The Best Book I Read This Month: Our Declaration by Danielle Allen

The best book I read this month is a fascinating work about one of our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence. In Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, Danielle Allen walks the reader through a close reading of the declaration’s text, arguing that each section of the document speaks to the notion of equality.

It’s a fascinating take, and I’ve never seen the Declaration analyzed or explained in this way. Best of all, Allen’s writing is accessible. You don’t need to be a scholar of history to understand her interpretation or follow her reasoning. That, in itself, speaks of equality. She makes the Declaration available to everyone.

BONUS RECOMMENDATION:

Our Declaration wasn’t the only—or even the first—remarkable book I read this month. I began February by reading called Why Study History When It’s Already on Your Phone by Sam Wineburg. If you are in any way involved in history education, READ THIS BOOK. The first chapter, in which Wineburg examines the failures of standardized testing, got me so worked up that I wanted to burn the system down and start all over again. The rest of the book did not provoke such a violent reaction, but it did identify many of my frustrations with state history standards and curriculum.

The Best Book I Read This Month: What to Do About the Solomons by Bethany Ball

The best book I read this month was not a book I particularly liked. So why is it the best? Because it provoked the strongest reaction. That book is What to Do About the Solomons by Bethany Ball.

What to Do About the Solomons centers on Yakov Solomon, manager of an Israeli kibbutz, his Algerian wife, and their children. At the opening of the book, the children are adults, and most have moved away from the kibbutz. Then, through a series of vignettes that jump from character to character and across time and place, we meet each of the children and a few of the grandchildren.

I picked up this book because its reviews called it funny and poignant and full of joy, and I was looking for a lighter read after finishing a historical fiction that had a lot of fighting and bloodshed. The first 10-12 pages lived up to the reviews. They were funny and poignant, and I loved them. Then the book took a turn. It grew dark and lost the humor. I didn’t find any joy in it, but I’m not the type of person who finds joy in other people’s misfortune. And I admit, there are so many characters in the story that I couldn’t keep track of who they all were, especially in relation to each other.

Still, I read the whole book cover to cover and fairly quickly, too. Why? A few reasons.

• One, I was hoping at the end that there would be something that brought all the children together, that tied all the different storylines together. (SPOILER: There wasn’t.)

• Two, it’s the story of a Jewish family that is not centered on the Holocaust. In fact, the Holocaust is never mentioned in the book. So many novels about the Jewish experience revolve around the Holocaust that it was a relief to read one that is Holocaust-free.

• Lastly, there are some masterful turns of phrase in the book, descriptions that made me stop and say “Wow.” This one is my favorite:

“He loved the Palestinian sun. It was different than in Europe—brighter and whiter. Not filtered through misery, upheaval, old hatreds.”

My verdict? It’s a well-written book, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s clear from the reviews that I read, though, that many others were swept away by it. So, give it a shot, maybe?

Coming to an eReader Near You . . .

I signed the contract today, so I guess it's official: I sold another short story!

My story "Greeks Bearing Gifts" was accepted for inclusion in the horror anthology, ProleSCARYet, by Cursed Morsels. The story is a revised version of the tale that won Round 2 of the 2017 NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge, about what happens when a door-to-door salesman offers a financially-strapped unemployed factory worker a way to make ends meet—at a cost.

I don't have a publication date or purchase information for the anthology yet, but you can bet I'll post when I do.

My Favorite Reads of 2020

2020 has not been a good reading year for me. I read about half the number of books that I usually do. (If I finish the book I’m reading now before midnight on 12/31, I will have read 38 books this year. I usually average 75-100 books in a year.) But looking back at what I did read, two books really stand out: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (review) and The Night Bell by Inger Ash Wolfe (review).

Both books center around abuses at a boys’ school. The Nickel Boys focuses on a school in Florida similar to the real-life Dozier School; The Night Bell focuses on a fictional school in Port Dundas, Ontario, Canada.

Their approaches were different but powerful. The Nickel Boys is historical fiction. It puts us in the shoes of a young man sent to the school, and we experience the abuses he suffers. The Night Bell is a contemporary mystery. We follow the quest of a detective as she solves the mystery of what happened at the school decades before.

Whitehead won a National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize this year for The Nickel Boys, and both accolades were well deserved. As far as I can tell, Wolfe did not win any awards for The Night Bell, but don’t let that discourage you from reading it. Both books deserve your time and attention. You won’t regret it.