July theme: Now we are free

The statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes, presented to the city in 1889 by Americans living in Paris. Courtesy of Wikipedia

In July we commemorate two popular uprisings that took place under the banners of “Independence” and “Liberty”. So the challenge is to read a book where one of these concepts plays a role. Or both.

Here are a few suggestions:
You can reach the legal age and become independent of your parents, free to make decisions for your own life.
You can finish school and start a job, becoming financially independent and free to spend your wages.
You can enjoy one of the freedoms listed in the declarations of human or universal rights: freedom to practise a religious faith, freedom from hunger, freedom of speech and so on.
Liberty can be granted or achieved: from slavery, from serfdom, from prison, from occupation by a foreign power.
In the larger world it can mean the independence of a country from a colonial power, the independence of the judiciary in a system of separate powers, etc.

And of course you can also read a book about the American or French Revolution.

Enjoy your reading and please remember the wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Reading_Through_Time_Challenge#July_2021...

So many different avenues to follow with this theme! I think I am going to read about the American Revolution with Dawn's Early Light by Elswyth Thane.

A chance for some more India. All I've ever read by Rusdie is Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which I don't really remember but mustn't have been that much impressed with since I only gave it 3***. So I guess I'll go with Midnight's Children, which will also help add to the Big Fat Books running total.

I'm thinking about re-reading A Tale of Two Cities. It's one of the few Dickens I didn't like and have always felt I should give another chance.

Another book on my TBR shelf is The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela, which is a classic about the Mexican revolution.

Great choices! I will be making up my mind much later...

Currently on my To Read shelf and fitting this theme.

After the revolution: Stories by Sergio Ramirez

Lesbian history: Sensible Footwear by Kate Charlesworth

Coming of age: Flight of the Maidens by Jane Gardam

Coming of age: The World my Wilderness by Rose Macaulay

Coming of age: Border Town by Sheng Congwen

Coming of age: The Lark by E Nesbit

Whimsical choice: The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain (about the fictional adventures of President Mitterand's hat)

ETA: Sally Heathcote : Suffragette and Dotter of her Father's Eyes, both by Mary M Talbot and Bryan Talbot.

>6 spiralsheep: Oh, the Jane Gardam looks good!

>7 MissWatson: I've been considering reading Gardam's Flight of the Maidens and Macaulay's The World my Wilderness back to back:

Gardam's was written in 2000 and set in 1946 by a woman who was 18 in 1946 and 72 when she wrote the book,

Macaulay's was written in 1950 and set in 1946 by a woman who was 65 in 1946 and 69 when she wrote the book.

Two similar writers with only the perspective of age between them.

>8 spiralsheep: That looks like a very interesting setup. I don't think I've ever come across Rose Macaulay here in Germany. We need nine lives (at least) to accommodate all the books we want to explore.

Spoiled for choices on this one! I have a multitude of books both about the American and French Revolutions as well as WWII.

Just took a look at what might work for me here. I'm thinking either:

- A Night Divided / Jennifer A. Nielsen
- Middle Passage / Charles Johnson
(But I'm reading "Roots" right now, so I may not do another slavery one right away...)

I've decided to go way out on a limb (since I read many war themed books), and read Freedom from the Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles Hummel.

I taught The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for years, but have not reread it since my retirement—too many years! I plan to listen to the audiobook narrated by Elijah Wood, and “lite out for the territory” myself.

Not sure if this fits, but Im sure you'll let me know" Im thinking about freedom from pain and finding healing. I remember that feeling after my hip replacement - pain is gone, Im free! I know there are tons of non fiction and memoirs about it. I'd like to find this theme in a novel. Any takers?

>14 cindydavid4: I think the theme fits, but I'm unable to provide the name of a novel!

>15 Tess_W: I know; I suspect thats why we see so many memoirs, that might be the best way of addressing it. I don't read self help books, would prefere fiction I'll keep looking though :)

mmm, just followed a rabbit hole of "8 books with a disabled character as the lead or focus of the story." I had read Me before You as well as My Left Foot and watched the broadway producion of A curious incident of the dog in the night time I decided to go back and read Secret Garden again, and perhaps Heide as well but the disabled person here is treated as a magic disabled person iykwim. Tho I do love the story.

sorry for the edits, i can't get the href code to work. Here is the actual site

https://disabilityhorizons.com/2019/09/8-books-with-a-disabled-character-as-the-...

I found a book that fits, A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom.

My library has 2 really great ones: Escape from the Land of Snows which is the story of the Dalai Lama's escape to freedom or Freedom's Landing a sci-fi by Anne McCaffrey--which sounds really good; although I'm not a sci-fi fan.

>19 Tess_W: Ok if its mccaffrey, its gotta have dragons, right? I read most of her, would like try this one.

I first read "April Morning" by Howard Fast in high school (shortly after publication). As with other required readings, I found this re-read much more powerful than the first time. The story is set in Lexington, MA and opens the afternoon before the outbreak of war on April 19,1775, centered around a young man (15) named Adam Cooper whom we will follow throughout the conflict.

