Category: TV

Girl surrounded by stacks of books

Tidy Tidbits: Mostly Books

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READING

FASCINATING WOMAN

Lady First:  The World of First Lady Sarah Polk by Amy S. Greenberg

(charlotteonthecheap.com)

History has not been kind to James Polk, the unpopular president known for his Manifest Destiny policy and the U.S.-Mexican War of the 1840’s.  He only served one term in office and his widow outlived him by more than 40 years.  Sarah Polk, on the contrary, was charming and gracious and cultivated the image of a deferential and very proper southern Christian woman.  In reality, she was also smart, well-educated and astute. She easily related to men and manipulated government officials in service of her husband’s political career, especially during the White House years.  Her correspondents were numerous, and she hosted many a reception, even when she and James lived in rented rooms in a D.C. boardinghouse while he was in Congress.   

The Folks were plantation owners with a raft of slaves, and after his death in 1849, Sarah continued to keep their slaves.  During and after the Civil War, she aimed to be seen as friendly to the Union while quietly and privately continuing her efforts on behalf of the Confederacy and Confederate causes.  Ahead of the times in her influence and power, Sarah Polk was a multi-dimensional individual who had a lasting impact on her times and was revered by many into her late 80’s.  This is a fascinating and engaging biography and an account of some of the most critical years of the 19th century.  (~JWFarrington) 

WATCHING

ARCTIC MURDERS

Rebecka Martinsson  (Acorn)

(thekillingtimestv.wordpress.com)

Rebecka Martinsson is an attorney at a prime law firm in Stockholm when she returns north of the Arctic Circle after the death of a close friend.  Convinced that all is not right, she becomes involved in a murder investigation.  There are eight episodes in Season 1, and each murder mystery is a two-parter, all taking place in the cold, frozen north.  

It takes a little bit of effort to get into this series; dialogue is sparse, Rebecka is both smart and unorthodox in her approaches, and sometimes the connections between characters are hard to sort out.  Nonetheless, the Chief Penguin and I got hooked on this series and watched all of it.  Apparently, Season 2 has debuted in Sweden, so we can cross our fingers we’ll eventually get it in the U.S.

SUMMER READING

Here are a few of the titles I plan to read over the next few months. What is on your list or in your stack?

Barbarian Days:  A Surfing Life by William Finnegan (a memoir, winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

William Finnegan (mensjournal.com)

The Body in Question by Jill Cement (Notable book, novel about an affair between jurors)

German Boy:  A Child in War by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel (a memoir, recommended by Dean)

The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz (first novel by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist)

Spying on the South:  An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz (re-tracing Frederick Law Olmstead’s journey of the 1850’s)

Note: Header image of girl and book stack is from ipipliwool.comyr.com.

Diversions: Other Lives on Screen & Page

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RECENT READING

EVOCATIVE MEMOIR

The Farmer’s Son:  Calving Season on a Family Farm by John Connell

(irishcentral.com)

I had read good reviews of this work and since we were originally going to Ireland this month, I was doubly attracted to it.  Connell’s account of the months from January to June working on his father’s farm in County Longford delivering calves and lambs is both precise and brooding.  The work is hard, physical and unending, the winter weather cold and damp, the unexpected expected, and the life isolating.  His father is a difficult man with a temper and they often argue and then go for long periods without speaking. 

One feels initially that Connell only reluctantly returned to the farm to deal with personal issues and to grapple with his writing.  The farm is a stark contrast to his previous life in Toronto and only gradually do his ties to the land and his connection to nature return to the fore.  His plain prose often surprises with its literary references while he conveys the details of delivering an animal, the evolutionary history of the cow, and shares his thoughts on his faith and his few friendships.  It’s chock-full of the endless round of daily farm chores and what they entail, but what remains with me is Connell’s journey to a fuller understanding of who he is and where he fits in.  Almost haunting.  Highly recommended!  (~JWFarrington)

ILLUMINATING BIOGRAPHY

What Stars Are Made Of:  The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin by Donovan Moore

(nymag.com)

Like too many scientific fields, astronomy was a closed circle of men until well into the 20th century, open just a sliver for smart women (known as “computers”) whose job was to collect data.  Cecilia Payne was an exception.  Brilliant, driven, and not deterred by social mores or niceties, she barreled through, or navigated around, the hurdles designed to keep women in their place.  And, she was responsible for discovering the primary element found in stars.  

An English woman who studied at Cambridge, England, she was urged to come to the U.S., specifically to Harvard, where opportunities for women scientists were marginally better.  Intending to stay just for the duration of her fellowship, she ended up spending her entire career at Harvard, becoming the first chair of the astronomy department and ultimately, being granted the rank of full professor.  

