nonfiction – Dr JoAnn LoSavio

Free: Two Years, Six Lives, and the Long Journey Home by Lauren Kessler

June 30, 2024 JLLeave a comment

I didn’t know what this book was, until I was in it. And then I couldn’t stop reading. By the end, I was heartbroken and frustrated, not only for the individuals who shared their stories of incarceration and attempts at reintegration afterwards, but also for us, the rest of American society, for our lack of understanding, compassion, and knowledge about this very real, tangible human tragedy.

Free is about the failure of the American judicial and prison systems to manifest actual reintegration of paroled and released persons after they’ve served their sentences, and the impotence these individuals must confront as they try to forget their pasts, forge new pathways, and defeat recidivism. Kessler delivers the gravity and causes of recidivism to the reader through the lived experience of a handful of individuals, six men and women of different races and backgrounds. Free is deeply human-focused; Kessler highlights and allows the voices of those who live this trauma and oppression to speak for themselves, making this a very emotionally charged and profound read.

It’s not a comfortable read. Free made me reflect on my own prejudices and biases, enlightened me to facts and processes I was unaware of. I’m grateful for this.

Kessler’s subtext is not subtle. The responsibility of recidivism lies with us, the members of society who have never been incarcerated — those of us who have the power to vote, demand fairer forms of justice, manifest real compassion for those who have been imprisoned (rightly or wrongly). The issue is this: society as a whole continues to punish those who have been incarcerated and released, as if the serving of their sentences were the beginning of the penalty, and not the end of it.

The call to action is this: The sentence once served should be the only punishment. We as a society need more compassionate, more inclusive and supportive systems of reintegration for these formerly incarcerated individuals if we want to reduce rates of recidivism. It is us who need to change, not the convicted. The systems which govern incarceration and reintegration need adjustment at the very least, a complete reform in some areas. And we, voters and citizens who must live alongside the incarcerated and the paroled and the released must speak up and demand these changes.

Free is a powerful book with a powerful and empowering message.

Free was introduced to me through my local library system. It was one of the “Revolutionary Reads” the Fort Vancouver library system hosts annually. The chosen book is usually one that is local in some way to the Pacific Northwest (Free is grounded geographically in my local region). Copies are given away to the public and there is attendant programming in the form of Zoom and in-person events along the lines of interviews with the author and/or subjects, experts on the topic, film screenings, and so on. I absolutely love this program and am so glad it introduced me to this book, to this issue, and helped me gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of recidivism.

Alcatraz Ghost Story: Roy Gardner’s Amazing Train Robberies, Escapes, and Lifelong Love by Brian Stannard

May 19, 2024 JLLeave a comment

Roy Gardner was pretty impressive… even if he was also abhorrent as a human being. This reader found him perversely interesting, like a train wreck you can’t stop staring at. There is an element of action movie magic here, a kind of wonderment and expectation that the hero (Gardner) may not survive the next car chase. But he does.

Alcatraz Ghost Story is a biography of Roy, the man, but in true prosopographical fashion it paints a landscape of the early twentieth century through Roy’s life.

The result is a compelling read on multiple levels: Roy himself led an amazing life, if an unethical one, and tracing it reveals much about the expectations and norms of his life, as well as others in his orbit. His wife, for instance, and her reactions and behavior through his incarceration reveal the gendered notions of their age.

Readers who enjoy true crime, history, and biographies of so-called ordinary individuals will find that Stannard successfully develops a textured experience for the reader.

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow

May 15, 2024 JLLeave a comment

Someone get me a copy of this book for my personal library! (A friend lent it to me.) Maddow’s historical chops are on point in this prosopographical micro-history of mid- and early-twentieth century American political history. And the message is profound and powerful.

Through a close examination of U.S. government officials and political figures from the 1930s through to the mid-century, both those who advocated for a fascist approach to governance and those who opposed it, Maddow makes two important arguments: first, the political climate of the last eight years is not a new phenomena; second, pro-fascist cadre of politicians of the past — and by inference of today — did and do not operate alone, but were supported by institutionalized oppressive systems within the government, networks of pro-fascist supporters who did the political legwork on the ground on municipal, state, as well as federal levels, and their constituencies. In short, no fascist leader functions or sustains in a vacuum. The ideology of oppression arises through a network of individuals working together and often playing on the fears and logic of scarcity.

