Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

I cannot believe how long it has taken me to get around to reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. If I would have had an inkling of how well-written and emotionally-engaging it is, I would have read it long ago. Reading it on the Kindle was effective for a couple of reasons:

1. I could look up antiquated words quickly and easily to understand the book more fully

2. I had forgotten how long the book was, and since the pages are numbered much differently on the Kindle I didn't realize I was reading 700-800 pages. Do not let this discourage you, however, because every word of this book was worth it. This could be the best-written and most impactful book I have ever read. It is such easy reading that I did not realize how much I was reading. PLEASE read this book. It is worth every moment of your time, and it is quite easy to read. Stowe has become one of my greatest heroes.

Characters:

Uncle Tom

Aunt Chloe

Mas'r George (Shelby)

Mrs. Emily Shelby

Mr. Arthur Shelby

Mr. Haley

George Harris

Eliza Harris

Harry Harris

Augustine St. Clare

Eva St. Clare

Marie St. Clare

Miss Ophelia

The Quakers

Senator and Mrs. Bird

Tom Loker

Topsy

Simon Legree

Cassy

Emmeline

The following is a VERY thorough summary of Uncle Tom's Cabin. I wrote this to remind me about the details. Feel free to read some of it, but I beg you to read the book rather than the summary because only by coming to love the characters that the full impact of this story will come to you. I fully believe this should be read by everyone, I believe it would serve as a better illustration of the effects of slavery than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (and it would likely be used if it were not as long as it is - once again, it is important enough to read every page).

SUMMARY:

At the beginning of this book, Mr. Shelby is in debt to Mr. Haley. Shelby offers to deed Uncle Tom to Mr. Haley to cover his debts. Mr. Haley is unconvinced that this will be a "good deal" for him, so when the young boy, Harry Harris, enters the room and shows the exuberance of youth, Mr. Haley says he will agree to the deal if he also receives Harry.

Harry's mother, Eliza, overhears this discussion and breaks down when she is with Mrs. Shelby. Mrs. Shelby assures her Harry will not be sold, and Eliza is comforted.

Mrs. Shelby broaches the subject with Mr. Shelby later, and he expresses to her that they are in severe financial trouble and that it might come down to selling Uncle Tom and Harry or losing everything they have.

Stowe effectively paints the picture that no slavery is good slavery. The Shelbys care for their slaves well, but when they come on hard times they no longer control their fates, leaving them at the mercy of slave traders.

Shelby secretly agrees to the deal with Haley and plans to leave the following day to avoid being present when Uncle Tom and Harry are taken from their families.

Luckily Eliza overhears the entire exchange, and she prepares to leave that very night, to take Harry, and flee north into Canada.

Eliza's husband, George Harris, is owned by a neighbor of the Shelby family. He and his sister were sold away from their mother, and before long his sister was also sold south. He grieves his sister a great deal and really worries about her. George is a brilliant man who was hired out to a local factory and invented a wonderful time-saving measure. He received a great deal of praise from the factory owner which angered his master. His master immediately took him home and began to treat him worse than before, including branding his hand. George expressed to Eliza earlier that his master was going to force him to marry someone else and never see her again. He began planning an escape to Canada while Eliza still believed Harry was safe.

Eliza gathered a few provisions and headed out into the night. She stopped at Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe's cabin to warn them about the sales of Tom and Harry. Tom believes it would unchristian of him to leave Mr. Shelby who has treated him so well, but he wishes Eliza and Harry well on their journey.

The next morning the Shelbys discover that Eliza and Harry are gone. Mrs. Shelby exults in this news because she was heartbroken when her husband told her he had already sold Tom and Harry. She had taught Eliza the importance on being loyal to family and didn't want to go against that word.

When Mr. Haley arrives, the Shelbys offer a pair of their slaves and a couple of horses to help him find Eliza and Harry. The slaves realize that Mrs. Shelby does not want to capture Eliza, so they intentionally mislead Mr. Haley in such a way that all of the blame falls on him. By evening, they catch up to Eliza who is waiting in a cabin for the only boat that will be crossing the tumultuous river which is filled with large chunks of ice.

She sneaks out the back door and runs, with Harry, toward the river. Despite distractions from the other slaves, he sees her and begins pursuit. Upon reaching the river, Eliza desperately leaps from ice chunk to ice chunk, with Harry in tow, and she safely reaches the other side: Ohio, which is free territory.

Mr. Haley must wait for the same boat Eliza had been in order to cross the river. Eliza encounters one of Mr. Shelbys neighbors just on the other side of the river and begs for his help. He knows something must be bad if Eliza is running away from the Shelbys who have always treated their slaves well, so he points out a house to her where she is likely to receive help.

Eliza quickly moves to that house, where she meets a senator and his wife. They had just been absorbed in conversation about a new law for which he voted that forces free states to return slaves to their owners. He stands by his decision. His wife is unconvinced and asks what he would do if someone showed up at his door. He remains convinced he would turn the slave over. Within minutes, Eliza and Harry show up at the door.

