Random Wonder

When Wanders Cease To Roam: A Traveler’s Journal Of Staying Put by Vivian Swift

2008-11-15T15:03:00.004-05:00

With a sensible East Coast mindset and an unaffected pen, Vivian Swift shares her personal journal on the joys of staying put after years of travel in When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put. It’s difficult to pigeonhole this book into a standard description: part artist’s scrapbook - part journal, it’s filled with cats, tea, travel recollections, architecture, fashion, history, anecdotes, advice and fond remembrances of a life well-lived. It tumbles forth in a month-by-month format of folksy charm. The watercolors are vivid and whimsical; the handwritten text is completely the author’s own.

One of my favorite sections illustrates the deeper than surface recollections of a woman coming to terms with the end of her traveling desires and, in a larger sense, accepting herself: In 1977, while visiting Paris on Bastille Day, she met a handsome boy. They laughed the night away, kissed a bit, and considered themselves oh-so cosmopolitan. They were certain they’d grow into nothing at all resembling their parents…. I won’t spoil page 27 for you, but you can imagine her, 20+ years later, recollecting on that youthful cliché.

When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put is a great gift book, especially with the holiday season approaching. Recommended for women of a certain age, wayward travelers seeking a new vision and memoir readers.

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE HERE

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

2008-11-13T10:12:00.001-05:00

American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld is an imagined account of Laura Bush’s life. The main facts are there: she killed someone as a teen driver, had a solid middle class upbringing and grew up to be a nice 60’s era librarian who married into a rowdy politically influential family. The author throws in a few zingers of fantasy and does little to hide her own political leanings.

If you like historical fiction, you will get very little history here. If you like political intrigue, nada. If you’re looking for some insight into the mind of Laura Bush, look elsewhere. If you think George Bush is a buffoon who married a nice accommodating gal, you might find a story here. That’s all she wrote.

If you want more info on this novel, you can find the NY Times review from Joyce Carol Oates HERE and one I agree with in the Telegraph HERE.
Also posted on Many A Quaint And Curious Volume.

Two Brothers ~ One North, One South by David H. Jones

2008-11-12T05:28:00.000-05:00

It is obvious when a writer has done his homework and it’s easy to see that David H. Jones has lived and breathed Civil War history while writing the novel Two Brothers - One North, One South. William Prentiss lies dying in a hospital bed while his brother, Clifton, lies a few feet down the hall in the officers’ ward. Walt Whitman, a frequent volunteer to wounded Civil War soldiers, cares for young William as William recounts his decision to fight for the south and the events leading to his mortal injury. Clifton has refused a reunion with his brother due to their divided loyalties. When William dies, Whitman seeks out the young man’s brother where he also encounters an additional two brothers eager to hear of their youngest brother’s last thoughts.

Most Civil War aficionados will find much accuracy in the tale and notice the author’s fair treatment of both sides of the conflict. The inclusion of Whitman works well and I suspect Jones has done additional research on the iconic writer as the sections with Whitman are some of the finer points in the novel.

But while we cannot fault Jones in his research of the events, the blemish resides in his historian’s pen. The action scenes are far too lackluster and the dialogue too wooden. There were also long passages of historical chronicling where an editor’s pen was sorely needed.

I adore historical fiction and am quite familiar with the Civil War, but Two Brothers - One North, One South is more for the war chronicle reader (and there are certainly those about!). The story itself is quite interesting and the appendix makes for added insight.

Recommended for Civil War aficionados & war story lovers.

Author's Website with nice book video: Here

Amadi's Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot with illustrations by Dimitrea Tokunbo

2008-11-11T11:10:00.001-05:00

Amadi, a confident Igbo boy who is good with numbers, has decided that he will be a businessman. He doesn’t understand his mother’s insistence that he learn to read. One day, while strolling the marketplace in his village, he spies a picture he cannot comprehend. If he could only read the words under the picture perhaps he could understand..... Thus is the tale of Amadi's Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot with illustrations by Dimitrea Tokunbo.

Though the central message of Amadi's Snowman is one of the joys of reading, I was especially thoughtful of a personal experience as I read this colorful tale: In 1994, I moved from the Midwestern United States to sunny South Florida. I was still in the good ole U.S.A. so I underestimated the cultural differences. I have many stories of diversity, but one that stands out was the first day the thermometer plummeted below 60 degrees. My students showed up for class in parkas and mittens while I was still in a dress with a light sweater. I laughed and asked, “How many of you have ever been in the snow?” Out of 33 third graders, only 4 raised their hand. So, to me, Amadi's Snowman is more than just a reading-is-a-wonder send up; it’s a multicultural look at how others view the same world.

