The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

370 pages

"Out of the depths of the Depression comes the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington's eight-oar crew was never expected  to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys' own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man's personal quest." -Back Cover

I LOVED this book. It was so inspiring and beautifully written. Daniel Brown weaves the story of rowing, Joe's childhood and challenges, and what was unfolding in Germany at the time incredibly well. There are so many great life lessons in this story, from George Pocock's philosophical musings on life and rowing, to Joe's indomitable spirit, to the eventual camaraderie of 8 boys in a boat rowing as one, to the challenges of the Great Depression.

Joe Rantz's mother died when he was young. He had an older brother Fred who married and then Joe's father married Fred's wife's twin Thula, who was 17 years his junior. Thula was an accomplished violinist and came from a family with some money. Joe's dad, Harry, was a dreamer and she was captivated by his dreams of inventing but the reality was much different. Harry struggled to make a living and kept moving the family from place to place, living in a gold mining community, shanty towns, and then trying to build a life in Sequim. Thula was never happy and resented Joe. Harry & Thula had three or four children together and when Joe was 15, they packed up the car and left their half-finished house, but not before Thula and Harry told Joe that he couldn't come with them. I just couldn't wrap my head around a father and a stepmother leaving a teenage boy behind to fend for himself. They didn't even tell him where they were going and for years Joe had no idea that they were living in Seattle. There were times during this story that I wished I could have slapped Thula silly for the way she treated Joe and then punch Harry for allowing it to happen. Joe stayed in Sequim and lived in the half-finished house, doing odd jobs for a neighbor family who became his family and trying to keep himself fed and in school. Eventually he made it to the University of Washington where he decided to try rowing.

I loved learning about rowing and crew. I also loved the fact that we just went to Seattle this last summer so I was familiar with some of the places that were mentioned. Sequim is where my husband thought a bison was going to kill him at the Animal Game Farm. I didn't know much about rowing but it's an amazing sport, full of tradition and history. It takes a strong man to make it onto a rowing crew and then to become a successful crew. Joe's freshman year the freshman coach Tom Bolles and the head coach Al Ulbrickson had a lot of talent to work with. Berkley was Washington's main competition and after competing with each other, they'd go on to Poughkeepsie and the other east coast races where's Joe's crew won their freshman year. The next few years Al kept rearranging the boys looking for the perfect crew until he got his Olympic crew of 1936. George Pocock (who designed and built the boats) became a mentor to Joe and taught him a lot of important lessons.

The heart and soul of those 8 boys, their coaches, and Joe's fiancee, Joyce, are something to be admired and emulated. Joe worked incredibly hard during the summers to be able to afford to stay in school. He was often teased by the other boys for wearing the same sweater day after day but it was all he had. He felt anger towards Harry and Thula but he didn't let it eat away at him and ultimately let it go. I even felt some compassion towards Thula after reading that her mother would only allow her children to come over once a week for a bowl of Cream of Wheat when they were living in a shanty town and barely getting by. That explained a lot about Thula. She learned to treat Joe like she did from her mother. The boys learned to row as one and as a whole became something greater than their individual parts. Their struggle to get to the Olympics after earning the right to go showed just how much good people can do when they work together. There's a brief mention of Louis Zamperini who competed in the same year and has an amazing story of his own in Unbroken.

The men of this era are called the Greatest Generation and I really think that's true. Their characters were formed through hardship and trial. They knew how to work and work hard. They knew about sacrifice and suffering. They tried to make better lives for themselves and they served their country, many giving their lives. There's a really sweet part at the end where the author talks about how Joyce wanted Joe's married life to be. She was such a blessing for Joe. I also loved the part after the Olympics where Joe realizes that he is finally whole and ready to go home. Our experiences make us who we are and I'm not sure he would have ended up where he did without all the adversity he faced.

This is such an inspiring story. I will definitely read it again. I love that there's a young reader version of this book. It is going to be one of our summer reads next summer as a family.

Rescue in the Pacific by Tony Farrington

229 pages

"In June 1994 a dangerous 'bomb' storm caught dozens of cruising sailors by surprise as they voyaged north from New Zealand. This is the true story of how nine yachts struggled to survive the hurricane-like conditions. Boats were battered by fierce winds and capsized by seas towering well over 50 feet high. Masts collapsed, rudders broke, and sailors lost steering control when they needed it most. This book details the story of the heroic men and women on the yachts, in the planes, on the ships, and on land who took part in this sea drama--find out what really happened and what it was like out there. This is both a shock course in survival for bluewater voyagers and a riveting human drama for sailors and non sailors alike." -Back Cover

Every now and then the topic of going on a cruise comes up with friends or family and I always say that going on a cruise is something that I have no desire to do. I remind them that every movie I've ever seen with a ship (Titanic, Under Siege, The Perfect Storm, the list goes on) ends badly. Now, I realize that no one would watch a movie about a ship if nothing suspenseful or bad happened, but still, it's a constant reminder that really bad things can happen on a ship on the ocean. This book is yet another reminder of that.

People who have the desire to take a small yacht out onto the vast ocean and try to conquer mother nature in that way are a different breed of people. They are people with adventurous hearts and probably extra doses of courage. I am not a water lover in any way and I like to keep my firm firmly planted on dry ground. I did go out on a boat when we were in Seattle this summer and I was nervous for a large part of the trip. I really should have learned how to swim.

This book tries to convey the fact that no one had any idea how big this storm was going to turn out to be. Many of the people on the yachts thought they could weather it out or avoid it by sailing a certain way and then found themselves caught in the middle. When you read that a 60-foot yacht was battling waves that were well over 50-feet tall and a sea that would toss their boats around, sometimes capsizing them multiple times, it's frightening. I watched YouTube videos of comparable storms. It was scary to say the least. The ocean is a powerful thing.

A lot of the boating terminology went over my head. When the people would radio in and report their boat's status to Kerikeri Radio, I'd sort of skim over that. What I took away from this book is the fact that there are many brave men and women who risk their lives to help other people who are in trouble on the ocean. The pilots stayed out in fierce winds and flew dangerously low to give the people hope and a connection with others. The couple who ran Kerikeri Radio stayed up for long hours and kept in constant contact with all of the ships so that they could help rescuers know their situations. The men on the shipping vessels answered the call for help and then risked their lives to get men and women off the yachts. The men and women--husbands and wives, friends, family--on the yachts seemed to do their very best to stay safe and keep calm. They seemed to care about everyone else and be realistic in how dire their circumstances were so that the rescue crews could help those in the most need first. Many of them had their whole lives invested in those boats and yet most of them didn't take unnecessary risks to salvage them when they were rescued. It's really amazing that there weren't more lives lost in this storm.

