The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

 

  I have been asked how I manage to have time to read and write about books. The answer is simple: I neither watch television nor movies. I prefer books.

    Books engage us in fascinating conversations in my family. I appreciate how books inspire us to come together and communicate, to learn more about ourselves and others. Hopefully, this blog will inspire other families to share the joy of reading books and to connect through them…

  My Writing Life blog celebrates the magic of books and encourages others to do the same. What’s not to like about that?

 I found today’s book, The Library of Lost and Found, in one of the Little Free libraries in my town. If you don’t know anything about Little Free libraries, I invite you to learn about them here. Little free libraries can be found across the world and are a fun way of spreading and sharing the wonder of books with your community.

  Martha Storm, the main character of The Library of Lost and Found, worked as a part-time librarian, but she also volunteered full-time at her local library. The library was located in a seaside village in the United Kingdom. Martha was in her early forties and she applied three times for a full-time position there. Every time she applied she got rejected, even though she had been volunteering at the library for many years. The manager preferred to employ younger people with little or no experience. Martha did her best to excel, but her efforts were not valued.  

  Martha hosted a reading group at the library, but the participants had no genuine interest in books. They were there to tease her.

  One day somebody sent her a mysterious book that contained short stories she had written during her childhood years. There was a handwritten dedication to her by her best friend—her grandmother-- whom she thought had died almost three decades before. The dedication was dated three years after she had died, so Martha contemplated the possibility that her grandmother could be alive. 

 Martha was motivated to trace the origin of the book to understand what had happened. Who had published it? How did it reach her? Her quest would lead to various secrets and discoveries about her life. This intriguing aspect of the story captured my attention and spurred me to keep reading. Unlike other books I’ve read this year, which were hard to put down, this one felt claustrophobic.  Most of the female characters in this story are submissive and boring. They lack assertiveness and personal aspirations. They are overly concerned about pleasing others. At the beginning I thought the story had taken place in the 1950s, but then I read that the characters were exchanging emails, so it dawned on me that the novel was set in the twenty-first century. There are also chapters about her childhood from the 1970s and 1980s.

    There was a history of emotional abuse in Martha’s childhood and her family was dysfunctional. The absurdity and outrageous nature of their actions, lies and poor decisions left me reeling. The only reason I forced myself to complete the read was that I wanted to get to the core of the mystery. I was intrigued, but I did not feel any kind of connection to the characters. Martha was supposed to be a book lover. However, there was nothing about her that suggested that her interest was authentic. She spent her time pleasing others and responding to their needs, even when they treated her with disrespect. None of the characters was relatable. I thought Owen Chamberlain was an interesting person, but we do not get to know him very well.

 What did I like about the story?  The author created a vivid atmosphere. She knows how to immerse the reader fully in the setting. I love the Read and Run idea to share a book and leave it behind for others to grab it and own it (I will not elaborate on this because I want to avoid spoilers). I also appreciate how the author shows the ageism that women face. Ageism is often ignored, and it is a very serious issue that deserves attention.

  When I discovered the book, I thought it was a mystery novel with unique, quirky characters. However, I ended up being trapped in a dismal story of emotional abuse, trauma and senseless behaviors.

  I dislike stories about women that behave like martyrs, even when the ending shows that something deep changes in the character.

   There are other titles by the same author that may be different from this novel. I would like to explore them. I may appreciate some of her other works.

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

 

  Elizabeth Zott’s dog learned over nine-hundred words and her daughter, Madeline, was an early reader, but Madeline had to pretend to be like other kids in kindergarten: illiterate. By the same token, as a professional chemist Elizabeth Zott struggled to gain basic respect and recognition at work, because when women are good at something, somebody may be quick enough to steal their ideas, or false rumors may be spread to make others believe that she has slept with somebody to attain something specific, whereas a man’s accomplishments are celebrated and his intelligence is not questioned.

 “It is not your imagination. People are awful.” Elizabeth wrote these words in one of the daily notes she stuck in Madeline’s lunch-box.

  Even though the story takes place in the fifties and early sixties, this novel resonates in today’s world. Stereotypes, prejudices and biases continue to pervade societies in subtle and not so subtle ways. Misogynistic trends continue to exist in the most unexpected situations, so I am thankful for this clever novel. It brings to light the social nuances that continue to put women down, the unspoken truths that still linger in the workplace and in so many conversations around us.

 Hard work and education are important to succeed, but “luck” plays a role too.  Amid the darkness of societal nonsense, however, there is hope. A friend, a boss, a partner may trust you, and   believe in your skills, and that faith in you can make a world of difference. Everybody needs support, so why is it more difficult to grant women the same support that is provided to men? 

 Luck can hit a person in unpredictable ways, and this is clear in this novel when Elizabeth is wooed by Walter Pine to work as a cooking television host. This is not something she had planned, but she needed the job to sustain her family and pay the bills. Elizabeth was expected to teach how to cook while entertaining the audience.

