Ellen Nichols spent her youth travelling from one town to the next, going wherever her father's position as a Methodist Reverend sent them. Stationed in the deep south, mostly Alabama in the 1940's-1960's, Ellen experienced a variety of views on race and Civil Rights as well as plenty of her own adventures and misadventures in being a Reverend's daughter.


Remember Whose Little Girl You Are is a memoir of Ellen Nichols' time growing up from girlhood through college in the deep south.  The years that Ellen's stories cover are integral to United States history and Civil Rights. Ellen's stories range from humorous to heartbreaking.  The most intriguing stories were of Ellen's precocious nature and her insights and involvement in the Civil Rights movement.  Her father's views were different from most in the South, giving her a liberal view and making Ellen an activist since birth.  I really enjoyed that story of Ellen and her college roommates showing up at a march in Montgomery and being some of the only White protestors there.  Later, at her college when asked to appear in front of the Dean, Ellen speaks for her group and refuses to apologize for fighting for rights. I am amazed at her will to fight and her actions taken for the rights of others.  I would have loved more insights into her actions taken and how she feels about circumstances in the United States now.  Some of the stories flowed together well, some were more disjointed anecdotes. A relatively short memoir, Ellen covers love, loss, captures important moments in history as well as the feeling of unity yet disparity in the South. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Amy Weinland Daughters reconnected on Facebook with one of her camp friends that made an impact on her over 30 years ago.  Amy learned that her friend Dana's son was going through cancer treatment and wanted to connect with her on a more personal level than Facebook comments or likes.  Amy sat down to write her a letter but realized she didn't have her address.  Amy started to wonder what being a Facebook friend meant.  When Dana's son Parker died, Amy continued to write Dana letters to support her in a more meaningful way.  These letters made Amy wonder what would happen if she wrote all 580 of her Facebook friends a handwritten letter, no matter how awkward or tenuous the relationship. 

Dear Dana is a humorous and heartwarming memoir about a task combining contemporary relationships on Facebook with the lost art of letter writing to dig deep into the meaning of friendship. I loved Amy's forthright and honest style of writing about her letter writing adventure as well as her sense of humor.  I could relate to Amy wanting to reach out to an old friend in a time of need and have often seen people on Facebook going through a hard time, I applaud her bravery and #CONSTANT help.  Religion is a big part of Amy's life and while this aspect didn't resonate with me, I did appreciate her new forged relationship with Dana.  I also loved how many of her letters found people in their time of need.  Through her letter writing Amy discovered what it means to be a friend and connect with people on a personal level.  I enjoyed seeing how many people felt more comfortable sharing personal things in written form and revealing that everything may not be as it seems online.  Amy's journey was insightful on many levels and while I don't think I'll be writing letters to all of my Facebook friends anytime soon, I am more encouraged to reach out to those in need in letter form.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.