"All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel"

"When the Day of Judgment dawns and people, great and small, come marching in to receive their heavenly rewards, the Almighty will gaze upon the mere bookworms and say to Peter, 'Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them. They have loved reading.'"

-Virgina Woolf


Today is Friday, November 21, 2014, and it has turned out to be another cold day here in North Carolina. I suppose that "cold" is relative when you consider the cold temps that my parents, in-laws, and son are experiencing in Kentucky and Ohio. We once lived in cold country in Upstate New York, but I don't know if my blood could adjust to that again. - I've gotten used to the moderate temperatures of North Carolina. The sun shines more often than not here, and that's a good thing. It's not unusual for there to be a traffic standstill on the Durham Freeway at 7:15 am because the drivers must face the sun and they slow down because they are blinded by the sunlight. I think it's pretty funny. Nevertheless, this week has been a very cold week for us compared to the normal temps before Thanksgiving. Our first propane tank of the season was delivered late yesterday, so I look forward to using the propane fireplace a lot this weekend.




Last week I wrote about two books that I had read: The Boys in the Boat and Beautiful Eyes: A Father Transformed. I recommend both of these books for the non-fiction reader who enjoys a good story as well as one that inspires and urges us to become better people. The book that I am currently reading is a historical novel, All the Light We Cannot see: A Novel, by Anthony Doerr. Once again I found myself selecting a book that is set in Europe during World War II. This year I've read several books about this historical period that changed the world forever. And each time that I've read one of these, I've seen World War II from a slightly different perspective. Prior to this year, I didn't really think much about how Hitler and the Nazis affected every country in Europe. Of course, I've studied the horrors of the concentration camps and the plots to kill Hitler, but the war also affected every part of European society such as the lack of food, the lack of men to help at home, the terror of hearing air raids, and masses of people running to their shelters, etc. There were many, many people who were displaced during the war, especially children. All the Light follows two such stories, the story of a blind French girl named Marie-Laure, and a young German teenager named Werner. Marie-Laure and her father must leave Paris due to intense fighting there, and they find protection for a while with a relative in another town. Incidentally, the memorial to the Parisians who died in the Holocaust is located right in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. There is a light to represent each of the 200,000 French people who died.

  After their move, Marie-Laure must memorize a new community by counting the paces to the bakery, etc. In their Paris community, her father had built a model of the neighborhood so that she could "feel" what the buildings were like. She knew her way around quite easily there, but after the move she has to learn how to get around once again. Here it's not safe to go outside very often, however, so Marie-Laure must be content to stay indoors most of the time. In another setting in Germany,  a young orphan named Werner gets accepted into a Nazi school for exceptional young men who can help the Nazis. Werner has an amazing way with wires and radios, so even though he is small in stature and physically weak, he is accepted into the school and the Nazis begin to admire him for how quickly he can repair radios. Although he is glad to be out of the orphanage, Werner misses his younger sister and wants them to be together. I have a feeling that the two main characters in this book are going to somehow meet, but since I'm not quite finished with it, I can't say for sure.I'll write more about the ending of the book next time.

Here is the list of the next ten books in my card catalog. These are some of the books that I've read since 1984:

1. My Life in France by Julia Child
2. Walking Wisdom by Gotham Chopra
3. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
4. Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark
5. We'll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark
6. Opening Blind Eyes by John Claypool
7. What looks like crazy on an ordinary day by Pearl Cleage
8. Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counseling by Howard Clinebell
9.  The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
10. Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell

Sending you warm thoughts,

Melissa
 

Two great reads for November

The men of the University of Washington rowing team circa 1935

"Where is the spiritual value of rowing?...The losing of self entirely to the cooperative effort of the crew as a whole." - George Yeoman Pocock, in The Boys in the Boat
 
 Since my last entry, I was able to finish reading two great books: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, and Beautiful Eyes: A Father Transformed by Dr. Paul Austin. I'm still reading a lot of non-fiction books as well as historical novels. I've been reading so much lately that the things that I'm learning are beginning to overlap. I admit that I read for the mere enjoyment of it, but I also read because I LOVE INFORMATION. Nowadays I guess the young people would call me a "nerd," but in many ways I think "nerd" is in now, especially here in Durham. There are a lot of smart people here, and people are not afraid to show it. Nerd is in, nerd is cool, and nerds are proud to quote the information that they know if it can be of help to someone. Information is readily available to all of us now with the use of technology, and I'm very thankful for that. I don't have to drive out to the other side of town to buy a book. I don't have to wait for the library to have a book available at the library. I can download the book onto my kindle if I just can't wait. I try to keep my options open.

The first book that I finished this week is The Boys in the Boat. This book was inspiring, to say the least. It's a story that we all love to hear about unlikely winners. The college rowers of the University of Washington didn't really expect to beat other colleges at all, much less go to the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Brown focuses on one special young man, Joe Rantz, as he tells the story of some amazing young men who worked incredibly hard to become victorious. Joe was a young man from a difficult past. His mother died when he was young and soon after that his stepmother didn't allow him in the house any longer. He felt very abandoned and alone with no one to love or encourage him. His father never stood up for him or sought his love. Joe had no resources, no emotional support, and no prospects, but when he scraped together the money to attend the University of Washington, his fortune began to slowly change. He found that he could achieve something incredible with the guidance and support of his teammates and coaches. Joe overcame many difficult times on the rowing team, but he NEVER gave up. He could have easily given up but he kept giving it his best. In the end, his team went to the 1936 Olympics on a ship as enjoyed the entire journey. They were on the same ship with athletes such as Jesse Owens and Louis Zamperini, the great long-distance runner and World War II P.O.W. survivor. Incidentally, if you haven't read Unbroken, the book about Zamperini, I strongly encourage you to do so. Zamperini died earlier this year at the age of 97. The movie version of Unbroken comes out in December, so you will want to read the book BEFORE the movie comes out (the book is always better). When I read that Jesse Owens and Zamperini were both on the ship with the rowing team, it helped me to grasp the historical period in which they all lived. There were 49 nations represented at the games, with almost 4,000 athletes participating in 19 sports. The games were opened by Chancellor and Fuhrer Adolph Hitler.

