In Winter's Kitchen by Beth Dooley

In Winter's Kitchen.
Growing Roots and Breaking Bread in the Northern Heartland
by Beth Dooley

Books and Food go together well.  In fact, they are two of my favorite things so I was thrilled to get a chance to read this book.  I adored, In Winter's Kitchen and read it slowly, one chapter at a time, to savor it.  Each chapter is about a particular food that thrives in the Midwest, like apples, wheat, potatoes, cranberries, corn, wild rice, turkey and many more.  Beth writes about her family and meets with local farmers at the farmers market and even meets them at their farms.  She talks about conventional food and organic and details the path from farm to table.  Beth connects our love of food with our love of family and love of the land. She reminded me that buying food is making a choice for a better world and a healthy body which is very important to me since I have a food allergy to corn and most canned, packaged store bought food contains some form of corn. So I have to make most of my families meals from scratch everyday.  In Winter's Kitchen has taught me so much about the food I eat and the companies I buy from.

In Winter's Kitchen is part memoir, part food history and part midwest guidebook with really good recipes tucked inside.  There is one recipe per food chapter so for example the Apples chapter has a recipe for applesauce, which I made and it was delicious. This is the first time I made homemade applesauce and it was super easy and super good.  I haven't eaten applesauce in years. Here is a picture.

This is a great book to read this winter.  Read it and then make some great food.
In Winter's Kitchen was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2016.

Here are some links to help further your reading experience.

Visit Beth at her website where you will find lots of information and delicious recipes
http://www.bethdooleyskitchen.com/

Listen to Beth on the Splendid Table podcast.
https://www.splendidtable.org/story/beth-dooley-on-the-joy-of-cooking-and-the-future-of-wheat

Gardens, Kitchens and the Great Midwest.  U of MN episode of Read This Book features Beth Dooley and another of my favorite authors Ryan Stradal.
https://youtu.be/_pLrg10D-Lc

Listen to this story from MPR which includes two recipes from the book.
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/11/18/books-appetites-beth-dooley

An awesome book review from Heavy Table
http://heavytable.com/in-winters-kitchen-by-beth-dooley/

Books, Women and The Atomic Bomb

Books, Women and The Atomic Bomb

Jeannine Hall Gailey, author of the poetry collection, The Robot Scientist's Daughter grew up in Oak Ridge Tennessee, near the nuclear facility that created the Atomic bomb.  The poetry in her book reflects her experience growing up in 1970's with a hazardous nuclear plant in her backyard.  In fact, her father was a scientist at the plant. Jeannine's poetry is environmental with a science fiction/fantasy twist.  The Robot Scientist's Daughter is creative and gives the reader a lot to think about and discuss.  So many issues are covered within the pages of this book.  Some of these poems pack a powerful dose of reality and some will scare the pants off of you.

Here is a few lines from one of my favorite poems.

Phosphorous Girl (page 57)

is the shadow in white dust you left behind.

I imagine she either went off with a jazz musician 
or followed her dream of veterinary school
somewhere in the Midwest. She dresses in discarded 
prom dresses and dances around to the Psychedelic Furs.

White phosphate hidden in her bones, she ignites
the paper caps in cap guns and snaps her fingers 
like she's striking a match.

I love this poem.  Gailey is such a master at crafting a striking, visual poem.

Shortly after I finished reading The Robot Scientist's Daughter, I heard about The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan.  I think pairing these books for a book club or discussion would be great.  I haven't read The Girls of Atomic City yet but I'm going too.

Here is the synopsis of The Girls from Atomic City from Goodreads:

The incredible story of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who unwittingly played a crucial role in one of the most significant moments in U.S. history.

The Tennessee town of Oak Ridge was created from scratch in 1942. One of the Manhattan Project’s secret cities, it didn’t appear on any maps until 1949, and yet at the height of World War II it was using more electricity than New York City and was home to more than 75,000 people, many of them young women recruited from small towns across the South. Their jobs were shrouded in mystery, but they were buoyed by a sense of shared purpose, close friendships—and a surplus of handsome
scientists and Army men!

But against this vibrant wartime backdrop, a darker story was unfolding. The penalty for talking about their work—even the most innocuous details—was job loss and eviction. One woman was recruited to spy on her coworkers. They all knew something big was happening at Oak Ridge, but few could piece together the true nature of their work until the bomb "Little Boy" was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, and the secret was out. The shocking revelation: the residents of Oak Ridge were enriching uranium for the atomic bomb.

