As a little girl I loved sitting on my Avi’s (grandpa) lap listening to stories of when he was younger. The hardships his mother faced with grit and ingenuity while her husband was kept in one of Franco’s concentration camps fascinated me. Avi’s own escapades were adventurous and thrilling, though heartbreaking at times.
When I was eight my Yaya (grandmother) typed up a booklet with stories of my pioneer and other Catalan ancestors. I read that book over and over again. It’s still sits on my bookshelf enjoyed from time to time by my own children. The decisions my ancestors made to join the LDS(Mormon) church and leave their homelands of Wales and England still have an impact on me today.
From these childhood memories grew my love for biographies. I so enjoy reading about other people’s lives, how the decisions they made changed the course or direction of their life and affected the lives of others around them. The lives people have lived are just fascinating! Made all the more so because they are real with all their faults and foibles, strengths and God-given talents.
Nien Cheng recounts her harrowing imprisonment and torture at the hands of Mao Zedong’s “Cultural Revolution” that took place in China from 1966-1976. She was accused of being a spy and kept in solitary confinement for over six years experiencing harsh privation. She never gave in to their demands, never confessed, and never told a lie. It is an amazing story of survival told truthfully about a country she loves but did not love her back.
Join us for Wordfull Wednesday! Write a post on today’s topic of “Your Favorite Literature Genre,” come back here and sign the Mr. Linky making sure to leave the link to your post NOT your main blog url.
You have a rich heritage and lucky to have so much recorded.
I am inspired by the realness recorded in other’s lives and so enjoy reading true accounts of their struggles and joy.
I read “Life and Death in Shanghai” while I was living in China. It made it that much more meaningful when I met other individuals who shared their experiences with me.
I forgot about wordful wed. and wondering if I can pull something together really quick
I love your phrase, “She loved a country that did not love her back.”
And I loved reading about your rich family heritage. So blessed you must feel.
I can’t wait to read all these books…I feel a reading day coming on. I haven’t done that for a couple of years, we’ll see if it still works!
Oh, and P.S. THANK YOU for the wonderful soaps, they just came and I’ll post a picture of the goods along with today’s wordful wednesday.
I agree…you’re very lucky to have so much of your families heritage recorded! I love Holocaust stories, so I may have to check that one out!
Thanks for sharing your rich heritage. Another book you might enjoy is called “When broken glass floats.” it’s written by a survivor of the killing fields in Cambodia. It records her family’s struggle to escape the disgustingly inhumane rule of the Poll Pott. You might think it would be depressing but it actually leaves you uplifted. Amid all of the horror, she includes stories of compassion and kindness that help you realize that even though there is so much evil in the world, there is always hope because of the good people around us. Her youngest brother, Map, is also the foster son of a woman in my Parent’s Branch in Crane. He stays with Mom and Dad when he comes to visit and is a student at BYU. He is still partially deaf from the bombs in Cambodia.
I bet you’d enjoy “the Long Walk” by Slavomir Rawicz. It’s an amazing biography about a Polish POW in Siberia escaping to India.
I, too, love biographies! I think they’re my current favorite genre.
I’ve been looking for some good biographies to read. I love learning about people’s lives. They are all so fascinating!
I love keeping it real with biographies, talk about perspective. Real examples of real heros. I remember getting book about my great grandparents from my mom. I dutifully thumbed through it and then got completely sucked in for the entire 467 pages…good stuff 🙂
Thanks for more biography recommendations Esther and Rebekah. Both sound very interesting.
Esther, I’m particularly interested in When Broken Glass Floats as my grandfather served as Branch President for a Cambodian branch in Salt Lake in the 80’s. The stories they told of what some of the members went through to escape Cambodia are remarkable.
I love bios too. But for some fun reads I always keep handy James Herriot’s books about his life as an English vet and anything by P.G. Wodehouse. Currently, I’m reading, “We took to the Woods.” A wonderful book about a family who lived in the backwoods of Maine in the 1940s. Ironically,it reads a bit like a blog, with each chapter portraying amusing and interesting scenes of her daily adventures. Finally, “Ella Minnow Pea,” is a real kick, and kind of a parody on 1984. Happy reading!!
Thanks for a great post!
Cocoa-
I think you would like this story also….
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke
(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/494320.In_My_Hands_Memories_of_a_Holocaust_Rescuer)
It’s written by a woman who worked in the underground resistance during WWII. Unbelievable!
Thanks for a great Wordfull Wednesday!
-The Monkey Mama
I’m late as usual–I forgot you were doing this actually, and realized that my post from yesterday works with your theme.
I recommended Life & Death to my current book group–it’s a great book. Since you liked that one so well, another one you would probably enjoy is A Distant Prayer:Miracles of the 49th Combat Mission by Joseph Banks, an LDS soldier in WWII.
I’ll have to venture out into more biographies. Your wordful wednesdays always give me something to think about. Thanks 🙂