They provide a place for Eliza to rest with Harry, who she refuses to let out of her arms. Knowing that someone will soon be looking for Eliza, the senator decides to personally take a carriage to an acquaintance of his in a Quaker settlement, and then continue on to the capitol to avoid suspicion.

The Quakers quickly take Eliza and Harry in, and begin planning their transfer north, all the way to Canada.

Mr. Haley, meanwhile, hires a couple of men including Tom Loker to track Eliza and Harry down, for which they will be able to keep Eliza and bring Harry to Mr. Haley's care.

George escaped around the same time as Eliza, and is traveling as a man of Spanish descent with his "slave," a man who has already escaped, but returned to free his mother. He believes his best chance of going undetected is to remain close to home. He even spends an evening in a tavern where all the men are discussing him and how they hope to be the ones to catch him for the reward. He is bold enough to join in this conversation.

He notices that one of the men (the owner of the factory where he worked and was very well-liked) keeps looking at him and almost recognizing him, so he goes with him to another room and reveals himself, before hurrying on his way to the Quakers.

There, George, Eliza, and Harry are reunited. They are soon transported north to another Quaker settlement, at a great deal of peril. They are being pursued by Tom Loker and several others, who catch up with them near a ridge which is familiar to one of their guides. He takes them up the ridge into an outcropping while Tom Loker is right on their heels. They shoot Tom once, but he is still able to get to them. The guide pushes him, and he falls quite a distance, only to be abandoned by the rest of his "hunting party."

The "fugitives" take pity on him and take him to the Quaker settlement to receive care. They stay here for quite some time planning their escape. Tom Loker, who now identifies with them more than those who abandoned him, gives them several tips which direct them how to change their appearance to avoid being suspected.

Eliza cuts her hair short and dresses as a man and travels directly with George who does not change his appearance. Harry has been fed sweets for several days by a Quaker woman who becomes his traveling companion. The man he was traveling with earlier is also there with his mother.

With a great deal of nervousness, they are able to cross safely into Canada and begin a new life as a family.

Meanwhile, Uncle Tom is taken from Aunt Chloe and their children by Mr. Haley, and the two begin their journey south. George Shelby, the Shelbys son, has been away from home the entire time. He is very close to Tom and Chloe and plays with their children. He is able to catch up with Tom just before he embarks on a steamboat for the south. He also gives a coin to Tom to remember him by. They have tragic goodbye, and George promises Tom he will come find him as soon as he can.

While on the steamboat, Mr. Haley quickly realizes how reliable Tom is. He has shackled him from the beginning, but he gives Tom more and more freedom. On the steamboat is a lovely little girl (Eva St. Clare) and her aunt (Miss Ophelia) and father (Arthur St. Clare). After hearing Tom's story of being taken from his wife and children, Eva begs her father to purchase Tom so she can be sure he is treated well. After some negotiating with Mr. Haley, a deal is struck and Tom goes home with the St. Clares.

Marie St. Clare constantly complains about various imaginary ailments from which she is suffering, and abuses her slaves as much as Arthur will allow her. He, however, has a very free hand with his slaves. His mother, a Christian woman, instilled in him a respect for all human life. He believes slavery is not right, but doesn't go so far as to believe it is wrong enough for him to change it. He allows them to wear his clothing and act however they wish, making it seem that being his slave is not a bad situation.

He has brought Miss Ophelia, his cousin, back from Vermont to help raise Eva and run the household since Marie is completely useless. Miss Ophelia helped to raise Arthur, and she knows how to run a strict household. She quickly takes over these duties. Miss Ophelia adds an interesting element to the story. As a northerner, she has no stake in slavery. She sees it as a horrible way to treat people, but at the same time she thinks of Africans and African Americans as lesser people, evidenced by her shock that Eva is allowed to play with and even touch the family's slaves. She often speaks of how she would be able to "train" slaves properly without using violence.

Arthur buys a young girl for her to raise as she so often mentions she would be able to do. Topsy has never known her mother, father, or any siblings. She was sold to and raised by a slave trader, and then sold various times. She does not know how old she is, where or when she was born, or anything about her personal history. Most recently, she was owned by a tavern owner and his wife. They beat her frequently, which is the real reason Arthur purchased her - to get her away from them.

Miss Ophelia had previously refused the services of the St. Clare's chamber maid in making her bed and drawing her bath. But, she feels that allowing Topsy to complete these tasks will help with her education. Since Topsy has only known violence, she often steals from Miss Ophelia and will only work when being directly supervised. Miss Ophelia explains to her the gravity of her actions and what they could mean for her in the eternities, but Topsy can only explain her actions the way they have always been explained for her: "I guess I's just wicked."

Tom becomes Eva's companion and driver. His only responsibilities are to take her wherever she wants to go. Eva is a sweet Christian girl, concerned with the way that people treat other people within slavery. She is young enough that she does not make the mental leap to ask her father to free their slaves, but she often hints at it as she struggles within herself to understand these terrible circumstances. She is wise beyond her years. Her heart breaks when she hears of a slave on a neighboring farm who is beaten to death, and it equally breaks when she hears stories of how families are split apart as sons and daughters, sisters and mothers are sold.