I would expect no less from Maddow, who holds advanced degrees and is, in my view, a public academic. Maddow does not disappoint on any level: the writing is undeniably in Maddow’s voice (I hear the audiobook is incredible), delivered with succinct sharp wit and their signature speedy, yet smooth, style. Fans of Maddow’s other mediums are sure to enjoy this much longer, more in-depth project.

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation by Linda Villarosa

May 8, 2024 JLLeave a comment

Under the Skin is the kind of book you dread to read, but once you start, you’re compelled to see it through — not because you like its contents, but because it would be immoral to look away. Indeed, it would be more than a little awkward to say that I liked the things I learned in Villarosa’s documentary of healthcare in America today. It is more accurate to say these were things I needed to know to in order to live in America today.

I read this for a book club at work; I work at a university so some of the messaging of Under The Skin felt like preaching to the choir, but it was, nonetheless, a lesson worth learning again. What lesson is that? Racism is not “over” and it hasn’t “ended” in any kind of definitive way. Anti-blackness especially is a legacy that remains and it’s tentacles are long and far reaching.

Indeed, its toll is not as hidden as it appears. Its toll is a scar and a fresh wound in living flesh.

This is a book worth reading at least once, and I would say, especially for women of color, for whom the tax of racism is higher, more exacting, even sometimes fatal.

Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia by Kate Manne

April 13, 2024 JLLeave a comment

I had feelings reading Unshrinking. Lots and lots of feelings, feelings which made me reflect and assess, then reassess again.

Some part of my reaction is due to the particular place I am at in my life where I am actively trying to lose weight and return to a body shape and size that I used to be, and the fact that I, like Manne, am a woman in higher education, in the humanities to boot. This book hit on many levels for me. YMMV, of course, but I think most readers, regardless of their gender, occupation, and size will find that some part or whole of this book mirrors an experience they have had themselves, witnessed, or been party to.

Manne’s Unshrinking focuses on fatness and the fear and loathing around that subject as an oppressive force; an unrecognized and often invisible loci on the intersectional matrix dominated by Race, Class, and Gender. Fat, says Manne, ought to figure up there, alongside the big three — or at the very least, Fatness ought to be taken into account as one of the newer cohort of (though no less inferior) factors like Disability/Ability, Age, Education, etc.

Some chapters address what readers might expect in a conversation about fatness and size: the FDA approved Food Pyramid, the faulty application of Body Mass Index (BMI) to any and all, the near global obsession with “dieting,” and what constitutes — in many societies — the Ideal Body Figure for men, women, everyone. But Manne also devotes pages to the philosophical and ideological fallout of Fatphobic culture, and the effects of fatphobia and prejudice in academia and professional settings. What it comes down to, according to Manne, is the moral leverage thinness, paired with the moral condemnation of fatness, has to shape not only individual experiences, but society on a larger scale.

Unshrinking also offers the reader — and readers like me — a certain, if narrow, avenue of hope and empowerment. I felt seen, even though my fatness is not especially fat and more a reflection of my own fatphobia and internalization of what size I ought to be. Manne suggests that fatphobia can be acknowledged, addressed, and the situation ameliorated. We can and should change the way we see fatness; it shouldn’t be a moral yardstick, it isn’t a signal of health, and it isn’t up for public policing. Instead, fatness is another facet of our human diversity, a thing worth embracing and including.

Still, today I counted my calories.

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh

November 10, 2023 JLLeave a comment

Heartland is a memoir at the intersection of Educated by Tara Westover and Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. For readers who actively seek out trying on someone else’s shoes, Smarsh’s memoir will amply deliver.

Heartland explores the experiences of four generations of women and men in a working-class class family in rural Kansas, delving into their experiences of love, marriage, work, and education. The book is sectioned into thematic chapters, rather than being strictly chronological, covering her family’s peripatetic travels across the state for work, romance, love — and all too often, sanctuary and safety. Readers should know the book discusses abuse and neglect in a multitude of ways; violence is woven in the fabric of these women’s lives, both a symptom and cause of their poverty.

The book includes a massive cast of individuals from both sides of Smarsh’s family. [A family tree map would have been a helpful addition, but this is a minor detraction.] Through this account and interpretation of her family’s history, Smarsh makes an argument for greater attention to the social, cultural, and gendered reasons for poverty in America. She challenges the popular and misguided myth of meritocracy, especially highlighting the multiple ways spousal and domestic violence play an enormous role in this societal problem.

