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Zonta International: Near and Dear to My Heart

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What is Zonta International?

I believe many visitors stopping by this blog today and through the weekend are affiliated with Zonta International. Welcome! For regular readers, Zonta International is a world- wide organization of professionals with the common goal of promoting gender equality by empowering women and children in an effort to end violence against women, achieve pay equity and provide equal opportunity for education. These are just a few of our goals. For a greater grasp of the many important service projects please visit the website at www.Zonta.org.

Who are Zontians?

Zontians are very giving, monetarily and with the all-important aspect of our lives, time. Service projects have varied over the decades I have been a member. As an educator my favorites have been associated with literacy. A current project, Let Us Learn Madagascar, served as a tie-in to a local project. Our club worked with the local middle school girls for the first years of the International Project engaging the young teenagers in what occurred half a world away.

Those same girls formed the basis for a brand-new Z club once they reached high school. Club membership at the high school level mirrors that of Zonta International, open to males as well as females. The initial club leader was a young man who spoke at an Area 4 meeting and was so impressive in his support for gender equality one member of the audience posited he might become the first male Zonta International president.

Econogal Posts of Interest to Zontians

This blog is eclectic in nature. Originally started in 2017 as a way to keep creating new pathways in my brain, Econogal is a big part of my life. The content is free from advertisements. And while I welcome the emails and comments, I write of my interests. So, no free books accepted, and I only write what I want, not what is strongly suggested with promise of compensation.

Many of the books reviewed are related to goals of Zonta International. (If you click on the highlighted words that follow you can jump to that particular post.)

Book Reviews Pertinent to Zonta International

The Displacements, which will be briefly discussed during my upcoming Zonta Says NOW USA Think Tank presentation, follows a mom and her children as they flee a natural disaster and land in a FEMA camp far from home. (The emphasis for the February 25th program is one of preparedness for women.)

The Good Daughter focuses on the life-long changes of two sisters after a sexual assault. This novel is highly graphic and may be too intense for victims or family members of victims. However, it is the perfect gift for anyone who asks “What were you wearing?”

Where the Crawdads Sing is more than a murder mystery. It is a story of the struggles of a young girl who becomes a woman with very little guidance. I have not seen the movie so I cannot compare.

The Only Woman in the Room is a biography of Hedy Lamarr. This well known actress had many other talents I was unaware of. There is also a nod to Rose Day in the Post.

Other Entries of Note

Another post featuring Rose Day is World with Women, this will give you a glimpse of the local club. Finally of interest to long time Zonta District 12 members as well as any Past International Governors is a tribute to a Zontian I dearly miss in Century of Life.

To all those following the link provided by Zonta Fast ACTION Friday and Zonta Says Now, thanks for stopping by the Econogal blog. For my regular readers and any new followers, stay tuned for the post on Bargello quilts arriving early next week.

Econogal’s Top Ten Favorite Books of 2018

Posted on by Econogal

I have been contemplating a blog post on the top ten book reviews of the past year. However, there are several problems with this idea. Among them is the criteria used, the plethora of top ten book lists and perhaps the greatest challenge of all; limiting myself to just ten!

Criteria

I have often wondered how the top ten lists are compiled. Many times I have disagreed with the choices. For example, the Wall Street Journal recently released The 10 Most Intriguing Travel Destinations for 2019. Locations across the globe were on the list. Including Missouri.

Now I happen to love Missouri. I lived there long enough to graduate from one of the best public high schools in the country. I drive through there on occasion. Usually on the way to a vacation destination. Although I have attended weddings, conferences and a reunion, I never took my family there just for vacation. How did it make the list? Missouri must have met some criteria.

So what criteria should I include? Maybe I should count most likes. Or I could rank by most visits to the individual reviews. Or even the books I cite the most. What about the ones I like the most? Or books I found indispensable in real life? Finally, do I mix non-fiction and fiction together?

The Lists

A quick Internet search not only results in numerous lists, but indicates I am not alone in my concern to choose just ten. In fact, lists of both fifty and one hundred top books of 2018 appear in the search listing. Some lists are just fiction, others non-fiction and others a combination. I like the idea of a combination.

Some lists give a short review of each book. Since I have already reviewed each of my choices I will merely link to them. Just click on the title and the review will appear on a new page. Not all of my choices were released this year. So that may throw some readers into a state of confusion. These are my favorite reads of the year. The fiction side is a bit top-heavy with stories of twentieth century war. This I believe is a reflection of what is being released. Also, there are multiple debuts.

Fiction

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

The Clarity by Keith Thomas

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Non-Fiction

Raised Row Gardening by Jim and Mary Competti

Educated by Tara Westover

The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes

Zero Waste by Shia Su

New Sampler Quilt by Diana Leone

As always feel free to comment. I would love to hear your favorite book of the year.

Where The Crawdads Sing Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Where The Crawdads Sing

The debut novel Where The Crawdads Sing is one you will want to read. This is the first foray into fiction for Delia Owens whose previous works have been in the realm of non-fiction. Her expertise in wildlife creates a wondrous background for the novel. A story so gripping you won’t want to put it down.

The setting is the lowlands of North Carolina. Owens brings to life the creatures of the marsh through the eyes of Kya, the protagonist of Where The Crawdads Sing. The first glimpse we have of Kya is as a six-year-old confused by her mom leaving their swamp shack in high-heeled faux alligator shoes. She waits for her mom to turn around and wave good-bye. The mom keeps on walking, right out of Kya’s life. The first to abandon the little girl.

Owens uses a dual narrative approach to spin her tale. Thus, the riveting saga of Kya alternates with the murder investigation of a local hometown hero. Several characters overlap between the two tales. The modern-day plot takes place in 1969. Kyra’s mom walked out in 1952. Eventually time merges. Along the way the reader glimpses an accurate picture of the Deep South.

Where The Crawdads Sing is hard to classify as far as to which genre it belongs. Yes, there is a murder involved. But the story really isn’t a “who done it?” The bulk of the tale revolves around the young abandoned girl as she matures into adulthood. Of course there is some romance involved too as is often the case with coming of age stories.

Uniqueness

What I liked about the book the most was the uniqueness. I encountered a suspension of disbelief which allowed me to totally immerse myself in Kya’s circumstances. The author has created a character rich in complexity. She is different. How she became different is a critical part of nature. And an integral part of the novel.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I am amazed that this is a first novel. Furthermore, the ending was a total surprise. Any serious lover of fiction should add Where The Crawdads Sing to their must read list. I sincerely hope Delia Owens produces another work of fiction.