  As a chemist, Elizabeth knows that chemistry is the foundation of cooking, and that nutritious, balanced meals are paramount to everybody’s success in life.  Nourishing the body helps to support a healthy mind. Why do you think, for example, that a man cooking is treated with more respect than a woman doing it? Why is the word “chef” immediately associated with the male gender? The paradox is that it is not uncommon to come across online trolls who want to dismiss a woman’s opinion by “sending her to the kitchen.”

  Making a balanced, nutritious meal from scratch requires knowledge, skills and motivation. If you take a moment to reflect deeply on this act, you will conclude that it has an impact on the health of the people who eat it and the planet.

 A woman may choose to be a scientist; a woman may cook nutritious meals for her family or she may become a cook to make a living, but regardless of her choices, she is never treated with the same respect as the man who chooses to do the same tasks. Why?

  The answer is rooted in gender double standards that still exist today. Why is the same work considered to have more value when it is done by a man ? Both men and women are guilty of underestimating the work of women, so let’s stop pretending otherwise, and it is necessary to examine how gender double standards are part of this reality. Confidence in men, for example, is regarded as a positive trait, but it is often considered a sign of arrogance in women. A man asking for help may be considered assertive, whereas a woman in the same situation may be viewed as "opportunistic".

  Elizabeth and her partner, Calvin Evans, commented on the fact that ninety percent of women adopt their husband’s last name when they get married. Bonnie Garmus may have referred to women in America. I think it is important to clarify that the fact that women in America change their last name when they marry should not be a reason to assume that women do the same in every country of the world. Hint: they don’t… Eureka!

 I devoured the fruits of Bonnie Garmus’s imagination. The comparison between the different kinds of chemical bonds and falling in love was brilliant. She describes the three types of chemical bonds: ionic, covalent and hydrogen bridges. Elizabeth uses the knowledge of chemical bonds to make analogies about the ways people interact with or fall for their significant other or potential lovers. This was hilarious and witty. Another theme the novel touches is that of grief: Elizabeth endures the loss of her significant other.

  Elizabeth Zott had not chosen to work as a cooking television host, but the job became a medium through which she gave herself permission to express herself against all odds, and to instill confidence in the women whose work was treated with disdain. Think about the ways homemakers are treated today and you will agree with me that little has changed. Every woman deserves respect, whether they choose to work inside or outside the home. Yet this does not happen.

 Supper at Six was the television program Elizabeth hosted, and it became a success. As you can imagine, when a woman does something well, it sparks envy and admiration, which are the driving forces of sexism. Haters are ready to threaten and intimidate the successful woman and to dismiss the fruits of such a woman’s work. Again, some things have not changed.

 Do people with enthusiasm and motivation overwhelm others? I don’t think so unless the agent of enthusiasm and passion is a woman, in which case the situation sometimes evokes envy and hate and triggers irrational behaviors in the haters.

 I also noticed that people who criticize the choices that women make are in fact unhappy with their own choices in life, so it is a kind of scapegoating. Misogyny never goes out of fashion apparently. (And in some places misogyny became law and we are mocked and ignored when we speak up).

  Elizabeth Zott defies the systems that oppress her. Through her story, the readers may be able to fathom how any kind of religious fanaticism can be used to oppress and denigrate women and to promote homophobia.

 Lessons in Chemistry is a compelling read with various twists and surprises. I rooted for Elizabeth and my favorite character is Six-Thirty, the dog.  It is uplifting to learn that the novel has been welcomed with several awards and recognitions; you can learn about them here.

 Lessons in Chemistry is entertaining, humorous, thought-provoking and… outrageous. There is a scene of rape in this book, so if you deal with trauma, keep this in mind as you venture through the pages. There is a lot of food for thought in Lessons in Chemistry, so savor it at your own pace, enjoy the “meals” and then make sure you pass it on.

We need to raise more awareness.

 

 

Don’t forget to check the supplementary links and feel free to share them:

https://criernewsroom.com/news/2022/04/16/the-sexist-nature-of-the-cooking-industry/

 

https://time.com/6257188/disinformation-women-online-hate-study/

 

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-03-05/women-social-media-instagram-linkedin-toxic

 

https://medschool.duke.edu/news/equality-women-science-not-there-yet

 

https://wearerestless.org/2022/02/04/why-are-stay-at-home-moms-looked-down-upon/

https://tooambitious.com/3-subtle-ways-women-are-undermined-at-work-and-how-to-handle-them/

https://iwpr.org/new-report-women-earn-less-than-men-in-all-occupations-even-ones-commonly-held-by-women/

 https://helpfulprofessor.com/double-standards-examples/

 

Notes from The Dog by Gary Paulsen

 

The title of this book and the author’s dedication intrigued me:

  “This book is dedicated with all respect and hope to everybody who has ever faced cancer.”