With colorful illustrations that serve the setting well, Amadi's Snowman is recommended for elementary classrooms and libraries, as well as for inclusion with units on diversity, the powers & joys of reading and African studies.

Buy Amadi's Snowman
Also posted on Let The Wild Rumpus Start!

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

2008-11-10T18:10:00.001-05:00

The Shape of Mercy: A Novel tells the story of how three lives intermingle when Lauren, a wealthy college student seeking independence and validation, takes a job transcribing a Salem witch trials diary penned by a young woman named Mercy. As Lauren uncovers secrets held within the diaries pages, she also uncovers the secrets of the diary’s elderly owner, Abigail. The three form an unlikely multigenerational kinship.

The author does an excellent job meshing three diverse generations while illustrating the universality of love and its depths. Though each young woman walks a unique path, each will make choices that affect the whole of her life. The story is well written with insight into human emotions and relationships. The diary passages make up a large portion of the novel and create a story-within-a-story without a break in the narrative’s flow. The characters are a likable bunch with Abigail being the most secretive and, therefore, the most intriguing. Her story is a lesson on the pains and regrets of love while Mercy’s is the story of supreme sacrifice. Lauren, like the reader, has much to learn from these two women.

Although I am an avid historical fiction devotee, I have not read anything billed as Christian fiction. After reading The Shape of Mercy: A Novel, I was surprised to see that it had been labeled as such. I even reread to look for any overt religious tones. There are none. This is interesting for me as I would never have picked up a book that had been labeled ‘Christian Fiction.” And it would have been my loss.

Recommended for those who enjoy coming of age tales, female relationship stories or historical fiction.

Arthur of Albion by John Matthews and illustrated by Pavel Tatarnikov

2008-11-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

The back cover of Arthur of Albion says that the publisher, Barefoot Books, celebrates art & story. This couldn’t be truer. Arthur of Albion by John Matthews and illustrated by Pavel Tatarnikov is lavish and gilded, putting one in the perfect mood to travel back to Arthurian times. Though it is the size of a picture book, it’s really filled with stories of quests and magic, chivalry and wonder.

The author has condensed the traditional Arthurian legends into smaller snippets for a quick introduction to Arthur Pendragon. The stories are short enough to hold student interest, yet long enough to provide the essentials. Though Arthur of Albion would work well as an elementary read aloud, I feel its best audience is the middle school set. The vocabulary is just challenging enough for reading enhancement, the stories just long enough to pique interest. It would also work well as a supplemental material for various units of study (ie: medieval histories and romances, ancient British history, folklore & Arthur himself).

Recommended to enhance unit supplementals, for read alouds and for those with an interest in knights or the Arthurian legends.

Happier Halloween?

2008-10-31T19:03:00.008-04:00

Tonight I am doing something I haven't done in four years. I'm putting on a smile, lighting a pumpkin, wearing a cute Miss Witch T-shirt with dangling candy-corn earrings and passing out Halloween candy.

In the crisp autumn countryside of Indiana, we visited the pumpkin farmer on the corner for our pumpkin, decorated our yard with cornstalks from the fields behind our home and drove the kids to family, enjoying goodies made especially for loved ones, lingering long enough to say hello.

Then we moved to Florida where there was no cold to challenge and no relatives to enjoy. I remember being so scared that first year, worried what horrors might await us as we emptied the little plastic pumpkins onto the floor. "Let me look at it, " I warned and they did. They were scared too.

We got used to the city version of Halloween, finally finding friendly neighborhoods and parties galore. Once my youngest stopped trick or treating, I continued the candy ritual for a few years, but somewhere in my empty nest gloom, it became too painful to recall when I had costumes to sew, smiles at the door and babies to walk around the neighborhood. So I stopped. The knocks would come, but I hid, cocooned in my black house. Before I knew it, there was no reason to be scared anymore.

Serendipity (or the post where I return from vacation to an overflowing Google Reader)

2008-10-23T12:19:00.024-04:00

I need to review many books:

but I've managed to catch a bug during my travels and can only find the strength to regurgitate Google Reader finds...

