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The Ragged Edge of Night

8/30/2021

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Author: Olivia Hawker
WWII, German family in small community, based on real people and events

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1942 Germany, a widow places an ad in the paper for a husband, she's having difficulty raising three children alone. A friar, no longer able to continue that work in Nazi Germany, answers the ad. The plot follows their struggles to become a family and the real and psychological struggles to maintain dignity and faith in a country ruled by hatred. 

Hawker's writing is described as "beautiful prose," and her writing is excellent.  Her characters are thoughtful and conflicted people, and narrative takes you into their mind as they live with guilt and fear. If you read for action, you might want her to get to the point. But if you enjoy the use of words to set you in time and place, you'll appreciate her work. 

As a bonus, we learn the entire books is based on real people and actual events. It reminds us of people's resilience and power during during horrendous times... and that is a great reason to read this book.   

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Brave Not Perfect

7/1/2021

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​Author: Reshma Saujami
Nonfiction. Resetting girl's/women's need to be perfect
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Women are taught from an early age to play it safe, urged to be careful, complimented for being nice and pretty, steered away from activities where we might fail.  Meanwhile, boys are encouraged to speak up, get dirty, take risks, and get up and try again if they fall down.  What happens?  We create girls who can get straight A's in grade school but have a hard time claiming success and happiness in the adult world where being perfect is impossible to claim. 

I was a school counselor for 28 years. Reshma Saujani described almost every girl and boy I worked with. Girls were the valedictorians, they knew how to get a perfect GPA. They were also the most stressed, with highest anxiety, most likely to drop out of college when they failed their first test. Boys, who had experience in failing and falling down, weren't expected to be perfect, often went on to have a better adult life experience. We need to start raising, teaching, and encouraging our girls to be brave and give up the notion that anyone needs to be perfect.  

Read this book for yourself and every girl you can influence to be stronger and happier. 



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The Book of Longings

6/26/2021

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Author:  Sue Monk Kidd
Historical fiction, women in the 1st century

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This from Amazon: "Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her."

Sue Monk Kidd imagines what if Jesus were married like every other man in his 20s during that time? And then she writes His wife Ana's story. Kidd's research places you completely in that moment, and the narrative matches that of the time period. You are there, experiencing what Ana, Mary, and the other women lived through.  And although He is not a central character in the novel, you also witness the day to day humanity of Jesus.

This book is not biblical fiction, it does not follow every event in the life of Jesus. It is a fictional account of a woman during that time period who the author imagines as His wife. If you are able to stretch your imagination, be prepared for an engaging story of the strength of women and what they will do for the people they love. When I finished the book I was in awe of where words can take you and the talent of authors with that power. 

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Anxious People

4/24/2021

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Author- Fredrik Backman
Humor, layered plot, redeeming characters
​Bestseller

I've read a few Backman books-- A Man Called Ove, Beartown, My Grandmother asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry-- but Anxious People is my favorite and I think it may be his best.  Yes, it has a humorous style and quirky characters, but Backman weaves this story so well that you're cheering for everyone-- the bank robber, the cops, the hostages.

The storyline-- after a failed bank robbery attempt, the would-be-robber takes a group of random (emphasis on random!) people hostage at an apartment showing. Each has their own set of issues and anxieties, including the officers sent in for the rescue.  

As with all Backman novels, there is a deeper sentiment in play... characters come to an understanding, grievances are put aside, life is renewed, faith is restored. But these messages are subtle, leaving the reader with a satisfied smile when the last chapter is finished. 

UPDATE: Anxious People was a selection for our book club. ​Only three of us finished the book! People found it too quirky, not a traditional storyline, too many characters seemed daffy. I loved it for the author's depth and understanding, the themes, and how everything comes together in the end, making sense of the daffy, quirky, unusual storyline.  So read to the end for the reward of a layer themes and great writing.  



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Take What You Can Carry

4/18/2021

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Author- Gian Sardar
One on best books I've read this year.
Worth your time!

1979, secretary (aspiring photojournalist) accompanies Kurdish boyfriend to Northern Iraq for a family wedding. The story is well crafted and tight, drama unfolds, the characters are multi-dimensional.   All good elements of a novel. 
What makes this novel great is the writing style and the author's ability to take the reader inside a family in Kurdistan.  We have become unsensitized to the violence in the region. Sardar makes it real and makes it personal, without making it sentimental.  

This book has all the good elements: it held my interest, I wanted to know what would happen, I cared about the people.  It helped me gain a better understanding of  the region, the people, their struggle, how death finds them.  For that, I thank Gian Sardar for with understanding comes empathy, and empathy would make everything better.

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The Rent Collector

4/10/2021

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Author- Camron Wright
Inspiring and disturbing, you will remember this book!
​If you only read 5 books this year, make this one of them.
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The story of this small family is set in a garbage dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia-- it's where they scrounge for a living, sleep, prepare meals, raise their son, are robbed, beaten.  Depressing? Yes, but it's also a story of inspiration and hope, with characters who are determined and optimistic.  You many find the reading heavy through the first few chapters, but you'll likely be full of hope at the end. 

The mom, Sang Ly, wants a better life for her chronically ill toddler, Nisay. She convinces the curmudgeonly alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap Sin, to teach her to read.  Stories of the characters within the garbage dump unfold, often with sorrow, but also with support and strength of the human spirit. The plot is both enlightening and disturbing and always keeps your interest.

I don't enjoy books written by lazy authors, and Wright is not-- his use of words takes this writing to another level. Sopeap Sin insists that Sang Ly respect and appreciate literature. And Sopeap Sin would appreciate The Rent Collector, because it is good literature. 

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