   The enticing title and dedication along with the inkling that there was something powerful and unique about this novel convinced me to read it.

   My intuition did not fail me. This is a book that made me rejoice, reflect, laugh and, finally, cry like a child. The unique characters stayed with me after I finished reading it.

    It is a book that makes you acknowledge how a simple person can make a difference in the lives of others with motivation, cheer and a new perspective on different matters. It is an opportunity to reflect on the multiple ways in which one person can touch lives and make them better.

    Finn is a fourteen-year-old teenager who loves books and spends most of his free time reading novels. He is an introvert whose best friend is Dylan, a dog. He also has Matthew, whom he describes as a true friend, “It’s because he’s the only person I know who doesn’t make me feel like he’s drifted off in his head when I’m talking. Anyone who listens to everything you have to say, even the bad stuff and the boring things that don’t interest them, is a true friend. Matthew’s always been the only person who’s easy for me to talk to. He’s a lot like Dylan when you think about it.”

   Finn did not know how his life would change with the presence of her new next-door neighbor, Johanna. In the first chapter Johanna introduces herself to the boys and Dylan. I read the first chapter twice because I enjoyed it so much. I was smitten with the characters. It made me laugh out loud, and I appreciate Paulsen’s social commentary.

   When Johanna met the boys, she greeted Dylan first. Then she said, “In this world, you either like dogs or you don’t, and I don’t understand the ones who don’t, so I’m glad to finally meet the three of you.” Her chemistry with Dylan and the boys was instant. After the end of their first conversation, she asked them to sign her journal because it was her habit to write down the best thing that happened to her each day…

   Gary Paulsen knows how to shake and break the reader’s heart, but he does so while imbibing the spirit with the light of hope, joy and inspiration. There is so much wisdom in this story. It is the kind of wisdom that sneaks in with grace and gentle steps without resorting to sentimentality or preaching.

   I recommend this book to adults, teenagers and middle schoolers. It is a celebration of the empowering nature of true friendship. In the next edition I hope the publishers will consider adding illustrations by his talented wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen.

 

 

   Gary Paulsen shares a poem right before the first chapter of the novel:

 To every thing there is a season,

a time for every purpose under the sun.

A time to be born,

and a time to die.

A time to plant,

and a time to reap.

 

A time to weep,

and a time to laugh.

A time to mourn,

and a time to dance.

                               Ecclesiastes

I’ve read two other books by Gary Paulsen. You can check those reviews as well:

 

The Glass Café

The Island

I am Bunny: How a "Talking" Dog Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Being Human

 

“Trust creates peace.” (Anonymous quote).

 Trust is the foundation of every healthy relationship. Relationships with dogs are not the exception to this rule. Genuine friendships with dogs are based on trust and communication.

 Alexis Devine has always been eager to do her best to optimize communication with her adopted dogs. In a delightful friendly style, Alexis shares her personal journey with Bunny, a dog she adopted three years before publishing her book. Alexis’s curiosity, kindness and sense of wonder led her to seek new ways of understanding Bunny. For this reason, she resorted to the use of buttons that her furry friend accepted with enthusiasm; Bunny uses them to express herself. These buttons play recorded words when pressed.

 Alexis Devine’s exploration eventually led her to connect with researchers who study dog behavior, and now she is collaborating with their work. Interestingly, the choice of buttons kindles conversations with her dog, interactions that reveal fascinating insights into Bunny’s thoughts, emotions and feelings. This kind of communication shines a light on the ways Bunny perceives the world around her. If you’ve ever wondered whether dogs have night dreams, you will learn about this topic in her book…

  In addition to the anecdotes and dialogues she shares, there are relevant snippets of Alexis’s life intertwined with Bunny’s experiences. Alexis shares aspects about herself, vulnerabilities and challenges she had to contend with, and a personal adventure of self-discovery, growth and transformation. She also carves out interesting reflections about life in general, inviting the readers to appreciate situations from refreshing perspectives.

 There are a few chapters about research on animal communication interspersed throughout her book. I chose to read these chapters separately because I did not like to be distracted from the story of Alexis and Bunny.

 Alexis Devine is an artist and entrepreneur from Seattle, Washington. She is also part of an ongoing canine cognition research study at the Comparative Cognition Lab at UCSD. “Her goal is to further our understanding of the power of connection and importance of empathy, meeting her dogs where they are and understanding them on their terms to facilitate trust and promote an environment that supports them as the incredible creatures they are.”

