Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi
Translated by: Stuart J. Woolf
Goodreads: Survival in Auschwitz
Source: Purchased
Summary: Primo Levi, an Italian chemist and Jew, chronicles his year in the Auschwitz concentration camp from February 1944 until January 1945.
Review: First published in Italian as If This Is a Man (Se questo è un uomo), the book focuses less on the horrors of the Holocaust that have, perhaps, become well-known to most schoolchildren and more on the psychological implications of those horrors. The work distinguishes itself further from the multitude of works on the same subject, however, by not solely focusing on the mentality of those who worked the concentration camps, but also on the changing nature of those imprisoned there. As time progresses in the book, Levi’s astute observations of those around him ask an increasingly urgent question: can those who have had everything stripped away from them still be considered men?
The question is provocative. One might expect that a Jew writing about the Holocaust would wish to convey exactly the opposite observation—that these men, women, and children were undeniably human and that the crimes committed against them were thus undeniably outrageous. The conflict evident in Levi’s thoughts about the matter, however, only serves to underscore the nature of the atrocities committed. When a man himself begins to question whether he is still a man, then the attempt to dehumanize a group of people is truly complete.
Despite Levi’s inner turmoil, however, the better part of the human spirit continues to break through the darkness. A particularly moving chapter recounts Levi’s attempts to recall the words of Ulysses to his sailors in Dante’s Divine Comedy—words that encourage them to seek for knowledge and to live as men rather than as beasts (Canto XXVI of the Inferno, if you feel inclined to look it up). His struggle to recapture the lines has an intense significance he cannot define or understand, especially as he insists throughout the narrative that no amount of skill or intelligence can save anyone in the camps–only luck spares some. His inability to articulate the meaning of the poetry suggests that it is not the intellect of men that defines that as such, but rather the limitations of that intellect. The ineffable experience of poetry somehow connects to the senselessness of the camps; the meaning of both proves elusive and Levi can do nothing but struggle through as best he can. He may feel that he has failed, but sometimes nothing seems so human as failure.
Survival in Auschwitz is a haunting book that raises deep questions through deceptively simple prose. Self-reflective, it does not content itself with heaping blame on those who perpetuated the crimes at the concentration camps, but takes a long look at the mind of the author as he was during his time in Auschwitz. What he sees clearly perplexes and sometimes troubles him; he knows he has not descended to the bestial nature of some of the others around him, but also knows that he is never far from falling. Survival for Levi is not so much a fight to live as it is a fight to retain a sense of his own soul and his own dignity when everything around him suggests they no longer exist.
Published: 1947
The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie
Goodreads: The Enchantress of Florence
Source: Purchased
Summary: A blonde-haired foreigner arrives in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbhar claiming he carries a secret that will kill anyone who hears it—save Akbhar himself. His tale spans decades and continents, following the life of the princess Qara Koz, whose decision to forge her own destiny caused her name to be erased from the annals of history. The foreigner’s tale captivates not only Akbhar, but also the entire capital—but is it true?
Review: In The Enchantress of Florence, Rushdie mixes history, legend, and fantasy to create a story breathtaking in its scope and imagination. Although the narrative seems to build slowly at first, each word is like an exquisite jewel woven into an increasingly intricate tapestry; readers will find themselves drowning in the depths of a story so rich, so sensual, and so luscious that the plot could stand completely still and the beauty of the world Rushdie has woven would still ensnare them. Though the story ostensibly revolves around the titular enchantress of Florence, Rushdie is the true enchanter here.
Perhaps best classified as magical realism, the book seamlessly blends the fantastic and the factual, playing with the readers’ suspension of disbelief. Because some of the most outrageous claims are actually rooted in history, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction; the readers experience the confusion of the characters as they desperately try to untangle the threads of the foreigner’s tale to discover the truth of his journey. As his words begin to take on a reality of their own, however, the question arises: if lies can create so much beauty, is it still worth searching for the truth?
The Enchantress of Florence is a rare treasure among books, one that will make readers want to slow down to savor it, rather than rush through to discover how it ends. It casts a spell with its unique sense of the absurd, as well as its acceptance of that absurdity as a condition of life. Like the foreigner’s audience, readers may find themselves unwilling to break the enchantment.
Published: 2008
Waiting on Wednesday (11)
Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where bloggers share books they are eagerly anticipating.
Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things
By Cynthia Voigt
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Summary: The mysterious disappearance of Max Starling’s parents leaves the twelve-year-old struggling to maintain a low profile while also supporting himself as an actor. The first in a trilogy.
Why I Want to Read It: A story set in the theatres of twentieth-century London promises to provide a lot of excitement. Add a dash of mystery as well as such tantalizing key words such as “lost heirloom” and “lost love” and I’m in! The cover is absolutely gorgeous, too.
Blogger Interview: Allison from The Book Wheel
THE INTERVIEW
What makes your blog unique?
My blog has a very odd mix of genres. My two most popular are literary fiction and political non-fiction, which have nothing to do with each other. I love literary fiction for fun, but I have a background in Political Science, so I really enjoy reading political books. I’m different in that I don’t push a political agenda with my reviews – I just like to spread the word of a good book that might teach someone something!
What have you just finished reading? What are you currently reading?
I just finished The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs, which I loved. I rarely give 5-star reviews, but this one made the cut. I’m currently reading The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy by Michael J. Gerhardt, an ARC that I requested from NetGalley.
What advice do you have for new bloggers?
Don’t expect it to be a moneymaker! I had these grand ideas of signing up as an affiliate and that the cash would start rolling in, but I was wrong. Blogging is something you have to do because you want to and you love it. It’s rare for someone to make a living from it.
What are your hobbies outside of reading and blogging?
There’s life outside of reading and blogging?! I work full-time and am starting graduate school in the Fall, so reading and blogging may be the only hobbies I will have time for, but I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two dogs. We live in the Denver area, so we love getting in the car and driving randomly into the mountains to see what we find.
If you were the heroine of a novel, what genre book would it be?
Political non-fiction. I’m going to grad school for Public Policy and would love to enact a policy with large-scale implications. I should point out that this book would also be written by Hillary Clinton.
What book would you most like to be the cover model for?
Eeek! I don’t know that I’d want to be on the cover of any book! Although, referring back to the question before this, I suppose I’d be okay with being on the cover of my own book, if I did indeed star as the heroine of a non-fiction bestseller.
What is one thing on your bookish bucket list?
This is a funny question because another blogger and I searched the web wide and far for a bookish bucket list that wasn’t just for books and found nothing, so we started our own. Some of the things I have on there are to have a wall of bookshelves with a ladder, have books with my stamp in 10+ countries, and attend the BEA. Here’s the link: http://thebookwheelblog.com/50bookishthings/
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Hungry, Hungry Hippos
- Dessert: Tiramisu
- Movie Based on Book: Anne of Green Gables (the Megan Follows one)
- Sport: SEC Football (Go Gators!)
- Television Show: Law & Order (original or SVU – not CI)
FIND ALLISON
Blogger Interview: Cain Freeman from No BS Books
THE INTERVIEW
What inspired you to start blogging?
From the start, I knew I wanted to propagate a message of love and good cheer. What better way to do this than by being an opinionated smart ass? In all seriousness, it was a combination of too much time and reading too much. I know, how can one possibly read TOO much? Well, I was reading more than a book a day, and my library was just starting to run out of interesting reads. Desperate for a way to slow myself down, I turned to blogging.
Who is your favorite author and why?
Man, that’s hard. I sort of want to wear all their skins really. If I had to choose one though, it’d be Ellen Hopkins. No other author is able to draw an emotional response out of me so reliably. There is no suitable comparison to the experience that is one of her books. They transcend the boundaries of standard literature, creating something breathtaking. In addition to the quality of the stories, there’s the importance of them. Every book by Ellen Hopkins takes an honest look at the hard parts of the world, the tough issues. Having ideas presented this way is immensely important, and can serve as some of the best lessons.
If you could live in a fictional setting, which would you choose?
Republic City from The Legend of Korra. The mix of fantasy, steampunk, and the prohibition era is just remarkable. Plus, I’d love to be a bender. For those of you who haven’t watched The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra, a bender is an individual who is able to control one of four elements, water, fire, earth, or air.
What characters do you wish you could be friends with?
Ben Wolf from Deadline by Chris Crutcher has a definite place in my heart. Looking at it, I don’t even know if we’d connect in any way at all, but the story pulled at my heart strings so much, I feel that I should be friends with him. It’s like I owe it to him. Then there’s a character I hope everyone feels this way about: Ron Weasley. Does this need explanation? Anyone who’s read Harry Potter wants to be friends with him! And anyone who hasn’t read Harry Potter, isn’t worth mentioning.
What is your favorite bookish memory?
