Unbroken

WOW! I just finished this book last night. It was incredible. You may know by now that I love a biography, and this tops any I've read before. I couldn't put it down; when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.

It tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, who becomes a P.O.W. after being shot down over the Pacific during WWII. You'll hear about his life growing up in California. He started as a kid - and then teen - who seemed bound for trouble. After his brother convinced him to start track, he became an Olympic runner. [The picture below is after a race where his competitors kicked his legs and tread on his feet with their spikes to get him out of the competition.] I won't tell more, but you will not believe his experiences, his resourcefulness, and his resiliency.

Unbroken is a must read for anyone, and it is going on my teenage kids' reading list. It describes WWII in the Pacific against the Japanese [It seems we mostly hear about Nazi Germany and the war in Europe]. But more than that, it explains it from the airman's point of view: his emotions, his fears, his love for his country and his fellow soldiers. Like action and adventure? This is the real thing! You learn through Louie how to maintain dignity while suffering and how to keep faith in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Since I'm recommending it, I will add that it has a little swearing and lots of violence. Still, without hesitation, I consider it clean, uplifting, and worth your time. Read it!

Colonel Roosevelt

Just finished Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris this morning. It is the last of a three-part biography on Teddy Roosevelt. Jason gave it to me for Christmas, so it only took me five months to read. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but still fascinating, and of course I had to finish the series.

The first book, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, is on my top ten list. Morris won the Pulitzer Prize for it. It reads like a novel; I couldn't put it down when I read it several years ago. It covers TR's life from birth until he gains the presidency. If you like biographies at all, this is a must read.

The second book, Theodore Rex, covers his presidential years.
This last one ends with his death. I cried when I got to that part; I felt I had gotten to know one of the most brilliant, charismatic, and capable men that has ever lived.

Some of the most interesting points of his life that I remember from all three books:

-He was very sickly as a child and spent all his time studying natural history. He wrote books and gave lectures about this subject all his life. He went on a one-year African safari immediately after his presidency, sponsored by the Smithsonian; he brought home thousands of specimens from bugs to elephants. He was later a principal of a South American expedition to explore and chart a large river that was before unknown to the world.

-He was police commissioner of NYC in the 1890s. He was tireless in cleaning up crime and corruption. He would go out in the middle of the night and walk his officers' beats to make sure they were doing their job.

-He was an avid reader. He read an average of several books a day, even during his presidency, and in multiple languages.

-He received a bullet to the chest during a campaign speech in 1912 (he was campaigning again for the presidency after his safari). It went through his steel glasses case, 50 pages of folded speech, his chest muscle, but stopped right before his lungs. He continued speaking for 90 minutes after being shot, even though his shirt was drenched with blood and he began to sway.

-He was nutty about war, obsessed with it towards the end of his life. However, it was his foresight in predicting WWI and stressing preparation (although President Wilson and most Americans didn't listen to him at first) that made sure the United States entered the war before it was too late.

-He had a magnetic personality; people were mesmerized by him. He read and quoted poetry often. He loved to bird watch. He wrote thousands of hand written letters each year.

You know the question, "If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?" I think my answer would be Teddy Roosevelt.

To Destroy You is No Loss

This was a quick read last week. It tells the true story of a 15-year-old girl named Teeda and her family during the Khmer Rouge control of Cambodia from 1975-1979. Khmer Rouge were communists, led by Pol Pot (name sound familiar?). They wanted to turn Cambodia into an agrarian "utopia," so they had to get rid of anyone educated, anyone living in cities, anyone influenced by Western culture.

The motto that the Khmer Rouge used during this time was "To keep you is no benefit, to destroy you is no loss." They killed 1.5 million of their own people and hid the bodies in wells, fields, buildings. Now I know that this is where the term "The Killing Fields" comes from.

Teeda's story is so incredible and fascinating. Learning about this period was more than interesting; I kept thinking "How do I not know about this?! This happened during my life time!"

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I just finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (below), published in 1943. It's a coming-of-age story about Francie Nolan, who grew up dirt poor in an immigrant tenement neighborhood in Brooklyn around 1910-1920. Her mother, Katie, is tough as nails and determined that her kids will get an education. Katie supports the family as a maid because Francie's father, Johnny, is charming and fun, but a drunk.

Apparently it was made into a movie in 1945 starring Dorothy McGuire as Katie. Haven't seen it, but don't know how it could possibly do the book justice.

The book was fantastic! Great to read with your daughter who's twelve or older. It isn't a heavy book to slog through; it is a fast read and beautifully written. You can see just how it would be to live at that time.

One of my favorite parts is how Francie's aunt, Sissy, gets a baby. She can't have a baby herself; she has had 10 stillborns. But she tells everyone, including her husband, she is pregnant. Nobody knows quite what to think, but months later, with her stomach completely flat, she announces that she is in labor and will be having the baby that day. . . .

Read it. You'll love it.

Little Babushka

We love Patricia Pollaco books, and we've read enough of them to recognize a babushka when we see one.

Arugula!

I'm always telling my kids, "Someday you are going to LOVE guacamole!" [or onions, or tomatoes, or spinach -- you get the idea] "Your taste buds just have to mature."

Well, my taste buds are finally maturing too. This winter I have discovered arugula. I used to think it was too bitter, but these two recipes I made from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics changed my mind. And they were as pretty as they were delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

The squash, cranberries, and walnuts are roasted in the oven with maple syrup, put over arugula, and topped with a viniagrette and parmesan cheese. Heavenly!

White Pizzas with Arugula

The pizza crust is cooked with garlic, olive oil, fresh thyme and fontina cheese. When it comes out of the oven it is topped with arugula tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. The combination of hot and cold is fantastic!

Jane Eyre

I am eagerly awaiting the release of Jane Eyre. It comes out March 11. I just read this book again a couple of months ago. It is very romantic.

The movie looks awfully juicy. But if you'll read it again yourself, you'll be suprised by how juicy the book is also.

It may take a few weeks longer to make it to Logan. Anyone want to join me?

To the Rescue

I just finished reading this biography on Thomas S. Monson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and our prophet on the earth today.

He is an amazing, charismatic man. I would love to know him on a personal level. Did you know that he still breeds and keeps show pigeons in his backyard, a hobby that began when he was a boy?

His secretary says that he has given away an average of 10 suits a year over the last 40 years. He would give them spontaneously to men he had just called or interviewed, who either had threadbare suits or no suit at all. A story tells of President Monson interviewing a young missionary and being told that the suit he was wearing was one that President Monson had given his father years ago.


"[President Monson] has this energy, this liveliness and bounce. He goes through the halls like a whirlwind; sometimes the paintings have to be straightened after he has gone by."
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Don't you just love this man?