Author: Sandra Dallas
Published: 2007
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers. This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.
Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best--parts of the human heart.
Review
A delightful read. Great characters (both good and bad), an intriguing mystery, and a well-crafted historical backdrop. Choosing a 13-year-old narrator was masterful: a perfect way to unravel the story.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
My Grandfather's Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging
Author: Rachel Naomi Remen
Published: 2001
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Cancer physician and master storyteller Rachel Naomi Remen uses her luminous stories to remind us of the power of our kindness and the joy of being alive. Dr. Remen's grandfather, an orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connection and knew that everyone belonged to him, and that he belonged to everyone. He taught her that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life.
Life has given us many more blessings than we have allowed ourselves to receive. My Grandfather's Blessings is about how we can recognize and receive our blessings and bless the life in others. Serving others heals us. Through our service we will discover our own wholeness and the way to restore hidden wholeness in the world.
Review
This book was not as moving or life-changing as I hoped it to be. The references to the author's grandfather's teachings were interesting--but the title is misleading. She only refers to her grandfather (who died when she was seven) occassionally through the book. The stories shared about the learnings of cancer patients during their counseling sessions were interesting. But the author's own perpectives were sometime too mythical and metaphysical for me. And while the author's teachings are valuable, she easily could have condensed her message into about half of its length.
Published: 2001
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Cancer physician and master storyteller Rachel Naomi Remen uses her luminous stories to remind us of the power of our kindness and the joy of being alive. Dr. Remen's grandfather, an orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connection and knew that everyone belonged to him, and that he belonged to everyone. He taught her that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life.
Life has given us many more blessings than we have allowed ourselves to receive. My Grandfather's Blessings is about how we can recognize and receive our blessings and bless the life in others. Serving others heals us. Through our service we will discover our own wholeness and the way to restore hidden wholeness in the world.
Review
This book was not as moving or life-changing as I hoped it to be. The references to the author's grandfather's teachings were interesting--but the title is misleading. She only refers to her grandfather (who died when she was seven) occassionally through the book. The stories shared about the learnings of cancer patients during their counseling sessions were interesting. But the author's own perpectives were sometime too mythical and metaphysical for me. And while the author's teachings are valuable, she easily could have condensed her message into about half of its length.
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