My Time with the Kings by Kathryn Johnson

Kathryn Johnson AP journalist, reported one of the most amazing part of the History of the XXth century in this book: My Time with the Kings published by RosettaBooks and picked up by me at netgalley.com: the fight for building a good and equal society for everyone, rich and poor, black or white.

This human Flag Martin Luther King Jr.
He worked hard for bringing peace and equal rights between black and white. The legacy of King continued also after his assassination in Memphis April 4th 1968 at the Lorraine Motel.

Kathryn fought other personal battles as well. When she was born in 1926, no one expected from her the choice of a work like this one. At that time women were devoted just for family, or they became nurses. Good jobs of course, indispensable but...a reporter... It appeared more than a dream.

Kathryn not tall but plenty of energy, a degree in literature studied also journalism and later knocked at the door of the AP of Atlanta. The chief bureau put in clear that they didn't want around any woman with these dreams, but there was a place as secretary if interested.

Kathryn must have thought: let me be in and then I will let you see....

;-)

And in fact...

No one wanted or was interested at giving coverage to the various news of assaults against black people, or other racial stories. So these stories  assigned to Kathryn. De fact, from a simple secretary, Kathryn became a staffer of the AP, Associated Press of Atlanta.

Apart the prestigious place,  Kathryn is part of the History.

This little lady would have become a great reporter, with a special privilege: the one of reporting a big portion of one the most important crucial events of the last century.

The ideas of Martin Luther King, the fights against black people in various cities, the death for assassination of Luther King and previously of JFK, and later of his brother Bobby Kennedy, the at the end bill of rights for black people that would have changed their life for better after the march of Selma.

People that years died in various pacific demonstrations just for the desire of bringing freedom and setting free from physical and mental slavery black people.

That wonderful XX century....It was able to create idealistic people as Martin Lither King Jr. Kennedy, Gandhi. The list is endless but each of them was unique because they were people of great intellectual value.

People thought it was indispensable to fight for a better future and a best conditions for everyone.

Kathryn shared with the readers, at the beginning her biggest privilege: to be one of the closest friends of King's family.

Everything started for case when once she re-accompanied home mr King, and his wife asked her to come on in for drinking some coffee and resting for a while.

A friendship this one of the reporter with Martin Luther King and his family told with great love and continued for decades and decades


The day of the discovery of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis Kathryn the only reporter entered at King's house. She wasn't there only as a reporter, but she was there as a friend, so she helped King's wife answering the various messages of condolences received from all the world, she baked and cooked as well while she waited for the arrival of Jackie Kennedy for the condolences.

An extended member of the family able to present some comfort and relief at four desperate children who lost their beloved dad too soon and at a poor devastated widow.

Kathryn reports her impression of the funeral of Martin Luther King and what it meant to live in the South in a moment in which the racial condition could implode abruptly in every corner of city or little village with great simplicity.

Although another century passed by from the Secession War started in 1861 and ended up in 1865, constricting the South that lost the war at setting free their slaves a lot of things in 1950-1960s not yet sorted out in the South and other part of the USA.

Kathryn remembers many anecdotes.

In a trial she was also treated differently from the rest of the reporters because a woman and so put in a different place close to other black men.

We mustn't never think that Kathryn obtained with simplicity what she obtained: freedom of reporting facts.

She fought and she won the discrimination! this time against women, a portion of History, like the racial one not yet sorted out.

A man said her during this trial: "You shouldn't stay here. You should stay home taking care of your family."


Although I didn't know many anecdotes for sure I knew of  the march of Selma, last year the 50 anniversary of this important march that brought the approval of the bill of rights.
What was the South 50 years ago?

Bands of Ku Klux Klan dangerous with white supporting blacks and black people.

Bars, café schools universities, buses...There wasn't permission for black people to enter in a place for "only white people" or staying sat in the same bus or in a café with white people.

Trying to force this guideline would have meant violence and interruption of the service.

There were universities just for black people and the introduction as explained in the book in an university in Alabama of the first two black students a male and a female that Kathryn followed like a shadow, their lessons and so on, caused some turmoils as well.

The students later suspended and re-integrated.

One of them, the girl, became a NYT's journalist and collaborator of the The New Yorker. We talk of real brains, very acculturated and at the same time discriminated because of the color of their skin.

