Reason Three is Resourcefulness

Whatever moved me to list resourcefulness as a reason to read From the Lives We Knew, it wasn’t the connotation that surfaced in a conversation last week with my hand therapist. (Writing takes its toll, or maybe aging sent me her way.)

A plaque on her wall started our conversation. She had received an award from a civic club. I told her a scene in my book takes place at a meeting of the same organization although, as with so many details, I changed the name of the club. To describe the scene and the key character for her required me to add a short history lesson.

She said, “That’s how I like to learn history. Your book sounds educational. You should list that in your blog as a reason to read it.”

At her suggestion, I’ll propose that for many readers, From the Lives We Knew will be a valuable resource for getting familiar (or re-familiarizing themselves) with some historical events — not to pass an exam, but to understand our world.  I didn’t set out to write with this purpose, but as I bounced early drafts off trusted colleagues, I realized I shouldn’t assume people are well-versed in developments I had to research before I could write about them.

For instance, the opening chapters take place in 1994, soon after a peace treaty between Jordan and Israel re-opened passage across the Jordan River, which had been closed since the Six-Day War of 1967. My critique group, peer writers, said Whoa! They needed some background. So I’ve included a short preface to each of the first three sections with a little history and some maps to help readers along.

Similarly, developments leading tens of thousands of people to flee Kosovo in 1999 play a key role in the second section of the book. Factors which caused refugees to leave Iraq in the aftermath of the “regime change” ten years ago are crucial to the third section of the book.

In addition to this implication of the word resourcefulness, I’d like to get readers interested in the gumption and ingenuity of the characters. For example, the first man the reader meets eventually succeeds in business by researching ancient practices for his craft. Most of the characters have to be resourceful simply to survive the ordeal of displacement.

If you like to squirrel away stories to help you understand what’s going on in the world, or if you admire resourcefulness in other people, I think you’ll enjoy reading From the Lives We Knew.