There are a lot of people and boats to keep track of in this book. The beginning gives a summary of each boat and its crew and I had to flip back to this a couple of times to remind myself of who people were. It was well written and gives some additional information at the end of the book that was interesting.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

204 pages

"Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house 'spark joy' (and which don't), this international best seller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home--and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire."
-Back Cover

I picked this book up at Costco awhile back because my husband is always trying to get us to get rid of more stuff and nagging about having a more organized house. I really liked what she had to say. Her method really does change the way you look at tidying up your home and getting rid of stuff. I loved the idea of only keeping things that spark joy and I liked that she tells you what categories to start with. I think the category idea is brilliant because it forces you to gather everything from your entire house in that category. So often I clean a room at a time and without fail I'm doing it again the next week. Her method tends to give more life to objects then I think some of us in the west are used to, but I also liked the idea of showing gratitude to our home and our belongings for what they do for us.

Having said that, I haven't completed my house purge yet. I did start with my clothes like she recommended. She says that you need to touch and handle each item and ask yourself if that item brings you joy. Doing this with my clothes, it was so easy to get rid of clothes that until then I hadn't been able to part with. I was surprised at how quickly the answer of whether or not it brought joy came. I'd been hanging on to "someday" clothes that I didn't need to hang on to. I ended up with 7 large garbage bags full of clothes to get rid of. I folded and hung the remaining clothes the way she recommended as well. It felt really good. I did break her rule of not giving discarded items to family. I let my sister go through the clothes and I think they're now bringing her joy. I took everything else to D.I.

I still need to tackle the rest of my house. Doing it all at once does, admittedly, feel a little overwhelming, but the idea of having it all done at once is also appealing. A couple of cousins were reading this book at the same time and one of them asked me what I thought about her thoughts on books. She says to only keep a few books, but she also lives in a small space. For the most part, I agreed with what she had to say about books. I'll never not have a home library--it brings me immense joy--but I am to the point where I'm only keeping books that bring me joy, books I'll read again or want to share with others.

This was a great read. I'm looking forward to continuing to tidy up our home and being done with it once and for all.

Miracles and Massacres by Glenn Beck

259 pages

"History is about so much more than memorizing facts. It is, as more than half of the word suggests, about the story. And, told in the right way, it is the greatest one ever written: Good and evil, triumph and tragedy, despicable acts of barbarism and courageous acts of heroism.

The things you've never learned about our past will shock you. The reason why gun control is so important to government elites can be found in a story about Athens that no one dares teach. Not the city in ancient Greece, but the one in 1946 Tennessee. The power of an individual who trusts his gut can be found in the story of the man who stopped the twentieth hijacker from being part of 9/11. And a lesson on what happens when an all-powerful president is in need of positive headlines is revealed in a story about eight saboteurs who invaded America during World War II." -Dust Jacket

One of the things that makes me the saddest about my kids' school experience is that they are not learning to love history. Frankly, they don't even remember anything they've been taught. They get a packet and do it and regurgitate it on the test but it doesn't stay with them. Their textbooks are skewed to the liberal left, where FDR gets a chapter, Abraham Lincoln gets a paragraph and nothing is said about Benjamin Franklin.  I loved my AP U.S. History class. The teacher was engaging and I learned so much. I hate that school kids are being taught that America is not a great country, that capitalism is bad and that we have raped and pillaged the world. Lately I've been trying to instill in my kids a love for our country and the idea that they can, and should, be proud to be an American. I love what Bono said about America--"that America has constantly been on the side of what's right, that America is an idea and that the world sees us as one of the greatest ideas in history--the idea that you and me are created equal, that life is not meant to be endured by enjoyed...This country was the first to claw its way out of darkness and put that on paper. These aren't just American ideas anymore. The world has a bit of America in it. These truths, they're self-evident in us."

Recently my kids and I watched "America: Imagine a World Without Her" by Dinesh D'Souza. I liked how he showed the accusations against America and then refuted them. I think kids now days hear the negative things about America and I really want to make sure that my girls know that while our country isn't perfect, it's still the best country in the world and we need to do our part to make sure it stays great.

I know that history depends on who's telling it and the same event can be told in many different ways. I know that Glenn Beck can be polarizing, but he loves America and worries about our country. He cites all of his sources in the back and I find that he usually does his research. I learned so much in this book--stories I'd never heard like the description implies. Again, I liked how it was a balance of good and bad. If we don't learn from the bad then we're likely to repeat it and the good can inspire us to be brave. This book contains stories about Jack Jouett, Shays' Rebellion, The Virginia Convention, The Barbary War, Edison vs. Westinghouse, The Battle of Wounded Knee, Easy Eddie, The Saboteurs, Tokyo Rose, The Battle of Athens, The My Lai Massacre, and the missing 9/11 terrorist. The best part of this book for me was that it made me want to read other books about these events and learn more. I like that each story isn't too long and that it's written in a way that captures your attention. I think these stories will be great for me to read with my kids this summer and talk about.

A Higher Call by Adam Makos

368 pages

"Five days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly, a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber's tail--a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called 'the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II.'

This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day: the American--Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17--and the German--Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II.

A Higher Call follows both Charlie's and Franz's harrowing missions. Charlie would face takeoffs in English fog over the flaming wreckage of his buddies' planes, flak bursts so close they would light his cockpit, and packs of enemy fighters that would circle his plane like sharks. Franz would face sandstorms in the desert, a crash alone at sea, and the spectacle of one thousand bombers, each with eleven guns, waiting for his attack.

Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at each other. The American 8th Air Force would later classify what happened between them as 'top secret.' It was an act that Franz could never mention or else face a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search for each other, a last mission that could change their lives forever." -Dust Jacket

Wow. What a great, inspiring book. It's very well written and great in the sense that it reminds the reader of one important fact: the atrocities committed in World War II were committed by the minority of the German people. Most members of the German Air Force were not Nazis and most were good, honorable men who had a code of honor and chivalry. Franz was led by those sorts of men. Franz fought at first to avenge the death of his brother August but the men he served under and with changed that. He learned from the fighter pilots in Africa a different way and reason for fighting. He was an ace, credited with several kills, but he took no pleasure in it. The Knight's Cross, a medal he had actively sought to earn in the beginning, ultimately meant nothing to him. Charlie's plane would have earned him that cross since bombers counted for more kills than a fighter.

I like that this book starts with Franz. You read about a young boy who wanted to learn how to fly and how he was brought into the German Air Force. You realize what a desperate situation they were in against the Americans and you can't help but feel a sense of admiration and sympathy for them. My husband loves the P-51 Mustang. It was a beautiful fighter plane and reading about it from the other side was really interesting. The German pilots were treated with disdain among their own people, blamed for losing the war and being cowards when they were not, yet another example of the propaganda spewed by Hitler's people. They had a hard time finding work at the end of the war. Some of the pilots Franz served with were men who plotted to overthrow Goering. They hated The Party.

