Category: Books

NEW NATIONAL HOLIDAY

Today, June 19, is Juneteenth.  It is now a federal holiday and yesterday, government workers had the day off.  It commemorates the date in 1865 when Texas got the word that American slaves were emancipated.  Many states already have Juneteenth celebrations, but this bill, passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law on Thursday by President Biden, reinforces this date as one to celebrate both freedom and African American culture.  Thus far, nine states have also made it an official state holiday.  Sadly, legislation to enact this in my state of Florida died. 

HISTORICAL NOVELS

A successful historical novel engages the reader in a good story.  Simultaneously, it provides a context for events of a time and place distant or just different from our own.  The focus can be on notable events depicted through fiction or the creation of a three-dimensional real individual about whom we know not much.  And because it’s fiction, timelines can be altered and love interests, probable or simply imagined, added.  A good author makes history come alive through her novels.  Here are two that I recently enjoyed, one that’s particularly fitting for this holiday.

BLACK LIFE IN RICHMOND & PHILADELPHIA

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

Most of the novels about slavery that I’ve read have been set on a plantation, detailing the hard lives of house slaves and the brutality and mistreatment of those who worked in the fields. Mary Bowser was a real individual, born into slavery in Richmond who, at about age 12, was bought by Bet Van Lew, the daughter of her owner.  Bet freed Mary and sent her to Philadelphia to live free and be educated.  Mary’s mother had also been freed, but her father was still enslaved and working as a blacksmith, so they stayed in Richmond.

The first half of this absorbing novel depicts the differences in urban life in Richmond, where most Blacks were slaves, and in Philadelphia with a population of free Blacks.  The rules for living in Richmond were very clear and strict; in Philadelphia, freedom came with its own nuanced restrictions.   

With Civil War looming, Mary made the amazing and courageous decision to leave Philadelphia and return to Richmond.  Once there, she collaborated with her benefactor, Bet Van Lew.  Pretending to be a slave, she got taken on as a maid in Jefferson Davis’ home.  During the war years, she collected and passed on information on the Confederate plans to the Union side.   

Much about Mary Bowser is not known, and there are no known photos of her. But Mary, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Thomas McNiven, another character, were all real people who spied on the Confederacy for the Union.  Leveen’s novel creates the environment in which Bowser lived and worked and gives us a fictional, yet wonderfully rich, portrait of Mary’s thoughts and actions.  Highly recommended!

For a differing perspective on this Mary, this article questions some of the claims made about her. 

BRIDGE BUILDING

The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood

This novel is about Emily Warren Roebling’s role in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.  I found it fascinating and compelling.  So much so, that I raced to finish it.  There is a lot of description of the various steps and processes involved in the bridge construction which might put off a few readers.   I gained a greater appreciation for what went into the beauty of this monumental structure.  Like many folks, I have walked across it! 

Emily was married to Washington Roebling, whose father John was a successful bridge builder and the one who drew up the original plans for Brooklyn.  Washington was a former military man who took over the chief engineer role after his father’s death.  Unfortunately, he suffered severe illness from working in the caissons (underwater tubes) and was an invalid for much of the construction work.  Over the next eleven years, It fell to Emily to be the messenger transmitting plans, ideas, and decisions between Wash and the working team at the bridge site. Later she took over supervising, calculating, and deciding on materials. 

Emily Roebling pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable for women in the late 19^th century.  She was limited in her participation in the women’s suffrage effort by the all-consuming bridge project.  Wash’s illness had a negative impact on their life together, although they remained married. Appropriately, Emily was one of the first individuals to cross the completed bridge in 1883!

My mother was always interested in architecture.   She was especially fascinated by bridges.  In my teens, we made a family trip to see and drive across the famed Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas.  The Big Mac, as it was called, is one of the longest suspension bridges in the Western Hemisphere.  It opened in 1957.  

Another reason for my interest in this novel is the hint of a family connection to the Roeblings: if not a relative working on the Brooklyn Bridge, then on one of Roebling’s other structures.  My mother had two teeny tiny saws, the size of a bracelet charm, which belonged to a family member.  I don’t know that she ever figured out to whom they belonged, so the saws remain a puzzle.

LOCAL CUISINE

You know that life is nearly back to normal and the direst days of the pandemic behind us when the Chief Penguin and I return to Cortez Kitchen.  Before we moved here, it was our go-to place on our twice-yearly visits to Florida.  Once established here, we ate there once a week on average.  The other night we decided it was safe to return after an absence of more than a year. 

Located in the historic fishing village of Cortez, the restaurant is a semi-covered outdoor space on the water.  The menu includes local fish (mainly grouper), shrimp, seared tuna, steamed clams, and a burger for those who prefer meat.  It’s a funky kind of place whose clientele includes faithful regulars, the biker crowd, snowbirds, and folks like us.  We go not for the food, but for the vibe, the live music that’s occasionally very good, and the slightly rustic, relaxed ambience.  We went early this night, ordered our usual fare, and even connected with our favorite longtime waitress!