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Book Review: Not By Chance by Kathy Herman

By Melissa Markham on July 20, 2008 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday, I finished reading the last book in Kathy Herman's Seaport Suspense series. One of the biggest suprises for me was to realize that some of the characters show up again in the Phantom Hollow Series. I didn't make the connection until the author pointed it out at the end. That was pretty cool!

Kathy is not afraid to tackle tough issues and this book tackles one of the toughest...racism. It really struck a chord with me because a friend and I had been recently discussing racism. For some of us who don't have racist feelings, it is a huge surprise to find out that there are those out there who still do and who have strong ones. I grew up with a grandmother whose best friend was a black lady. One of my best friends was a black girl, one of my mom's favorite co-workers was a black man and one of the best carpenters my dad worked with was a black man. There was a biracial kid I went to school with who I remember people saying ugly things to him. I actually attended school with two biracial kids that I knew. And one of them, no one ever said anything to her that I am aware of. The boy had a personality that left him the butt of much ugliness. Would he have been picked on because he was biracial if he hadn't had that personality? I don't know.

Anyway, this story addresses the fact that while a lot of us say we aren't prejudice, deep down, we are. We are fine with black people as long as they stay in their place and out of ours. Kathy brings back the horror of the 60s that many of us have only read about in history books and she makes us aware that it is a very current and contemporary issue. Changes have been made, but we have a long way to go.

This story centers around Guy and Ellen Jones' son, Brandon, who is looking for a new direction in his life. He has tried being a big wig in the corporate world (and did very well at it), but inside he was 'dying' because this wasn't the career he wanted for himself. It was the career he had chosen because it would make his Dad happy.

This is another well-crafted story with terrific characters and one that will make you do some soul-searching of your own.

Wanna know the best part? These four books that I have reviewed have all been signed by Kathy. I have taken very good care of them while reading them and now I am going to give them away the last week of July during Bloggy Giveaways. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled and leave a comment when the time is right. One lucky winner will get to be inspired by these stories. And for the rest of you who can't wait, you can alway hit amazon or your local library!