Deborah Hopkinson

Nonfiction

A celebrated female astronomer

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Dava Sobel, best known for such remarkable books as Galileo’s Daughter and Longitude, chronicles the groundbreaking careers of several little-known women scientists in The Glass Universe. 

Sobel begins her story in 1882 at a glittering dinner party held by Dr. Henry Draper and his wife, Anna Palmer Draper. Dr. Draper, a physician and amateur astronomer, died five days later, leaving Anna with a deep desire to continue his work. 

Her support, along with that of fellow heiress Catherine Wolfe Bruce, made it possible for women such as Antonia Maury, Williamina Fleming and Cecilia Payne (who earned Harvard’s first Ph.D. in astronomy) to work at the Harvard Observatory and contribute to the discoveries of the day.

One of the pleasures of seeing history through Sobel’s eyes is her delectable prose and her ability to realize scenes from the past. Her new book is a compelling read and a welcome reminder that American women have long desired to reach for the stars.

 

This article was originally published in the December 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Dava Sobel, best known for such remarkable books as Galileo’s Daughter and Longitude, chronicles the groundbreaking careers of several little-known women scientists in The Glass Universe.
NonfictionMemoir

A novelist’s moving portrait of his immigrant parents

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Mark Slouka may be familiar to readers through his award-winning fiction, including Lost Lake, The Visible World and Brewster, a powerful coming-of-age story set in 1968 in Brewster, New York. In his new memoir, Nobody’s Son, Slouka uses his considerable literary talents to tell the searing, haunting story of his life with his Czechoslovakian-immigrant parents.

Slouka’s approach is novelistic, and far from a straight chronological account. He writes, “I believe the record of our time, told as truly as possible, is never, or rarely, chronological,” he writes. “Life is always looping back, revising itself, elaborating itself.”

One of the “loops” Slouka returns to again and again is the story of his mother, a powerful presence in his life. The author works to uncover the hidden forces that shaped her past in Czechoslovakia and, to a large extent, shadowed her future in America: her tortured marriage, a long, secret love affair, struggles with mental health and her complex relationship with her son.

 “You can’t reclaim someone’s past, no matter how fearless your imagination—not really,” Slouka writes. But as he imagines and pictures his mother, for instance, meeting F., the man she truly loved, she comes alive for the reader much the way a character in fiction does. The photographs included here remind us that she was very much a real, and often tortured woman.

“I’ve been writing her all my life,” Slouka says of his mother at one point, noting that his novel The Visible World was “a memoir embedded in a novel; an apt description of my life.”

In a similar way, Nobody’s Son sometimes feels like a novel embedded in a memoir. More than anything, beyond the labels, it is a moving and remarkable reading experience.

Mark Slouka may be familiar to readers through his award-winning fiction, including Lost Lake, The Visible World and Brewster, a powerful coming-of-age story set in 1968 in Brewster, New York. In his new memoir, Nobody’s Son, Slouka uses his considerable literary talents to tell the searing, haunting story of his life with his Czechoslovakian-immigrant parents.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A second chance at life

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

“When my death came it was swift,” reports 12-year-old Daisy. “One moment I was in the car, the next on the road, and then I wasn’t anywhere.” But Daisy isn’t left wondering for long. She soon finds herself in a sort of job center for souls about to be returned to Earth. 

There’s only one hitch: Although instructed to go through the door on the right to take up her new corporeal form, Daisy goes through the door on the left. The result is her reincarnation into a puppy, and she remembers everything about her past life as a girl.

Although perfectly able and willing to take up her canine responsibilities, Daisy finds her first home leaves a lot to be desired. But after running away, she finds a true companion in a homeless boy called Pip, who names her Ray. Pip and Ray set off on a series of adventures: Pip is seeking the father who doesn’t know he exists, and Ray is hoping to catch sight of her own parents, whose lives have been inextricably altered since Daisy’s fatal car accident. 

The Dog, Ray by Linda Coggin, first published in the U.K. in 2010, is told from Daisy’s often-humorous perspective: “It’s perfectly obvious to me what sit means. She doesn’t have to say it slowly, in a loud voice, as if I come from a foreign country.” While the voice is lighthearted and Daisy’s story has a satisfying ending, the book’s themes of death, the afterlife and homelessness make it best suited for readers age 10 and older.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Steamboat School.