Smarsh’s delivery of this message lacks — thankfully — pedantism or blame, focusing instead on the interconnected web of cultural expectations and histories which have resulted in these outcomes. Her writing also is smooth, journalistic, and easily accessible; in fact, evoking an emotional response from this reader on more than one occasion.

Heartland is a fantastic non-fiction read on poverty, especially among the white working class, in middle America.

Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Langford

October 20, 2023 JLLeave a comment

This work of true crime utterly possessed me; I am torn between wanting my hiking friends to read it, because I don’t want any of these awful things to happen to them, or not wanting them to read it, because it will terrify them into never venturing into the wilds again. (I am probably going to buy a few copies of this book this Christmas as gifts for those same friends!) Anyone who knows someone who hikes or camps or goes “off trail” for any reason should have an eye out for this book.

The depth of Lankford’s research, the number of interviews and observations, and the countless hours and days and weeks spent in Search and Rescue to make this book happen is staggering; that alone is a draw for anyone interested in this kind of crime non-fiction. Lankford themself is well-positioned to write on the subject. As a former ranger involved in several S&R investigations, Lankford is more than a hiker. Here, Lankford takes on the role of investigative journalist, detective, social worker, and friend.

The book focuses on the disappearances of three men (primarily) from the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs along the West Coast, from California up to and through Washington State. Kris Fowler, David O’Sullivan, and Chris Sylvia vanished from the trail in mysterious circumstances and have yet to be found, alive or otherwise.

But, of course, the book is about more than them and their individual cases; Trail of the Lost is also about their families and loved ones, the grief and pain of their loss, the process and protocols of police and other investigations into vanishings, and — perhaps this is where the book truly shines and connects with readers on a wholly different level — the culture of the trail and of extreme hiking. By giving readers a view into the the lure of these activities and the perils they entail, Trail illuminates certain flaws in our societal ideals and in the normative flows of life around work-family-friendship-community. Lankford highlights what might be missing in our urban/suburban spaces that trails like this offer. Chapters that seemingly veer off onto tangential subjects, like the Yellow Deli Group, or suspicious and creepy “trail trolls” in fact, draw attention to deeply inclusive, welcoming, altruistic, and connected the culture of the PCT and hiking is (or can be).

The irony is, of course, that individuals take on these hikes individually; they seek isolation — and yet, the culture of the trail highlights the deep dependence we, as humans, have on each other, and our need for social contact, a sense of belonging with others, a sense of community.

Atomic Days: The Untold Story of the Most Toxic Place in America by Joshua Frank

June 18, 2023 JLLeave a comment

My local community library hosts reading events and they gave copies of this book, Atomic Days away as part of one of them. The program includes an event with the author and other experts on the subject. One of my colleagues was part of this. I had hoped to participate in the events, but couldn’t on the day of. I did, however, read the book.

For a resident of the PNW Atomic Days is a disturbing read, its eponymous locale is a mere few hours drive from where I live and work. My usual landscape is serene: mountains, verdant pines, blue-grey skies, the sound of fresh water pelting down from the sky or rushing in the creeks and rivers everywhere around here. Atomic Days is a harsh concrete disruption, a whiplash to reality. This work of investigative journalism exposes a danger in our plain sight: the Hanford nuclear power plant near the TriCities in Washington state.

Riding on the same wave of documentaries like “Meltdown: Three Mile Island”, Atomic Days highlights serious nuclear accidents and the potential for future serious public health concerns arising from the United States government’s Cold War policies and decisions. Frank’s research unfolds the history of these decisions, their outcomes, and their potential for future disaster through oral histories, archival research, and interviews with stakeholders on all levels. The chapters focused on individuals’ experiences, those who have been intimately involved in the plant and its operations, its workers and residents of the immediate vicinity are especially riveting and profound.

Justifiably, there is a warning tone in Frank’s account. It is not one we should ignore as difficult as it is to read about such threats to our mortality and way of life. But Frank’s prose is not pedantic; the language is accessible and written for a general audience — for everyone, as with a doubt, what Frank highlights is very much everyone’s concern.

