The Historical Fiction Shelf

Destiny of Determination
Cathy Burnham Martin
Quiet Thunder Publishing
www.QTPublishing.com
9781939220608, $15.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Determination-Faith-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B0B= 6CX1QF8

Historical fiction readers who like tales of coming of age, survival, and r= evised destinies will find Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family a fin=
e second book, enhancing a trilogy about World War II and the Armenian geno= cide survivors who come to the U.S. in search of new possibilities. While i= t's recommended that the first book, Destiny of Dreams, be consulted before=
this continuing story, this is not absolutely required in order for newcom= ers to become immersed in the events that carry Hrant Gulumian and his fami=
ly to a new life in America. Despite their dreams of respite and safety, th=
e realities of being an immigrant in a strange land where language, culture=
, and prejudice affect their safety and choices become central to their sto=
ry and adaptation.

The focus on faith and family by author Cathy Burnham Martin is the guiding=
themes of a literary history survey that holds its roots in mother Glenna = Burnham's immigrant experiences. Martin's mother's influence lends historic=
al integrity to her efforts, bringing the past to life with rich descriptio=
ns that both continue her family's true story and introduce fictional embel= lishments to capture the action and feelings of her characters. The introdu= ctory review of primary characters from Book 1 gives newcomers an easy oppo= rtunity to slide right into the lives and people in Book 2, while modern ex= periences contrast with family interactions and past memories through invit= ing dialogue and interpersonal relationships.

Set in the 20th century, the events trace the impact and roots of bigotry a=
nd prejudice on multiple generations as their lives grow to embrace both fa= mily precedent and modern-day challenges. Of particular interest and note i=
s the ways in which Martin interjects and contrasts these stories, experien= ces, and lives. As "Days of Love and Tears" unfolds, complete with family r= ecipes and reviews of better days and strong reactions to life's adversity = and promise, readers receive an immigrant experience that captures and cont= rasts the nature of immigrant family worlds.

While the result is highly recommended for historical novel readers, Destin=
y of Determination should also serve, along with its predecessor, as a star= ting point for book club and family discussions about Armenian history, fam= ily relationships, faith, and perseverance against the changing backdrop of=
American lives, prejudices, and ideals.

Voices in the Dead House
Norman Lock
Bellevue Literary Press
c/o NYU School of Medicine
550 First Ave., OBV A612, New York, NY 10016
www.blpress.org
9781954276017, $16.98, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Dead-House-American-Novels/dp/195427601X

Synopsis: After the Union Army's defeat at Fredericksburg in 1862, Walt Whi= tman and Louisa May Alcott converge on Washington to nurse the sick, wounde=
d, and dying.

Whitman was a man of many contradictions: egocentric yet compassionate, imp= atient with religiosity yet moved by the spiritual in all humankind, bigote=
d yet soon to become known as the great poet of democracy.

Alcott was an intense, intellectual, independent woman, an abolitionist and=
suffragist, who was compelled by financial circumstance to publish sacchar= ine magazine stories yet would go on to write the enduring and beloved Litt=
le Women.

In the pages of "Voices in the Dead House", is a superbly crafted historica=
l novel by author Norman Lock who fully captures the musicality of Whiteman=
and Alcott in their encounters with Civil War era luminaries ranging from = Lincoln, to battlefield photographer Mathew Brady, to reformer Dorothea Dix=
.. "Voices in the Dead House" deftly renders the war's impact on their perso= nal and artistic development.

Inspired by Whitman's poem "The Wound-Dresser" and Alcott's Hospital Sketch= es, (and the ninth stand-alone book in The American Novels series), "Voices=
in the Dead House" is a masterful dual portrait of two iconic authors who = took different paths toward chronicling a country beset by prejudice and at=
war with itself.

Critique: While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book=
format (Kindle, $9.99), "Voices in the Dead House" is a simply riveting re=
ad by Norman Lock -- an author with a genuine flair for originality and the=
kind of narrative storytelling style that fully engages the reader from fi=
st page to last. "Vocies of the Dead House" is an especially and unreserved=
ly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Histo= rical, Biographical, and American Civil War era fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Norman Lock (https://normanlock.com) is the author of novel=
s, short fiction, and poetry, as well as stage and radio plays. He has won = The Dactyl Foundation Literary Fiction Award, The Paris Review Aga Khan Pri=
ze for Fiction, and has been long listed twice for the Simpson/Joyce Carol = Oates Prize. He has also received writing fellowships from the New Jersey S= tate Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Nat= ional Endowment for the Arts. He is currently at work on the next books of = his 'The American Novels' series.

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