Both Charlie and Franz were men of faith and believed that a higher power was helping and sustaining them. This book was such a good reminder that good people can be found on both sides of war and that forgiveness and love is the only way to peace. I think the men of JV-44, the Squadron of Experts, are admirable men. I'd like to read more about them in the future.

I think the whole experience of this book can be summed up with this on page 202:

"'What are you waiting for?' Black said quietly as the German's eyes met his.

The Franz Stigler who went to Africa to avenge his brother's death would have had an answer. He would have destroyed the bomber and killed its crew. But there, in the desert, and over ancient Sicily, the last of Europe's Knights had taught Franz Stigler a new code. Their code said to fight with fearlessness and restraint, to celebrate victories not death, and to know when it was time to answer a higher call.

Franz gazed at the men in the waist tending one another's wounds. He looked into the ashen face of the ball turret gunner. He thought about what his brother August would have done.

A gear clicked in Franz's soul. He laid a hand over the pocket of his jacket and felt his rosary beads within. This will be no victory for me, Franz decided. I will not have this on my conscience for the rest of my life."

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

280 pages

"Bound for Antarctica, where polar explorer Ernest Shackleton planned to cross on foot the last uncharted continent, the Endurance set sail from England, in August 1914. In January 1915, after battling its way for six weeks through a thousand miles of pack ice and now only a day's sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked inside an island of ice. For ten months the ice-moored Endurance drifted northwest before it was finally crushed. But for Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men the ordeal had barely begun. It would end only after a near-miraculous journey by Shackleton and a skeleton crew through over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization." -Back Cover

I vaguely remember learning about this in school and I think I even read this book, but I wanted to read it again. Shackleton's ship was so aptly named it's almost eerie. What those men endured and accomplished together is truly amazing. The fact that for the most part they all stayed pretty positive and optimistic is unbelievable. Shackleton was loved, admired and feared by his men. He knew how to lead men. He knew how to avoid conflict by putting certain people together and keeping others apart. He knew how to get them to keep going even when they didn't think they could or want to. Every man (except the stowaway) had been handpicked and many of them had traveled to Antarctica with him before.

Two thoughts ran through my mind throughout this book: the importance of keeping a journal or record of some sort and the idea that we are almost always stronger than we think we are. There were so many times in this book where you just wondered why Mother Nature couldn't cut them a break. They'd work so hard to get to land and then waves or storms would deter them. They'd use their dog teams to take treacherous trips back for supplies only to have to then kill the dogs to either eat them or save the food they had to feed them. That was probably the lowest point of the story for me. They never gave up though. When Shackleton set out to sail for South Georgia as a last hope for his men, it seemed so unfair that he would then have to hike over a glacier that had proven itself to be impassable to reach the town. This is a story that is so inspiring. It's suspenseful--I had a hard time putting it down. It reminds you of what the human spirit is capable of.

Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson

228 pages

"Duck calls--though the source of his livelihood--are not what makes Phil Robertson the man he is today. When asked what matters in his life, he's quick to say: 'Faith, family, ducks--in that order.'

It isn't often that a person can live a dream, but Phil Robertson, aka The Duck Commander, has proven that it is possible with vision, hard work, helping hands, and an unshakable faith in the Almighty. Phil's is the remarkable story of one man who followed the call he received from God and soon after invented a duck call that would begin an incredible journey to the life he had always dreamed of for himself and his family. In the love of his country, his family, and his maker, Phil has finally found the ingredients to the 'good life' he always wanted." -Dust Jacket

A&E's Duck Dynasty is fast becoming one of only a few shows we can watch together as a family and not worry about language or anything else that is objectionable. The show makes us laugh and I love that every episode ends with a prayer and the family sitting around the table eating together. I love that they help each other. I love that the family has their arguments but they never hold grudges or hard feelings for very long. I also like that Phil still lives in the same house even though he's wealthy. This book is just an extension of all of that, but I got it to see how Duck Commander got started and to read about Phil's childhood and college years since I'd heard he had a wild phase. Phil gives some great advice in this book about families, teenagers, faith and our country. I admire him for being true to his beliefs and doing what he feels God has called him to do. I also admire Miss Kay for being a good, patient woman. For the Robertsons, it's all about family and that's a good reminder for all of us.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

115 pages

"Nya goes to the pond to fetch water for her family. She walks eight hours every day.

Salva walks away from his war-torn village. He is a 'lost boy' refugee, destined to cover Africa on foot, searching for family and safety.

Two young people...two stories.

One country: Sudan.

This mesmerizing dual narrative follows two threads--one unfolding in 2008 and one in 1985--with one hopeful message: that even in a troubled country, determined survivors may find the future they are hoping for." -Back Cover

I picked this book up at my kids' book fair at school. I read it while sitting through jury selection last Monday. I should have taken a longer book since it took 5 1/2 hours to select jurors of which I wound up being one.

This book is good for middle grade readers. I'd like my girls to read it so they understand how blessed they are to not only live in a free country where there isn't the constant threat of war and violence, but also to be able to turn a knob and have running water. As an adult, I wished this book had had more detail. It's hard to cover several years in 115 pages but when you think about walking across a country by yourself and with other boys, it's such a remarkable feat that I would have liked to have read more about that. I could tell the two stories were going to come together many pages before they did and it was a satisfying ending. Again, good for young readers.

Stand for the Family by Sharon Slater

274 pages

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time. It is a book about protecting the traditional family and the assault on the family at state, national and international levels. It contains a lot of data and information so I think I will reread it in the future to really absorb everything.

What I took away from this book is the need for and the desire to speak up more and when necessary. There are more people who are for the family than against, yet those against are often much more vocal. They work tirelessly to get laws implemented that are harmful and destructive to a family that consists of a mother and father. If those who believe in the traditional family do nothing, we will see our world accept beliefs and ideas that are detrimental and destructive to our society. It was interesting which countries at the U.N. work to defend the traditional family and which don't. Sadly, the U.S. is not one of those that does since Obama has been president.

One of the most important aspects of this book is that it helped me realize that certain people want us to feel guilty about wanting to protect the family in order to get us to not act while they act tirelessly, particularly at the U.N. We don't speak up because we don't want to be labeled as intolerant. They want us to feel guilty about our beliefs. The book points out that human rights are now being extended to human behaviors, that there is a difference between not discriminating against someone because of their race versus their sexual preference and that gays and lesbians should not be entitled to extra protection under the law because of their sexual behavior. The author includes scientific research that demonstrates that a person's sexual orientation is not genetic. Of course homosexuals would argue that point. They would also argue that the legalization of same-sex marriage will eliminate many of the problems experienced within that community, however the author shows through various research that in countries where same-sex marriage is legal, those couples suffer from the same problems as those in countries where it's not, namely higher suicide rates, more promiscuity and abuse, to name a few.

