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Recently I posed this question to Marie Benedict, author of The Other Einstein:

RT Book Reviews says “Many will enjoy Benedict’s feminist views.” As I read The Other Einstein, I did not have a “feminist” impression. In your writing, did you actually have a feminist agenda or were you simply giving a realistic portrayal of Mitza Einstein as an intelligent woman struggling to maintain her identity as a scientist during a time and in a society where intelligence was not appreciated in a woman?

Marie Benedict’s response:

The question of whether the historical novel THE OTHER EINSTEIN is imbedded with a feminist view is a very intriguing one. As an author of historical fiction, I certainly attempt to use historical facts as signposts in structuring my stories, filling in the gaps in my knowledge with a blend of fiction and logic. Consequently, in the THE OTHER EINSTEIN, I hoped — as you so wonderfully described — to accurately portray Mileva Maric, Albert Einstein’s first wife and a physicist herself, as a brilliant woman trying to maintain her scientific identity and to receive credit for her contributions during a period when society and personal circumstances made that extremely challenging, as best I could given the limitations of history.

But I am writer of fiction, and don’t all writers necessarily tell their stories through the lens of their own beliefs and experiences? Don’t all people, actually? In fact, that is one reason why I rely upon original source material when researching my novels — to remove the second-hand lens of a historian or commentator relating the facts.

As a result, in mapping out THE OTHER EINSTEIN, I saw Mileva Maric and her historical universe through my own particular lens. The lens of a woman fortunate enough to grow up in late twentieth and early twenty-first century America where I had a plethora of educational and career opportunities available to me, in my case education and work as a lawyer and writer. The lens of a woman who believes all people should be given the means to pursue their passions, regardless of gender or background. So, in reading Mileva’s letters and culling together the “facts” about her life, mustn’t I have viewed that information through my personal lens? And when I began writing THE OTHER EINSTEIN, didn’t my beliefs about equality of education and opportunity permeate the story? Quite possibly, even when I wrote my novel with no particular agenda. In this way, I suppose THE OTHER EINSTEIN is not only the incredible story of Mileva Maric and her world but my own narrative as well.

Read my review of The Other Einstein.

Sourcebooks, publisher of The Other Einstein, is sponsoring a giveaway of the book on this blog! Read the details of the giveaway.

To participate in the giveaway all you need to do is add a comment below. Seriously, it’s that easy! Thank you for participating.

Oh Happy Day–love this gorgeous library!

I recently read and reviewed a book that I enjoyed as an adult, but I think would also be appropriate for middle or high school students, particularly those interested in learning about those who choose a different type of life from theirs.  The book has no inappropriate words or violence and is suitable for all readers.

Simple Pleasures: Stories from My Life as an Amish Mother

by Marianne Jantzi

When I reflect upon Simple Pleasures: Stories from My Life as an Amish Mother by Marianne Jantzi, the first word that comes to mind is “sweet” and the second is “comfortable.” Usually a reader of mysteries and action novels, I was pleasantly surprised by this work.  It lacks the frenetic pace of fiction, but it pulls the reader along, not by suspense, but by the desire to view more of the daily life of a rural Amish family.

This book is a collection of the author’s journal writings and contributions as a monthly columnist to the Amish periodical “The Connection.” Jantzi is a Canadian, an Amish wife and mother, and a former school teacher.  Her book is part of a series called “Plainspoken: Real Life Stories of Amish,” which provides opportunities for outsiders to read about Amish life from the viewpoint of Amish writers.

In an “Author’s Note” at the beginning of the book, Jantzi offers some structure for her non-chronological tales by briefly profiling her family and providing a few explanations of terms specific to her family. Although she provides this essential introduction, it would also have been helpful to provide at least a brief summary of Amish beliefs and customs or to explain them in context.  These details could help clarify misconceptions about the Amish way of life.  For example, they eschew motorized vehicles. As a non-Amish Christian, I wonder why it is acceptable to go to work via a car with a driver. Perhaps if the writer is Amish, these “irregularities” do not stand out as such.

What this book excels at is allowing the reader a peek at the daily life of an Amish mother of four in a very cold climate.  In addition to the normal childcare activities, Jantzi raises fruits and vegetables during the short growing season and preserves them for the long winter.  She cooks without electricity, operates a shoe store on their property, and tries to find time to fulfill her passion for writing.  She has many social roles and duties in the close-knit Amish community as a woman of God, a wife and mother, daughter and sister by birth and by her membership in the Amish community.  She obviously has a good relationship with her in-laws: they share a connected house and even move from one side to the other as their families change in size.

Although Jantzi’s life is different in many ways from that of the typical non-Amish mother, most will be able to identify with certain familiar themes.  She finds there is rarely enough time or energy for the things that need to be done.  Despite good planning, the unexpected always arises with young children.  If you look for the good and the humorous, you will usually find it.  Jantzi is an introspective woman of faith, always trying to achieve a closer walk with God through obedience and humility.

I extend my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Herald Press. They have afforded me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As true now as it was then. This is what we should be doing in our schools.