A Book Review for Times Like These

Last year, I received this book as a birthday gift. The book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, is written and illustrated by Charles Mackesy. The book was also selected as the 2019 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year; however, I wonder if it might be an insightful message for the COVID-19 world that we witness today.

Our CMRLS director, Mara Polk, sent out an email on Friday confirming another week of library closings and requested that branch managers "keep up the CMRLS blog." She suggested that we do book reviews, share things we could do while at home, DIY, etc., and then she ended the email with this statement, "You're doing the best you can, when you can, and how you can," which is exactly the message of this book.

When reviewing an adult book, it is easy to discuss character development, realistic settings, strength of plot, conflict and resolution, audience appeal, appropriate genre or writing skills; however, when reviewing books with illustrations, such as children's books or graphic novels, you have to not only read but see. These pages belong to Charles Mackesy -- the words, illustrations, and copyright; but the message belongs to us all.

I was reminded of the book over the weekend when one of Forest's hometown authors, Jan Risher, posted an illustration on her Facebook page and then followed-up with her weekly column for The Acadiana Advocate. I read the column and shared it to my own page, then I decided to review the book for the CMRLS blog.

Here's my book review of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy:

My first reaction to the book was...Huh? I don't get it. How was this book selected as Barnes and Noble Book of the Year? And it's written for adults? Do any of the libraries in our system have this book? I called my daughter who also bought herself a copy and asked for her thoughts. She had the same reaction. Are we missing something? Three days ago, I re-read it after seeing the post, and I realized that the book is a rare literary masterpiece. That morning, I showed up for class at the school of unlearning.

"The greatest illusion," said the mole, "is that life should be perfect."

-Charles Makesy

I am so grateful that I am reviewing this book today and not three months ago. My reviews would have been completely different because today our lives are completely different. The words on each page are not simple, they are profound. As we face the most indescribable world crisis, this book provides lasting lessons. Life is not perfect. How we react to things is a freedom. We can't control the big things, but we can love what is right in front of us.

"One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things." 

-Charles Mackesy

"When the big things feel out of control...focus on what you love right under your nose." 

-Charles Makesy

"Life is difficult but you are loved." -Charles Makesy

A book review is so subjective. I read hundreds of book reviews each year, as does every librarian who is responsible for ordering books for their patrons. The reviewers for journals and magazines try to convince us that their reviews are completely objective, but they rarely are. We all have these elevated notions that we are completely unbiased. No. We are still human. What we read and how we read depends on many personal factors. This book is small by adult fiction standards - not much text, mostly illustrations - and yet my adult heart grew three sizes reading it again this weekend. Three months ago, I was enjoying a birthday trip to booksellers, eating out at a favorite restaurant, and shopping at specialty stores. That was three months ago, not today.

"When the dark clouds come...keep going." -Charles Makesy

"This storm will pass." -Charles Makesy

"We have such a long way to go," sighed the boy.

"Yes, but look how far we've come," said the horse. 

-Charles Makesy

"I think everyone is just trying to get home," said the mole. 

-Charles Makesy

Last week, one of our "home" assignments was to watch webinars and tutorials to improve our library skills. I watched a webinar entitled Finding the Heart of Library Service. The webinar ended with a quote from Ram Dass, an American author of the book Be Here Now: We're all just walking each other home. So much of our world is quarantined at home, trying to stay safe, and avoid COVID-19. Businesses and schools are closed. Libraries are closed. Home has a new meaning for us all. We play music, we read books and exercise (and try new recipes), we post encouraging quotes, we find ways to be generous and supportive, and we show kindness.

One library in the CMRLS system has a copy of this book, cataloged as an adult graphic novel. (No, it's not Forest.) As soon as we librarians get back to reading reviews and ordering books, this book is going to the top of my list as highly recommended..if for no other reason than times like these.