Books reviews #2

Next round of book reviews from the last three weeks. I wasn't as prolific this time but the depth of materials made up for that.

So here goes.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
I gave this book to my Uncle Eddie for Christmas having not read a word of it. Which is unusual. I don't usually gift books that I myself haven't read. But I had heard so many interviews on NPR about it and read the reviews, that I knew it couldn't be a waste of time or money. I was definitely not wrong.

This book details the WWII saga of Louis Zamperini - an Olympic runner who participated in the Berlin Olympics alongside Jesse Owens. He had his picture made with Hitler and the Fuhrer even spoke to him. And just when you think that would be the story that best defines his life, WWII happens. He ends up crashing in the Pacific, living forty days on a raft without food or water and then being rescued by the Japanese. The tale from there moves into his experiences at prisoner camps in Japan and the horrific conditions and treatment of the Allies unfortunate enough to end up there.

It is an absorbing read and opens a whole new aspect of WWII that seems to have been forgotten. The European theater is often spoken about but the South Pacific was just as brutal. There were times I had to put the book down because the emotional reaction I was having was so strong.

He survives in ways that I can't even fathom and upon his return to the US, he's faced with demons that plague his dreams. The most surprising part of this book is how he finds peace. I won't ruin it for you but his path to peace and forgiveness is inspiring.

This is not a light read but I definitely give it two thumbs up. And now my mission in life is to meet 94-year-old Louis Zamperini.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
There is no way I can describe this book adequately but I'll try. Imagine a woman in the 1950s being treated at Johns Hopkins for a terminal illness. While treating her, doctors discover that her cells are "immortal" - meaning that they can be kept alive. And to this day, her cells have been used to develop the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer; and helped lead to important advances in vitro fertilization and gene mapping.

But yet she is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family only knowing that their "mother" is being kept at Johns Hopkins. For all they know she's been cloned. Her cells have been bought and sold in the billions but none of this money has seen helped her family.

An amazing story of scientific discovery but at what cost? What is the human consequence?

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
First, this book is totally not on the same level as the above. I fully admit it. Second, if I hear from any of the peanut gallery about reading books about witches and the Devil's work, I'll start casting spells your way.

I read anything. I think we've all figured that out by now. This was a fun read and the first in a trilogy of books. You pretty much have to hang every realistic thought out the window to read it but it's worth it. A witch that doesn't know how powerful she is; a house that adds rooms when it knows company is coming; a vampire that doesn't sparkle; and so much more.

Definitely put this on your beach list for the summer. I'm calling it Twilight for Grown-Ups.