Today is the anniversary of the world changing iPod!
Read about it HERE (via Wired magazine)

Best new site find: Brokers With Hands On Their Faces. It'd be funny if it weren't so sadly scary. (via Sweetney)

One of my very favorite magazines is in danger of biting the dust. ME Home Companion is searching for a new publisher after the Dec/Jan edition.

If you enjoy this great magazine, you might want to join the campaign to save it HERE.

Most Interesting Libraries & Bookstores site is really fun to poke around in (just like the real thing) (via Crazy For Kids Books)

New guide to Neil Gaiman works looks interesting (via Guys Lit Wire)

Of course, there must be Star Wars & Halloween (they're like peas and carrots) with Sexy Star Wars Costumes (via Geekologie)

Bad Blogger

2008-10-14T00:08:00.005-04:00

While cocooned in my melancholy madness, I missed a really nice blogger, Lisa - Minds Alive On The Shelves, who gave me an award, some justification for breathing, some acknowledgment that I am indeed trying to go somewhere... Now, I feel like a creep for writing the previous post (should have just sent it to that pile of drafts).

However, this is my friend Fate's way of kicking my ass as I have been meaning to add a blogroll for sometime and instead I can give this little blogger love out to some (oh! it was hard to choose) of my favorite bloggers. These are the people I never skip over in my feed reader, even if it's a really busy day:

1. Maggie, of Okay, Fine, Dammit, is able to find poetry in the ordinary day. Her posts can take your breath away

2. Brian, of The Cheek of God, a soul searcher, a writer, a guy reinventing himself each new day

3. NYC Watchdog, of A Pile of Dog Bones, the first blog I subscribed to, a guy who gives New Yorkers a great name, the kind of guy you hope your daughter will marry

4. Carl, of Stainless Steel Droppings, the cool kid who has all the best toys, if you long to fit with the geek crowd, Carl is the gangster to see

5. Andi, of Tripping Toward Lucidity, though she is young enough to be my kid, a kindred soul, likes the books I like, has the job I covet, I so wish I were young again so I could hang with her

6. Chartroose, of Bloody Hell, It's a Book Barrage, from the moment I saw that header with Monty Python Grail Knights I was hooked, A Quirky & Fun book reviewer

7. Jason, of The Jason Show, though Jason's blog has a lot of fun stuff and teacher tales that I like, what really drew me to his writing was the honesty with which he told his story of finally finding himself, his courage inspires me to keep trying to find me (and yes, I see he already got this award, but just couldn't leave him out of my faves, so he gets a twofer)

And I promise to get that blogroll up one day, soon, really .......

Oh, and if any of you want to pass it on...
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

I normally don't go for these things so I'll understand if you don't either, but this was my lazy way of adding a blogroll :-)

Lessons Learned

2008-10-13T23:16:00.003-04:00

The state of Flroida publishes an educational supplement titled "Lessons Learned." It uses all sorts of fancy mathematical analysis to glean implications for daily practice.

I have decided to use this methodology to form some sort of statistical breakdown of my life:

*75% of my time is spent in melancholy
20% of my time is spent in indifference
5% of my time is spent in happiness

* 75% of the time I am pretending to like people
20% of the time I am avoiding people
5% of the time I am interacting with people I like

* If I leave my house, 90% of the time I end up back at home without completing my tasks because I have grown so weary I can barely function

*If I consider what would make me happy, 100% of the time I return impossible scenarios

* If I make deals with fate, that I will allow it's hand to steer the car, 98% of the time I am impatient and angry that it has not intervened

* I pop onto the job boards an average of twice a week, but only consider applying 3% of the time.

* I make lists in an effort to accomplish tasks, but only complete 5% of them each day

* 90% of my time is spent searching for an answer that will not come, looking for a brass ring of enlightenment
10% of the time I think about throwing a dart at the wheel of life and just stepping off, direction wrong, truth be damned, hell be waiting

*99% of the time I write blog posts knowing I will not hit the publish button. They lie in draft, mocking my silly gloom.

Anatomy Of A Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

2008-10-11T01:53:00.002-04:00

You will read many reviews warning you that Anatomy Of A Boyfriend is sexually explicit. They’ll mention masturbation and oral sex as well as doing it. But, Anatomy Of A Boyfriend is really just the story of a smart teenage girl who gets completely, blindly, struck dumb by love.

