The Four Winds, reviewed by Hollie Nielsen, AWC Central Scotland
In The Four Winds, Kristen Hannah tells a harrowing story of a mother and her two children as they migrate from drought-stricken Texas to California in the 1930s Dust Bowl. The detailed and overwhelming description of the dust, wind and tornados left me with dust in my mouth. The determination of main character, Elsa, to get to California for a
hoped-for better life for her children is inspiring. The connection to the Education Team and our focus on literacy and libraries is the kind librarian who befriends Elsa’s young daughter, Loreda. The librarian treats Loreda with respect, which is not how the migrants were usually treated in California. The librarian and Loreda discuss books, and the librarian encourages her to continue her education as best she can, going to school when possible and by continuing to read. Most importantly, the librarian gives Loreda hope.
I listened to The Four Winds and enjoyed a female narrator telling the story of a woman migrant. In contrast, I also listened to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. While this book is the classic American story of the Dust Bowl, I enjoyed the female perspective better. I could relate to Kristen Hannah’s characters more and I found her descriptions persuasive.
The Education Team recommends reading The Four Winds, not only for the importance of the librarian, but as a book about an environmental disaster and the human rights of migrants. Finally, the health – physical and mental – of the migrants is another important component of the book.
The Reading List, reviewed by Carol-Lyn McKelvey, FAUSA/AIWC Cologne
There is no better way to bring our September/October focus on Literacy (SDG Target 4.6) to a close than by recommending Sara Nisha Adams’ book The Reading List. Set in modern-day London, a reading list found on a scrap of paper and a local library on the verge of being shut down bring a disparate group of people together in the most unlikely of ways. How does Aleisha, a lonely and sullen teenager working at the library, befriend and grow to depend on a lonely and set in his ways widower, Mukesh? Using To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved and A Suitable Boy as touch points, The Reading List is a beautiful evolution of how the power of literacy, community and love, either blossoming, present or lost, continues to give people hope and purpose. The Reading List reminds the reader of how books can bring people together instead of drive them apart... “just in case you need it.”
Image credits to CL McKelvey, from Audible purchases
