Trading Dreams at Midnight by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

Review by Gypsy Culp Houston----LIKED IT

Trading Dreams at Midnight is the tale of three women and how mental illness has impacted their lives. Each woman has a different perspective and has been shaped differently by the same circumstances.

Nan, the grandmother, has stepped in to raise her grandchildren when her mentally ill daughter abandoned them. Nan has her own cross to bear as she has a few skeletons hanging in her closet, pertaining to her husband and her daughter. She has a hard time accepting and then dealing with her daughter’s mental illness.

The least developed character of the three is Tish. She seems to be little more than a secondary character. Tish’s issues are mentioned, but are not discussed in much detail. Most of the information we learn about Tish is through other characters’ conversations and/or thoughts.

Neena, sister of Tish and granddaughter of Nan is the most disturbed by their mother’s disappearances and has dedicated her life to finding her mother. She finances her search by any means necessary. Some of the things she has done have been questionable. One of the ghosts come back to haunt her and sends her back to Philadelphia, to face a disagreeable grandmother and a fragile sister.

McKinney-Whetstone is a master of description, and setting. She makes you feel as if you are walking around the streets of Philadelphia. Her word choice is always clever and thought provoking. Overall, the book was well written. However, the secondary characters lack depth. Also, while there was new information revealed at the end, there was no true conclusion. The book leaves you feeling like you need more information. Unless this is a marketing tool for a sequel, the book really needed more of a sense of finality.

Reading Record

How many of you are familiar with Good Reads (http://www.goodreads.com/) or Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com/)? These are sites that allow you to keep up with books you have read, are reading or would like to read. There is also a social networking component to these sites. They allow you to see what others are reading and are a good place to get new suggestions. I have tried both and so far I really like them. I have decided to use Library Thing for my library book log. My user name is gypsyreads. If you are a member add me to your list of friends. If you aren't yet a member consider joining.

If you are not that interested in the online book logs, it is still a great idea to keep up with the books you have read. I say this from experience. There have been many times when I see a book that looks interesting and start reading it, only to figure out that I have already read it. If you love reading, this can be kind of a let down. To help prevent the I've already read it let down, UCPL's Multicultural Collection has complimentary Reading Record bookmarks. Take one and start filling it out today. If you like, you can turn the completed bookmark in to the Reference staff and start a new one.

Don't forget that we are always looking for comments, book reviews and suggestions. Please help us to make the Multicultural News Blog a success.

That's all for now. Happy Reading!