Cecilia came of age in the 1920’s and, in the U.K. academic world, women were strictly governed by rules of dress and conduct.  From being heckled on the way down the lecture hall to the front row seats, to not being able to work alone with a male student or scientist in the observatory, learning required persistence and boldness.  Moore’s biography is engaging and accessible, and while focused on Payne-Gaposchkin, is a lesson in astronomy and a history of notables in the field, both men and women.  Thanks to my friend Suzy for the recommendation. (~JWFarrington)

CHOICE VIEWING

PHARMACEUTICAL PUZZLER

Acceptable Risk (Acorn)

(rte.ie)

This is one of the best crime/mystery series I’ve watched recently.  When an executive for global pharmaceutical firm leaves his home in Dublin for a meeting in Montreal, he never returns.  Lee Manning’s violent death raises alarms in Sarah, his lawyer wife, and sets her on a trail for answers to what all his international travel entailed.  Sarah worked for the same firm, Gumbiner-Fischer,  and has two children.  Probing close-mouthed company officers and getting nowhere, she teams up with police detective Emer Byrne, who later is officially removed from the case.  What was really going on at the firm and why all the secrets?  Intriguing, fascinating and totally absorbing!

ESCAPE FROM THE MIDWEST

The Chaperone (Amazon Prime)

(pbs.org)

This film is adapted from a novel of the same name by Laura Moriarty.  It’s the early 1920’s and 16-year old Louise Brooks from Kansas City, has been selected to spend the summer with the Denishawn School of dance in New York.  It’s a long train journey from her home to the city, and she needs a chaperone.  Her mother recruits an acquaintance, Mrs. Norma Carlisle, to accompany Louise and stay with her during the auditioning process.  Louise is feisty and bold and challenges the very proper, straitlaced Norma at every turn, as they both explore a new world of experiences.  Louise Brooks is a real person who eventually became a popular silent screen star.  This is light fare, a pleasant diversion for a summer afternoon, and fans of Downton Abbey will enjoy seeing Elizabeth McGovern blossom as Norma.

Note: The header photo seen in a restaurant run by women, “Behind every successful woman is HERSELF” seemed appropriate for this blog which is mostly about determined women.

American Lives: Embracing Difference

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This past week, my viewing and reading reflected people who were seen as different, whether it was because of race or gender or sexual orientation. Following are notes on a series about a black woman entrepreneur, a documentary about a lesbian couple, and a heartwarming Facebook posting about a young girl’s quest for reassurance.

ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN

Self-Made (Netflix)

Madam and her daughter (amsterdamnews.com)

The sub-title of this 4-part series is: “Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker,” and it’s the story of America’s first self-made millionaire.  An African American laundry woman who started her own haircare product business, Sarah Walker was enterprising, indefatigable, and forceful.  From selling Addie Monroe’s hair grow product to developing her own improved formula, to determinedly opening her own factory, Sarah was unabashedly ambitious.  Saddled with a husband who was at first supportive, then roving, and a daughter with a sneaky, lying spouse, Madam nonetheless persevered.  Her company prospered and endured from its founding in Indianapolis in 1910 until it ceased business in 1981.  This is a good series about a remarkable woman, whose achievements and concern for black women everywhere are a welcome respite from today’s news. 

ENDURING & AFFIRMING LOVE

A Secret Love (Netflix)

(variety.com)

This documentary is the life story of a female Canadian couple who for more than six decades lived together, claiming to outsiders that they were cousins or just friends splitting the high cost of their Chicago rent.  Terrie Donahue and Pat Henschel met in the late 1940’s and fell in love much to their mutual surprise.  Terrie played shortstop on a professional women’s softball team in a league that played around the Midwest.  Later she and Pat both worked for the same company.  Ever careful, they didn’t come out to their unsuspecting families until 2009. 

The film was made by Terrie Donahue’s great nephew with lots of archival footage of their early lives and real time documentation as they approach their 90th birthdays.  It’s a sweet and amazing story about the power of love.  In their professional and personal lives, Terrie and Pat were pioneers.  Highly recommended!

A CARING COMMUNITY

I’m going to do something here I’ve not done before, and that is to share a Facebook post by my niece, Whitney, about her biracial 8-year old daughter, Naya.  It’s a heartfelt message about a lively black girl, her caring mom, and a town police team who went above and beyond to reassure Naya that she matters.  It’s a welcome reflection in a tumultuous week.

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There comes a day in every kid’s life where something changes…reality strikes and the light in their eyes dims just a little…the gift of the free-spirited careless, adventurous day they had not only one day earlier, gets traded for a long day of worry, self-doubt and anxiety.

Maybe they realized they weren’t as good at school as someone else, or maybe someone played a sport better, or maybe they wish their hair was straight, because everyone else’s was…

or maybe on that particular day, they just so happened to realize, what it meant…

To be black. 

Naya is … Naya. 

