Review of "The Interrupted Journey: Two Lost Hours Aboard a UFO: The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill" by John G. Fuller

  

Probably one of the most publicized incidents of a (purported) alien abduction involved a married couple named Barney and Betty Hill.


Barney and Betty Hill with a newspaper account of their experience

On September 19, 1961 the Hills were returning from Montreal to their Portsmouth, New Hampshire home. At about 10:30 P.M., the Hills were on U.S. Route 3 in New Hampshire when they observed a strange object in the sky. The couple stopped to look at the object with their binoculars and to walk their dachshund Delsey. The Hills then resumed their trip while the unknown entity made erratic motions in the air. The Hills stopped to look at the object again, and Barney observed a 'flying saucer' with humanoid figures peering out the window. Barney became alarmed and quickly drove away.....after which the Hills experienced a loss of time, arriving home about two hours later than expected.


Betty and Barney Hill with their dog Delsey


Barney's sketch of the flying saucer containing aliens

The Hills reported the incident to Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire and to the National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). UFO sightings in the area were not uncommon, and the Hills' were interviewed by a number of Air Force officers and NICAP officials.


Pease Air Force Base


Logo on NICAP T-shirt

Shortly after the September 19 encounter, Betty had a number of vivid dreams about being abducted by aliens, and Barney began experiencing chronic anxiety and stress. The Hills wanted to know exactly what happened on the night of the incident and eventually consulted Dr. Benjamin Simon, a Boston psychiatrist experienced with hypnosis. In January, 1964, Dr. Simon began therapy sessions with Barney and Betty, and while hypnotized the couple recalled aliens taking them from their car, bringing them to a UFO, and examining their bodies. Afterwards, the Hills were returned to their vehicle and allowed to go on their way.


Under hypnosis, Barney and Betty Hill recalled being abducted by aliens

In 1966, author John Fuller wrote a book about the Hills' experience. The book was re-released in 2022, and is available once again. The narrative contains transcripts of the couple's hypnosis sessions, so the reader can experience the (alleged) incident along with Barney and Betty.

Dr. Simon had no agenda with respect to the existence (or not) of UFOs, his sole aim being to free the Hills of their anxiety. However, Dr. Simon speculated that Betty's 'memories' of being abducted might have been a fantasy/dream that influenced Barney's 'recollections.' In any case, the Hills were freed of their distress, and were able to go on with their lives.

Fuller's book was adapted into a 1975 movie called 'The UFO Incident' starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons.



There's been much speculation over the years about whether or not the Hills really experienced an alien abduction. If you'd like to weigh in on the matter, I'd suggest you read the book.

For sightseers in New Hampshire, there's a historical marker designating the site of the Hills' first sighting of the UFO.

Rating 3.5 stars

Review of "Becoming Eve: My Journey From Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman" by Abby Chava Stein

In this memoir, the transgender author Abby Stein writes about her transition from male to female. To avoid confusion, I'll refer to the author as 'he' before the transition and 'she' after the transition.

Abby Stein

Yisroel Avrom ben Menachem Mendel was born into a Chasidic family in Brooklyn in 1991. Yisroel was the first son following five daughters, and his parents were thrilled to finally have a boy. This was especially important because Yisroel's family is descended from Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov, who founded Chasidic Judaism in the 1700s. The male descendants of the Baal Shem Tov usually become important rabbis, and are something like 'royalty' in the Chasidic community.


Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer


Modern day Chasidic Rabbis

Yisroel was not destined to follow this path, however, because - from early childhood - Yisroel knew he was a girl in a boy's body. This was especially bewildering to Yisroel, because the insular Chasidic community doesn't acknowledge (or doesn't know about) the existence of LGBTQ+ individuals. Thus Yisroel - who spoke only Yiddish and Hebrew - had no words to describe his gender dysphoria and no idea there were other people like him.

Modern Chasidic community in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn

Being seen as a boy made Yisroel uncomfortable from childhood on. After a hernia operation, little Yisroel was taken to a toy store, where he selected a doll house. Yisroel's parents said this was inappropriate for a boy, and steered him toward the toy trucks. And at the age of three, when Jewish boys get their first haircut, Yisroel insisted he wanted long hair like a girl. Then, upon the approach of Yisroel's Bar Mitzvah at thirteen - when a Jewish boy becomes a man - Yisroel got into his bed and cried uncontrollably. According to the author, this 'gender disconnect' affected almost every aspect of his life through the years.


