'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (4.5)

‘Unbroken’ not only got a unanimous thumbs-up from our little book club, but it also inspired one of our longest and pithiest conversations that included a personal story of an uncle who was also a POW in Japan (thanks to Diane for sharing her touching story). Laura Hillenbrand once again brings a true story alive with her telling of the life of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner who becomes a POW in Japan during WWII. While living a harrowing life, Louie manages to exude optimism and a joie de vive through all the worst times. Ms. Hillenbrand shows conclusively that Louie’s unbelievable survival is largely due to his unique attitude and tenacity. His story starts as a child in Torrance, it then takes us through his unlikely Olympic career, and his WWII experiences, including being stranded at sea and surviving multiple Japanese POW camps. Knowing he survives (and is still alive today) from the beginning of the book makes reading the difficult scenes slightly easier, though page after page you cannot believe he will actually survive! We all agreed that Louie’s story brought to life elements of the war that we were aware of, but were still shocking. The two biggest were the poor conditions of the planes and subsequent accidental deaths, and the brutal treatment of the POWs from their captors. A great story of survival and triumph as told by a riveting storyteller has earned this book a 4.5.

'Robopocalypse' by Daniel H. WIlson

For some reason, I have the hardest time with pronouncing the name of this book!

Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson (3)

This singularity Sci-Fi book was not unique enough to warrant a higher rating, but that being said, it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read.  If anything, I wish it were longer, with more pith added to some of the ideas.  It reminded me a bit of ‘Starship Troopers’ mixed with ‘The Terminator’ (without time travel).  It follows various groups through the event (i.e. zero hour) when a computer/robot becomes sentient and turns it and other robots against humans.  There are some basic ‘what makes us human’ quandaries and some interesting concepts on both sides of the battle. Overall, it is about a battle, but could have included more of many things to round it out. I should also note that some people might not enjoy the writing style – each chapter is written as a look back from various characters’ memory. I found the flow worked, but some might find it hard to follow and a bit disconnected.

'Room' by Emma Donoghue

Room, Emma Donoghue (1)

This book review was one of the hardest I’ve had to do thus far in the blog.  I had seen numerous accolades for the book and it continues to get strong critiques.  The problem is that the subject matter is so difficult to read, not only did I almost stop, I cannot think of a single person to whom I would recommend it.  The writing is good, the author has done several unique things to make the subject a tad easier – but in the end of the day, it is still a book about a woman who is kidnapped, held hostage, raped repeatedly and has a child by her captor.  The 5-year-old child, Jack, narrates the book. All he knows, his whole world, is ‘Room’, which is an 11x11 foot prison.  Its contents are his only friends (Duvet, Rug, Wardrobe). The book is told in 3 main parts.  The first part is frightening (as you begin to realize was actually has occurred, since Jack does not know), the second is very dramatic and the third is more about the psychology, which is very interesting.  I would like Val to read this so we could discuss the third section, but I could never ask a mother to read this – it is just too horrific to imagine and the intimacy of Jack’s voice brings it all in too close. It somehow makes the book more disturbing than a traditional murder mystery.  I believe the book deserves a ‘4’ for the quality of the writing and uniqueness of the story, but I have to give it a ‘1’ as a warning to any who may read it – it is very disturbing. 

'The Tiger's Wife' by Tea Obreht

The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht (3.5)

Tea Obreht is now known as one of The New Yorker’s twenty best American fiction writers under 40 (she wrote this at 25).  It has several unique characteristics.  Firstly it is set during and after the Yugoslav Wars.  It is not clear where it is set and which ‘side’ the protagonists represent.  Which is, frankly, very typical of that time – very intertwined and hard for many in the West to understand who is ‘bad’ and who is ‘good’.  It also has the feel of a Grimm’s fairy tale sprinkled throughout.  In many of the stories the main character, Natalia, hears, there are bits of fantastical events. Tea interleaves these as Natalia researches her beloved grandfather’s past.  The joy in this book is in the poignancy of these stories. My only complaint is that the story of the Tiger’s Wife felt abruptly added.  The flow of the book was halted and that story began.  It was very important, but you didn’t realize that till the end.  Given that, the book is very different and enjoyable. I felt I had gotten a look into every day life in a post war Balkan country along with the flavor of a mystical culture.

'A Clash of Kings' and 'A Storm of Swords': Book Two and Three of the Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords: Book Two and Three of the Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (3)

I decided to group the next two books in the Game of Thrones series together, as it is apparent that they are not significantly different. That can be both a good and bad thing: good in that they each have the escapist quality of the first, bad in that neither book has a satisfactory ending of any of the storylines.  As with the first book, no character is safe from the sharp edge of the sword, so to speak, which is a refreshing style.  The series is told from the point of view of both good and evil characters who are scattered around the kingdoms.  Each chapter reads very quickly, which makes them good ‘dogs of summer’ reads.  I gave these two a slightly lower rating than the first book as I feel they are a bit like candy, only momentarily satisfying.  In addition, nothing truly new has been added and certainly nothing revealed or concluded. The next two books (four and five) have not gotten as good reviews externally. Apparently they were meant to be one book that got too large.  Many of the characters disappear in book four to come back in book five. I may have to wait until Mr. Martin officially finishes the series before I continue. Unless, of course, I get a hankering for some candy!

'Islam, the Religion and the People' by Bernard Lewis & Buntzie Ellis Churchill

Islam, The Religion and the People, Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill (3)

After hearing many times ‘that’s not in the Koran’ or ‘only radical Muslims believe that’, I decided I really wanted to know more about the religion that is growing so fast and blamed for so many things.  I went to the library and scanned a few titles.  I picked this book as it seemed to discuss both the history of the religion compared with other religions and its current state.  My first surprise was that Islam is the youngest of the main religions (~700AD) and that it is closer to Christianity than to anything else (it is based on the old and new testaments, but the Jews and Christians ‘got it wrong’. Mohammed was the last and only prophet).  Also both Islam and Christianity are considered Triumphalists (fortunate recipients of the message, their duty to spread said message and only they will get into heaven), while Jews and Hindus are considered Relativists (the righteous of all religions will have a place in heaven – more like religions are various languages saying the same thing, no need to convert in order to be saved).  There were many other surprises that helped me understand some major elements of Islam as a religion and way of life.  I am giving this a ‘3’ mainly because I thought it fell short of helping to define and understand the radical Muslims.  There were many contradictions in the ‘how and why’.  One clear message the authors made was how many of the current issues of radical Muslims started with the Iranian revolution (with Ayatollah Khomeini) in 1979.  If you have a desire to learn more about the religion, this book is a good place to start.