Hi guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Did you know that March is Women's History Month? In fact, it all started back in 1980 with the first official Women's History Week and grew to its current month long affair beginning in 1995. It's a month to celebrate all that women have done to make strides for their gender in life, politics, and other national/international forums. Last year's events were curtailed thanks to in part to the pandemic, so the chosen theme carried over to 2021...Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.
Today's title in the spotlight was chosen specifically to celebrate this month with a REAL story that, while not necessarily gaining us the right to vote, certainly reflects the “refusing to be silenced” part in more ways then one. We're setting our sites on a Memoir, released this February via Barnstormers Press, that takes us through the life and times of a child growing up in the Mennonite community, and the unusual, unexpected, and uncommonly high turns her life took along the way. Ladies and gentleman, please join me as we welcome today's book of choice...
From Plain to Plane: My Mennonite Childhood, a National Scandal, and an Unconventional Soar to Freedom
by
Patty Bear
978099757350
Barnstormers Press
About the book...
Patty Bear grew up among the "Plain People" amidst bountiful farmlands, black bonnets, and black cars. It was a world unto itself, both bucolic and beastly, with traditions and beliefs from the old world deeply rooted in the fertile soil of Central Pennsylvania.
Insulated by a culture that steadfastly kept its distance from outsiders and the march of progress, as a little girl she anticipated following in her mother's footsteps. But in 1972, at the age of eight, her father sparked religious controversy and ignited a scandal rare in the Mennonite community. Abruptly subjected to the chaos that surrounded the ritual practice of shunning, Patty, her mother, and five siblings were swept into a tornado of absurd accusations and public humiliation, forced to hide and endure publicity that headlined prominent national newspapers for almost a decade.
With her childhood and adolescence overshadowed by domestic violence and her father's abusive rhetoric, as well as persistent teaching by the Church that women were designed for subjugation and obedience, Patty's assumed image of her future gradually shifted-leading her to heed the call of her wild soul and the whispers of her Guides toward a bold quest for freedom she never imagined possible.
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I definitely don't review this type of work the same way I do those of Fiction. I always try to keep in mind that this was/is someone's life, their trials, tribulations, joys, sorrows, celebrations, and learning experiences. It's a tale that can be wonder-filled or lacking that certain spark, but it's real nonetheless and that makes it important.
Patty Bear let's us inside her world, from childhood to present times, with an uncensored look at all that transpired. From the weird to the wonderful, the traditions to the tragedies, the blessed events to the shunning both inside and outside their beliefs, we see a family from both sides of their faith. Torn apart by one man's tirade against a church, held together by the blood that ran through their veins, it was hard being a witness at times to some of his actions, the reactions, and games. He could never see past his own selfishness to what he was doing to everyone around him. He could put on a show and play the wounded party, but in truth, he was creating his own victims. I won't dwell on his piece, although it is a big part of the tale shared, because I don't want to taint our celebration here...because there is much to celebrate.
Despite all Patty and her siblings, as well as their mother for that matter, went through, there was light at the end of the journey. All achieved freedom in their own way, some more so than others, and watching their growth happen regardless of the events unfolding was something to smile about. I loved when Patty found her footing, so to speak, in sports, but also when she really started to spread her wings to fly. It was satisfying to see this child become a young adult with a dream and eventually a woman with a destiny destined by her self. She was even able to see that while she may have wished it all away if given the chance, the hardships she went through, the bad times she survived, all went into making her the strong person she is today.
All in all, it was a fascinating story, filled with memories of things held close to her heart as well as some best forgotten, but learned from. While overall what transpired was in turns appalling, fascinating, and inspiring (as to how she and her family pulled through, each in their own way), the way her story was structured was rather broken...which posed a slight problem for me. I get (as she explains in her introduction), the author was piecing parts of the story back together herself, as a lifetime is hard to remember for anyone, let alone with so much media attention, but it made for a tougher digestion of the tale. Go in with that awareness, and it'll make the journey that much smoother.
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About the author...
Patty Bear is an international airline captain, life coach, self-certified master multitasker, garden and interior design whiz, and voracious reader and self-learner. A pioneer rising out of a childhood in the insular and male-dominated world of the "Plain People," she became one of the early female Air Force pilots during the first decade women graduated from pilot training. She has spent over thirty years dedicated to the study of defying gravity: escaping conditioning, walking the transformational journey, and the practice of following the call of the wild soul. She is a Certified Caroline Myss Sacred Contracts Archetypal Consultant, as well as a Certified Medical Qigong practitioner. In 2017, she coauthored House of the Sun: A Visionary Guide for Parenting in a Complex World with Pat Shannon. Patty lives on the east coast with her family.
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Special thanks to Lauren at BookSavvy PR for the chance to bring this title to you and to the author for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, or the author, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