Orthodox Jewish boys get their first haircut at the age of three


Jewish boys have a Bar Mitzvah at the age of thirteen

As the author relates the story, we get a picture of Yisroel's home life, parents, (twelve) siblings, extended family, schooling, friends, and the customs and beliefs he grew up with. Chasidic sects are extremely restrictive, resembling eastern European shtetls of the early 1900s. The sects are also exceedingly gender segregated, and boys and girls have little to do with each other until they enter into arranged marriages, usually at the age of eighteen.


Early 20th century Chasidic shtetl in eastern Europe

Yisroel attended several yeshivas, where boys study the Torah, Talmud and Jewish law. Yisroel was a smart boy and a good student, but he repeatedly engaged in disruptive behavior, attributing this (at least in part) to being in a school for boys, where he felt he didn't belong.


Yeshiva students


Yisroel Avrom ben Menachem Mendel

In a description of some of his rowdy activities, Yisroel writes about secretly (and repeatedly) raising the volume of a teacher's microphone to cacophonous levels, which infuriated the educator. And Yisroel admits he convinced some fellow malefactors to toss a smelly concoction that looked like poop at their schoolmates. When Yisroel's role in the incident was discovered, he got in trouble with the school and his Tati (father). Afterwards, someone tossed the odorous mixture at a teacher, who became incensed. The teacher repeatedly hit Yisroel in the face and kicked him in the stomach, in an attempt to extract a confession from the boy, who insisted he was innocent. (This behavior by a teacher is shocking to me.)

Turbulent incidents like this, as well as purposely baiting teachers with heretical questions gleaned from 'forbidden books' (like Richard Dawkins' book 'The God Delusion'), resulted in Yisroel attending one yeshiva after another. As a teenager, Yisroel finally ended up at a boarding yeshiva in upstate New York, where he had a sexual relationship with a fellow student. Yisroel didn't know anything about homosexuality, and thought of himself as the 'girl' in the twosome.

As was customary in Chasidic communities, Yisroel was betrothed at eighteen, after the engagement was approved by both sets of parents and the Rebbe (religious leader). Moreover, in a modern twist, the DNA of Yisroel and his potential fiancée was tested, to forestall the genetic diseases common among Chasidic Jews. With everything being okay, the couple got engaged, and didn't see each other again until they were married a year later.


Yisroel getting married

Most Chasidic youth know little or nothing about sexual relations until shortly before the nuptials, when they're told what's what. I had to chuckle when Yisroel admitted he thought the woman's 'hole' was somewhere around the belly button. In any case, Yisroel and his wife soon had a son, which was a turning point in Yisroel's life.

Once Yisroel had a child, whom he dearly loved, he couldn't go on as a man. Yisroel left his Chasidic community, transitioned to a woman, and became Abby Chava Stein. Stein had a lot of help making this transition, from dedicated non-profit organizations, a liberal rabbi, the LGBTQ+ community, and others. Stein also proceeded to learn English, get her GED, attend Columbia University, and live a 'Western' life.


Yisroel transitioned to Abby Stein

The abandonment of Stein's roots is referred to as "off the derech (OTD)", which means "off the path." I would have liked to read more details about Stein going OTD, such as the reaction of her wife (whom she divorced), parents, brothers and sisters, friends, acquaintances, and the wider Chasidic community. Stein says little about this, except for describing a meeting with her Tati, where she came out as transgender. Most of Stein's family refused to speak to her following this, which is common when a person goes OTD.

Though going OTD is not uncommon, being transgender at the same time is less usual. Thus Stein's story is enlightening and interesting, and I'd like to see her expand the narrative.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "To the Land of Long Lost Friends: A No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel" by Alexander McCall Smith

In this 20th book in the 'No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series, Mma Ramotswe - who owns the agency - gets involved in various disparate situations.

The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the series is a plus.

*****

Mma Ramotswe is at a wedding celebration when she spots an old friend, Calviniah Ramoroka, whom she hasn't seen in years. Later, when the women are lunching together, Calviniah confides that her daughter Nametso has become distant, and Calviniah doesn't know why.



Mma Ramotswe intuits that Calviniah wants her help, and the detectives at the 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' proceed to follow and investigate Nametso. One scene where Mma Ramotswe, her detective partner Mma Makutsi, and assistant detective Charlie are all stuffed into the front seat of Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van is hilarious.







Mma Ramotswe also learns that another old friend named Poppy, who had accumulated a substantial nest egg, is now almost broke. It seems Poppy has given her new preacher a VERY expensive Mercedes Benz.