 You can learn more about Alexis Devine and her experiences with Bunny by listening to this brief interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id6jvQPzEQo

 

 There are various photographs of Bunny and Alexis in this book, but they don’t reveal the essence of their unique connection. Most pictures showcase Alexis’s unconventional clothing style and makeup. There is nothing wrong about an artist marketing her art, but we somehow miss out the energy of the bond between Alexis and Bunny in those images. On the other hand, the heartwarming photos of her parents spending time with Bunny truly reveal the spirit of their relationship:

 

  Books that focus on communication with dogs are of special interest to me. I experience a deep connection with my own furry friends. Words can hardly describe the bond that blooms when we care deeply for them. Every moment with them is a precious gift that I don’t take for granted.

 

Have fun with these supplementary links!

 

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/dogs-that-saved-lives

 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/13/health/playing-with-dogs-affects-brain-waves-study-wellness/index.html

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9534402/

 

Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth

 

  On October 7, 2023, one of the worst terrorist attacks in history took place. Peaceful communities of the Kibbutzim close to Gaza were brutally attacked. The massacre of peaceful people was unprovoked and unexpected. The terrorists infiltrated Israel by air, sea and land. A peaceful music festival was also the target of the invasion of the Hamas terrorists who slaughtered, burned, raped, and tortured innocent civilians in addition to taking hostages. Hamas launched over five thousand rockets from Gaza to Israel. Some of the people who suffered the devastating consequences of the savagery of October 7 were Holocaust survivors.

   Despite the barbarism and cruelty of the attack by Hamas and the fact that their goal is to destroy Israel and exterminate Jews, some people still insist on giving legitimacy to this group. Hamas has refused to surrender and continues to keep 134 hostages. Hamas cannot even provide a list of the hostages’ names. Hamas is a terrorist organization that ruled Gaza for several years, a group that is responsible for massacring its own political opponents and for implementing Sharia law. These monsters videotaped themselves committing their atrocities. Yet I often come across comments denying the October 7 attack. This does not surprise me because Holocaust deniers do the same. And how can anybody support the brutal attack of October 7?

   Antisemitism had been on the rise before October 7 (check supplementary links at the bottom of this post to refresh your memory) and let’s make clear that criticizing Israel’s government is not considered antisemitic.

  I often come across distorted narratives about Israel, hateful rhetoric and inappropriate labels that do not reflect the history of the country whose land is the size of New Jersey.

 Before October 7 my knowledge of Jewish culture was very limited. I did not know much about the history of Israel either, so I felt compelled to read about her. I never believed the misinformation nor the conspiracy theories that erupt from both extremes of the political spectrum.

  Education and knowledge are the best vaccines against ignorance and hate, so I am very thankful for Noa Tishby’s book: Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.

  When Noa Tishby migrated to America, she was shocked to find that people did not have a clue about Israel. Yet they felt confident about expressing their strong opinions.

 Noa Tishby’s book does not shy away from difficult topics about Israel. Her account is balanced, thorough and supported by facts. I appreciate her honesty. Reading this book has been a captivating journey into Israel, into its past, present and into a dream for a future of peace, collaboration and understanding. Her book confirmed some of my perceptions and broadened my perspectives. It helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the context of the Israel-Hamas war.

 Noa Tishby examines five thousand years of history, and she does so in a conversational style that does not bore the reader. I read and reread the book feeling I’m having coffee with a good friend, enjoying a pleasant conversation. I verified some of the facts because I was left speechless many times. For example, I did not know that in December 1945, five months after the end of World War II, the Arab League’s collective action was to establish a formal boycott of the Palestinian Jewish community’s products. Soon after the Holocaust, which massacred six million Jews and stripped them of their possessions, homes, citizenships, and loved ones, the Arab League thought it was a good idea to boycott their products. The movement to boycott Jewish goods continued after the creation of Israel. You can also learn a lot about the misinformation and manipulation of the BDS, and, ironically, how their irrational hateful actions hurt Palestinians.

 During World War II a prominent Muslim religious leader called Haj Amin Al-Husseini traveled  to Germany to meet Hitler and make agreements related to the annihilation of Jews. He collaborated with Hitler’s Nazi regime.

  On November 29, 1947 the UN established a partition plan for the establishment of a Jewish State and a state for the local Arabs (who were not even called Palestinians yet). Israel accepted, but the Arab world rejected it. The following day the Arabs declared war on Israel. Israel won this war. Palestinian leaders have refused peaceful agreements several times because they believe that Israel should not exist. The Arabs who stayed in Israel, on the other hand, integrated into Israel’s society as per the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence of Israel, which is committed to ensure equal rights to every citizen irrespective of their gender, race or religion. Let’s review the current structure of Israel’s society:

  The population of Israel at the start of 2020 was 9,246,000 people. 74 percent are Jewish, 21 percent are Arab, and 5 percent identify as Other. Among the Arab population, 84.8 percent are Muslims, 7.4 percent are Christians and 7.8 percent are Druze. Within the Jewish community, 45 percent describe themselves as secular, 25 percent as traditional, 16 percent as religious and 14 percent as ultra-Orthodox or Charedi. The military service is compulsory in Israel, except for the Charedi people, who are exempted due to their religious beliefs.

