Outside A Dog

Doming Aquinaldo was seventeen when his father was killed by members of the military controlled by Ferdinand Marcos, and after escaping with his own life that night, he made it a matter of honor to avenge his father’s death. Some years later, he is living and working under an assumed name while walking a fine line: his friends try to lure him into assisting their revolutionary actions against the Marcos regime, but even as he lusts for revenge, he hesitates to become a part of such violence and destruction. While working as a driver for Trace Caldwell, an American diplomat, he is able to gain access to and pass along to his compatriots whatever information he can glean from Trace and the men with whom he works. Along the way, Doming becomes entangled with the diplomat’s wife, Rue. Their relationship begins as one of mutual dislike, but as Rue comes to love her job and the people of Manila, she comes to love Doming as well, and she soon comes to the realization that the work of her husband, his associates, and the Marcos reign are destroying the people of the Philippines.

Baby Jesus Pawn Shop by Lucia Orth has the amazing power to transport you to the Manila of 1982 and introduce you to those who suffered under the Marcos rein, and the author beautifully captures the lives of the Filipino people. I read this book with a mixture of desperation and helplessness and hope, feeding off the emotions of both Doming and his friends, as well as those of Rue, who “felt a dread, unnamable, that by not objecting she was also part of the farce and the horror.” I couldn’t help but get caught up, and this novel was certainly hard to put down.

While I’m not yet at that point in my life where I’m settling down and getting married and having babies, I really enjoyed reading through Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods by Nina Planck. It’s loaded with information about food and nutrition while maintaining an easy-to-read style, and perhaps best of all, it doesn’t preach. Planck tells you what she knows – which is, admittedly, a lot, and she brings in the experts to verify what she’s saying, so you don’t have to take only her word on it – and she relates stories about her own pregnancy, but then she leaves it up to you to decide what’s best for your body and your baby.

The book is broken down into five sections, beginning with the chapter entitled ‘What is Real Food?’ that starts with a basic explanation of, you guessed it, what the author calls ‘real food’: the old and the traditional. Foods that were eaten long before food became part of an industry, foods that aren’t processed within an inch of their life, and foods that haven’t been enhanced and added-to before they’re sold are the staples of the ‘real food’ diet. Planck then moves on to chapters covering ‘The Fertility Diet’ [what to eat when you’re trying to conceive, and what foods best prepare your body for the rigors of pregnancy], ‘Forty Weeks’ [how the foods you eat can influence your baby’s development], ‘Nursing Your Baby’ [championing the benefits of breastfeeding over formula use], and ‘First Foods’ [introducing your child to something a little more solid]. The back of the book also provides a list of resources for further reading on a range of topics, from postnatal depression to autism and allergies and various birthing techniques.

Overall, this is a stellar book. Like I said, I’m nowhere near ready for the baby-specific information, but I read this book cover to cover, and it’s now full of post-it flags for easier future reference. I’ve found myself returning to the first chapter on foods basics more than once. A lot of what Planck presents just makes sense, and with so much information and misinformation floating around in the media – eggs are bad! no, wait, eggs are good! – it’s great to have something to fall back on when everything gets confusing. I’ve even broken it out when having baby-related discussions with friends and plan on presenting a copy or two as gifts to friends in the future. And, yeah, maybe I do look forward to using the information for my own personal use some day.

Bark Up The Right Tree: Lessons From A Rescued Dog is a sweet little story told by Jesse the Labrador Retriever with a little help from her human, Ruth.

Jesse’s story begins shortly after she loses her family when they drop her off at an animal control shelter, but her life turns around when she is adopted by Ruth and her husband Hugo. She soon discovers a love for squeaky bones, being dried off after a bath, and new friends[both the two-and four-legged kind]. Ruth’s dream for Jesse was to become certified both as a Canine Good Citizen and as an International Therapy Dog, and with both love and work, the dynamic duo reached their goal. Shortly after, they began to aim for something new: Ruth would like to develop a volunteer-based group for adopted children and rescued pets where the two could interact and support each other. A few of Jesse’s friends get them started with the donation of a small play wagon so that Jesse can pull children around the neighborhood, and Ruth and Jesse hope to raise awareness of their Kids ‘n’ Kritters project.

