genre: non-fiction ish
I was pretty sure I knew what I was going to get when I chose to listen to this book - and I wasn't wrong. Sharon is incredibly personable and her storytelling is right up my alley. This book tells the story of the players in United States history who were not center stage - but whose decisions and actions created waves that made a big impact. From revolutionaries, suffragettes politicians to educators and civil rights activitists, the stories were, for me, almost completely unfamiliar but within a familiar context, which I liked. I liked finding out how different people connected and all the ways they found to do the best kind of good they could.
Also, though, Sharon doesn't shy away from the nonsense or the times that people really screwed up. She does include a lot of commentary throughout, which is why it's hard to look at it as ONLY a history book, but I actually appreciated her way of reminding us about nuance and considering factors that we may not know. I DID cry. Not sobbing but yes, tears and chills. Some of these people are absolutely astonishing in their courage and tenacity. I particularly was moved by the story of Daniel Inouye, whom I have somehow literally never heard of. Sometimes, she gets way off track - sometimes so much so that I have a hard time remembering who we are learning about. And while the tangents were maybe a little disconnecting from the wider arc, they were also nearly always super interesting. I never got bored in this book.
What I most appreciate is the way that Sharon really does her best to remind us that these people could do it - and so can you. You can choose to be on the right side of history when you see injustice. Her HOPE just shines so bright and the little tid bits designed as takeaways resonated clear as a bell to me. For that, I'm rounding up from a 4.5 to a 5
No comments:
Post a Comment