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Three Things About Elsie, by Joanna Cannon

1/31/2019

    A humorous and poignant story about Elsie and her friends at their independent/assistant living community, told by Elsie’s friend, Florence.
      I finished the book feeling a certain relief about aging. By the time I get to such a community, my aging will protect me from some of the losses I worry about now, such as loss of memory and mobility. Maybe I’ll also lose those unnecessary worries, such as what are people thinking about me.
     Here are the three things Florence say about Elsie: she’s my best friend, she always know the right thing to say, and…I forget the third.

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The Life-Writer, by Constantine, David

1/24/2019

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The story is all about compassion. Upon the death of her beloved husband, Eric, Katrin writes about the his first love, Monique, and first wife, Edna before his twenty-five year love for her. I read this beautifully crafted story slowly, savoring each word, phrase, sentence and scene. Katrin confirms us that one can have many loves, and that if we are truthful, we can hold onto the love we are given.

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A Spark of Light, by Jodi Picoult

1/20/2019

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By their very nature, health centers for women exude compassion. This engaging, well-crafted story does just that for the women clients, nurses, doctor, and staff at this Mississippi clinic. Although Picoult encourages compassion for the demonstrators, as well as for the man who breaks into the clinic and kills, I realize I have a long way to go before I can treat everyone equally in my heart.

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Sonata for Miriam, by Linda Olsson

1/16/2019

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Another favorite by my favorite author. In all my years I’ve never had a favorite, unless you want to include my Bobbsey Twins or Nancy Drew years? And even then the book titles stood out more than the authors.
As I slowly read, I heard the sonata that Adam writting for his daughter Miriam, music and words woven together throughout the story of his life. Olsson offers assurance that our lives offers both hope and redemption when times are tough and tragic.

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Why Religion? A Personal Story, by Pagels, Elaine

1/12/2019

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This book is filled with brilliance and compassion. Historian Pagels weaves a lifetime of Biblical study to conclude that we can’t understand why good and the bad things happen, but we can live and learn with them as we sit in the mystery of God.
Thirty years ago her three year old son died of a heart condition; a year later her husband died in a hiking tragedy. I has taken Pagels all those years to work through her beliefs about the truth of all that happened. Writing publicly was a necessary part of the process for her, and in doing so we are all helped along the journey.

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The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez

1/8/2019

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In no particular order, Nunez weaves a powerful, compassionate story of friendship, dogs, teaching writing, and suicide.

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Becoming, by Michele Obama.

1/3/2019

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This first book that I’ve read this year will definitely make it to my 2019 favorites list. Michele exudes compassion; its who she is (her husband, too). She offers unique insights into life in the White House. AND, so much more.
Reading Becoming, makes me even sadder and more worried about the presidency and our country. Michele, however, gives hope because she is positive. “When they go low, we go high,” rings true.

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Best compassionate reads for 2018

1/1/2019

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NONFICTION
• Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court
• Irving, Debby, Waking Up White: Finding Myself in the Story of Race
• Jeffs, Rachel, Breaking Free
• Orlean, Susan, The Library Book
• Smart, Elizabeth, Where There’s Hope
• Stevenson, Bryan, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

FICTION
• Backman, Fredrik, Us Against You
• Carroll, James, The Cloister
• Honeyman, Gail, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
• Olsson, Linda, A Sister in My House
• Picoult, Jodi, Small Great Things
• Shakfak, Elif, Three Daughters of Eve
• Beha, Christopher R., What Happened to Sophie Wilder

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    Compassionate Reading may sound strange, but that’s my purpose in joining the Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge. A book a week seems like a reasonable goal. Maybe I’ll read 52, maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll read 32, but probably not 520.
     Number goals appeal to me, especially ones connected with the calendar. As a teacher, I loved the definitive school year. There is nothing like a Monday morning every seven days to give me another jump start. The first of every month I take delight in turning the page of my wall calendar. I like numbers.
     However, this reading goal isn’t about adding books to a list. My goal is understand lives different from mine. Up until now I have read through the lens of my own life, one of ease, privilege, freedom and advantage; they never promised a rose garden, but I was given one. Now I want to wear the lens of the authors and their characters. I want to step into their feelings and experiences without comparing them to mine. I want to observe without judging. I want to appreciate the nuances rather than put everything into categories. I want to I want to read with my heart more than my head.
     My plan is to post how each book opened my heart to compassion.

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