The Perfect Fraud by Ellen Lacorte

This was a novel I received from HarperCollins last month and it took me awhile to dig into it. A sleepless night was the key to flipping the switch and really diving into the story. Then of course, I wanted to stay home and finish it the next day but darn it all I had to work! I finished it at lunch. 

I've read a lot of domestic thrillers in the past few years, ever since Gone Girl and Girl on the Train jump-started the genre. I have to confess it's not my favorite type of read. And heck, it makes you look around at the people in your life and wonder if there's a story there just waiting to get out. I had a hard time getting into this story; I kept putting it down and moving onto other books. 

Part of the reason was because one of the main characters-Rena-is so unlikeable I didn't want to read her story. If you think she's unlikeable in the beginning, just hold onto your shorts, because she doesn't grow on you at all!

Short plot: Rena is a mother who has a daughter, Stephanie, aged four. Ever since she was a baby, Stephanie has suffered from painful stomach ailments. Rena has spent all her time taking Stephanie to doctor after doctor, demanding test after test and no one can figure out what is wrong with Stephanie. A few times she's been so ill--her sodium levels have skyrocketed and put her in severe health crises. Rena is fed up with the doctor who is treat Stephanie, so she decides to fly to Arizona to see a specialist. Rena also runs a blog that not only discusses her daughter's illness, but talks about Rena's search for healthy food and alternative ways to heal her daughter. 

The other main character is Claire. She lives in Arizona, and works in Sedona as a psychic--who gives fake readings. She doesn't care, actually. Mostly because her mother is a psychic, and pushed Claire to develop her natural talents in that area. But Claire resents her mother, and shut it all off (she actually doesn't think she's got any psychic abilities anyway). Claire is a bit prickly; her boyfriend wants to marry her, but she keeps him at arm's length. Her father's health suddenly nosedives, and she has to fly back home.

On the flight back to Arizona, Claire sits next to Rena and Stephanie. This is where to two paths finally cross. And where the story gets interesting. 

It's pretty easy to figure out what's going on with Rena and Stephanie. Rena is so completely unlikeable that she leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and a fair bit of rage in your heart. Claire grows on you, for sure. She has some big revelations that shake her up, and in doing so, opens up her psychic talents BIG time. You will get to a certain point in the action where you won't be able to put the book down, and you'll feel your heart rate increase a bit! 

It's a fast read, and even though I struggled a bit at the beginning, it turned out to be a pretty good story. Certainly a different one--not at all what I expected when I picked it up. Definitely a vacation read you'll pass onto your friends. 

A big thanks to HarperCollins for a preview copy. It's a book I probably wouldn't have read otherwise, so I'm always grateful for a chance to step outside my reading comfort zone and try something different. 

Rating: 4/6 for a domestic thriller that takes a few twists and turns and ends with a bit of a zip. A quick read that will grip you as you race towards the end. 

Available in hardcover, audio, and ebook. 

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The Perfect Fraud by Ellen Lacorte

Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War by Pamela D. Toler, PhD

My unceasing interest in women living through the Civil War continues with The Heroines of Mercy Street. This history book focuses mostly on the experiences of a few women living and working as nurses in the North during the American Civil War of 1861-1865.  Many people may be familiar with the PBS series  Mercy Street.  It created such interest in the characters that this book was written to look a bit closer at the women who worked under miserable circumstances and conditions to treat the wounded from both the Yankee and Confederate sides. 

Dorothea Dix was a feisty middle-aged spinster who inherited her grandparent's wealth, and that made possible her endeavors to bring reform to sanitariums, jails, poorhouses, and the treatment of mentally ill prisoners.  She was a woman on a mission, and when the Civil War began with the firing on Fort Sumter in April, 1861 she was ready to help gather supplies that would be needed to care for the wounded soldiers that were sure to come.  She faced an uphill battle in her quest to hire women for nursing positions.  There were no nursing schools in the United States in 1861; the only women who were loosely called nurses were those who were working off jail sentences.  They were drunks, uneducated, and usually women of ill-repute.  