One of the best parts of this book is chapter 15 where the author lists the ten key strategies used by sexual rights activists. Sexual rights activists are those who believe that anything and everything should go, that they should be entitled to whatever sexual behavior they want, that it should be protected and that consequences of that behavior should be funded by the government.

The first strategy is to desensitize. "A behavior that might outrage us at first can become less shocking the more we are exposed to it." You see that happening every day in the movies and on TV.

The second strategy is to bypass the people. If you can't get your agenda passed by the people, you go to the courts. "It's much easier to convince a few judges to mandate your agenda."

Third is the "I'll-make-it-mean-what-I-want strategy." U.N. documents and state laws are reinterpreted to align with what the activists want it to mean and then pressure is put on countries to conform to that interpretation.

The Tsunami Strategy: flood the "market" with a plethora of bills and proposals so your opponents won't be able to keep track of them and some of them will get through.

Name calling and discrediting. Attack the messenger if you don't like what they're saying. "Label anyone who supports a moral issue an 'extremist,' a 'right wing radical' or a 'religious fundamentalist.' Brand anyone who believes that homosexual behavior is unhealthy or not good for society as 'hateful,' 'intolerant,' 'homophobic,' 'bigot,' or a 'Nazi.' Use 'anti-choice' to label those who believe that taking the life of an unborn child is wrong. Finally, characterize opposing views or positions as 'hate speech' or 'unchristian.'"

Victim Strategy. Never mind that existing laws protect every individual from harassment and violence, they are working to create unjustified support for laws and policies that promote homosexuality.

Incremental Strategy. Little by little get laws passed that eventually legalize all sexual rights.

Emotion Strategy. Stir up emotions in those who are listening that can then be used to promote your agenda.

Call it a "Human Right" strategy. If you can get a sexual behavior labeled as a human right it then becomes sacred.

Useful Euphemism Strategy. Basically, if the majority would object to its true meaning, call it by another name. I thought these examples on pages 259-260 were pretty eye-opening because these are phrases I hear often:

"Sexual rights" - Complete sexual freedom for children and adults. Government is to pay for the consequences. Unlimited access for children (without parental consent) and adults to sexually explicit materials. Government funded abortion on demand.
"Unwanted pregnancy" - Baby that should be killed before it is born.
"Forced pregnancy" - When a woman is denied the right to kill her baby in the womb (abortion).
"Celebration of diversity" - Promotion of promiscuous lifestyles.
"Religion" - Radical, outdated beliefs that infringe on basic human rights and freedoms and which can cause serious harm to children.
"Human right" - The ultimate phrase used to imply that you have an overriding right to do what you want regardless of the consequences to you or to society.
"Gay, homosexual or lesbian" - People who need special rights and protections because of a condition which they perceive to be genetic.
"Hate speech" - Advancing religious views about sexual orientation or promiscuity that cause people to feel judged (e.g. publicly professing a biblical view regarding sexuality, or calling any kind of sexual activity outside of traditional marriage a sin).
"Homophobe" - Anyone who supports traditional marriage or opposes the homosexual agenda.
"Social Conservative" - A homophobe who is usually intolerant, inclined to discriminate and is working to take away the fundamental human rights of others.
"Discrimination" or "Intolerance" or "Hate" - Maintaining that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and that homosexuality should not be promoted in the schools or flaunted in the workplace.
"Tolerance" - A doctrine which calls for embracing promiscuity and sexual anarchy. "Tolerance" calls for intolerance of religious values or viewpoints that do not accept promiscuous behavior as normal and good.
"Lowering age of consensual sex" - Legalizing adult sex with children.
"Intergenerational sex" - Sex between an adult and child.
"Sex worker" - A prostitute.
"Civil unions" - Legal recognition and benefits for people having sex with a partner of the same sex, i.e., legal recognition for couples who engage in sodomy.

The author talks about things we can do to strengthen and protect the family:
1. Eat dinner together as a family on a regular basis.
2. Set aside date nights for mom and dad.
3. Dedicate at least one night each week to your family.
4. Spend one-on-one time with each child on a regular basis.
5. Pray together.
6. Criticize less and praise more.
7. Immunize your children against premarital sex. (Talk to them about sex.)
8. Work together.
9. Do service together as a family.
10. Never give up on a family member.

This book helped me to realize that I have fallen victim to the new definition of tolerance, that having the attitude that if it doesn't affect me directly I don't need to do anything is wrong, that eventually if we do nothing to protect the family, laws detrimental to the family will be passed and our society will be forever changed. She quotes this phrase a few times: "Many small people, in many small places, doing many small things can change the face of the world."

Seven Miracles That Saved America: Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope by Chris and Ted Stewart

294 pages

"'When the odds were stacked against us--and there have been many times when the great experiment we call America could have and should have failed--did God intervene to save us?'

That question, posed by authors Chris and Ted Stewart, is the foundation for this remarkable book. And the examples they cite provide compelling evidence that the hand of Providence has indeed preserved the United States of America on multiple occasions. Skillfully weaving story vignettes with historical explanations, they examine seven instances that illustrate God's protecting care:

• The unlikely discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
• How (and why) desperate English colonists were able to survive the 'starving time' at Jamestown
• The Battle of New York during the Revolutionary War
• The miraculous creation of the United States Constitution
• Abraham Lincoln's desperate prayer that turned the tide of the Civil War at Gettysburg
• How a series of extraordinary events changed the Battle of Midway during World War II
• The preservation of Ronald Reagan's life from an assassin's bullet, allowing him the time he needed to help extend freedom around the world

Never, at any of these critical junctures, was a positive outcome certain or even likely. Yet America prevailed. Why? 'No man is perfect,' writes the authors. 'And neither is any nation. Yet, despite our weakness, we are still, as Abraham Lincoln said, the best nation ever given to man. Despite our faults, this nation is still the last, best hope of earth.' In short, God still cares what happens here. This reassuring message is a bright light in a world that longs for such hope." -Dust Jacket

I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely a Christian book and those who believe differently may not find this book as inspiring as I did. Because I do believe that America is an exceptional land and is favored by God, it was wonderful to read these examples of why that's true. We are the "best nation ever given to man." That doesn't make us better than other people or nations, it just gives us the responsibility to promote freedom and democracy around the world and be an example to other nations. 