  All citizens of Israel have the same rights. Did you know, for example, that Arab Israelis can become members of the Supreme Court and legislators? Arab Israelis vote, get elected, protest, and participate in the democratic system, working alongside their fellow citizens to make a change. They can vote and be voted for, something that does not happen in Gaza, where the people are under a savage authoritarian regime. (However, Israel gets the label of being an Apartheid state by those who have no clue).

 “According to a survey done by professor Sammy Smooha from the University of Haifa, 77.4 percent of Arab Israeli citizens living in Israel said they do not wish to move to a Palestinian state should one be formed…” People in Israel do have the right to protest, and they do so.

 There is no Sharia Law in Israel. Women have equal rights. Now you may be wondering what Sharia Law is. When the attack by Hamas took place on October 7, 2023, Gaza was under the control of Hamas, and to understand Hamas you need to understand the Muslim Brotherhood. She explains this clearly:

“The Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni Islamist movement that originated in Egypt in 1928 and aims to implement Islamic law, known as Sharia, all over the world, starting with the Middle East. Sharia law is not a preferred way of living if you like democracy, freedom, equality, or human rights of any kind, let alone if you are a woman or a member of the LGTBQ community. Under Sharia law, for instance, a woman who is raped cannot testify against her rapist. If she wants to complain, she needs to produce four male witnesses in order for a “court” to believe she was raped. If she does not produce these four male witnesses, she will be convicted of adultery, which is punishable by death. The rapist, on the other hand, can have his conviction dismissed if he chooses to wed his victim. Other pillars of Sharia law include: a husband can beat his wife, for she is his property, as clearly stated in the Quran, chapter 4 verse 34, homosexuality is punishable with death by stoning; petty theft is punishable by the literal amputation of the hand; and anyone who apostatizes or speaks ill of, criticizes, or denies Islam, Muhammad as the only true prophet, of course.” Reading this brought to my mind the case of Salman Rushdie who was stabbed in America by a religious fanatic.  Make sure you learn what the Ayatollah in Iran wanted to do to him for expressing himself as a writer. This is what we should stand up against. This is why democracy matters, and it is a good reminder of the need to prevent any kind of theocracy from gaining power in America. By the way, a theocracy of any kind in the United States of America would be unconstitutional.

  Noa had three grandmothers, and you may wonder how this is possible… to decipher the enigma I will let you read the book, because this information reveals the piece of a puzzle that can help to understand so much about life in Israel, how such an experience can shape somebody as a person.

  I was spellbound by the experiences of Noa Tishby’s grandparents. In 1918, when her Russian grandmother was only 11 years old, the Bolsheviks took over Russia. The Bolsheviks promised equality for all in Russia. Fania Artzi, her grandmother, was excited. Everybody believed in the revolution, but they would soon get disillusioned. The Bolsheviks did not believe that Jewish people deserved equal rights, so the Jewish people were persecuted, imprisoned, forced to work in labor camps and deported to Siberia. Noa’s grandmother and her family were desperate to find a place where Jews were accepted, where they could work hard and thrive; they wished for a society in which justice, peace and gender equality would prevail.

  Noa shares notes from her grandmother’s diary, something I find fascinating. It must be so special to hold one’s grandmother’s diaries in your hand and to be able to share them with the world. Fania arrived in Israel in the year 1925. Let’s make this clear: they settled in Israel without displacing anybody. I encourage you to read this carefully to understand how they coped to deal with the challenges of their surrounding environment…

“In 1925 she landed on the shores of Jaffa in 1925. She and her parents and siblings took a ship from Odessa in hellish conditions. They got robbed, and were starving, resorting to eating dry crackers they would first soak in hot water to remove the worms.” You will learn more about this from her book.

 In 1926 she lived in tents and grew food with a group called the Women’s Farm, a group of women who wanted to prove they did not need men.

“On one stormy night a massive wind blew their tents away and the girls were left soaked in water and exposed to the elements. They were completely drenched in the dark, laughing their hearts out.” After a couple of harsh years living in tents and growing whatever she could on the land, Fania had an offer to join the kibbutz of Degania, where she found her home and met her future husband. They had to work hard, but they also had fun.

“My grandmother, the aspiring farmer, volunteered for the vegetable garden and she became one of the first new members of the first kibbutz in Israel.”

 It is impressive to learn that these people made the desert bloom. They did not have enough water, so they had to be ingenious enough to figure out how to irrigate their crops. Resilience, resourcefulness, innovation and hard work paid off. The Jewish culture has so much to offer the world.

  There are many amazing stories of collaboration, inspiration and understanding between cultures in this book. I love the story of the restaurant that served delicious hummus… and so many others.