Dorothea's strict requirements kept a lot of otherwise perfectly capable women out of the nursing positions she needed to fill.  She only wanted women who were plain faced, in their 30's and older, and of a very good reputation.  She did get plenty of women traveling to Washington, D.C. to work in hastily constructed hospitals, but her strict rules and the overwhelming opposition to women taking care of soldiers by doctors, surgeons, and pretty much every male in the U. S. Army created a lot of issues.  

Some women, you'll be glad to know, ignored Dorothea's rules and struck out on their own, often times just showing up at hospitals (which were usually hotels, factories, churches, and homes) hoping to help.  For many, the severity of soldiers' injuries was too much.  Some had very genteel ideas of what it meant to take care of soldiers.  Dysentery, typhoid fever, and so many other diseases ran rampant through the troops.  The medical world in the U.S. at the time of the Civil War was far behind Europe; there was still no belief in sterilization, clean water and instruments for the wounded, nor clean linens or bandages.  Infections and gangrene were everywhere.  Nurses oftentimes slept on the floor or in chairs, ate hard bread and really bad coffee, and worked 12 hour days with no breaks.  And the majority weren't trained in much of anything.  It's appalling to realize just how many soldiers died from sheer ignorance of basic cleanliness, or soldiers suffering from gastrointestinal diseases that kept them from eating the usual horrible foods offered in the hospitals. Women in the hospitals pushed to create special diets for soldiers who were unable to eat the heavy meals cooked for fighting soldiers.  There are just certain things you don't give someone who has dysentery and expect them to recover!

Dorothea isn't the only woman featured in this fascinating book.  Anne Reading, Mary Phinney von Olnhausen, Louisa May Alcott, Clara Barton, and so many others were at the forefront of new radical changes in medicine and the dawning of a fundamental change in medical care in the U.S.  It's hard to imagine nurses were seen as little better than prostitutes in 1860, but it's true.  One of the good things to come out of this terrible war was the realization of the importance of nurses in the care of and as advocates for patients.  

Clara Barton, addressing an audience in 1888 said "...that as a result of the Civil War women had advanced at least fifty years beyond the position they would have held had the country remained at peace" (p. 221). 

I learned so much about Civil War medicine, the perception of women's capabilities and "delicateness" during mid-19th century America, and the sheer strength and determination of so many women to contribute to the healing of so many damaged men during such a brutal war. It's a fascinating read, and anyone who is interested in women's history, the Civil War, politics, or even medical history will find this a good addition to their history bookshelf. I'd recommend this to anyone who is interested in pursing nursing as a career.

Rating:  4/6 for a part of Civil War history that has been long overlooked.  Such a rich history, and well worth the read!  

Available in paperback and e-book.

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Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War by Pamela D. Toler, PhD

5 Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

Hurricane Katrina seems like it happened so long ago that it's easy to forget just how devastating it was to New Orleans, and how they are still recovering from the destruction and rebuilding communities. Reading this book was a powerful reminder of how complex and difficult decisions were made in extremely trying circumstances, and how horribly unprepared we are for disasters.  

August 28, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.  While there was a mass evacuation, hospitals and hospital workers had to stay; hospitals had to remain open to serve those who were ill, and anticipate more coming into the hospital for care during and after the storm.  Memorial Medical Center had weathered many hurricanes and storms before; it had been part of the community since 1926.  People would leave their homes and bunk down in the hospital for safety; medical staff brought their pets and family members to the hospital to stay while they worked through the storm.  There was plenty of food and water; a few uncomfortable days and it would all be over.   