The racial condition is modern and of great actuality because a real, plenty integration of these two communities, reading here and there, for what I can see, still distant, and black people are still feeling the white as their enemies, and the white lives sometimes black people as distant ones.


What I loved the most of this book well, being a reporter, the work of Kathryn. Because yes, of course it's also great to work everyday in a newsroom, but Kathryn...Kathryn went out, searched for the facts reporting them as more quick as possible for not burning the news.

She has seen with her same eyes the History and its Protagonists, reporting it.
This is simply, incredibly, priceless.

If you want to read a beautiful book, quick, written with love without too much sentimentalism go for this one.

It's human and real like life is.



Anna Maria Polidori

The life of Elves by Mauriel Barbery

                                                                           
 I live in a a countryside, in Italy, and so when I picked up this book, The Life of Elves   from Gallic Books I knew what I would have met and I haven't been disappointed. The book is translated wonderfully well and the plot to me similar, although distant at the same time for style and purpose from the one written by Joanne Harris: Chocolat.



Yes because the arrival of two outsiders in these two remote portion of lands, Spain and Abruzzo, and in two countrysides very well "captured" by the author, changed the course of the events for these simple people and lands...

The description of the italian countryside is perfect.

These kids had two gifts, the one of the vision of the past the first one in Spain and the one of music, the second living in Italy.

It's an emotional and a magical trip of sensations in  rural lands where people have a big heart and where people believes at the power of certain people and at the enchantment that they can bring with...themselves

Scenarios also big cities as Rome, where for example the musician teenager  will discover all the eccentricities of her Maestro. I recognized in that treats the ones I met in old and so-called important people when I was little and their desire of telling who they were sharing their opinions about various topics .
I was enchanted by the writing-style of Barbey. I didn't read her first book and I decided I will do that as soon as possible. To me a privilege to read her second book thanks to Netgalley.com.

I recommend this book to all that spirits in search for something magical, abstract, different, to all that people in love for discovering rural places but at the same time at all that human being in love for magic.


Anna Maria Polidori 

Lazy Crafternoon by Stella Fields

Have you, dear teen, the passion for scrap, decoupage,  decoration, handmade works? Do you want to keep your  little corner of the house a beautiful, dreaming personalized place where  every object is different, colored and unique in its  genre and where also the most insignificant, old  object and item one can return to live a wonderful,  new and sparkling existence without necessarily to buying  a new one?

If your answers are all enthusiastically:  yes! to all these questions this book is for you.




Written by Stella Fields and published by Capstone,  I consider this manual I read thanks to netgalley.com  extremely useful, dreaming, colored and beautiful and it will make the joy of enthusiastic teenagers and moms and well.   

These projects,more than 50 are not difficult and  each of them cost less than ten dollars, but the  author would want to invite you and your friends at  a crazy or more "Crafternoons" as she calls these  creative moments so that you can spend and share with your  girlfriends some good time all together while  working at specific and dreaming projects.

Substantially you could re-colored or  re-personalized all your little objects of your house.

The book is divided  in fact in sections; accessories, food, decorate,  study and celebrate and for each section you will  find wonderful example for creating unique pieces.

Are you for example tired of seeing your mom sipping tea in a cup without character to you? Why not adding some  personality to it? Go for it! It will be a great gift for her.

Have you got some correspondents and do you want to  create beautiful handmade greeting cards or letters?
You will discover how to create stunning loving greetings and/or writing letter.

Your girlfriend's birthday is close, and you  presented her a wonderful gift, but uh-oh the  wrapping card? Don't worry, you will create something unforgettable.

Your smart phone's cover is not exceptional? Ready for you and thanks to your creativity an unique piece!

If you are spiritual and you would want to wear  something in theme for you there is the diffuser  necklace. You will always bring with you your  favorite oil essence for your mood! of the moment.

The glasses of your granny are becoming old, she  doesn't want to change them because she is still affectionate to them and she wants to save money but  at the same time you think she would be happy if you personalize them? You  can help her, in few simple steps!

It's spring and time to plant some flowers. You want  to add more color and romanticity. Plenty of solutions. Your friends will be surprised of the final results.

A friend presented to you a classic birdhouse, made  with good wood of course, but maybe too serious. You  will find many projects for creating one of the  most stunningly unique, colored birdhouses you have seen on  the face of Earth!

You return to school. You  bought some pencils but you think that they don't have too much color. Don't hesitate to add some tulle a beautiful project that will bring joy, color and personality at  an indispensable accessory.