This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

“When my death came it was swift,” reports 12-year-old Daisy. “One moment I was in the car, the next on the road, and then I wasn’t anywhere.” But Daisy isn’t left wondering for long. She soon finds herself in a sort of job center for souls about to be returned to Earth.
NonfictionMilitary HistoryHistory

The secret strike force that changed the course of war

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

In June 1941, there was no hint that a well-born, unfocused young Englishman named David Sterling would become the leader of one of the most daring units of World War II. Nicknamed “the Giant Sloth” by friends, Sterling had spent most of his posting in Cairo gambling or frequenting nightclubs. His commando military career almost ended before it had begun when he injured his spine in a parachute training run, becoming temporarily paralyzed.

But as Ben Macintyre (author of the 2014 bestseller A Spy Among Friends) reveals in his thrilling account of the SAS exploits in the desert and later in Nazi-occupied Europe, it was that accident that inspired Sterling to propose an innovative combat model that endures today in special forces units such as the Navy SEALs.

“Do you want to do something special?” Sterling would ask recruits. And the mission was indeed unique. The SAS, or Special Air Service, was originally designed to drop small groups of elite, exceptionally well-trained soldiers deep into enemy territory to inflict the maximum amount of damage on airfields and other targets. While the initial concept focused on parachute jumps, an early disastrous failure led Sterling and co-founder John “Jock” Steele Lewes to turn to jeeps for their attacks against Rommel’s desert forces. Hiding by day and attacking by night, the SAS “rogue heroes” soon became a striking force that won the admiration and respect of Winston Churchill himself.

The stalwarts of the SAS were complex, driven men, who risked, and often lost, their lives under brutal and dangerous conditions. Macintyre, who had unprecedented access to SAS archives, is a compelling storyteller who honors their legacy in this thrilling, well-researched narrative.

n June 1941, there was no hint that a well-born, unfocused young Englishman named David Sterling would become the leader of one of the most daring units of World War II.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A breathtaking adventure rooted in ancient folklore

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Newbery Honor author Grace Lin returns to an imagined ancient China in her new fantasy novel. Like her previous books, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky, When the Sea Turned to Silver celebrates the power of storytelling while taking readers on an exciting, danger-filled adventure.

Quiet Pinmei lives with her grandmother, Amah, in a mountain hut. Although Amah ekes out a living with her embroidery, visitors are most attracted to her stories. But with the ascension of the Tiger Emperor, fear fills every heart, and one day the emperor’s men come for Amah. Pinmei manages to escape capture, and she and her friend Yishan set out on a quest to release Amah by bringing the Emperor the Luminous Stone That Lights the Night. Along the way, the two young travelers encounter adventures and magical creatures (including an amazing dragon horse), and shy Pinmei is often called upon to be brave and to tell the stories she knows—tales that help unlock the mystery of their epic quest. 

Lin (whose own artwork graces the book) was inspired by ancient Chinese folklore to create her stories. Readers familiar with her other books will rejoice, and newcomers have not one, but three wonderful books to discover. 

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Steamboat School.

This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Newbery Honor author Grace Lin returns to an imagined ancient China in her new fantasy novel. Like her previous books, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky, When the Sea Turned to Silver celebrates the power of storytelling while taking readers on an exciting, danger-filled adventure.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Introducing a brilliant new sleuth

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Twelve-year-old Florian Bates has recently moved to Washington, D.C., where both his parents work in art museums. His new school is Alice Deal Middle School, where he is in seventh grade along with his new best friend, a dynamic black soccer player named Margaret. He’s learning a new language (Romanian), of which he has mastered just one phrase, which translates to “My hovercraft is full of monkeys.”

Oh, and one more thing: Florian has a new job. He’s a covert asset for the FBI.

Florian was recruited into the agency thanks to his remarkable observational abilities, which rival the great detective Sherlock Holmes. Florian’s skills are all based on the fundamental philosophy he developed called T.O.A.S.T, which stands for the “Theory of All Small Things.” He tells Margaret, “That’s how I read people and places. The idea is that if you add up a bunch of little details, it reveals the larger truth.”

Of course, what use is a detective without a mystery? And luckily for Florian (and his fans, of which there are bound to be many), there is no shortage of cases to solve. It helps to have a father in museum security and a mother who specializes in art history and forgery. And when several valuable impressionist paintings disappear from the National Gallery of Art, Florian and Margaret put their observational skills to work to help find the thief.

This intriguing, lighthearted mystery features an appealing middle school friendship with a bit of art history and FBI lore thrown in for good measure. Framed! would make a great selection for pleasure reading, while also offering a number of STEM connections for classroom use. Let’s hope the T.O.A.S.T. mysteries keep coming!

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Steamboat School.

Twelve-year-old Florian Bates has recently moved to Washington, D.C., where both his parents work in art museums. His new school is Alice Deal Middle School, where he is in seventh grade along with his new best friend, a dynamic black soccer player named Margaret. He’s learning a new language (Romanian), of which he has mastered just one phrase, which translates to “My hovercraft is full of monkeys.”