Mma Ramotswe is distressed by Poppy's plight and would like to help.

Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has been hired by a woman called Mma Mogorosi, who wants to know if her husband is cheating on her. Mma Ramotswe finds that the hubby isn't unfaithful but is secretly taking math lessons. This isn't the end of the story though.....



On a day off, Mma Ramotswe visits her friend, orphanage director Mma Potokwane, who always serves bush tea and delicious fruit cake.



At the orphanage, Mma Ramotswe meets one of the house mothers, and a surprise follows.

Lastly, assistant detective Charlie, a young man who works as an assistant to Mma Ramotswe and a part-time mechanic for Mma Ramotswe's husband - Mr. JLB Matekoni at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors - says he wants to marry his girlfriend Queenie Queenie.



There's a big problem though. Charlie is very poor, Queenie Queenie's family is very rich, and Botswana customs require a substantial bride price. A possible solution presents itself, but Charlie is ambivalent about jumping in.

In the end, a series of (unlikely) coinidences help resolve many of the above situations.

The books in this series are never really about solving mysteries, but rather about Mma Ramotswe's kind heart, desire to think the best of people, and philosophy of life. As always, Mma Ramotswe has entertaining conversations with her husband and staff, and Mma Makutsi's shoes - which like to chime in with opnions - make some fun comments as well.

The novel is just the ticket for an afternoon's light reading.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Shmutz: A Novel" by Felicia Berliner

This is Felicia Berliner's debut book and I selected it from the 'new books' shelf of the library because I thought it was a comic novel. 'Shmutz' is the Yiddish word for dirt or grime, and the title just struck me as funny.

Well, the book has humorous moments but it's certainly not a comedy. The story revolves around a teenage girl named Raizl who lives with her Chasidic family in Brooklyn.



Chasidic Judaism is an ultra-orthodox branch of the religion and has strict rules for everything, including clothing, hair, food, dishes, prayer, behavior, education, marriage, and so on.


Chasidic men and boys


Chasidic girls

Raizl has a talent for numbers, and unlike most Chasidic girls, attends college and works outside the home. In addition to going to school, Raizl is a mother's helper and a part-time bookkeeper/accountant.



Raizl's contribution to the family's parnussa (income) allows her brothers to study Torah all day, which is de rigueur for Chasidic boys.



Arranged marriages are customary in the Chasidic community, and Raizl's parents contact a shadchen (matchmaker) to find their daughter a groom. Raizl refuses to meet potential husbands, however, because she's afraid of marriage. So Raizl's mother sends her to a psychiatrist, Dr. Podhoretz, in an effort to alleviate Raizl's fears.



Well, Raizl tells Dr. Podhoretz that she's addicted to pornography. Chasidic families almost never have computers, but Raizl's college scholarship includes a laptop that she needs for her studies. Like anyone with an internet connection, Raizl goes exploring and comes across porn videos (these are graphically described).

Raizl is absolutely fascinated by the porn images, which are far removed from anything she's familiar with. In fact Raizl's first language, Yiddish, hardly even has words for human private parts, much less sexual activities.

At first I thought this set-up would lead to a story about Raizl wanting to escape from the Chasidic community. However, that's not true at all. Raizl is a very devout Jew who's devoted to her parents and her Zeidy (grandfather); loves her sister and brothers; venerates Hashem (the Hebrew term for God); always says her prayers and blessings; adheres to most Chasidic customs; and so on. In fact Raizl wants to find a husband as much as her parents want her to, but she doesn't like any of the boys selected by the matchmaker.


Shidduch dating (arranged by a matchmaker) is the traditional system by which religious Jews meet their mates.

On the other hand, Raizl does warm up to some of the black-clad Goth students at her college, especially a girl called Sam, who seems to be as much of an 'outsider' as Raizl herself. Raizl 'sticks out' because she wears heavy beige tights, a long sleeved blouse, a long sleeved sweater, a modest skirt, and plain black flats.


Goth teens

Sam thinks Raizl's name is Razor - which is right up the Goth's alley. Besides hobnobbing with (what Chasidim would consider) inappropriate people, Raizl also gives in to the temptation of eating traif (non-kosher) food like bacon and eggs, bacon cheeseburgers, and the like. Conversely, at home Raizl's family eats kosher fare like cholent (slow-cooked stew) and kokosh cake (Hungarian chocolate babka).


