Cabal of the Westford Knight by David S. Brody

 

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you're aware of my Templars in American obsession.  My family roots start in Nova Scotia circa 1732, and I am absolutely convinced SOMETHING is buried on Oak Island (show returns in November!) near my family's former land. There are suspicions the Templars (via Henry Sinclair) traveled up and down the New England and Canadian Maritimes, leaving stone markers along for later explorations and possibly settlements.  This theory includes the Newport Tower.  Now, what's almost bizarre here is that I've chaperoned a bunch of trips to Newport which have included bus tours around the town and local history.  NEVER has any tour gone by or even mentioned the Tower.  

So, Mrs. Alissa Ficaro gave me this knowing my obsession, and my husband saw me reading it.  I got to visit the Tower this past Saturday as part of his surprise weekend!   

This is a fictional account of a lawyer representing an elderly couple from a "developer's" land grab.  The elderly couple's backyard is believed to be where Sinclair and his party camped in the small town of Westford.  If you aren't familiar with Westford and its claim to fame: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westford_Knight (Now, I've seen the Westford Knight and believe, but it is REALLY hard to see the knight's carving without the right light and a little imagination.).

What ensues is a cat and mouse game similar to The DaVinci Code through hidden and suppressed-by-the-church history, circling back through Jesus's blood line, the Holy Grail, the Templars, and early exploration of North America (why the Mikmak have red Templar crosses on their flags, why Columbus had red Templar flags on his ships, why many New England and Maritime Canadian tribes have light eyes and reddish hair...)

On the actual book, though, have to say I didn't like the ending.  Much like The DaVinci Code, the ending hasn't actually happened (we don't have any DNA proof of Jesus's bloodline or posses the Grail if it is really a cup or anything else that might be buried on Oak Island...yet), so that part is fictional.  And I really didn't like it!  However, I know it's a set up for the next book in the series.  I believe there are 7 or 8 at this time.  Thanks to Mrs. Ficaro who has donated the first four!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes

Nikki Grimes' Bronx Masquerade is one of my all-time favorite books.  When I saw she had published a memoir, I put it on our Follett Wish List for the Spring 2020 order. Then we went on Distance Learning, and I promptly forgot I had done so.  Shopping on Amazon, I did a Dory and ordered it for myself for my own "to-read" pile.  Then placed my school order via Follett.  In short, we now have two copies of this.  That being said, I AM SO GLAD BECAUSE I'M GOING TO RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE.

This memoir, like part of Bronx Masquerade, is told in verse.  Grimes tells the story of her childhood--from her earliest memories to high school.  A child who didn't talk much, she filled pages upon pages of notebooks with words, telling no one her secrets except the pen.  From being raped by her stepfather to her mother's severe alcoholism and breaks with reality, this is an incredibly difficult read.  The hardest moment though, was when Grimes' mother, in a drunken, manic high, goes on a cleaning spree and discards all her writing notebooks. I cried. Hard.

Grimes was truly happy in a foster home, where she was encouraged and loved.  But, as is all too common, the system failed her and her sister, putting them back in harm's way with their mother and stepfather or their father, a traveling musician.  It was a high school English teacher who told Grimes to write, to never submit anything less than her best, and to be a voice for those without one.  Now in her 70s, she still remains close to one of her foster brothers and a childhood friend who never deserted her. She continues to write, and her children's biography of Kamala Harris is soon to be published. 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

    

Racing to the Finish by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

I think at this point most people who know me know my history in local motorsports and my love of all things racing.  So of course I bought, and will donate, this! I'll probably put it next to his sister Kelley's!

I was a big fan of Dale, Sr.  The day he died was my first real date with the man who would become my husband.  I almost cancelled, and honestly might have if cell phones were really a thing yet.  He was already en route to my house in West Haven from Orange when the crash happened, as we planned to eat after the race.  I wasn't missing the Daytona 500 for nobody.

When Dale, Sr. died most of his fans became Dale, Jr. fans (and most of them became Chase Elliot fans when Jr. retired...), myself and my now-husband included.  Jr. would never achieve the success his father did, and many chalked it up to just not having the same talent.  Jr. is very open about his treatment for concussions and anxiety now.  He wasn't then.  He kept his symptoms and feelings a secret from most of the world.  

Jr. didn't want to appear weak.  He was afraid of losing his ride in the ultra-competitive top tier of racing.  He ignored troubling feelings like rage and physical problems like bouncing vision, while getting behind the wheel of a 2 ton machine traveling at speeds up to 200 miles an hour. 

This book isn't an autobiography.  There are no long chapters about his childhood (which was troubled, as most NASCAR fans know--Dale, Sr. would never be father-of-the-year material to any of his 4 kids by 3 wives) or his early years coming up the ranks in racing.  This is truly a memoir, the story of the life-changing series of events that ended his career in racing, but started his career in broadcasting, and, unintentionally, his role in bringing the discussion about traumatic sports brain injuries and mental health to the spotlight.  He is outspoken on the need to study the brain, and injuries sustained to it, and now talks openly about his anxiety and depression and use of medication.  

Find this in the next display!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.

A Pirate's Life for She by Laura Sook Duncombe

One of the most awesome groups who visit me on a regular basis are our ACES and SCSpEd students.  Their positive attitude is contagious, and they are very forthcoming with what they want to read about! One of the ladies in this group asked for a book about pirates.  We were both a little dismayed to find all of our pirate books were about men!

So, I set out to find a middle grade reading level book about women pirates.  Here we are.  Once my student returned it, and it had quarantined the recommended 72 hours for books, I checked it out myself.  Because I like pirates too!

This is a collection of short biographies on female pirates from across the globe during various times in history.  If you've ever seen The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you'll recognize some of these pirates instantly (Cheng I Sao appears in At World's End as "Mistress Ching"), other were simply nodded to (Anna Maria in Curse of the Black Pearl is a reference to Anne Bonny and Mary Read).  

The reality is pirates, with the gray area exception of privateers, are criminals, and glorifying them is, well, perhaps wrong.  But the lure of the sea, the call of adventure, and the hope of vast riches tends to skew our view on these real historical figures in favor of the Jack Sparrows, Will Turners, and Elizabeth Swans of movies.  How many times do we see people on the West Haven beach after a bad storm with metal detectors?  The fantasy that treasure might turn up is still very much alive.  And for far too long, the pirate narrative has only focused on men.  

I am happy to add another book featuring strong women from our past, even those who broke the law.  As we all know, "well behaved women rarely make history". 

Find this on our next display!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.