"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some."
Charles Dickens
1812-1870
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
What is Poetry?
"What is Poetry? Who knows?
Not the rose, but the scent of the rose;
Not the sky, but the light in the sky;
Not the fly, but the gleam of the fly;
Not the sea, but the sound of the sea;
Not myself, but what makes me
See, hear and feel something that prose
Cannot: and what it is, who knows!
Eleanor Farjeon
Not the rose, but the scent of the rose;
Not the sky, but the light in the sky;
Not the fly, but the gleam of the fly;
Not the sea, but the sound of the sea;
Not myself, but what makes me
See, hear and feel something that prose
Cannot: and what it is, who knows!
Eleanor Farjeon
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Review-"Clara's War"
Harper Collins Publishers
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061728600/Claras_War/index.aspx
339 Pages
Before I start on this review, is it ever appropriate for a reviewer to blatantly accuse an author of falsifying information? Maybe impolite would be the right word? Or maybe disrespectful would be more accurate?
Why am I asking these questions? Because I just read a couple of other reviews from other blog reviewers that have reviewed this book, and they feel this book may have not been written truthfully.
My opinion is that I am NOT in the position to ever accuse someone of not writing a memoir with honesty.
We all have our opinions, but we should not always open up our mouth and speaketh, or writteth.
Tact--meaning--a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense.
Review--"Clara's War"
Clara and her sister Mania, and their parents Meir and Salka Schwarz lived in Zolkiew, Poland. For many generations their family had lived in Zolkiew. Clara's father had a prosperous business. They had many other family members living nearby. Clara and her sister went to school, Mania was a talented vocalist.
1 September 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland and then the Nazi murderers began the genocide, there would eventually be over 3 million Jews murdered in Poland.
After the Nazi's invasion of Poland and the occupation began, the Schwarz family knew they must hide, if they did not hide they would be forced to live in the ghetto, or they would be sent off in the trains to the camps.
The Beck family offered the Schwarz family a hiding place under the crawl space of their home. This small crawl space was also occupied by other families as well.
Mr. Beck had a bad reputation, and Mrs. Beck had helped the Schwarz family as a housekeeper in their home. Ala Beck age 18 was their only daughter.
Clara was encouraged by her mother to keep a journal of their lives during this horrific time. It is this diary that Clara wrote that has now been turned into a memoir with the help of Stephan Glantz.
At the beginning of this year I signed up for War Through The Generations WWII Challenge. I had already passed my goal of books to read on this subject, but saw "Clara's War" in the public library and had to read it!
I felt that this was a well written, gut wrenching, memorable account of a survivor of the Holocaust.
This story pricks your heart with the memories of a young girl and her family.
The stark fear that Clara and her family faced day after day, the fear for their own lives, the lives of their other family members, friends, and what if the Becks that were hiding them were caught.
This book is a testimony of the deep love of a family, and if necessary sacrifice.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
A New Year Coming and Change!
Change is coming to this blog! The change will be affective January 2010. I am changing this blog to a children's and juvenile fiction book blog. I will make subtle changes during the month of December, the big change will happen in January.
My grandchildren are 6 and nearly 4. They both love books and my older grandchild Celeste is learning to read. I am excited about creating a blog that will not only reflect books that I choose and read, but books that they choose and read. I plan on reviewing the books, and in addition will be asking them how they feel about the books.
I have created a second blog for secular books and challenges, etc. Look for this to begin in January as well, it is
Impressions In Ink.
Thank you!
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
My grandchildren are 6 and nearly 4. They both love books and my older grandchild Celeste is learning to read. I am excited about creating a blog that will not only reflect books that I choose and read, but books that they choose and read. I plan on reviewing the books, and in addition will be asking them how they feel about the books.
I have created a second blog for secular books and challenges, etc. Look for this to begin in January as well, it is
Impressions In Ink.
Thank you!
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
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