Sometimes books are so good, I want to write about them before I even finish them. Sometimes the novel I'm reading is so intense, I can only read a bit of it at a time. And sometimes, the story is so relevant to the world today that I am in awe.
I've read a few of Dennis Lehane's books, starting with the best seller, Small Mercies, set in Boston during the turbulent summer of '74. I so liked his style, his ability to see all sides and his knowledge of Boston and history. A senior that year, I can't say I truly knew nor understood then all that was happening in the world. The novel with Lehane's writing took what I'd gleaned over the years and made it come alive.
Now, needing a book til one of my holds came in. I went to another of his books, The Given Day. It is one of those books I described in the first paragraph. Set in, of course, Boston during the 1919 police strikes, I have been transported to the past....and the present. History does so sadly repeat itself.
At one point, I stopped reading to write to a friend who I knew would understand. Her reply, apt: history does repeat itself, and so she doesn't read much historical fiction anymore.
But I do. I find, even through all the atrocities of the past, that there is hope. Humans, while horrid, can come to understand our faults, empathize with others and change our beliefs. It is often slow, distressing progress, with repeat offenses, but hope is there.
History, Then and Now
