Book Review: How We Were Before

 

How We Were Before                                                                                                                                     by Jonathan Kravetz                                                                                                                                  294 pages, Running Wild Press                                                                                                           Genre: Fiction

Do we really know what is going on in the minds of our family members and friends? How important is a local school incident to the rest of the community? Do we really understand the dangerous ends to which small town gossip can lead to? These questions and much more are asked and answered by the author in his book, How We Were Before.

This is a crime novel with a difference. It starts with the crime, the double murder of an elderly couple Pete and Tara when a home invasion is attempted due to rumors, goes wrong and the murderer Billy Lawson who is 18 years old is caught within hours. However, the POV changes as it is narrated by the surviving friend and family of the murdered and the murderer. the local police force, local newspaper and school and how this affects them. Kravetz has used a brilliant technique to narrate what would be a regular murder mystery bringing the small town of Benfield to life including the story of the murdered who fill the gaps to ensure there is smooth transition. Though set across multiple timelines and multiple POV, it brings all the characters to life in the small town of Benfield, Massachusetts.

The writing is good as the pace changes between timelines, and you are learning about the social landscape of Benfield but could be any place in the USA or world and how a crime affects the people of the town directly and indirectly. It has a chaos effect which many may not realize.

This is the feat of the author as this book brings to life full-fledged 3D characters and not just crime and who did it? It makes you wonder. 

It is a must read as it makes you think about your way of thinking about yourself, friends and family and society as a whole. 

Buy it here     AMAZON

Book review of Serabelle

Serabelle: Where the Wealthy Come to Play
by Tavi Taylor Black
Genre : Historical Fiction
325 pages,  ‎ Black Rose Writing

Set against the backdrop of women's suffrage movement.in New England, USA, does being born to a servant means you have to end up as a servant and have no other future? Did a servant life matter in New England in the 1910s? Should they just serve and die ? What about a young  beautiful maid who dismisses the vulnerability of her position and thinks she has a right to life and right to vote? These are questions that the author asks and answers in her book Serabelle.

Mabel Rae is a young teenager who joins the staff of the house of Serabelle which is owned by the Hunt family.Separated from her mother who works as a maid in another estate, Mabel plans to change her fate.  With no money and few rights, the suffrage movement and Alistair Hunt's love give her hope but for how long?  Her best friends are Willie,  an  African American stable boy  and Rebecca who is a maid, Both her young friends only bolster her hope.

Black has written a novel that moves crisply and has a no-nonsense quality to it. If people who employ servants or helpers worldwide, pause and think about what they are doing, this book would have achieved its aim.

Do buy it here on AMAZON

Book Review : The Invisible Hand of Cancer

The Invisible Hand of Cancer
Carola Schmidt
Genre : Non-fiction
142 Pages, Springer International Publishing AG


“The tear that doesn’t go out, goes in.”


Most of know someone who has or had cancer but do you know cancer predates humans? Why do we judge or blame someone for getting cancer?   Did you know there is something called smoking genes? What leads to cell suicide or apoptosis? Is cancer a single disease or numerous diseases which makes it complex? Why is talking about cancer a taboo in most societies? Why do we need to discuss the politics and economics of cancer apart from the taboo and the fear of death ?  How does dance help in cancer prevention?  Why is cancer a costly disease even though it can affect the poor and they cannot afford the treatment.Should we just blame the pharmaceutical industries or is there more to it? How does structural sexism in the heath sector affect treatment ?Did people buy into the false narrative of the cancer pill or phosphoethanolamine?  These questions and more are answered by the authors in the book, "The Invisible Hand of Cancer"

"When we do not talk about the disease, feelings, pain, and problems, they do not disappear. They grow." - This is one of the most sensible and factual statements in the book. It is one thing to think we are sparing the feeling the one with cancer which is a myth in itself, as families and friends if we don't talk about it or as communities, according to the author we fail to provide support to the person afflicted by cancer and whose fear might grow thinking the family and friends are hiding something dreadful from them. Another is the social taboo in some countries against the children of cancer patients who are already suffering or died, treating the children as if they have inherited the cancer from their parents too. So much is the misunderstanding and the taboo about speaking on cancer that this book is essential to talk about it, so a better understanding of what constitutes different forms of cancer will remove the social taboo in society.  

Cancer affects all - kids, women, men and transgender. However, there is a problem when men avoid the doctor. Is it because society teaches boys to be tough and hence men think the same ? The gender stereotype is also a huge problem when treating cancer especially for men it can be deadly as they fail to go to the doctor until it is too late. Schmidt states that even the juice a patient drinks can affect their chemotherapy despite well intention friends and neighbors. So it is always better to run it with the oncologist and pharmacist team who are responsible for the chemotherapy as it changes with each individual and the dosage is extremely important. She shoots down the so called cancer pill and how many people were led astray. Also she clearly mentions how with no data available in the initial stage in Brazil and since cancer was not a priority for politicians or the judges with malaria being the main priority.

Another very important point raised by the authors is the socioeconomic factors - cancer might seem democratic but is highly discriminating towards the poor - as they lack access to good healthcare, proper food, clean water and medicines, postoperative care and not just lack of money. So one has to approach this one with the Human Development Index in mind and not just GDP of a country. Improved living conditions and lesser pollution of water and air and no adulteration of food can make a huge difference.

The writing is simple, crisp and any reader can understand this. Though it is a huge topic,  Schmidt has edited it in such a way that it is easily understandable to the non-medical reader.

This book is a must read if you or someone you know has or had cancer.

Buy it here  on  Amazon.