The Spirit of Achievement by Jacqueline Miller Bachar

A collection of essays and writing from a social historian and keen-eyed community observer, The Spirit of Achievement: Articles, Essays, Speeches by Jacqueline Miller Bachar is a neatly curated portfolio from a prolific time in the author’s career.

Beginning with insightful profiles on outstanding female achievers from Palos Verdes, California, and the surrounding area, these articles highlight stars in the fields of education, politics, religion, the arts, charity, community beautification, and more. Bachar has a delicate and intimate style to her storytelling, while the writing is also professional and journalistic, bringing these local figures and their achievements to tangible life.

The section of pieces from Palos Verdes Magazine is especially eloquent, particularly the articles on the intricacy of interior design and the overlooked beauty of nature. Some of the shorter writing highlights Bachar’s passion for the culinary arts, theatre, and finding local diamonds hidden in the rough. The final piece of the collection consists of transcripts of the author’s various speeches on a wide range of subjects, from her rugged ancestors on the Ohio frontier to her legendary relative from the women’s suffrage movement, which equitably balances her own personal pride and fascination with her lineage with a rich assessment of history.

Taken as a whole, this work fully lives up to its title, which is a testament that not only honors the past, but reminds us to give people their due recognition in the present.