I recently read three great book; all would be good summer reads if you're working on building your pool-side list!
Maid is a memoir by Stephanie Land, detailing her struggle as a poor, sometimes homeless, single-mom. Although her childhood was troubled in many ways, she was educated and grew up with her sights on college; in many ways, she's not the picture many of us may have of the working poor. While she is determined to do whatever she needs to do to make a better life for her daughter, Land finds herself in a spiral that is difficult to break out of. Even in just reading about her struggles, I could feel just the tiniest bit of her frustration, and I kept picturing myself in her shoes. Many of us live so close to that edge - where one change in circumstances could result in a life of daily struggle. Obviously to have written her book, Stephanie made it out on the other side, but she sure worked hard for it. Definitely worth a read!
Golden State is a book I likely would not have picked on my own, but my sister loaned it to me. I read the opening chapter, and then set the book aside for a while, feeling like it wasn't for me. However, when I went back to it, I couldn't put it down and read it in a couple of days. Golden State is an alternative society where the truth is valued above all else. Only the truth is allowed to be spoken, which means even novels, television shows, and other such entertainment have been removed from society. Laszlo is a veteran member of the Speculative Service, and because of his position, he's allowed to speculate on what may have happened when a crime or mystery surfaces. As he's working his latest case, the untruths begin to pile up and become very dangerous for him. A great mystery!
Educated is another memoir, this one by Tara Westover, who recalls her childhood in the 1990s - growing up off the grid. She never received any formal education until she found a way to see the world through a lens of her own, and not her parents', and was admitted into college. Tara's parents lived convinced that the world is preparing to end, so they saw no need for their kids to be formally educated, or even have birth certificates for that matter. Their priorities were in preparing their home and stockpiling their goods for the end of the world. I'm always so fascinated by learning about the way people live - especially when their mindset is so vastly different than mine. Then to read this book, and think about what I was doing in the 90s, it was difficult to picture a family so removed from mainstream. Another great read, hard to put down!
"A little reading is all the therapy a person needs sometimes."
-Unknown