Eva has an amazing power over other people which emanates from her love for them. One day after Topsy has done something particularly terrible, Eva takes Topsy into another room explains to her about Jesus Christ and God, and how she must act to please Them for the sake of her eternal soul. Something about Eva's loving way of approaching this gets through to Topsy. It becomes clear that despite her good intentions, Miss Ophelia's refusal to touch Topsy has been almost as painful as the beatings Topsy once received.

Miss Ophelia quickly takes a lesson from Eva, and begins to show genuine affection for Topsy, which completes Topsy's transformation. Miss Ophelia also insists that Arthur sign papers to gift Topsy to her. He says he will eventually, but she presses the issue and makes him do it on the spot, saying that his good intentions will die with him should he meet an early death.

It soon becomes evident that Eva is very sick and that she knows she is dying. It is unclear what disease she suffers from, but she begins to hint and eventually talk outright about her impending death. She asks her father to free Tom as her dying wish, and he promises he will.

Not long before she dies, she asks for all of the household to be gathered so she can speak to them. Eva treats everyone with the most love and care, so she is dear to every slave and member of the family (least of all to Marie, her mother, who throughout Eva's sickness complains first that Eva isn't that sick and she is just stealing attention from Marie's true illnesses, and eventually, that she has known all along that Eva was seriously ill and that her worry is so taxing that she needs more attention and care). She tells them all of Jesus Christ and God, and begs them to try to live the best Christian lives they can. Then, she gives each person a lock of her hair to remind them to be their best.

Soon after, Eva dies, and Marie demands even more from Mammy (her caretaker from childhood) who she has not allowed to sleep through the night for several years) and the other slaves. Arthur continues to go about his business despite the fact that he is the one truly mourning the loss of Eva.

He begins the papers to make Tom free, but he doesn't really pursue it. Sadly, not long after Eva's death, Arthur goes to a tavern and in the process of breaking up a fight he is stabbed. He dies before freeing any of his slaves. Topsy is the only one who is safe, since she "belongs" to Miss Ophelia. The rest of the household is sold at auction, including Uncle Tom who was only days away from returning to his family in Kentucky.

Tom is purchased at auction by Simon Legree, a terrible task master who also purchases a middle aged womand and Emmeline, a young girl (in her early teens) who is ripped from her mother's arms.

Legree has a theory that it is more cost-effective to treat his slaves badly and work them too hard, and then replace them when they die than to care for their health. He is extremely prideful. When they reach Legree's plantation, the reader is quickly introduced to his two henchmen - Sambo and Qimbo. They are also his slaves, but they are in charge of whipping and beating anyone whom Legree decides should be whipped. He purchased Tom planning to add him as one of his henchmen.

Emmeline is taken to the house to be, it is clear, a "favored" slave of Legree. This is emphasized throughout the book to be the greatest fear of slave mothers who have beautiful daughters. Cassy is an older slave whom Legree plans to "replace" with Emmeline. Her life started out well; she was raised in a kind family and allowed to go to school. Her master died, however, and she was sold. She was quickly purchased by a man who was taken by her beauty. They lived as if they were married, and she loved him a great deal. They even had two children together. For some reason, however, he refused to ever marry her or free her and their children.

When another man came to town who wanted Cassy, this man began taking Cassy's husband out drinking and gambling. He also introduced him to another woman with whom Cassy's husband quickly fell in love. When his debts were great, this other man purchased Cassy from her husband (which had been the man's plan all along) and her children were both sold to other slave owners. When Cassy became angry and depressed at the loss of her children and husband, this man no longer wished to own her. He fathered a child with her, but Cassy could not stand that thought of her new baby girl being sold like her other daughter or herself, she decided it would be more merciful to die than to live in these circumstances, and she suffocated her infant child. Eventually, she was sold to Simon Legree.

Tom and the middle-aged woman are taken to the slaves cabins, and soon after the other slaves return from the fields, exhausted from being overworked. They all must grind their own corn and make corn cakes, their only food, before they can sleep for the night. It is past midnight before Tom and a few other slaves get their turn with the grinder. He grinds their corn for them and for the middle-aged woman purchased with him.

The next day in the fields he sees this middle-aged woman will not have enough cotton to meet her quota so he begins to add some of his cotton to her basket. He is struck down by the henchmen for this. He continues to add her her basket throughout the day, despite protestations from Cassy who is working the field for the first time that day to show her defiance for Legree. Cassy adds some of her own cotton to Tom's basket, and then tells him he must never show compassion like that again or Legree will make his life even more miserable, and eventually kill him.

At the end of the long day, Sambo and Qimbo tell Legree that Tom helped the middle-aged woman. Even though her basket has enough cotton, Legree says it does not and tells Tom to whip her. Tom, who is very compliant normally, refuses. He says he will never intentionally hurt or injure someone else. He tells Legree that he will work for him however hard he is required since Legree purchased his body, but Jesus Christ had already purchased his soul and he would not give it to another human. Legree is outraged, so he orders Sambo and Qimbo to beat Tom, which they eagerly do.