NonfictionHistory

Riding into war

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

For dedicated World War II readers comes an absorbing history of an unusual rescue mission in the closing days of the war in Europe. Elizabeth Letts, author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, is an accomplished equestrian herself, and her love of horses shines through this complex story.

The author introduces readers not only to the key human players, such as Austrian Olympian Alois Podhajsky, director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, and Hank Reed, a career officer who saw the last days of the U.S. cavalry, but also to a few of the horses caught up in the war: Witez, “the Polish Prince,” and Podhajsky’s faithful stallion, Africa.

While the daring, unexpected mission in which Col. Reed and his men (with the blessing and permission of his fellow polo player General George Patton) rescued more than 300 horses from a stud farm in Czechoslovakia in April 1945 forms the centerpiece of this history, Letts has a more ambitious goal in mind. Her narrative encompasses the role that thoroughbred horses played in Poland and Austria, shows how horse breeding was viewed by Gustav Rau, a German horse expert in the Third Reich and reveals the heartbreaking costs of conflict on individuals. 

Letts does an excellent job of bringing the various players to life, and The Perfect Horse includes a helpful list of characters, as well as an epilogue detailing what happened to some of the men and horses in the postwar years, including a touching interaction in 1950 between Podhajsky (who performed for Gen. Patton before his death), and Mrs. Patton.

Although not all the rescued horses ended up in their original homes, it was especially heartening to learn that Witez, the magnificent colt who was almost lost several times during the war, celebrated his 27th birthday in California in 1965 with a carrot cake. The Perfect Horse would be a perfect gift for horse lovers fascinated by history.

For dedicated World War II readers comes an absorbing history of an unusual rescue mission in the closing days of the war in Europe. Elizabeth Letts, author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, is an accomplished equestrian herself, and her love of horses shines through this complex story.

Children's & YAPicture Book

A grand (and fun!) suffragist road trip

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

What perfect timing! Mara Rockliff and Hadley Hooper’s lively nonfiction picture book celebrates a cross-country road trip taken in 1916 by suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice Burke to spread the word about votes for women.

The two women set out from New York City in a little yellow car on April 6, 1916. On their journey to California and back, their luggage included a sewing machine, a typewriter and, yes, a “wee black kitten” (named Saxon in honor of their little runabout made by the Saxon Motor Car Company).

Hooper’s vibrant illustrations convey a delightful retro feel, while effectively capturing a sense of adventure and place. Readers are treated to a suffragist rally, a sun-drenched field with butterflies and birds and a spectacular double-page spread of a blizzard. Rockliff’s prose is just as lively. We follow the two intrepid travelers as their car nearly falls in a hole, chugs through wet sand and, at one point, goes “bump and squelch” before finally getting stuck in the mud.

In addition to a large map highlighting the suffragists’ route, there is a wealth of back matter. In an informative author’s note, Rockliff notes that while Alice and Nell’s “ten thousand bumpy, muddy, unmapped miles” might have been a challenge, the road to achieve women’s suffrage in America was far longer, stretching back to the first organized efforts at the Seneca Falls conference in 1848.

Around America to Win the Vote will be a wonderful complement to classroom discussions during this election year and an important addition to the literature surrounding the upcoming centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The final message for all readers: Vote!

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Steamboat School.

What perfect timing! Mara Rockliff and Hadley Hooper’s lively nonfiction picture book celebrates a cross-country road trip taken in 1916 by suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice Burke to spread the word about votes for women.

YA FictionYA

Extreme efforts to keep a family together

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

Louis Bayard may be familiar to fans of his adult novels, including Roosevelt's Beast, or from his deliciously entertaining reviews of “Downton Abbey” for The New York Times. Now he brings his prodigious talents to a young adult novel set in 1934, Depression-era Virginia. The protagonist of Lucky Strikes is a spirited, gutsy 14-year old named Amelia, a dedicated older sister and gas station proprietor who can “fill a radiator faster than anyone this side of the Blue Ridge.”

As the story begins, Melia has just buried her mama. Literally. During her mother’s illness, Melia took to visiting her favorite spot on a nearby hill, and soon began taking a shovel there. By the time Mama passed on, Melia, along with her younger brother and sister, Earle and Janey, simply drive the truck on over and lower Mama into the waiting grave. When Janey wonders what they’ll do next, Melia’s thought that out as well. Melia will carry on running Brenda’s Oasis as best she can—fixing cars, pumping gas for tired truckers coming off Highway 55 and, most of all, trying to stay ahead of their bills.

