Motherland by Maria Hummel (book club)
This is one of those books that I would have never read if not for my book club. Just on the face of it I thought it would be another hard, depressing read about World War II. While parts of the book were hard and depressing it was really interesting and much better than I thought it would be. The story follows a German family during WWII. Frank Kappus' wife died in childbirth with their third son. He remarries to Liesl shortly before he is drafted - Frank is a surgeon who's called to treat injured soldiers. While Liesl tries to take care of her three step-sons back home, the middle child Anselm begins to act strangely. Liesl thinks it's grief from the loss of his mother and worry about his father being away, but soon Anselm draws the attention of a prominent doctor who threatens to take Anselm away to Hadamar, the infamous institution for "unfit" children. From what little Liesl knows of Hadamar she does not want Ani being sent there. She takes great pains to keep all of her step-children safe during the war. Meanwhile, Frank is struggling being away from his family and having to try to treat the horrific wounds of war. The story is told from both Frank and Liesl's perspectives which helps give a more well-rounded story.
The most interesting thing about this book is that it's about WWII from the German perspective, but never mentions the Holocaust or any of the more well-known and infamous parts of the war. Hadamar is mentioned, but most people didn't know the extent of the euthanasia of "unfit" children that took place there. I think the author is trying to make the point that not every German knew the horrors that went on during WWII, but history paints it like the whole country knew and supported Hitler's plans. Overall, an interesting look at WWII from the German citizen's perspective.
This was a disappointing farm read for me. Arlo Crawford's parents were "back-to-the-land" hippies who decided to try to make a living farming vegetables - and they've been successful. Arlo and his sister were raised on the farm, but never wanted to come back and help run it or take it over from their parents. This book is about Arlo coming back when he's in his early 30's and between jobs and isn't sure what he wants to do next. He works the summer on the farm with his girlfriend Sarah. When Arlo was 12 his parents good friend Bert, who was also a farmer, was murdered on his farm by a drunk neighbor. A lot of the book is about that incident and how is affected Arlo and his family. Obviously, it was a shocking, terrible event, so it's understandable why it's brought up, but it does become the focus of a lot of the book.
Overall, it was disappointing to me because while Arlo seems to genuinely love the farm and enjoy working there, he still doesn't want to take over from his parents. There is such a huge need for more small, sustainable farms that I hope his parent's farm doesn't fulfill the title one day and become A Farm Dies Once a Year. There are a lot better farm memoirs out there than this one.
The most interesting thing about this book is that it's about WWII from the German perspective, but never mentions the Holocaust or any of the more well-known and infamous parts of the war. Hadamar is mentioned, but most people didn't know the extent of the euthanasia of "unfit" children that took place there. I think the author is trying to make the point that not every German knew the horrors that went on during WWII, but history paints it like the whole country knew and supported Hitler's plans. Overall, an interesting look at WWII from the German citizen's perspective.
A Farm Dies Once a Year by Arlo Crawford
This was a disappointing farm read for me. Arlo Crawford's parents were "back-to-the-land" hippies who decided to try to make a living farming vegetables - and they've been successful. Arlo and his sister were raised on the farm, but never wanted to come back and help run it or take it over from their parents. This book is about Arlo coming back when he's in his early 30's and between jobs and isn't sure what he wants to do next. He works the summer on the farm with his girlfriend Sarah. When Arlo was 12 his parents good friend Bert, who was also a farmer, was murdered on his farm by a drunk neighbor. A lot of the book is about that incident and how is affected Arlo and his family. Obviously, it was a shocking, terrible event, so it's understandable why it's brought up, but it does become the focus of a lot of the book.
Overall, it was disappointing to me because while Arlo seems to genuinely love the farm and enjoy working there, he still doesn't want to take over from his parents. There is such a huge need for more small, sustainable farms that I hope his parent's farm doesn't fulfill the title one day and become A Farm Dies Once a Year. There are a lot better farm memoirs out there than this one.
California by Eden Lepucki
I had been looking forward to reading this book for a long time and it did not disappoint! Cal and Frida left the remains of L.A. behind and are now living in a shack in the wilderness. They work hard every day just to survive. For the most part they are content with their small world of just the two of them, but when Frida gets pregnant she starts to realize that they may not be able to raise a child on their own. Cal and Frida leave their shack and start looking for other people. When they find a fortified settlement they feel like this community can offer them protection and friendship. But this settlement is full of secrets and soon Cal and Frida realize they are not sure who they can trust - including each other. In flashbacks the reader gets both Frida and Cal's back stories, which help round out the story.
Like many dystopian novels California explores what lengths people will go to when it comes to survival. It's interesting to see how this small community comes together for the "greater good," but also what tears them apart. Overall, this was a really interesting book and seemed pretty realistic when it comes to what life would be like in those circumstances. This is Lepucki's first novel, so I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.
Like many dystopian novels California explores what lengths people will go to when it comes to survival. It's interesting to see how this small community comes together for the "greater good," but also what tears them apart. Overall, this was a really interesting book and seemed pretty realistic when it comes to what life would be like in those circumstances. This is Lepucki's first novel, so I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.
Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck by Amy Alkon
This book is hilarious! Amy Alkon made me laugh out loud throughout this book. As the title implies, this is a book about manners for "real" people who may occasionally drop the f-bomb. If you're reading this book or thinking about reading this book you probably already have basic manners, so this is not an Emily Post-type book of etiquette, but rather how to deal with common lack-of-manners situations and also how to recognize your own possible lack of manners in certain areas. The chapters each focus on a particular situation such as traveling, dating, cell phones, etc. There are also some hilarious photos of manners "fails." Alkon is a proponent of manners "shaming" where you call someone out (in a calm and courteous way) for their lack of manners - either in person or by photographing a situation and posting it online. Overall, there is a lot of great advice for dealing with rudeness from friends and strangers alike - all written in a hilarious and fun way.
