A wealthy woman with no formal education in science goes on to become one of the frontrunners in forensic medicine and criminology. Frances Glessner Lee devoted almost her entire life and fortune in supporting Harvard's Department of Legal Medicine. One of her good friends who she met at a hospital, interested her in forensics and the need for a cohesive medical examiner program. They discovered one solution to the temporary nature of crime scenes was to use Lee's talent for miniatures to recreate a tiny crime scene to use in the courtroom. She gave hundreds of seminars in forensic science and worked tirelessly on the cause until she was well into her 80s. An alienist at heart, Frances Glessner Lee was fortunate to have the funding to support her cause and the keen mind to find the right people for the job. Interesting reading for those of us with ties to Chicago and also for anyone who binge-watches MINDHUNTER or enjoys Caleb Carr's ALIENIST.
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Best friends Edith and Vera escape a train bound for Auschwitz and end up hiding out on an Austrian farm until the end of the war. After they end up in Naples and one of them finds work with a handsome American diplomat their future looks rosy. A missed chance at love sends the girls to New York only to end up in South America. Based on a true story from the experiences of the author's mother it is a very lucky story for two young women destined to be another of the war's casualties. It seemed a bit too good to be true but will appeal to women who love a good romance rolled up in their historical fiction. It was interesting to see what some of the war refugees experienced after the turmoil.
High school can be an unstable place for the students, parents, and teachers but no high school is as unstable as the one in Kathleen West's debut novel. The teachers kowtow to the department heads and principal and everybody kowtows to the parents of these privileged students. For some teachers and administrators, it is just easier to always say yes to the helicopter moms but for one teacher, Isobel, who honestly wants to teach her English students, the repercussions may be too much. A social media gossip group, a damaging parent email and a video gone viral of a mom gone wild isn't going to help these kids deal with real life. This is a must for teachers and parents who understand boundaries and it wouldn't hurt for a high schooler or two to read it as well. It made me want to go out and hug a teacher.
A little book to share your secrets with no one who knows you - it sounds so simple and safe but the Authenticity Project notebook makes up for lost time and lost dreams. Monica who runs the cafe, Julian the artist who was once famous and now is invisible, Hazard the addict who is a miss and a new mom struggling with her identity and trying to be almost a single parent. Somehow this group comes together through a found notebook and the outcome is marvelous. It is like watching LOVE ACTUALLY over and over. In the end, you feel good about yourself and have a burning desire to go out and take a chance or do something nice for a stranger. Knowing this is based on a real-life circumstance that makes it all the more special. Beth sees her ex-best friend after many years and is stunned to see that her friend's two children haven't aged at all despite the years that have gone by. Flora seems to be running scared and no good answers are forthcoming so despite Beth's family thinking she is too involved, Beth keeps investigating. What she finds is a situation too weird for words and dangerous. The pace is fast and the thrill is very real even if the premise feels a bit out there. This is a story of manipulation and fear at the hands of someone evil.
We all want to give Mother Nature a fighting chance though most of us have no real idea of how to help and where to start. NATURE'S BEST HOPE is a practical way to reverse or contain some of the climate change and harm from too many humans living in too many developed areas. Tips like reducing your lawn, adding the right types of plants and encouraging the right balance will hopefully help reintroduce insects, birds, and other wildlife to your yard. The history and science are not easy to get through but the practical information and answers to common questions at the end make you feel like you can make a difference.
I have nothing in common with the story other than I have lived in the Chicago area and the author's voice feels genuine and true throughout. Claude has been raised by his fiesty, tough as nails grandmother and her live-in sort-of boyfriend. He is sensitive and naive about the dangers of his life and neighborhood but at the same time knows that he needs to leave to become something more. That is easier said than done and even when he leaves for college in Missouri, the neighborhood follows him. Simple short sentences and a note of love and hope flow throughout this slim book creating an honest look at the life of a young black man growing up on the South Side of Chicago.
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