Rough Sleepers: Dr Jim McConnell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People by Tracy Kidder

June 17, 2023 JLLeave a comment

Living in the urban PNW, homelessness is a very real, very visible flaw in our society, something that shows up in the local news daily. Encampments dot the city I live and work in, transient individuals spend their days roaming the streets I drive. Last semester I encountered students in my own classroom who were in middle of housing crises and were facing housing insecurity. [I helped them get set up with Passport, a housing insecurity program for students my campus offers.] I often wonder about those students who didn’t come forward or reach out to me and I hope they got the help they needed elsewhere.

Rough Sleepers is the book I needed to read. It is the book many of us need to read. I’m glad for the opportunity to have done so; I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I am so pleased to have been selected.

Rough Sleepers revolves around a specific case study of homeless assistance, Dr Jim McConnell and the Street Team, who operate in, for, and with Boston’s homeless population. Kidder spent a number of years observing and interviewing McConnell and the Street Team, as well as other stakeholders — including homeless individuals — before compiling the book. The assistance program that is the focal point of Rough Sleepers has spanned decades and continues to do so, with the help of private donors. As a result of Kidder’s breadth and ethnographic method, Rough Sleepers possesses an intimate grassroots perspective; readers will feel like they’re along for the midnight van rides, sitting in the clinic with individuals like Tony and Rebecca. The voices of those involved is clear, even as they are filtered through Kidder’s lens.

Kidder also provides the reader with historical, social, and political context, allowing the reader to view the issue of homelessness as both a personal lived experience and a larger community concern. Federal and state administrations and policies, along with a capitalist system, have contributed to the problem of housing insecurity; the lives Kidder gives us a glimpse into show how the good intentions and limitations of government have inadvertently exacerbated homelessness in so many ways. In one case, the peripatetic movements that kept a homeless man safe at night made him ineligible to apply for housing as a “chronically homeless” individual.

For this reader, the stories of real people like Tony and Rebecca who lived and slept on the streets, were the most moving of those Kidder collected. These real-life cases strip the abstraction from homelessness as a societal issue. McConnell’s interviews also provide insight, from the perspective of an activist with decades of deep involvement. The Street Team and fund-raising observations give readers a view into the mechanics and politics of activism around this problem.

Readers should expect to feel discomfort, but this is not due to anything Kidder does; indeed, Kidder refrains from inserting supercilious remarks — to their credit! It is my opinion as a reviewer that this dissonance is the objective of Rough Sleepers. We, as readers, can (dare I say, ought to?) use the discomfort this book raises to mobilize our actions or reconsider their philosophies towards homelessness. Certainly, this book has given me cause to pause and think.

The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved A Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Hume

April 24, 2023 JLLeave a comment

I am such a fan of true crime (not an amateur expert in it, but I enjoy it a lot!) and Humes’s The Forever Witness delivered in all the best ways. This book details the context and circumstances of a cold blooded double murder of a young man and woman in Washington state, near Seattle. They disappeared while on an overnight roadtrip, running an errand. Their murder was a cold case for decades until new technologies became more available.

What makes The Forever Witness so compelling though isn’t just the fact that Humes gives us an account of how such DNA identifying technologies worked or even how the case was eventually solved (though those are good enough reasons to pick it up!), no, what makes this book unputdownable is Humes deeper delving into the larger national and world wide considerations and context of using DNA, genealogical, and qualitative research together in combination to investigate such crimes. Humes provides the reader with a landscape of criminal methodologies, giving them a glimpse into a world often over-dramatized and glossed over with unspecific details in news media and hour-long television serials. As if often the case, when compared with film, the book is better. The Forever Witness is full of nuanced context and specific information, perfect for the true crime fanatic for whom details are everything.

Readers should be aware that this wide fish-eye lens of the book and its subject matter does mean that Humes veers on occasion away from the specific case. He draws upon similar cases, discusses parallel crimes and explores the use of genealogy in other, related cases. Humes also provides the reader with a view from the other side; included here are not only the investigators, the family of the victims, but also the perspectives of genealogists and other criminologists not directly involved in these cases. The varied perspectives adds to the book’s appeal, giving the reader a deep understanding of the crime-solving process, with all its obstacles and victories.

Humes’ prose is also deeply compelling: dramatic and yet not overblown, succinct and yet brimming with knowledge, informative without overbearing being pedantic, flowing and smooth throughout. It is clear Humes has a vast and thorough grasp of his subject matter, but he does an exceptional job at breaking this down for the average reader. Terminology is explained, procedures and protocols are laid out step by step and their logics revealed.

In short, a fantastic read and one for every fan of true crime.