Surviving the Angel of Death

Grade B+

Synopsis
Eva Mozes Kor was 10 years old when she arrived in Auschwitz. While her parents and two older sisters were taken to the gas chambers, she and her twin, Miriam, were herded into the care of the man known as the Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele. Mengele's twins were granted the privileges of keeping their own clothes and hair, but they were also subjected to sadistic medical experiments and forced to fight daily for their own survival, as most of the twins died as a result of the experiements or from the disease and hunger pervasive in the camp. In a narrative told with emotion and restraint, readers will learn of a child's endurance and survival in the face of truly extraordinary evil. The book also includes an epilogue on Eva's recovery from this experience and her remarkable decision to publicly forgive the Nazis. Through her museum and her lectures, she has dedicated her life to giving testimony on the Holocaust, providing a message of hope for people who have suffered, and working toward goals of forgiveness, peace, and the elimination of hatred and prejudice in the world.


My Review
I love books about WW2, I think the people who survived are strong and amazing and I am grateful that there are those survivors who are willing to tell their story so that no one ever forgets what happened and hopefully nothing like it will ever happen again. The only down side of this book was it was a little too watered down and vague. I know it was written for a younger audience but it was just edited a little too much. I think that sometimes it is good for teenagers to know more details of how terrible and inhumane humans can be and what prejudice will do to people. Other than that I loved this book and I would recommend it to people who love WW2 books.

Growing up amish

Grade B-

Synopsis
One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life—from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. Growing Up Amish is the true story of one man’s quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today—the Old Order Amish.


My review;
It's hard to judge a book about someones life and opinions, especially when I have no idea what it is like to grow up Amish. I did enjoy reading this book, it was well written and never got boring. A few phrases were used WAY to many times, I remember thinking if he explains how the bishops in the church would pray in a rhythmic, soothing way one more time I was going to scream. I got the idea the first time I didn't need a description of what it sounded like every time a prayer was said when it sounds the same every time.
I am not discrediting how the author felt at all because who am I to judge how someone feels and thinks of their own family, community and religion. There were a few things about his opinion that I just did not understand though. I just did not understand at the end of the book what his problem was with his church or family or the way he was raised that made him so depressed and want to leave and hurt so many people so badly. He said that the community pulled together whenever anything bad happened to someone, like when his brother got paralyzed and the members of his church donated money to cover a bill that was somewhere along the lines of $80,000, And his father took the debt apon himself even though he didn't have to do that because his son was an adult. And his dad bought him a brand new buggie, exactly the one he wanted even though no one ever told him thank you (he claims in the book that he didn't really know he should say thank you, but come on thats just common sense when someone spends a lot of money on you, ever, for any reason you say thank you). And everyone always seems so nice and helpful but they never seemed to be able to do anything to make Ira happy. It felt like Ira always assumed the worst in everyone. At the beginning he even says that he is sure his birth was no big deal to his parents because Amish families all have a lot of children. But from my knowledge of the amish they consider children blessings and gifts from God, how could he think his birth was no big deal to his parents? And I am a mother and I don't care how many babies you have, there is no way to grow a child in your body, give birth and hold this new tiny life in your arms and think it's no big deal. Even "bad" people who have babies don't think no big deal, I'm not saying Ira didn't feel that his parents felt that way I just couldn't get from anything in the whole book what would make him think he wasn't so important to his whole family. They always loved him and helped him the best they could and forgave him no matter what he did to them.
I would have a hard time being amish because the work all day and the no technology after growing up with it would be so hard, but Ira didn't mind the hard work, he seemed to work just as hard or harder whenever he left the amish community. His biggest reasons for leaving seemed to be depression and wanting to drive a truck. Those just seem like crazy reasons to leave a family and a community and friends and everything for, especially because leaving did nothing to help the depression. His biggest problem was that his dad didn't talk enough, or at least not in the right way. Some men just don't say "I love you" they show it in their actions and I think Ira's father though not perfect gave and helped and sacrificed for all of his children. I guess I just wanted to understand why he really left and why he was so sure everyone that knew him thought and talked bad about him when they never did anything but welcome him back and love him and forgive him. Im not saying there was no gossip because there always is no matter where you live but I know as great as my neighbors are they would never do for me what Ira's did for him. I just felt sad the whole book, sad that Ira was so unhappy, all of the time. I just was rooting for him but he was just so frustrating sometimes. I loved the end of the book even though I am so sad how his relationship with his friend who helped him ended, I loved that Ira did find peace and I hope he now has a family of his own and that he doesn't feel alone any more. Overall 3 1/2 stars, I would have given more if I would have understood some of his reasonings a little more or if I would have learned a little bit more about the amish that I didn't know before. The cover is great and fits the story perfectly. 

Your Best Birth

Title; You Best Birth

Author; Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein

page count; 272 pages

Why I read it; I am having a baby in November

Grade; A

Synopsis;

The national C-section rate is at an all-time high of 31 percent. Are all these C-sections necessary, or are some of them done simply for the sake of convenience? Inductions seem to be the norm, but are they always needed? Today, expectant mothers are often left feeling powerless, as their instincts are replaced by drugs and routine medical procedures.

