We need more journalists like Charles Kuralt. Engaging, professional and an outstanding storyteller, Kuralt left me reminiscent for the days when television news reporting was actual journalism and where good news could still nab the undivided attention of American viewers.
This book is a dual memoir written by a mother, Raisa Kliot, and her daughter, Helen Mitsios.
Raisa Kliot was an Eastern European Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust by hiding often times in plain sight, thus the title "Waltzing with the Enemy".
Raisa's story is unlike the published memoirs that I have read thus far about Jewish survivors. She was seventeen when the Nazis invaded her family home and sent her family to the Vilnius ghetto. Raisa's bold survival was definitely due to the feeling of invulnerability and survival drive of the young. An older person probably would not have survived Raisa's journey.
Raisa tells her story in a clear compelling voice without any sentimentality. Her story is a page turner and for that I give Raisa's story 5 stars.
The trouble with the book enters in the second half; Helen Mitsios' sharing her own story of growing up not knowing anything of her mother Raisa's history.
Helen Mitsios' story had the potential to be as compelling as Raisa's, but the writing lacked the clear sighted through line to keep the reader moving.
Helen's story is scattered with what appear to be random details that cause distraction instead of adding depth to her recollections.
When someone is so close to the story, it might have been prudent to have added a biographer into the writing team.
I was quite sorry to see this because Waltzing with the Enemy is a valuable contribution to the voices of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Especially of those like Raisa who had to create a new identity and felt compelled to continue that false identity even after decades of life in safety.
So the book in total; is rated 3 out of 5 stars simply for the fact that the second half of the book diverges so far from the quality of Raisa's story.
Once in a great while you come upon a book that will completely change your perspective on life. This book certainly taught me how much in life is taken for granted.
With the skilled writing of Stephen Glantz, Clara Kramer shares her story with simplicity and humility.
I could not put this book down... and I continue to think and talk about Clara's story. I do not want to give anything away.
Suffice it to say... this book needs to be on every person's Must Read list.
You have to read From the Dust Returned: A Novel by Ray Bradbury with the Charles Addams cover artwork.
Bradbury had planned to do collaborative work with the Addams family artist, but the plan never came completely to fruition. You have here the author who has inspired countless science fiction authors, and the artist whose work has obviously influenced artists like Timothy Burton.
Bradbury shares in his Afterword that the characters from this book, the Elliot family, started as imaginary characters when he was 7 years old. Character portraits are based on loving memories of his own family and special Halloween celebrations devised by his Aunt Neva. The love for these happy memories and family shine through the writing.
I found that reading this book made me reminiscent of the days in my youth where I could curl up with a book on an endless summer day without any interruptions or responsibilities hanging over my head. The language is beautiful, and the plot is simple.
The only criticism I can offer is that the chapters are obviously "taped together" works of short stories ranging from 1946 to 2000. The throughline chapters are not always satisfying.
(4 out of 5 stars)
Five stars for the poetry of Bradbury's eloquence, and two stars for the continuity.
GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize (2005) winning work of fiction. The story is told through a collection of letters written by an elderly dying minister for the benefit of his young child.
I think I need to read this book again.
Why?
Because I had several false starts which caused me to lose track of the characters and the story line. This problem was due to my own inattentiveness...
I like to read before dozing off.
This book deserves the reader's total undivided attention, therefore I will will pay GILEAD its due.
GILEAD is brief, but contains so many jewels that to nod off mid-sentence is to break the thread that binds the jewels together.
The language is resplendent in its simplicity... and through this simplicity much wisdom is shared. My copy is dogeared willy nilly... take your time reading this one, because there is so much in here that you are going to want to recall.
I wish I had the true gifts of a literary critic, but I do not...
so I'd like to share my favorite segments from GILEAD:
4The narrator, Revernd John Ames, speaks of his father's and grandfather's legacies as ministers. The grandfather returns home from war with an eye missing. The grandfather's response to the family's surprise:
"I am confident that I will find great blessing in it..." (p. 36)
A response that the grandfather chose to continue to use throughout his life in response to disagreeable events.
4 As the elderly Reverend John Ames reflects on his life, he writes to his seven year old son:
"How I wish you could have known me in my strength." (p. 94)
How many of us older parents wish for the same thing?
4 "That is how life goes - we send our children into the wilderness. Some of them on the day they are born, it seems, for all the help we can give them. Some of them seem to be a kind of wilderness unto themselves. But, there must be angels there, too, and springs of water. Even that wilderness, the very habitation of jackals, is the Lord's." (p. 119)
4 Reflecting on sorrow and human suffering:
"I heard a man say once that Christians worship sorrow. That is by no means true.But, we do believe there is a sacred mystery in it, it's fair to say that... I believe there is dignity in sorrow simply because it is God's good pleasure that there should be. He is forever raising up those who are brought low. This does not mean that it is ever right to cause suffering or to seek it out when it can be avoided, and serves no good in practical purpose. To value suffering in itself can be dangerous and strange, so I want to be very clear about this. It simply means that God takes the side of sufferers against those who afflict them." (p. 137)
4 I think the world would be in a lot better shape if we could heed the following words:
"I have heard any number of fine sermons in my life, and I have known any number of deep souls. I am well aware that people find fault, but it seems to be presumptuous to judge the authenticity of anyone's religion, except one's own. And that is also presumptuous."(pp. 172-173)
TITLE:INTERVIEW . Marilynne Robinson . March 18, 2005 PBS LINK: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week829/interview.html NOTE: This has got to be one of the best author interviews I have read in ages. Absolutely outstanding and you need not have read GILEAD in order to understand the interview.
Author Audio Interview:
TITLE: Writer Marilynne Robinson on 'Gilead' by Terry Gross (NPR)
Cullen Dorn creates outstanding sentence snapshots that condense scene and mood of life in East Harlem. He also has a good ear for dialogue and sound. These talents are the cornerstone of a gifted short story writer and poet.
Unfortunately, the author’s attempt to synthesize the metaphysical plot line with the story of two brothers coming of age in the hardened streets of Harlem in novel form does not work. The plot line is choppy. Scene shifts happen abruptly and introduce too many characters without enough transition for the reader to keep pace. There was simply not enough back story for the reader who is uninitiated in all things New Age.
I felt that the work was too ambitious for a first novel. This probably is true for the majority of authors in regards to the first novel. I felt that this work needed more time to germinate and required tighter editing.
Cullen Dorn definitely is an author worth noting. He has a fascinating life story (check the links provided below) and he is talented. He is not an author for the casual reader, but someone who appreciates the beauty of words.
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