Do you want to create or put in some jars something special?
Why not add some decorations?


If you go for a walk in a countryside remember to  bring home some little rocks. It will be beautiful  to decorate them with all the other members of your  family. Creations  can be the most diversified one and at the end everyone happy for the final result!


You have a correspondent in a foreign country and  you want to create a notebook or a journal. Go for  it. There is a great project in this manual.

You can create a new handbook, boxes with more soul,  creative items for your food.

Have fun, have joy, have enthusiasm and happiness!  while re-coloring, adding more  soul to most of your  favorite or maybe why not? new items!



Anna Maria Polidori

Sunrise Sunset - 52 weeks of awe and gratitude - by Kim Weiss

Kim Weiss  is a sunny lady living in South Florida and everytime she looked at a sunset, took a picture of it. Same with a dawn, sharing these artistic, natural creations with her Facebook's community.

After a while some of hr friends suggested her of creating a book with all these wonderful pictures. A pity not sharing them with a largest public.

The idea of Sunrise Sunset was born!


Everyone know my big attractions for sunsets and dawns and when I discovered on netgalley.com this book I wanted to see it so badly, loving it a lot, for the calming pictures, beautiful colors, inspiring words and phrases that will follow every page and every picture of a sunset or a dawn. Like to be in Paradise.



Dawns and sunsets in Florida are simply spectaculars. The author has been in grade to photograph beautiful red, yellow, colored sunsets, and stunning dawns.

Nature, we all know, is better than the best painter of this world.

The idea of not putting just pictures but accompanying them with words,  I imagine, for giving a strongest visual and emotive message to the picture visualized in that moment. In this sense, Kim has been helped by a team of creative friends all mentioned in the book.

Encouragement, gratitude, you will discover thanks to these pictures and these phrases, a spiritual trip and always a different gradation of feelings "reading" between the pictures and phrases close to it.
Published by Health Communications Inc. I strongly suggest this delicate, felt, relaxing book.


Part of money of this book goes to an association called AVA.




Anna Maria Polidori

The More of Less by Joshua Becker

The more of Less by Joshua Becker published by WaterBrook is a fantastic book.

Wonderfully written, clear and concise, right to the point, fluent and intriguing the author shares through this book his new philosophy of life from 2008: the one of  Minimalism.

What does Minimalism mean ? Living with less a much more intense and plenty life.

How can it be possible to do that?

Our society is a consumerist reality where people are taken in consideration because they can spend. A compulsive society where we are overwhelmed everyday by messages, ads, publicity for let us buy always more.

We keep our houses plenty of things most of the time absolutely unnecessary or in an exaggerated number because of it.

Joshua Becker focuses in a new life-style where what it will be important won't be anymore the big house with all the expenses necessary for maintaining it, won't it be the big car, or the rich furniture of a house, but...people and their main interests in a best quality life.

In fact the author says, it is important a massive declutter of the stuff in the house for living with less but living a best life, because when we are surrounded by too many objects we lose the best part of us. We become selfish, arrogant, egoist, we are not able to seeing the other one as our brother, we are not able to giving to anyone anything because of our ego.

It's indispensable to understand that this society sometimes can be superficial. Every person in a certain moment will buy the same pair of shoes of a certain brand because everyone say that it is trendy. Just a little example but let's admit it, the human being is like a sheep: we love to follow the current.

And what does in term of quality-time and intelligence mean? A lot, because following the standards of this society means not always to follow quality, but mainly appearance. The beautiful house, the beautiful car, and so on.  

Why people are important in this society? Are they important just because of their capacities of spending money?

In the past, in the remote past, society and messages mainly spread were the ones of saving money. At the moment men, women and children are lived like potential consumers.

Speaking with a friend of mine time ago for the special issue of Christmas, topic toys, I discovered for example that children must be also very stressed by this society, because they don't have anymore any kind of certainty and any kind of real super-hero at long as we had when we were little. They explained me that children's toys are products of movies, cartoons and they can exist just for six months, one year if they are lucky.

Scary.

Back to the book, Mrs Jane, during a hard working day in the garage for Joshua Becker, introduced him at what it would have meant a complete change of life-style for this man and his family: minimalism. Jane told that afternoon to Joshua Becker that her daughter lived in the minimalism so she wouldn't never spent too much time cleaning the house but she would have had much more time to spend THIS with  friends and family.

