Little Women (Intro)

Little Women- Louisa May Alcott

Okay, so basically everyone knows what Little Women is, and so do I, but I've never read it. I honestly have no idea what to expect from this book. I don't know of anything else Alcott has written besides this book. Also, my extent of knowledge about this book is a) Its about four very different March sisters, b) the book club in my one of my favorite books as a kid, "The Mother-Daughter Book Club" read it, c) two of the sisters are Jo and Amy. And yeah, that's about it. But, its a classic for a reason, so there must be something about it that everyone likes. Like non-fiction, I don't typically read classic books, but the few that I have read I have seemed to enjoy. As with all the books I have read thus far, I have high hopes for this book to be intriguing and a good read for me. So to sum this up, I have high expectations for a book in a genre I don't typically read, of which I know nothing about, and its not a small book. Fingers crossed as I start it!

Sorry this isn't a longer blog post, I just have no idea what to say. I basically picked this book because I have heard it referenced so many times even though I only know like two people who have read it (and I also asked Mr. Perlman and he recommended it, so it has to be good, right?)

Princess (Final)

Princess- Jean Sasson

Wow this book was absolutely amazing. From not knowing anything about traditional Saudi lifestyle and reading a memoir, I can now say that I am horrified reading about this thinking that its actually non-fiction, and it is a true story of what happened to one girl. And that it happens to girls all over the world. I mean, that was the author's main goal in writing this and accomplishing to story that she told- to show people about how women's rights need to get better in some countries. I mean, yeah, Saudi Arabia is one of the more worse off countries in terms of women's rights, but still all the oppressed women need to be heard and something needs to be changed about it.

Probably my favorite part of the book was Princess Sultana's  because of who she was as a person and her actions. She's not some strong, brave made up character. She's a strong, defiant, brave and amazing girl that refuses to let the male dominance continue. It's obvious how women are treated terribly, and Sultana had the guts to say no to people, to challenge the authority of her brother. She tricked her brother and revealed his stash of alcohol and Playboy magazines (both forbidden in Saudi Arabia) and gave the ultimate insult by raising the bottoms of her feet to her future mother in law. (Her mother in law was not too happy, and decided to get revenge on her later, when Sultana outsmarted her yet again).

It's still really sad to me that this occurs in other countries in the world. The author says in a special chapter titled, "After September 11, 2001" that"Soon after the tragedy of 9/11, I spoke with Princess Sultana and was not surprised when I learned that she, too, was hoping that great change for women in Afghanistan would magically sweep the world. Sadly, that was not to be. She, as I, was disheartened when she saw that the time had not yet come when every government will do the responsible thing and proclaim that freedom is just as important for women, as it is for men" (234). From the way that this is presented, it seems like not much has changed, and this lifestyle is the way it will continue on forever.

At many times throughout the story, there were parts that were disturbing and truly awful to read. A lot to do with the fact that some of the things that happen to the women, for example, a 13 year old marrying a 62 year old, is not socially acceptable in our country and is hard to imagine, and the other part is just plain sad and sort of graphic at some points. If you're really interested in the lifestyle of a Saudi Arabian Princess, it was a good read, but for people who don't tolerate sad stuff happening to other people, I wouldn't recommend it. After all, its nonfiction, and once the books over, you cannot pretend all of that stuff never happened to Princess Sultana. But anyway, if you can tolerate reading it, I would definitely recommend it. See you in my next blog!

Princess (Midway)

Princess- Jean Sasson

I don’t know where to start with this book. It’s so crazy that this is a nonfiction book and it is honestly such a culture shock. I know this sounds cliché and everything, but it really opened up my eyes to how much we take for granted and how many freedoms that I, as a women, have in America. From the first few pages, I was able to see the oppression against Princess Sultana, her mother and her sisters.

Some of the stories and memories that Sultana shares, through author Jean Sasson because Sultana is not allowed to write a book, are absolutely appalling. For example when she talks about her father and how bad she treats her mothers, or women not being able to pray in the mosque, but must do so inside of their house. They are not allowed to drive, and they must veil after certain points in their lives.

A typical veil worn by Saudi women, they vary in different thickness but it is hard to see out of regardless.

 

WARNING: SKIP THIS IF YOU ARE EASILY DISTURBED BY HORRIBLE WOMEN’S RIGHT ISSUES. These quotes are just some of the brutal thing that a women faces in a the Saudi Arabian royal family.

“Sara’s new husband was sadistic. He had subjected my sister to sickening sexual brutality until she felt her only escape was death”  (41).

“The authority of a Saudi male is unlimited; his wife and children survive only if he desires” (6).