I particularly enjoyed the first five miracles mentioned as it's been awhile since I've studied American history. I was reminded of just how great our Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln were and I couldn't help but feel that even though this is a blessed land, its leaders struggled and struggled mightily before God intervened. It is my belief that God lets us struggle to teach us and mold us into who He needs us to be. If only all of our leaders could be men like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Despite all the negative things happening in our country there really is reason to have hope.

Growing Up by Brad Wilcox

132 pages

"Growing Up--Gospel Answers about Maturation and Sex presents the 'facts of life' as they should be presented--with respect and in the context of gospel standards and doctrine. Written especially for young people between the ages of ten and fifteen, this book will help open doors of communication between parents and children, facilitating their discussion of

• Conception, prenatal development, and birth
• Physical growth and maturation
• Love, marriage and sex
• The law of chastity

Growing Up offers the right information at the right time to help young people make the right choices." -Back Cover

I don't remember my parents ever really talking to me about any of this when I was growing up. I do remember that when I got engaged my mom gave me some pamphlets--written decades earlier--to read and told me to ask her if I had any questions, but by the age of 21 I wasn't used to talking to my parents about that kind of stuff and I wasn't about to start. (I let my fiancé read the pamphlets when I was done with them though!) 

My girls are growing up in a different age, an age when this kind of information (or misinformation) is available at the click of a button and basically in every primetime TV show. I've talked to them a little bit already, but I thought a well-written book on the subject might be helpful for all of us. I love Brad Wilcox. When I was a teenager I loved his EFY talks. The pleasant surprise was that the foreword is written by Dr. Myers, who just happens to have been my childhood physician and the doctor who brought my then fiancé and myself in for the marriage talk. He spoke to us in an open, direct way about sex and what I always appreciated about that talk was that it didn't make us feel uncomfortable. None of these topics should make us feel uncomfortable if discussed in the right way, which I think is the point of the book. We should be able to use anatomically correct names without giggling. 

This book will be a very helpful tool in helping my girls be informed about their bodies and their bodies' functions. It is written with an LDS perspective but I think it's helpful for any faith-based family or any other family for that matter. My oldest daughter is almost 13 and about to enter junior high. I feel like she is ready for most of this book and it's a good time to read and discuss it. There are a few chapters (About Boys, and a few of the last chapters on the more serious topics) that I'm still a little unsure about reading with her. I feel like they'll involve a little thought and prayer beforehand, and I probably won't read them until we've read everything else, but eventually she will hear about everything in this book and I would much rather she's heard it from me first and can have a correct perception of those things. 

Escaping the Endless Adolescence by Joseph Allen & Claudia Worrell Allen

231 pages

"Do you sometimes wonder how your teen is ever going to survive on his or her own as an adult? Does your high school junior seem oblivious to the challenges that lie ahead? Does your academically successful nineteen-year-old still expect you to 'just take care of' even the most basic life tasks?

Welcome to the stunted world of the Endless Adolescence. Recent studies show that today's teenagers are more anxious and stressed and less independent and motivated to grow up than ever before. Twenty-five is rapidly becoming the new fifteen for a generation suffering from a debilitating 'failure to launch.' Now two preeminent clinical psychologists tell us why and chart a groundbreaking escape route for teens and parents.

Drawing on their extensive research and practice, Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen show that most teen problems are not hardwired into teens' brains and hormones but grow instead out of a 'Nurture Paradox' in which our efforts to support our teens by shielding them from the growth-spurring rigors and rewards of the adult world have backfired badly. With compelling examples and practice and profound suggestions, the authors outline a novel approach for producing dramatic leaps forward in teen mature, including

• Turn Consumers into Contributors. Help teens experience adult maturity--its bumps and its joys--through the right kind of employment or volunteer activity.
• Feed Them with Feedback. Let teens see and hear how the larger world perceives them. Shielding them from criticism--constructive or otherwise--will only leave them unequipped to deal with it when they get to the 'real world.'
• Provide Adult Connections. Even though they'll deny it, teens desperately need to interact with adults (including parents) on a more mature level--and such interaction will help them blossom!
• Stretch the Teen Envelope. Do fewer things for teens that they can do for themselves, and give them tasks just beyond their current level of competence and comfort.

Today's teens are starved for the lost fundamentals they need to really grow: adult connections and the adult rewards of autonomy, competence, and mastery. Restoring these will help them unlearn their adolescent helplessness and grow into adults who can make you--and themselves--proud." -Dust Jacket

I thought I'd get a jump start on this since I have a soon-to-be thirteen-year-old and I would like her to be a capable adult someday. I also want to be a capable parent. I thought this book was very well written. It wasn't full of technical/scientific terms but was written for the average parent. I liked the examples it gave with different teens. Object lessons are always good for me. I found myself agreeing with so much of what was said and suggested and I learned a lot that I'm anxious to try. Some of the tidbits I took away from this were:

• Rather than just giving everything to our teens we need to ask some things of our teens. The Nurture Paradox is that we try so hard to give them everything we think will make them happy, that we don't want them to be deprived of material things like we were, that we nurture them with the wrong things. The authors suggest that doing this is like "poisoning their character just as surely as an excess of sugar and fat in their diets can poison their bodies." "Larry and Megan came from quite different neighborhoods and backgrounds. But what both of their parents shared was the unstated assumption that good parenting is reflected in what we provide our children, rather than in what we expect from them."
• "Our ultimate goal with our teens shouldn't be to get them into a good college, but rather to have them learn to be successful on their own in their future lives." (They talk a lot about the education of young people in this country and how it fails them to a large extent. Too much emphasis and stress are placed on college admissions, rather than on teaching young people how to navigate the adult world. They also give some interesting alternatives.) "Bending over backward to get one's child into a good college will not matter nearly as much as preparing them to function independently and to thrive once they are there."
• Doing work that matters to someone helps teens on their way to escaping the Endless Adolescence. They need to feel needed and doing work that makes a difference in the adult world.
• Teens need to be socialized by adults and not by their peers.
• "Freedom should be linked to behavior" and not to age requirements.
• We need to provide our teens with a support system (referred to as "scaffolding") so they can learn lessons but with support from us. 
• "Adults are the relationship maintainers with teens."
• "Adults should use the same conventions of respect and politeness when talking with teens that we use when talking to other adults." We should not speak to them condescendingly or always criticize. We should make sure that we have specific time with teens where there is no criticism given, we just talk with them.
• "Adolescents, for all their good intentions, are not adults in terms of their relationship skills." They quite often lack the conversation skills that adults have acquired and we need to be careful not to judge their behaviors based on an adult skill set.
• "Again and again, however, we pass up opportunities to allow our teens the experience of mastery, usually in the mistaken notion that we are nurturing them and showing them love by doing things for them." We need to take the time to teach them how to do things that are within their capacity and slightly challenge them.
• "The best feedback comes not from parents but from the real world." We need to remove the middleman--us. They give the example of taking our teens with us to parent-teacher conference so they can hear first-hand what needs improvement and what they're doing well.
• "Teens are built for physical activity, and with enough of it, will function better in all areas of life."
• The +/- 5 rule: sometimes our teens act 5 years old than they are...and sometimes they act 5 years younger.

