Roots

There is something about history that I find very interesting. I've been studying it for years and have read about many centuries and still haven't gotten tired of it. Perhaps it's the mysteries of long ago eras, where the norm was so much different than today, or maybe it's the sheer elegance found in the pages of history. Many things make the study of history exciting, but I think the most interesting part of history is the people who lived in it. History is full of people who lived very interesting lives, they are remembered throughout the ages. But what's most intriguing is the realization that these faces of history were real people. They lived the lives that were normal to them and were as human as anyone. Sometimes you can trace these faces of history all the way down to today, history transcending time to become real. I recently read a book that did exactly this; it linked generations of history together as one narrative. It was called Roots by Alex Haley. 

When Kunta Kinte was a young man, he never would have guessed that he would be the patron of a long family line. Growing up in Africa, his only thought was to gain the favor of his father and grow into a revered man. Then one day his whole world, including his plans, was shattered. While out walking alone, Kunta was jumped, bound, and kidnapped by white slave traders who, with no regard for the young man's life, placed him on a ship heading to America. Once there, Kunta had to rebuild his life and adapt to a future he hadn't expected or wanted. While he wouldn't live to see its far reaching effects, Kunta's capture turned into something good; he would start a family that would travel down through the ages. His family would see the good and the bad and live through the greatest upheavals in American history. The family would see America, break apart, and then rebuild itself, and its members would build themselves up with it. They would be a true American family, proud, loyal, and always free.

Before I critique this book, I want to make it known that I really wanted to like it. I was expecting to put it on my list of good books. But, sadly, this book just couldn't make the leap to the good side of literature because, Roots makes some critical mistakes that caused me to dislike it. Roots is one of the longest books I've read, and it's also frightfully boring. It started out with the promise of introducing us to Kunta, a likable character who really grows as a person over the course of the story. But by the time his part of the story ends, the book is half over and the other seven generations of Kunta's family aren't even born yet. Roots spends too much time on a few character arcs and has to graze over the rest, creating a weird pacing that throws the reader off. By the end of the book the author had breezed past so many generations that I found it hard to feel connected to the characters anymore. In addition, the book head-hops between characters, in the middle of a chapters, so much that I had a difficult time keeping track of who was talking or thinking. Finally, while this book is very detailed, there are parts that are described in detail that should be left to the imagination. I would also caution parents before a child reads this and only recommend it to high school and older. It could have been a great book and some people may still like it. But I feel that Roots tried to do too much at once and ended up creating more of a mess than a complex story.


*****
RJ

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

The Captivity of the Oatman Girls

The Captivity of the Oatman Girls is a retelling of the true story of Olive, Mary Anne, and Lorenzo Oatman. Published in 1857, it told by the actual Lorenzo and Olive, and gives a good example of Native American life, and Culture.

The Oatman family had been traveling to California when the Apache tribe attacked. Young Olive and Mary Anne were captured and Lorenzo was left for dead. All the others were massacred. Along the way with their captors, the girls faced poor living conditions, malnutrition, and death, but nothing stopped their brother on his journey to find them.

i recommend this book to any adventure lover or anyone curious about Native American culture. It was a great read, and i will read it again

*****
AK

Case for a Creator

Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel is the third book on his search for the truth about God. the Case for a Creator focuses on Strobel's research regarding science and the actual facts.

Strobel was once a profound atheist. He was offended by Christianity and the "lack of evidence." He did, however, decide to look into the philosophies and building blocks of it after his wife accepted Jesus. in this book Strobel has recounted the fraud of Haeckel's embryos and more.

I found this book very informative and, if you are looking for answers about God, I strongly recommend it. There is a lot of evidence i didn't know about, and I definately feel stronger in my own faith.

*****
AK

Standing in the Light

Standing in the Light by Mary Pope Osborn is a book written in diary format about a young Quaker girl in Pennsylvania in 1763. Her family's small cabin is surrounded by a small community, forest, and the many natives hiding there.

Catherine Carey Logan's biggest problem seemed to be young Jess Owen. They had been friends last year, but this year she was either tongue tied, or saying too much. When it felt like nothing could possibly be worse, an Indian attack came, and her  brother and she were taken, then split apart to live in different camps. She will struggle to survive in  her new home with her new "family."