Though the young women originally believed they would leave Oak Ridge after the war, many met husbands there, made lifelong friends, and still call the seventy-year-old town home. The reverberations from their work there—work they didn’t fully understand at the time—are still being felt today. In The Girls of Atomic City, Denise Kiernan traces the astonishing story of these unsung WWII workers through interviews with dozens of surviving women and other Oak Ridge residents. Like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, this is history and science made fresh and vibrant—a beautifully told, deeply researched story that unfolds in a suspenseful and exciting way. (less)

There you have it.  These two books go together like Mac and Cheese.
Have an awesome reading day.

War Brothers. The Graphic Novel

War Brothers. The Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay
Artwork by Daniel Lafrance

War Brothers is based on true events about Kony and the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) and the kidnapping of children to conscript into their army of child soldiers. Told from the perspective of a child named Jacob, who lives in Uganda and who was kidnapped from school with his classmates.

War Brothers takes you through Jacob's harrowing journey into the forest and into the indoctrination of a child soldier.  He watches his best friend succumb and kill innocent people for if he doesn't, he wouldn't be allowed to eat.  Jacob protects a boy younger than him and constantly thinks about escape and the love of his father.  He holds hope close to his heart to survive the nightmare that has become his life.

Jacob's story mirrors the story of so many children in the world today.  Kony is still out there, stealing children and making them into soldiers and needs to be stopped.  Young women kidnapped ultimately become slaves, or brides and are used for sex.  Punishments for running away or not following orders are severe and many times, death sentences.

The artwork in War Brothers is stunning.  The pages and panels vary from light pastel when things are going well for Jacob to pages that are dark and full of bold colors when Jacob is suffering.  While this is a hard book to read because of the subject matter, the artwork is compelling and well-done and contributes to the power of the story.

There are so many issues in the world that need our attention and the issue of Child Soldiers should be at the top of the list.  Child and soldier are two words that should not go together in our enlightened world.

Everyone needs to read this book!

Jerusalem by Boaz Yakin & Nick Bertozzi

Jerusalem; A Family Portrait by Boaz Yakin and Nick Bertozzi

Three generations of the Halaby family live in a tiny, cramped apartment in Jerusalem.   It is 1945 and World War II is ending.  Many Jewish people are emigrating to Israel.  The Halaby's have 4 sons and 1 daughter.  One of the Halaby sons is off fighting in Italy.  Another is a fighting for Israel Independence, while another son borders on being a terrorist and inciting violence in the city.  The youngest son is free to roam and grows up amidst this turbulent era of Independence.

Yakim and Bertozzi have written a stunning historical graphic novel that teaches the reader about the history of Israel from 1945 to 1948 from a familial point of view.  So many of us read about the Holocaust and think the story ends there but it doesn't.  Jerusalem; A Family Portrait takes you to a place where people leave the atrocities of WWII and go to Israel to fight another war for a Jewish homeland.

The graphic artwork is done in black and white, reflecting the horrors of war.  There is a cast of characters and a family tree which is nice to refer back to when you get confused ( I sometimes confused the characters). There is also a background history of Jerusalem and the events leading up to this story.  A map of the British Mandate of 1945 is also enclosed.


Jerusalem; A Family Portrait has left a lasting imprint on me.  The characters (based on the authors family stories) are so compelling and the ending is so gripping that I don't think I will ever forget this story.

Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.

Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
Audio Book Review
Read by Dion Graham
51 minutes

Marting Luther King Jr's Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation

King sits in a jail arrested on Good Friday for standing up for his rights and the rights of others.  On April 12th he is smuggled a newspaper and sees the headline "A Call To Unity" written by 8 clergyman criticizing King and his methods, calling him an "Outsider".  King wrote his reply on April 16, 1963 on anything he could find to write on, the newspaper, scraps of paper and eventually a notepad.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly… Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider."  Every American should read or listen to this letter.  It is one of the most powerful essays ever written.

Dion Graham's voice lent itself to Dr King's cadence and had me imagining that I was actually listening to King recite his essay.  The power of the pen as a means for change is strongly evident in Martin Luther King's eloquent words.  MLK is truly a hero for the people.

The Crossing by Jim Murphy

The Crossing. How George Washington Saved the American Revolution by Jim Murphy

The Crossing is a 80 page children's book that highlights the early battles of the American Revolution when George Washington is chosen to command the Continental army in 1775.  Washington had some military experience but the Continental army did not and they were facing a well-trained, large British army.  The British invasion begins in New York and the Continental army faced lost battles and men who deserted.  As Washington's army decreased in size and he lost or retreated from battle, he was becoming increasingly worried that he might not be able to train the army to defeat the British.

