Title: Smile Author: Raina Telgemeier Series: Smile #1 Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction Format: Hard Cover Pages: 213 Reason Read: Book Club Rating:
My Thoughts
I thought SMILE is a cute coming-of-age story. I didn’t realize it was non-fiction going in. Now that I do, I think it was a fun way to tell Telgemeier’s story. I especially liked the walk down memory lane as she’s only a year older than I am. I did want a little more depth. (I struggle with graphic novels for this reason.) And, I couldn’t relate to her completely since I never had braces.
Title: Unbroken Author: Laura Hillenbrand Genre: Biography, Non-Fiction Format: Hard Cover Pages: 475 Reason Read: Book Club Rating:
My Thoughts
I didn’t know very much about UNBROKEN before I started reading it. It was very well-written and seemed well researched. I do wish Hillenbrand had written the story from Louie’s perspective rather than an overall view of everything. Despite that, it was captivating and inspiring to read.
Louis Zamperini had an interesting life. I enjoyed reading about his resilience and will to live. He was so strong! I know if I were in any of the situations he was during World War II, I would’ve hoped for a swift death. I enjoyed reading about his thieving acts in his younger years and how it actually helped him in the POW camps. I especially enjoyed reading about how he had stolen Hitler’s flag while he was at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I also enjoyed reading about those Japanese soldiers and civilians that were kind to the POWs.
To be honest, I was dreading reading about all the horrific things he went through at the hands of the Japanese soldiers while he was a POW. As I read his story, I couldn’t believe what he and other Pacific POWs were subjected to. It’s amazing anyone survived. My least favorite part was the part when Gaga, the duck who befriended the POWs in Omori, was tortured and beaten to death by The Bird (meanest of the Japanese soldiers). It severely depressed me. I was angry at the injustice that The Bird only got 4 years in prison for everything he did.
I’m so glad to hear that Louie was able to overcome his demons and find peace in Christ. Not many people can do that. His life definitely shows that it’s possible to do, and I’m glad he was able to live a happy, fulfilling life after the war once he found Christ.
Title: Maus Author: Art Spiegelman Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir Format: Paperback Pages: 295 Reason Read: Book Club Rating:
My Thoughts
MAUS is the first graphic novel I’ve ever read. I wanted to like it more than I did. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I actually learned a few things about what happened in the concentration camps. I thought I had heard / learned most of what happened, but there were some things I didn’t know.
Spiegelman drew the characters in animal form. The Jews were depicted as mice, non-Jewish Poles were pigs, Americans were dogs, and the Nazis were cats. I’m a cat lover and I hate that cats are always vilified in cartoons and movies. (For once, I’d like to read a book or see a cartoon / movie where rats are the bad guys and cats are the good guys.)
I tried to pay attention to the pictures, but I wanted to read the words. I got caught up in them. I know I looked at the pictures, but I didn’t get lost in them. I didn’t spend time looking at the details. They weren’t what interested me. Looking at the pictures and then reading the words felt very disjointed. If I could read the words, then go back and look at the pictures, it might have worked better for me.
It felt like a lot of filler / description was missing. When I read, I love getting to know the characters by getting inside their heads. I wanted to know why Vladek felt the way he did. I wanted to know how we was feeling at any given moment. I didn’t just want to rely on the outside manifestation of his feelings (via the picture) because pictures can only tell you so much. I needed more depth to the story.
I liked the second volume better than the first because it made me feel more. The depth that I felt I was missing in the first volume wasn’t as big of a deal in second. I saw / read enough of how horrible Auschwitz was that I didn’t need more insight from the characters’ minds.
It’s amazing to me how Vladek and Anya survived Auschwitz. It was really only because of luck and cunning on Vladek’s part. It’s not like the strong survived and the weak didn’t. It’s more that Vladek was in the right place at the right time, met the right people, and could negotiate / barter like the best of them.
I’m really glad I took the time to read both volumes. They’re both very powerful biographies. They made me appreciate what the Jews went through during the Holocaust.
Title: The World's Strongest Librarian Author: Josh Hanagarne Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction Format: Paperback Pages: 291 Reason Read: Book Club, Utah Book Month Rating:
My Thoughts
THE WORLD’S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN is a non-fiction story about Hanagarne’s struggle with Tourette Syndrome. I had a like / hate relationship with the book, mostly due to his writing style.
Hanagarne grew up Mormon and lost his faith. As a Mormon myself, I really loved his funny anecdotes about how family scripture study never seems to go the way parents want it to or the fact that the scriptures can be very boring to read. I also loved his anecdotes about those members who are so caught up in everything religious / spiritual, they can’t have any fun because they think it isn’t appropriate. And, I really loved how honest he was about how he felt about the fact that he was struggling and didn’t know if he believed. It was raw and endearing because of his struggles.
I struggled with how he introduced Mormon beliefs that his family taught him as a child. He used words like “supposedly” or “allegedly.” I feel like he could’ve just left those out and said something to the effect of him not believing it himself. That has much less negative connotation and doesn’t attack those who do believe the doctrine. At times, it felt like he was pandering to two crowds as if he didn’t want to offend either the extremely religious or those who had left the faith all together. It felt very two-sided whether it was intentional or not.
I thought how he described what it was like to live with Tourette’s was very interesting. I learned a lot. I had preconceived notions of what the disorder was and now I feel like I understand it much better. I feel bad for him and anyone who lives with this disorder. I’d hate not having control over my body. I can see why it makes things difficult.
I thought he was very funny and his life was interesting to read about. I’m glad I read his memoir and I’m excited to discuss it at book club.
Title: A Grief Observed Author: C.S. Lewis Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction Format: Paperback Pages: 76 Reason Read: Recommended Rating:
My Thoughts
I had a really hard time with A GRIEF OBSERVED. I take things very literally and I can’t often sift through others’ unfiltered thoughts, especially when they go all over the place. This book felt very unorganized, which as it turns out is how grief manifests itself, but it was hard for me to follow and understand. Good thing it was only 76 pages.
I did feel like it was insightful in showing how someone dealt with their grief. But, I didn’t feel like I could relate to Lewis because I lost my mom not my lover. The feelings he had weren’t the same I experienced.
There was one thing I did like that Lewis said. It’s at the beginning of the last chapter:
“Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape … not every bend does. Sometimes … you are presented with exactly the same sort of country you thought you had left behind miles ago…. There are partial recurrences, but the sequence doesn’t repeat.”
I’ve felt very much like this since my mom passed away last year. It was nice to see that others have felt that way too, that I’m not unique in that way, and that everyone who is grieving goes through these same experiences, just a little differently.
Title: Smile 
Title: Unbroken 
Title: The World's Strongest Librarian 
Title: A Grief Observed