Can’t believe I’m going to admit this, but when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, I may have dressed up as Harry Potter and been at the bookstore for the midnight release. That is purely hypothetical of course. Remember that, hypothetical. If we were to talk about things that actually happened, because that Harry Potter thing obviously never did, it would be the moment I realized I had an addiction. Last Fall, or Autumn if you prefer, I want on a vacation with my family to the Florida Keys. I brought something like thirteen books with me. Our vacation was only eleven or so days long, I read every single book I brought with me.
Have you always enjoyed reading?
Ever since first grade I have loved reading, and audiobooks even before that. I can’t think of a single period of my life where I fell out of favor with reading. It has been a constant companion.
What is your favorite book-to-film adaptation?
Since I am absolutely unique and special, I know my choice will blindside all of you. The Harry Potter movies were absolutely great, staying faithful for the most part, and maintained the feeling when they had to change the plot. How they could have done I better job, I don’t know. Creating ten hour epics isn’t realistic, so we have to settle down, and embrace the condensed versions of the stories.
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Risk
- Dessert: Fried ice cream
- Movie Based on Book: Shawshank Redemption
- Sport: Competitive sofa sitting is always a great one.
- Television Show: In Western television, it’d have to be Breaking Bad. Counting television from elsewhere in the world, I’d have to pick the holy grail of human artistic creation, Death Note.
FIND CAIN
- Blog: No BS Books
- Twitter: @nobsbooks
Top Ten Tuesday (57)
Top Ten Tuesdays is a meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is
Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun
1. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch: A princess must rescue her prince from a fearsome dragon–all while wearing nothing but a paper bag.
2. Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole: Princess Smartypants is to be married, much against her will. She declares a series of challenges that her suitors must overcome to win her hand.
3. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery: Montgomery makes the world seem like a beautiful and magical place, and life a glorious adventure.
4. The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg: A smart book about the power of friendship and one of my childhood favorites.
5. The Dot and the Line by Norton Juster: A line falls in love with a dot, but she has eyes only for a squiggle.
6. The Princess Test by Gail Carson Levine: A retelling of “The Princess and the Pea” in which the princesses must overcome a series of ridiculous challenges in order to be declared the bride of Prince Nicholas.
7. Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep by Gail Carson Levine: A comedic retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” in wh
8. Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine: A retelling of “The Princess and the Glass Hill.”
9. Roverandom by J. R. R. Tolkien: A young dog offends a wizard and finds himself transformed into a toy as a result. To find the wizard and turn himself back, he will have to travel to the moon and under the sea.
10. Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott: Orphaned at the age of 13, Rose goes to live with her aunts and finds herself slowly drawn into a new boisterous life surrounded by seven boy cousins.
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Goodreads: The Last of the Mohicans
Series: The Leatherstocking Tales #2
Source: Borrowed
Note:
Although this is technically the second in a series, it can be read as a standalone.
Summary: The young British officer Duncan Heyward is charged with escorting the daughters of his superior officer through the American wilderness in the midst of the French and Indian War. When they are abducted by a Huron, he must rely upon the help of the scout Natty Bumppo and his Mohican friends to rescue them.
Review: The Last of the Mohicans can be a little slow, one of those books I only finished reading as quickly as I did because I was required to do so. Cooper enjoys descriptions, particularly of the American landscape, and his detours can interrupt the pacing. During class discussion, it was observed that Natty Bumppo (Hawkeye) often makes his most meditative speeches right in the middle of action. There may be a fierce battle going on to defend his life, but Hawkeye always has time for reflecting and expounding.
The characters, though to some extent types, are all interesting and generally likeable. The one exception is Alice, who as the exemplary white female spends most of her time fainting, cowering, or crying—assuming she is present at all. Her sister Cora, however, is wonderfully spirited and brings a lot of fight and heart to the novel. Hawkeye, Uncas, Chingachgook, and occasionally Heyward conspicuously display masculinity in scenes that make one want to celebrate the American hero, while Magua is a wonderfully complex villain. As some critics have observed, Cooper’s Native American villains are often similar to his heroes; they are good or bad based on whether they are for or against Hawkeye. This makes judging Magua’s actions complicated.
