Marilyn_B

The Weathermen and other Underground groups were active when I was a teenager. I remember hearing about the Underground, the Weathermen, and the accidental bombing of the townhouse in New York killing some of their own members. Two members of some fringe groups in the Underground even entered and took over one of my Engilsh classes when I was in high school. They were trying to recruit new members. It was a scary, violent, chaotic time. I never thought of any of the members Underground as parents. The author Zayd Ayers Dohrn is the son of Bernardine Dohrn, one of the most notorious leaders of the Underground. It is interesting to read about the Underground from the viewpoint of one of their children. However, it is horrifying to me that some of the members were so irresponsible to continue their dangerous activities while they had small children. The book seems to jump around in time, which made it difficult for me to follow what was going on sometimes. For some reason, I found parts of the book to be rather flat. I thought it could have been more exciting and evocative of the violence and revolutionary spirit of the times. However, I am glad that I read it.

I was somewhat disappointed in the book "The Summer of Love". The timeframe of the late 1960's to 1970's covered in the book was the same timeframe that of when I was a teenager to young adult. I was hoping the book would talk about the music scene and the attitude of peace and love toward our fellow human beings tht I personally experienced. I did not think that drug addiction and alcoholism would figure so prominently in the story. I did like the mystery surrounding the writing of a book series that the main characters realized had to do with themselves and their upbringing and which helped to explain the relationships and dynamics that they experienced in their family.

I am still reading the e-book version of this book. I have found it a gripping read from the start. This is a vey unique read, at least for me! The premise of the book is an exciting one. For some unknown reason, I thought the book was about an octopus or octupi, and when I realized it was about jellyfish I thought I would be let down. I am happy to say I am not let down at all. The book's characters and its plot have succeeded in pulling me in from the very beginning. It reads like a thriller mystery, and I find it a real page-turner. Without knowing what will happen next and how thiis book ends, I highly recommend this book.

I found "The Silent Period" an intriguing read. I found I could relate to the main character Cristina's desire to quit social media and (I think) her feelings of the shallowness of people's visions of other people's lives & relationships. I never felt that I wanted to stop reading this book even though there were parts I did not understand what the author was trying to convey. I feel like there are big ideas in this book that are "over my head"; therefore I think it is a book I would like to discuss with other readers. When I was trying to answer my husband's questions of why Cristina chose to be mute, I found I couldn't articulate an answer. However, all said, I am glad I read this book. I don't think this is a book for everyone, but I think it is a book that would lend well for discussion.

On its face, this book looks like it might not be very interesting. A book about different everyday kitchen objects, broken kitchen objects, objects that used to be found in most homes, especially in the kitchen or used for serving food --- just doesn't seem like it could hold a reader's interest. I am happy to report that I found this book delightful, thought-provoking, and very relatable. It was at its best when the author writes about objects that evoke various memories from my past and/or the author's past and/or the past owners of the objects. I personally find it difficult to get rid of certain objects that others see no value in keeping. This is usually because the thingamajig reminds me of happy times from the past, and usually these times involved those I was at least very fond of. I think this is not a book everyone would like, but I truly, thoroughly enjoyed it.