It's important to realize that during this time, Hitler was in control of Germany. The Germans beat out Spain to host the Olympics and they put on a big show for the world. While the U.S. almost boycotted the Olympics due to limited knowledge that the world had about Hitler harming Jews and others, they decided to allow the athletes to participate. By the time the world arrived in Berlin, the Nazis had hidden all of their anti-Jew propaganda and other evidences of crimes against humanity. When the athletes arrived, they quickly noticed the Nazi flags everywhere and the "Heil Hitlers" and continuous salutes. It was after the Olympics that the situation in Germany greatly worsened, and the world soon learned how serious the situation was.


Before I finished The Boys, I began reading Beautiful Eyes: A Father Transformed, because I read a paragraph in our local newspaper stating that Dr. Paul Austin would be doing a reading at The Regulator Bookstore nearby. I know the Austin family, an so I knew a little bit about their daughter with Down's Syndrome as well as their two sons. When our children were in elementary school, our son was good friends with the Austin's oldest son, John. I spent a lot of time with Paul's wife, Sally, and enjoyed those play dates and social times. A few years ago I read Paul's first book, Something for the Pain, so I wanted to read his new one as well. The book is about the experience of having a child with Down's Syndrome. The Austins had no idea that their first child would have this disease, so it was quite a shock. Over time and learning more about the disease, the family adjusted and learned a lot about what makes a person "human." It was interesting to read the scientific points that Paul learned along the way. In this memoir, Paul interweaves scientific information that is helpful to the reader in understanding many of the conclusions that he makes. In short, his book explores what it means to be human from the perspective of parents who have thought long and hard about it.

I have a lot more to say about the two books, but I will save that for another time. Now for the next five books in my card catalog.

Sharing Good Times by Jimmy Carter
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell
Your Attitude is Showing by Elwood Chapman
Married Lovers, Married Friends by Steve & Annie Chapman

Have a sublime week,
Melissa

"A great stroke is mostly a fighter and racer; someone who loves going into battle and always thinks that he can win. Attributes: Unshakable confidence in himself. Always tries to win no matter what the circumstances or the activity. An iron will." John Pescatore

This weekend we welcomed November into our lives with a cold, brisk shout. As snow blanketed the North Carolina mountains, areas further south, and many cities to our north, here in Durham we clung to our sweaters in hopes of at least a little bit more warm weather before the winter chill sneaks in. At least my sweaters will seem like new clothes to me since I haven't worn them in such a long time. Wherever you are today, I hope that at least the sun is shining and you can find a warm spot.

Before I discuss the book that I'm currently reading, I'd like to share the next five books in my card catalog. Again, note that these are some of the books that I've read since 1984 when I started keeping a record of them. Here are the next five:

Paris to the Past by Caro
An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter
Christmas in Plains by J. Carter
Living Faith by J. Carter
A Remarkable Mother by J. Carter

As you can see, I've read these four books by Jimmy Carter as well as one other. I tried reading his only novel, The Hornet's Nest, but I found it exhausting and uninspiring. So, I stick to his nonfiction works that reveal much about what makes him tick and where he gets his inner strength and inspiration. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, one of the highlights of my life in the past 20 years was when I had the opportunity to meet Jimmy Carter here in Durham while I got his autograph.

Books can clearly be inspiring and a source of joy. I remember many books from my childhood, and I'm so thankful for a mother who read to us and still reads many books herself. My dad is also a reader, so their quiet influences helped me to find the enjoyment in books. I remember books such as Robinson Crusoe, Alice in Wonderland, and Charlotte's Web, to name a few. These books are still being read by children all over the world.




Now to the book that I'm reading, The Boys in the Boat. When my aunt in Kentucky mentioned that she had this book in her pile to read soon, I thought that it sounded like something that I would enjoy. The book is about young men at the University of Washington who were boat rowers on the school team. The main character, Joe Rantz, overcame many personal obstacles such as poverty, family absence, and feelings of inadequacy to become one of the strongest rowers on the team. These men were on the team in the 1930s and set their hopes on competing in the Berlin Olympics with all of its controversies. I learned a lot about what goes into rowing. Unimaginable strength and perseverance is required, as well a rhythm and teamwork. These men rowed through snowstorms, rain, sleet, and wind. Many of them didn't have enough to eat and were always hungry, yet they loved to row. Joe Rantz was probably one of the poorest students on the team, so he worked hard with his back whenever he could in order to pay for just one more year of college. One year he was the night janitor at the local YMCA in exchange for a place to sleep. He cut down trees and did other physically challenging work just to survive. Most of his team members didn't know what he was going through, yet it all somehow seemed to help him to appreciate the opportunity to row on a strong team and to get an education. I'm eager to finish this book and to read about the outcome of the Berlin Olympics. I'm a little over halfway finished with the book but I still don't know if Joe Rantz gets to go to Berlin. This is clearly an inspiring true story, one which many of us have probably not heard about, but it is worthy of being read. So if you enjoy stories about unlikely heroes or people who overcame adversity, you will like this book.

Stay tuned for more thoughts about books and The Boys in the Boat. The boys were ordinary boys, but they did incredible things out on the water. Have a great week,
Melissa