(Non)Fiction Friday (98)

Those who follow my blog know that I don't typically read non-fiction. There are several reasons for this. The first is that I have limited time to read and what time I do have, I choose to spend in the imagination. I've always said that the world of the imagination is far more interesting to me than the world we live in. However, every now and then, I do pick up a book that is based on the real world. This was one of those occasions.

The Secret of 1945: Memoir of an American Girl Held in a a French Prison by Barbara Freer
(Binnewa Publishing, 2017) 

There has been so much written about the second World War that it's hard to imagine there are still segments of that period in history that have yet to be uncovered. But when you think about the scope of that event and its impact on our world, I suppose it's not all that surprising that there are still stones left to be turned over.

Bobbie is a young girl living in Germany when the war ramps up. Though she is an American, born in New York, she is living with her grandparents while her parents are establishing their lives in America. She was never meant to stay there, but once the war started, it became impossible to leave. 

History has always been dictated by the victorious side in any conflict, and because of that, the experience of people in Germany is often overlooked in favor of stories of the victims who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. However, it is important to remember that there were millions of non-Nazis in Germany who were caught under the wave of a fascist government. Bobbie's family is one such family, a family that did what was necessary to survive, a family that was extremely lucky to make it through the war intact. Intact but not unscathed. 

The real horror for Bobbie comes after the Allies reclaimed the disputed Alsace Lorraine region where her family had relocated during the war, believing it to be safer than the cities which were devastated during the war. Upon liberation, her entire family was imprisoned by the French. And despite being an American, Bobbie, as a ten year old girl, was imprisoned for months, forced to live in horrid conditions that nearly killed her. 

The effect of this memoir is to force readers to think about how innocent people on both sides are punished for the acts of those in power. As we continue to demonize groups of people based on the beliefs of few, this story remains important and powerful. When we look at families on our own border forced into prisons, everyone should ask themselves, what crimes did these children commit? The crime of wanting a better life? The crime of wanting to escape peril? Their story is similar to Bobbie's and when we stop to actually think, we should all know better.

Fiction Friday (93)

So, I've finished my YA blitz, something I should try to do at least once a year. I had my conference last week where I discussed the last six books that I've reviewed here. I don't often have the opportunity to talk with others about books that I've read in real time, so it was very refreshing to do so. (Guess I should join a book club). Anyway, it was good to talk about these books and get the perspective of others. It was interesting that my favorite of the six book I read seemed to be everybody else's least favorite, but that's kind of the story of my life, which is just fine with me.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
(Hyperion, 2012)

Caught in Nazi occupied France without your documentation is less than idea if you're a spy for the Allies. The book opens with Julie (code name: verity), a prisoner of the Gestapo. Rather than face endless torture and certain death, she chooses to write a narrative of everything she knows. 

In her narrative, written on any scrap of paper they can find to give her, she tells the story of her friendship with Maddie, the pilot who flew her to France in the cover of night and reveals secrets of the Allie operations. Other prisoners consider her a traitor, but is she? What is the truth behind what she reveals to the Nazis? 

In the second part of the book, we get Maddie's version of events and through it, discover Julie's incredible courage. 

The most fascinating part of this book is the way truth is examined, and how the reader is always gullible to the perspective of the narrator. This is a concept I've played with before in companion books and it was done very well here. The one thing that truly bothered me was Julie's voice and the premise that the Gestapo would tolerate her ramblings for as long as they did. I also had no idea how old the characters were supposed to be. As a YA novel, you'd expect them to be teenagers, but that was simply not possible. So that confused me a little bit and for a long time prevented me from engaging with the text. But all of that was more a mater of taste than a criticism of the book. Though not my favorite, I can see why people really enjoy it.

Forbidden Games

Forbidden Games is the 1953 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film, directed by René Clément, one of the leading post-War directors in France. It stars a 6 year old Brigitte Fossey, who would later go on to have a successful career as an actress. This is the story of a little girl who is orphaned in the opening scene of the film as her family, along with hundreds of others, are fleeing Paris and being pursued by Nazi aircraft. During an attack on a bridge, Paulette's family perishes.

Rather than stay with the caravan, she follows the river to retrieve her dog, who has also died in the attack. There, she meets a little boy and he takes her to his family farm where she is temporarily adopted. While the movie deals with the horrors of war, it is not a war film. At its heart, the movie is about the ability of childhood innocence to prevail even in the darkest of times and examines children invent ways to understand them.

The two children live in their own secret world where the rules of conduct that govern the grown-up world don't apply. The world they create in an attempt to understand death creates conflict as it grows continuously at odds with the workings of the small farm community. 

There is no attempt to place morality on the children's world. Instead, the film depicts the ways children inventively deal with adult topics such as love, death, sorrow and joy. It's beautifully shot, wonderfully understated, and ultimately heartbreaking. 

Interestingly, the Criterion Collection includes an alternate beginning and ending, which were fully edited, indicating that these alternates were strongly considered up until the very last moment. The alternate opening and concluding scenes create a frame-tale structure that would've contained the entire movie in a storybook world. This would've lessened the heartbreak and preserved the innocence of the characters, but ultimately would have taken away from the impact of the film, which is probably why they wisely chose to delete them. But I must admit it was nice to see watch them afterward because it gave me some sense of relief for the children.

Fiction Friday (23)

On Christmas morning, I woke up early to finish reading the last ten pages The Book Thief, a book I had started reading around Thanksgiving. I'm not sure why I put off reading this novel for long. Part of it lies in the fact that until recently I didn't know it was a World War II novel, which is a genre I find fascinating. Another part of it has to do with my avoidance of books that have become overwhelming bestsellers. I often find myself disappointed with books that such a wide audience finds abundance praise. But I put those feelings aside for this book, and I'm glad I did. Enjoy.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
(Knopf 2006)

It makes me happy when I read a book that has spent so much time on the bestseller's list and it turns out to be as rewarding, and deserving, as this novel was.

From the opening scene where a six-year old Liesel watches her little brother die in the snow of a train yard, The Book Thief is a gripping story of a child living through a world that ceases to make sense. As she goes to live with strangers in a strange town during the onset of World War II in Germany, Liesel finds ways to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances that surround her. She takes comfort in the books she periodically steals from various places, and in the love of her foster father Hans. But just as she begins to settle into a stable environment, her world is once again turned upside down when her family takes in a young man named Max, vowing to hide him from Nazis.

Max's presence has a dramatic impact on Liesel, opening her eyes to the absurdity of Jewish persecution in her homeland. The two of them quickly becomes close. They are both haunted in their dreams by those who they've left behind, and they are both refugees from their past. In Liesel, Max discovers a new wonder for life, living through her experiences. And when circumstances force him to leave, Liesel once again must try to find her place and come to terms with the reality of life in war time Germany.

Even though the story is bleak, it's humanity is uplifting and encouraging.