The decisive battle that turned the tide of the war, in favor of the Continental army took place after Washington crossed the Delaware river in the middle of the night.  The Crossing is an excellent historical retelling of the beginning of the American Revolution.  It is full of maps, pictures, and even gives a description of the famous painting on the cover by Emmanuel Gottlieb Leutze.

If you want to know the true story of the beginning of the American Revolution told in eloquent, simplified text you need to check out The Crossing.  The American army was truly the underdog in this war with the British and it makes you understand the significant odds that Washington was up against.  The Crossing contains an extensive travel guide to sites of the Revolution, an index, a timeline and a list of books to continue to feed your inquisitive mind.  I found the book to be informative and fascinating.  Of course, as a history teacher I am a bit biased.

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

1460's.  The 100 year war between England and France has just ended.  Henry VI rules as the King of England but he is feeble-minded.  Edward of York has gone to battle against Henry to take the throne of England and he defeats him successfully again and again.  It is the York house against the Lancaster house and in history it is referred to as The Cousin's War or The War of the Roses.

The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville.  She is a commoner who captured King Edward's heart and he married her in secret, going against all his advisors.  Some say she used witchcraft to capture him.
Edwards brother's are George (who competes for Edward's throne) and Richard (the famous Richard III who is defeated by Henry Tudor who begins the Tudor dynasty).  The White Queen details Elizabeth's rise to Queendom as well as all the other women in court and behind the scenes who vie for the power of the throne.  Women who will stop at nothing to put their son or husband on the throne.  England is a country divided between two houses.

Also a major part of the story is one of history's biggest mysteries, the disappearance of Elizabeth and Edward's two sons, Edward and Richard.  I confess I didn't know much about this mystery but now that I do, it is very intriguing.  Gregory does an excellent job of disseminating the research and then telling a proposed reality to what "might" have happened.

I adore Philippa Gregory and her historical fiction novels.  I can't get enough of history told from the perspective of the women and the political intrique behind the rulers who wear the crown.  History is told and written by the winners and so often women voices are left out of the historical narrative.  Philippa Gregory recreates that written historical record with meticulous research and shares English history from a different point of view.  I always learn so much when I read Gregory and she makes it interesting and memorable.  It is not like learning history from a textbook, it is definitely more fun than that.  She has written more than 20 books on English history based in the Tudor period and The Cousin's war period.

I suggest you read the books in this order for The Cousin's War series.
Lady of the Rivers.
The White Queen.
The Red Queen. (you could switch The White Queen and The Red Queen, your choice)
The Kingmaker's Daughter.
The White Princess.

Have you read any of Gregory's books??

The White Queen is a new 10 part series on Starz network begining tonight (August 10, 2013)
Here is the trailer.

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

Arn Chorn-Pond is eleven years old when the Khmer Rouge soldiers roll into his Cambodian town.  They have won the revolution and have plans to make the entire country equal.  They start by evacuating Arn's city saying the Americans plan to bomb it.  They march everyone out of the city for days, with little food and water.  People begin falling down and dying of dehydration and bullet wounds.  "In just one day people can get use to seeing dead body." pg. 22

When Arn and his family arrive in the countryside first they are stripped of their clothes and everyone must wear the same set of black pajamas.  Then their hair is cut short, including the girls.  Next they take away their possessions, saying that all belongs to Angka (the ruling body of the Khmer Rouge), every pot, pan, bowl and spoon.  Then they take away their names.  Everyone must be addressed by Comrade.  "Now all of us, we live as equal, no rich, no poor." pg 31  Then they separate the families.  Children are removed from their parents, men are separated from women.  Angka is their family now.  Everyday they are made to work in the fields to produce rice as their rations of food become less and less.

Arn is exposed to death every day and the only thing that keeps him alive is the music he plays for the soldiers and the friendships he’s made.  Eventually Vietnam invades Cambodia and Arn is thrown into the role of child soldier.

At the beginning of Never Fall Down, it is hard to read about the violence and atrocities being committed in the Cambodian genocide.  Towards the middle, the violence lessens as Arn makes his journey out of the work camp.  For some people this book will be hard to read, the violence too much to bear.  If Arn can live it, the least I can do is read it.  It is important as a reader to read the stories of those who have lived through extraordinary circumstances and to give weight and meaning to what they endured, experienced and lived through.  Sometimes the most difficult stories are the ones that inspire us, encourage us and make us aware of what happens around the world.

