Charline Ratcliff's Blog, page 6
March 6, 2012
"auf Wiedersehen" Book Review
"auf Wiedersehen" Book Reviewed: 03/2010
Author: Christa Holder Ocker
"auf Wiedersehen" by Christa Holder Ocker is a heartfelt recounting of the author's early childhood growing up in Nazi Germany. It is a well written autobiography and I am grateful that Ms. Ocker has decided to share her story with us.
When I first decided to read this book my interest was piqued because of the subject matter. I was interested to read from a child's point of view how Germany was affected by WWII. I also wondered if there would be any similarities between "auf Wiedersehen" and "Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl." Of course I hoped "auf Wiedersehen" would have a much happier ending. I was not far off. Both are poignant stories and as children there is no guile or deception in their words. To quote Christa's mother "black is black and white is white."
It was eye-opening to read about Nazi Germany from the experiences of a German child. It reminded me that as children we do not start out filled with hate but rather learn this from those around us. Discrimination is not a way of life it is instead a choice. It was also interesting to read about Christa's life in the outside world versus Anne Frank's experiences as she and her family hid for their lives. Christa shared her memories of young men so proud to wear the uniform of the Third Reich while on the other hand many German women showed sorrow because of the men's actions. Unfortunately as a woman what could they do except show love and kindness and lend a helping hand as able.
"auf Wiedersehen" is a poignant remembrance of Christa's life as she was uprooted from her home, her friends, and everything else she had previously known. Her story shows the courage and love of her family and yet throughout the book there are sobering reminders of the horror the Jews and other victims of this world war went through. At times I honestly wondered who were the luckier ones? Those who lived or those who died?
Christa Holder Ocker has written a beautiful memoir and I highly recommend it. It is a shorter book consequently making it an easy read but its ultimate message is one of power. Simply that love can conquer all…
"Angel or Not?" Book Review
"Angel or Not?" Book Reviewed: 03/2010
Author: Lori Diez
"Angel or Not?" by Lori Diez looked like a cute, albeit short, book so I asked to review it. Angel, the book's main character, is the youngest of four children in the Hennessey family and believe it or not she has been looking forward to the start of 4th grade all summer long. Apparently summer vacation was really boring that year…
The first day of school finally arrives and, boy, is Angel ever in for a shock. Her day was nothing like she expected it to be. For starters, the teacher that all the 4th grade students love, the one whom Angel was looking forward to having this year, is out for several months. Angel takes one look at her new substitute teacher and doesn't particularly like what she sees. Then she learns that Sonya, a girl who has bullied Angel in the past, is going to be in her class. As the day progresses Angel contemplates her misfortune. She is certain that somehow all these mishaps can be traced back to her forgetting to kiss her father goodbye earlier that morning. To top it all off not one but two people close to her are injured and Angel is left wondering how to handle things.
As I read "Angel or Not?" it seemed that "Angel or Not?" was the non-stop question throughout the book. However, I'm not going to give anything away by telling you whether she finally decided if she was an angel…or not…
I did find "Angel or Not?" to be a cute read. Lori Diez did a good job of writing her book from the perspective of a 4th grade girl and this does; of course, include all the drama that goes along with being that age. "Angel or Not?" was a funny read. I did enjoy Angel's sense of humor although I must say; at times, it did come across as more mature than that of a 4th grader.
In summary, "Angel or Not?" is a nice fictional story for juvenile readers but be aware that there are a lot of religious overtones throughout so don't gift this book to anyone who may not appreciate that aspect.
"An Unimaginable Journey" Book Review
"An Unimaginable Journey" Book Reviewed: 03/2010
Author: Aviad Meitar
"An Unimaginable Journey" by Aviad Meitar is an inspiring story. The author has a clear and easy to read writing style and he is not without a sense of humor. Put all of this together and Meitar's readers will definitely enjoy his first-hand recounting of the sixteen year journey detailed in this book.
