Seabiscuit

 

Ever since I read Misty of Chincoteague, horse books have held a special place in my heart--perhaps even more so than the animals themselves! So when I saw this book at our Library bookstore, being sold off for a dollar, how could I resist? I knew a movie had been made out of this story and though I hadn't seen it, I had heard so many good reports that I was eager to learn about the story myself. And as is so often the case, I suspected that the book might be even better than the movie.

Though she wrote a nonfiction book, Laura Hillenbrand's prose reads like a novel. I was surprised. I was never a fan of biographies and the like growing up, and I half expected to slog through the dead weight of factuality in order to enjoy the exciting story. Not a bit of it! I blazed through this book in three days, unable to put it down. Hillenbrand gives a delicious amount of back story for each of the main players--Seabiscuit's owner, trainer, and jockeys (there being two that rode him.) This "extra" information was fascinating, and like a true artist, the author paints the whole picture with broad strokes of time and location so that the reader truly feels he understands the situations and emotions that are occurring in and around the characters. 

When I finally watched the movie, I was pleased with how well they followed the story. One thing that the film simply could not capture, however, was the passage of time. And how could they? How, in a two-hour film, could you grasp the full significance of the months of training and bad weather and worry over Seabiscuit's ankle injuries? Or the prolonged attempts to confront the legendary War Admiral, king of the Eastern racing scene, in a duel? Or what about the embarrassment of repeated scratches when tens of thousands of fans have come to see Seabiscuit race? And ultimately, Seabiscuit's retirement  because of his lame legs at Howard's home, lounging around with his equally lame jockey? There is no way of capturing on screen the unbelievable feat that Seabiscuit attained as an "ancient" nearly 7-year-old horse, returning with a bang to the racing scene, and winning the richest cup in America in 1940. 

Within the story is included several side jaunts into the lives of Howard (the owner, who always made buddies of the press), Tom Smith (silent trainer who made enemies of the press), and Red Pollard (jockey who got injured even more than Seabiscuit.) These side tales are delightful and give the authentic "factual" air to the book without becoming stuffy and boring. With powerful writing that reflects the power of the horse and the men surrounding it, Laura Hilldenbrand sketches an unforgettable picture of depression-era America, drawn together from all corners by an underdog horse making it big.

Easy, Delicious Milkshakes!

A while ago, we were looking in our freezer and found a few almost-empty containers of ice cream that we thought we should use up. They were starting to get that frozen crystallized look--not super appetizing, so I just threw them together and blended up a milkshake! It was so good, I did it again a couple nights later! And since then, I've kept going back to it as a really yummy, incredibly easy dessert to make. Here are the approximate measurements. What I did turned out a little runny, so you can adjust how much milk you add to it based on whether you want it drinkable or "spoonable".

1-1.5 cups of vanilla ice cream (we had vanilla with a chocolate swirl in it...)
1-1.5 cups of chocolate ice cream
3/4 cups-1 cup of peanut butter
1/2-1 cup of milk

For some variety, you can leave out the peanut butter and add 1/4-1/2 cup of berries, frozen or not. 

To really make things exciting, add 1/4 cup of Irish Creme liqueur before you blend it up. 
Since I have an immersion blender, I just put everything in a container that I have and blended it up--this turned out to be perfect for two people! It's so easy and so delicious!

Enjoy!

Lemon Cake!

This cake was definitely a wow! I gave Paul a few options for what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday a couple weeks ago, and this one--Triple Layer Lemon Cake--was at the top of his list. (Which was fortunate because it was at the top of mine too.)

It took a while to make, since I also had to make the lemon curd to go in between the layers and the frosting to go on top. But since then, I have made a separate batch of lemon curd to be ready to go for when I make it again. (I could also make the frosting in advance to save a bit of time through the whole process.)

Here's the cake recipe: (I got it out of my Better Homes and Gardens Bridal Edition cookbook)

1 c butter, softened
4 eggs
2 1/3 c flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 c sugar
2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
*1 c buttermilk or sour milk

1 c lemon curd (for filling)
**1 recipe Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

*If you don't have buttermilk, here's how to make sour milk: For each cup of sour milk that you need, just put a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup and then fill the rest up with milk. Let it stand for about 5 minutes before you use it.

**Frosting: (This frosting really makes the cake--it's just phenomenal.)
Finely shred 1 tsp lemon peel and set aside. In a bowl, combine 6 oz of softened cream cheese, 1/2 c softened butter, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar. After you mix that in well, add about 2-3 more cups of powdered sugar (I think mine was more on the 2 side.) The frosting should be pretty stiff, like what you would buy in cans at the store.

 The Cake:
1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 min. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour 3 round cake pans. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; and set that aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer on medium or high speed until it's smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice; and then mix it again. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each one. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter/sugar bowl, mixing on a low speed after each addition until they're just combined. Pour into the pans.

3. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the layers thoroughly.