Cholent


Kokosh Cake

The story follows Raizl's journey as she struggles with her desire to follow Chasidic customs while still being free of some of the paternalistic and restrictive rules of the community.

Some of my favorite characters are Raizl's Mami (mother), who loves her children and stands up to Tati (father) on occasion; and Raizl's brother Moishe, who has a good sense of humor and actually has the nerve to break his engagement when he realizes he isn't ready for marriage. On the other hand, I didn't like Raizl's employer, the Rebbetzin (rabbi's wife), who exhibits some truly bizarre behavior.

I was interested to learn that Mami's human hair sheitel (a wig worn by married Chasidic women) cost $3,000 and that newlywed Chasidic women are supposed to have at least three sheitels. Seems like an expensive proposition.



The story is generously laced with Yiddish words, which are defined in glossary at the back of the book. This was a learning experience for the author, who said in an interview: "[Yiddish] was the secret language my grandmother and grandfather used when they wanted to talk without me understanding. I picked up plenty as a kid, but it was not my first language. I definitely learned more in the course of writing this book." (I'll bet! LOL 😉)

This novel was certainly something 'different' and I'd recommend it to readers looking for a unique experience, folks curious about 'naughty' Yiddish words, and people wanting a peek into the Chasidic community.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Beautiful Mystery: A Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Novel" by Louise Penny

In this 8th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the homicide detective investigates a murder in a monastery. The book can be read as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a plus.

*****

'The Beautiful Mystery' opens with both Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté de Québec....



.....and his second-in-command, Inspector Jean Guy Beauvoir, largely recovered from injuries incurred in a police action in a previous book.



Nevertheless, the police incident - in which several Sûreté agents were killed - still haunts the two men and continues to have psychological repercussions.

The setting of the novel is a Quebec monastery called Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loupes. The monastery was founded several hundred years ago, by a group of monks fleeing the Inquisition.



The friars at Saint-Gilbert raise vegetables and make delicious chocolate covered blueberries that they trade to other monasteries for cheese, cider, and other goodies.



In fact the meals at the monastery sound quite delicious, usually consisting of thick hot soup, cheeses, and baguettes.





Saint-Gilbert maintains a vow of silence, except for the beautiful Gregorian chants the brothers sing at each mass.



In fact, the Abbot, Dom Philippe, makes the rounds of other monasteries as needed, to recruit monks who have excellent singing voices as well as needed talents - such as doctor, farmer, cook, carpenter, plumber, music director, etc. St. Gilbert has 24 monks in total, and does not allow outsiders to come in.

The one exception to St. Gilbert's isolation is the release of a CD of Gregorian chants, sung by the monks. Against all expectations the CD is a smash hit, and brings in money for much-needed repairs to the decaying monastery.



As it turns out, the success of the CD creates dissension among the friars. The choirmaster, Frère Mathieu, wants to release a second CD and wants the vow of silence lifted, so the brothers can go on tour and do interviews.



However the Abbot, Dom Philippe is absolutely against the idea, believing the chants' one purpose is to show a love of God. Each side has its advocates, and there's tension in the air.



One morning the choirmaster, Frère Mathieu, is found dead in the Abbot's garden, murdered by a blow to the head. Mathieu's body is curled around a piece of paper containing ancient musical notations and Latin phrases, and it's clear the friar used his last breath to protect the composition.



The Abbot calls the police, and Gamache and Beauvoir arrive to investigate Frère Mathieu's death. Since the monastery is on an isolated island in the boondocks, the detectives settle in to make their inquiries. While cloistered with the monks, Gamache and Beauvoir attend masses, eat with the brothers, and sleep in their own cells. The policemen also proceed to interview the monks again and again, the vow of silence having been lifted for the investigation.

While Gamache and Beauvoir try to identify the perpetrator, the Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté, Sylvain Françoeur, unexpectedly swoops into the monastery by private plane.



Françoeur is Gamache's long-time nemesis - ever since Armand made it his business to root out corruption in the Sûreté - and it's clear Françoeur has some underhanded agenda.

As the story unfolds we learn a good bit about Jean Guy Beauvoir's backstory, current romantic entanglement, hair-trigger temper, and struggles with an addiction to painkillers.

The surprise arrival of another monk leads to the story's denouement, which is satisfying and sets the stage for future books in the series.



I liked the novel, my major quibble being that the story is too slow and drawn out. Still, I'd recommend to book to mystery lovers, especially fans of Inspector Gamache.

(This is a link to monks singing Gregorian chants, in case you're interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YejnW...)

Rating: 3.5 stars