The Best Book I Read This Month: The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

The best book I read this month was written by the newly elected governor of Maryland: Wes Moore. The book came out twelve years ago (in 2010), but I didn’t read it until this month. My boss was so thrilled by Moore’s election victory that she sent every employee a copy. I read it in two days.

In The Other Wes Moore, the author Wes Moore recounts key events in his life and the life of another Wes Moore, one whose life turned out very differently from the author’s. Author Wes Moore learned of the other Wes Moore in an article about a jewelry store robbery, for which the other Moore and his associates were convicted. Moore was sentenced to life in prison. The author Wes Moore wanted to know how two young black men, both born in roughly the same place (the greater Baltimore area) and both raised by single mothers, ended up with such different lives. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that he never really found an answer.

Still, there is a satisfaction in Moore’s exploration. His storytelling is engaging and conversational, and he clearly recognizes turning points where his own life might have changed direction. If there is a lesson to be had in the stories of the two Wes Moore’s, I think it’s that there are no easy answers and that it really does take a village to raise a child.

Giving Thanks

It’s Thanksgiving day here in the United States, and as is my tradition, I’m making an inventory of what I’m grateful for.

This year, Twitter is at the top of my list. I joined Twitter eleven years ago. I had been working from home for a couple of years at that point, and I was eager for some “water cooler” conversation. I found so much more, though—a community and friendships that have helped me through difficult times. I don’t know what Twitter’s future holds, but I will always be grateful for the people I found there.

Whatever you are thankful for, and however you are spending today, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for spending part of it here with me.

WANTED: One Time-Turner

Remember the time-turner in the Harry Potter stories? The one that Hermione used to double up on her classes? The one that she used to help save Buckbeak and Sirius Black?

I need one.

It doesn’t need to be new. I don’t even need to own it. Borrowing it for what’s left of the month of November would be enough. Because whoo, boy, is my plate overly full for the next few weeks.

First, I need someone to tell me how the heck we’re already in November. Shouldn’t it still be August? I swear I blinked, and the calendar pages just flew away.

Now I have two weeks to get about four weeks’ worth of tasks done. Some are work tasks, and boy, am I feeling the pressure there. I have manuscripts to review that are coming in faster than I can read them. I have templates I need to create so that the next set of manuscripts can be written. And I need to map out the curriculum for our next project before the end of the month, because we need to have the budget and pricing done by mid-December.

Then there are home tasks in preparation for my family’s arrival for the Thanksgiving holiday. Things like making sure I have enough seats for everyone (Spoiler: I don’t. Yet.) and making sure my dining table is cleared off so we have a place to eat (which means finding a place for all the random stuff that currently call my dining table home).

I’m also in the middle of redoing my home office. I switched jobs in September, and while I still work from home, I have found that the new job requires slightly different logistics than my previous one. So my home office is currently mid-rearrange while I wait for the furniture I ordered to arrive.

Plus there’s the usual time needed for the normal day-to-day stuff—cooking, cleaning, taking care of the dogs, writing, reading, walking, etc.

I feel like I need another 12 hours in a day.

So if you happen to have a lead on a time turner, please do let me know.

The Best Book I Read This Month: The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

The best book I read this month was a delightful, magical story by Zoraida Córdova called The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. I was bewitched by the book’s prose in the first five pages, and the story held my attention from there.

The book tells two parallel stories that ultimately unite at the end: the story of Orquídea Divina’s life, which she has kept secret from her family, and the story of her grandchildren’s pursuit of information about Orquídea’s past.

Both storylines are imbued with magic, yet the characters remain grounded. These characters were not creatures of fantasy, but very real-seeming people who use and experience magic as an expression of their emotions. In this way, the book felt very reminiscent of the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende.

I wouldn’t call this a happy read—there’s violence and abuse and death—but it is a satisfying one and one I plan to read again someday.