Let’s dream of a world without hate, one in which we can all learn from each other, one in which we can focus our energy on making life sustainable for all.

  There are still 134 hostages in Gaza. Where are the hostages? Hamas refuses to surrender and to establish peaceful negotiations with Israel. In fact, they have no intentions to peacefully negotiate and they use their own people as human shields. They consider them martyrs, and they want to have as many casualties as possible to gather international support while their wealthy leaders hide in comfortable places. Hamas is backed by the Iranian government, which looks down on democratic principles and believes in Sharia law.

  It is deeply disturbing to see how the rape and mutilation of Israeli women has been ignored and treated with disbelief. There is evidence that showed that the rape of women on October 7 had been meticulously planned by the terrorists who invaded Israel. Many of the women are no longer present to defend themselves. It is our duty to speak up for them and for every woman and man who continues to be held hostage in Gaza. We will continue to ask for their release. No matter how hard they try to silence us, we will continue to demand justice and security.

  Noa Tishby’s book shares facts, inspiration and knowledge. I highly recommend her book, and let me remind you of Aldous Huxley’s quote: “Facts don’t cease to exist because they are ignored.”  Her book is a unique masterpiece that instills hope and a strong desire for peace, collaboration and a constructive future together.

 

Supplementary links:

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/israels-innovative-role-combatting-climate-change-advancing-oron

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68534027

https://jstreet.org/press-releases/j-street-celebrates-and-reflects-on-israels-milestone-75th-anniversary/

 

https://www.adl.org/racists-converge-charlottesville

https://www.newsweek.com/200-rockets-and-mortars-fired-israel-one-day-where-outrage-1027416

 https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-road-to-october-7-hamas-long-game-clarified/

https://theconversation.com/antisemitism-has-moved-from-the-right-to-the-left-in-the-us-and-falls-back-on-long-standing-stereotypes-215760

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4250708-putins-fingerprints-are-on-hamas/

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/553873-why-does-the-hard-left-glorify-the-palestinians/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/middleeast/qatar-hamas-funds-israel-backing-intl/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/26/christie-trump-blame-rise-antisemitism-00128609

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB5JpJTdfBA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpnvUIcvNUE

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/23/opinions/israel-gaza-antisemitism-anti-zionism-purim-weiss/index.html

 https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/map-of-the-u-n-partition-plan

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/poll-shows-palestinians-back-oct-7-attack-israel-support-hamas-rises-2023-12-14/

 

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

 

  Have you ever considered what you would prefer your loved ones to do if you were hooked to a ventilator, in a vegetative state, with less than one percent chance to recover your consciousness and get back to your normal life? Would you prefer to stay hooked to the machines, unconscious, letting your loved ones hope that one day you would wake up? Or would you prefer your loved ones to make the decision to disconnect everything and let you die?

   Luke Warren took many risks living in the wild with the wolves, and he thought about the possibility of ending up in such a dire situation. Ironically, the wolves had nothing to do with his outcome. It was a car accident what caused a severe traumatic brain injury from which he would never recover.

    Luke Warren’s family was stuck with a difficult decision: to disconnect the life support system and allow him to die or to let him hooked to that system indefinitely. Luke had expressed his desire to donate his organs; he did not like the idea of lying unconscious in a hospital bed. That was not the kind of life he would accept, but the decision to interrupt his life support was not an easy one to make.

  Luke’s daughter, Cara, knew how much her father valued life. She had witnessed how his dad had gone out of his way to save the life of a wolf puppy. She had seen how he had managed to save the lives of wolves in the most unexpected and hopeless situations, so how could she do that to her own father?  On the other hand, Edward, Luke’s only son, was ready to honor his father’s wishes… but was that his true motivation? Edward had left America to live in Thailand for six years after a serious argument he’d had with his father. The shocking secret of their conflict is revealed close to the end of the novel.

   The first chapter of the novel caught my attention in a way that felt magical and incredible. A guy released the animals of a circus… I knew I had to get to know that guy. The book was irresistible from the beginning. The suspense of the story never dwindles, and I appreciate the reading journey to get to know each character’s thoughts and actions.  Picoult crafts a gripping story with unexpected twists and turns.

    Luke Warren loved his family but the wolves pulled him in a direction that eventually led to the demise of his marriage. The relationship between Luke Warren and the wolves is based on the experiences of Shaun Ellis, author of The Man who lives with Wolves, a book that I am adding to my reading list.

   Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult contains the points of view of all the characters involved. The chapters are “written” by the characters of the novel. This clever technique exposes the perspectives and perceptions of the same situations by the different characters, facilitating a deeper understanding of their emotions, behaviors and attitudes.

    Picoult's literary strategy helps to illuminate the complexity of the family relationships and the unique circumstances that shaped those relationships and behaviors. The interactions between the siblings--Cara and Edward-- is an example of this, and it gave me a lot to think about.