This is the third book I have read by Patricia McCormick and I eagerly awaited it’s release.  McCormick is a writer who tells a difficult story with grace and ease.  She educates her readers about issues that are central to problems going on in the world today.  Never Fall Down educates us about the history of Cambodia and teaches us that we must never give up hope that if we fall down, someone, somewhere will help.  We must always be willing to help those in need and to keep hope alive.

Never Fall Down is based on the REAL LIFE of Arn Chorn-Pond.
Here is Patricia McCormick and Arn Chorn-Pond in a short video clip about the book and Cambodia.



You can find more information about Arn and the amazing life he has led since 1979 at his website

http://arnchornpond.com/

Black Elk Speaks

Black Elk Speaks.  Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, As told through John G. Neihardt (Flaming Rainbow)

John G. Neihardt met Black Elk in 1930.  When they met, Black Elk recognized Niehardt as the man he must teach his vision to, so that it might be saved before he died.  Niehardt reflects, "His chief purpose was to 'save his Great Vision for men.'"pg. xix  At this time Black Elk was old, going blind and he lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation where the Wounded Knee Massacre took place in 1890.  Black Elk was a holy man, a visionary and a healer.  He was also related to Crazy Horse through his father.

Black Elk Speaks is the true history of the conflicts between the U.S. Government and the Plains Indians from the Native American perspective.  Black Elk begins by describing his childhood and his sacred vision and from there he details the coming of the white man to the Black Hills, and the battles that ensued like The Battle at Little Big Horn.  He talks about Crazy Horse and how he died, the killing of the buffalo and the Native way of life, and the horrible reservations they were forced on.  He teaches about the coming of the Indian Messiah, Wovoka, and The Ghost Dance, Black Elk participated in, and the massacre at Wounded Knee.

Everyone who travels to the Black Hills in South Dakota needs to read Black Elk Speaks.  It will provide you with a comprehensive history of the area as well as important geographical places sacred to the Plains Indians.  You will learn about the spiritual world of the Lakota, the medicine wheel, the six grandfathers, the importance of visions and the four directions.  I read many parts of this book to my children as we traveled to the places that Black Elk speaks about in the book.

Reading Black Elk Speaks was an amazing experience for me while in the Black Hills.  I spent some time on the Pine Ridge Reservation (where Black Elk lived) while in the Badlands.  I drove for miles and miles and noticed how beautiful the landscape is but could not believe how sparse and desolate the reservation appeared.  I wanted to go to the site of Wounded Knee.  We stopped at the Indian cultural center and I talked to the man working there.  It was 7 pm at this time, we needed gas and food and we were still 2 hours away from where we were staying in Hill City.  We got gas another 10 miles up the road where there were two pumps, and a long line to get gas and they accepted cash only.  The convenience store seemed like the only store in a 40 miles radius (at least from where I drove from).

Black Elk Speaks shows the hope and pride of an Indian nation fighting to preserve their traditional way of life.  Today, the people are living on a reservation that is extremely poor, has a high alcoholism rate, a high dropout rate and are still fighting to maintain their cultural rights.  We need to return to Black Elk's vision and embrace it.

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels

King Peggy.  An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman

Peggy is a secretary in Washington D.C. and at four in the morning, one lonesome night, she receives a phone call, that the spirits have chosen her to be King. King of a small ocean-side fishing village in Ghana.  King Peggy takes that vocation and chronicles her life's most significant journey within the pages of this book. 

Peggy is to be King of Otuam which is where her family is from and where she grew up.  She arrives in Otuam to find it full of problems like no running water, no hospital or doctors, bad roads, no high school and no banks.  Basically she has inherited a bankrupt village where the elder's are stealing the town's money.  Her palace is falling down around her in despair, her uncle, the late king, waits in the fridge for a proper burial she can't afford and his children neglect to help pay for.  In short, Peggy has accepted the Kingship and is not sure how she is going to help these people much less pay the bills.

Peggy is not a regular King because she is a woman.  Let it be known that she rules like any man and does not let anyone take advantage of her.  She is headstrong, savvy and smart and she goes about transforming the village of Otuam.  King Peggy is a book of hope and the transforming power of faith, love and hard work.  King Peggy will teach you about the culture and customs of the people of Ghana.  You will laugh and you will be shocked and in awe of all that Peggy has to deal with in her small village.

