books she loves

WORDS : MEGAN ELGIN

As I was thinking about which books to include in this issue, I kept thinking about the all the different families portrayed in the books I've read. These families all look incredibly different — some are traditional, others are far from it, and still others might look one way on the surface but be completely different on the inside. The most important thing is that regardless of how different they may be, by the end of the book I often come to understand them and through their eyes I can sometimes even understand my own family better. So I challenge you to expand your reading and find books about families that look very different from your own. Read diversely and see how it effects your view of your own family.

Educated

by Tara Westover

This is a beautiful but very tough book to read. That being said, you should absolutely run out and get a copy. Westover tells about her life growing up in a survivalist family in the mountains of Idaho. Isolated from regular society, the family was not allowed to go to school or even the hospital and there was no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. Without any formal education, she taught herself enough basics to earn a place at university where her thirst for knowledge transformed her. I was cheering for Tara the entire time and what she has accomplished is incredible. Education can be a powerful thing and can in some ways give us the strength and courage to draw conclusions that are different from those we‘ve been taught.

A Place for Us

by Fatima Farheen Mirza

An Indian-American Muslim family gathers together to celebrate the wedding of the eldest daughter, Hadia. It's been three years since the youngest sibling, Amar, left home. The entire family must now contend with the choices of the past that led to Amar's estrangement. In a narrative that examines decades of family life from the eyes of each member, the reader sees each viewpoint changing the threads of the story from one thing to another. I found myself making many connections between these characters and my own family growing up. It‘s a good reminder that how one person views something is different than the next, even within our own families.

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I also highly recommend reading "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Pachinko

by Min Jin Lee

Any list of family-themed books wouldn't be complete without at least one multigenerational story. "Pachinko" begins in Korea in the early 1900s with Sunja, the adored teenage daughter of a fisherman. She falls for a wealthy stranger who promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant and that he is married, she refuses to be bought. Instead, she agrees to marry a gentle minister who is passing through on his way to Japan. This decision echoes down through the generations in a saga that is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing. I found myself completely immersed in the lives of this family and the complex and passionate characters Lee has created. Not only is it beautifully written, but the author does an amazing job of showing the hardships and prejudices the Koreans in Japan were living through.

Red, White & Royal Blue

by Casey McQuiston

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? If you're looking for a fun read, I highly recommend this unconventional romance novel. When his mother became president, Alex's image as the handsome, charismatic, genius son is millennial-marketing gold for the White House. But Alex has a beef with England's very own Prince Henry. When the tabloids get ahold of a photo involving an altercation, the two rivals are forced to stage a truce for the media. What begins as a fake media friendship, grows deeper and soon becomes more than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. A secret romance between Alex and a surprisingly unstuffy Henry threatens to upend the two nations. One of the things I loved about this novel was the support Alex receives from his diplomatic mother and the sister he's very close with. They help him search for the courage and power to be the person he was meant to be and fight for the love he finds with Henry. And while this romance might be a hot-button topic, McQuiston writes a humorous, sexy, witty and outrageously fun novel that shows an unconventional couple in the same light as any traditional romance.

Read one of these books?

Tell us what you thought by using #areawomanbooks in your review.

Area Woman’s resident Bookista, Megan Elgin, serves you up with books worthy of spending your entire afternoon with. Search for Megan on Goodreads or @meganann on Litsy and find out what she’s reading now.

PORTRAIT : JILL OCKHARDT BLAUFUSS

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