Here are a few quotes I really liked:
"But, in general, my ire at the rude blithely taking advantage of the rest of us overwhelms my fear of being gutted with a kitchen implement, and has ever since I started looking at rudeness for what it really is: theft. If somebody steals your wallet, it's a physical thing that's there and then gone, so you get that you've been robbed. The rude, on the other hand, are stealing valuable intangibles like your attention (in the case of cell phone shouters who privatize public space as their own)...Letting the rude get away with robbing you emboldens them to keep robbing you - and the rest of us. We all need to start identifying the rude as the thieves they are, which is what it will take for more people to get mad enough to get up on their hind legs and refuse to be victimized." (p. 12-13)
"Happy people tend to be kind or, at least, uninterested in tearing other people down. Miserable people often want to lash out at the world - and there you are, so conveniently located as a target for their hate. When one of these spitebags hurls a put-down at you, they expect that you'll either try to fight back or just stand there blinking and wishing you could disappear. Instead, you should do the last thing they'd expect: Look straight at them for a moment, and coolly call them on their rottenness with a remark like 'Clearly, you must have had a pretty bad day to feel the need to say something so nasty to me. I hope you feel better.' (Sincerity is not required here - just believability - so say it devoid of anger, and sound like you mean it.)" (p. 40-1)
"What the doomsaying hysterics fail to see is that the Internet is a tool, same as a paring knife. The paring knife can be used to cut up an apple for a baby, to carve 'B.L. love M.C.' on a tree, or to stab somebody 300 times. Likewise, the Internet itself doesn't alienate people. It's the most amazing connector of humans we've ever had - that is, providing those of us on it have the guts, imagination, and good manners to use it that way." (p. 117-8)
"It's seriously cool that a whole bunch of people can get into a big metal tube in Los Angeles, hurtle through the sky, and be in New York five or six hours later. We're all so used to airplane travel that we mostly forget to be amazed by it. Of course, these days, we're sometimes just too angry to be amazed by it. Just getting through the airport to the gate is an ugly ordeal, thanks to the 'security theater,' security expert Bruce Schneier's term for our wildly wasteful and idiotic pretend security that treats every American with a plane ticket as a plausible suspect." (p. 177)
Here are a few quotes I really liked:
"But, in general, my ire at the rude blithely taking advantage of the rest of us overwhelms my fear of being gutted with a kitchen implement, and has ever since I started looking at rudeness for what it really is: theft. If somebody steals your wallet, it's a physical thing that's there and then gone, so you get that you've been robbed. The rude, on the other hand, are stealing valuable intangibles like your attention (in the case of cell phone shouters who privatize public space as their own)...Letting the rude get away with robbing you emboldens them to keep robbing you - and the rest of us. We all need to start identifying the rude as the thieves they are, which is what it will take for more people to get mad enough to get up on their hind legs and refuse to be victimized." (p. 12-13)
"Happy people tend to be kind or, at least, uninterested in tearing other people down. Miserable people often want to lash out at the world - and there you are, so conveniently located as a target for their hate. When one of these spitebags hurls a put-down at you, they expect that you'll either try to fight back or just stand there blinking and wishing you could disappear. Instead, you should do the last thing they'd expect: Look straight at them for a moment, and coolly call them on their rottenness with a remark like 'Clearly, you must have had a pretty bad day to feel the need to say something so nasty to me. I hope you feel better.' (Sincerity is not required here - just believability - so say it devoid of anger, and sound like you mean it.)" (p. 40-1)
"What the doomsaying hysterics fail to see is that the Internet is a tool, same as a paring knife. The paring knife can be used to cut up an apple for a baby, to carve 'B.L. love M.C.' on a tree, or to stab somebody 300 times. Likewise, the Internet itself doesn't alienate people. It's the most amazing connector of humans we've ever had - that is, providing those of us on it have the guts, imagination, and good manners to use it that way." (p. 117-8)
"It's seriously cool that a whole bunch of people can get into a big metal tube in Los Angeles, hurtle through the sky, and be in New York five or six hours later. We're all so used to airplane travel that we mostly forget to be amazed by it. Of course, these days, we're sometimes just too angry to be amazed by it. Just getting through the airport to the gate is an ugly ordeal, thanks to the 'security theater,' security expert Bruce Schneier's term for our wildly wasteful and idiotic pretend security that treats every American with a plane ticket as a plausible suspect." (p. 177)
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
Jojo Moyes is my new favorite author! Every book she writes is even better than the one before. In One Plus One the lives of single mother Jess, her math genius daughter Tanzie, her goth step-son Nicky, and tech millionaire Ed all collide on a crazy road trip trying to get Tanzie to a math Olympiad. While Jess and Ed couldn't have less in common on the surface, they have each been hurt by their ex's. Jess has been raising two children with no help from her ex because he's too depressed to work, while Ed is now facing potential jail time and ruin for insider trading with his ex-girlfriend. Just when it seems like Jess and Ed might work out another secret comes to light. Will they be able to work past this new problem or will their relationship be over before it even started? Lots of surprises at the end and the whole time you just can't put the book down because you have to know what happens next. Another incredibly great book from Jojo Moyes!