As Tom lays in a great deal of pain in a shed that night, Cassy sneaks out of the house and brings him water and medicine for his wounds. She explains she does this for other slaves as well when they are beaten. She tries once again to convince Tom to do as Legree says, but Tom explains to her about his belief in God and Jesus Christ, and that he cannot do what Legree asks if it will hurt another person. He asks her to get his Bible from pocket and read to him. Cassy explains her life story and says that clearly, God is not with her.

The henchmen find a pouch around Uncle Tom's neck containing the lock of Eva's hair and the coin Master George gave to him. They bring it to Legree and tell him it must be something to do with witchcraft. This terrifies him because the lock of hair looks just like the lock of his mother's hair which was mailed to him after her death. Thoughts of his dead mother terrify him because he rejected her and her Christianity. He burned her lock of hair which was the same color as Eva's, so he is never quite sure if that hair is actually from his mother. This makes him a bit afraid of further harming Tom.

When Tom heals a bit, Legree tells him again that if he agrees to be his henchman he will live better than the other slaves, but Tom refuses again. Along with his fears of Tom being able to curse him, Cassy convinces Legree that hurting Tom any more during the harvest will only lead Legree to to losing a bet with his fellow plantation owners that he will have the largest harvest. Legree agrees, but vows to make Tom pay later.

Tom's kindness is quickly noticed by the other slaves, and since they are forbidden to gather, he begins to preach to them one by one, and they pass his stories along to each other.

Meanwhile, even Cassy begins to believe Tom due to his faithfulness to his beliefs. One evening as Cassy speaks to Tom, she asks him why he doesn't run away with her to freedom. He says he cannot do that because Legree has purchased him, but he encourages her to run away if she can. Although Cassy has thought a lot about it over the years, she could never come up with a good plan because Legree has several vicious hounds, and his entire plantation is surrounded by swamps. Everyone who has tried to escape before has been attacked and killed by the hounds.

Somehow talking to Tom, however, she thinks of a simple plan. Over a period of time, she begins to stock provisions in the garret (attic). As she does so, she also works to revive myths of ghosts haunting the garret. She convinces Legree of the idea, who is already quite afraid of ghosts, especially the ghost of his mother.

Before long, she is able to implement her escape with Emmeline. The two run off into the swamps. Just before they get there, Legree sees them and yells after them. Emmeline freezes in fear, so Cassy pulls out a knife and tells her she will kill her if she does not move. Although she doesn't intend to carry out her threat, she knew it might be necessary to get Emmeline moving at some point.

Legree quickly organizes a search party offering all slaves who participate ample alcohol, and the one who catches Emmeline and catches or kills Cassy a reward. Most of the slaves participate, but Tom stays back.

Meanwhile, Cassy and Emmeline circle back to the house and go to the garret to live long enough that no one will be looking for them.

When Legree returns with no sign of Cassy and Emmeline, he threatens Tom. Tom will not lie, so he admits he knows what happened to to the fugitives, but he refuses to tell where they are. He is beaten until he almost dies, and then he is left to die in a shed.

As Tom is dying, the readers attention is brought back to the Shelby family. Arthur Shelby dies, leaving his affairs to be handled by Mrs. Shelby and George. A few months pass as they do their best to take care of many issues. Finally, George is able to get away and fulfill his promise to search for Tom.

Sadly, George arrives just moments before Tom dies. He lets Legree know that they way he treated Tom and all of his other slaves is inhumane. He demands Tom's body so he can properly bury him. Legree is slightly humbled by George's speech, and he puts up no fight. As George gets help carrying Tom's body away for burial, several slaves beg George to purchase them. He is too overcome and tells them he cannot help them.

Tom makes it clear to George that he doesn't want Chloe to know the conditions in which he died. His death inspires George who frees all of the Shelbys' slaves when he returns to Kentucky. They all beg that he not force them to leave, and he says they are all welcome to stay, but they will now be paid for their work and taught what it is like to be free. He does not want debt or his death to ruin their futures.

On George's trip home, Cassy and Emmeline run into him. Cassy witnessed his exchange with Legree so she tries to remain close to him. Her skin is light enough and she has enough in her upbringing that she is able to play the part of a woman of high class and she represents Emmeline as her slave.

Before long, she reveals herself to George and requests his help. He agrees to do whatever he can to keep her safe. Another woman is also traveling north with them, and she asks George if he knows a man named George Harris. He says that yes, George was on a neighboring farm, but he escaped with his wife Eliza and their son Harry. This woman is so pleased that her brother is safe. She inquires about the kind of person Eliza is, and feels so pleased to hear of Eliza's pious upbringing in the Shelby home. George mentions where Eliza was purchased from, and Cassy faints away. It comes out that Eliza is the daughter that was sold away from Cassy.