What you are about to discover is that you have a choice, and you have the power to plan the kind of birth that's right for you-whether it is at a birth center, a hospital, or at home. In YOUR BEST BIRTH, internationally known advocates of informed choice. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein inspire women to take back the birth experience, with essential advice on:
· Positive and negative effects of epidurals, Pitocin, and other drugs and interventions
· Inducing vs. allowing your labor to progress naturally
· The truth behind our country's staggering C-section rate
· Assembling your birth team and creating your birth plan.

"Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake have taken a wonderful and constructive approach to ensuring an optimal birthing experience. Their language creates a 'climate of confidence' for pregnant women and their families, who must make key decisions about where, how and with whom to give birth in a health care system often unresponsive to our needs. This book is like a good friend giving wise counsel." --Judy Norsigian, co-editor ofOur Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth and Executive Director, Our Bodies Ourselves 

My Review;

I really loved this book. It had new information that I haven't read over and over again. I loved all of the different birth stories and midwife tips. I liked that the book gave a lot of information on pregnancy, birth, breast feeding and drugs used during labor. This was a guilt free book, it made you feel more confidant with whatever method you have chosen to deliver your baby. It was nice to have a book that educates you about drugs used during labor, their benefits and the consequences long and short term. I would recommend this book to anyone who plans on giving birth to a baby. 

Heroes Among Us

Title; Heroes Among Us

Author; John Quinones

Page Count; 272

Why I read it; I like John Quinones show called What Would You Do

Grade; C-

Synopsis;

   Heroes Among Us reminds us all of the courage and dignity it takes to stand up for oneself and those around us. By chronicling such bravery, John Quinones captures America's can-do spirit and shows that through the slightest good deed, each one of us harbors a hero within.

My Review;

     I really liked the idea of this book and was super excited to read it because I love the show John Quinones has on TV called -what would you do- 

Unfortunately most of the stories in this book I found hard to relate to and therefor not as exciting or inspiring as I hoped. A lot of the stories were about Hispanic families living in very poor areas who felt that every white person with money hated them and would "chase them out of the rich neighborhoods unless they were pushing a lawnmower" (that's not an exact quote but he said something just like that in the book.). I lived in what I would consider a middle class neighborhood next to white people, Hispanic people and African American people, so to me people are just people. Not that racism doesn't exist because I know it does it just doesn't seem like something I would emphasize in a book trying to highlight average people acting in heroic ways. Also a lot of the stories contained way too much detail about history that just went on and on and on before he finally got around to the story. There were some stories that were really fun to read and made me want to be better and do better but it was just a small portion of the book. I am glad I read it I needed a break from YA, but I wasn't sad to be finished so overall an ok book to read but not one I would put at the top of my to read list and not one I would buy.

Quotes I liked;

" A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary." -Dorothy Canfield Fisher

" You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.... You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt 

" You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." -Anonymous

" The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look and do nothing." -Albert Einstein 

" Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same, but you leave 'em  all over everything you do." -Elvis Presley

"Adversity introduces a man to himself." -Anonymous

Complete Idiot's Guide To Natural Child Birth

Title; Complete Idiot's Guide to Natural Child Birth

Author; Jennifer L. West, Deborah S. Romaine

Page Count; 336

Why I read it; I am pregnant and want to have a drug free birth

Grade B+

Synopsis;

Thoughtful planning so mom and her supporters are ready when the baby is...

A midwife helps expecting mothers decide how natural they want their labor to be, what birthing methods are available, and the type of professional they want present. It helps women weigh factors, prepare mentally, make important decisions, and plan ahead for successful delivery and beyond.

*Only book covering the spectrum of natural birthing methods, and has a medical authority's vetting

*Expert author is a certified professional midwife and certified hypno-birthing childbirth educator

*Covers all aspects of natural birthing, from planning before women become pregnant through breastfeeding

   About the Author

Jenny West, LM, CPM, HBCE, is a registered, licensed midwife in New Mexico and a certified hypnobirthing childbirth educator. Jenny has attended over 850 births, and her practice specializes in water birth and hypnobirthing. She also teaches childbirth classes. Deborah S. Romaine is a health and senior encyclopedia writer as well as co author of dozens of books.

My Review; This book made me feel a lot more confidant about my ability to give birth without the use of an epidural, other pain drugs or an IV. One of the things I like most about this book is that it was full of new information that I haven't heard or read about before but it never gets boring to read. The only thing about this book that I felt unsure about is the claim that childbirth without drugs doesn't have to be painful. The book says  that it is intense and there will be a lot of pressure and squeezing but that pain doesn't have to be part of the experience. I can hope that is true but I have talked to people who have had natural child births and they do all talk about how great of an experience it was but no one has ever mentioned it being pain free. I would recommend this book to anyone having a baby. No matter what kind of birth you want to have it never hurts to be informed on all of the options and risks to every choice.