Rosie and Penn are parents of five boys in Madison, Wisconsin. From a young age it is clear that their youngest son, Claude, is different from the other boys. At three years old, he tells his parents he wants to be a girl when he grows up and wants to wear dresses and bows in his hair.
Acting in the best interests of their child, Rosie and Penn are supportive of Claude’s feelings. He begins to transform into a girl named Poppy. Conflicts and hostilities from their community cause them to move. When they relocate, they decide to keep Claude’s gender a secret, which eventually causes stress and grief to the entire family.
Although the story is about a transgender child, the bigger story is how parents will always move heaven and earth for their children. Being a parent, I could totally relate. Both my children have such different personalities, but I love them both so much equally in their uniqueness and struggles. That’s what being a parent is all about, navigating the unpredictable territory of raising children. It is a strong reminder that we should judge less and embrace the differences in people. A powerful read, especially in this time period. Request a copy.
I listened to the audiobook on a trip up and back to Massachusetts. I’ve read a bunch of Lisa Scottoline’s books (she’s a lawyer who writes really cool mystery books), so I thought I’d try this. She’s written a series of books with her daughter and I wanted to check it out. They take turns with the chapters and they talk about their lives alone and together and all kinds of stuff that happens in between. I enjoyed this, as a lot of it reminded me of my daughter and me. Now I may look for their other books, since I enjoyed this one. 
I knew very little about Queen Victoria. The various Queens Elizabeth are much better known to me, but I am very glad I watched the Masterpiece show on PBS. Daisy Goodwin wrote the TV show and also the book. Having seen and read both, I would recommend you do the same.
It isn’t often that I have read a non-fiction book in the sciences that has been so enjoyable. This title is written in story form, as if trees are almost human. It’s not simply technical literature about how trees survive or do not survive in their various environments. I guarantee you will never look at another tree without thinking about what you learned from this book. Absolutely fascinating! 
I listened to this as an audiobook, and it ultimately took me about 2 months to finish it, and I still can’t believe Lin-Manuel Miranda took this giant book on a tropical vacation to read! That being said – it’s one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read. The life that Alexander Hamilton lived and the accomplishments he was able to achieve in his relatively short life are absolutely mind boggling. His influence is still felt today in our financial world near and far. A life truly cut too short. What a loss to our country, but we are to this day indebted to him and his ideas. Listen or read this book – it will floor you!