On the first Monday of most months, I blog about the books I read the previous month, so that’s what today’s topic is. I read two books last month. One was nonfiction, while the other one was fiction; however, they both touched on the same theme: being a good person.

The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America, by Raphael G. Warnock

Serving as a United States Senator and also being a pastor, Warnock is in a unique position to share his thoughts about the state of things in America.

In the book’s introduction, he compares the United States to a cathedral because cathedrals take decades, if not centuries, to build. Our nation is only 250 years old. We are a work in progress.

Being a pastor, Warnock draws on several Bible verses. In fact, the title of the book is from Isaiah 40:4-5. He refers to the “crooked places” in our country today that need to “be made straight.” Examples he writes extensively about include mass incarceration, the proliferation of firearms, the growing gap between “the haves” and “the have-nots,’ how under the Trump Administration America has lost its edge in addressing climate change, and how corporations and wealthy donors have hijacked political influence since the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2010.

In many ways, the book should serve as a wake-up call for Americans… before it’s too late. He offers examples of how these “crooked places” can be “made straight” if we only have the will to do the hard work and not make policy decisions based on political party.

We have the know-how. Do we have the courage to put our differences aside and work together on solutions for the common good?

Warnock has not given up. One of 12 siblings, he has overcome the odds his entire life.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife: A Novel, by Anna Johnston

Told with lovely humor, this is a delightful book that teaches us that we can sometimes find acceptance and unconditional love from the most unlikely people. It was a little longer than I wanted it to be, but it was nice to read a novel that mixed humor while conveying the importance of being a good and kind person.

Frederick Fife is a really nice guy, but he’s down on his luck. While contemplating what to do after he will be evicted from his home that night, he encounters Bernard Greer. Bernard has dementia and is in a wheelchair. He has gotten separated from his fellow nursing home residents and he sits down by the river while the residents and staff from the nursing home are a little distance away but cannot see Bernard and Frederick.

There is an accident on the banks of the river. That’s when the story takes a turn and, since Bernard and Frederick look very similar, Frederick is thought to be Bernard.

If I give you any more details, I’ll spoil the book for you.

I started reading…

I started reading a couple of other books, including Plot Twist: Life, Craft, And The Messy First Draft: A Memoir On Writing, by Harlan Coben. I enjoyed the little bit I read. Time just ran out and the book had to go back to the library. Writers and fans of Harlan Coben might enjoy this memoir.

What did you read in October?

Janet

Never take your right to vote for granted.