The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

This book is another masterpiece by Kristin Hannah. I have been reading this author for years (starting with The Things We Do For Love, which left me bawling at the kitchen table at 2am!) and her writing style and subject matters keep getting better and better. She certainly has an effective, engaging and passionate way of telling a story.

Although this novel is very well-written, it is not a happy story. It's not easy to read about someone who suffers one hardship after another. The main character is Elsa Wolcott, who is treated as an "underdog" in her own birth family. She had suffered an illness as a child, so she is treated as an invalid far after she should have been. She is not as pretty as her sister, so she considers herself ugly and unlovable. Her family does nothing to change this opinion of herself, which is a tragedy in itself. They all believe she is "unmarriable", which means a grim "spinster" future for women in the 1920s.

Elsa takes matters into her own hand (kudos to her!) when she meets and falls in love with an Italian by the name of Rafe Martinelli. This is a turning point in her life since her birth family disowns her for sleeping with and getting pregnant by an Italian. (This is in Texas is the 1920s, when the farmers were wealthy and life was good - but immigrants were discriminated against. Which isn't so different from the 2020s, sadly.) Anyway, Elsa & Rafe are forced to marry and Elsa moves into Rafe's family home with his parents, Tony & Rose. Tony & Rose become the parents that Elsa never had - and the ones she deserves. They are wonderful, hardworking and loving parents/grandparents.

The story jumps to the 1930's, the decade of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Elsa & Rafe have two children and their once lucrative wheat farm has dried up. Dust storms arrive unexpectedly, quickly, and often, covering everything with a thick layer of dust. There is limited food & water, so both people and their animals are starving. Many people give up trying to farm and head west to California to start a new life. The Martinelli's stay put on their dried up farm, praying for rain. As immigrants, the Martinelli's believe that owning land in America is what makes them "Americans" and they refuse to give that up.

Eventually, Rafe leaves his family in the middle of the night, presumably to head to California. This is a devastating blow to the entire family. A number of months later, Elsa is forced to leave Texas as well, in order to save the life of her young son. The story continues as Elsa and her children move to California. Once there, they face poverty and intense discrimination. They all have to work in the fields picking cotton just to barely survive. It's a painful existence. Elsa's daughter, Loreda (pre-teen age) connects up with a communist labor group. This is another turning point in their lives. 

I'm not crazy about the ending, but it is an realistic ending. This is not a story for the weak of heart. It's really difficult for me to read about other people suffering for years and years - even though they have people to love and support. Elsa was one hardworking, brave and resilient woman.

Wendy's Rating: *****

The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller & Amanda Bennett

This is a fascinating and insightful revelation of what it's like to have schizophrenia. Having worked with people who struggle with mental health issues for nearly three decades, this was an eye-opening account of what someone who hears voices, as a symptom of her illness, actually goes through. Some of the people I have worked with personally who have schizophrenia also hear negative thoughts like Lori, but some hear informational/positive voices. One woman in particular simply lives in two different "worlds" and prefers it that way. We just have to ask her if she is talking about her birth family members or her "internal communication family members" if we get confused by what she is talking about.

Anyway, what I loved about this book is how honest and descriptive Lori is when sharing her journey. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to "silence" the voices in my head, especially such negative ones, while continuing to live daily life. In my field we talk a lot about using a combination of medications and therapy for best results, but so many people with mental health issues don't like being on medications because it can slow down their thinking processes or numb their creativity. Other people just want to be fully medicated and are reluctant to work through their mental illness using talk therapy. What's impressive about Lori's drive to learn to manage her symptoms is that she was willing to try so many medications and combinations of medications and different doses of medications; that she continued to have a strong bond with each of her parents throughout the long process; that she was willing to stop using cocaine, when confronted about her use, a few different times; that she asked to be put on an experimental, un-approved medication to relieve her mental anguish; that she persevered for years until she found a way she could live with her mental illness. It's an amazing story of strength.

I first started working with a man diagnosed with schizophrenia, who took Clozapine to manage his symptoms, back in 2003. At the time I didn't know much about this medication except that it was his "miracle med" when nothing else had worked for him. I worked with him for the next decade, taking him to his psych appointments where each appointment was a discussion of his medications and how to decrease or discontinue the number of meds he was taking for his symptoms, or relief from the side effects from his medication regimen. The psychiatrist was able to lower his dose of Clozapine to 400mg daily eventually and he is still on this same dose living a satisfying, productive life. I loved finding out about the "history" of Clozapine in this book. It truly is a "miracle med" for some people who are thought of as "hopeless cases".

This is a "must read" for anyone who has a friend or family member diagnosed with schizophrenia or another significant mental illness. It's extremely informative.

Wendy's Rating: *****