Dominique dreams of going to med school, reads Gray’s Anatomy the way most teens read Stephen King and doesn’t seem the sort of girl who would lose her virginity on prom night. That’s just too corny for a girl like Dom. But a guy named Wesley fits the bill of knight in shining armor all too well and soon Dom is living and breathing for Wes’s every wish. I enjoyed the portrayal of Dom as smart girl who gets suckered into the romantic stereotype all too easily and I suspect teen girls will recognize their own voice in hers.

Anatomy Of A Boyfriend’s graphic depiction of the fumbling we all experience while wading into the pool of our sexuality is dead on. It’s uncomfortable to remember and even more uncomfortable to discuss with our child. Most of us would like to just push it out of our mind, but if we look back toward our own firsts, remember our sexually bumbling selves, we know that it’s a universal experience and just another part of our child’s growing into adulthood. Even though the sexual can be wicked at times, what Anatomy Of A Boyfriend does best is expose the perplexity of love, its joys as well as its pains, in a genuine voice that many young girls, on the cusp of womanhood, can relate to.

Recommended for high school students and up.
Paperback release on September 23, 2008 / Currently available in hardback

Buy Anatomy Of A Boyfriend Here

Rattling Around In My Head

2008-10-08T10:40:00.006-04:00

Since I haven't waxed musicology on here since my addiction to Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, I thought I'd share a few new music addictions.....

First up, Brendan James. Unfortunately, you'll have to pop over to YouTube to see him as the embedding has been disabled (Just right click & open a new tab because I've lots of music rattling around for your listening pleasure).

Check out Green here.

Check out Hero's Song here. This should be the definitive song of the Iraq War.

Next up, Amy MacDonald. Not quite as unknown since she's been on Ellen & with her massive European hits, but still unknown to a few Yanks.

Even more recognized, but still not mainstream, watch Brandi Carlile's The Story Here.

I'll leave you with Newton Faulkner which was an iTunes Discovery Download and sent me buying a gaggle of his music. Watch Dream Catch Me Here.

As illustrated by these new addictions, I'm a singer/songwriter, raspy/folksy music lover.

Banning Rednecks From All Media

2008-10-05T11:54:00.005-04:00

I am an uncompromising believer in freedom of expression in all forms. I can think of only one instance (child pornography) where I believe any regulation is even discussable. The very thought that someone could tell another consenting adult what to read or listen to is beyond my comprehension. On that note: I have come to believe that some people are too shallow or narrow-minded or just plain dumb to be allowed access to the written word. Lets not ban the books, lets ban the rednecks.

I have first-hand knowledge of members of my own family who will hear something said or read (yes, they can read dammit) and believe it for the gospel truth. They will not question. They will not consider. They will only repeat what they have heard/read as fact. Their research involves The National Enquirer and a highlighter. If the local newsman says, "Butter will fall from the sky today at 4:00," they're set up in lawn chairs with toast held toward the heavens at 3:55. They get two television channels, no newspapers and live in total isolation from mainstream society. We joke that in the event of a nuclear/biological holocaust they will be the last ones standing (sort of like the cockroaches) because their basement is filled with enough sustenance to support life for twenty years.

I've waxed nostalgic on here for such simplicity, but , in reality, would lose my mind if returned to that scenario. This trip home, like so many others, solidified my decision to take Indiana off my 'dream places to live' list. Examples?

"I'm going to get me one of the GEEROS at the carnival"
Me: I thought you didn't eat lamb.
"They ain't lamb. They Greek food from the land of Greece. Says so on the sign"

"Can you get the computer to show me them recipes you used?
Me: Even though we gave you our old computer, you don't have internet out here in the holler.
"Can we go buy a copy of the internet at Walmart?"

"That there woman cain't be no minister. I knows all the Christian symbols and she ain't got no Christian symbols on her robe."
Me: She's a minister Grandma. Look, she's got the minister parking decal on her car. (didn't have the heart nor strength to tell her that the woman was a Pagan minister who also marries homosexuals)

"It's not cousin Billy's fault he got thrown in jail for the tenth time. It's that bitch girlfriend who called the police on him.."
Me: Isn't this the third time he's beat her?
"She wouldn't let him cook his pizza so he could go to work. He said she just called 911 so he couldn't cook his pizza."
Me: Yeah, um, but didn't she have a black eye and a broken arm the last time we were here?
"She fell down the basement stairs and then called the cops on him. Them cops is arresting innocent people all the time. They told bout a man in jail for fifteen years got released last week with that CSI investigation stuff."