The well educated locals hope to avoid war with the British by opening a debate with the British Army, seeking fair treatment and trade rather than conflict. Instead, the British opened fire on the Committeemen and volunteers. Why on earth would educated people expect the British Empire to treat them better than any of their other colonies anywhere else in the world totally eludes me.

The author's writing is beautiful and powerful, a true gift to the reader.

>20 cindydavid4: No dragons in the Catteni / Freedom series :) The world is not related to Pern.

>20 cindydavid4: believe it or not, I got to be 66 years of age and never read an Anne McCaffrey!

I finished A King's Ransom by Sharon Penname, book 5/5 in the Angevin (Plantagenet) series. A good portion of the book centered on Richard's imprisonment in a German prison and his subsequent release.

>23 Tess_W: are you a fantasy fan? I read these in HS/College, not sure how much Id like them as an adult. But I do want to check out the Catteni/Freedom books. But you might like them!

>24 Tess_W: I know about his imprisonment, but after reading this omg, had no idea!!!!! There was also much about Bellerezza, IIRC. Howd you like it?

>26 cindydavid4: It was my favorite of the 5 books in the series. I want to read the Welsh trilogy next.

A Night Divided / Jennifer A. Nielsen
4 stars

Overnight, one night in 1961, a barbed wire fence went up in the middle of Berlin. It was the beginning of the Berlin Wall, which of course, was built up as a concrete barrier in later months. Gerta is only 8-years old, and her father and middle brother were in West Berlin at the time. They have no way back. When Gerta is 12, she sees her brother on the other side of the wall as she is walking to school. When she sees her father a few days later, he tries to signal something to her: he wants her to dig her way to escape.

This was really good. I have to admit I really knew very little about the Berlin Wall (beyond that it came down in 1989) or the politics surrounding it, so this was interesting to learn. And heartbreaking for those families who were separated. In an interview with the author at the end of the book, it seems that most families were eventually reunited, but the exceptions were those people who were “dissidents” (as Gerta’s father is in the book) – those who were known to not agree with how things were being run.

I finished listening to the audiobook of Huckleberry Finn, narrated by Elijah Wood. What a pleasure to have this classic of American literature read to me! I rooted for Huck and Jim in their quests for freedom, Jim from the bondage of slavery and Huck from a murderous alcoholic father (and also from the forces of “sivilization.”) Read in the context of today’s “civilization,” Twain’s savage irony was more striking than ever, and like Huck, I feel moved to “lite out for the territory, ahead of the rest.”

sorry, wrong theme

I have finished Der falsche Inder, where a young man escapes from Saddam's Iraq and makes it to Germany after a long and harrowing trek.

For this month’s theme I read Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph J. Ellis. The majority of the book, as suggested by its title, takes place in the summer of 1776. It tells the political and military events from both sides that happened during that momentous summer and highlights a few key players on each side. At 185 pages with color portraits, paintings and drawings, a few maps and index, it was enlightening and informative without being overwhelming. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it as a good introduction to the subject of American independence.

As I’m not ready to leave that world, I just began Redcoat, a novel by Bernard Cornwell that begins in September 1777, in and around Philadelphia.

Henry James, What Maisie Knew in Novels 1896-1899: The Other House / The Spoils of Poynton / What Maisie Knew / The Awkward Age (Library of America) 5*****

Freedom and the "moral sense." It's a disgrace that, after nearly seventy years on this earth, I'm finally getting around to What Maisie Knew, considering that I love coming-of-age stories and that I also consider The Master to be the greatest American writer. (Alright, so I'm probably a small minority in placing James #1, but it's a respectable minority.)

I have the complete LoA set of James and I've been meaning to attempt a complete read, combined with the multi-volume biographies by Leon Edel and Sheldon Novick. As a starter, I'll finish the LoA volume 1896-1899 novels. I read The Spoils of Poynton umpteen years ago but don't at all remember it, and The Other House and The Awkward Age will be new to me. The entire LoA volume can count toward the Big Fat Book challenge.

And after I've finished those other three novels in the 1896-1899 volume, I may give What Maisie Knew a second read. It has depths and subtleties that should become more apparent on a re-read.

I have completed my read of Dawn's Early Light by Elswyth Thane. This was a re-read of a book that I read when I was quite young. I still enjoyed the book and thought the author's research into the various battles and campaigns of the American Revolution was well done but the book, originally published in 1943, did have some questionable attitudes in regards to slave owning.

The August theme is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333693#n7555199

The Midnight Bargain / C.L. Polk
3.5 stars

Beatrice wants to spend her life learning magic, doing magic, and becoming a mage. With this, she wants to help her merchant father. Unfortunately, society (and her father) have other plans for her: marriage and children. And as soon as a woman is married, on goes the collar to stifle all magic because it might hurt any forthcoming children. So, women don’t get to do magic (only men) until they are beyond childbearing years.