4. When you're putting the cake together, put the bottom layer on a cake plate and spread half the lemon curd (1/4 cup) over the top of it. Put another layer on top of that and spread it with the remaining lemon curd. Top with the remaining cake layer. Frost the top and sides with the Cream Cheese Frosting, and then cover it and store the cake in the refrigerator.

The recipe says that it will last for up to 3 days, but we ate the last pieces a week after I made it and they were certainly still good.

If you want the recipe for the lemon curd, just comment, and I'll post that too! (I like having it on toast in the morning...)

Roll of thunder, Hear My Cry

When I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, I was truly stunned. The main characters consist of a black family living in the South during/after the Reconstruction period. They did things that children still do today--go to school, have conflicts with friends, fix meals, have family gatherings during holidays, and just live life. But there is always an element of uncertainty, of danger, of hatred. The very existence of the black community in their area depended on their men working acres belonging to the white landowners and frequenting the store owned by white men that mercilessly burned some of the black men alive.

The children get a chance to see the results of this situation, one of the men still living but unable to talk or to see well through his scarred face. The children see, and they must decide whether they will stand up for the "freedom" they were granted through the Emancipation Proclamation, or whether they will "play it safe" and give into all the unreasonable requests and accusation their white "betters" might make of them.

There seems to be no winning. Even if they decide to stand for freedom and justice, most of their own community can't afford to risk standing with them. The Logan family, they own their own land. And land was the beginning of true freedom.

Though there is one climactic moment, there are several smaller episodic encounters that introduce the reader to the pervasive racism of this era. Cassie, the little Logan girl, is met with horrible disrespect when she gets to go to the town of Strawberry for the first time. The Ku Klux Klan were a terrifying presence that parents tried to hide completely from their children. And when they failed, the children found them a presence even in their nightmares. Even walking to and from school, the children had to dodge the "white" schoolbus that always sped up by them in order to spray them with mud and make them scramble up the bank into a field of brush.

Mildred Taylor's book comes to a head when one of their old friends, T.J., becomes known as a rogue and theif companion to two equally awful white boys. They commit a robbery, kill the owner of the store, and T.J. who is with them, is blamed for it, being the only one not wearing a mask. The KKK are on the hunt, and even his white "friends" are part of the group. What will happen to him?

Well, ultimately, it is the land that brings the two warring races together--at least momentarily--in the end of the book. A fire breaks out in a corner of a cotton field, and all men rush to save their livelihood. The fire happens at an opportune time, saving T.J. from being hung immediately.

In the end, we see the hope of white and black working side by side in peace. But the book is also eminently realistic, not painting a happy ending, but rather satisfied with being hopeful. T.J. is presumed to be headed for an early death. The bigotry and oppression is presumed to continue for the time being. The power is still in the hands of the white men and the KKK. But the Logans own their land, they're honest and speak the truth, and they care for their neighbors. And these are building blocks of freedom.

Truly, this is an excellent book. Even as an adult, I found some of the situations appalling and a little scarring, but there is also much truth in the book, and it is well tempered with humor, responsibility, and honor. I would say it's an excellent read for older children (maybe 5th grade and up) and for adults.

The Hero and the Crown

Of the eighty-ish books that I read last year, I believe that Robin McKinley's works were foremost among the few that completely stole my heart. Though I read this book more than a couple months ago, my mind still likes to wander among the plains of Damar and into the mountains with Aerin, the courageous but unorthodox Damarian princess.

I am working on a project of reading all the Newbery Medal winners. Consequently, I placed this book on hold from my local library, knowing absolutely nothing of what it was about, and when I began it, I had in my mind only what I surmised from the front cover. And while dragons and dragon slaying certainly played a large part in the story and propelled the narrative forward, the dragon was by no means the whole or even the main gist of the plot. While The Hero and the Crown is certainly a coming of age story, it is notable that beyond 17ish, we have no idea of how old our protagonist is at any given time. It is the development of character that the story truly revolves around. Aerin learns to control her fiery temper, and to be curious and to work hard for what she wants. It is a story about the proper use of skill; about courage, and how one can simply decide to be courageous when necessary. It is about goodness and honor and the faithfulness of man and beast that can make a nation strong. And best of all, the story is chock full of new, curious plants and animals, and a special sort of magic called kelar that is supposed to run only in the royal line, which for some reason, Princess Aerin doesn't seem to have.

Robin McKinley is a master of constructing believable fantasy worlds and stories. When I started this book, I literally could not go to sleep until I finished it. It is exciting, imaginative, and heartwarming; discussing classic themes that are good and important for adults to consider as well as children. I would recommend this book to anyone I know, whether or not they normally liked fantasy tales. In fact, if they did like fantasy, I would probably beg them to read it, it's so wonderful.

There is another Damarian story as well, set a couple hundred years after the Hero and the Crown. But Robin McKinley actually wrote The Blue Sword first, and The Hero and the Crown as a prequel. They both won Newbery awards--The Blue Sword won the Honor in 1983, and I believe The Hero and the Crown won the Medal in 1985. They have lots of similarities in themes and story, but enough differences to be quite distinct of each other. As a duet, they are completely enchanting, and you really should go check them out...right now.

