Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Flying Lessons & Other Stories -- Edited by Ellen Oh

This is a great collection of short stories. When I was younger, I really enjoyed short story collections. As I've gotten older, I've moved away from them. I don't know why, since they are a perfect fit for a working parent. This collection focuses on diversity. A lot of them focus on the quiet support of an adult in the background. After you read so many YA novels, (especially anything that's not realistic fiction) you begin to wonder if there are any responsible, sensible adults around! Perhaps that's why I like Matt de la Pena's "How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium" and Meg Medina's "Sol Painting, Inc." best. In the background (but really foreground) of both stories, is a quiet, strong, supportive dad. I guess these stories are very touching to me, even though my dad could be a real talker, too, at times.

I also really loved Soman Chainani's "Flying Lessons" in which a grandmother pushes her shy, awkward grandson to bloom. "The Difficult Path" by Grace Lin was more historical fiction with a pirate twist, so as a fan of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, I took to the ending of this quickly.

Long enough to feel connected to the characters, but short enough to read in one sitting. This was really a pleasure.

The Hired Girl

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

It's 1911 and our protagonist is Joan Skraggs, a young farm girl who longs for more than what her current life can give her. Joan runs away and changes her name to Janet, a name that she imagines as a more romantic, less homely name than Joan. (Obviously, she's never seen Three's Company.)

She finds herself on the streets of Baltimore on her first day. She has no idea what she is doing, or what she should do, or where she is safe. Luckily, a young man named Mr. Solomon takes her back to his parents. Janet's one night of safe haven turns into a permanent job as a housekeeper. What makes this story interesting is that Janet's employers are a wealthy Jewish family, and Janet is clearly a Christian with a deep desire to become a full Catholic. While Janet works for this family, she gains a greater understanding of faith and family. In that vein, this book had some wonderful reflections on what it means to have faith and what it means to have respect for all faiths.

Below is my representation of the suspense and excitement I felt while reading this book. There wasn't much. This was like a Sunday car drive in the spring. Pleasant and roundabout, with a much anticipated ice cream trip at the end. 

That being said, I imagine this may be the book I feel the most satisfaction about reading this summer - including all the books I hope to read in the weeks to come. Like, I really felt good about myself for reading it AND I enjoyed it. I would give this book a solid A- and I would recommend this book to anyone who truly enjoys female-focused historical fiction. This has the self-discovery and growth evident in Call the Midwife, but also brings in that interesting intersection of the privileged and their working class servants - like Downton Abbey.