 I have mixed feelings toward this novel…

 One of the strengths of Lone Wolf is that it offers the readers a window into a situation that nobody wants to imagine, and, for this reason, it can spark conversations about what to do when the options to stay alive are limited to being in a vegetative state. I know there are different perspectives and views on the matter. It is necessary to acknowledge that the views and decisions taken will be influenced by culture and the details and knowledge about each individual case. This story can help to have serious conversations about difficult topics. (I can tell you I had some honest conversations with my own family after reading Picoult’s book). However, there are also several features about the novel that disappointed me deeply.

 Lone Wolf could have been a unique opportunity to foster a sense of empathy for wildlife, to offer a path of new perceptions and understandings in this field, but it did just the opposite in some ways. When I completed half of the book I was ready to award the book five stars, but as I continued reading I changed my mind. I will avoid spoilers here, but I will be clear about the flaws and caveats of this novel.

  

 The chapters that are written by Luke Warren are mostly about wolves. We don’t learn much about his personal life. Sometimes he provides snippets of incorrect information. For example, he states that wolves don’t grieve. Wolves do grieve, just like other non-human animals. Wolves are not the exception. I wrote about wolves before here, and I have read enough books about animals to know that non-human animals do grieve. If you don’t believe me, you can read the works of ethologists like Marc Bekoff, Jane Goodall and scientists who dedicate their lives to study animal behavior.

     There is a chapter in which Luke Warren shares the experience of being saved by a wolf. Luke could have been killed by a lion mountain, but the wolf did something that prevented Luke from being caught. Yet Luke’s clumsy conclusion about the experience was that the only reason the wolf had protected him from the predator was that the wolf considered Luke a “useful” member of the pack. According to Luke’s warped view, the wolf’s action was not about love or empathy. It was only a matter of convenience.

 Again, I have read enough books about non-human animals to know that empathy and consideration for others is not something that only belongs to human beings. Through the words of this so-called "expert" who might have been projecting his own character traits on the situation, Jodi Picoult perpetuates biases against non-human animals, and I found it frustrating.

  Last but not least, I was disappointed to learn the dark secrets about Luke Warren’s past. If Jodi Picoult wanted to taint the character's reputation by shocking the reader, she accomplished that. I surmise this is done in an attempt to sell more books, but those unexpected revelations did not feel credible. I expected an enlightening read—not a shallow “American Beauty movie”. I sensed those dreadful secrets were there to upset and shock the readers—not to help to understand Luke Warren. Luke warren genuinely cared about the wolves, and while it is true that he somehow neglected his duties toward his family at some point, this could have been fleshed out to understand his actions from his own perspective.  At least she could have given Luke a voice that would have revealed more about this dark facet of his life to make his flaws more credible. Considering this aspect of the novel, I feel cheated.

  Picoult seems to imply that Luke Warren cared too much about wolves and not enough about human life, a contradiction that can be used by skeptics to ignore the consequences of human actions on the planet and the burden that we create for other living beings. All living beings are interconnected and everything plays a role in the web of life to which we all belong. Yet Picoult appears to create a sort of delusional false dichotomy in the minds of the readers. It is misleading and disturbing. I also got tired of people blaming wolves for Luke Warren’s messy personal life. Enough!

 The novel is riveting, but it contains biases and misconceptions, so keep an open mind and be prepared to challenge those mixed messages.

 Another outdated snippet of information is given by the neurosurgeon who said that nerve cells cannot regenerate. This has been debunked by science. I am not trying to say that this information has anything to do with the outcome of Luke Warren's situation, but it is still important to make it clear.

  Lone Wolf gave me a lot to think about. It led to meaningful discussions with my family, and I am happy I had the chance to read it. It highlights how wolves care deeply about their pack. An interesting quality that humans can learn from wolves is how they value the wisdom that may come with years of life experience. On the other hand, we human beings should examine and eradicate the ageist stereotypes and attitudes that contaminate our modern societies. Ageism has become an issue that needs to be addressed. It is horrifying to witness it these days. I can hardly believe the lack of respect and consideration for the treasure that experience and knowledge can afford.  

 A pack of wolves has the wisdom to value the experience of those who are older. How about that? And they do whatever it takes to protect all the members of their pack.

 Lone Wolf is also a reminder to live the present to its fullest potential because we don’t know what the future has in store for us. We only have the present.

 Carpe diem!

 

Supplementary reading material:

 

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/03/cover-new-concept-of-aging

The Wisdom of Wolves by Jim and Jamie Dutcher

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/style/lyn-slater-accidental-icon-how-to-be-old/index.html

Women Heroes of World War II by Kathryn J. Atwood

 

 It is a pleasure to read how these brave, intelligent women fought and fooled the Nazis. Their endeavors were not easy. Some of them perished in the process, but many of them survived and shared their stories, setting alight a wellspring for inspiration and education for those who dare to learn the facts of history.  

