“I Know I Sound Like a Broken Record, But the Record is Broken.”

From Rebecca Clarren in one of my recommendations; this might be this newsletter’s new motto.

BOOK: The Cost of Free Land by Rebecca Clarren: This book is an honest, introspective, educational and personal history with the author’s own family lore as the starting point. Clarren has decades of reporting on the American west, which always included Native and Indigenous history and stories, but in this book, she interogates the immigration stories her own family shared about their Jewish immigrant history (forced to survive by leaving Eastern Europe in the 19th century) along side the centuries of genocidal history of Native Americans in the American West, specifically the Lakota, alongside with the eventual environmental devastation these choices imposed on the Lakota and the land, then and now. This book is her exploration - historical, personal, and spiritual. It is stunning. I listened to the audio book and have to get the hard copy because there is so much I want to underline and highlight and go back to.

“My family were Jewish homesteaders on the South Dakota prairie, and yes, in a place that some locals near Wall still call “Jew Flats.” My ancestors were able to escape pogroms and oppression in Eastern Europe and settle in America in large part because of the free federal homestead the United States gave my great-great grandparents. And then gave their children and their children’s partners. For my family — who, as Jews, weren’t allowed to own land in Russia — this land meant a tremendous amount. It made them feel more American, less like immigrants of suspect status…But all the ways they benefited from this land came at great cost to their Lakota neighbors, some of whom lived on the Cheyenne River Reservation only thirteen miles away. ”- Rebecca Clarren

This book is specifically about the stories we tell, why we tell them, and what is left out, by families, by countries, and in history books. It’s impossible not to connect the history and stories of this book to recent history and events, of the last 5 months, of the last 75 years, the last 300 years and the last 500 years. As Clarren wrote in the book, “I know I sound like a broken record, but the record is broken.” This might be this newsletter’s new motto.

“And I’m hearing from many readers that because my book has rhymes and resonances with the news, it’s helping them consider very human struggles over land and oppression through a lens of context, nuance and empathy. In my experience of working on this book, it’s real conversations and relationships between individual people on different sides of a conflict which can lead to healing.” - Rebecca Clarren

I cannot recommend this book enough, and if you aren’t able to read right now, listen to a few of her recent interviews as a start or read this article based on her book.

TV: Little Bird (PBS or rent on Amazon Prime): This is a 6-episode Canadian drama which originally aired on the Aboriginal People’s TV Network. Also focused on the hidden and shameful history of North American settler colonialism, this time of Canada and how it treated Native families, specifically children they “apprehended” and put out for adoption - this is based on the real “Sixties Scoop.” This fictional series follows Behzig as she looks to find her born family in 1985, after hearing her future in-laws make racist comments about her, with simultaneous flashbacks of the 1969 period when she and her siblings were “apprehended” from their family, and then separated by adoptions. It was a fitting companion to reading of The Cost of Free Land. Behzig’s adoptive family in Montreal are Jewish survivors of the Holocaust; her spirituality, and family history and trauma are beautifully and honestly reflected in the storytelling including the painful reflections. The themes of belonging, assimilation, trauma, genocide, and yes, of dividing existing marginalized communities are reflected in the strong and emotional storytelling. With the exception of Lisa Edelstein, a actress I’ve always enjoyed, the Little Bird cast was unknown to me and was excellent, especially the actors who portrayed the separeated siblings - Darla Contois the lead, Joshua Odjick, Braden Clarke, and Imajyn Cardinal.

MOVIE: Society of the Snow (Netflix): This Spanish film (country and language) is nominated for Best International Film Oscar and Best Achievement in Makeup and Hair-styling in this year’s Academy Awards. It’s a film based on the 1972 plane crash of the Uruguayan Rugby Team in the Andes and how the the 16 survivors (out of 45 passengers) made it. Hollywood made the move Alive 30 years ago with Ethan Hawke starring of the same story. I know I saw that movie when it came out but can’t remembere much or compare it to this since I didn’t feel the need to re-watch it after Society of the Snow which I thought was a well written, well acted, movie of this real life tragedy and miracle.

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💕💕ROMANCE BOOKS💕💕

It’s that time of year again, so I wanted to re-share my thoughts on Valentine’s Day and my Romance Book recommendations from 2023, along with a few new ones, which barely skim the surface the hundreds of romance books I read in the past 12 months! And I’m going to break my own cliched patterns and share them throughout the year since Romance books are for all year round, not just one day a year💕💕

Historical

When the Viscount Wanted Me by Lydia Lloyd: Second in the Rake Chronicles series, it was funny, steamy and I love the group of friends and side characters already from the first book, When the Duke Loved Me (sense a pattern?) and can’t wait for the final in the series.

Bow Street Duchess Series by Cara Devlin: This is romance and mystery series, and I love this series. It’s very slow burn on the two leads (A Duchess and Bow Street Runner) and the cast of supporting characters are great. I wouldn’t mind spinoff series about the sister-in law and the doctor! If you like mysteries and historical placement, you will like these and the romance is great too, slow burn but eventual medium steam! Currently 6 books with a 7th coming out in March!

Contemporary

A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña: This is the second book of the Vega Family Series, after A Proposal They Can’t Refuse, with meddling grandfathers, bickering yet supportive families, great children and medium steam levels! A great series to start and stay with.

The Long Game by Elena Armas: I recommended her other books (The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment) last year and her latest is just as fun - a little sports genre, a city woman in small town, some cute kids and pets, and steam!

Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz: This is enemies to lovers, second chances, slow burn story of two former camp friends who are thrown together at work, and also happen to be Jews of Color working in majority white sectors. It’s fun sweet and real!

The Wall of Winnpeg and Me, Hands Down, and Lingus by Mariana Zapata: Okay my friend told me I would like these slow burn, sometimes sports but not always romance books, and damn her, she was correct. In the same week I also read Kulti and From Lukov with Love. I loved these books, and they are very slow burn and not a lot of steam, but friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, second chance and all the tropes. And maybe reading all of them in the same week is not the best idea. 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein: A classic romance trope is the title in this fun and steamy book of a ghost writer a retired footballer (UK football), this is not a Sports genre romance.

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A Brief Note on Substack: After many creators I respect brought the issue of Substack and and its continued platforming of Nazis to my attention, I have been considering other options for a free newsletter. I’m looking at those same creators for the options they are considering, and I don’t know yet what I’m going to do but if you have suggestions, please reply in comments! Almost nothing in our world is free from problematic associations but I hope there will be another option.