun-loving people and enjoyed a good laugh, while the Apaches were morose and never laughed except when someone was hurt or calamity befell them. Another interesting tidbit was that the Apache were characteristically silent, while the Comanche shouted and yelled, making all the noise possible.

In 1878, Herman was brought back to the white man’s world. At first he rejected life there, even though he was with his widowed mother, brothers and sisters. He didn’t remember any of them and couldn’t even converse in their language. Eventually he accepted their ways, married and became a good citizen, though he still retained his Comanche tribal rights and privileges, and remained a friend of Quanah Parker.

I have read many accounts of captured whites, many of whom preferred to remain with the Indians who had become family to them. This account is perhaps one of the most famous of the captivity stories. Though it has some gruesome scenes, it has a ring of authenticity. I found Herman Lehmann’s account of his nine years with the Indians riveting.

Book Review: To Dream of Shadows

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Mary

To Dream of Shadows: A Gripping Holocaust Novel Inspired by a Heartbreaking True Story, Book 1 of the series “World War II Historical Fiction”: by Steve N. Lee is a gripping novel that takes place in Eastern Europe, 1943.

Inge Zaleska, 18, travels with her Jewish family in a crowded cattle car after being forced out of their Czechoslovakian home. Once they reach their destination she is torn from her family and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. The detainees are forced into hard labor with no decent food, warmth, adequate clothing, or medical attention.

Although SS Sergeant Rudi Kruse has been force-fed the poisonous hate-Jews philosophy since childhood, he begins to question the unnecessary cruelty he sees at the concentration camp. Harsh conditions take lives unnecessarily. Prisoners are starved, beaten, forced to stand in the cold for hours during roll call. Their treatment is not only counter-productive, it’s sadistic.

When the commandant is injured and must leave the camp for treatment, Rudi is placed in charge pro tem and will stay at the commandant’s home. At the same time, the commandant’s housekeeper, a prisoner, is recovering from a broken leg in the infirmary and Inge is ordered to temporarily fulfill those duties.

As Rudi and Inge become acquainted, Rudi learns more about the plight of Jewish prisoners. He begins to see them as people, not really different than other people. He realizes the huge difference between being a good German and a good Nazi. Rudi and Inge see each other as just people with the same wants and desires. At her suggestions, he makes some comfort changes in the camp: warm coats, adequate shoes, more and better food. But at some point it has to end, the commandant will return to duty. But even more troubling, Rudi and Inge begin to fall in love. Is it even possible for them to have a future together?

To Dream of Shadows is a gripping story of hate, but also awakening compassion and surprisingly, love. I would recommend this book especially to those interested in World War II and how people in that time and place were affected. It profoundly shows how honesty, decency and kindness can change the world.

Book Review: Dancing with the Muse in Old Age

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Mary

Dancing with the Muse in Old Age by Priscilla Long is an inspirational guide to thriving in old age. The author, a senior, discusses the potential of being happy, creative and productive in life’s later years.

The author gives example after example of elders who have accomplished remarkable achievements after reaching their senior years. Some continued with activities of their younger years; some found new interests in which they excelled, or at least found contentment.

Active seniors report that accomplishments started and completed bring satisfaction and a profound sense of well-being. Among the important lessons of the book is keep at it, keep learning, keep stimulating the brain. She quotes Mary Kay Ash (1918 – 2001): “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right.” No matter your age, it’s important to continue to learn. Like any part of the body, the brain demands that you “use it or lose it.”

Many elders find satisfaction in giving back to society by volunteering, donating time for the benefit of others—teaching children to read, sewing, quilting, knitting, making wooden toys. Seniors do it for the joy of giving, of making a difference. Elders often have the time to go slower, to enjoy the process of finishing what they’ve started. Finishing itself is a skill and brings a sense of accomplishment. The author gives many examples of artists and musicians who benefitted from elders’ knowledge and expertise.

Dancing with the Muse in Old Age is loaded with profound thoughts. Priscilla Long provides evidence that meaningful activities increase the possibility of experiencing deeply satisfying old age.