Theo of Golden

I saw Allen Levi's best seller Theo of Golden (#1,366) on the Lucky Day display at my local library, so I grabbed it while I could.  I had heard mixed reviews of this book, but I wanted to read it for myself.  I'm so glad I did.

Theo is an older, obviously prosperous gentleman who arrives unannounced one day in Golden, Georgia.  On his walks around his new neighborhood, he stops for coffee at a local shop.  There he is transfixed by a series of pencil portraits.  He strikes up a conversation with the coffee shop owner and asks about the artwork done by a local artist.  Drawn back each day by both the excellent coffee and the portraits, Theo starts making friends and decides on a project.  He will buy the portraits and gift them to the persons, all locals, shown in the drawing.  He begins slowly, meeting with each individual and is gradually drawn into the community by their stories.  What happens next is the crux of the story.

Mr. Levi has really produced a remarkable journey of faith in this story.  I can understand why people might be uncomfortable with it, especially if they don't believe in a higher power as a guiding principle.  What Theo does in this book can be mimicked by anyone who wants to try.  You don't need a lot of money, only a kind word or deed will do the trick and make a difference to someone.  You never know the effect it can produce.

Be warned, though.  If you do make it to the end of Theo of Golden have a box of tissues nearby.  You'll need them.

Lincoln's Lady Spymaster

I didn't realize who Gerri Willis was until after I had finished reading her Lincoln's Lady Spymaster - The Untold Story of the Abolitionist Southern Belle Who Helped Win the Civil War (#1,365).  Although I did find this an interesting read, I think the title is a bit misleading.  Ms. Willis does chronicle a bit about Elizabeth Van Lew, the Richmond society belle who remained staunchly Northern in her sympathies throughout the Civil War, but the author does tend to go off on lengthy tangents about other Civil War movers and shakers, especially John Wilkes Booth.  In fact, much of this material is ably covered in Erik Larson's recent book: The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism.  I would have much preferred a book about the purported subject.

Missing from this account are any details about how her spy network actually worked; the nuts and bolts of the operation.  Just how did Elizabeth Van Lew survive in such a hostile environment both during the War itself and the bitter aftermath?  Ms. Willis alludes to the fact that her neighbors hated her, but how did she actually cope on her own?  She turns Miss Van Lew into a pathetic old ghost of her own story.  If there wasn't enough material to fill an entire book, perhaps it would have been better to include her story in an anthology of Civil War characters.  Just my opinion.  If you're interested in women's roles during the Civil War period in Richmond, read Mary Chestnut's A Diary from Dixie instead.

Math Cats - Scratching the Surface of Mathematical Concepts

Math Cats (#1,364) by Daniel M. Look, PhD caught my eye on the library shelf by the title alone.  When I pulled it off the shelf to look at it, the adorable cat sketches sealed the deal.  It's not a very big book, but it puts across some more complicated math principles in a straightforward way, using everyday words illustrated by amusing cat examples.  How can you not love cats posing to illustrate the different types of angles?  If you've ever watched a cat grooming itself, you can probably visualize the right-angle picture in your head!

Plus, Professor Look has thrown in interesting factoids in his explanations.  Being rather math-averse myself, if I had had the benefit of having my mind engaged this way during my math classes growing up, I definitely would have paid more attention and benefited greatly.  Who knew Pythagoras' own Theorem played a role in the thinker's death?  That's what would have stuck in my mind!

I felt upon finishing Math Cats the same way I felt when I finished Stephen Hawking's A Short History of Time; that I had just read something deep and enriching.  I promptly passed it along to my husband and my library book club, where a number of reserves were placed on this book during the meeting!

I envy both Dr. Look's students and his hosts of cats with delightful names.  He has succeeded in opening minds to new ideas.  What could be better for an educator?