Below is my reading list for summer 2020!
1. The Gown, by Jennifer Robson:
London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.
I chose this book for my reading list because it’s about the Queen, but also because history classes don’t spend as much time focusing on post-war Britain. Especially with regards to the issues many of the veterans brought with them from war. I want to learn more about this time period for sure, and about the Queen’s wedding dress. It is such a beautiful work of art. The goodreads reviews on this one are excellent as well.
2. The Clydach Murders: A Miscarriage of Justice, by John Morris
John Morris’s new book is an investigation into the Clydach murders in South Wales in 1999 in which Mandy Power, her mother and two daughters were battered to death. Morris contends that, although tried twice, Dai Morris, the man convicted for the murders in 2006, is innocent. No forensic evidence or DNA connected him to the crime; his conviction was based on the lack of a solid alibi, the presence of his gold chain in Power’s house and the lies he initially told the police in explanation. His case is currently being reviewed and will be heard in the Court of Appeal, probably in 2018, in the light of new evidence, including DNA testing and falsification of police documents. South Wales Police was notorious in the period 1980 to 2010 for false convictions on fabricated evidence and the Morris case appears to be another instance of this. Significantly, previous suspects for the murders include former police officers, one of whom was having an affair with Mandy Power.
I am excited to read this book because I love true crime. But I want to learn more about how crimes are prosecuted in the UK. Especially the intricacies and nuances of British law. I also hope the victims of this heinous crime are treated as more than just plot points, they were each living breathing people who deserve respect.
3. Death in Mud Lick, by Eric Eyre
Now, I want to stay out of politics just as the royals have. But, I think this is an important book, and many of my American followers might find it interesting.
Death in Mud Lick is the story of a pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, that distributed 12 million opioid pain pills in three years to a town with a population of 382 people—and of one woman, desperate for justice, after losing her brother to overdose. Debbie Preece’s fight for accountability for her brother’s death took her well beyond the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in coal country, ultimately leading to three of the biggest drug wholesalers in the country. She was joined by a crusading lawyer and by local journalist, Eric Eyre, who uncovered a massive opioid pill-dumping scandal that shook the foundation of America’s largest drug companies—and won him a Pulitzer Prize.
I am really looking forward to looking forward to reading this book because I want to learn about how the opioid epidemic was discovered, and how much it devastated communities across the country. I think drug addiction is misunderstood by most people, and like the Duchess of Cambridge, I want everyone who struggles with addiction to get the help they need.
4. If You Leave Me, by Crystal Hana Kim
When the communist-backed army from the North invades her home, sixteen-year-old Haemi Lee, along with her widowed mother and ailing brother, is forced to flee to a refugee camp along the coast. For a few hours each night, she escapes her family’s makeshift home and tragic circumstances with her childhood friend, Kyunghwan.
Focused on finishing school, Kyunghwan doesn’t realize his older and wealthier cousin, Jisoo, has his sights set on the beautiful and spirited Haemi—and is determined to marry her before joining the fight. But as Haemi becomes a wife, then a mother, her decision to forsake the boy she always loved for the security of her family sets off a dramatic saga that will have profound effects for generations to come.
Focused on finishing school, Kyunghwan doesn’t realize his older and wealthier cousin, Jisoo, has his sights set on the beautiful and spirited Haemi—and is determined to marry her before joining the fight. But as Haemi becomes a wife, then a mother, her decision to forsake the boy she always loved for the security of her family sets off a dramatic saga that will have profound effects for generations to come.
This book is on my reading list because I love learning about Korea. In my lifetime there has always been two Koreas, but that has only been the case for a short amount of time. For thousands of years there was only one Korea, and one Korean people. The older generations in Korea still long for relatives that live across the border. I am also excited to read about how different generations of the family progress and change throughout the book.
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