In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

★★★★★

A wonderful story and beautifully written. Though obviously a children's book, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson does not use heavy-handed tactics to get points across. Bette Bao Lord describes Chinese customs and Shirley's reactions to American ways with subtlety and gravitas. The ending was perfect and poignant, and it moved me to tears.

Every Chinese-American should read this book to get a sense of where they and their ancestors came from. Every American should read this book to better understand the immigrant perspective. Shirley's path from frightened newcomer to proud American is as exciting as it is confusing as she learns to navigate and acclimate to a strange new world while also holding on to what makes her Chinese.

I am sure that Isabelle (at 5 years old) would enjoy the illustrations by Marc Simont, and I am also fairly confident that she would appreciate Shirley's story. There are a few incidents of childhood bullying that I might have to edit if I were to read this book aloud to her now, but in any case, I am really looking forward to sharing In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson with her, and with Sebastien when he's older.

Jackdaws by Ken Follett

★★★

The problem I have with historical fiction is that I always figure there must be plenty of amazing true stories from the same time period, so why not read about those? Jackdaws brings attention to the Special Operations Executive, the British military division responsible for secret operatives sent behind enemy lines. According to a note in the book, fifty women really were sent into France as spies during World War II. So what are their stories? I'm sure they're as fascinating, or even more so, than anything anyone could make up.

Well, putting my own prejudices aside, the book was good. It held my interest enough that I looked forward to reading it each night, but not so much that it kept me up later than I wanted. It's the kind of book that does well as a TV substitute. It reads like a movie, it's entertaining, and it's a bit suspenseful.

Just like a movie, though, there was what I would consider superfluous romance that distracted from the action and actual plot.

Frequently when a book includes foreign words or references to political or military organizations, I'm annoyed that the reader is assumed to have sufficient knowledge of the references; I appreciate it when additional context is given, or when a foreign phrase is subtly translated. However, I dare say that Ken Follett goes overboard: Is it really necessary to explicitly define the word "suffragette"?

Finally, near the end, I think the main character Flick made two uncharacteristic moves - she made a decision against her better judgment, and she didn't react quickly enough given the circumstances. I wonder why Follett weakened her character after spending so much time before and after developing her character. Maybe just to show that she's human and makes mistakes, too.

Anyway, I wasn't blown away by the book, but it's easy reading and the kind of book that's good for passing the time. Since Ken Follett is such a prolific writer, I'll probably pick up more of his books from the library from time to time.