“The history of our women is buried behind the black veil of secrecy. Neither our births nor our deaths are made official in any public record. Although births of male children are documented in family or tribal records, none are maintained anywhere for females. The common emotion expressed at birth of a female is either sorrow or shame” (7).

Though their life is really horrible, they do have immense wealths that were another shocking hin to get over. For example, Sultana’s family has three jets, waiting to take her anywhere at a moment’s notice. Granted, she must obtain a travel signature from the man in control of her (whether it be a husband or father). But the interesting thing about this is how they found a way to trick the system. A Saudi women will obtain necessary documents to travel and then cancel at the last minute and give her documents to someone else. Because of the veil and the secrecy, no travel official will question a women’s identity, given it is disrespectful to see any part of her body.

In the reviews when reading this book, I was cautioned against thinking all Saudi’s are like this. Obviously there are always exceptions but it makes me curious to see how Saudi’s that are not in the royal family live their lives. I would definitely read another nonfiction book written with a similar story or a person who has had better life than Princess Sultana. Something else that I would like to read is an outsider’s version of what happens in the daily life of a Saudi. My mom’s friend is married to a guy who’s from Saudi Arabia (raised in America, doesn’t believe in living the lifestyle that many Saudi’s do..) so it would be fun to talk to her and see her experiences on visiting her husband’s relatives in Saudi Arabia..

 

Princess (Intro)

Princess- Jean Sasson

Not going to lie, I barely ever read non-fiction. I like to use books as an escape from reality, choosing to live in world full of fictional characters where everything just magically turns out happily ever in the end instead of something that forces me to see the harsh world we live in. It was a bit of a struggle to actually find a good book that was going to be interesting to me and would not be some random book that was such a drag to read. I went online and spent more time than I’m willing to admit searching for books that would interest me. I ended up in a section of memoirs of women living in the Middle East. I ended up choosing “Princess” for its connection to history.  I’m excited to see what the story is like because honestly, I am ignorant about the Middle East. That being said, I’m not one of those people that think all Muslims are terrorists, but I don’t know a lot about their culture or the way they live their life, so it should be interesting to get a glimpse inside of it.  However, I was cautioned when reading the reviews of the book that not all Muslims are like this, and this is not how all females are treated. But this book is specifically about a member of the royal family, as she is a direct descendant of the king (I think…I’m not entirely sure..) It should be interesting to read. See you in the next blog post!

Sarah's Key (Final)

Sarah's Key- Tatiana de Rosnay

I would completely 100% recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good book. It is full of twists and turns, makes you laugh, cry, feel sympathetic, basically everything. And I know its sounds cliché, but this book is that good!

*The rest of this post definitely contains spoilers; don’t read if you plan on reading this book!

First off, I totally did not see Bertrand’s dad’s revelation about finding Michel dead in the cupboard after Sarah came back to get him. That was completely unexpected for me. Well, actually not completely. I kind of guessed it when Bertrand’s mom told Julia about them buying the apartment, and Sarah’s story left off before she found out what had happened to her brother (because it was revealed in Julia’s story). But still, I never expected it to go down like that and Julia to uncover a dark family secret that was never even told to Bertrand’s own children (yeah, imagine their surprise and confusion..) Either way, it was still exciting to finally figure out what happened to Sarah’ and how her life turned out after her escape. 

As exciting as it was though, I wish it wouldn’t have stopped right with Julia and William. I wish something could have continued, or we got a glance into their future (c’mon, write a three or four page epilogue!!!) I guess the way they glanced at each other at the end should have said it all, but I’m still bitter.

While I’m talking about the plot, I’m going to contradict my previous post and change the shapes of their stories. Where I last left off, Sarah’s life was in pretty bad condition. She was a Jewish girl living in Europe during the time of the Nazis whose life was turned upside down by the roundup. However, she miraculously escapes from the camp she was in and doesn’t get caught, her life took a turn for the better. But after finding Michel dead, it has gone down and up and down and up. The author goes on to reveal to the reader about how the impact of one event shaped the rest of her life. Her story is interesting, she had all these ups and downs, but she seemed to struggle internally, and not let her family know of what was truly going on in her life and how her life was forever changed by the Vel d’Hiv. Her ups seemed to be presented opposite-more externally, as displayed by her son’s ignorance of her past in France. Now I would think that Sarah’s story arc is “Man in Hole.”

In this section, I would definitely say that Julia is also “Man in Hole” The reader saw a lot more of the struggles and challenges that she was facing as opposed to just Sarah’s story. Her pregnancy was obviously an up to her, but it came with a complementary down in the form of divorcing Bertrand.  She did end up moving back to America, but her conflicts did not resolve once she left France.