The other woman, Cassy, and Emmeline all travel to Canada in search of George, Eliza, and Harry. In the five years that have passed, they have improved their lives greatly and added a daughter to their family. Cassy, Emmeline, and the other woman find them through the Quakers who helped them and they all eventually move to Africa after George completes college in France.

Uncle Tom's tragic life and death provides freedom for almost everyone whom he confronted.

Stowe makes it clear that all slavery is bad, even if the owner treats his slaves well. It is too easy for a "good" slave owner to die or go into debt, thereby losing control of the human lives for which he is responsible.

Stowe ends the book by blatantly calling out people from all backgrounds and all states for their part in slavery and civil rights violations. She ends Uncle Tom's Cabin with these words:

"A day of grace is yet held out to us. Both North and South have been guilty before God; and theChristian church has a heavy account to answer. Not by combining together, to protect injustice and cruelty, and making a common capital of sin, is this Union to be saved, --but by repentance, justice and mercy, for, not surer is the eternal law by which the millstone sinks in the ocean, than that stronger law, by which injustice and cruelty shall bring on nations the wrath of Almighty God!"

The way these words follow over 700 pages of tragic stories of the effects of slavery makes it clear why President Abraham Lincoln said to Stowe upon meeting her:

"So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!"

The Bhagavad Gita - Translated by Eknath Easwaran

"The content of the Gita is the conversation between Lord Krishna and the Pandava Prince Arjuna taking place on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra War. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and prince, and elaborates on different Yogic^[5] and Vedanticphilosophies, with examples and analogies. This has led to the Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu theologyand also as a practical, self-contained guide to life. During the discourse, Lord Krishna reveals His identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Svayam Bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring vision of His divine universal form" (Courtesy of Wikipedia).

There are many parallels between the Gita and other religious texts. For example: "Whatever you do, make it an offering to me--the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering."

The Gita continues: "In this way you will be freed from the bondage of karma, and from its results both pleasant and painful."

The thesis of the Gita is that people act in three basic ways: doing good out of devotion to God (Krishna), doing good out of desire for reward, and laziness or doing bad things. Those who do good out of devotion to God will reach nirvana, or freedom from reincarnation. Those who do good desiring rewards will live according to their good acts in a heaven-like state until the karma from their actions has played out, at which time they will be reborn in a more pleasant life than their previous life. Those who are lazy and do bad things will be reborn in a worse situation than that which they were born in before.

These are interesting concepts - that all people are reincarnated until they learn to live outside of the pleasure and pain present in all things. The idea that people are judged and will live for eternity based on their actions for just 75 years out of that eternity seems odd, so these ideas that people constantly have the opportunity to improve themselves and their motivations are good. However, this also serves to justify oppression and poor treatment of others, especially the poor, with the assumption that they must have been "bad" in a previous life to "deserve" what they are experiencing now (e.g. the caste system).

Throughout the Gita, Krishna is trying to teach Arjuna that although some people can live solitary lives seeking knowledge, another way to approach God (Krishna) which He actually recommends more, is to live the lives and do the work they were meant to do, but to live outside of judgment - to meditate upon God constantly as one goes about his or her daily activities which will allow him or her to see each situation as it is rather than labeling it as good or bad.

I actually tried out this concept this week with my new job, and found it to be quite useful. Although my coworkers are not as invested in the job as I feel I am, I was able (at least in small moments) to focus on how I could best serve the children (my work) without labeling the situation as good or bad. It also helped to meditate a couple of times a day to clear my mind.

I enjoyed reading the Gita which is quite short, and found Easwaran's translation and descriptions to be quite helpful in understanding the history behind it. It is nice to understand a bit more about other world religions.

One silent sleepless night - Spencer W. Kimball

I bought this book about 8 years ago at DI, and despite the fact that it is really short (only about 30 full pages), it has taken me this long to get around to reading it.

This was a very fast read - taking about 30-45 minutes to read it slowly.

In this book, President Kimball wrote about his experiences one night after he had part of his vocal cords removed. He was unable to sleep, and found his mind wandered over various experiences, particularly his childhood in Thatcher, AZ. When his mind came back to the present, he discovered only a few minutes had passed each time. He felt he had to be quiet to avoid waking his wife who had been through a few difficult days of her own while worrying about and caring for him.

I enjoyed this short story and found I could easily relate. There have been many times when I have been unable to sleep with no one to talk to and feeling the need to be quiet. It can be a very lonely and frustrating feeling.

This was also an easy and enjoyable way to learn a bit about his life.

Into the Light - John Lerma, M.D.

Into the Light: Real life stories about angelic visits, visions of the afterlife, and other pre-death experiences.

This book is written by a hospice doctor who has worked with many people who have experienced angelic beings and near-death experiences. Amazingly, the people he has spoken with all describe very similar beings and scenes.

Each described a life review, some lasting longer than others, in which they were able to see their entire life and work through things that were unresolved. Dr. Lerma was skeptical at first, but was amazed that some of his patients relayed personal messages to him from the beings which visited them. The details in these messages were sometimes so personal that the patient would have had no way of knowing these details.