This little book is a fun read, and the end of each chapter features a “paws” for lessons learned: Jessie tries to highlight the main points to take away from her story. Everyone can appreciate little reminders such as let go of the past; make good use of today! Jesse’s story is a lovely one, and demonstrates the healing power of love.

10% of sales of Bark Up The Right Tree go to Open Doors, an Amazing Grace Foundation’s Kids ‘n’ Kritters project.

Mercè Casals is an international opera star and the subject of The Wonder Singer by George Rabasa, but she is dead before we have the chance to meet her. Instead the reader follows the efforts of Mark Lockwood, ghostwriter for Señora Casals, as he tries to piece together hundreds of hours of interviews for the Señora’s autobiography. It’s not as easy as that, however, as Lockwood’s agent is desperate for the interview tapes so he can hire a more well-known — yet less knowledgeable — author to take over the life story of La Casals. His only help in trying to keep the new writer from running everything is limited to the Señora’s former nurse [and object of Lockwood’s affection] and her biggest fan – a six-foot-four female impersonator who shows up to Señora Casals’ funeral in an exact replica of a costume from a show performed thirty-six years earlier. Dedicated to telling the story as Mercè Casals would have wanted it told, the three barricade themselves in Lockwood’s house as he works on his book, immersing themselves in the audio from the Señora’s life – recordings of both her performances and her interviews loop endlessly for them as Lockwood weaves the tale of the diva.

There’s a clever aspect to this book – chapters of the story Lockwood is writing are interspersed with his adventures in trying to get them written, and so the reader has the opportunity to ‘meet’ Señora Casals and understand Lockwood’s motivation for making sure her story is told properly. George Rabasa does such a wonderful job of bringing Señora Casals to life – I regret that she is a fictional character, for I would have loved to hear her sing, or to lear more about her. One chapter from the ‘autobiography’ stuck with me, as it detailed a dark period in the Señora’s life. She was infatuated with the prince of a small, defunct European country, and to please him she changed everything about herself for him: her hair, her makeup, her wardrobe, her body. She sang only what and when he wanted her to, and she became a shell of her former self. After five years of starving herself and canceling her recitals and rarely singing in public, she snaps and leaves the prince, and returns to her former glory when she is out from under his thumb. And from that point on, she lives her life as she wishes to live it, not according to anyone else’s standards.

I have to say, this is such a great book. Lockwood’s character is a little irritating, but I think he was supposed to be, for by the end of the novel he’s being transformed by his efforts in telling the Señora’s story. The Señora herself is such a strong woman, full of strength and joy, even after her death, even as someone else is telling her story.

The list of what’s next: books that have been so generously provided by authors and / or publishers for review. I haven’t been nearly as quick with reading them as I would like, and if any of those kind souls are paying attention, I really am sorry. But don’t worry, it won’t be much longer!

• Revise The World by Brenda W. Clough
• Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa
• Baby Jesus Pawn Shop by Lucia Orth
• The Blood of Lambs: A Former Terrorist’s Memoir of Death and Redemption by Kamal Saleem
• Roastbeef’s Promise: When Your Dad’s Dying Wish Is to Have His Ashes Sprinkled in Each State, What’s a Son to Do? by David Jerome
• The Wonder Singer by George Rabasa
• Secrets Unveiled by Sheshena Pledger
• The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C. M. Mayo
• Stuffed: An Insider’s Look at Who’s (Really) Making America Fat by Hank Cardello
• Palace Circle: A Novel by Rebecca Dean
• Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods by Nina Planck
• Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz
• Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See

Update August 26: Have finished the crossed-out books, and working on more! Reviews soon!