There are definitely several things I can work on now that I think will make a huge difference, especially the one about speaking to our teens with the same respect and politeness that we do with other adults, and not being condescending or too critical. Sometimes I am too hard on my kids. I'm also excited to help my daughters do more for themselves. I've never been the mom who gives my kids everything they want. I make them earn money for the things that they really want. My middle daughter summed it up in my Mother's Day card this year: "You give me what I need and sometimes what I want." I think a lot of these suggestions will help my relationship with my daughters.  

Freedom in Exile, The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama

271 pages

This year one of my new year's resolutions was to branch out in my reading genres. I read a lot of books that my girls like but I felt it was important to learn some things this year in my reading rather than just be entertained.

The Dalai Lama is a remarkable person and I have wanted to read his autobiography for a long time. I knew about what had happened in Tibet but only had a surface knowledge. This book was a great education about the Dalai Lama's childhood, his training, the Chinese invasion, his exile, and his experiences through 1990. I wish he would write another book that covers the last 20 years. The Dalai Lama is a man who loves people and who is gentle and kind. The Chinese committed some Nazi-like atrocities against his people, yet he remains forgiving and hopeful for his people's future with the Chinese. One of the things that I really liked about him is his ability to learn from every experience he has.

The book presented a heartbreaking look at what communism does to a peace-loving country. Tibet sounded beautiful before the Chinese, with its people respecting life and nature. The Chinese have basically destroyed the country and its people. I learned a lot about Buddhism. Parts of it were very fascinating, in particular the belief that the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lamas and the evidence to support that. It was fun to read that he was a typical boy. At times he didn't take his training seriously. I loved reading about how the Tibetan monks debate with one another. I would love to see that. In contrast to the Chinese was the Indian people. They have done a lot for the Tibetan refugees despite the sweeping poverty in their country. This is such a good book.

I read - on a blog I think - that the author kept a journal of favorite quotes from the books she read. I wanted to start doing that. Here are some favorites from this book:

"All had gone well until the man turned to Lobsang Samten (the Dalai Lama's brother) (who spoke some Chinese) and asked him what was the Tibetan word for 'Kill him'...The idea of killing even an insect was so far from his mind that he was lost for words...This story is another illustration of the differences between Chinese and Tibetan attitudes. To one, the killing of human beings was a fact of life; to the other, it was unthinkable."

(Speaking of his first experiences with the Indian government) "This was in direct contrast to my experience in the People's Republic, where the received opinion was that you can change people's minds by bullying them. I could now make comparisons and see for myself that this was faulty thinking. Only through the development of mutual respect, and in a spirit of truth, can friendship come about. By these means it is possible to move human minds, but never by force."

(Speaking about the charitable Christian organizations) "This is one area where we can learn from our Christian brothers and sisters: it would be very useful if Buddhists could make a similar contribution to society. I feel that Buddhist monks and nuns tend to talk a great deal about compassion without doing much about it."

"So far, I have received only support for my belief that wherever you go, people everywhere are basically the same, despite certain superficial differences. They all, like myself, seek happiness: no one wants suffering."

"Another observation is that there are a lot of people in the West who live very comfortably in large cities, but virtually isolated from the broad mass of humanity. I find this very strange - that under the circumstances of such material well-being and with thousands of brothers and sisters for neighbors, so many people appear able to show their true feelings only to their cats and dogs. This indicates a lack of spiritual values, I feel. Part of the problem here is perhaps the intense competitiveness of life in these countries, which seems to breed fear and a deep sense of insecurity...For me, this sense of alienation is symbolized by something I once saw at the home of a very rich man whose guest I was on one of my trips abroad. It was a very large private house, obviously designed expressly for convenience and comfort, and fitted with every kind of appliance. However, when I went into the bathroom, I could not help noticing two large bottles of pills on the shelf above the hand basin. One contained tranquilizers, the other sleeping pills. This was proof, too, that material prosperity alone cannot bring about lasting happiness."

"It would be much more constructive if people tried to understand their supposed enemies. Learning to forgive is much more useful than merely picking up a stone and throwing it at the object of one's anger, the more so when the provocation is extreme. For it is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others."

"I believe that this suffering is caused by ignorance, and that people inflict pain on others in pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion, and through the elimination of anger, selfishness and greed."

Enslaved by Ducks by Bob Tarte

308 pages

"When Bob Tarte bought a house in rural Michigan, he was counting on a tranquil haven. Then Bob married Linda. She wanted a rabbit, which seemed, at the time, innocuous enough. But that was just the beginning. Wouldn't a parrot be cute?  Linda said. Bob suddenly found himself constructing pens, buying feed, clearing duck waste, spoon-feeding at mealtime. One day he realized he'd become a servant to a relentlessly demanding family, and a motley crew it was.

Writing as someone who's been ambushed by the way in which animals, even cranky ones, can wend their way into the heart, Bob Tarte reveals the truth of animal ownership - and who really owns whom."
-Back Cover

This book is a great way to figure out if you are an animal lover or not. I am not. I sort of already knew that. I feel compassionate towards animals; I'll pet my sisters' dogs. I'll make sure my chickens have food and water every day and occasionally, on a really cold day, even make them some oatmeal, but I would absolutely draw a line if one of them starting ringing a bell to have their every demand catered to. I would never let my pets destroy my house by chewing up furniture and power cords. I would not let my pets eat at the dinner table with me, especially if they throw their food all around the room. Therein lies my annoyance with the book: I don't believe in letting animals control your life. My other problem with this book was that the author spends so much time trying to make you believe that he really doesn't want all these animals or care about them, yet that's totally bogus. He loves them just as much, if not more, than his wife, and is the most heartbroken - even needing Zoloft to handle his depression - when they die. Just admit that you're totally smitten by your pets and then  write about the funny things they do and their quirky personalities. I think I would have enjoyed that more. Frankly, I almost stopped reading this book because he didn't.

I get that animals have personalities. I see that in my chickens. I know that pets can be very loving. I just don't think they should be treated as equals, particularly when they have a brain the size of a pea. I don't think they should get full run of the house and make you change the way you live to accommodate their every whim. They're birds and bunnies people!

If you are an animal lover, especially of birds, you will really enjoy this book. The author does have a great sense of humor and some of his analogies were laugh-out loud funny, I just didn't connect.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

364 pages

"The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.