To Becker, absent with his kid who wanted to play with him because busy in the garage, a revelation. He talked immediately with his wife and they decided to proceed and to change their life-style.

For better.

Becker explains minimalism doesn't want to say austerity.
Each Minimalist is different and starts to join this great community for personal reasons. There are reporters, retired people, teenagers in this colored group of the "Philosophers of the good time spent well and with less."

What a minimalist does is keeping space, emotive, physical, emotional  for himself/herself and for his/her family, without to be surrounded by too many redundant objects but just by the necessary.
It doesn't mean that we should avoid to have a TV, or PC or smart phone.

We should adopt a different and more healthy life-style, sober, able to let us appreciate thanks to the Minimalism our New Us.

Objects, surplus, is able to create chaos all around us and this is extremely dangerous for a good and emotive development of our real personality too much oppressed by what we are surrounded by.
It's like a sensation of suffocating. Once you will set you free from all the objects you will be free to re-construct your real Self.

Many the example introduced by Joshua Becker including of course his immense, wonderful story.

Altruism, generosity, donation, must enter in the dictionary of your new life.

It's wonderful to donate in many ways: time, money, joining an association or a charity for helping people in needs or simply assisting some neighbors in need.

From his experience, Becker discourages to sell the material once you decide to throw it away. They tried but they did accumulate just 135 dollars. So they started to call many associations and charities in need of the most diversified items they wanted to give away and Becker remembers his joy in giving away unwanted stuff able to make the difference for other men, women and children.

Becker insists that everyone once taken the decision of becoming minimalist should donate everything away without asking money, but contacting local charities.

A lady created an association of wealthy women for donating the Wedding Ring for bringing water in Africa. This association fascinated me a lot because I remembered that the same experiment was made by the ladies of the South during the Secession War of 1861-1865. Married ladies were asked to donate their wedding ring for the cause of the war.

Becker asks to everyone to live in the substance and not in the appearance.

Our society is mainly built in the appearance. Becker add that there is always more request for plastic surgeries in the USA, but gym is neglected, people eat junk food so they become always more fat developing important social illnesses. What it is important to do according to the author is to return to a normality made of friendship, family, good sleeping time, eating properly, watching less TV and adopting a more human life-style.

A wealthy life-style means less time for family, children, friends.

This book is not only beauty, it's felt, written with decision, with force and with the soul. It's extremely powerful. While you read the words of the author you start to feel what he says and while you are reading it you think: this author will make the difference for a lot of people in the world!





*I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.*



Anna Maria Polidori

Let it out by Katie Dalebout

Let it out by Katie Dalebout and published by Hay House Inc. is a book for creative and for all that people with a dream: being  more happy than they are.

The author is a real true-planner.


This one is the first book I read of the so-called "new generation" of writers connected with the net and Instagram and social medias and in fact I found a lot of differences in comparison with the other self-help books I read in the past.

There is more velocity,  more mental "stress" and well, also a more compulsive capacity and desire of organize the life.

Katie Dalebout is part of the new generation of writers for people constantly busy not only anymore with normal life but also with internet life as well.

Various sections of this book will also include our relationship with these powerful and sometimes complicated instruments.

Let it out wants to awake your inner creativity as I said before.

So the best thing to do first of all is buying a journal following the directions as Katie call them.

There are many powerful exercises, like decluttering our spaces for re-becoming connected with our self.

The exercise I love the most? The one to try to do all the opposite of what we would do. What freedom!

I love the idea of keeping a jar, because I did it in the past and it is wonderful to re-read at distance of years the beautiful positive messages "posted" there.

Katie thinks that also negative thoughts are important vehicles for us and for trying to understand us better. Removing them it will mean build a different and new self more conscious and more happy.

An exercise Katie knows it's powerful (I tried with a friend of mine depressed and it worked successfully, she was absolutely happy! after it) is to help someone else in need.

All of us think, when we are sad that  we can't be helpful  because of our condition.

Try this exercise and you will discover that it is the opposite.

Maybe no one is indispensable in this world but everyone necessary for building a best society.


The biggest gratification born by a simple fact: that the person involved, the one depressed discover with joy and surprise that can be of help.
And to him/her it is like reason of joy and excitement.

Abundance: who wouldn't want more money? Or abundance. The motto of Katie is more you give and more you receive.