One thing that really sticks out to me when reading this book is not forgetting the past, and choosing to reminisce about something rather than pretending it never happened. Not only is Julia discovering a part of French history by writing an article about it, but also the reader (if they’re anything like myself) is learning about specific events that occurred and were unaware of. I obviously know what the Holocaust is, but I didn’t know that French soldiers executed Nazi orders against their own citizens. This book serves as a tribute to the past (a specific event in this case) but also how the past has affected the present and how it will continue to affect the future.

Now onto my non-fiction book...

 

Sarah's Key (Midway)

Sarah's Key- Tatiana De Rosnay

* Just an FYI, this post may contain spoilers, read at you own risk!

It’s hard to sit down and do a half-way blog post when the book is so well written and interesting that you just want to keep on reading.  That’s basically what Sarah’s Key is in a nutshell. So far, this book has lived up to its expectations. There are different plot twists that you completely don’t even expect. And not only that, but I’m learning so much more about the Vel d’Hiv and what actually occurred to that group of Jewish people who were affected by the monstrosities of the event.

The point of view and the way the author chooses to tell the story is very crucial to the plot and the way in which the story unfolds. The reader follows two characters, Sarah Starsynski and Julia Jarmond. The book portrays two characters who lead different lives in different time periods, but somehow their lives are connected (I think, so far there hasn’t been that connecting link, but I have a hunch that it has something to do with her brother..)

In term’s of Sarah’s story, and Kurt Vonnegut’s shapes of stories, I would have to say that Sarah is “From Bad to Worse” She started off in a bad (as the name suggests) vulnerable situation, mostly because she did not know the whole truth about what was really happening in the outside world and about the Holocaust. After the roundup, her life takes a toll for the worst and her departure to a camp isn’t helping her dire situation. She does escape, but there are still no guarantees that she is safe.

I’m having a harder time with distinguishing what Julia’s storyline would be considered. She faces her ups and downs, like “Man in Hole” but at the same time, she feeds off of Sarah’s story. As the reader learns about what happened to Sarah, Julia discovers information that the reader knew from a previous chapter and the chapter is uneventful or doesn't reveal anything new or significant. This would lead me to also classify her in the “Which Way is Up?” story shape because there were a couple times her character flatlined during the book (Then again, that's my opinion, feel free to disagree!)

Overall, this book is a fantastic read all around. The two alternating plot lines add suspense and an element of mystery to the novel because you get partial information from each person that helps you put things together. I want to keep reading so badly because I want to see what the author chooses to do that link’s Sarah and Julia’s story together, besides Julia’s research on the Vel d’Hiv. Now that I’ve started reading and my expectations have gotten higher, this book better not let me down!!!

Some quotes I've liked so far:

"She wanted to thank him, for his help, for the money, she wanted to hold her hand out to him, but Rachel grabbed her by the arm and took off, they ran as fast as they could through the high golden wheat, straight ahead, legs bursting, legs and arms helter-skelter, far away from the camp, as far away as possible" (92).

A common idea so far seems to be escape, but with this escape also something comes with return. Both Sarah and Julia seem to run away from their problems. Though Sarah's escape is the difference between life and death for her, Julia's escape from her pregnancy and her failing marriage (or rather avoidance) has the same effect. They both want to forget their problems and move forward with their life, completely forgetting the past.

"We finally found it on the boulevard de Grenelle, just around the corner. A smallish sign. Rather humble. I wondered if anyone ever glanced at it. It read: 'On July 16 and 17, 1942, ...'" (60).

Hand in hand with escaping, part of that seems to be having to forget all of the horrible things that happened in the past. But at the same time, you can't forget the past. The whole point of the book was rediscovering what happened in the Vel d'Hiv and how no one ever remembers it until its the anniversary, then everyone has to learn about what happened. I found it interesting how their was one character who wanted so badly to forget the past, and the contradicting character who wanted so badly to dig into it.

Sarah's Key (Intro)

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

After getting this assignment, I was so excited to finally be able to read the books that I wanted for school. Jenna actually recommended this book to me, and I remember hearing good things and wanting to read it a while ago, though I don't know why I didn't read it then. I have never even heard of this author before, and I'm not familiar with any of her other work (if she even has any, I'm not sure..) but this particular book got so many good reviews, I'm excited to read it.

I think one of the main reasons that this book is so interesting to me is because when someone thinks about the Holocaust, and the persecution against Jewish families in the 1940's, it all comes back to Nazi Germany. However, this book focuses on a certain event which persecuted Jewish peoples in France, and it was carried out by French Police on Nazi orders. Before this book, I had never even heard of the Vel d'Hiv roundup before. There's constantly so many pieces of history that are not well known and I think this book will bring awareness to the events that so little knew about (or if they did know it, choose to ignore it). Hopefully this book will live up to all of the praise it received!