I read this book in a short amount of time. It was engaging and quick and I recommend it to really anyone. It is an adventurous, imaginative story of events that would actually happen on the frontier.


*****
AK

Her Highness the Traitor

England! One of Europe's crowning jewels and the nation that has long been known for its splendor and greatness. Its castles, its countryside, its people, and most of all, its royal families. For years the royals that have graced the throne of Great Britain have amazed the world; people such as King Henry VIII, Bloody Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria each left their marks on the English monarchy. And each in their turn passed on their crown to the next royal in for the throne. Most of the time the passing down of power goes smoothly and the monarchy is granted a new ruler swiftly and without incident. But there are times when problems arise. Her Highness the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham recounts an example of this, perhaps the most notorious in all of English history.

Very few people know who Jane Grey was; hardly anyone knows her name, and even fewer remember the women who put her on the throne of England. Jane Grey did not know that she was fourth in line for the monarchy; she only cared about her studies and her books. Her mother, on the other hand, wanted her daughter to rise to greatness, she wanted her to be the queen of England; but there was no way to do this. But after young King Edward died without and heir, an opportunity opens up. Together with Jane Dudley, Francis Grey planned to fulfill her plans for her daughter, putting all three women in a dangerous position.

This book was an interesting read. A strange mix of historical facts and character driven story, Her Highness the Traitor gave an interesting look at English court after the reign of King Henry VIII. While it is definitely  a book for teenagers and young adults due to many descriptions of marriage relations, this book was an enjoyable read that history fanatics will enjoy. It is a thinking book and should not be read casually.

*****
RJ

Immortal Wife

It was an age of discovery. The west was completely uncharted and it seemed to call every young and adventurous soul to it. The America we know today was non - existent; only the shell of our borders could be seen. The government in Washington was just beginning, trying to find a way to continue after the deaths of its founders. The west called. What was beyond the wilderness? Where did the land end and meet the sea, and who would pull America's borders further than before? Such is the story contained in the pages of Irving Stone's book Immortal Wife. 

John and Jessie Fremont have been almost lost to history; true, they lived, but their story has been forgotten among the others stories of their time. Tales of great men and war heroes who shaped a nation. John and Jessie fell in love when they were young; they hardly knew what love was but they were determined to stay together no matter what joys, triumphs, pain or sadness they faced; they could not have imagined how hard their determination would be tested. The goal of a marriage is to help and sustain each other in your ambitions, thought Jessie, but what if the ambitions you aspire to pull your love apart?

I did not enjoy this book; this is unusual because I usually love Irving Stone's writing. But this one left a sour taste in my mouth. Perhaps it was the sheer length of the book - it has seven sections, each with at least nine chapters - or maybe it was the characters, who seemed demanding and needy. They didn't seem like people I would want to actually meet. The goal of good writing is to create or portray characters who pull you into the story and have you hanging on their every word; unfortunately, this book failed to do such and actually had me hoping for the end of each chapter. Not the best book I've ever read, I'ed give it a three out of ten.

*****
RJ

The Late Homecomer

The LateHomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong family memoir set from after the Vietnam War in Laos to 2007 in America, with stops in Thailand. This book tells about the struggle of the Hmong people to find a home and care for their families.

Although Kao Kalia Yang is young, she has seen and  heard many things. Born in Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand, she has heard of the old life in Laos and the coming life in America. What will the new land be like? What will the people be like? Will it be a true home? And do Americans only eat peanut butter sandwiches?

I loved this eloquently written book because it paints a true picture of the amazing men and women who strove to find a home for their children. I would recommend The LateHomecomer to anyone 12 and up because it paints a detailed picture of the many Hmong people who were killed trying to live in Laos.

*****
AK

Three Years Among the Comanches

I do not usually read westerns, but I decided to try this genre for a change. I settled on Three Years Among the Comanches by Nelson Lee. It tells the account of the author before and after being captured by the Comanche Indians; at the time, Lee was working as a Texas Ranger. In his narrative, Lee describes life in an Indian village with a raw truth, giving out the smallest details of every activity. I found that Nelson Lee had a tendency to ramble on, and I do not particularly like that kind of writing.

