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

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.   

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. 

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

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. 

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.