Meitar's story starts with an idea; the idea of bringing Pepsi to Romania where until this point only the Romanian "elite" were lucky enough to drink it. "An Unimaginable Journey" details out an incredible undertaking by people with little to no experience or knowledge in the beverage industry or for that matter, Romania. Meitar's words and actions are a powerful reminder that no matter what someone says can or cannot be done if there is a burning desire to succeed then succeed you shall! In the end true determination will win out over any man-made obstacle.
Meitar's book shows us the positives of "capitalism" and how it can be used to benefit all parties involved. His team went into a country with a population of twenty-three million and helped create jobs and business opportunities for its citizens. They knew this would also help in the rebuilding of Romania's economy. They also managed to find charitable ways to give back to the community while still propelling the Pepsi brand further into the spotlight making it a win-win situation for all.
There is a chapter in the book which details "The Viking Laws" and how they were enacted in this business venture. No matter where we each reside I feel these ancient "laws" still hold true even in today's world. I wonder how much less complicated our lives would be if each person implemented them on a daily basis. I agree with Meitar in his assessment that these laws "apply beautifully to running a successful business in modern times."
In summary "An Unimaginable Journey" is a fantastic read made even more phenomenal because it is a true story. I highly recommend this book to readers of ALL ages and from all walks of life. There were many important truths realized during this journey and Meitar has graciously shared them with us. I also look forward to reading about his current endeavors in Bulgaria in the future.
March 25, 2011
"Houdini's Last Living Assistant Dies, But His Legend Lives On…"
I guess now we will never know the secrets behind his legendary performances…
March 19, 2011
The Womb of Uncreated Night by Chris Antonides
Let me begin by saying I truly enjoyed reading this book. "The Womb of Uncreated Night" by Chris Antonides is a fictional story and is extremely well written. I first decided to read it because I was intrigued by the concept. A seventeen year old boy with extremely poor eyesight and a love of bats believes himself to be Bruce Wayne aka "Batman." In the opening chapter we meet the "Brewster" out for a spin in his shiny new Batmobile; test driving it so that in future he can cruise the city streets at night ready to right any wrongs. Unfortunately he winds up getting into an accident and the next thing we know Batman is being incarcerated. How would you like to be the officer radioing your precinct about that arrest? I'm sorry… You've got WHO in custody?
Some of you may be wondering what's so great about a story with a kid who thinks he's a comic book super-hero. There are probably other books written with similar themes so why would you want to read this one? Well, Antonides decided to throw a little something extra into the mix. Brewster's girlfriend is attacked in Central Park and when he finds her body it appears as if she's been bitten by a bat. Or worse and even more unbelievable…a vampire. This book is kind of like "Batman Begins" meets Anne Rice's vampires and let's just throw in someone like Sigmund Freud so we can have some scintillating conversation between Brewster's psychiatrist and our obviously crazy yet genius boy wonder. Of course at the end of each of these court required sessions both psychiatrist and reader will be wondering how deluded our hero actually is.
Antonides did a great job of explaining how things like the batcave came to be. I marveled at the ease in which the infamous batsuit came to fruition and I laughed at the image of Brewster hanging from the ceiling by his feet. Did I mention he literally fell out of his boots the first time he tried it? I bet Lionel Richie would have loved a pair of those boots when he made his "Dancing on the Ceiling" video…
Lastly, the author seems very knowledgeable about world history and the arts. This gives a credibility to his writing style which makes the story that much more believable. All in all it was a great book. I definitely enjoyed the read and I highly recommend it.
March 4, 2011
Upcoming Appearance
For those of you in the Tucson / southern Arizona area I will be appearing at this year's Tucson Festival of Books on March 12th, 2011. Follow link for more details: http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/pavilion/list
February 24, 2011
West to the Sun by T. G. Good
Imagine this. You are eleven years old and your father matter-of-factly announces one night to you and your family "we're moving to Oregon." What goes through your mind? Do you feel fear or are you too stunned by his proclamation? Do thoughts of leaving behind your friends, your house, and everything else you are familiar with cause you to feel resentful? Do you argue with your father or simply accept the situation and attempt to make the best of it? What do you do now that life as you know it will no longer be the same? This book is a brief look into the life of Jeremiah Symons after his father, Jedediah, decides the best way he can provide for his family is to move them to Oregon.
