Finished The Shadow of Your Smile

As usual, Mary Higgins Clark spins a good yarn.  I wasn't quite at the edge of my seat as usual, but it had some interesting twists I had not expected.  So, certainly a fun read.

I am now about to start People of the Earth by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neil Gear.

Finished Wicked

Of course, knowing The Wizard of Oz, I knew this could not end happily for Elphaba.  I think that the "Wizard" did not invent the prejudices of Oz, but only exploited them.  I am in hopes that the sequels will be a bit more upbeat.  But, overall, I loved the book.  It certainly makes one think and provides an adult setting for the theme that there is more than one side to any story.

I am now reading The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark which has started out fairly predictably, but, knowing this author, I know there will be some surprises along the way.  A young female pediatrician's life is in danger and we like her because of how much she cares for and thinks about her patients.

Approaching Wicked Mid-Point

Uh-Oh.  I think I know where this is going.  Having just read Kingsblood Royal, which certainly goes on my list of most effective anti-racism literature I have ever read, I believe now that that is exactly where this book is going as well.

A drought has hit Munchkinland and caused widespread poverty.  The Wizard of Oz is scapegoating (sentient) Animals who have taken jobs away from humans.  Any Animals who are unwilling to give up their jobs and go back to the farm (or the wild)...well, it is perfectly OK to kill them.  Who will be scapegoated next?  The south part of the country has already been decimated in a rush to plunder very few rubies.  Who is next?  The Winkies?  The Munchkins?  The Poor???  Does the Wizard of Oz sound a bit like Hitler???Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) may be the only hope these (different from the rich) beings have.  Let's see if I am right.

Finished Kingsblood Royal by Sinclaire Lewis

Well, published in 1947 by a well known and respected author.  I can see why it started a furor and then took a nose-dive into obscurity.  I imagine that most Americans of the time (and now) can find themselves in this book and they probably won't like what they see!  Waaaaaaay ahead of its time.  But, it really shouldn't have been... 

Even though the theme is pretty heavy, Lewis writes with light hand and injects humor.  I loved Neil's search for who he was, at first just a surface search, and by the end, a very deep and meaningful search.  I also love that the ancestor Neil discovered who started this deeper journey was a man of strength and adventure, love and steadiness, who anyone would be delighted to find in their gene pool....if he hadn't been Black... 
As Neil's journey progresses, the finds the pride in this ancestor that he deserved and in himself as well.

Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed the book.  Am now starting Wicked by Gregory McGuire.