Except the levees broke, and the streets were flooded.  Memorial quickly became an island.  Staff worked feverishly to evacuate patients, and some managed to get out.  Generators quit working early Wednesday morning; overwhelming heat, darkness, and exhaustion worked on everyone.  Missed and wrong communication, rumors of martial law, and hearing sounds of gunfire scared everyone.  They felt abandoned by the city, state, and the owners of the hospital, Tenant.  Decisions were made that would result in suspicious deaths and a doctor and two nurses being arrested for second degree murder. 

What happened at Memorial?  Why did people die, and why did it take so long for an evacuation to take place?  How could the hospital have been better prepared?  This is a compelling read, and what might seem like a fairly easy choice to make isn't so easy.  I don't think any of us can possibly understand the circumstances because we weren't there.  I read this book a few days ago and I still don't know how I feel about what happened.  It is a book that you will have to talk about with others.  I recently presented this book at work as part of my Lunch and a Book talks.  I had a great audience, and we had very interesting discussions on medical ethics, preparedness, and the complex issue of "do not resuscitate".  

Everyone should read this book.  Whether you're in health care, or someone who cares for elderly parents, or loved ones with health issues.  We all will end up in a hospital at one or more points in our lives.  

One thing I will say about this book, is that the author clearly believes homicide did happen.  She does a good job of trying to see all sides, but there are so many people, and incidences, and hearsay that it can get a bit confusing sometimes.  There is a list of people in the front of the book, and a map of the hospital, including the route from the second floor to the helicopter pad on the roof.  They do help visualize the place and give some organization to the players.  

Rating:  8/10 for a compelling look at a human disaster that could have been prevented.  Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster that couldn't be helped; but the lack of planning and action resulted in a terrible nightmare.  

Available in paperback, hardcover, audio, and e-book.     

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5 Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

I must confess before I read Destiny of the Republic I knew nothing at all about James Garfield, the second president of the United States to be killed in office.  Shame on me.  I've decided to give myself some homework:  reading books about all of the presidents of the United States.  It's a part of American history that was glossed over in school, and wasn't part of my college education at all.  

Candice Millard is an excellent writer; someone who makes history interesting without "dumbing" it down.  James Garfield was a brilliant man; he was a good man with an incredible intellect and natural curiosity about everything around him.  He came from poverty and was raised by his mother after the tragic death of his father when he was a few years old.  He could have given up early in life, but he didn't.  He was driven to succeed, and had a charisma about him that put him in the White House in 1881--and he was reluctant to be president.  It wasn't his plan at all, but in a time of corrupt government, and lots of people doing favors for one another to the detriment of our politics, he stood out as someone who wouldn't be corrupted.  His assassination united a country that was still fractured 20 years after the Civil war.  

This book is more than just a story about Garfield's presidency and assassination.  It is about his life, his legacy, and that hot, sultry summer he lay dying in the White House.  Garfield suffered horribly for over two months before he succumbed to the infection that ravaged his body.  The kicker is that he would have survived the bullet that struck his back; it was the utter disregard for proper medical treatment, and the arrogance of Dr. D. Bliss in not listening to anyone else, that condemned Garfield.  Toss in Alexander Graham Bell and Joseph Lister, who tried for years to convince doctors in America to practice antiseptic surgery (sterilization of instruments, washing hands) and you've got a compelling read. 

 I won't even start on Charles Guiteau, the man who became obsessed with killing Garfield.  The number of times he crossed paths with Garfield, his wife Lucretia, the Secretary of State, and even the Vice-President sent a shiver down my spine.  It forcefully reminded me of how easy it is to be dismissed by everyone as "harmless" until it's too late.  

Destiny of the Republic  was first published in 2011, so I am a bit late to the game.  But any book you haven't read is a new book.  I loved this tale of "madness, medicine, and the murder of a president".  

Rating:  9/10 for a compelling story of a president who didn't live to fulfill his potential, the dangerous games doctors played with his health, and the country that united together that terrible summer so long ago.  Fascinating stuff. 

Available in paperback, e-book, and audio.  There's also a PBS video about Garfield and the assassination.  

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Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard