Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism

Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land

The Sixteen Pleasures

When You Reach Me

I LOVED Madeleine L'Engle's story A Wrinkle in Time, although, I admit I never did quite understand all of the time travel stuff.  Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me cleverly incorporates L'Engle's timeless story.  Being old enough to remember the late 70s also aided me in the pop culture connections used by the author.  While my students may find some of the references "ancient history", I was very much amused by the references to the $20,000 Pyramid, the ability of pre-teens to walk around a major urban area by themselves, and of course the beloved A Wrinkle in Time.

December 2010

Ahhhhh... the ringing bells, softly falling snow and the squeals of happy children who spy Santa.  December brings so much anticipation:  the end of the second quarter, the end of the year, Santa Claus.  But, for this blog, it means that a goal has been reached.  I truly didn't believe I'd reach the goal of 100 books in a year!

Now, to dream of 2011 and reading goals of the future!

122.  When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
123.  The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga
124.   Auschwitz:  True Tales from a Grotesque Land by Sara Nomberg-Przytyk
125.   Thinking in Pictures:  My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin Ph. D.

The Magicians

If Harry Potter were to meet the Pevensie children and they had an adventure, you may find you have captured a bit of the spirit of Lev Grossman's novel The Magicians. 

Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans

At 22 years old Vivien Spitz, a novice Court Reporter,  began her harrowing journey to Nuremberg to report on the trials of Nazi Doctors.   In her recount, Spitz uses actual court transcripts to describe the deadly experimentation that occurred during the Holocaust. 

Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began

Maus II continues Art Spiegelman's retelling of his parents journey through Auschwitz and beyond. I enjoyed the second story for all of the reasons I enjoyed the first:  the novel presentation and Spiegelman's brutal honesty.  But, in the same vein, all of the reasons I didn't like the first volume hold true.  The revelation of too much of Spiegelman's own life intermixed with Vladek's tale took away from Vladek's story.  I feel like the author's autobiographical input lessened the impact of Vladek's survival.  Rather than a story of survival, Maus became more of a cathartic experience for the author.  While I believe the healing Spiegelman felt while writing his father's story may have been his purpose, reading about the therapy was not my intent.

I am still puzzled about the fact that Maus I and II are used by so many high schools.  There are much better stories about the Holocaust out there!

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My FAther Bleeds History

I can't say I've ever read an entire comic book or graphic novel, and I'm not sure Holocaust literature was the place to start.  However, reviewing the book as a teacher, I must say it's a great book to hook some of my not-so-eager readers.  Art Spieglman writes, in comic book form, about his father's experiences as a Holocaust survivor. Using mice to represent Jews and cats to represent the Nazis, Maus follows Spiegleman's family's life from the mid-thirties until the winter of 1944.  

Spiegelman's style is rather abrupt.  His brutal honesty regarding his father's behavior can come across as shocking.  But, I truly believe for others to even begin to understand the Holocaust, an author should not sugar-coat any aspect of a biography. I struggled a bit with Spiegelman's transitions; I often had to reread a passage to determine if I was in past or present tense.

I know that Maus is a part of many high school's English curriculum.  I have read numerous memoirs and biographies that have had a much greater impact on me and my view of the atrocities of the Holocaust.  Aside from the unique presentation, I don't really think that this particular story stands out among the others.

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II

Lita Judge's grandparents, Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom, sent relief to people suffering the aftermath of World War II.  Using their network of American Ornithologists, they asked fellow scientists to help by sending care packages to more than three thousand people in Europe. 

One of the greatest needs was shoes.  People overseas would send tracings of their feet to help insure shoes that would fit would be sent to them.  While cleaning out her grandparents' attic, Lita found foot tracings of every size.  While her grandmother never talked about her relief efforts, Lita's mother's memories came rushing back when she saw the box of mementos.

This beautifully illustrated picture book and series of poems shows just how powerful force of good can be.  While the memories of World War II are generally tragic, Judge's book is an awesome reminder that good can overcome evil.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

As my 3.5 year old daughter would say, "Girl Power!"  I love the character of Frankie Landau-Banks.  Her spunky determination enabling her to infiltrate the Basset Hounds is awe inspiring.  She is the teenage girl I wish I had been.

Her family calls her Bunny Rabbit.  However, she does not want to be seen as a meek and quiet, subservient girl.  She not only wants power, but she wants to be seen as powerful.  Frankie wants to make a statement.  She wants to be her boyfriend's Matthew's equal.  Frankie becomes frustrated because Matthew isn't revealing any of the Hound's secrets.  She is jealous of the fraternity Matthew and the other boys share.  She believes that if she can lead the infamous group to fame, she'll share in that feeling of brotherhood, regardless of the fact she's a girl.

As she uses The Disreputable History of the Loyal Order of Basset Hounds to plan the modern day pranks, Frankie feels she is close to obtaining her wish. But, as quickly as she took power, that power was usurped.  And, although Frankie lost her power, she found herself.  I love that despite everything, Frankie Landau-Banks lands on her feet.  "She will not be simple and sweet.  She will not be what people tell her she should be.  That Bunny Rabbit is dead... She doesn't feel like crying anymore."

Clara's Story

Clara's Story

Hana's Suitcase

At a small Holocaust museum in Japan is a suitcase labeled with a name, Hana Brady, a birth date and the word orphan. Intrigued by the story behind the suitcase, Fumiko Ishioka, the curator of the museum, begins a search that will take her thousands of miles from home. The story switches point of view telling the reader through words and pictures about the journeys taken by both Hana Brady and Fumiko Ishioka.

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer

Irene Gut was only 17 years old when she was separated from her family.  She volunteered to help with the war effort as a student nurse.  When her homeland was invaded she, along with others in her unit, were captured by the Russians.  She was raped and brutalized by the soldiers.  She is forced to work for the Germans, eventually running an officer's household.

Witnessing the horrid conditions in a ghetto, she begins to help Jews.  First, she leaves bits of food by a fence.  Then, she expands her aid by insisting she needs additional help in the home.  She is able to help care for more Jews in this way.  Ultimately, she ends up hiding Jews in the basement of the officer's home and smuggling them to freedom.

Irene does not even realize the danger she faces.  She is simply horrified by the way humans are treating humans.  "I did not ask myself, Should I do this? But, How will I do this? Every step of my childhood had brought me to this crossroad; I must take the right path, or I would no longer be myself. You must understand that I did not become a resistance fighter, a smuggler of Jews, a defier of the SS and the Nazis, all at once."

The most poignant moment in the book is when the reader finally makes the connection of Irene's story of the falling bird.  It is an image one is not soon to forget.

Annexed

Part of humanity is sharing experiences.  Although two people may inhabit the same space, view the same scenery and partake in the same activities, their ultimate experiences will differ.  How we each perceive a situation is based on many factors.  Reading Anne Frank's diary gives us a snap shot of how she experienced her time in the "secret annexe", but is that a true version of reality or is it her interpretation of reality.

Sharon Dogar's imaginative, although based on as much historical fact as possible, novel Annexed allows us to see Anne Frank's world through Peter Van Pels's eyes.  The ability to look at Anne through another person's lens, made her seem all the more alive.  In Anne's version of her captivity, she is the only round character; everyone else is flat.  However, Peter's story creates a round version of not only his character, but also the others:  Margot, Mr. and Mrs. Frank, his parents and the dentist.

Dogar's interpretation of Peter's final journey was spot on.  The amount of research done to write of his time in Auschwitz and eventually, Mauthausen was evident.  The knowledge that, like Anne, he died weeks before liberation is heartbreaking.

I highly recommend this novel.  Annexed would be a remarkable pairing with The Diary of a Young Girl to illustrate point of view to middle school and high school students.  However, this is a book for mature readers as there is reference to sexual situations.

See my review of The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank for another take on Peter Van Pels.

Shutter Island

This is definitely not my usual genre.  I decided to read the book because the movie previews were so compelling.  I knew from the start that Shutter Island was meant to be confusing; I had a difficult time keeping facts and the passage of time straight. 

I really enjoyed the mystery behind the code and how the solution played out, but just the code wasn't enough to keep my truly invested in Lehane's story.  Based on the movie previews, I expected the novel to be much more terrifying.  I didn't find myself scared or even horrified by any of the events.

Sala: More than a Survivor

While in the gift shop of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, I met Sala Lewis.  She is as beautiful in person, perhaps even more so, as she is on the cover of her memoir.

Her memoir tells of her survival on the streets of Poland, and her subsequent capture and imprisonment in Auschwitz. But, the bulk of the story is her arrival in the United States and her life once she was in the country.

It is very apparent that Sala wants it known that she triumphed over Nazis and became a successful model, mother and wife.  When I read Holocaust survival stories I want to learn more about how people survived the atrocities during that time period.  Mrs. Lewis's story was more about how she survived once she emigrated.

Unfortunately, the writing and the editing of the memoir is poor.  I truly believe the way the story was written impacted the emotional impact the story had on me.  I found myself correcting grammar or looking for typographical errors rather than investing myself in the remarkable woman.  

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

I had been intending to read this book for quite some time, and I am not sure it was worth the wait.  While there is no doubt that Ishmael's childhood was truly tragic, I am not sure that his memoir truly conveyed the emotional horror and terror he survived.  There were definitely gory and graphic parts, so much so that I will not be putting this memoir on my classroom shelf.  But, Beah's retelling didn't convey enough of the raw emotions or dramatic reintroduction to society that I would have expected.

The ending of his story just happened.  The book ended so abruptly that I was confused by the appearance of the chronology.  I truly thought my book was missing a chapter or two.  Although as the brief prologue and book jacket indicate, Ishmael Beah is adopted by the storyteller he met during his visit to New York.  But, I would have loved to read more about his journey out of Africa and his subsequent arrival in America. 

All in all, I thought the memoir was worth reading, but I feel as though Beah has so much more to tell.

The Girls of Room 28: Friendship, Hope and Survival

Hannelore Brenner's compilation of stories and anecdotes from the girls who lived in Theresienstadt is so much more than various memoirs.  I love that Brenner took the time to explain the prehistory of the Holocaust and the many events that led to the girls subsequent incarcerations.  I found it amazing the level of normalcy that was maintained for the children who were lucky enough to live in the girls and boys home of Theresienstadt. 

Amazing too, that many from their room survived.  I think that their camaraderie and friendship that was cultivated during that time truly helped the young women who were transported out of Theresienstadt. towards the end of the war.

One Day

David Nicholls book is based on an interesting premise; he follows Emma and Dexter, and their relationship on the same day each year:  July 15, the day they hooked up.  The thought behind this book is appealing.  I like the idea at looking at one's life by viewing it on the same day each year.  Nicholls artfully wove an appealing story.  I grew to love and hate both Emma and Dexter as the years passed by.   But, and this is a big but, I hate the way he chose to wrap up the story.  The ending was very abrupt.  The foreshadowing was clear, so I somewhat expected the outcome, but I think he was looking for a way to end the story.

November 2010

November is my favorite month of the year for a variety of reasons.  First and foremost is Thanksgiving.  I LOVE Thanksgiving.  The food is fabulous and it's a low-pressure family gathering:  no gifts to give or get, just time to spend together.

I also love November as it's a relatively easy teaching month.  Because of Election Day, Veterans' Day and Thanksgiving nearly every week has a day off giving me ample time to read this month. I'm hoping to read a cornucopia of novels!

107.  One Day by David Nicholls
108.  The Girls of Room 28:  Friendship, Hope and Survival by Hannelore Brenner
109.  A Long Way Gone:  Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
110.  Sala:  More Than a Survivor by Marsha Casper Cook as told by Sala Lewis
111.  Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
112.  Annexed by  Sharon Dogar
113.  In My Hands:  Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke
114.  Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine
115.  The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
116.  Clara's Story by Clara Isaacman as told to Joan Adess Grossman
117.  One Thousand Tracings:  Healing the Wounds of World War II by Lita Judge
118.  Maus I:  A Survivor's Tale:  My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
119.  Maus II:  A Survivor's Tale:  And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
120.  Doctors from Hell:  The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments by Vivien Spitz
121.  The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies

My knowledge of the persecution of the Roma/Sinti people during the Holocaust was minimal, at best.  Reading Lewy's book, The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, certainly added to my knowledge base; however, I am sure of all of the information provided by the author.  In speaking to historians and scholars (I am an avid attendee of workshops provided by the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center) their opinions and research has contradicted Lewy's.  Nonetheless, I feel I have gained valuable knowledge about the Roma/Sinti people.  I will continue to pursue the available resources on the persecution of the gypsies.

Yellow Star

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy is a Holocaust biography written in verse.  Roy's aunt Sylvia was one of 12 children to survive the forced settlement in the Lodz ghetto.  Of the 270,000 Jews and Gypsies living in this ghetto, there were only about 800 survivors.

Roy states that she attempted to write her aunt's story in a variety of styles:  non-fiction, third person, but finally settled on first person.  Written using her aunt's own words, each verse expresses a small child's view of her changing world.  As the years pass by, you can sense Sylvia's better understanding of ghetto and her daily fear.

I enjoyed the first person perspective and my heart filled with sadness imagining my daughter rather than Sylvia.  How fortunate we are that she shared her story.

I am a Star: Child of the Holocaust

I am a Star: Child of the Holocaust reads much more like a history book than a narrative of a Holocaust survivor.  Because of the large amount of historical background information this book is an excellent choice for a student without much prior knowledge. 

Inge Auerbacher's poetry and clear recollection of her imprisonment in Teresienstadt, along with the background information create a very poignant story.  However, the story doesn't seem to contain as much action or suspense as books in the genre of Holocaust literature.  A young adult reader might quickly lose interest because of Auerbacher's more textbook like writing style.

Someone Named Eva

I have read numerous books about the Holocaust.  Generally, the young adult books I've read are about Jewish survivors.  Someone Named Eva is a book about a Catholic survivor.  Malida is a Catholic Czech living in the village of Lidice.  Czechoslovakia was under Nazi reign and assigned a "protector", Reinhard Heydrich.  At the end of May, 1942 resistance fighters attempted to assassinate Heydrich.  Their attempt was successfully in that Heydrich died of wounds he received a few days after the attempt to end his life was made.

The Nazis were furious.  Intelligence reports showed a connection between the resistance fighters and the small town of Lidice.  In retaliation, the Czech men and boys were rounded up and shot.  Women and children were separated.  During this time any children who were thought to match Aryan standards were sent to Lebensborn programs.  Lebensborn programs included the kidnapping of non-Jewish, non-German children and teaching them to become "perfect" Germans.  The women and children who could not pass for Aryan were sent to Ravensbuck work camp or gassed.

Something Named Eva is Malida's story of who she was taken from her family and trained to be a German.  Malida is adopted by a German family and raised as one of their own.  At the end of the war, Malida is reunited with the remaining member of her family, her mother.

I was unaware of the events that took place in Lidice, and this novel made me aware of more Nazi atrocities.  Books like this are so important for young adults.  Making students aware of all the victims of the Holocaust, not just the Jewish victims, is important to understanding that genocide is a global issue that affects us all.

Sold

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The Forgotten Garden

Told in alternating chapters, The Forgotten Garden, follows Nell, Eliza and Cassandra and each of their journeys of self-discovery.  Traveling back and forth both between time and continents was a bit confusing at first, but then Kate Morton's transitions became easier to navigate.  The end result is an intricate story of one's connection to family and the interconnectedness of generations.

Each of the characters is beautifully written and given such life like emotions that it would be difficult not to be engaged in their stories.  I especially enjoyed Eliza's fairy tales that were included as a part of the story as a whole.  The inclusion of Frances Hodgson Burnett and the subtle references to The Secret Garden were perfect!

Overall, The Forgotten Garden, is a beautifully written novel with strong female characters who are all connected by their passion for a garden.

The Countess: A Novel

The Countess:  A Novel tells the tale of Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess, of Hungary.  I had never heard of the countess, so I was eager to read this book.  I seem to have a fascination for evil people and what makes them tick.  And, with a moniker like the "Blood Countess" I was anticipating some True Blood type antics throughout the novel.  While I am not a sadist or masochist, I enjoy reading about the cruelties humans perpetrate upon each other. 

I truly enjoyed the historical aspect of this novel, especially considering 1600s Hungary is not a time period I've studied in any depth.  Johns provided not only considrable biographical information of Báthory's family line and that of her bethrothed, but also of the political climate of the region.  

The vast majority of the book was spent with Erzsébet's youth and the early years of her marriage.  While this did explain her fastidiousness in running a household, all of the background felt like too much exposition.  Basically, I was looking forward to reading about her monstrosities, but there was very little of that in the novel.  There was truly no revelation as to why she was the Blood Countess.  One could extrapolate from the few gory scenes presented just how ruthless Báthory could be, but I was wanting more. 

The Countess, rather than becoming feared and loathed by the reader becomes a very sympathetic character.  I could feel the pain of isolation early in her marriage.  I could empathize with her infertility and her loss. I could feel her frustration of being solely responsible for the household and help while her husband was off galavanting and fighting wars.  But, again, I didn't want to like her.  I wanted to be horrified by her misdeeds and actions.  Instead, I found myself wanting to befriend her.

Overall, The Countess provided great background knowledge of an historical figure I knew very little about, but I will be looking for other accounts of her life that show her more hideous side.

American Wife

I believe I have started nearly every Book Club post with these exact words...  I truly didn't think that I would enjoy American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld for a number of reasons.  First, the book was supposed to be a loose biography for Laura Bush and, second, the book was about politics, first lady or not.  However, in the end, I couldn't put the book down.  It made for wonderful vacation reading!

Alice is a delightfully naive character in the beginning of the novel, but by the end she is a insightful and wise leading lady.   One of the joys of this story is watching just how Alice grows and changes: her metamorphosis is so realistic and beautiful.  

Alice's grandmother is a hoot!  The point at which Alice discovers her lesbian relationship is priceless.  While, I wish Alice's initial reaction would have been different, I love that, in the end, she regrets her reactions.

I also loved watching Charlie's character evolve and change.  If George Bush, Jr. is indeed anything like Charlie, then my opinion has changed a bit for the better.  Aside from being a buffoon at times, you can't help but adore him.  He's family was so overbearing and frightful!  The image of Alice's first visit and the solitary bathroom had me cringing for her.

All in all, I enjoyed Sittenfeld's novel and recommend it to anyone who wants an easy, but not brain-candy type read. 

Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

I downloaded this book from my Kindle thinking that it was Christopher Browning's book Ordinary Men:  Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.  I had forgotten the title and just remembered that the word "ordinary" was in the title.  As it turns out,  Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's book was a fascinating and informative read; it just lacked the diary and journal entries that I know are a part of Browning's book.

One thing I found extraordinary was Goldhagen's assertions, backed by research, that soldiers and citizens did have the power to say no.  Men who had been drafted to be part of the Einsatzgruppen could ask for reassignment without fear of penalty or backlash.  It's just that, for the most part, men did not as for reassignment.

This book has been the brunt of much criticism, mostly because a few Holocaust scholars feel that Goldhagen merely published his poorly edited doctoral thesis or complied others research and claiming it's new information.  Even if these claims are true, the information was new to me and reading it all in one place was helpful.

While I am not a Holocaust expert, I can see where the editing needs to improved.  Much of the text is quite repetitive.  He attempts to justify the repetition by stating that he wants to show as many examples as possible, but as a reader, this can get very redundant.

 Overall Hitler's Willing Executioners shed some new light for me, that perhaps many more people went along with The Final Solution, not out of fear and reprisals, not of duty, but out of a deeply rooted antisemitism that goes back centuries.

October 2010

Pumpkins... the iconic image of Autumn, October and of course, Halloween.  I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but adore all things Autumn and pumpkin.  I LOVE pumpkins and cannot wait to indulge in two months of pumpkin pies, breads, cakes and cookies.  I suppose savory treats could be made from pumpkin, but that's not where my taste buds are at!

This month will also be the month I achieve my goal for 2010!  100 books read!  I am so proud and excited to meet this goal.  I am especially excited because my 100th book looks to be written by a high school classmate of mine. 

98.  Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
99.  American Wife:  A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

100.  The Countess:  A Novel by Rebecca Johns

Goal Reached!!!  100 books in 2010! 

101.  The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
102.  Sold by Patricia McCormick
103.  Someone Named Eva by  Joan M. Wolf
104.  I am a Star:  Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher 
105.  Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy 
106.  The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies by Guenter Lewy

The Boy Who Dared

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel.  Although, I have to admit my resignations against this book were based not on the subject area, title or cover art, but because this woman I met at a Holocaust conference years ago recommended it.  I realize this sounds crazy, but this woman was so, so clueless about the most basic of Holocaust facts, I doubted the value of this novel.  I mean if someone truly didn't understand the events of the Holocaust, could this book be worth reading?  The turning point for me was when a student was totally engaged while reading this novel.  This particular young man is NOT a reader.  He's not much of a student, but he was engrossed with this story.  How could I not give it a chance?

I learned a bit of new information about the Hitler Youth and one young man in particular, Helmuth Huebener.  A boy who was executed because he dared to speak the truth.  As a Mormon, Helmuth felt a particular duty to God and country, but he just did not agree with Nazi politics.  He chose to speak out against the Nazi policies through the publications of pamphlets speaking out against the actions toward the Jews.  

Bartoletti takes great care with the historical facts and elements of this novel.  She want so far as to interview Helmuth's brother and one of the boys that was also involved in Helmuth's resistance efforts.  The end result of this extensive research is a well-written, engaging book about a German boy who does the unexpected.

Boom!

Mark Haddon is the author of The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime.  I loved this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed the insight into the mind of an autistic teenager.  The quirkiness of the main character coupled with the ensuing mystery of the novel made for a fabulous read.

I found Boom! at the Scholastic Book Fair.  The catchy title and bright orange cover is what first caught my eye, but upon seeing the author's name, I knew it was a must read!  However, I was deeply disappointed.  The author's many, many references to items in British vernacular became overbearing.  I've read a great many books sent to England, and consider myself to be a budding Anglophile, but I had to look up so many of the words, that reading this book became a chore.  I cannot imagine many of my students taking the same care I took, thus leaving many of them misunderstanding the jokes or the point of a particular passage.


Another frustration is that there is truly no indication what the book is to be about.  About mid way through the book you learn that you're dealing with teachers who are actually aliens.  Novel idea ;o).  The book is basically two boys' quest to prove the truth, a typical good versus evil story.  However, it took so long for me to get to the point where I understood what was going on, I wasn't interested any longer.

While Boom! is not the original title of the novel, it is certainly a better selling point than Gridzbi Spudvetch was.  I know that I'll have a hard time selling this book to my students... which is unfortunate, because if anything it shows just how varied the English language is!

Holocaust by Bullets

While many of us have knowledge of the Death Camps and Work Camps of World War II where millions of Jews, Gypsies, Prisoners of War and others were brutally treated and murdered, the fate of nearly 1.5 million Soviet Jews at the hands of the Einsatzgruppen is not nearly as well known or documented.

Haunted by his grandfather Claudius's stories, Roman Catholic priest Father Patrick Debois began an effort to document the killing grounds of the men, women and children who died at the hands of murderous gun-toting men.  Debois wanted to make known the graves of the victims to provide some sanctity for their senseless deaths.

Using previously unreleased documents from the former Soviet Republics, metal detectors and survivor and witness testimonies, Desbois and his team were able to determine the final resting places of many.  This book is a haunting reminder of the mass destruction of lives, communities and a people.

Mockingjay

The Hunger Games.  A post apocalyptic world that has been created by The District needs to be saved.  Katniss and friends have been enlisted by the rebels to help free the districts and bring about peace.

Instead of being the final installment of an intensely exciting duo of novels, what follows is a diatribe of war.  Not only did this novel feel far above the interest and knowledge level of the teens it was intended, but also strayed from the originally characterizations Collins created.  Katniss became a parody of herself.  No longer the strong-willed young lady, but more a pawn of the rebels.  Ironic, considering she fought so hard to not be a pawn of The District.

I found the love triangle to be tiresome.  I don't mind teenage romance.  I survived all 4 novels in the Twilight Saga.  But, the triangle here just did not work.

All in all, I was very disappointed with Suzanne Collins final novel in The Hunger Games trilogy.

September 2010

3 words... Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Autumn can be summed up in 3 beautiful Starbucks laced words... Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Nothing goes better with a latte than a good book.  September also brings the exciting release of the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay.  So many of my students are excited about the release of this novel that I can't help but catch their enthusiasm.

94.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
95.  Holocaust by Bullets by Patrick Desbois
96.  Boom!  by Mark Haddon
97.  The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

There's a certain sadness knowing that once you reach the end of a trilogy you say good bye to the characters forever... unless you reread the books :o).  That's how I felt when I started The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  I had grown to like and admire Lisbeth and wanted to see her have her "happily ever after".  The dramatic ending of the second book left me wondering if that ending would ever be possible.

The third book isn't as intense as the first two, but there are many heart-pounding moments.  Ms. Salander is as craft and clever as always.  Blomkvist actually begins to figure out just how she thinks and is able to provide capable assistance as she lies recovering in an Intensive Care Unit.  This melding of their minds is an exciting element to the story.

I was saddened to hear that the author, Stieg Larsson had passed away, as he originally planned for this to be a series of 10 books or so.  I am so curious as to what other adventures Lisbeth, and perhaps Mikael, would take.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

I was excited to read the middle book of the Millennium trilogy.  I had come to admire Lisbeth Salander and wanted to see what would happen next, and especially to discover what "All the Evil" was!

The beginning, so much different than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was so promising, if not a bit disturbing.  However, I am beginning to sense Larsson's writing pattern:  present a bunch of interesting plot elements and then dump in hundreds of red herrings to confuse the reader!  While part of me enjoys the twisting and turning plots, my analytical side gets frustrated because I cannot solve the mystery on my own.

I was disappointed that Salander and Blomkvist's relationship has fizzled out.  I truly enjoyed their interactions.  Again, I was astonished by the lengths that Lisbeth goes within her investigations.  She is one smart cookie!

Of course, I will be reading the final book in the trilogy... I'm a sucker for tying up loose ends.  Not only that, but once again, the ending is a cliff hanger!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

My third book club (yes, third!) chose this book for the month of August.  I was not thrilled.  I had started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo way back in February or March and abandoned it.  I'm not sure whether it was the Swedish name places or the extremely detailed and boring financial information, but I just could not slog through another page.  However, since I like to give things a fair shake, and I wanted to participate in a good discussion, I gave the tome another try!

This time, I managed to get through the first 180 or so tiresome pages.  What I found after that was as a fast-paced and thrilling novel.  The character of Lisbeth (excuse my French) is kick-ass!  She has a lot (I mean A LOT) of baggage, but that is part of what makes her character interesting.

I admit that a lot of the plot elements seemed like clues in a wild goose chase, or in mystery terminology, a slew of red herrings, but eventually Stieg Larsson made everything fit together.

Some of the words chosen for this translation of the story were quite strange.  I consider myself to have a pretty broad vocabulary, but I had to use the dictionary feature of my Kindle on many occasions.  Generally, by the conclusion of a novel, I am ready to say good bye to the characters.  Not so with Lisbeth Salander.  I am extremely eager to see where her next adventure leads her in the second book of the trilogy, especially with the cliff hanger of an ending!

August 2010

Ahhhhh... the sound of chalk on the chalkboard, aisles filled with notebooks, pens and crayons.  My favorite time of year -- back to school!  Although, this blog entry is being created well after the fact, because this time of year is so busy for me!  I went back to school, well teaching, in July, but August is a tremendously busy month.

This month's reading centered upon the third book club I'm a part of... the teacher book club!  The Girls with the Dragon Tattoo was chosen, much to my dismay, as I had abandoned the book in February.  But, this time I made it through the first third of the book and became riveted!  

91.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
92.  The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
93.  The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larrson

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes

This book was chosen as the inaugural book for my newly formed club!  My friend Lyndsay and I decided to gather some girls from our on line message board and meet monthly at Panera to discuss books!  A good idea on so many levels!

I must admit that I wasn't thrilled with the selection.  Diane Chamberlain's The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes did not seem like MY type of book.  Mystery, a bit of romance and secrets... a bit of a Harlequin romance in my opinion.  But, I was shocked at just how riveted I became as I read the story.


CeeCee Wilkes is a very naive young woman.  She gets swept up in a romance with an older man.  He says all of the right things.  If he makes a misstep in their relationship he always has an excuse to pacify her fears.  She is head over heels in love with him, and believes that the feelings are mutual.

What happens next is a series of seemingly implausible events that Chamberlain is able to weave together into a fabulously suspenseful story.  CeeCee's world is turned upside down.  I could not put the book down.  There were times I wanted to scream or slap CeeCee, but through it all I just had to know the eventual outcome. 

Dead in the Family

The most current Charlaine Harris offering, Dead in the Family, introduces the reader to a few new characters.  In this novel we get to meet Eric's maker.  Being a fan of the True Blood television series, I was looking forward to some quality reading of the yummy man-child who made Eric, Godric.  However, in the book, his maker is not Godric, but some Roman buffoon, Appius Livius Ocella.  I did not like this whole story line.  I enjoyed True Blood's version much better.

The thought of Sookie and Claude, the fairy fairy, living together is quite funny.  Reading Eric's palatable jealousy was amusing as well.  Another development I enjoyed reading about was Sookie's relationship with Hunter, Hadley's son.  I love the fact she gets to mentor a telepath. 

Now that I've caught up with the series, I feel a bit of a loss!  When does the next book come out?

Dead and Gone

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris continues to explore the mythical world of Sookie Stackhouse.  In this book, the long-awaited coming out of the Weres occurs.  Their big reveal does not go as smoothly as the Vampires however, and this is where the mayhem begins!

After reading others' reviews of the book, I realize that I do not take these books half as seriously as they do.  I have not noticed continuity errors or name errors.  I just enjoy the plot and roll with it.  This being said, if you're going to make a serious study of the Vampire world using these books, this series is NOT for you!

From Dead to Worse

With the introduction of so many characters in the Southern Vampire Series, it seems that Charlaine Harris needed a vehicle to begin to tie up some loose ends.  From Dead to Worse gave Harris this opportunity.  I actually appreciated spending some time with each of the couples and exploring their relationships.  Although, I have to admit the character Amelia always causes me to pause, as my 3.5 year old daughter shares her name.

Sookie as stand-in bridesmaid was great!  I also love the fact that Sookie meets her fae great-grandfather Niall.  As I said in a previous review, I believe that this series is just getting more and more entertaining.

