"'Shoot them!" they cried. 'Shoot the Jewish dogs!' What had happened to my German friends that they became murderers? How is it possible to create ene"'Shoot them!" they cried. 'Shoot the Jewish dogs!' What had happened to my German friends that they became murderers? How is it possible to create enemies from friends, to create such hate? Where was the Germany I had been so product to be a part of... As they loaded me onto a truck to take me away, blood mixing with the tears on my face, I stopped being proud to be German. Never again."
Eddie Jaku was born German. First a German, then a Jew. That was how he felt as a boy growing up in a country he felt was one of the most civilized and educated cultures in the world. That was before he was captured multiple times, locked up in various camps and faced with the everyday choice of working himself to a slow death or dying instantly should he no longer be of any use to the Nazis. At the end of the war, he was reduced to a mere 28kg.
How does one reconcile with a reality that people who were once your countrymen started treating dogs better than you? "She carried a baton to beat us with and went everywhere with her big German Shepherd attack dogs. She was very kind to them, always calling them, 'Mein liebling'. My darling."
In the midst of endless cruelty, Jaku was offered an occasional relief from kindness shown by strangers. "They gave us no food, but when we were travelling through Czechoslovakia, women would sometimes run up alongside the train and throw bread to us."
While it is difficult to comprehend the mindset of those everyday Germans who were once just your average colleague, school mate or neighbour suddenly viewing you as a quasi-person. Yet when I think about the recent pandemic when the same people that once viewed their neighbourhood Asian grocers as part of the community abruptly change their stance and started attacking anyone that looked remotely Oriental, it is possible that human mentality hasn't changed. Thankfully we have marginally better laws to protect the abused and prevent the start of another genocide.
"We are still here; Hilter is down there... In my mind, this is really the best revenge, and it is the only revenge I am interested in -to be the happiest man on Earth."...more
This book was incredibly triggering for me. It is well researched and contains a vast amount of data that illustrates how unconsciously bias we are. AThis book was incredibly triggering for me. It is well researched and contains a vast amount of data that illustrates how unconsciously bias we are. At the same time, it also validates a great deal of my emotions and reaction to the way I have been treated by society on a daily basis.
"We also don't like to be wrong, and we feel irked and threatened when our stereotyped predictions don't come true."
This is perhaps one of the bigger revelations for me. I am one who has a personality that contradicts all stereotypes of my gender, race and age. It has caused me enormous grief in my life fighting against those who keep trying to push me back into the box where they believe I belong to.
Post George Floyd, "Diversity training is now a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry." One would expect that with so much resources thrown into teaching employees and employers how to recognise their own bias would see a change in hiring patterns.
"When the researchers analyzed actual rates of promotion in the companies following these initiatives, they found that when diversity trainings for managers were mandatory, the odds of Black women becoming managers five years later decreased by 9 percent. The odds of Asian American men and women dropped 4 to 5 percent, and the odds of White women and Black men becoming managers did not change at all."
In my experience no amount of book reading, diversity training or well-presented data can alter a mind that does not want to change. This book may not change the world if the world refuses to bend. But it could offer a few surprising insights to those who are severely marginalized, even if they are fully aware of the bias treatment they receive on a daily basis, how to better navigate a society that refuses to see them as a regular first class citizen. ...more
This must be one of the most entertaining book I have read in a while. I couldn't give it 5 stars since in my opinion The Hunted hasn't really offeredThis must be one of the most entertaining book I have read in a while. I couldn't give it 5 stars since in my opinion The Hunted hasn't really offered any novel concept in an outstanding manner.
I feel that this book is akin to a literary version of "From Dusk Till Dawn". The plot is simplistic - a group of unrelated people meet under random circumstances and bond through a night that became unexpectedly violent and bloody. As the body count grows, the survivors develop in unexpected ways. Frank, a man with a unhappy past hides from society by living a solitary life in the middle of nowhere. His granddaughter Allie, an unremarkable privileged white girl is unceremoniously deposited into his care for two weeks. Together, they encounter Maggie, a young lady with tumultuous upbringing as she is escaping from a group of killers. Bergmoser offers sufficient insight to the history of all characters which in turn explains their behaviours under severe duress.
The biggest attraction for me is the way Bergmoser showcases fear. Each character gets the opportunity to express their points of view, even a minor one like Greg - the middle age white man trapped in an unhappy marriage and dead-end job. These points of views show us their internalised thoughts which translate to their fight or flight actions, be it courageous or cowardly.