It won’t be easy. And Melia also knows it won’t be long before the vultures start circling. First, there’s the evil Harley Blevins (surely the most villainous gas station owner in all of literature), who won’t be satisfied unless he eats up the station (and Melia, too). The only good thing about Blevins is his nephew, Dudley, whom Melia can’t help noticing. Next, there are the do-gooders, ready to split the siblings up and put them in dreaded “Fos. Ter. Care.”

Melia simply won’t have that. So when a vagrant with a dubious past falls off a flatbed truck carrying coal, Melia hatches a plan to turn Mr. Hiram Watts into her long-lost father.

While the violent steps Blevins takes to try to destroy Melia’s gas station (and the regrettable and unnecessary inclusion of a pejorative Native-American term) makes it best suited to older teen readers, Lucky Strikes is a memorable, warmhearted story of family and redemption with an engaging, unforgettable heroine.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is A Bandit's Tale.

Louis Bayard may be familiar to fans of his adult novels, including Roosevelt's Beast, or from his deliciously entertaining reviews of “Downton Abbey” for The New York Times. Now he brings his prodigious talents to a young adult novel set in 1934, Depression-era Virginia. The protagonist of Lucky Strikes is a spirited, gutsy 14-year old named Amelia, a dedicated older sister and gas station proprietor who can “fill a radiator faster than anyone this side of the Blue Ridge.”

Children's & YAPicture Book

Waiting for nightfall

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

It’s a rare and happy occurrence when two legends in children’s literature combine their creative talents. Patricia MacLachlan, who won the Newbery Medal for her lyrical novel Sarah, Plain and Tall, and Caldecott and Newbery medalist Tomie dePaola,  author and illustrator of many classics including Strega Nona, team up for a sweet, lyrical bedtime story about animals and insects preparing for bed. The human characters are the mime Pierrot and his child, who venture out to watch night fall—and to wait for the moon to appear.

And what a gorgeous, lovely evening it is. DePaola’s acrylic paintings feature a calm, peaceful palette, replete with gentle, robin’s-egg blues and soft greens. As the sky deepens and darkens, the text color changes from black to white.

MacLachlan’s rhyming text is spare, leaving lots of space for the paintings to work their magic as the two humans, both dressed in white, venture outside to gaze at the sky.

“‘The moon’s almost here,’
Clucks plump mother hen.
Chicks settle under her,
Safe in their pen.”

Pierrot and the little child also visit a duck family, cows, horses and a robin singing her babies back to the nest before they welcome a vibrant full moon, which nearly fills one entire page. The story ends with Pierrot holding the sleeping child. And no doubt, young readers in laps will also be drifting off, comforted by this simple, enchanting lullaby of a book.

 

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is A Bandit's Tale.

It’s a rare and happy occurrence when two legends in children’s literature combine their creative talents. Patricia MacLachlan, who won the Newbery Medal for her lyrical novel Sarah, Plain and Tall, and Caldecott and Newbery medalist Tomie dePaola,  author and illustrator of many classics including Strega Nona, team up for a sweet, lyrical bedtime story about animals and insects preparing for bed. The human characters are the mime Pierrot and his child, who venture out to watch night fall—and to wait for the moon to appear.

NonfictionLiterature

The inspiration behind a classic novel

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

As the old saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. And the two often intertwine, as we learn in Lesley M.M. Blume’s mesmerizing account of the young Ernest Hemingway in Paris in the 1920s as he prepares to write his breakout debut novel, The Sun Also Rises. 

While many readers are familiar with Hemingway among the expats and his post-World War I modernist classic, Blume opens up the story in surprising new ways. She was inspired to dig into this project after seeing a photograph of Hemingway with the main cast of characters who would later appear in the novel—what some called a barely fictionalized account of a trip by a group of friends to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. In Everybody Behaves Badly we meet femme fatale Lady Duff Twysden, inspiration for Lady Brett Ashley, Harold Loeb (Robert Cohn), Donald Ogden Stewart (Bill Gorton) and Patrick Guthrie (Mike Campbell). She describes not only their real-life intrigues but also the impact that the novel had on their later lives. 

Blume’s account also probes Hemingway’s first marriage and its dissolution and his larger-than-life literary ambitions. Among the most fascinating aspects of Everybody Behaves Badly are the insights into the editing, publishing and marketing of The Sun Also Rises. Here, we see the friendship of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway in action and their mutual dedication to craft. 

Blume’s book is nonfiction, impeccably documented. Yet, like Hemingway’s fictional masterpiece, it reminds us that real life can inspire great stories and writing.