All Together Dead

I really should write my reviews for the Sookie Stackhouse books immediately after reading them, because quite honestly, they all begin to run together.  However, unlike many of my friends and acquaintances, I feel Charlaine Harris's books in this series are getting better, not worse.

Each subsequent books seems to lose much of the tripe and begins to add a bit more substance.  I've given up hope on steamy vampire sex scenes, but I admit that any scene with Erik is a favorite.

These books, for me, are definitely totally escapism.  None of the themes presented in the book will end world hunger or create total peace on our planet, but they do make me a bit happier!

Monique and the Mango Rains

Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway was a book club selection.  One, that in all honesty, I probably would have never chosen on my own. Kris Holloway served in the Peace Corps for two years.  She was assigned to a remote village in Mali to assist midwife, Monique Dembele.

At twenty-four, Monique was quite young to be a midwife.  She was the only medical personnel for the village of Nampossela.  Mali has one of the highest fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa - 6.8 children.  The maternity mortality rate is among the top ten in the world.  Less than 6% of the women use any form of birth control and over 96% of the women have some form of genital mutilation.  All of the statistics make the job of midwifery extremely challenging.  Yet, this is what Monique does.  Quite successfully.

This tiny village has no electricity or running water and extremely limited medical supplies.  But for all the things the village lacks, it is an extremely tight-knit community.  Kris, who is given the name Fatumata Dembele, is quickly accepted by the villagers.  She and Monique, her hostess and mentor, form a quick and lasting friendship.

This book follows Kris's two-year adventure in Mali, as well as, the years that follow.  But more than Kris's adventure, this story is about Monique.  It is about Monique's life and her calling.  While I would never dream of joining the Peace Corp, nor visiting such a remote location, I was enthralled with the story.  I had a cesarean section when I gave birth to my daughter, so I do not know what it is like to experience contractions or the immense work of labor and delivery.  Reading Holloway's powerful descriptions of the births she and Dembele assist was amazing.  The strength of the women to birth in little more than a mud hut with a table and then to leave hours later to work in the fields or attend their other children was startling.

Following the trials and tribulations of Monique's marriage made me realize how fortunate I am to have the freedom and power of choice in my life.  The vast resources we have available made my heart hurt for the sick and dying children of the village, many who do not live past the age of five because of malnutrition.  Linked to the title of the novel is a website created by Kris Holloway and her husband John Bidwell, whom she met in Mali.  Through this website you can donate funds to help continue Monique's powerful work at a clinic created in her honor.

Marcelo in the Real World

Marcelo is 17 years old.  He loves ponies.  He is enthralled with religion.  His bedroom is a tree house.  He is autistic.  He is also at a crossroads.  His father is determined that his son be "normal".  To that end, he insists that instead of taking care of the ponies at Paterson, Marcelo's school, that Marcelo works in the mail room of his law office.  If Marcelo complies then he can choose to return to Paterson in the fall or attend the local public high school.  If Marcelo does not join the "real" world for the summer, he must attend the local high school.

Francisco Stork has created a beautiful character in Marcelo.  He is both child-like and extraordinarily wise.  When we first meet him, he is unable to understand or exhibit real emotions.  He will occasionally become angry, but he doesn't cry, has never felt "in love" and he doesn't understand jealousy or competition.  However, by the end of the summer, with the help of Jasmine, his boss in the mail room and, Wendell, the son of his father's partner, he feels all of those emotions.

I had thought Marcelo in the Real World was simply an autistic boy's coming-of-age story, but this novel is so much more.  It is a love story and a mystery as well.  The story kept me totally engaged with its twists and turns.  I came to despise Marcelo's father and Wendell.  The character of Jasmine is so well-written and multi-dimensional.  I adored her! 

This book would be appropriate for high school students and some middle school students.  While there is nothing totally untoward about the book, some parents may object to some of the language in the book.  The book provided insight on how a child on the autistic spectrum thinks and responds to certain situations. 

Definitely Dead

Typical Sookie story... I keep reading because I enjoy the television series, True Blood, so much. I love how it has improved the novel series.

Like everyone else I know that has read this book, cousin Hadley appears from nowhere and is suddenly dead. Hadley randomly appeared in the television series as well, so I was prepared.

There is a character, Amelia the witch, who shares my daughter's name. This bothers me for some reason.

After the Holocaust

Howard Greenfeld wrote the book After the Holocaust because he realized that there was so much literature about the time prior to and during the war, but very little about what happened to the survivors after the war.   His book follows eight survivors and their journeys.

The book is divided into four sections:  Liberation, After the Liberation:  The Search, The DP Camps and an afterword.  Each section is both joyous and heartbreaking.  You can feel the pain and guilt of surviving, but also the hope.  Personally, I did not know much about the process after liberation, so it was very informative for me to learn about the search process and the displaced person camps.  Presently, my students live in a time with an abundance of communication methods; people can connect quickly, and an internet search is no more time consuming than making a cup of coffee.  However, after the war, this process was much more challenging. 

I truly enjoyed the afterward.  I liked finding out each of the eight survivors' outcomes.  I know my students will also appreciate this section, as they always need every story's ending to be wrapped up completely.  In short, Greenfeld's book is a great addition to any Holocaust library.

We Remember the Holocaust

David A. Adler, son of a Jewish woman who escaped to America (via many other nations) just as the war started, began this book as a way to make the Holocaust more real for his children.  The end product is a book full of information and pictures, a creation meant to be an introduction.

I enjoyed this book as the people Adler interviewed were children or teens at the time of the war.  The stories the tell, from their perspective as young people, will make that time a bit easier to understand for my students.  Within each of the nine chapters there are personal anecdotes, stories and pictures, giving this time period the humanity it deserves.  The stories are graphic, but not overly disturbing, making this book appropriate for intermediate students as well as older students.

Students will have a well-rounded introduction to the events leading up to and after the Holocaust after reading this book that will, hopefully, lead them to want to read and learn more.

Memories of Survival

Bernice Steinhardt, with her mother, Esther Nisenthal Krinitz created Memories of Survival, the story of how Esther and her sister Mania survived the war disguised as Catholic farmhands.

Esther never felt competent as a writer, but she knew how she could be convey her story:  through her embroidery skills.  Her story is told through a series of embroidered panels, complete with stitched captions.  After each panel, Bernice elaborates on the panel, more completely explaining the story.  The detail in each of the panels is extraordinary.  The captions, at times, are heart-breaking.  

Esther had hoped to stitch her entire life story, but died before that happened.  The book begins with images of her childhood home and ends with her arrival in America.  There are other pieces of artwork, created by Esther, that may be seen on the site Art and Remembrance.

This book tells a harrowing tale, but the artwork expresses so much more.  The reader will be struck by just how more he will learn through the images.  This book is appropriate for younger children as well as older.

The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin

The Cat with the Yellow Star:  Coming of Age in Terezin is set up like a picture book, but is written for a slightly older audience.  This beautiful books tells the story of Ela Weissberger.  Ela and her family were transported from their home in Czechoslovakia to Terezin.

While in the camp Ela becomes part of a group of children who perform the opera Brundibar.  The children perform and rehearse daily allowing them temporary escape from the horror that is their reality.  Ela plays the role of the cat.  Ela performed some 55 times while in camp.  At the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois (and I'm sure in other Holocaust museums) there is footage of Ella and the rest of the children performing this opera.

This book is filled with wonderful pictures of Ela and others, but assumes a working knowledge of the Holocaust.  None of the story is particularly grim or disturbing making it an excellent book to share with students as young as thrid grade.

Ela survived the war and went on to perform Brundibar as an adult with the many children's groups who have since performed the opera in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

The Flag with Fifty-Six Stars: A Gift from the Survivors of Mauthausen

I love this story!  Susan Goldman Rubin's The Flag with Fifty-Six Stars:  A gift from the Survivors of Mauthausen is beautiful.  Mauthausen is one of the most notorious death camps and to read such a wonderful story of survival and hope is awe inspiring.  The book begins with a simplistic introduction of how Mauthausen came to be, with quotes from survivors, soldiers and townspeople included.  A great list of references and resources is included at the end of the book.


The story of the impending liberation and the creation of the American flag follows.  Each page is accompanied by haunting illustrations by Bill Farnsworth.  The drawings are so realistic that you'd think that they are photographs.

The story continues with the prisoners covertly creating an American flag using scraps of Nazi banners and prisoner uniforms.  The inmates knew the flag had thirteen red and white stripes, but had to guess at the number of stars.  The flag had an extra row of stars:  fifty-six, instead of the forty-eight.  All of this occurred during a time when the camp inmates new the Allies were near.  They hoped freedom was imminent.  The flag was presented to Colonel Seibel and flown over the camp as it was liberated.  The flag is now in the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California.

Dead as a Doornail

Well, now everyone in Sookie's family is special!

The plot is almost verging on ridiculous, but I can't stop myself!

I've decided the best way to go with this series is to not expect too much!

On to #6!

The Night Journey

Kathryn Lasky's young adult novel The Night Journey is loosely based on her Aunt Ann's own escape from Tsarist Russia.  Much like the during the Holocaust, during this time Jews were mistreated and murdered during pogroms.

In the fictional account, Rachel spends time with her aged great-grandmother, Nana Sashie.   Rachel dreads this time.  However, Nana Sashie begins to tell Rachel tales of her childhood in Russia and Rachel is suddenly hooked!  However, Rachel's parents believe that reliving the past upsets Nana and discourages Rachel from discussing the past.

Rachel visits Nana covertly, in the middle of the night.  Through these secret story-telling visits Rachel learns to a bit more about who she is and learns to appreciate the elderly relative.

I like this story because it reminded me of my reluctance to spend time with my elderly grandmother.  My grandma has since passed away, and now I struggle to remember her stories with any great clarity.  It saddens me that, at the time, I did not appreciate her stories for what they were.  This novel will, hopefully, help to remind students that relatives have wonderful histories to share with them.

I bought this book at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale, and one annoying issue with the book is that although Rachel is spelled correctly on the back cover, throughout the entire book her name is spelled "Rache".

July 2010

Summertime... and the reading is easy.  Blatant rip off from Porgy and Bess, but it truly fits.  The weather is finally cooperating in Chicago and I have had the opportunity for a bit of R & R.   Although at this point of my vacation,  I only have 2 blissful weeks remaining.  It's time to start concentrating on Young Adult novels that I plan to bring back to my classroom.


My goal for this school year is to create an entire classroom of readers.  Some of my students will come to me as readers, others will fight me kicking and screaming.  However, by the end of the year I want all of my students to LOVE reading!  To that end, I'm going to try and share a new book each week, and celebrate a different author each month.  I'm also going to allow students to have time to JUST read -- no strings attached -- free reading!

I'd love for kids to keep a running list of books and authors that they've read throughout the year.  In this way, students will begin to see what they like and what they don't, and I'll be better able to make recommendations.  Reading is such a vital skill that I truly hope I can begin to create, or rejuvenate the love of reading for the 60 eighth graders I'll be lucky enough to teach throughout the 2010 - 2011 school year!

76.  The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky
77.   Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse #5) by Charlaine Harris
78.  The Flag with Fifty-Six Stars:  A Gift from the Survivors of Mauthausen by Susan Goldman Rubin and Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
79.  The Cat with the Yellow Star:  Coming of Age in Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin and Ela Weissberger
80.  Memories of Survival by Esther Niesenthal Krinitz and Bernice Steinhardt
81.  We Remember the Holocaust by David A. Adler
82.  After the Holocaust by Howard Greenfeld
83.  Definitely Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #6) by Charlaine Harris
84.  Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
85.  Monique and the Mango Rains:  Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
86.  All Together Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #7) by Charlaine Harris
87.  From Dead To Worse (Sookie Stackhouse #8) by Charlaine Harris
88.  Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse #9) by Charlaine Harris
89.  Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10) by Charlaine Harris
90.  The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

Dead to the World

Honestly, there's not much to say... brain candy!  This series is excellent summer reading or vacation reading; if you're looking for anything more, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Club Dead

Living Dead in Dallas

Brain candy. Charlaine Harris writes brain candy. Living Dead in Dallas is no exception.  Once I reconciled myself to this fact, I enjoyed the second book of the Sookie Stackhouse novels a great deal more. I still find myself constantly comparing each incident to True Blood, and I'm much more captivated by the visual adaptation.  I still feel that the novel's dialogue is unsophisticated and that the plot lines in the book move so slowly; however,  I like the escape that the fantasy world provides.