   The experiences of these women are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit amid harrowing circumstances. Their guile and courage saved many lives. 

This edifying read also delves into the root causes of World War II. The introduction offers an insightful and thorough analysis of the ways Adolf Hitler became popular.

    Kathryn Atwood’s book is a unique read because the meticulous research on the experiences of these remarkable women follows an in-depth explanation of the political and social context of their countries of origin during World War II. Women Heroes of World War II is a valuable resource for schools and universities. It is also a reminder that countries that treat women as second-class citizens are in reality afraid of their power and intelligence. (Cowardice has many faces and treating women like property is one of those faces).

 The forces that empowered a dictator like Hitler should not be ignored. The economic constraints of the 1930s are often cited to explain the origin of the horrifying Nazi regime, but there are social issues that are conveniently overlooked. Atwood’s book integrates every aspect of this period with sensibility and knowledge.

 Hatred was the engine that drove the irrational behaviors of this regime.

 “Schools became places of indoctrination, where history classes taught that Hitler was descended from great German heroes, math classes discussed how much money the state lost while supporting mentally challenged individuals, and biology classes taught the superiority of the Aryan race and the inferiority of the Jewish race.”

 Many people were blinded to the cruelty of the Nazis. Certain countries chose to ignore it, claiming that their own interests had to take precedence over the abuses of the Nazi regime. Hitler established a system that incited hatred and violence toward those who were different.

 “He instituted the Hitler-Jugend (Hitler Youth), a state- run program for all children ages 10-18. The Hitler Youth program was geared to make Germany’s children proud, military Nazis. They engaged in warlike games, killed small animals (to become insensitive to suffering and death), sang songs about German streets running with Jewish blood, and were encouraged toward fanatical, personal devotion to Hitler, a devotion that was to take precedence over their relationships with their parents. (Children were encouraged to turn in their own parents to the Gestapo if they heard them say anything against the Fuhrer).”

 I am rereading some of the parts that explore the situation of various countries during World War II: Germany, Poland, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain and the United States of America.

 The invasion of Poland was of special interest to me.

“World War II officially began on September 1, 1939, when German tanks and planes stormed into Poland with a new type of warfare called blitzkrieg, or ‘lightning war,’ in which an enemy was quickly overwhelmed by the simultaneous use of aircraft, tanks, and armed soldiers.”

  Poland military leaders were not prepared because their allies—France and Great Britain—had urged them to refrain from preparing for a defensive war to avoid aggravating Germany. The allies promised they would help them if German forces invaded them, but they did not keep their promise. Poland waited in vain for assistance. Poland eventually had to surrender to the German forces. To make matters worse, the eastern side of Poland was also invaded by the Soviet Union under Stalin’s power, so Poland ended up being divided by Germany and the Soviet Union. Millions of Poles were slaughtered or deported by the German Nazis. Thousands were also killed by Stalin’s soldiers.

 The Nazis separated Polish children from their families by force and ran tests on them to evaluate how Aryan they were. Based on their conclusions, they decided what to do with them.

  “As badly as these non-Jewish Poles were treated, Poland’s Jews were treated even worse. They were squeezed into tiny ghettos where living conditions were horrible and where many died quickly from disease, exposure, and starvation. But the worst was yet to come. Toward the end of 1941, the Nazi occupiers began to build camps that could kill large numbers of Jews very quickly. Jews from Poland, and, later, Jews from all over occupied Europe, were shoved onto cattle cars destined for these camps, where they were starved and worked to death, or immediately killed.”

 

 Who were the people who went against this extermination and helped to save lives during World War II? Atwood’s book highlights the stories of women who had the courage to defy the Nazis by fooling them and going against their “norms”. These women saved many lives amid the chaos. How did they do it? Kathryn Atwood explores their experiences and shares astounding details. I hope their names and stories will not be forgotten. I hope they will offer a beacon of hope wherever there is despair. May their strength persist in the desire of those who have the confidence to stand up against the oppression of fascist dictators, theocracies and other totalitarian regimes that force-feed their citizens with  factoids in order to destroy the essence of democracies across the world.

  May we all stand up for democracy with the voice of truth, and may the inspiration of these women live on in our aspirations and goals.

 Names of all the women included in the book: Sophie Scholl; Irene Gut; Irena Sendler, Stefania Podgorska; Marie-Madeleine Fourcade; Andree Virot; Josephine Baker; Magda Trocme; Diet Eman; Hannie Schaft; Johtje Vos; Corrie ten Boom; Andree de Jongh; Hortense Daman; Fernande Keufgens; Monica Wichfeld; Ebba Lund; Noor Inayat Khan; Nancy Wake; Pearl Witherington; Virginia Hall; Muriel Phillips; Marlene Dietrich; Maria Gulovich; Martha Gellhorn.