The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book revisits the sinking of the Titanic by telling the other side of the Titanic tragedy: the aftermath of what happened to the survivors. They had to endure the U.S. Senate hearings – from which the painful fact emerged that only one lifeboat went back to pick up additional survivors. Many of them were probably haunted by unanswerable questions: had they done the right thing in those last frightful moments? Who was brave, who was cowardly? Where ultimately, did the blame for such a disaster lie? Kate Alcott is the pen name for Patricia O'Brien and the Dressmaker tells the story of Tess Collins, a maid who aspires to be a dressmaker and Lady Lucile Duff Gordon, a renowned dress designer of the era. Tess meets Lady Gordon on the pier of the Titanic and begs to come along. On the ship Tess meets two very different love interests and she and Lady Duff Gordon manage to survive the sinking--but there is some question about what happened in Lady Duff Gordon's lifeboat. The author seems to navigate the waters of trust, loyalty, and ambition quite well and was an enjoyable historical fiction read.


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The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fred Rogers appeared before audiences of millions of young children and their parents over a 40 year period. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, at the height of its appeal, was watched by nearly 10 percent of American households. His work shaped not only television, but the technology that drives it. Most importantly, he recognized the critical importance of learning during the earliest years of a child's life. No one better understood how essential it is for proper social, emotional, cognitive, and language development to take place in the first few years of life. And no one did more to convince a mass audience of the value of early education. He also provided exemplary moral leadership. He had a strong belief in Christianity, but his spirituality was eclectic; he found merit in all faiths and philosophies. His signature value was truly human kindness. He lived it, and he preached it, to both children and their parents, to teachers, to all who would take the time to listen. He weighed 143 lbs his entire adult life and interestingly the 1-4-3 represented I Love You (I=1, Love=4, You=3). If you grew up watching Mr. Rogers, you will want to read this book. You will also want to visit www.fredrogers.org and www.fredrogerscenter.org and explore both sites freely.


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