A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the "New Germany," she has one affair after another, including with the surprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance - and ultimately horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder unmasks Hitler's true character and ruthless ambition.

Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Goring and the expectedly charming - yet wholly sinister - Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts  lends a stunning eye-witness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictive readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror." -Dust Jacket

I went through a WWII phase early in my college years and read a lot of books about the war. I hadn't read anything about the years leading up to the war however. This book was very informative and well written. Erik Larson takes history and puts it together in a way that reads like an interesting novel.

Knowing what Hitler was and what he did makes it hard to envision a time where people thought of him as harmless and waited for him to go away, or worse, thought of him as the savior of Germany. He and his men were literally crazy lunatics but they were just sane enough to be feared and controlling. Dodd's daughter even got caught up in the enthusiasm of the Nazi party for awhile and the "good" things it was doing for the country. Almost 80 years (80 years?!) after the events in this book you want to scream, "Why didn't anyone do anything to stop them?" How did they manage to generate so much fear? It's hard to put yourself in that time and try to be objective with the facts that you're given. Still, there were people who tried to warn America and others about the dangers of the Nazi regime, a man by the name of Messersmith in particular, who wrote letter after letter to the State Department warning of the danger of not intervening in the events transpiring in Germany. It took Dodd awhile to figure out just how dangerous things were and then he did his best to speak out.

What I found most disheartening was the political influence that existed in America then (and even more so now) that made all decisions based on power and wealth rather than decency. Men in power love power and do whatever it takes to protect that power. Rich men conspired against Dodd and tried to play nice with Hitler and the Nazis. They did so under the guise of isolationism. Many didn't want to ruffle any feathers in Germany because of the German debt that was held by America. America wanted that debt repaid and felt like doing anything to insult the government would result in their defaulting on the loan, which at the time of the Great Depression, was not something that America wanted to have happen.

Above all, I think this book is a cautionary tale for us today. There were signs of what was to come and yet people/governments did nothing. The message I take away from this book is that it's our responsibility to take a stand for what's right and decent, no matter the subject.

On a separate note, this book reminded me of how important it is to keep a journal. Without Dodd's journal and others, this book wouldn't have been possible. And that Martha got around.

Life Is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman

260 pages

"What makes a happy person, a happy life? In this remarkable book, George Dawson, a 101-year-old man who learned to read when he was 98, reflects on the philosophy he learned from his father--a belief that 'life is so good'--as he offers valuable lessons in living and a fresh, firsthand view of America during the twentieth century.

Born in 1898 in Marshall, Texas, the grandson of slaves, George Dawson tells how his father, despite hardships, always believed in seeing the richness in life and trained his children to do the same. As a boy, George had to go to work to help support his family, and so he did not attend school or learn to read; yet he describes how he learned to read the world and survive in it. 'We make our own way,' he says. 'Trouble is out there, but a person can leave it alone and just do the right thing. Then, if trouble still finds you, you've done the best you can.'

At ninety-eight, George decided to learn to read and enrolled in a literacy program, becoming a celebrated student. 'Every morning I get up and I wonder what I might learn that day. You just never know.' In Life Is So Good, he shares wisdom on everything from parenting ('With children, you got to raise them. Some parents these days are growing children, not raising them') to attitude ('People worry too much. Life is good, just the way it is').

Richard Glaubman captures George Dawson's irresistible voice and view of the world, offering insights into humanity, history, and America--eyewitness impressions of segregation, changes in human relations, the wars and the presidents, inventions such as the car and the airplane, and much, much more. And throughout his story, George Dawson inspires the reader with his message that sustained him happily for more than a century: 'Life is so good. I do believe it's getting better.'" -Dust Jacket

George Dawson is an amazing example of a quiet, gentle, hard-working, humble man who lived his life trying to treat people with respect and do the right thing. His story is entertaining, enlightening and informative. I loved his simple approach to life, family, and values, but especially his approach to work. He had a lot of common sense and didn't complain about the hard things in his life though he easily could have; he just accepted them and kept going.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Most folks, if they saw a rattler, and had a gun, they would try and shoot it. People always say that it tastes like chicken. But I swear some folks will say anything tastes like chicken. No one ever says that a chicken tastes like a rattlesnake, though. Go figure that one." -Page 22

(Talking about Bonnie & Clyde) "Nowadays, a lot of people say they were heroes. I hear there was even a movie about them. But I didn't see it; don't generally go to movies. I guess they gave some of that bank money to the poor, but they killed some people and scared a lot more. That's wrong. The Bible tells that straight off. They weren't no heroes. They were famous all right, but they weren't no heroes." -Page 198-199

"I even have some pictures from when me and Mr. Henry went to NASA for something about pioneers of this century. There are some senators and politicians in the pictures with us. Nobody ever noticed me before, but everyone wants to see me now. They showed me and Mr. Henry around. We saw some big rocket ships like the ones that go into outer space. They say that someday people might even live up there. Not me. I don't think it's going to work for people. God didn't make us to have wings. People fly in airplanes, but living on other planets, that's something else. They even gave me a picture of Mars. It's got poor-looking soil and it's too rocky to grow anything. Maybe they plan to bring food with them. Even so, I just don't see it. A man will come out on the front porch and there won't be nothing to do." -Page 232

There is also some great parenting advice but too much to quote. This is a feel-good book with some sound advice and important life lessons. I love books about real people whose lives inspire me to live better. George Dawson's does just that. I smiled, laughed, and cried. I love when that happens.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

270 pages

"William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was a mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala--crazy--but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.

Enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy, William had a goal to study science in Malawi's top boarding schools. But in 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family's farm devastated and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.

Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity--electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.

Soon, news of William's magetsi a mphepo--his 'electric wind'--spread beyond the borders of his home, and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world." -Dust Jacket

I've been watching this book for months on Amazon, waiting for someone to sell it used/like new for a steal. I'm so glad it finally happened. (Had I known how good it was I would have paid full price though.) This book is one of those gems that is completely inspiring and makes you really think and take an inventory of yourself.

For the past eight months my husband and I have been paying two mortgages and two sets of bills. My normal budget was slashed to where I basically just bought groceries and filled my car's tank every two weeks. There were a lot of times where we all had to go without things, but every month I would feel so grateful that at least we didn't have to go without food. There were times that I felt sorry for myself. This book reminded me of how fortunate I am and how I have absolutely no right to complain. I have no idea--NO IDEA!--what hard is.

