The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett

The novel is about a group of people living together in a largely self-sufficient commune, thanks to its ability to produce a unique Californian wine. When their commune is threatened by a plan to build a dam, a select group of members (‘rice-eaters’) devise a plan to arm twist the governor of California to abandon the project. This group, led by Priest, aka Ricky, transform themselves into eco-terrorists and threaten to start an earthquake if their demands are not met. They set off a series of earthquakes using a stolen seismic vibrator truck from an oil firm.
Judy Maddox, an FBI agent, heads the team determined to stop the terrorists.

Though the novel is predictable and cliché-ridden, it is still an engrossing page-turner.

‘Let the Circle by Unbroken’ by Mildred Taylor

Finished a while back but forgot to update this blog.

Overall I was VERY disappointed by this novel. There were far too many loose ends:

Though I was glad for Moe and Stacey there needed to be more of a tribute for the boy who was shot while trying to help Moe & Stacey. Were his family traced & notified?

I was disappointed to find that there was no retribution for Harlan Granger and Stuart.

What happened to the white union man and to Dule Cross, his black convert?

Where did Aunt Mattie and her family go to live after Granger evicted them?

How did the Logans manage to settle their taxes?

Why doesn't Hammer get married? What kind of job does Hammer do anyway?

Too many loose ends. I was left dissatisfied.

‘Let the Circle by Unbroken’ by Mildred Taylor

Can't believe it's taken me over a year to finish this book - snatching a chapter here and there.
It's been a busy year.

I've not quite finished the book yet - but I'm about the start the final chapter, chapter 14.

With so few pages remaining it seems incredible that all that needs to be resolved, will be resolved.

In this state of high anxiety I've had to put the book down for a while, to ponder on it, before I read the final chapter.

Saul Bellow's Heart - A Son's Memoir

Began reading this in mid July 2017

Black Guyanese poet, John Agard, wins Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry

Night Waves: http://bbc.in/YZdevI Black Guyanese poet, John Agard, wins Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. Recommendation by Carol Ann Duffy.

Political Correctness - Removing Racist Language from Children's Books (Germany)

Political Correctness - Removing Racist Language from Children's Books (Germany)

7-year-old Timnit Mesghena, of Berlin, is an avid reader. In the evenings, she and her Eritrean-born father Mekonnen often read to each other.

The German ‘neger’ can mean "negro", but it also means "nigger". Because Mesghena came across this word in a children’s book by Otfried Preussler he decided on a one-man campaign and wrote to the publisher. It sparked a national debate.

Public broadcaster ARD’s presenter Denis Scheck put on black make up in a protest against political correctness looking at changing the racist language of classics.

German Family Minister Kristina Schroeder said that when she was reading aloud from the immensely popular Pippi Longstocking books, she too would skip over offensive racial words in order to "protect my child from taking on such expressions".

However Luc Jochimsen, of the Left Party, Die Linke, stated: "I think it is a ridiculous idea... You can't understand things if you leave out the culture of the time”

In the end, Thienemann Verlag announced that it would revise the book and review all its other works of children's fiction to remove offensive terms and plot lines.

Otfried Preussler (1923-2013) wrote 32 children's classics which have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. His best-known stories are based on the character of Robber Hotzenplotz.

Impossible Saints - Michelle Roberts

Reading a few pages each night, before falling asleep, is inspiring some very strange dreams!