It is noted that this book is currently being developed to a film. I do hope that the transition is down well as it has all the hallmarks of a gripping movie. ...more
This is my first Rutherfurd novel and a pleasant surprise. I feel it is difficult to write about a foreign culture, let alone one with such a tumultuoThis is my first Rutherfurd novel and a pleasant surprise. I feel it is difficult to write about a foreign culture, let alone one with such a tumultuous, profound and controversial history. Instead of writing about the actual historic characters, Rutherfurd chooses a safer route by creating fictitious ones that are loosely associated with several prominent figures in Chinese history. The book follows several storylines. Representing the English point of view is an opium merchant, a couple of missionaries and a brief examination of colonial lifestyle in India. An eunuch with an unusual life provides a glimpse of life within the forbidden city. We also follow the lives of a mandarin from the north and wealthy land owners of the south, allowing a somewhat harmonised view of the North/South divide in Chinese cultures. Other notable characters include a gang of pirates plus a father and son pair who went to California as labourers for the rail track construction.
Rutherfurd writes with confidence, broaching on several complex subjects matters such as the use of Confucius to create order in society and China's stubborn rejection of the international trade in contrast with the Japan that went through the Meji revolution to make up for the decades lost in matching Europe with industrialisation. The book starts off at the climax of the opium war, where the British uses the addictive concoction to tip the balance their trade deficit with China. Several Chinese officials expressed their shock in the underhandedness of this manoeuvre and in fact attempted to write to the Queen of England, appealing to her moral righteousness to stop the decay of the nation through addiction. The storylines then ended around the close of the 19th century, when China was on the cusp of a series of painful revolution that resulted in the present day superpower.
"Think of it: we want China to be open and to trade with us. When they won't, because however foolishly they closed themselves off from the outside world, we come in and ruin them. Is that going to induce them to welcome us? Is that even going to make it possible for them to increase their trade?"
One of the prominent character expressed this perspective towards the end of his life. It makes me wonder if that is Rutherfurd's own reflection upon the impact British trade had on old China. After the British looters pilfered and destroyed the summer palace, an eunuch expresses his angst, "For it is not wise to tell a vanquished enemy that you despise him and everything he loves. he will not forgive it. In the Celestial Empire, as I still call it, the rape and burning of our paradise and the contempt it showed will never be forgiven or forgotten. Not in a thousand years."
This book describes the first significant conflict between China and the Western world. It puts modern day rivalry into perspective. It is apparent to me China never forgive nor have forgotten their recent humiliation. The West still has a love/hate relationship with China - there is constant criticism on China yet the West reluctantly accepts that it is dependent heavily on China for manufacturing to support their consumerism lifestyle as well as Chinese dollars in pushing forward world economy. It often causes me great frustration to explain to person of European descent, that while China is not without faults, many severe ones, Westerners are poorly placed in history to criticise China for anything at all. After all, their wealth and lifestyle that resulted in the educated masses were as a result of their relentless plundering of the rest of the world for centuries.
I applaud Rutherfurd's endeavours to provide a balanced view. I applaud him double for the tremendous and thorough research.
There is much to admire about this book and its author. The momentum and concept of the book is unique - the story flows but there isn't any particulaThere is much to admire about this book and its author. The momentum and concept of the book is unique - the story flows but there isn't any particular part of the plot that is climatic. Jena's voice demonstrates a vague awareness of her self destructive life with only the slightest of a hint of growth towards the end of the novel. The story is littered with generous serves of sex scenes, some of them rather violent. Yet instead of being continually shocked by the graphic description, I became desensitised quickly. Jena is difficult to like and there is a near complete absence of any feel good factor. This lack of adherence to a conventional pattern is impressively bold for a debut novel.
Jena Lin is the offspring of Taiwanese migrants to Australia. A former child prodigy, Jena reflects often about her past life as a world famous violinist as she mindlessly stumbles forward in life. Like many children of migrants in Australia, she feels little loyalty to her birth country.
"It is strange to have a white man tell me to dress in a cultural uniform, put myself in a box, a box he's created for people who look like me, this face, this skin colour and all that it means."
"'Great accent,' she says. I'm not sure whether she means I have a good Australian accent, or that I have good English for someone with my face."
Admittedly, in these months of social isolation, I survived by reading predominantly easy to read, light hearted novels. I was deceived by the title expecting a forgettable book about a girl with a sad, lonesome life who goes on to find salvation through some twist of fate. Instead, I was highly entertained by this haunting, somewhat outlandish story that is now seared permanently into my memory. Tu writes with exceptional courage. I look forward to her next piece. ...more
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