Book Reviews

From first page to the last, Tara Westover rivets her audience in place, unable to put the book down until she uncovers the last sordid secret of her family. A fictional writer couldn’t have invented situations more harrowing than Westover’s.

Both a coming-of-age story and a survival story, Westover takes us from her childhood in rural Idaho to her academic success at one of England’s most prestigious universities. Gutwrenching, powerful, and raw, Educated sends readers on a roller coaster ride of savagery and kindness, failure and triumph, love and hate. In the end, this New York Times bestseller both opens our eyes to the unseen plight of others and celebrates the resiliency of the human spirit.

An easy to read, well-organized, comprehensive guide to translating the symbols of our dreams into concrete meaning, this book reveals the most common types of dreams from being naked in public to missing a tooth to burying a dead body, then interprets what the subconscious tries to communicate to us through these images. A fascinating read, The Complete Dream Book reassures us that we’re not crazy and that the rest of humanity’s dreams share the same themes, images, and occurrences as we do. Finding my dreams, whether ones from years past or reoccurring ones, in this book felt like drawing back a curtain and letting the light in, revealing myself to me. The only dream interpretation book based on concrete data (as of 2006), this is a great reference for anyone interested in the symbology of dreams or for those who want to understand themselves and their subconscious needs—so they can be met.

A delightful book of essays on the birds that inhabit best-selling author Amy Tan’s backyard and includes lovely sketches by the author herself. The writing reveals the real Amy Tan—curious, highly educated, multi-talented, open-minded, a naturalist with a good sense of humor, and most satisfying to readers: a human being just as complicated, vulnerable, and messy as the rest of us.

Easy to read in bite-sized journal entries, this book explores nature and birdwatching with part wit, part compassion, part wonder, and even sometimes with the impassiveness of nature. Not only can the reader enjoy the beautiful sketches, but also the equally as beautiful descriptions of the birds’ behaviors and interactions. For those in suburbia and beyond, the book inspires a desire to more closely observe nature, especially birds; for those in urban areas, it offers a glimpse into a world not easily observed from cement sidewalks or subway cars.

The lack of an index, which would have been helpful for anyone wishing to use the book as a reference, is the only drawback, but as the book has no such intentions—serving as observations and ruminations of her birding journey—I cannot fault the author or the publisher. I recommend this book to patient readers who enjoy charming anecdotes, not to readers looking for action-packed stories.