The major theme of the novel is the creation of the American identity, and Cooper explores this in many ways—through race, gender, language, war, etc. His exploration can become complicated, and often contradictory, leaving the reader with a lot to pull apart in what may be a vain attempt to extract the ultimate meaning or conclusion on the matter. Should the Europeans and Native Americans intermarry? Do they share an afterlife? Is one language or culture better than another? The answers to these questions and others appear to be variously yes and no. Perhaps Cooper himself was conflicted and had no resolution. It does, however, provide the reader with a lot of material to ponder.
Overall, this is a fascinating novel that gives a close look into the struggle of forming an American identity in the country’s earliest days. Recommended for those who enjoy adventure stories, history, or nature writing.
Published: 1826
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The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart
Goodreads: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
Series: The Mysterious Benedict Society 0.5
Souce: Purchased
Official Summary: Before there was a Mysterious Benedict Society, there was simply a boy named Nicholas Benedict. Meet the boy who started it all….
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments. Now he’s being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances — and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he has one important thing in his favor: He’s a genius.
On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places — and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.
Review: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict is a great follow-up novel (in terms of writing order; this is a prequel!) to Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society series. The tone is fun, quirky, and clever—a perfect light read that will both entertain and challenge the mind. This book features a single mystery, that of a hidden treasure, rather than a series of puzzles, but there are just enough clues to encourage readers to try to solve it along with Nicholas. The solution was fairly obvious to me from the start, but younger readers (the intended audience) will probably find it right on their level, challenging enough to be worth their effort but not so much it becomes frustrating.
The book is thicker than many middle grade novels, but the pace moves along steadily. There is lots of action, and a few scenes that are laugh out loud funny, with a bit of character development thrown in on the side. The orphaned Nicholas, used to knowing selfish adults and bullying children, must decide if there are people in the world worthy of his trust. He also must decide what his priorities are. If he finds the treasure, will he keep it for himself, help just a few friends, or find it in himself to become more generous? As you might be gathering, there is also a sprinkling of life lessons in this text, but good ones—optimistic and never preachy.
There are a few tie-ins to the Mysterious Benedict Society that readers of the series will delight in recognizing—things about his past and his character that Mr. Benedict mentions in the series. Stewart is not quite as self-referential as I was expecting, however. This book also does not reach quite the level of suspense as the other three. Many times I was anticipating something to go horribly wrong that never did. Middle grade books don’t have to be dark, but readers could handle a little more danger than Stewart seems to be giving them credit for.
This is a great addition to the series that no Mysterious Benedict fan will want to miss. Nicholas himself is charming, precocious, and fascinating, and it is clear how such an extraordinary education leads him to do further extraordinary things. (Note: This will also read as a great introduction to the series, for those who did not read The Mysterious Benedict Society first. Either order of reading will work!)
Published: April 10, 2012
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Blogger Interview: Melissa from Harley Bear Book Blog
THE INTERVIEW
What makes your blog unique?
I made up some features that let me show my personality:
- Pashion for Bookish Fashion:I make outfits for whatever book I’m reading using Pinterest.
- Review & Recipe: I do a mini review of a book and then a recipe that I created or modified that goes with it.
- I also like to do fun posts like this flow chart I made to help people pick their next book.
What have you just finished reading? What are you currently reading?
I just finished Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins. It had a crazy cliffhanger! I’m starting Elixir then Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout tonight!
What advice do you have for new bloggers?
My advice is to build relationships with other bloggers. Meet people on twitter, visit blogs regularly, and participate in readathons like Bout of Books. Basically, just get involved and don’t be shy!
What are your hobbies outside of reading and blogging?
My favorite thing in life is dancing. I used to be on dance teams, but now that I’m out of school I just take Zumba classes! I also like shopping and baking (hence the features on my blog)
If you were the heroine of a novel, what genre book would it be?
That’s a hard question. I’d like to think I’m as smart or brave as Katniss, but I think I’d probably be in just a contemporary romance book. Maybe one of Sophie Kinsella’s books because I’m always embarrassing myself in front of cute guys.
What book would you most like to be the cover model for?
One with a pretty dress like The Selection!
What is one thing on your bookish bucket list?
I actually did a whole post on a bookish bucket list that you can read here. My favorite is probably attend BEA or meet Sarah Dessen.
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Does Apples to Apples count? or Mall Maddness from when I was a kid
- Dessert: CHEESECAKE!
- Movie Based on Book: Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Sport: football
- Television Show: Gilmore Girls
FIND MELISSA
- Blog: Harley Bear Book Blog
- Twitter: @HarleyBearBooks
- Facebook: Harley Bear Book Blog
- Pinterest: Harley Bear
