44. Lilac Girls

I hate to admit it, but I quite regularly judge a book by its cover. Which is why I probably didn't read this book sooner. It looked so... flowery. And, matronly. So, even though I had heard good things, it never occurred to me to pick it up. Last weekend, though, the universe pointed me to it - and, I'm so glad it did.

I didn't know the premise of the book, which follows three women from entirely different walks of life through World War II. There's a young Polish woman, a German woman and an American whose lives were all dramatically altered by the Holocaust, but for very different reasons. I was looking for a book in the Washington, DC airport - and I had just come from what was probably my fifth visit to the Holocaust Museum. It was the first book I picked up and I couldn't possibly have chosen anything else.

I've actually spent quite a bit of time studying and reading about the Holocaust. Books about that dark time take up at least an entire shelf in my home. Somehow, though, I'd never heard of the group of women they called The Rabbits. You can see their beautiful, brave faces below.

The Rabbits were used as guinea pigs for scientific experiments in a Nazi camp called Ravensbruck. Their legs horribly disfigured, they earned their nickname because of the way they hopped around their camps - and, the fact they were treated more like test animals than human beings. This book tells a fictional account based on their stories and had me wanting to know more about what happened to them and how they were saved.

The novel weaves together three women's stories until they, ultimately, come together. While much of this book is dark and soul-shattering, the ultimate tapestry is woven in such a hopeful way. It's heartbreaking and beautiful.

So, why the Lilac Girls? The book takes its name from the beautiful flowers, which thrive only after a difficult winter. Through the dark and the cold, their beauty comes through. 

If you've read Holocaust fiction before, this story tells a tale you've likely not heard. And, your reward at the end is finding out who in the story truly lived and who deserves more recognition as heroes.

43. Al Franken - Giant of the Senate

(Disclaimer: Yes, I usually post these reviews on Saturday or Sunday. Today is - I think - Wednesday. It's been a crazy week, so I have been neglecting my post. Rest assured, I finished it Friday. Don't bust me, book police. I'm already half way through book 44.)

It's simple, folks.

Do you like Al Franken? You'll like this book. Do you despise Al Franken? You won't even pick it up. You'll curse at this review. You won't even read this review! So, wait.. how are you seeing this?

Anyway. Back to the point.

Are you indifferent about Al Franken? Then, this book will probably endear you to him. That's how it was for me.

I've been a fan of Al Franken since even before he strapped a mobile satellite dish to his head and reported live from all corners of the world. He was one of the original SNL writers. If there was a Mt Rushmore of SNL, you'd have to argue to put him on there (next to, in my opinion, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Dan Akroyd and Will Ferrell. And, Amy Poehler. And, Chris Farley. It's my Rushmore, I can put as many people on it as I want.) 

My point is, I loved the opening chapters of this book when Franken detailed his life up to and including his time at SNL. That overlaps with the time he met his wife. He speaks of both fondly - and, the way he talks about his wife throughout the book is heartwarming, no matter which side of the political aisle you sit. 

He gets into his run for office, which was a fascinating look at Minnesota politics and also explains how hard it was for him to secure funding for his campaign from the Democratic party. It all then rolls into his time as a senator, often being a nagging voice on confirmation hearing panels. He tells stories of how his staff has to reign him in and keep him from falling back on funny. And, his explanations of is relationship with his staff give an accessible inside look at senate staffs and all that happens behind the scenes that we don't get to see on C-Span.

You don't watch C-Span? You're missing out.

I didn't choose the book because of any particular political leaning. A co-worker lent it to me, told me it was funny. She and I have the same taste in books and humor, so I took her advice. 

So, the bottom line.. If you like or are indifferent to Al Franken, you'll like this book. If you hate him, but love SNL, you'll like the first half of this book. If you like him, but hate SNL, read only the second half. 

If you hate the sight of his nerdy little face, HOW DID YOU MAKE IT THIS FAR IN THIS REVIEW?

42. Origin

Where do we come from? 

Where are we going?

They're the quintessential questions of the universe. Do you believe the creation story? Or do you believe the universe came together through scientific forces and we, as humans, simply evolved?

These are the questions in Dan Brown's newest novel Origin and the questions that drive his predictable, yet surprising, narrative.

If you've read more than one Dan Brown book you know his basic formula. Robert Langdon finds himself thrust into danger and mystery, he's using accompanied by a smart, beautiful woman and there are religious undertones. Or overtones. Tones. And, while I've read all of his books and sometimes roll my eyes at the predictable nature of what he writes, he always sucks me in.

Origin was no different.

I preordered this book and I think had it delivered and finished before most of the world even knew it existed. I wanted something to keep me interested page after page and I knew this would do the trick. With short, mini-cliff-hanger chapters, 456 pages flew by.

What always makes Brown's books interesting to me is the amount of historical research and setting as character. This book is set in Spain and his descriptions of historic and religious landmarks had me reaching for my phone on multiple occasions to get a true image of the incredible settings he described. I learned some things here, which is always a nice bonus. And, I was thoroughly entertained.

The book describes a Steve Jobs-like character about to make an announcement he promises (fears) will change the world. The announcement purports to answer those fundamental questions - where do we come from, where are we going - in ways that could upend religious and shake the faithful. And, as his announcement gets closer, someone is so determined to stop it, they'll stop at nothing to prevent it.

