Blue Asylum

“Amid the mayhem of the Civil War, Virginia plantation wife Iris Dunleavy is put on trial and convicted of madness. It is the only reasonable explanation the court can see for her willful behavior, so she is sent away to Sanibel Asylum to be restored to a good, compliant woman. Iris knows, though, that her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing with him on notions of justice, cruelty, and property.

On this remote Florida island, cut off by swamps and seas and military blockades, Iris meets a wonderful collection of residents--some seemingly sane, some

dangerously unstable.  Which of these is Ambrose Weller, the war-haunted Confederate soldier whose memories terrorize him into wild fits that can only be calmed by the color blue, but whose gentleness and dark eyes beckon to Iris.

           The institution calls itself modern, but Iris is skeptical of its methods, particularly the dreaded "water treatment." She must escape, but she has found new hope and love with Ambrose. Can she take him with her? If they make it out, will the war have left anything for them to make a life from, back home?”

From Goodreads

 I was hesitant to read this one at first simply because I think I have read everything I every wanted to about the Civil War. The Insanity angle intrigued  however and I downloaded a sample.  By the time I finished the sample I knew I would have to get the entire book. 

             We rarely see anything about the male dominant culture of the South. Plantation owners are either portrayed as loving father figures with lovely southern wives or evil slave beaters whose wives stand by in approval.  How many times was there dissension over slaver between a couple?  What could happen to a woman who disagreed with her powerful husband?

 My rating:  3.75 stars

The Dry Grass of August

“On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there - cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally. Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass and of the racial tension that pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents' failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence...Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us - from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable.”
(Barnes & Noble)


I enjoyed reading The Help, which also explores the south during the beginnings of civil rights.  However, I enjoyed The Dry Grass of August even more.  Perhaps it was the frankness of the  narrator as she observes what happens as her family travels south.  My generation never experienced the prejudice and ‘normality’ of segregation in every walk of life.  People younger than me are even more ignorant of how ‘it used to be’.  I think this book helps us to see how unfairly blacks were treated.  While we need to move on, and for the most part, young people are blind to color, I do think we should be aware of the injustices of our past. 
 My rating:  4 stars

Alias Grace

Still working on this one.  I'm having a hard time getting into it.  My hope is that it will be one of those books that if you just keep plugging away you find yourself involved in the story.  Meanwhile, I've read two YA books!  Keep watching, and you'll hear about both of them eventually.

Between Shades of Gray

A Lithuanian family torn from their home and sent to the Russian Steppes during WWII is the basic story.  I enjoyed reading the book but it was eerily similar the The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig.
Both books describe the horrific treatment of Jews and political prisoners by both Germans and Russians.  Both of the main characters are young girls who are from wealthy families and 'almost' understand what is happening.
Soldiers beat on the door and give the family five minutes to pack what they can. Then they are taken and crammed with other 'criminals' onto waiting cattle cars where they wait. And wait.  The conditions are beyond belief with no provision for any privacy for even the most basic bodily functions.  Eventually the train leaves and they travel days upon days without knowing where they are going.
When the train finally stops they are in the Russian steppes.

Based on true stories, Between Shades of Gray was an educational read. Because I had read the autobiographical The Endless Steppe some of it seemed hauntingly familiar even though one family is Polish and the other Lithuanian.  Both are worth reading.  The Endless Steppe is probably hard to come by these days but if you ever see it, pick it up.  Meanwhile, read Between Shades of Gray and appreciate the country and freedoms you have in America.  I hope we don't forget the past and the lessons we learned.

CITY OF WOMEN

I enjoyed this book tremendously.  Gillham takes the reader into Berlin during WWII.  Bombings, death, loss of sons, husbands, and brothers are all there.  All the men have been conscripted into the army leaving the city to women and old men.
What I enjoyed most is the fact that we don't usually think about the enemy as people.  Sigrid lives with her mother-in-law, has a secretarial job in the city and her husband is away in the army.  She thought she loved him when she married him but now she isn't so sure.
When the Nazis came into power she and many of her friends and neighbors didn't really have a political opinion.  As the situation in Germany escalated and Hitler began to persecute the Jews she and many others didn't agree but also didn't do anything.  They just kept on living their lives.  Sigrid finds herself forced to become involved in the controversy when a young nanny in her building turns to her for help.  She then becomes part of a group that hides political prisoners from the Gestapo.
I found myself wondering about what I would do.  I am not politically active.  I lead a busy life.  If seriously, morally wrong crimes were being committed by those in charge of government, would I stand up and take action?  If I am truly honest I have to doubt that I would.  We are so quick to judge the Germans but would we be any different?  I hope so.

Just Because

Okay, I am not going to post 352 articles today, I promise.  But as I was saving pictures of book covers to post (Alias Grace and Send), I saw this that I had saved and wanted to share it with you.

                                                                  I LOVE SNOOPY!

Hello, how are you?

It's been a long time since I posted anything.  I have a hard time believing anyone would want to read anything I say.  Then I find other blogs and I enjoy them soooooo much.  My niece Sarah has two blogs, Between the Fenceposts is about her life as she and her husband enjoy the USA from the cab of a tractor trailer; and her other blog is Along Those Lines is about the books she reads or listens to.  I love both of them!  She is a talented writer.  My other niece, Meagan, blogs about her life with her husband and two little girls in middle Tennessee.  I love keeping up with what is going on with her.  We haven't even seen her baby girl, Ava Grace but I have watched her grow through the blog.  Then there are the blogs of strangers. I love Pinterest.  One of my favorite parts is the wonderful, gifted people out there who blog their recipes, ideas, and etc.  I may never try a single craft, decorating idea, or recipe, but I love reading the blogs. I have read about weight loss journeys, wedding plans, recipe ideas, and ideas for teaching.

All of that to say that I decided to blog for me!  I read a lot. I love to share what I read but have a very small community to share with.  So I will share with you, cyberspace.  No one may ever read a word that I write and that is okay.  I'm going to write about books that touch me, books I love, and old favorites.  The review may be short.  They may not be eloquent.  But they will be from the heart.