Remembering Anne Frank By Miep Gies
Club Reviewer: Roberta
During the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II many Dutch Jews either fled the country or were hidden and sheltered by their Christian friends and neighbors in order to protect them from being rounded up and taken to German labor camps. Most of us know the story of the Otto Frank family and their friends who hid in “the Annex” until they were finally betrayed and captured by the Nazi’s. Remembering Anne Frank is the story of Miep Gies, her husband and others who helped hide the Frank family from the Nazis for 25 months. These brave people and others like them risked their lives to bring food, news and emotional support for the victims.
The story begins with Miep’s childhood as a World War I refugee from Austria, her struggle for Dutch citizenship and continues through the moment she places Ann’s diary in Otto Frank’s (Anne’s father’s) hands. In it she describes the suffering of all of the Dutch people at the hands of the Nazi’s and their Dutch sympathizers and the courage of both the victims and those who helped them. Her observations clearly bring to life both the worst in humanity in the fear and poverty the Nazi occupation inflicted on the Dutch population and the hope and courage displayed by that same population.
Since I had never read Anne Frank’s diary, after reading this book, I decided to read it too. Its title is Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl. I recommend both.
Nickel & Dimed By
Barbara Ehrenreich
Club Reviewer: Roberta
Barbara Ehrenreich went "under cover" to see how people moving from
welfare to work managed on low paying jobs. She works as a waitress and a hotel
maid in Florida, at a nursing home and for a house cleaning service in Maine,
and at a Wal-Mart in Minnesota. Lack of affordable housing is one of the biggest
problems she encounters as well as lack of medical care. She does conclude
quickly that it takes two incomes at lower pay to afford housing. While she
describes the problems on the job, she appears to have no clue about the rest of
her co-workers lives; their families, church, hobbies, etc.
Even though her descriptions of the jobs appear to be accurate and her findings are backed up by research, the book doesn't live up to its potential as an accurate description of the lives and problems of the working poor and potential solutions for their problems.
The author herself is- the roadblock here. The book is
filled with her stereotypes and snide comments, about her co-workers, her
bosses, and even the people whose homes she cleaned. What should have been an
educational and thought provoking book is diminished by the author's political
and social prejudices. To her credit she does recognize that certain skills were
necessary for each of the jobs and she did actually take some pride, as most
workers she encountered did, in doing her job well.
The Breakdown Lane By
Jacquelyn Mitchard
Club Reviewer: Nel
Julianne Gillis is an advice columnist. We follow her and
her children through the breakup of her marriage. Along the way she faces
betrayal, debilitating illness, financial losses, and the anger and confusion of
her children. When all seems lost she finds the one thing she can count on, the
love and support of family and friends.
The characters are as real as old friends. The author has chosen to give us the
perspective of Julie Gillis and a refreshingly different view, that of her
teenage son, Gabe. The language might not be right for some as Gabe, true to a
teens perspective, cusses a lot.
This is the story of perseverance and survival against the
odds. Of learning to live with the hand you’re dealt. It also offers one of my
favorite features, a happy ending. Definitely worth reading.
Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Club Reviewer: Roberta
Pay it Forward is a story but it is also an idea. It is the story of teacher
Ruben St. Clair, a wounded Vietnam War veteran, who challenges his class with an
extra credit assignment to think of an idea for world change and put it into
action and of his 12-year-old student, Trevor, who accepts the challenge.
Trevor's plan was that he did something good for three people and when they asked how they could repay him, he told them to "pay it forward" to three more people. And so the idea spread. Trevor's efforts bring unexpected results and lead to national attention for him, his single mother, and his teacher.
I thought some of the results were a little unrealistic and the way new characters were introduced in the story was confusing at first. But the story was interesting and inspiring from the first chapter to the surprise ending. It is a reminder that no matter how insignificant a person thinks he is he can have a positive influence, whether it is by doing something as big as Trevor's deeds or a simple act of kindness. And in the aftermath of the destruction from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it is an especially timely message.
The book was made into a movie which spread the idea and even though it is not written for children, (there are adult language and situations) the Pay It Forward Foundation was established in 2000. The purpose of the foundation is to educate and inspire students to know that they too can change the world. The Foundation helps students identify opportunities to help in their own communities by providing a forum for ideas and a source of funding for the development of those ideas.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Club Reviewer: Laurie
August, May and June Boatwright live in a flamingo pink house in
Tiburon, South Carolina. August keeps bees, May has a wailing wall and
June plays the harp at the meetings of the Daughters of Mary. Lily Owens,
a white 14 year old and her black stand in mother, Rosaleen, end up with the
calendar sisters after leaving Sylvan, S.C. Lily is running from her
abusive father T Ray and Rosaleen is running from three of the "deepest
racists in town".
This is now one of may favorite books and I would recommend it to everyone