King Peggy chronicles her first two years as King in her memoir.  If her next two years are anything like the first two, she will have another best selling book on the way.  Peggy's story is not like a Cinderella, rags to riches story, in fact Peggy ended up spending most of her saving's to help the village.  It is inspiring to think that you can go to bed a secretary and wake up the next day and be a King.  The spirits chose Peggy for a reason and she has proved herself to be a great King.  God Save and Continue to Help King Peggy!

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

On the evening of April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head at Ford's theater in Washington D.C.  He was with his wife and they were celebrating the end of the Civil War.  It was Good Friday.

Chasing Lincoln's Killer details the events leading up to Lincoln's assassination as well as the conspiracy plot to kill Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State, William Seward.  The book follows Lincoln's killer, actor James Wilkes Booth and his conspirators as they led the authorities on a 12 day manhunt from Washington D.C to Maryland to Virginia.

President Lincoln died early the next day in a boarding house room across the street from Ford's theater.   As the nation learned the fate of their President, Easter Sunday became known as Black Easter, the day the nation mourned.  Twelve days later Booth was dead and almost all conspirators caught.

Chasing Lincoln's Killer is the young adult version of James Swanson's book Manhunt.  Chasing Lincoln's Killer is engaging and has photos, newspaper articles and announcements as well as a detailed map of the places where Booth sought shelter.  It is easy to read and understand and would be of interest to anyone who loves to history.

I'm a big history geek and I have visited Ford's Theater and the death bed of President Lincoln as well as the jail on Tortuga Island in Florida where they kept Doctor Samuel Mudd and other conspirators.  I read the book in two days and enjoyed learning all the facts from that fateful night in History.  Reading about a historical event and then visiting there makes history come alive.  Thank goodness for authors like James Swanson.  I might just need to read Manhunt!

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Infidel begins with the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh.  Stabbed to his chest is a five page letter addressed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  In her page turning memoir, Ayaan takes the reader on a geographical and religious journey through her past, detailing her life from the girl she used to be to the woman she has matured to today.

Ayaan grew up with an eccentric grandmother, an erratic mother and she is the eldest of three siblings.  Her father drifts in and out of her life as the family moves from Somalia to Saudi Arabia, to Ethiopia and then to Kenya.  Ayaan details the traditional life of a Somalian Muslim woman from her earliest memory.  Ayaan has created a engaging memoir that takes you in the house and heart of a Muslim woman and her radical change that leads her to deny Islam's control of her life and become an Infidel.  

Ayaan escapes an arranged marriage in Germany and seeks asylum in the Netherlands.  She changes her name and lies to gain Dutch Citizenship.  She undergoes a cultural shock and a personal transformation as she figures out that she has been tricked by religion into complacency.
Ayaan attends college, earns her political science degree and runs for political office. 

Infidel is amazingly powerful book written by an extremely courageous woman.   I read this book aloud to my World History class and all of us were enthralled from the very first page.  We learned about Somalian history and why there are so many Somalian immigrants in our community.  We learned and had great conversations about the final days of Said Barre regime, female genital mutilation, the dangerous plight of refugees and refugee camps, arranged marriage, unstable countries, honor killings, the Muslim Brotherhood, child abuse and so much more.

Infidel states, that of the three monotheistic religions only Islam has not been through a reformation and that for women, a reformation is essential for human rights.  Women suffer through arranged and forced marriages as young as 9 years old as well as honor killings by husbands and brothers.  If a woman is caught bringing shame to her family or committing adultery she will be killed by the male members of her family and no one prosecutes the men because it is their god given right.  Ayaan Hirsi Ali called for a change in Islam and is a crusader for Muslim women and their human rights.
 
If you have not read Infidel yet, I suggest you get a copy and start reading now.  This is one of the most important books of the decade and is extremely timely as governments must find a way to incorporate new religious doctrines into their democratic societies and maintain human rights for all.

Last Night I Dreamed of Peace. The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Last Night I Dreamed of Peace.  The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Dang Thuy Tram was a doctor who lived and worked in Vietnam during the war.  She left her family, became a member of the communist party and worked to heal members of the Vietcong army.  During the Vietnam war Thuy kept a diary and wrote down her thoughts, her emotions and the daily tribulations of living and working during a war.  She relates some of the history of Vietnam, the conflict with the French and her wish for peace and freedom.  Only one diary out of three survives.