The Happythankyoumoreplease section will help you for being grateful for what you have and at the same time for asking more to the Universe ;-)

The money Manifester an interesting experiment because will let you show who you are financially (pretty scary exercise, lol), your potentialities and problematic while the New Moon Manifesto a romantic way for asking something to the Universe.

Talking of healing each of us knows that sometimes we fall ill because our body is weak and because "we want to be sick" unconsciously. It's up to us, to healing ourselves.Some chapters will involve this important thematic and there is a chapter all dedicated to heal the world as well.

Katie treats later a topic so important: the one of shame. We feel always some shame for something. inadequacy, a gaffe, something we said not truly appreciated by another person, or an action we wouldn't never wanted to do.

How can we repair? You will discover. Using your journal you will be in grade to Let it out everything! re-starting a new complete and good life with more consciousness.

Katie will want to cure your fear giving precious tips about love. For creative there are at the beginning of the book beautiful suggestion for creating stories. Katie suggests, why once created not submitting them at The New Yorker?
Let's think positively.

A part I also loved a lot the Chat with God.

Beautiful book for living a new life, precious advices, and plenty of informations.

Let it out your joy, Let it out your self, Let it out all your potentialities and first of all Let it out your Happiness and your desire to be a best person!


I thank you netgalley.com for this book.




Anna Maria Polidori

Letters From Madelyn: Chronicles of a Caregiver Second Edition by Elaine Sanchez

They were the family Kubin.

They lived  on a farm at six miles from McPherson a town in Kansas with 14.000 people in total.


What attracted me at first when I picked up this book on NetGalley.com firstly was the genre: the epistolary one.

I not only found the reading pleasant, but I discovered in the protagonist, Madelyn an exceptional woman and an example for all of us, with an integrity, a passion for this life, and constantly new interests absolutely admirable.

 "Letters from Madelyn" - Chronicles of a Caregiver is in fact the story  of a series of letters Madelyn, the protagonist of this story start to sends to her daughter Elaine, (later adding also Elaine's fiance and later husband Alex) after that her husband Quentin experiences a terrible stroke in 1993. Madelyn starts to write with frequency to her daughter at the beginning of 1994 until 1999. 

 This book is a quick reading  thanks to the precious words of Madelyn, a woman who fought with all herself for her beloved husband until the end, someone who taught many spiritual lessons to all of us thanks to her precious, wise words spread in her numerous letters.

The daughter Elaine K.Sanchez in the foreword writes that these letters, edited by her once her beloved mother Madelyn passed away were long something like 5-10 pages.
Each.
Letters plenty of informations.

Madelyn keeps updated her daughter about everything. Her husband Quentin and his conditions, her flowers, weather, neighbors, activity at the church, her reading, in particular The Unity and many other spiritual authors and books.

Madelyn was a letter writer for sure with a great, impressive, perfect and fresh writing-style.

What it is special in Madelyn is this:  going on although her husband seriously sick, with a big smile on her face and a special optimistic attitude for life, people and events.

Once she fell in love for Reiki and she discovered she could heal some Quentin's pains with the power of Reiki and her hands. Although Quentin's health was precarious, she tried all her best to give him dignity and fun time.

Another time we will find Madelyn arranging "romantic" meetings ( to the restaurant all together for eating something) between Quentin and an old flame Avis and her husband. Yes because Quentin started to develop at a certain stage of his illness a true great fixation for sex. Once he asked to Madelyn to have sex with her. He was strongly refused. "Sex a chapter of our life over, dear."
So Quentin's fixation for Avis, another pretty sick lady.

You will also discover in a special section pictures of all the family Kubin. Special people.

This one I read is the second edition of this book and in the while Elaine, the daughter, developed a website thanks to the success of the first edition: CaregiverHelp.com

I am not surprised. Madelyn was a special special human being and her message extremely powerful.

Her daughter writes Madelyn inspired by authors like Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale an author, this second one I love so badly for the great power of his words.

I have quotes of his books in many corners of the house, for remembering always how precious and great life is.

I am sure that Madelyn was inspired by these great minds but at the same time I I think Madelyn was inspired by herself and her wonderful light and soul. She spread love, compassion, help to her husband and everyone she knew.


Published by WriteLifePublishing, this one is the beautiful portrait born thanks to her written words, letters of a beautiful life very well spent.
An example of the life  lived and spent as maybe should be spent and a proud example of love and dedication to the others.

I strongly suggest this book to everyone.


Anna Maria Polidori