"Cousin Johnny has to give half his paycheck to that tramp."
Me: Didn't cousin Johnny have two kids with her?
"Yes, but she has her own job. Them women want to get knocked up and steal a man's money. They had a whole town up in Maine try it." (This was from a woman)

"That there John Doe on channel six news said Broyden was the debate winner. He said that Palleain woman was a liar"
"That Obama is pretending to be a Christian. He's really muslin." (no, that's not a misspelling)
"This election will be the worst in history cause people ain't voting for no neegra or no wo'man"
Thank God they don't vote.

There are more, so many more, but I'll leave you with a YouTube example to support my position for banning media from certain segments of the population:

Disquiet Hope

2008-09-27T06:53:00.015-04:00

I remember your little voice, can picture its sound in my mind. If I suspend it there, you are three forever.

As days pass without hearing your voice, I think about calling her. I know you have a full life, travel and work consume your hours. Plus, I don't want her to think me that sort of parent, lingering, melancholy, desperate. I wonder about the little moments of your day, whether you were laughing, if she made you smile.

There were so many smiling days. They fill my thoughts, make me melancholy, desperate, clingy. There will be more smiling days. We are blessed.

Today, my little boy, my oldest son, the one that made me a mommy for the first time, the one whose smile lights any room is getting married.

So many emotions flood my thoughts. Happiness mixed with worry. Hope mixed with fear. The disquiet of every mother.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

2008-09-25T06:21:00.001-04:00

Is Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson a story of the American Revolution, a story of slavery's injustice, or a story of a young girl’s struggle to keep the remaining trace of her family together as she lingers at adulthood’s door?

As America seeks autonomy from monarchy’s rule, an orphaned slave girl, Isabel, is promised freedom upon her mistress’s death. But after the death, Isabel, and her younger sister Ruth, are sold into a vile and conflicting situation. Who does she trust? Who will help her find the lawyer that can substantiate her claim? Isabel has no allegiance to either the British or the Revolutionaries and consorting with either poses dangerous consequences. She seeks only what all men seek: freedom.

With Chains, Anderson gives us full and diverse characters. Though some are mean, or even evil, she manages to introduce counter-characters to demonstrate the complete picture of human emotions. It’s easy to fall in love with Isabel and by the story’s end, we are clamoring for more of her authentically proud and strong voice. The plot moves at a good pace for both holding student interest as well as allowing enough detail for cultural/historical investigation. My only worry is the depth of the political conflict’s motivations are glossed over (and I understand why this is necessary in a novel), so educators might want to provide historical background knowledge to support the story before, during and after each section (which is always a sound educational practice anyway). The historical references are amazingly abundant and perfectly researched, and Anderson includes a fantastic appendix, easing the quest for supplemental materials.

In the end, what Chains does best is juxtapose the irony of a nation struggling for freedom with that of one young lady waging her personal war for those same rights. So to answer my leading question: Chains is a novel about the American Revolution, it’s a story about slavery’s injustice and a story of one girl’s march into adulthood; but Chains is really the story of Everyman’s rise from tyranny.

Recommended in history classrooms as well as literature classrooms in grades 6-10. Would suit both units on slavery, the American Revolution as well as literature discussions on personal freedoms and inalienable rights.

Preorder Chains HERE. Available October 21, 2008.

Also reviewed on Let The Wild Rumpus Start!, The Picnic Basket & Library Thing

Gettysburg, The Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer

2008-09-22T06:52:00.001-04:00

They used to be called Comics, geeky connotation firmly attached, but now, Graphic Novels are the big deal. Yes, the comics name has been reinvented to a less geeky, more in the know, form. And sure, graphic novels might hold more storyline than a comic, but lets face it: Someone finally got smart and realized that all those years of hot comic sales should be repackaged for a new generation.

Smart, well, drawn and sweeping in its subject, Gettysburg, The Graphic Novel is exactly the right thing for today’s young reader. Wrapped in well-drawn, subtle, black & white rendering is the dark tale of the Battle of Gettysburg. The author does an excellent job keeping to the facts and adding just enough drama. The novel ends with Lincoln’s most perfect of speeches and drawings that evoke the sweep of the tragedy.