Dr. Tram is shot and killed by the Americans.  All of the deceased person's effects are ordered to be destroyed but one American soldier recognizes the dairy as important and keeps it.   He takes it home after the war and keeps it safe for 35 years.  The soldier returns to the diary to Dr. Tram's mother in Vietnam and she has it published where it becomes an instant bestseller.

Throughout the memoir there is death and destruction.  Dr Tram faces death daily as people she loves are shot and captured and her patients die of incurable wounds.  Her depression is evident as she misses her family and her high school sweetheart.  Life happens during war and Thuy shows how she survives everyday when bombs are dropping around her.

I read this book aloud to my 4th hour Humanities class and most of them hated it.  I tried to persevere hoping that they would learn something about the horrors of war and that the book would improve but it did not.   Thuy constantly talkes about men and love interests and because she calls them all young brother or older brother it leaves the reader confused about who is who.  Also Dr. Tram continually refers to herself in 3rd person which left the class wondering why.  I was really disappointed in the book.  I felt it needed something more, maybe some cultural references that helped the reader understand Vietnam better.  There are tons of footnotes throughout the book that while they did explain some of the history, mostly deterred from the memoir and left the reader more confused.  I would definitely say that this is a book where the meaning and importance of the book has become lost in translation.

The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris

The Grace of Silence. A Family Memoir by Michele Norris

Every family keeps secrets that are hidden from the next generation.  Whether intentional or not, some secrets are stories that never get told. These stories may explain or define who we are but stay hidden beneath layers of memory.

Michele Norris started out writing a book to explore hidden conversations about race and what she found were painful secrets her parents kept hidden from their children. This is Michele's journey to unearth the secrets of her past and find meaning and grace in her parent's choice to remain silent. 

First Michele introduces us to her family and her life growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She then tells her grandmother's story and investigates her job as a traveling Aunt Jemima in the Midwest.   Then Norris travels south to Alabama to learn why her father, a World War II veteran, was shot weeks after he arrived home by a white police officer in Birmingham. 

Have you ever traced your family roots?  Have you sat down with the elder generation of your family to ask questions?  Each of us has a family story to tell and a generation of memories that make us who we are.  After reading The Grace of Silence, I thought about the secrets my family has, the ones I've heard, the secrets I've told and the secrets I myself still keep.  And I thought about race.

My grandfather had a secret that he took to his grave and I learned of it 13 years after his death.  My grandfather fought in World War II and was in the 9th Army Air Force.  He was in Belgium, occupying a castle with the Germans about 2 miles away.  There was a bar many of the soldiers frequented during their time off and it was not segregated, so black and white soldiers could drink in the space together.  This was normal for my grandpa because he lived in Minnesota where public places were not segregated.  A fight broke out between a white soldier and a black soldier.  The white soldier pulled out his gun and pointed it at the African American soldier and pulled the trigger.  My grandpa happened to be near the area and I am not sure if he knew either man but he pushed the hand of the soldier with the gun away as the gun fired two shots.  Both shots landed in the ceiling of the bar.  My grandpa took this story, a heroic story in my opinion, to his grave.  Why?

I learned this story from the women whose parents owned that bar in Belgium and who remained one of my grandfather's friends.  My mom and I visited Maggie in 2004, about 13 years after my grandfather's death and she told us this story. 

The Grace of Silence is a book that will get you thinking about race.  Now is the time to take the initiative and start talking about race and break down the barriers and secrets that hold all of us in place.
It is time for change.

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot.  A True Story of the Berlin Airlift and The Candy that Dropped from the Sky by Margot Theis Raven
Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

This is a true story about a American pilot named Col. Gail S. Halvorson USAF and a little German girl named Mercedes Wild.

World War II has ended and the four allies, Russia, Great Britain, France and the United States all controlled parts of Berlin.  Russia controlled East Berlin, while the three remaining countries controlled the three sectors of West Berlin.  On June 24th, 1948 Stalin tried to take over control of all of Berlin, thereby creating a blockade of West Berlin by cutting off all routes to the city.  The Allies did not want to start World War three and so they created a sky bridge and  flew supplies day and night into West Berlin, known as The Berlin Airlift.

Mercedes is seven years old and lives in a bombed out section of West Berlin.  Airplanes continuously roared overhead and her chickens were so scared they wouldn't lay the eggs her family desperately needed.  The planes rained down supplies, like flour, clothing, coal and candy.  One day, Mercedes mother read a story in the newspaper of the American pilot, Lt. Gail Halvorson who parachuted candy to the children of Berlin. He earned the nickname The Chocolate Pilot and people from all over America donated handkerchiefs for parachutes and candy for the children of Berlin.  Mercedes decides to write him a letter.

