Stephen Cox

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Quote:

Molly,
I thought we agreed, no secrets. When I screwed up, I told you. I don’t know what the deal is, but it’s eating you up. You’ve got to decide, because I can’t live with someone who doesn’t trust me.
That hieroglyph meant, Love you, Gene.

Review:
Our Child of the Stars is very beautifully written. I just love the tone and direction the narration takes with every part of the story. I found myself adoring show more something I don't typically pay attention to: the actual words on the page.

The tale is ultimately a mother looking out for her child. The book starts with a couple, Molly and Gene Myers. Molly is a nurse, Gene a librarian. They love each other, and they try to have a kid. But Molly miscarries late in the pregnancy. This completely devastates Molly and she falls into herself, and alcohol, which nearly destroys their marriage. But in the end they prevail and come together again. That's the start of the book.

And then a meteor crashes just outside their town, and it changes their lives forever. As a nurse, Molly has to go into work to help the injured. It is an emergency, all hands on deck situation. And she ends up spending long hours there. And what she finds at the hospital both challenges her worldview and gives her a future. She learns that it wasn't just a meteor, there was a ship, too. With two occupants: a mother and a son. Both are badly wounded, and the mother soon dies, but not before getting a promise (through a translator box) for the doctors to help her child.

And they do, and Molly is one of the few trusted with the secret. Which includes keeping the young boy a secret from the US government. Molly falls in love with this injured child. And soon she decides that he is going to be hers, and she is going to be his second mom. And Molly convinces her husband to go along with it.

The young boy, which she names Cory because they cannot pronounce his real name, doesn't look anything like a human. He doesn't know English, though he quickly learns. He isn't accustomed to earth and is at high risk of infection and being unable to even eat our food. The Meyers will have to keep him hidden, always, from everyone. But they love him and want to protect him. And it's adorable.

Yet this isn't all fun and games. The government finds out he exists. They want him. And they aren't particularly good or even pleasant people in charge. The family has to run, they have to lie, they have to pretend. They have to keep their secret, or else. And young Cory is terrified of the soldiers - the aliens don't really have violence. It is a constant battle between living and being safe.

And Cory is so inquisitive, too. At a guess he is around 8 years old, if he were a human boy. And Cory wants to know everything. He wants to experience everything. And he's incredibly lonely. He isn't used to it, and he doesn't want to be alone. He wants others of his own age around him. And that hurts. Both him and me.

I really loved reading Our Child of the Stars. It was cute and wholesome when it focuses on the family. It made me feel like I was part of a family. It put me on the edge of my seat and made me worry when shit hit the fan. This isn't the Earth as we know it. It is an alternative earth, taking place during the Vietnam War, when tensions are already high. And there are changes made to the timeline, and further changes made for when the alien ship crash landed.

And this is actually one of the few stories I have ever read that deals with such real, hard topics such as miscarriage and adoption in science fiction/fantasy. Which is something I really respect. Our Child of the Stars hits a lot of the things I'm annoyed don't exist more in series I read, including children. And sometimes the road to that goal is paved with tragedy, and sometimes your wish is granted where you least expect it to.

ARC received from Jo Fletcher Books on Netgalley. This did not affect my review. show less

Words almost fail me. There is so much good, so much great in this one slim volume, it's difficult to decide where to start.
Isabel Paterson was a cultural icon during her lifetime, being an influential, and skillful, reviewer of books and thus having personal connections to writers and thinkers (not always the same thing) of her era.
She faded from the cultural mind for a while, but, at least in part, because of her prescience, she is again a topic of conversation and her works and thoughts show more and aphorisms are again being quoted, even in such media as Facebook.
"On its publication in 1943, the 'God of the Machine' appeared hopelessly old-fashioned," wrote Stephen Cox in his introduction to a new edition of that book. "Today it appears prophetic."
Dr. Cox has gathered and edited some of her essays and reviews and even her letters into this magnificent volume, with lots of explanatory notes -- some of the people and events have faded from memory -- and his own words, especially his introductory biography, make this a must-have book for anyone interested in the world of literature and the world of ideas.
I am already re-reading the book because there is so much to absorb as well as to admire. There is so much history, so much discussion of people and ideas of that era and earlier, I know already I'll be re-re-reading it. Probably soon.
I cannot recommend "Culture & Liberty" enough. Wonderful book! (less) show less

What a delight! This well written, well researched book focuses a bit on Carson's life but more of what it was like on The Tonight Show - what Carson was like as host and what it was like to work with him. A history of The Tonight Show and its various hosts is provided and then the book goes into the almost 30-year history of the show with Carson at the helm. Chapters focus on the monologue, celebrity guests, civilian guests, memorable moments, the shows with animal guests, and the NBC show more pages. The book had numerous laugh out loud moments as the author relates what happened on the show or behind the scenes. The book is full of numerous photographs and extras that include a lot of trivia and interesting stories about Carson, his guests, and even audience members. The author even had the opportunity for a short interview with the reclusive Carson. The author concludes that television like Carson's Tonight Show will never happen again and I have to agree with him on that. A great book for anyone who is a fan of The Tonight Show or Carson. show less

Overall, a very interesting analysis of literary works that either emphasize motifs of economic freedom, or which (in the essayists opinions) fail to shunt them. Although I have not read many of the works covered in this collection, the authors did a good job of elucidating how they fit in with this sort of economic analysis. I came out of this book realizing I need to read more Ben Jonson, Willa Cather and Joseph Conrad. A dash of Thomas Mann probably wouldn't hurt, either.