It's not Scarlett O'Hara but then again, perhaps you are thankful for such a thing, no? Tara Revisited: Women, War, & the Plantation Legend takes a look at women of color (term used in books) and the white women of the South during the time surrounding the Civil War. Author Catherine Clinton talks about heartache and loss, struggle and triumph - and not just what we were given to see on Hollywood's screen. Tara Revisited is a painful book to read at times, enlightening and even humorous in others. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea and it does have some rather harsh facts. Nevertheless, I found it to be rather intriguing. One thing I liked about ...
Category Archives: History
Clara’s War
I have to tell you, writing a review of Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival is no easy task. In fact, I’ve sat here in front of the computer screen for quite some time making a valiant attempt, yet, still, words elude me. To say it is a powerful story of survival against all odds seems a superficial understatement. Clara, a young Jewish teenager in Nazi occupied Poland tells her story of survival drawn from the diary she keeps during the twenty months she spent in hiding underground (literally) with her family and other Jews, 18 total. This heart-stopping story of a young girl hiding from the Nazis is based on Clara Kramer's diary of her years surviving in an underground bunker with seventeen other people. Clara Kramer was a typical Polish-Jewish teenager from a small town at the outbreak of the Second ...
Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community, and Craft
The day I received Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community, and Craft my parents were here for a visit. Knowing my mom and her love for quilt and craft, I handed her the book to see if she might like glancing through it. She did. Off and on throughout the weekend she perused the book, gushed over the crafts, and shared the occasional interesting tidbit about the Aurora Colony established in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the mid-1800’s. She liked the book so much I almost asked her to write a guest post right then! In Aurora, author Jane Kirkpatrick has pieced together a gorgeous memoir of a little known facet of American history. The beauty of the photography is matched only by the beauty of the crafts created by the residents of the Aurora community. The story of the community’s origin and ...
Stubborn Twig
Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family was everything I hoped it would be and then some. It is a book that needed to be written as it is a story that needed to be told. I am a history buff. I'm so much of one that I'm actually going back to school to get a bachelors in history (I hope to have this completed in the next year or so). I read about the past for fun. To me, the past explains who we are, how far we've come and gives a bit of direction for the future if in no other way than through hints. History is a powerful story because it defines who we are and what we can accomplish. To me, ...
Rhyme
When I recently reviewed a book about Preparing your Heart for Christmas, I mentioned that I'm usually a little slow on the uptake -- meaning that I only start studying or meditating on the meaning of Christmas after I experience Christmas. The same thing happened for Martin Luther King, Jr. day. When the day came, I started thinking about him and his life, so decided at the last minute to reprint a review that I had done on my blog for Freedom Walkers. Inauguration Day hit me in the same way. I surprised myself when I got so caught-up in this historic inauguration, since I don't really pay attention to politics in general. Then a copy of Rhyme by William Marks came across my doorstep offering a perfect opportunity to think about politics a little more. Amanda, ...
Strand
Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris is one of those books where the premise sounds intriguing but you aren't quite sure if the entire book is going to measure up. In this case, it did. It's unexpectedly exciting and unusual for what I would normally choose to read for myself. Strand is written by Bonnie Henderson who is a self titled "Forensic CoastWatcher". She lives in Oregon and enjoys not only collecting items which wash up on the Oregon shore, but learning how what they are and where they come from. Items that she has found on the coast have led her as far away as Japan and China on personal explorations to learn the stories behind ...
The Ice Diaries, by Captain William R. Anderson
I don't remember when the last time was that I found myself so inspired by one of man's more heroic journeys. This book, The Ice Diaries, was written by Captain William R. Anderson who guided the USS Nautilus on it's journey through the North Pole, the first underwater expedition of its kind. It is a story of bravery and determination by one of the most gentlemanly-like figures that one could possibly dream up! This is the second book I've read recently on underwater explorations, the first being Titanic's Last Secrets which I also reviewed here. I didn't expect to like either of these books but am discovering a growing fondness for nautical explorations. In this story, the skipper of the USS Nautilus, Anderson himself, details the journey of the first nuclear-powered submarine on its historic trip under the ...
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Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor -
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