Lt. Halvorson and the people of America who donated supplies to the Berlin Airlift brought hope to the people of Berlin.  Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot is a beautiful work of art and a testament to the kindness and civility of people after World War II.  President Truman said on that fateful day on June 24th, 1948 "There is no discussion.  We stay in Berlin.  Period." The Berlin Airlift lasted from June 26, 1948 to September 30, 1949. 

I never knew this piece of history until I read this story and I am so glad I did.  Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot was very moving and inspirational.  It is a true story about the kindness of others that we all hope will be extended to us in our time of need.  You need to buy some candy, read this book together with your family and enjoy this sweet and delicious story.  Children's books are not just for kids.

The Middle Passage by Tom Feelings

The Middle Passage.  White Ships, Black Cargo by Tom Feelings

Note:  I have decided to start reviewing children's books now and again.  Some children's books are actually meant for adults or mature readers and can be used in a high school classroom.  I find that children's books are a way to gain specific knowledge quickly and the artwork tends to be well done and aesthetically gratifying. Frankly, I love art and pictures in my books, in fact I wish authors would include them in their novels more often.  Children's books bring out the child in all of us. 

The Middle Passage is an amazing book without words.   It tells the story of the journey and perilous capture of slaves in Africa and their horrifying voyage on the ocean during their passage to the Americas.   The entire book is done with expressive black and white artwork. 

It took the author, Tom Feelings, 20 years to complete the art and storyboard for this stunning book.  The Middle Passage is a book without words that communicates volumes of emotions to the reader.  It captures the voice of the African American past and the scar it left on the history of its people.  The Middle Passage speaks right to your heart and the images are unforgettable. 

The Middle Passage teaches us the strength of the African people and their will to survive amidst awful brutality and tragedy.  This book will endure for decades as it teaches future generations the importance of their past and moves a nation to understand its mistakes. 

The War To End All Wars by Russell Freedman

The War to End All Wars.  World War I by Russell Freedman

War World I was suppose to be the war to end all wars in the world.  It was brutal, deadly, and unforgettable.  Thousands of lives would be lost for a few feet of territory.  Unfortunately World War I was a precursor  and a cause of World War II and as we all know the horrors of war continue in the world today. 

World War I started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were killed by a Serbian terrorist group called the Black Hand in 1914 in Sarajevo.  After their murders Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and the Russians (Serbian allies) declared war on Austria and then Germany declared war on Russia and so on until almost the entire world was involved in a war for reasons most couldn't clarify. 

World War I would change the way war was fought when it employed modern weapons, like tanks, long range artillery, trench warfare and poisonous gas.  Battles would be fought on land, sea and in the air with newly designed bomber planes.  Over 20 million people died in World War I, many empires collapsed, revolutions were fought, famine was widespread and the world map was redrawn. 

Freedman does an excellent job of explaining World War I clearly and accurately.  Many photos depict the anguish of war, the devastation of the landscape and the injury of the soldiers.  There are only four maps in the book and personally I would have preferred more.  As a world history teacher, maps are really important to me and help me reference the location of an historical event. The War to End All Wars in my opinion could have had a lot more maps illustrating the important battles and their strategic locations.

The War To End All Wars is extremely informative, easy to read and understand and an excellent reference resource on World War I.

They Called Themselves The K.K.K. by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

They Called Themselves The K.K.K. The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Currently there are over 900 active hate groups in the United States today.

A major hate group called The Ku Klux Klan began immediately after the Civil War in Tennessee and spread like wild fire throughout the Southern portion of the U.S.  The founders of the K.K.K. were Six Confederate officers from Tennessee who were disheartened and worried over Republican rule and the loss of their right to vote after the war.  They also were unhappy with the equal rights movement which constituted the 14th Amendment and wanted to go back to White majority rule in the South.
So these six men started a club.

So while the K.K.K. practiced hate and forced poor, illiterate white men to join, the black majority worked, learned to read and write and tried to use their rights as citizens to vote.  Many blacks faced violence, beatings, cruelty and even death by the hand of the K.K.K..  Once Johnson was out of power Grant was elected President and tried to limit the power of the K.K.K. in the South.