Each chapter is an account about working with a different person. Some of these people are lifelong Christians, but others are atheists, agnostics, and believers from other faiths. Some of them lead lives which they believed would keep them from heaven. Those who felt unworthy describe their life reviews, but that they were able to work through the things that were unresolved and they felt reconciled before they died.

The Wednesday Letters - Jason F. Wright

This book begins with the deaths an elderly couple. Jack Cooper has an inoperable brain tumor and has been close to death for several months. His wife, Laurel, seems to be in good health and is caring for him. However, one evening as they lay down for bed, Laurel has a heart attack. Jack is too weak to reach the phone and call for help, and he passes away shortly after Laurel.

Their three children gather, along with a few close family friends, as they prepare for the funeral. They discover several boxes in the basement which are filled with letters from Jack to Laurel - one written every week for the entire time they were married.

These letters reveal many family secrets and the motivation behind many of the decisions Jack and Laurel made.

Matthew, the oldest child, is dealing with a troubled marriage. Samantha is a local police officer, and a single mother. Malcolm returns from Brazil after fleeing two years earlier to avoid jail.

Malcolm's story seems to be the most troubled. He and Jack never got along well, and he resented that. He got in several fights, the last of which was to protect Rain, his former girlfriend and an adopted member of the Cooper family. He almost killed a man who had forced her to leave a bar and was trying to take off with her. In the process, he punched Rain's current boyfriend, Nathan, who is a county prosecutor, when Nathan said, "Leave it alone. She's not worth it."

The two biggest secrets that come out during the book are that Malcolm was fathered by another man when he got drunk and followed Laurel home, breaking into her house. It bothered me that Laurel was raped by a random homeless man, since this kind of thing can perpetuate the myth that sexual violence is usually perpetrated by strangers who attack people in the night.

It turns out that the homeless man who raped is mother is now one of the local preachers. This information comes out slowly through the letters, sending Malcolm on a roller coaster ride. This to me was very far-fetched, and I think the book would have been better without this.

It also turns out that Nathan set-up the bar scene two years before, clearing Malcolm of all charges so he doesn't have to run anymore.

Overall, this was a good book detailing the lives of good people. It was interesting to see how their choices affected themselves and each other.

The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters is written from the perspective of an experienced devil, Screwtape, trying to teach his nephew, Wormwood, how to tempt. It is composed of letters from Screwtape to Wormwood regarding the man the nephew is responsible for tempting.

Thinking about spirituality from this opposite perspective gave me new insights into ways I can change. I learned a great deal throughout the book. One of my favorite chapters centered on where we have our focus, in the past, present, or future:

"The humans live in time but our Enemy [God] destines them to eternity. . . . The Present is the point at which time touches eternity. . . . He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity or with the Present . . . bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.

"It is far better to make them live in the Future. . . . thought about the Future inflames hope and fear."

Black Like Me - John Howard Griffin

Black Like Me is the story of a Texan journalist who, in 1959, decided to undergo heavy medication to turn his skin dark and live as an African American man in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. He wanted to see for himself if all of the rumors about the superiority of Whites were true, as well as to experience what life as an African American man was like at that time.

He spent time in the same cities as a white man, and noticed a dramatic difference in the way he was treated by Whites.

For some reason the most poignant part of his experience, for me, was that he often had to walk blocks or even miles to find a restroom, water, or food he was allowed to use as an African American. Seeing this experience from his perspective gave me a greater understanding of a lot of the problems we still face regarding poverty.

While is style of writing is not necessarily compelling, his whole experience and bravery helped me to gain a better understanding of the inequalities faced by so many people. I think it would be interesting for someone to undertake a similar experiment regarding other groups which are discriminated against today.

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

I have been wanting to read this book for over two years. I heard about it right before we moved away for graduate school, and so I finally got around to checking it out from the library, or at least trying to check it out, in April or May. I couldn't understand how the Lincoln library could have over 50 copies, and yet it was still a long waiting list. The following week, I saw the first preview for the movie adaptation. Ah-ha!

So, I finally broke down and bought it when we made a visit to Vernal in early August and I had already finished the only book I brought with me for the trip.

I LOVED this book. It is broken up into three sections detailing Liz's experiences spending four months in each of three locations: Italy, India, and Indonesia (Bali). She is healing from a terrible divorce and a long bout of depression, so she decides to go on a journey of self-discovery.

While I loved the descriptions of Italy and the things she learned about herself there (all focused around food - hence the "Eat" in Eat, Pray, Love) and her time in Bali (focused on finding balance between the physical and spiritual - the Love part), the section detailing her spiritual journey in India is what made me love this book.

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - James McBride

This is a biography about the author's mother, Ruth McBride Jordan (born Ruchel Dwajra Zylska, raised Rachel Deborah Shilsky). She was born in Poland in 1921, and two years later her small family (father, mother, and younger sister) immigrated to the United States, settling in Virginia.

Her family was Jewish, and her father was sort of a Rabbi. He, however, was abusive to her as well as to her mother. She was white, and began dating an African American young man when she was a teenager. Through various difficulties, their relationship fell apart.