I will continue to read the books as everyone says the third book is even better! I have to admit that the books are great for a summer afternoon when I don't want to have to think too hard!  Harris has created a very marketable character and I'm interested to see just where she takes Sookie next.

What I Saw and How I Lied

Judy Blundell's book, What I Saw and How I Lied, was totally unexpected.  The story was full of intrigue and deceit.  I bought it on a whim, because of its setting, Post World War II.  I received much more than I bargained for.

Evie Spooner is 15.  She is a typical school girl.  Her mother, Beverly, is a bombshell, with a reputation to match.  Bev was a young mother and her first husband walked out on her.  She married Joe right before he left to fight in Europe. Bev and Evie have struggled for years, Bev's marriage to Joe was a good decision.  Joe has opened three appliance stores since he returned from fighting.  It seemed as though the family of three would be able to move to a bigger house away from Grandma Glad, Joe's cantankerous mother.

Joe's been receiving a bunch of phone calls lately, all of which he ignores.  The mysterious calls seem to leave him on edge.  He seems even more spooked when Grandma Glad tells him the caller plans to stop by for a visit.  This prompts a spontaneous trip to Florida!

Joe, Bev and Evie begin the journey to the Sunshine State and settle into the Le Mirage, a virtually deserted Palm Beach hotel.  Apparently everyone, except the Spooner family knows that Palm Beach shuts down for the summer and fall!  Once in Palm Beach, a pal of Joe's shows up.  Peter Coleridge.  Evie quickly develops a crush on Peter.  While Evie and Peter develop a friendship, her parents form a friendship with another couple, the Graysons.

Enter intrigue, suspense and mystery.  Now, the story gets good.  I truly enjoyed Blundell's story.  I especially liked the innocence of Evie's character.  Evie began the story as an innocent school girl and ended the story as a woman.

The Hole We're In

The average American family has about $8,000 in credit card debt.  The Pomeroy's in Gabrielle Zevin's The Hole We're In, unfortunately, are anything but average.  Roger, an assistant principal at a Christian high school, leaves his job to pursue a PhD, leaving his wife George (Georgia) to take care the family financially.  Roger's meager salary, only $5,000 for the year, combined with George's hourly wage at a temp. job, causes their debt to escalate to extremes.  With their daughter Helen's impending wedding, George makes some drastic financial decisions.

This novel follows Roger and George and their three children:  Vincent, Helen and Patricia (Patsy).  Each child digs themselves into holes of their own and we're able to easily follow them through Zevin's biting commentary.  From over zealous Christians to the war in Iraq we're able to see just how delicate a balance life is. 

I was struck by some similarities I saw in Zevin's characters to myself.  In each work I've read of hers, I am always able to find myself somewhere.  I truly believe it is the ability to write such life-like characters, that makes Zevin such a fantastic author to read.  She takes risks, writes in different styles and always finds a compelling story in such simple concepts. 

The Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks is a beautifully written tale of a small village's attempt at survival.  A traveling tailor has brought the Plague to a small English village.  Through the eyes of the narrator, a housemaid Anna Frith, the reader follows the struggles that torment her and the rest of the village. 


There is much more to this story, and at times these other plot elements seem to replace the importance of Anna's story.  However, I was most distracted by the ending of the novel.  While I understand where Brooks' idea developed, I think her taking the novel in the direction she did made for a much weaker ending.  I was actually disappointed in the ending! 

The story provided much information about the Plague and measures that were taken during the 1600s to reverse the disease.  I especially enjoyed the fact that I was learning about the Plague while reading a very pleasant story about a courageous young woman.

The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank: A Novel

Ellen Feldman has created an alternate universe in her novel The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank.  In this universe, Peter Van Pels (Peter Van Daam in Anne's famous diary) survives the Holocaust.  Keeping his identity and Judaism a secret, he emigrates to the United States.  The story begins in the 1960s.  Peter is married, has children and is co-owner of successful business.  However, his life begins to unravel when he notices the cover of a book his wife is reading:  The Diary of a Young Girl.  Peter is haunted by Anne's image.  He feels all the things any survivor feels:  guilt, anger, anguish.

While the reader knows that Peter Van Pels died days before Mauthausen was liberated, the details Feldman includes in her novel begins to convince the reader otherwise.  I especially enjoyed the inclusion of the controversy surrounding the dramatization of Anne's diary.  I had only heard of the controversy after reading Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife.

I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed Feldman's novel.  While I was inclined to believe the book would be sugar-coated tripe, it was actually a compelling look at what could have been.

Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz

When I teach my students about Holocaust they are often most curious about Dr. Josef Mengele and his horrible experiments.  Mengele is notorious for his quasi medical experiments on twins, dwarfs, gypsies and other people with physical abnormalities.  His is referred to as the Angel of Death because while his experiments were, more often than not, deadly, being selected by him gave one a glimmer of survival.

This glimmer of survival is Eva Kor's story in Surviving the Angel of Death:  The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz.  Eva and her twin, Miriam were chosen by Mengele on the platform at Auschwitz.  While the rest of their family was sent to their death, Eva and Miriam were subjected to inhumane living conditions and gruesome experiments.  The story is told in Eva's words.  She recalls events in vivid details and she makes you feel as though you were traveling along with her.

What makes this story even more poignant is that both girls survived the war.  Eva lives in Terra Haute, IN and has opened a museum.  She frequently speaks to adults and children across the United States.

Josie and Jack: A Novel

Josie and Jack by Kelly Braffet is reminiscent of a car accident.  You don't want to stare.  You don't want to keep looking back, but somehow you can't help yourself.  Josie and Jack are siblings.  The usually fend for themselves living in an old house on a hill.  Jack takes care of Josie.  However, his methods leave a lot to be desired.  The two are frequently high and drunk.

Their mother is dead and their father is a professor at a university.  He is home only over vacations.  When he is home, he is abusive.  This abuse eventually drives the two to leave home.

The plot twists and turns and surprises.  While the concept of the story is interesting, I believe it falls a bit flat.  I was expecting more and Braffet rarely delivered.  When she did, the surprises were over the top.