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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Educated in Books

Apr 5, 2018  
Educated
Educated
Tara Westover | 2018 | Biography
9
9.3 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Harrowing and inspiring
It seems almost impossible that Tara Westover is an academician from both Harvard and Cambridge given that she had never been to school. Her story is important, revealing how women are treated and subjugated in fundamentalist societies.

Brought up in a survivalist, Mormon family, Westover speaks about a poverty-stricken, difficult childhood where education is seen as secondary and violence is rife. Her relationship with her abusive brother is horrifying, And moreso is her family's acceptance of his behaviour. So gaining scholarships to top universities in the world despite having had no clue about the Holocaust, the civil rights movement, and Napoleon, is no mean feat.

While parts are repetitive, it is engaging and harrowing to hear her inspiring story.
  
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John Taylor recommended Wings of Desire (1987) in Movies (curated)

 
Wings of Desire (1987)
Wings of Desire (1987)
1987 | International, Drama, Sci-Fi
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"The film that restored grace and poetry to Berlin and the German language after forty years of stereotypical war movies featuring stereotypical German actors playing the parts of stereotypical Germans. The fog of war had settled over Birmingham when I came along in 1960, and there was no moving it for some time. Nothing about Germany was to be trusted, as even its postwar art was tainted by the events surrounding the Holocaust, unsurprisingly. But I was glad when this movie came along, despite the awful history of the twentieth century, as it allowed me to love Germany for what it is now, its language, the sound of its spoken word and all its formidable arts. Wim Wenders must surely be Germany’s greatest living director."

Source
  
The Young Survivors
The Young Survivors
Debra Barnes | 2020 | Education, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is not your usual memoir about the Holocaust ... well not one I have ever read before anyway ... it's the true story of what is was like for a family of Jews living in France during World War II.

Written from the perspective of three of the children, the story tells of their harrowing experiences during the German occupation of France and having to move from place to place, losing the adults in their lives and being separated from their siblings.

This is a heart-rending story but also a story of survival, bravery and hope and I want to thank the Duckworth Books Group via JellyBooks for my copy in return for them analysing my reading data and an honest review although this wasn't compulsory.
  
American Stranger: A Novel
American Stranger: A Novel
David Plante | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
American Stranger was timeless and beautifully written. The main character, Nancy Green, is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and it followers her struggle to navigate in American life and to find her own identity. I loved the rich culture and backgrounds of those Green encounters and the internal conflict she tries to overcome. The plot was consistent and evenly paced, but I think I would have wanted more action or more active participation from Green, at least. As a main character, I loved her flaws and her sentimentality. I loved the psychology behind it all, but felt life was happening to her - as if she were a leaf to the wind.

That aside, however, I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it.
  
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Heather Morris | 2018 | Biography, History & Politics, Religion
10
8.7 (74 Ratings)
Book Rating
We remember...
The Holocaust.

Those words bring into mind images of destruction, devastation and death. Broken families, broken homes and broken lives; the terror inflicted by Hitler and his minions were cold and unthinking. The prisoners in those camps were treated not like humans, not even like animals but as 'mistakes' or 'messes' that could be cleaned up without a second thought.

In his mind, Hitler thought he was right. He or his followers did not express any guilt or remorse at taking so many lives and for me, that is far worse. To the Nazis, they were correct and were fulfilling their duty. It is scary what can be accomplished when people believe so strongly in a certain ideal.

Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/07/we-remember.html