What secret asian girl is Reading

Pennies From Burger Heaven by Marcy McKay

Pennies from Burger Heaven by Marcy McKay is the story of a young girl whose circumstances lead to her and her mother living on the grounds of a city cemetery. Copper Daniels is street-smart and savvy to the ways of the homeless world so when she wakes up one morning and finds her mother gone with no explanation, she gets to work finding her. Most people would call the police, but Copper's reaction is one of self-reliance, perhaps the only gift from her mother, so she sets out to unravel the secrets kept from her and uncovers some of her own. 

The fact that the premise of a family living in a cemetery does not raise eyebrows is social commentary in and of itself.  The problem  of homelessness in this country has escalated to terrible proportions and Copper's story is symptomatic of this. A story like this one would have believability issues 30 years ago. But today, a young girl living on the streets among crazed murderers and evil rapists (and evangelical preachers) is just exposition. Oh, I forgot to add that there's a Street Killer on the loose in the area, but for Copper, the threat of being murdered is just one more obstacle to finding her mom. Suffice it to say, the odds are against her but since she doesn't have a stone sword like the Warrior Angel, a statue she lives near, wields, she must use the only weapon she has to solve the daunting task in front of her: her wits. As the story progresses it becomes less of finding her mother and more of navigating a world that ignores her kind. "The Street Killer's message reminds us all," she observes, "God hates the poor."

I thought this novel was constructed very well. The language is a bit rough, especially the use of some slang, but reflective of the setting and the world in which the characters live. As testament to which groups are most affected by homelessness, there's pretty much every minority included with some stereotyping, which bothered me a little. I tend to throw up a reader block whenever Asians are named "Mai" or some variation of that: May Ling, Pearl, Suzie Wong, etc. Why can't they be "Jennifer"? Anyway, that may be a personal prejudice of mine and less objective commentary. I liked the descriptions of the different parts of the cemetery, as in life, people divided into the "Somebodies" of the world versus the "Nobodies" and culminating in the anonymous "Unknown Negro." Whether young Copper absorbs the metaphor or not is unknown but it reads loud and clear even to the casually observant reader.

Although I'm not fond of the title (the Burger thing was off-putting to me) I do recommend this book as a young adult or "new adult" offering. This is a story about overcoming odds, digging deep to survive, girl power, parental love, the power of friendship, sacrifice and life changing on a dime...or, this case, a penny as it turns out.

Check out these other great blog stops on the tour!

1/18       My Book Fix Blog  -- Review

1/19       Hall Ways  -- Promo

1/20       The Page Unbound  -- Author Interview

1/21       bookishjessp  -- Guest Post

1/22       Because This is My Life Y'all  -- Review

1/23       The Crazy Booksellers -- Promo

1/24       All for the Love of the Word -- Author Interview

1/25       Books and Broomsticks -- Guest Post

1/26       Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books  -- Promo

1/27       Missus Gonzo -- Review

1/28       The Librarian Talks -- Guest Post          

1/29       Belle Whittington on Tumblr  -- Author Interview

1/30       Book Crazy Gals -- Promo

1/31       Secret Asian Girl  -- Review

2/1         Texas Book-aholic -- Review

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What secret asian girl is Reading

Carrying The Black Bag: A Neurologist's Bedtime Tales by Tom Hutton, M.D.

I'm old enough to remember watching Marcus Welby, M.D. on television with my family and being riveted by the personal stories and doctor/patient relationships highlighted in this popular drama. Dr. Welby was always so insightful and wise. As soon as he arrived, carrying that black leather bag full of magical cures, you knew the patient was going to get the best care possible and all would be well. But what was most interesting was finding out that doctors possessed the same doubts and frailties that we, regular humans have and their "super powers" are really just a best guess gleaned from a long road of education and hit and miss experience. I thought Carrying the Black Bag was a good example of the doctor memoir genre. We get to see Dr. Hutton's early days as a novice resident who is also trying to make ends meet at home. We don't often think about doctor's personal lives and the financial and personal struggles with new marriages, new families, while still maintaining rigorous schedules at work. I thought it was fascinating to catch a glimpse of a young doctor's first realization of the weight of his new responsibility, symbolized by the shiny, new leather bag as it is finally placed into his hands. There are few professions where life and death are the results of work decisions and the full impact of it all on a young doctor is fascinating reading.

I thought the book was well-written, medically technical without being overly so, and maintained a folksy, home-grown quality about it, reminiscent of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. In fact, one of the best chapters in the book was about his beloved dog, Dice, whose goofiness and lovable personality reminds us that respect for life extends beyond humans. I loved the parade of colorful patient characters, vividly drawn by Dr. Hutton while still maintaining their dignity and the seriousness of their maladies. Funny, stubborn, and often familiar personalities are the heart of this memoir where the people, not the diseases, take center stage. Many of the vignettes cover years of patient history, beginning with the vague symptoms, following through to triumphant recovery or tragic finales. The narrative is clinical but sympathetic and deeply personal.

Carrying the Black Bag is a wonderful peek into the long career of a successful doctor whose resume is not so much filled with files of diseases he's cured as much as people who affected his life; whose humanity superseded the afflictions that changed their lives and whose courage gave hope, and a kind of peace, to those who came after them.

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