Since the day she could walk and barely talk she commands attention most places she goes. She makes friends with young and old, and will always strike up a conversation with anyone and I mean ANYONE. (not always a good thing lol) 

She is the most confident, authentic, talkative, stubborn, smart, energetic, hilarious, beautiful brown skinned little girl…

She’s a natural born leader, she loves to dance and sing, she loves art, she was blessed to be incredibly athletic, that I am in awe with daily bc she definitely didn’t get that from me lol. She is a talented competitive swimmer ( who dreams of being in the Olympics one day so remember her name #statesbates ), she is only 8 but swears most days she’s 18. 

She truly embraces life each and every day. It breaks me to think that anyone could look at her and think she is anything but all the amazing, unique things that make her, her. 

She has been glancing at the news time to time as she runs out of the room to ride her bike …she knows what’s happening, she can feel the injustice…We have talks and try to educate her the best we can… 

Yesterday was different though, she looked at me with real fear in her eyes and asked, “Mama will a cop come to my house and hurt me?!??” 

So now it’s time to really drive it home…we have to make her understand that everyone’s differences are what make them amazing and no one person is superior over the other. But sometimes, unfortunately, in certain situations she might be treated differently ….

So, Thank You Sheriff Catalfano, Sheriff Loveless, Trooper White and Trooper Tubbins for coming to speak to Naya today. 

You went OUT of your way today to show her that she MATTERS! 

Thank you for showing her that most law enforcement doesn’t want to hurt her just because the color of her skin… thank you for showing her girl power and thank you for easing her anxious heart by speaking warm, comforting words from the trooper that “ hey! He looks like me!”

But mostly, thank you for HEARING an 8-year old’s cry FOR CHANGE... 

and making her feel safe. I know that’s what most of you signed up for.

I realize it won’t always be like this for her, but she had today… and this is what hope feels like… 

Today we won a little battle on the war on racism, today kindness and LOVE for humanity prevailed… and once again, I am so proud to call this community our home. #auburnNY

#blacklivesmatter #voteforchange #letsshoutoutthegoodcops #loveisaterriblethingtohate

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Tidy Tidbits: Escaping the News

JWF Leave a comment

WHAT A HORRIBLE WEEK!

American life and U.S. politics hit a new low this past week.  Aside from the continuing dire news about the pandemic, there was the brutal Minneapolis killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer, followed by nights of violence in that city and mass demonstrations in others around the country.  Add in the president’s smear of respected news host, Joe Scarborough, and his tweets about looting and shooting, and it seems that absolutely anything goes.  As Florida opens up some, we here feel a bit in a bubble.  We read the depressing news, are angry and upset by it, but are fortunate to be well and safe.  Strange, weird times.

ESCAPES—READING AND VIEWING

NEW NOVEL

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

(fandm.edu)

At first, I was mystified as to where this novel was going.  Was Vincent male or female and what was her/his relationship to the Paul of the next chapter?  Skipping around in time and place (Vancouver, Dubai, Manhattan), Mandel creates a circle of characters who revolve around or otherwise intersect with Jonathan Alkaitis, investor and Ponzi scheme creator.  Vincent, decades younger, is Jonathan’s pretend wife; artist Olivia Collins invested with Alkaitis and seeks his attention; while Oskar and Harvey who work for him, both know, and not know, what they are doing on the Seventeenth Floor.  Paul, Vincent’s brother, initially works at the same glass hotel as Vincent, but then mostly disappears to take up composing and performing.  

It’s a high life for a while, and Alkaitis is Bernie Madoff writ large.  We follow Alkaitis to prison where he invents an interior life, his counterlife, which increasingly becomes entwined with, to the point of replacing, what is real.  And we hear from his colleagues and how they each fare after the fragile bubble bursts.  Mandel concentrates on the shifting lives and changing personas of individuals as they find and lose money, friends, and love.  This is my first experience of Ms. Mandel’s writing and I loved it!  (~JWFarrington)

WARHORSE?

War and Peace (Prime Video $)

Paul Dano, Lily James, James Norton (bcstudios.com)

This BBC adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel was written by Andrew Davies and produced in 2016.  There are eight episodes and it stars, among others, James Norton (of Grantchester fame) and Lily James (Lady Rose in Downton Abbey).  Set before and during the battles led by Napoleon against the Russians, it’s a grand spectacle about the lives of several young Russian elites.  There are beautiful women in lavishly decorated ballrooms, gruesome and gory battle scenes, and soul-stirring Russian songs; all against the glorious architecture of St. Petersburg and Moscow in the snow.  

Somehow, I escaped to adulthood without having read this masterwork, so I found the beginning a bit confusing with so many counts, countesses and princes to keep straight.  Shortly after, I became absorbed in their lives, loves and lusts.  

Note: Header photo of Florida sunrise ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).