Book Review: She Walks in Beauty by Caroline Kennedy

She Walks in Beauty: A Woman's Journey Through Poems by Caroline Kennedy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a wonderful book for those who enjoy poetry, especially women. This is the answer to "What do you want for your birthday/anniversary/Mother's Day?" or just to read next, although I recommend owning a copy so you can savor the book over time. (Thanks, Caiti!) Caroline Kennedy has compiled a variety of thought-provoking, excellent poems that evoke the stages and feelings of life. Each section (e.g., Falling in Love; Breaking Up; Beauty, Clothes, and Things of This World; Friendship; How to Live) is preceded by a brief and insightful essay into the editor's choice of poems and their significance to her and to us. Read it with a pen to mark favorite passages and a pack of sticky notes so you can record your favorites in your "commonplace book" or collection of favorite quotes.

Kennedy chooses poetry from sources as early as the Bible and Euripedes, through familiar poets like Donne, Keats, Sappho, Millay, cummings, and the Brownings, to poets you may not be familiar with and poems from traditional folk sources. Some of my favorites: Margaret Atwood's "Variations on the Word Sleep"; W. S. Merwin's "To Paula in Late Spring"; Rumi's "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing"; Barbara Ras's "You Can't Have It All"; St. Theresa of Avila's "May today there be peace within"; and Euripedes' "The Bacchae Chorus." This book is a treasure. Highly recommended.



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Book Review: As Always, Julia, edited by Joan Reardon

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto by Julia Child

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you liked My Life in Paris and the movie Julie & Julia, you may really enjoy this book, which collects the correspondence between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto from their first contact when Julia was beginning to master the art of French cooking until and beyond the publication of her classic cookbook--a time during which they were "pen pals" and became best friends forever. The letters are well-edited and the editor, Joan Reardon, deserves recognition for doing a great job of filling in the blanks and identifying people and events mentioned in the letters that the reader might not know about. (She also translates the bits of French that creep into the letters.) Avis's letters are just as interesting, if not more so, than Julia's, as Avis was married to a famous and excellent writer, Bernard DeVoto, was a thinker and editor in her own right, and they knew many of the literary and other lights of society in their Harvard University/Cambridge, Massachusetts, community and throughout the country. In addition to the struggles and triumphs surrounding the writing and publication of Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the two women give a great depiction of their daily lives in the 1950s and the political climate in the United States at the time. (Both were horrified by the Communist witch hunt being conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy and his House Unamerican Activities Committee; both were delighted years later by the election of President John F. Kennedy.)

Avis is the perfect friend and encouraging editor; without her, Julia may not have had the wherewithal to endure the years and setbacks involved in completing and publishing the cookbook. Also interesting are the details of Julia and her husband Paul Child's postings around Europe with Paul's job for the U.S. Information Service and the two friends' family and travel experiences. In addition to being a valuable chronicle for those interested in Child, the book is another addition to the growing body of resources on the value of women's daily lives and thoughts (in a vein similar to the historical work of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich). Brava! Highly recommended.



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Book Review: Fair Game by Valerie Plame Wilson

Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House by Valerie Plame Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valerie Plame Wilson, an undercover operative for the CIA, was "outed" by the Bush White House (a federal crime) in retaliation for her husband's opposition to the President's statement that Iraq had tried to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger--her husband, Joseph Wilson, was a former ambassador sent to investigate the Niger story and had reported to the CIA and the White House that the rumor was false. Nevertheless, the President included the story in his State of the Union address. This was during the time when the Bush administration was trying to make the case that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction as a reason for the United States to invade the country.

The revelation of Wilson's status put an end to her career, undermined some of the intelligence she had worked on and placed other CIA personnel and helpers in jeopardy, and resulted in the waste of thousands of dollars that the CIA had invested in this experienced, talented covert operative. She tells her story with the parts the CIA "redacted"--wouldn't allow her to reveal, including how many years she had worked there--"blacked out," but the story is still a fascinating read. An "afterword" by a journalist tells the full story, all of which was part of the public record anyway, so the CIA had questionable motives for disallowing its publication.

I enjoyed learning about the workings of the CIA and was impressed with the hard work and patriotism of our country's intelligence agents. I was shocked by the illegal revelation of Wilson's status for political and retaliatory motives. Our national security depends on the intelligence services being able to operate free of any political agenda, and that didn't happen in this case. Recommended for those interested in real-life spy stories and in the integrity of government.

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