Book Review: The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

Non-fiction. I read this in March 2015. It is very hard to write a review for this one, I think everybody should read it, so I am heavily biased about this one. I have so many highlights and notes on my Nook copy of it that I think my notes have notes. It is one of the best books I have read for trying to understand why the WWII generation was considered the greatest and why they became the measuring stick for all generations to follow. It does not glorify war, it takes an honest look at the people of that generation: those who grew up during the Great Depression, sacrificed again for the sake of their family/loved  ones/fellow countrymen/ideals of a fair and just world, and then rebuilt their lives and shaped the future when the war was finally over.

Tom Brokaw is a straightforward writer with no pretense. He spent time interviewing people who were from that generation and involved in the war effort in various ways, including the women who went to work in the factories, grew victory gardens, and mourned the deaths of husbands, brothers, and fathers. This book is their stories. It is not a dry and historical treatment of WWII but the stories of the people who lived it, who did not complain, and who had no sense of entitlement. 

As this generation is growing older and passing away, it is incredibly important that we preserve their stories, that we understand who they were as people, and that they did what they had to do: none of them believes they were special or that they deserve praise. My grandparents were all of this generation, my parents were essentially WWII babies (born in 41 and 42), and I think part of the work ethic that I have is due in large part that, to being raised with those ideals. I think everybody should read this book because it is uplifting, it is utterly devoid of entitlement and selfishness, and it inspires us to be better people.

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Book Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

Fiction.  This was a wonderful little novel and a definite must for anybody who is a "foodie" of any kind!  I loved the characters, the settings, the author's way with words, and the plot was fantastically interesting too.  The main character is Billie Breslin, who takes a job as an assistant to the editor in NYC at the preeminent food magazine Delicious! (think Gourmet where the author used to work).  The novel follows Billie through the streets of New York as she learns even more about food: she has a perfect palate and can taste almost any ingredient immediately, which helps her land her second job at Fontanellis, a fun and traditional cheese shop, where she is the first non-family member to ever work there (of course they treat her like family though).  The offices of the Delicious! magazine are in a 19th-century mansion, filled with quirky co-workers, beautiful architectural features, and eventually a mystery for Billie to solve.

After the magazine is closed by the owner who wants to focus on their more lucrative magazines put out by Pickwick Publishing, Billie finds herself the only one left behind to answer phone calls, emails, and bizarre letters from people who have utterly destroyed the recipes in the magazine.  Since its inception, the magazine had what is called the "Delicious! Guarantee": try the recipe, if you do not like it we will refund your money for the items you purchased to make it.  A particularly peculiar customer, who calls every single day, does the most disastrous things that you can think of, such as substituting canned oysters for scallops, powdered milk instead of heavy cream, and other comically tragic concoctions.  

As the story continues, Billie and another former employee, Sammy, end up becoming fast friends.  He is at the empty old mansion because Sammy has yet to empty out his office (he was traveling in Marrakesh) and thus he hangs around attempting to help her solve some of the bizarre inquiries from the readers (e.g. requests for recipes dating all the way back to the 1950s).  The two of them end up exploring the library as a result of trying to search for some obscure information, but the library had been locked up for decades, and nobody knew what exactly was inside.  They find themselves trying to solve a mystery related to the correspondence during WWII between a young girl named Lulu and the now infamous James Beard, who worked at the magazine.  I do not want to add more lest I give away any spoilers, so I will say that it is a charming novel, filled with friendships, tragic family histories, mystery, some romance, and of course utter devotion to food which will appeal to gastronomes everywhere.  Give it a read, it will make you smile!

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Book Review: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Non-fiction, narrative.  I really enjoyed this book!  I ended up finding it as a part of my continuing quest to learn more about Chicago and Illinois history.  It is about William E. Dodd, a professor of history at the University of Chicago, and how he becomes the U.S. ambassador to Germany during the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich.  There are so many WWII stories out there that it can be quite daunting when trying to tackle the subject.  This one is a little different, in that it shows you how an american family living abroad felt when arriving in 1933, and how their opinions adapt and change as things in the country do as well.  Since Dodd took his family with him (wife, son, and daughter) and they wrote letters and diary entries religiously, we get multiple perspectives on the time, place, and changing attitudes.  His daughter Martha was very amorous and had relationships with prominent members of the Nazi party (Diels), socialist radicals, and even a Russian spy.  At first she felt positive about the new changes for the German people, but then she slowly became more aware of what was happening around her, and finally changed her tune.  

     It seems that Dodd was one of the few voices bold enough to see what was coming, and to talk about it, even though he was shunned by other ambassadors and the american public for doing so.  If you are one of those people who say "How didn't people see it coming?" well he certainly did.  This book is well worth a read if you are interested in what Germany was like as an outsider during the building up of the Nazi regime and how Hitler and his inside men were constantly bickering, paranoid, chasing gossip, and vying for control of each other and the country.  This is a great story of a prominent Chicagoan and of the climate in Germany leading up to WWII from the perspective an american family.

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Book Review: Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff

Non-fiction.  I read this for the non-fiction book club at my local library (May 2014).  I thought this was an interesting read about a group of people who go through a plane crash and end up stranded in one of the least touched places in civilization (at that point anyway, one other explorer had been there but they did not really know too much about that).  It is set during the last months of WWII in New Guinea.  Apparently at the time, people followed the story of their search and rescue closely for a few weeks, but after the war ended people stopped paying attention to it.  This would be a great read if you want to know one of the many many many stories out there related to WWII or if you want to read a real life rescue adventure.

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Book Review: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

   

I read this for the Crystal Lake Public Library's Non-Fiction Book Club (6/2012).  It was a good read and I learned a fair amount about WWII and The Pacific POWs.  It was difficult to read at times because of the brutality and I also felt at times that the statistic listings were a bit too long.  Overall though, I would recommend this book to those interested in WWII and survivor tales.

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Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Read this for book club (3/2011) and it was very enjoyable! The letter format is not bothersome once you read a few pages into it and get used it, it's actually kind of refreshing to see people write letters instead of just IM. We (the book club) thought it had a way of mentioning the horrors of war without depressing you horribly because it was charming and funny...kind of like "Life is Beautiful."

I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction. It is a different take on WWII that gives you insight into how people dealt with issues and how brave they could be without constantly mentioning gas chambers or trains of death. I also had no idea what happened on these little islands and smaller places during WWII so it educated me a little bit as well.

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