 

This article was originally published in the June 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

As the old saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. And the two often intertwine, as we learn in Lesley M.M. Blume’s mesmerizing account of the young Ernest Hemingway in Paris in the 1920s as he prepares to write his breakout debut novel, The Sun Also Rises.
NonfictionHistory

Codebreakers on the invisible front lines

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

The role of codes and codebreakers in World War II has captured public attention recently in The Imitation Game, the biopic about Alan Turing, and the BBC’s miniseries, “The Bletchley Circle.” Bestselling author Max Hastings notes in his introduction to The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers, and Guerrillas, 1939-1945 that his book doesn’t aspire to be a comprehensive narrative of intelligence efforts throughout World War II. Yet he manages to create something even more interesting—a fast-paced narrative that provides rich historical context and leaves readers with a thorough appreciation of the complexities of this mesmerizing subject matter.

Hastings begins by setting the stage for the exploration of the elements of this secret war, reminding readers that many of the conflict’s outcomes were “profoundly influenced by a host of men and women who never fired a shot.” This “struggle for knowledge” was, Hastings tells us, unceasing. Taking a chronological approach, Hastings explores not only the context of the major intelligence efforts, both Allied and Axis, but also brings to life some of the fascinating human stories of those who engaged in spying, information gathering, and code-breaking.

In addition to historical figures like Turing, who has become more widely known in recent years, Hastings introduces a host of characters nearly unknown today, including Ronald Seth, one of the few British agents “turned” by the Germans. He also describes German intelligence efforts, providing a cogent analysis for the Nazis’ failure to match Allied successes in code-making and in code-breaking.

This impeccably researched account will be eagerly embraced by those familiar with WWII history. But readers new to the topic shouldn’t be put off by the size of this hefty volume. Hastings understands that we’re all thrilled by a good spy story, and in this masterful, gripping narrative, he delivers just that.

The role of codes and codebreakers in World War II has captured public attention recently in The Imitation Game, the biopic about Alan Turing, and the BBC’s miniseries, “The Bletchley Circle.” Bestselling author Max Hastings notes in his introduction to The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers, and Guerrillas, 1939-1945 that his book doesn’t aspire to be a comprehensive narrative of intelligence efforts throughout World War II. Yet he manages to create something even more interesting—a fast-paced narrative that provides rich historical context and leaves readers with a thorough appreciation of the complexities of this mesmerizing subject matter.
NonfictionHistory

The bravery of World War II’s civilian merchant mariners

Review by Deborah Hopkinson

The genesis of journalist William Geroux’s new book about U.S. Navy Merchant Marine sailors and their families in World War II is almost as fascinating as the book itself. Geroux first came upon the idea 25 years ago, while covering a forum in which men shared memories of watching merchant ships—targets of German U-boat attacks—explode off the coast of Virginia.

Intrigued, the reporter began to research Mathews County, Virginia, which sent one of the largest concentrations of civilian merchant mariners into treacherous Atlantic waters during the war. The result is The Mathews Men, a gripping, nearly lost story of World War II (“Hurry,” the author was told, while gathering names of possible interviewees) and a moving portrayal of family and community.

Geroux brings a reporter’s keen eye for detail and natural flair for storytelling to his account, which was informed by interviews with surviving members of the Hodges family, which sent seven sons to the Merchant Marine. We meet Captain Jesse Hodges and his wife, Henny, who somehow managed to bear 14 children and run a 60-acre farm while Jesse was absent for long stretches at sea.

After Pearl Harbor, conducting “unrestricted submarine warfare” meant that Japanese shipping was a major target for U.S. submarines in the Pacific. Likewise, American merchant ships carrying critical war supplies were fair game for German U-boat captains in the Atlantic. Geroux brings readers onto ships and into lifeboats to experience U-boat attacks and harrowing survival stories. In his appendix, he lists the 43 ships sunk or damaged by the Germans. Along with the participants, readers experience both the terror at sea and the agonizing tension of families who waited for loved ones to return.

The 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor will occur in December, a reminder that the last survivors of the Greatest Generation will not be with us much longer. Thankfully, Geroux’s dedication and curiosity came in time to bring readers the story of the courageous seamen from Mathews County.

 

This article was originally published in the May 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

The genesis of journalist William Geroux’s new book about U.S. Navy Merchant Marine sailors and their families in World War II is almost as fascinating as the book itself. Geroux first came upon the idea 25 years ago, while covering a forum in which men shared memories of watching merchant ships—targets of German U-boat attacks—explode off the coast of Virginia.

Sign Up

Stay on top of new releases: Sign up for our newsletter to receive reading recommendations in your favorite genres.

Sign up now

Trending Features

All Features