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July 7, 2010 Seldom have I run across a romance novel that holds my interest beyond a half-dozen pages. Vanessa Johnson’s Sacrifices In The Name Of Love is the exception, as it goes beyond being merely a love story written in the girl-meets-boy-loses-boy-regains-boy model so many others in this genre follow. No, Johnson walks us through the nuances of race and relationships, bringing us a story with heart and where you root for all characters involved. The issue of race is handled deftly and delicately, without polarizing readers. The book centers on teenagers Tessa and Trey, neighbors whose fathers have no love for “others,” in this case, anyone out of their race. But as teens are wont to do, the two characters defy their parents not out of rebellion, but fierce desire and curiosity. As their relationship blossoms, the need to keep things secretive becomes foremost. Desire leads to carelessness, and when Tessa becomes pregnant, dread fills her to the marrow of her bones, as she is fearful how her parents will react to her being impregnated by a black kid. Meanwhile, both are worried that Trey’s plans for college might be dashed. All the while Johnson uses first-person narrative to perfection as she weaves back and forth, from Trey to Tessa, and we feel their angst. The contrast is not so blatant to the point of disbelief, but rather quite plausible that teenagers might endure such psychological conflict. For example, Tessa is guilt-ridden because she cannot tell her mother the truth about her pregnancy, fearful of the shame and heartache her parents would endure. Tessa’s support system consists of Trey and her best friend, Van, who tries to serve as Tessa’s conscience, to no avail. When it becomes obvious that Tessa is pregnant, she concocts a story that she was raped and was too ashamed to say anything. Her dread intensifies as her due date nears and the day of the event, Tessa panics and signs away her child and flees. Years later Tessa returns home to find that things have changed. Her father has passed, her mother appears to be unforgiving for her daughter’s desertion, and Trey has moved on. However, he has custody of his child and has since fotten married. Tessa hires a detective to track down her ex-lover. Without giving away the ending, Tessa finally has closure, but Ms. Johnson delivers it in such a way that isn’t forced, nor does she shock us with an unrealistic twist; but a stark reminder that life moves on and sometimes the mistakes we make in youth are corrected in a fashion never considered. As for the story of Tessa and Trey, there is no need for a sequel. Like a great movie, this story leaves our stomach for reading button-popping full. Four out of 5 stars for Sacrifices. Ken Weene’s story Widow’s Walk is a slowly unfolding trek that gives us a look at an Irish matriarch named Mary Flanagan, whose belief in God remains steadfast even after she loses her husband, is emotionally separated from her enigmatic daughter, and then loses her quadriplegic son to a cross-country move, before she becomes enamored with a man whose idea of a Godhead is pessimistic at best. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Mary is lonely. After the loss of her husband, her daughter (Kathleen) moving and her son (Sean) being relocated to a center for independent living, she is unsure of what to do with what’s left of her life. Never having given intellectual pursuits much thought, a serendipitous trip to Northeastern University changes that. It is where she meets Professor Arnie Berger. Arnie is not without his own emotional suitcases. He has desire for Mary, byt is certain that Mary would prefer they wed before anything of a sexual nature takes place. However, for Arnie it’s been a long time since he’s been in love, but Mary’s plain sensibilities have won him over. Meanwhile Mary struggles in her relationships. The rift between she and her daughter Kathleen, whom feels God has forsaken her, has widened—emotionally rather than geographically. Kathleen is not impressed that her mother has started life over, especially since her own has been in shambles since a miscarriage and broken marriage. However, Kathleen is not without a strong sense of introspection and a burgeoning wisdom as she converses with Max, a defrocked priest. This changes her attitude about her mother’s relationship with Arnie. But no sooner do things between mother and daughter begin going well, when Mary is thrown into another emotional pit. Sean is returning with Karen, the woman who took him to the center. Mary assumes that Karen is till his assistant and Sean might again depend on his mother for physical and emotional support. This leaves her confused as to how it will impact upon the relationship she has established with Arnie. Weene tip-toes through an emotional minefield, not weighing down the reader in cynicism, nor setting up a rose-colored finale. He merely brings us the lives of conflicted people, struggling to find love and bring meaning to their lives. Weene’s writing gives us a literal feel for the New England setting. We can smell the smoke from chimneys in the dead of winter and we can hear the rustling leaves as the seasons change. If there is one drawback, it is the frequency of tense changes; but this does not distract from this carefully-crafted and heartfelt story. Somber and provocative, Widow’s Walk nudges us to consider not only old age and our mortality, but the question of what do we do with our lives when it loses its serene predictability? Widow’s Walk merits 3.5 out of 5 stars. There are plenty of ways to waste $27, but buying Denis Leary’s Why We Suck, isn’t one of them. Spend the money and you will be given a tour of America like no other. Leary is the latest comedian-issued book that sets out to enlighten us, following in the footsteps of Bill Cosby, Paul Reiser and Bill O’Reilly ( Culture Warrior ). Leary’s matra centers on the idea that Americans are culturally warpes and because we are such a pop-culture worshipping nature (rather than politically enlightened), America as a whole has lost respect around the world. I have always been a firm believer that Americans have always been committed to the worship of bulls—t, from fictional beings spawned by holidays (Santa, the Easter bunny) to this current phase of vampire and sorcerer worship (Twilight, Harry Potter). Leary cuts through the b.s. with a scythe, leaving turd everywhere as he takes on former President Bush, Britney Spears, American’s tendency to overeat, mindless consumption, etc. While I wouldn’t call anything in the book groundbreaking, major portions of it are rib-aching funny. A sample of Leary’s work, as he disparages America ’s new passion, NASCAR: “…Let’s face the facts—in many –paces other than America and Europe —this may be the biggest example of profligate waste and arrogant expense. One tribe saunters along through 27,000-degree heat under a desert sun on top of a thirsty camel in search of moisture and food while down in Daytona Beach well-fed white hillbilly guys with leather jump suits on ride multicolored road rockets 500 miles to nowhere.” Typical Leary moment: The exaggeration steep and the delivery in a near-shout, no more outlandish than a member of the tea bagger party when describing President Obama. Leary proves two things: Just because you’re funny doesn’t make you insightful; and because you have “Dr.” in front of your name doesn’t make you ant smarter than a guy sitting on a barstool burping the lyrics to My Country. But Leary is Leary, and those familiar with his work know that he will leave you nodding your head, laughing and more important, throwing away your rose-colored glasses the next time you take a close look at what being America really means. I grade Leary 3.5 out of 5 stars. Coming soon: Reviews of R.L. Taylor, T.D. Jakes, Gregory Townes and Stephen King. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly is a poet, essayist, novelist and screenwriter from northern California. His novel, HUMAN TRIAL, is the first part of a sci-fi trilogy and is available from Amazon.com, allthingsthatmatterpress.com and in e-book format at mobipocket.com. HUMAN TRIAL II: ADAM'S WAR is now available. Stelly also has a short story included in the AIDS-themed anthology, THE SHATTERED GLASS EFFECT, due out in February 2010. His story, SNAKES IN THE GRASS, Is a tale of love, betrayal and its deadly consequences. Reviews of HUMAN TRIAL can be read at amazon.com Visit me at: http://www.myspace.com/pittwit website: http://www.stellyhumantrial.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com 
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