Over the years, her mother sent her away each summer to live with her mother's family in New York City. Only her grandmother really ever accepted her.

When she graduated from high school, she moved to New York City. A few years later her mother was admitted to a hospital in NYC, but Ruth was not allowed to visit because she was considered "dead" to the family who had already performed her Jewish death rites, by reciting the kaddish and sitting shiva for her.

During her time in NYC, she mete and fell in love with Dennis McBride, an African American man. They lived in a few very small apartments together, and had 8 children. During that time, Dennis also went to school and became a preacher, and they started their own church out of their home. They moved this church twice as it grew.

When Ruth was pregnant with their 8th child (the author of this book), Dennis died of lung cancer without a penny to his name. Ruth had lived the previous 15 years in African American neighborhoods with Dennis (who she insisted marry her when she converted to Christianity), and being accepted more than she ever was among her white peers. In fact, even before she met Dennis she hung out more in Harlem than anywhere else.

Awhile later she met another man, Mr. Jordan, who was older than her, and he asked to take her to a movie. She told him she liked to go to movies and so did her 8 children. He immediately stepped into their lives and cared for them as well as their biological father had. They had 4 more children together.

None of her 12 children knew anything about her past, but James became very interested when he realized she was white but he had never met any of his white family.

She would push aside his questions about her skin color and her past. Eventually, as an adult (and over many years) he pieced together her story and even brought her back to Virginia for the first time to see her only childhood friend.

Amazingly, Ruth's 12 children all graduated from college, many of them with graduate degrees. She always stressed the importance of Jesus Christ and school, which somehow helped every one of them find success.

The title of the book comes from a conversation James often had with his mother:

"When I asked her where she was from, she would say, 'God made me,' and change the subject. When I asked her if she was white, she'd say, 'No. I'm light-skinned,' and change the subject again."

Then he would ask her what color God is, and she would tell him, "The color of water."

Night - Elie Wiesel

Night is a simple, straightforward memoir of Elie's experiences during WWII. He grew up in Hungary, and relates his experiences relating to the Nazi invasion, and his family and neighbors being forcefully relocated first to the ghetto, and then to various concentration camps.

His story, like all stories from the Holocaust, is tragic and inspiring at the same time. He and his father are separated from his mother and sister early on, and he expresses that the two are each other's strength through the remainder of their experiences.

This is a short (just over 100 pages) book describing more factually than in detail what millions experienced in the 1940s.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

What a perfectly delightful and clever story. This one was recommended to me by several people, but I finally picked it up from the library when my mom (who knows my reading tastes quite well) told me I would love it.

There are many stories which I enjoy reading once, and then they are quickly gone from my life, making only a small impact. Actually, that is why I started this blog - I can't remember much about the books I read unless I discuss them with someone. Since I haven't had time for a book club in the last couple of years, I decided to record my readings here. I digress.

The Guersey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will be one of the few books I want to read over again through the years. The language, oh the language! I am such a sucker for beautiful words and sentimental phrasing. This book has both.

I was curious from the beginning why it had two authors, and it turns out Mary Ann is Annie's aunt. Both are writers, so when Mary Ann grew ill and knew she could not accomplish the final editing, she asked Annie to be her voice. She must have done a good job, because everything in the book fit so well together. What a precious gift they were both able to give each other.

Set in post-WWII England/Guernsey, it consists entirely of letters between and among Juliet, her publisher Sidney and his sister Sophie, and various members of the, yes, you guessed it, Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I am amazed at the character development which emerges from these letters. Character descriptions all come casually in letters from other people, which gives a glimpse into the life of the subject, as well as the writer. I'm still processing how this is possible.

Juliet wrote satirical articles throughout the war, and when the book begins, those letters have just been published into a book.

Meanwhile, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, member of the GLPPPS (I had to shorten it somehow, although it's a shame to do so) who has been reading a volume from Charles Lamb which once belonged to Juliet. He engages her in a correspondence which quickly turns into a friendship and an opportunity for Juliet to write about the formation and activities of the GLPPPS and their experiences being occupied by the Germans during WWII.

My favorite quotes from the book:

p. 37 (Amelia Maugery describing Dawsey Adams to Juliet Ashton)

"Dawsey has a rare gift for persuasion - he never asks for anything for himself, so everyone is eager to do what he asks for others."

p. 39 (Juliet to Amelia) "I have asked the Reverend Simon Simpless . . . to write to you. He has known since I was a child and is fond of me. I have asked Lady Bella Taunton to provide a reference for me too. We were fire wardens together during the Blitz and she wholeheartedly dislikes me. Between the two of them, you may get a fair picture of my character."

p. 40 (Juliet describing Markham V. Reynolds - her suitor)

"He's used to ordering people about - though he does it so easily they don't notice. He's got a way of believing his opinion is truth, but he's not disagreeable about it. He's too sure he's right to be disagreeable."