This is a very informative book that looks at all sides of the issue of Reconstruction and how it affected the White and Black majority living in the South.  This book explains how the K.K.K. was formed and its subsequent underground terrorism of Blacks and Whites who sympathized with them.  The artwork, political cartoons, with some by Thomas Nast, and pictures add greatly to the book.  As a Northerner, I now have a clearer understanding of the South's hatred and distrust of the North and the Southern fear of Republican rule and their ingrained societal racism of which we can still see the affects today.

They Called Themselves The K.K.K. contains valuable information for teachers and would be a useful learning tool in the classroom.

Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic

Zlata's Diary.  A Child's Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic

Zlata is a 10 year old girl when the war in Yugoslavia breaks out.  She starts her diary on the first day of 5th grade in 1991when war is just a topic on the news that is nowhere near her home.  In March, 1992, the ethnic conflict starts making headlines and Zlata records it from her child like perspective. 

In 1992, the city of Sarajevo is under siege and Zlata is stuck in the middle.  All of her friends escape to other safer locales and Zlata is left alone with her parents unable to escape for two years.  Her pets are out of food, there is no school, indefinitely, and she can't play outside because of snipers and the war is ruining Zlata's childhood. 

The unique aspect of this book is that it is written by a child in the middle of a war.  It is an true and honest perspective from a young girl who is unsure why these people can't get along and why would they want to hurt her friends and family.  She talks a lot about birthday parties because it was a reason to be happy and celebrate when so much of their time was meant for survival.

Zlata's Diary contains some of her artwork, pictures of her family and of Sarajevo.  It details how her diary named Mimmy came to be published and how she was able to exit her country to safety.

Yugoslavia no longer exists today and has been broken into much smaller ethnic countries.  I had a pen pal from Yugoslavia in the late 1980's and we wrote up to the year of 1992.  When the war started I never got another letter from her again.  I tried looking for her on the internet after the war ended and it appears my pen pal friend disappeared from this world.  I hope where ever she is, she is happy.

Zlata's Diary made me realize how fragile our perfect world is and that one day, war could be in our homeland.  Then I think about all the countries at war today, places like Libya and Yemen and I wonder how their children are doing.  Zlata's Diary is as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1992.  God bless the children.

Roots by Alex Haley. Week #3 of the summer Read-A-Long

Roots by Alex Haley.
Read-A-Long Week #3

Pages Read:  201-301
Chapters Read:  35-47

This post is a day late due to the 4th of July holiday.  Hope you all had a fun, firework filled weekend.

Note:  I am reading ROOTS in honor of my former student Quincy Blue who was recently found murdered, his body burned beyond recognition, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.


Kunta is 17 rains during this section of the book and is enduring The Middle Passage across the Atlantic Ocean.  The journey across the ocean from Africa to the Americas lasts about 5 months and is called The Middle Passage.  It is a horrible trip for the slaves and ship crew alike with many people dying on the journey.  The slaves are chained below the deck on a wooden plank that is about the size of 6 feet by 1 foot.  The men are forced to lie down and endure the horrific smells, the hot space and seasickness.  Their are no bathrooms and disease, rats and lice abound.  The men are beaten and wounds become quickly infected and painful.  It is a wonder that any man (slave) survived this horrific journey. 


The women are kept above deck and are used by the sailors night after night.  The women are amazing because when the African men come up to the deck to be scrubbed clean and exercised the women sing to them, and secretly tell what is happening on the boat above deck.  Kunta continues to hold on to his faith to Allah and remains strong in spirit despite how weak his body becomes.


Eventually Kunta's ship arrives in port and Kunta is kept in a hold for 7 days before being sold. The whole time the author keeps the reader in the dark about where Kunta is in America and Kunta remains strong in spirit as his body continues to take many beatings and injuries.  Kunta refuses to be tamed or treated like an animal and continually runs away.  I only wish he wouldn't get caught.


Kunta has a very strong sense of smell and can smell humans and tell them apart.   He can see what part of the blacks is still African even though they have forgotten where they come from and this saddens him.  Kunta faces racism from his black peers who view him as a African animal straight from the trees.  Their ignorance is plain and soon Kunta receives a new name from his master:  Toby. 

The year is 1765.  State unknown.

These are the bloggers/readers participating in the Read-A-Long.  Please visit them and comment.  Also if you are participating and want to be included on this list, please comment and I will add a link to your blog.
Thanks everyone for participating.

1.  Bre from Booksnob Wannabe
2.  Sherrie from Just Books
3.  Michelle from Truebookaddict
4.  Laurie from Whatsheread