"West To The Sun" is a fictional tale set in a well recounted historical setting. The book is well written and able to hold the reader's attention. It focuses on the experiences of a young boy, now required to be a man, as he literally walks across the country with his family, their trusty oxen, and the other members of the westward bound wagon train. The author, T. G. Good, does a great job of explaining the tremendous amount of preparation which must precede a move of this magnitude as well as describing the journey itself.
In today's world most of us think nothing of traveling thousands of miles from our homes. We are completely accustomed to the various forms of transportation our current technology offers us. In fact, many of us have no experience with anything else. Planning a trip is generally nothing more intensive than throwing some clothing into a suitcase or carry on. Did I mention we also manage to travel these tremendous distances in only a matter of hours? It was a sobering realization when, in reading this book, I did the math. I figured out it would require one hundred days at twenty miles per DAY for them to reach their final destination. I drive twenty mph and I shudder with impatience. Of course one hundred days only happens if absolutely nothing goes wrong. Wheels and axles for the wagons could not break. Freak storms could not show up. Wagons could not get stuck in the mud nor could they be allowed to float away in raging rivers. We all know that in life nothing goes according to plan and the same holds true in this story.
Overall I found "West To The Sun" to be a very interesting read even if, at times, it bordered on being overly religious. It is definitely a book that can be enjoyed by readers of any age.
February 19, 2011
More Interesting Ancient Egyptian Facts…
February 18, 2011
Mind Well The Witch by Susan Netteland Gerbi
Let me be honest and tell you I was unsure what to expect from a book titled "Mind Well The Witch." What hooked me was the concept of a dyslexic, hyperopic and peri-menopausal witch especially as that is not a subject commonly written about. I figured "Oh, what the heck!" Besides, my curiosity kind of got the better of me when I saw the words "dyslexic" and "witch" used together to describe the same person. Were people actually brave enough to use her potions? More importantly what type of spells does a dyslexic witch cast? Probably the same kind as any other I would imagine. I guess the real question here is whether or not her incantations have the same outcome as those cast by her "non" dyslexic sisters.
As long as I am being truthful I must admit I had to look up the definition of "hyperopic." For those of you who have no idea but are wondering it is merely another way of saying someone is "far-sighted." Since I myself am myopic (near-sighted) I probably should have been able to figure that one out. What can I say? I was still stuck on the whole dyslexic witch thing and I was envisioning the town mayor being turned into a frog…or worse! Did I mention that this witch is peri-menopausal on top of everything else? I began envisioning fire raining down and I wondered how long my imagined "frog mayor" would last before being incinerated, most likely in mid jump. Yup, I HAD to read it!
All in all I found "Mind Well The Witch" to be a cute story and while it was a quick read it was entertaining. I appreciated the fact that the author, Susan Netteland Gerbi, used her various friends and family members as the basis for the book's characters. In doing so I felt she was able to give the story a more intimate feel. My favorite personality wound up being Shadow, the very independent, opinionated, and at times overly demonstrative cat.
I liked that "Mind Well The Witch" was loosely set in history about sixty years after the horrific witch hunts the New England area is renowned for. Having it set later in time allowed our bumbling but kind-hearted witch, Mindwell Thayer, the freedom to practice her craft without too much fear of reprisal. I must also add I did notice an extraordinary amount of beer drinking throughout the tale which, in retrospect, probably accounts for the general happiness of the townsfolk. I found the "unique" recipes interspersed throughout the book to be an interesting touch and I wonder who among us will be able to resist the allure of "Roasted Toad Tea?" On the flip side I did shudder at the thought of people only bathing once or twice per month. Oh the smell! The image of wooden teeth left me consternated; wondering how often people sporting such things would get splinters in their tongues, gums or worse?
In summary: a cute and humorous story for readers of pretty much any age.
Interesting Egyptian Facts…
The first written international peace treaty was between Ramses II of Egypt and Hattusili III of the Hittite empire.