In a bookstore, as Beatrice hunts for grimoires (textbooks) to help her learn magic, she runs into a brother and sister from a wealthy family who could have an influence on her father’s business. The sister, Ysbeta, wants the same grimoire Beatirce has her hands on. Playing peacemaker, Ysbeta’s brother suggests Beatrice and Ysbeta learn together, but Ysbeta buys the book and walks out without providing an invitation/calling card for Beatrice to meet her to study. In the meantime, it is bargaining season when the eligible men come to woo the eligible daughters and/or bargain with their fathers.

This was good. Fantasy can be hit or miss for me, depending on the type of fantasy. This was urban fantasy, so more my “thing”. There is also a romance mixed in, but not too much romance for my liking, either. Overall, I liked it.

finally got Freedoms Landing and should finish it before the month is over!

Marie Arana, Bolivar: American Liberator 4****. Fairly decent and comprehensive bio. Not great, but quite good. An expert on this subject probably would be a bit dissatisfied, but for the general reader it's quite good.

I stumbled across this one browsing at a B&N. There was another biography, Bolivar: The Liberator of Latin America by Robert Harvey, but I chose the Arana bio since it's Simon & Schuster while Harvey's bio has a less prominent publisher. The Arana bio also has a favorable blurb from Walter Isaacson.

Alright, not the best way to pick between two books; but for a subject where I'm only going to read one book and I"m not looking for high-level expertise, this was a fairly practical way to choose.

>23 Tess_W: Never too late to start! I've read them all and enjoyed them.

I read McCaffery early in my sci/fi fan all the time days. Loved her stuff. But im afraid freedoms landing doesn't work for me; that being said i would have loved it back in the day (do really like the whole premise tho)

I have completed Ribbons of Scarlet by Kate Quinn and Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot and Helen Webb. A novel of the French Revolution, the story is told in the voices of six historical women in chronological order. They are The Philosopher (Sophie de Grouchy Condorcet), The Revolutionary (Louise Reine Audu), The Princess (Madame Elisabeth, sister to King Louis XVI), The Politician (Manon Roland), The Assassin (Charlotte Corday) and The Beauty (Emile de Sainte-Amaranthe). Four will be executed, one will die in hospital after becoming insane in prison, one will live to see the future.

Each of the writers above wrote one of the sections, each section moving the story along. It is an astounding accomplishment, the original idea came from Stephanie Dray. There is a bibliography included.

The Dedication reads: This novel is dedicated to the women who fight, to the women who stand on principle. It is an homage to the women who refuse to back down even in the face of repression, slander, and death. History is replete with you, even if we are not taught that, and the present moment is full of you - brave, determined and laudable.

Thanks to Miss Watson for this topic, causing me to read this terrific (4.5*) new book sooner rather than later!

>41 clue: I'm glad you found a great book. It sounds very interesting, I'll put this on my wishlist...

Me, too! I had wondered about Ribbons of Scarlet because of the multiple authors, but it sounds like it worked well for this book.

I can also add another book to this month's theme: Die Tote in der Sommerfrische is a mystery set on a North Sea island and introduces Viktoria Berg, who wants to be a teacher instead of getting married. It contains quite a lot of social history and I was intrigued to find Lida Heymann mentioned, who featured only a few days before in a TV report as one of the pioneers fighting for women's voting rights.

My reading got away from me this month so I won't finish my freedom themed read before month's end. From what I have read of A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom it's going to be an interesting one.

As a wrap-up from July, I just a few moments ago finished up The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan by Yasmin Khan. This paperback printing is a "new edition" (©2017, original ©2007) published by Yale University Press, and it attempts (fairly successfully) to go beyond the Delhi political factionalism between Congress and the Muslim League to look at partition, with both its violence and its nationalistic complications, as it was caused by and as it affected the people who lived through it in the border areas – Punjab in particular, but also with some reference to Bengal.

Although reference is made to the ongoing disputes in Kashmir, little discussion of Jammu and Kashmir is included. One interesting issue of partition that is not considered is the foreign policies of the two post-partition nations, Pakistan largely aligning itself with China and India (a Cold War-era "non-aligned" whose then somewhat socialist-leaning Congress Party maintained friendly relationships with the USSR) fluctuating in its relationships with the U.S., today moving into a closer alliance with the U.S. motivated by India's longtime rivalry with China along India's northern border.

4**** Fairly short, just a bit over 200 pages but with substantial notes and bibliography, but quite thorough in its analysis. The maps were adequate but could have been better; and I would have liked to have seen some discussion of the foreign policy implications of the India-Pakistan hostilities over the years. For a book originally written so soon after the turn of the millennium, though, it's too much to expect this "new edition" to enter into consideration of the implications of the India-Pakistan split on south Asian foreign policies in the era of Belt-and-Road.

"Freedom at midnight." You don't always get the consequences that you expect and hope for.

>46 CurrerBell: for a fictional account of the same: Midnight's Children

>45 Familyhistorian: I was planning on that, but Rushdie turned out to be a bit longer than I really had time to tackle in July.

>48 CurrerBell: I'm finding it a slow read so even if Rushdie hadn't been so long, it would have been hard to fit them both in to one month.