Nelson Lee was living a normal yet adventurous life; working for the Rangers required him to always be on the move, but Lee didn't mind. For years, Lee lived this life, traveling from place to place, fighting off Indians and protecting the local settlers. The threat of Indian attack was always on everyone's mind, but with the ever-vigilant Rangers on guard, the fear was minimal. But what happens when the Rangers can't even protect their own? Lee never expected that his companions and he would be attacked by Indians, but they were and in one swift, cruel blow, Lee's companions were either dead or captured and he himself was dragged off as a hostage. Under normal circumstaces, Lee would have been killed immediately, but by the grace of God he possesses the means to protect and maybe even free himself: a small silver watch that he bought only days before his capture. The trinket may intrigue the natives for a short time, but will it keep them transfixed long enough for escape to present itself?

I strongly advise parents to put an age limit on this book, 10 at least. This book contains several accounts of prisoner torture and mass killings, as well as some outright disturbing moments that shocked even me. This was not the best book I have ever reviewed; it tends to take on the form of a history rather than a story. Nelson Lee claims this is a true-to-life account of his life; whether it is or not, this is a pretty good book that I think fans of westerns will enjoy.

*****
RJ

Love is Eternal

Right off the bat, I will say that history buffs will love Love is Eternal by Irving Stone. The story goes through the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln with stunning accuracy. For those who prefer fiction, this book also creates fictional accounts of the Lincolns' lesser known personal lives, pulling the reader into their struggles and fears as well as their joys. These two literary genres are completely different, but Irving Stone, like the wonderful writer he is, weaves the two genres together perfectly into a marvelous story based on the Lincolns. Please note that this book is very long and has been broken down into eight smaller books for easier reading.

Mary Todd never expected her life to turn out the way it did; after being the first female graduate of a completely male dominated school, Mary wasn't sure where her life would take her. As was common of the Todd women, she traveled to Springfield in hopes of finding a husband like her two older sisters had. All the Todd women had married respectable doctors of lawyers, so Mary was expected to do the same. What would her family do if they knew what sort of man she was attracted to? He was a tall, gangly young lawyer who had descended into her life quite literally from heaven, dropping through a trap door of the courthouse. He had been raised in the backwoods and had only had a year or two of school learning. He was completely different from any man Mary had ever met, which made him oddly appealing. And his name was Abraham Lincoln. Mary and Abraham seemed to have a doomed love from the start, and they were complete opposites. Were they too different for love?

Irving Stone has outdone himself with this stupendous piece of literature, an instant classic. A treat for young and old alike, no matter your opinion of historical fiction or your views on the Lincolns, you cannot afford to miss this novel. I would not recommend this book to children under 10, as the story ends tragically (Abraham's death), which younger children might find distressing. Also, the story itself revolves around the tension and stress of the presidency, and mild profanity is used a few times. In my opinion, that is a little heavy for children under 10.

*****
RJ

The President's Lady

The President's Lady is an exciting romantic drama set against the explosive mess that is politics. Irving Stone has brought to light a wonderful story of a woman who only wanted to be loved in a world that hated her, and whose husband was continuously dragged away into politics. The story also shows the life of Andrew Jackson, a man who did not know what he wanted, causing him to always fall into failure. But when he finally discovers what he wants, he may have to sacrifice his wife to gain it.

It is a time of frontiersmen, Indians and survival. And Rachel Roberts is right in the middle of it all with her own battles to win - but not the kind of battles you win with a gun. Lewis Roberts, Rachel's husband, is an alcohol-abusing man with an insanely jealous nature. As a result, poor Rachel is subject to Lewis' slanderous remarks on her character and even violence. Rachel cannot see any way her life could improve, but then on a trip to her family home, she meets a young man who is willing to rescue her from her husband. Andrew Jackson is a dashing young frontiersman with vastly unpopular ideas, but Rachel finds herself attracted to this man. Yet no matter how mush they love each other, the lives of Andrew and Rachel Jackson will always be full of slander. Is their love enough to protect from the storm? 

This was a wonderfully haunting story. Rachel Jackson is perhaps the most misunderstood woman in American history, and Irving Stone brings her story to life through wonderfully worded paragraphs that you will remember for a long time. I would suggest that children under ten not read this story due to some rather harsh allegations against Rachel Jackson later in the book. Many people were very suspicious of the Jacksons, and a few even accused Rachel of being and adulteress. I believe children under ten do not need to be burdened with those hateful allegations. This is a very good book that you will enjoy long after you close the back cover.

*****

RJ