The Color of Water

I must start off by saying that this is not a children's book. From the title, it's clearly something interesting and unusual, and what's more, an honoring gesture toward a parent. But this book is full of sadness and heartache that I could not recommend as good reading for children. That being said, it is truly an amazing story.

James McBride constructs this memoir in an unusual way, alternating between his mother's first-hand account of her life, which (I believe) he recorded on tape during an interview with her, and his own story that he narrates. With the chapter titles, he cleverly compares and contrasts their two stories.

Quite simply put, Ruth Jordan immigrated to the states with her Jewish family and was raised as a Jew in the South, were they did not have a large community. And what community was there was not very fond of Ruth's family because her father was a hard man who cared only for money. He owned and ran a store in the black part of town, cheating any customers (usually black folks) out of every penny he could. But Ruth learned to love and trust the black people (who during this time could have been killed for being in a relationship with a white woman.) Her family life was not good, and she had few friends, and a serious heartbreak; so while she was still fairly young, she ran away to New York where some of her mother's Jewish family lived. Eventually, she married a black man (Andrew McBride), became a Christian, and lived with him in the black community.

Her story is brim-full of racial and family tensions. Her Jewish family basically considered her dead, and she had left that part of her life completely behind anyway. But even though she had her own family and her own life, there was still a lot of sadness. Her husband died suddenly one day, leaving her with seven children and another on the way. She later married a man named Jordan with whom she had four more children, completing the even dozen.

Of course, the number of children recalls to mind the charming classic Cheaper By The Dozen. The number of kids is the same, yes, but the similarity stops there. This family lived in the projects in Brooklyn. Their family and home were abominably disorganized, and it seems like day by day, they were often just scraping by. Add on top of that, the emerging black pride movement, and the family was practically exploding with civil rights angst and confusion between embarrassment of, fear for, and pride in their white mother.

The thing that holds this book (and family) together is Ruth Jordan's violent faith and complete trust in Jesus Christ. Her first husband, Andrew McBride became a Baptist minister. Together with his wife, they built a church in the middle of the projects. She loved Jesus and firmly believed in his provision for her family. While on one hand, it may seem like there was no end to the sadness in her life--especially when her second husband died. The book is a triumphant journal of her faith in Jesus Christ and how he helped her complete the task she had as a mother. There is an impressive list at the end of the book; her legacy, if you will. It lists every child, their undergraduate degrees, any graduate degrees, and current jobs. (I believe one or two may not have completed their undergrad by the writing of the book.) James also tells a heartwarming story of their current holidays when all the family gathers at Ruth's place, where it sounds like she will always and forever rule the roost.

This book as a whole has some tremendously and powerfully sad moments that cut me deeply as I read them--not something I'm usually excited to do. However, it also has such an uplifting and delightful ending that I have to recommend it as a book worth the reading. (I would just recommend spacing it out and reading some Dr. Seuss in between chapters...or a contrasting flavor of your own choice.)

90 Miles to Havana

In 90 Miles to Havana, Enrique Flores-Galbis narrates the story of a small boy who is sent with his two brothers to a camp outside Miami as part of Operation Pedro Pan, which transported over 14,000 children from Cuba to Miami for parents that could not leave themselves and were afraid that their children might be brainwashed by the new Communist regime or pressed into military service. Though his novel is fiction, it is directly inspired by his personal experience. Like the little boy in the story, Enrique Flores-Galbis had two older brothers, and he left Cuba at age 9 as part of Operation Pedro Pan .

The story is full of exciting and sobering events: the revolution in Cuba, the splitting of families, the danger of a new place, bullies, and the difficult decisions that Julian (the little boy) has to face all by himself. In the beginning of the book, Julian is a little boy who lets his two older brothers think and make decisions for him. (Even though his friend Bebo is teaching him how to think for himself, he rarely uses what he's learned.) In the end, he learns to make his own decisions and to weigh his own motives in trying to determine right and wrong. Throughout the book he encounters characters that teach him about courage and fear (the bully Caballo and his brave friend Tomas), justice and tyranny (the camp cook Dolores), pride and humility (Cuban radio show-host Armando). He learns to season trust with caution, and comes to the conclusion that there can be no price put on human life.

Though this book is clearly written for mid-grade children, these are themes and decisions that many adults ought to hear and weigh in their minds over and over again. Many children will never have to face such extreme situations with such permanent consequences as appear in this book. However, I think it is very valuable for children to develop at an early age a good understanding of courage and justice and humility; that every action and decision has consequences that should be considered beforehand; and that it's valuable to take initiative in making those decisions.

As I'm sure many of these stories are in reality, 90 Miles to Havana is somewhat of a bittersweet tale. The Cubanos have left friends and family behind. They have endured unthinkable hardship and danger. Yet, in the end, the family almost whole again, the American bullies aren't quite so mean as the Cuban ones, and Julian believes that the hard place he built around his heart while on his own will someday melt when his father comes to be with them in Connecticut. 90 Miles to Havana is a book of hard, but hopeful change. It will certainly give you a fast and thought-provoking read.