"Before I knew it, I was basking in his attention, utterly charmed."

p. 47 (Susan Scott to Juliet)

"Was that you I glimpsed in this week's Tattler doing the rumba with Mark Reynolds? . . . You can purchase my silence with torrid details you know."

Reply

"Dear Susan, I deny everything. Love, Juliet"

p. 97 (Dawsey to Juliet)

"Sometimes I think of Charles Lamb and marvel that a man born in 1775 enabled me to make two such friends as you and Christian." (This is SO true about books!)

p. 101 (Will Thisbee quoting Thomas Carlyle Past to Present to Juliet)

"Does it ever give thee pause that men used to have a soul - not by hearsay alone, or as a figure of speech; but as a truth that they knew and acted upon. . . . but yet it is a pity we have lost the tidings of our soul."

I normally like to summarize books a bit here for my own sake, and I have been debating about doing that for this book because it is so good I would hate to spoil it for you. If you have not read it, please stop reading my blog now and pick up a copy at the library.

I'm serious, you'd better leave if you don't want some things to be spoiled.

Are you still there? I hope you've already read this book then.

Okay, here comes a spoiler-filled summary.

Juliet has a close relationship with her publisher, Sidney, who is the brother of her dearest friend from boarding school, Sophie. Their relationship, although neither Sidney or Juliet are married, is purely friendship.

Juliet is trying to settle on her next writing project when she receives her first letter from Dawsey. They begin to correspond and slowly the story of the GLPPPS comes out. Once Dawsey and his fellow society members begin to trust that Juliet's intentions are pure, they freely share their story.

During the German occupation, food of all kinds was scarce and the Germans confiscated livestock, poultry, etc.

However, occasionally someone was able to hide an animal, such as a pig, by claiming their animal was dead. The Germans would come to see the dead animal, and then they would pass it along to a friend who also had a pig and the Germans would check again, but this time, the individual was able to hide the live pig somewhere.

Isola did this on one occasion, and she invited her friends and their friends for a dinner to enjoy it with her. They had such a good time that all of the visitors had to go out past curfew. They were seen by Germans soldiers, and Elizabeth quickly came up with a story about how they were meeting as a Literary Society and were so into their discussion they lost track of time. They soldiers told them all to go to their homes and report to the commandant the next morning. The commandant was so interested, he asked if he could occasionally attend their meetings, and they agreed. However, they had to quickly form a society, and find enough books to make it seem feasible. Out of these difficult circumstances, many deep friendships were formed.

Juliet also receives some letters from others on the island who think the society and its members are inappropriate for her story.

Juliet is also being courted for marriage by the owner of another publishing company. When she decides she must visit Guernsey, he proposes to her. She goes anyway.

Not surprisingly, Juliet forms powerful friendships with the islanders right away. It quickly becomes clear that she and Dawsey have a special bond. The more she talks to people, the more she realizes she has enough for a book rather than a newspaper article.

Eventually, she decides to tell everyone's stories through a biographical account of Elizabeth, who sadly, was taken to a camp for nursing an injured slave worker. She died there, but everyone's stories on the island go back to her.

During her time in Guernsey, Elizabeth also cares for Kit, Elizabeth's daughter through a kind and sympathetic German officer, Christian. Christian was killed (in battle?) earlier, which left Kit an orphan (although it doesn't come out until later that Elizabeth was killed in the camp). Kit has been raised by various members of the society. Though she was welcome in all of their homes, she never had just one home.

Toward the end of the story, Juliet proposes to Dawsey, and is in the process of adopting Kit.

How Good Do We Have to Be? - Harold Kushner - 1.2010

This book gives a thought-provoking and inspiring look at God's unconditional love for us, and how understanding that love can shape our lives. It takes a look at the Garden of Eden and posits that perhaps God was blessing Adam and Eve by sending them out of the Garden, and not punishing them to a life of misery. This could have signaled the beginning of their true humanity, because by having knowledge of good and evil, they could choose to act, rather than just acting as all other animals do. Thus, God becomes a Being who does not punish us for our mistakes, but gives us a full measure of His love in all things as we are ready to receive it.

This idea of unconditional love is then applied to our personal relationships, allowing us to not expect perfection from ourselves, our parents, our siblings, our spouses, our children, or our friends. This releases us and allows complete acceptance of one another, free from disappointment, since disappointment comes from unmet expectations. By not expecting perfection from each other, we are more likely to see each other's actions in a pleasant light.

One great quote from the book: "When we do something wrong, because we are human and our choices are so complicated and temptations so strong, we don't lose our humanity. But we lose our integrity, our sense of wholeness, of being the same person all the time. We create a situation where a part of us, our good self, is at war with another part of us, our weak and selfish side. We lose the focus, the singleness of purpose, that enables us to do the things that matter to us. That is when we need the religious gift of forgiveness and atonement (making our split selves at one). But should we ever conclude that there is no point in trying to be good because we can never be good enough, that is when we lose everything. Being human can never mean being perfect, but it should always mean struggling to be as good as we can and never letting our failures be a reason for giving up the struggle" (p. 174).

This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time.