The Trip: Speeding Toward the Cliff at the End of the World Review by Elizabeth Kern Author Armando Garcia-Davila takes us on a trip of a lifetime as four friends travel 7,000 miles cross-country on their motorcycles in the turbulent 1960s. The experiences of his main character, Tino, are alternately poignant, funny, mind-bending, and life-changing as he grapples with the issues confronting him: his first true love, bubbling racial tension, the morality of the escalating Viet Nam war, and a wafer of LSD in his pocket just waiting to be used. The Trip is a page-turner as Tino and his companions—his older and wiser brother who happens to be a priest, and their two friends—roar from adventure to adventure: spending uneasy nights in small town jails to save money; sneaking out of town under the mask of darkness to avoid the pursuit of Southern rednecks; and finally, for Tino, an…
Tag: Wanting To Be Jackie Kennedy
Wanting to be Jackie Kennedy is like a box of fine chocolates.
I could have devoured Wanting To Be Jackie Kennedy by Elizabeth Kern in two days. But instead, I chose to savor it like a box of elegant chocolates. I absolutely love this book. The opening introduces Ellie Manikowski in “present time.” Kern takes readers on a rich journey with Ellie as she travels the rocky path to becoming an adult. I love these memorable characters. Kern expertly uses strong verbs and well-chosen adjectives. Her detailed scene description made me feel like I was right there, even though I have never been to Chicago. Wanting To Be Jackie Kennedy is a heartwarming story of love, loss, and family secrets. It’s the story of a young Polish girl’s journey to womanhood in Chicago in the 1960s, and the role the nation’s elegant first lady plays along the way. Elizabeth Kern was born and raised on the Northwest side of Chicago in the old Polish neighborhood…