The book moves fast. It has just enough mystery and just enough twists to reward you.

Should you read it? If you like Dan Brown's other books, yeah. For sure. Don't expect a departure from style and substance. I mean, the man has sold more than 200 copies, why change up the formula now?

41. Girls on Fire

I needed a break from reality. Not actual reality, I guess, but non-fiction. The last two books were nearly 1,000 pages of heavy reading. This was my break.

But, yall, this shit is HEAVY.

And it makes me glad to 1) have two sons and 2) not be a teenage girl anymore.

Girls on Fire is smart, fast-paced and raw. It tells the story of a small town in the early 1990's reeling from the suicide of a popular high school athlete. His death comes in the shadow of fears over devil worship and a general idea that the young people in the community need to be saved. What we find out, though, is that it's not some dark evil force that's preying on the souls of the teenagers. They're being taken over by the general act of being teenage girls.

Have you been a teenage girl? Man. It's HARD. Even under the best of circumstances, you're constantly trying to find your way and, often, blinded by the need to be heard and be included. You do some really stupid shit because of it (I mean, I didn't... but, I've heard of others who did... Crap, I hope no one I've known since high school is fact-checking me on this...)

Hannah is desperate for an identity. She finds it in Lacey, an outsider who leads Hannah down a path she never would have followed on her own. As the story unfolds, you find out more about Lacey and her relationship with the ubiquitous "mean girl" Nikki. Their stories slowly build to a climax which leads back to that young man's suicide in a way I was predicting, but not actually expecting.

It sounds like YA fodder, I realize. And, the author is a prolific YA author. But, the subject matter she wades into here is of the NSFW variety. It's raw and sexual and frightening. It'll have you locking up your daughters and your sons.

This book moved quickly and kept my interest. It brings back that desperate need to belong that so many of us felt. It's also set in the early 1990's and the references to the early days of MTV's The Real World gave me life. What's up, Andre?

Worth a read. Keep it away from your teenage girls. And, keep your teenage girls away from each other.

40. The Best Land Under Heaven

What would you to in order to survive? Faced with certain death, would you do the unthinkable to save yourself? To save your children? Could you commit the ultimate social taboo if it meant living to see another day? That's what the members of the Donner Party faced those cold winter months all those years ago. And, though you probably know the choice most of them made, I don't think you can understand the decisions they made until you read this book.

I heard about this book when the author was on NPR. The story of the Donner Party itself is fascinating, but the author read passages that showed this was more than a ghoulish account of cannibalism. (The author also happens to be the voice of Sheriff in the Cars movies, so listening to him read from his own book - especially the passages he read from this one - was a little surreal.)

Most of us know the Donner Party because of the choices they made that winter; stranded in snow in the Sierra Nevadas, they ran out of options. Many - not all of them - ate the flesh of the dead to survive. What most of us don't know is the excruciating journey they took just to get to that point on the promising trail west. This book starts at the beginning.

The author details how the Donner Party came together; it wasn't just one family, it was many. The makeup of the party changed many times throughout their journey from Illinois to their intended destination in California. It was made up of several families, single men, young and old. They all wanted to fulfill that promise of Manifest Destiny. They knew what was ahead of them on the uncertain, unpredictable trail. But, they believed they were supposed to go west and claim land as their own. They made one tragic mistake: they took a shortcut.

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the Donner Party chose to take a less-traveled path over the Sierra Nevadas called the Hastings Cutoff. They didn't know how treacherous it would be - and, they didn't know they were trying to cross the mountains way too late in the season. Just as they arrived and started to climb, winter arrived with a vengeance.

Every page of this book feels like it's building to that ultimate decision: would they eat the flesh of their dead traveling companions in order to survive. What this book does, though, is helps those of us who can't even imagine making that decision understand how they did. It chronicles hardships and death along the trail and, especially, families doing what they can to stay together and stay optimistic. Many had very young children with them. The mothers had to remain strong and resilient and also care for those who depended on them for everything.

When winter bears down and the party has no choice but to set up camp for the winter, you almost feel yourself suck in a breath and hold. You know they're about to do the unspeakable. The author describes that it wasn't as if someone said, "Hey, we should eat the dead people" and everyone else went along without thinking. For many, it was a decision they would never speak about, even decades later. For some, it was a simple choice: eat of the flesh and live. Some never could partake - and, some of those people died for that choice.

Despite it being central to the Donner Party story, this isn't a book about cannibalism. It's a small party of a much larger story about the settling of the American west. The things they endured go beyond anything most of us could ever imagine. It's a book about human tragedy, to be sure, but also about the perseverance of so many who left their lives behind in search of something more.

You read it and you can't imagine the strength it must have taken to literally walk across the unsettled west. The animals they encountered, the Indian tribes they feared, the accidents that prompted them to bury their loved ones knowing they'd never return to the spot again. You can't imagine the mothers, watching their children starve to death in their arms. You can't imagine the faith it must have taken to be heading blindly into a future you've never seen.

This book is powerfully written and thoroughly researched. It's educational, but emotional. And, it's graphic. Raw. It's not dinner conversation, to be sure. But, it's absolutely worth your time if you want to know the true story about these pioneers and their fight to survive.