Parents with a desire to see their child engaged in history might want to look for this title when it is released in December. Teachers would also do well to put away those textbooks and add Gettysburg, The Graphic Novel to their collections.

Activity ideas?

• The novel begins with a cast of characters page. Assign reports on each person.
• Have students write imagined conversations between characters.
• Have students conduct a mock interview with one of the cast of characters.
• Research Gettysburg, Pennsylvania then & now. How has it changed? What memorial stands on the site? Why is it important to remember battles like Gettysburg?
• Have students draw their own graphic novel (much shorter, of course) for another battle in the Civil War.
• Have students use the extensive notes & bibliography for research into additional aspects of the battle as well as the war.

I thought these up in five minutes. There are enumerable ideas that would easily flow from this book. I hope graphic novels continue to be a trend in nonfiction books and educational supplementals. With modern inundation of information, students need engaging forms to motivate their attention. Gettysburg, The Graphic Novel is certainly a book worth adding to your collection.

Pre-order Gettysburg, The Graphic Novel Here

*** Struggling readers are especially well-served with the graphic novel format of short text bursts and pictures for added support ***
This reading expert highly recommends Gettysburg, The Graphic Novel for teachers & parents of struggling readers!

After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same...

2008-09-19T13:51:00.003-04:00

There are days when the words cripple your throat and you can't give them ink. I have many of these days and, especially since I've outed this space to so many real world people, think it best to let great poets say it for me:

"I am just a poor boy and my story's seldom told
Ive squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest, hmmmm...

When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin' scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know

Li la li...

Asking only workman's wages, I come lookin' for a job, but I get no offers
Just a comeon from the whores on 7th avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there

Now the years are rolling by me, they are rockin' even me
I am older than I once was, and younger than Ill be, that's not unusual
No it isn't strange, after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same

Li la li...

And I'm laying out my winter clothes, wishing I was gone, goin' home
Where the new york city winters aren't bleedin' me, leadin' me to go home

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains

Li la li..."

The Pages In Between by Erin Einhorn

2008-09-18T04:57:00.002-04:00

The Pages In Between is a tale of mothers & daughters, nationality & family, love & war and the hazards of pulling forth memories long buried. It’s the author’s own legacy of Holocaust death and survival, a sweeping epic told in intimate terms.

Erin Einhorn’s mother was born in war torn Poland in 1942. Her survival and subsequent relocation to Detroit, Michigan is the stuff of Hollywood tear-jerkers and historical reverence. Yet… why, her daughter often wondered, did she refuse to discuss it? Orphaned, left behind, shuffled between caregivers, surely there must be more to the tale than just a hand wave dismissing it all.

But we have adages for a reason and be careful what you wish for holds no greater truth than in The Pages In Between. Life’s not always simply black and white; people aren’t simply good or evil. Prejudice and old wounds can be passed on through generations; anger simmers and infects the whole pot.

The Pages In Between is an excellent look at the legacy left to those who were born to Holocaust survivors. As the years pass and more survivors die of old age, I suspect this sort of story will be told again and again. I have long been extremely interested in my own genealogical tree because my ancestors came here and purged all traces of their European selves. I’m a solid mutt, a mix of German, English and Swiss. I’d never have known this had I not gone looking, as even my own American born parents had no desire and only sketchy memories of the stories they’d heard in childhood. Searching one’s genealogy is like a giant puzzle, a personal quest with each little sliver of parchment a treasure. Ms. Einhorn never sought to become a genealogist, had no interest in the little scraps of paper, wanted only to walk the land of her mother’s birth, to see the sights her mother might have seen as a child, to illicit some emotion from her mother’s stored memories. She found, as I did, that little scraps of paper hold gigantic knowledge.

The Pages In Between reads like a novel, only getting bogged down in facts a few times, as Einhorn uncovers truths and resentments that her mother had never questioned and had probably hoped to keep buried. One is left wondering if burying the past or digging it up is the more noble; if heroism can be defined, and if we are doomed to our ingrained prejudices.

Recommended for historical fiction lovers, genealogy aficionados, memoir enthusiasts and those interested in a not-so-clear-cut rendition in the saga of the Poles & the Jews during WWII.

Buy The Pages In Between Here