I learned a lot about electricity reading this book. Something that most of us take for granted was a true miracle for William and his family...and talk about genius to be able to figure it all out. I learned about ingenuity and persistence. People called him crazy and yet he kept going. There's a moment at the end of the book where William gets to go to southern California and see the thousands of windmills there. For me, that moment felt bittersweet. William had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to build something that is mass-produced and so common in the modern world, yet to William and his family their windmill was freedom. It changed their lives.

William is truly an inspiration. His love of learning should make all of us recommit ourselves to the pursuit of knowledge and hold it in high regard. When William is unable to go to school because his parents can't afford it, he vows to keep his mind active. He talks about those boys who aren't able to go to school and how they would hang out at the trading center, drinking booze and coasting through life. He fears becoming one of them and says, "I started worrying that I would become like them, that one day the windmill project would lose its excitement or become too difficult to maintain, and all my ambitions would fade in the maize rows. Forgetting dreams is easy. To fight that kind of darkness, I kept returning to the library every week even though I had no idea if or when I'd ever return to school. I kept going so I could increase my general knowledge, and so I would remain inspired."

I have to admit, I got a little teary-eyed when William goes to New York and is so overwhelmed by all he sees and experiences that he calms himself by dreaming of home and climbing his windmill. I can't describe it, it just really touched me. I get the feeling that William knows things about life that the rest of us don't.

William meets a lot of wonderful people who help him realize his dreams and I have every confidence that he will go on and do even greater things for his country and people. I hope there's a sequel someday. The bottom line of this book is that one person can make a difference and it should be a must-read for everyone.

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

139 pages

"Eating doesn't have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules  brings a welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food. Written with the clarity, concision, and wit that has become bestselling author Michael Pollan's trademark, this indispensable handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely, one per page, accompanied by a concise explanation. It's an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this is the perfect guide for anyone who ever wondered, 'What should I eat?'" -Back Cover

I really, really enjoyed this book because the author doesn't promote a certain lifestyle (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) but he does promote moderation. The last page in the book says, "'All things in moderation,' it is often said, but we should never forget the wise addendum, sometimes attributed to Oscar Wilde: 'Including moderation.'" It's all about eating less and eating better. He gives food recommendations in language that is easy to understand broken down into three sections: What should I eat? (Eat food.) What kind of food should I eat? (Mostly plants.) How should I eat? (Not too much.)

The first section talks about eating food that is natural, has ingredients you can recognize, and isn't processed. He mentions that you should shop the perimeter at the grocery store where you tend to find the natural foods, versus the middle of the store where you find the processed foods. There's a lot of sound advice about sugars and natural foods.

The second section talks about eating more plants and whole grains but doesn't rule out the health benefits of meat in small portions and not every day. He quotes a great Chinese proverb that states, "Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plant foods) is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl), which is better than eating what stands on four legs (cows, pigs, and other mammals)."

The third section covers eating less. He talks about not depriving yourself of treats, but rather preparing them yourself and eating them only on special occasions. He writes about how we should leave the table before we're completely full and eat slower and in smaller portions. He suggests buying smaller plates and cups.

This book is witty and contains very good, sound advice which I will try to do better at following. I really liked the comparison of the Western diet with that of the French or Italian diet and what makes the Western diet so bad for us. It's all about our relationship with food and what we use it for. I'll definitely read this book again and would highly recommend it.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

169 pages

"Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.

The next three days were an impossibly grueling ordeal for both men. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him. Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall but, crippled, starving, and severely frostbitten, was trapped in a deep crevasse. Summoning vast reserves of physical and spiritual strength, Simpson hopped, hobbled, and crawled over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching the base camp hours before Yates had planned to break camp.

How both men overcame the torments of those harrowing days is an epic tale of fear, suffering, and survival; a poignant testimony to unshakable courage and friendship."

This is a short book but a great testament to the strength of the human spirit. About halfway through I thought, "Gee, I wish this book had a glossary so I could understand the climbing terms better." Well, there is a glossary...in the very back of the book! So, know that before you start and it will make your read that much more enjoyable.

After reading Into Thin Air I couldn't help but wonder if people who climb the world's highest peaks aren't just a teensy bit insane, risking life and limb to experience a brief moment of satisfaction before having to turn around and do it all over again. It's not something I would ever consider. (I'm afraid of heights and I'm claustrophobic, not a good combination for that sort of thing.) But I do admire the determination and fortitude they must have to do it. Joe Simpson is a great example of that. The things he goes through after breaking his leg are unimaginable and to keep going after so much adversity is impressive. The book is well-written and I liked how the points of view change from Joe's to Simon's after the accident so you get a feel for the anguish Simon was experiencing even though his decision ultimately saved Joe's life. I believe that God must have watched over these men, inspiring Joe to keep going and Simon to wait before leaving camp. The ending was a bit abrupt and I would have liked to learn a little bit more about what happened to both of them after their ordeal, in particular Simon, but I guess the epilogue was a good way to end, too.

(FYI: Simon Yates was leading climbing expeditions as early as last year. In an article online he said that he had lost touch with Simpson - calling him a person he could no longer relate to - for several years until filming scenes for the documentary about their ordeal but Simpson has always defended his decision to cut the rope.)

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad, 288 pages

"This mesmerizing portrait of a proud man who, through three decades and successive repressive regimes, heroically braved persecution to bring books to the people of Kabul has elicited extraordinary praise throughout the world and become a phenomenal international bestseller." -Back Cover

The author, a journalist, lives with Sultan Khan and his family for three months. She lives as a traditional Afghan woman would, yet is allowed to follow the men and observe things that other Afghan women would not be able to. She writes that there were times when Sultan made her so angry she wanted to hit him. I felt that same way.

I admire Sultan for his love of books and his desire to see Afghanistan return to the arts and culture it once enjoyed before the Russians invaded and before the Taliban. He goes to great lengths to protect his books, even spending time in jail. He is a successful businessman and provides better for his family than most. However, as forward-thinking as he is in some ways, Sultan is also steeped in tradition and adheres to the idea that he is king in his family and household. His word is law. No one dares contradict him or argue with him and as a result several of his family members lead oppressed lives, with crushed dreams and hopes, particularly his youngest sister Leila. Her story was heartbreaking.

The chapter titled "Suicide and Song" was all about the heartache and anger of women. They are forced to marry whomever their family chooses for them. Most of them are denied an education. They must put aside all feelings and opinions. They are to be seen not heard, and often times not even seen. They rebel through their poetry and song.

This book was also a good look at the Taliban. The religious restrictions they imposed upon the people were stifling. To read about how life is now (or at least how it was in 2002) versus how it was when they had a king and music, dance, and culture reigned is depressing. You feel like these people have lost all hope and merely exist from day to day. They are steeped in the traditions of their fathers, most of which are not good. It makes you grateful to be a woman in America, yet wishing there was something you could do to help the women of Afghanistan.