Tag Archives: World War II

The Kitchen God’s Wife – Amy Tan

Amy Tan’s writing is rich with beautiful imagery, taking the reader and placing them right in the heart of China. With everything from the words she uses to the way she strings them together, she creates a tale so overflowing with atmosphere, you feel as though you’ve left America and traveled the world in your mind, immersing yourself in a culture rich with tradition and heritage, which may be different from your own but yet welcomes you as a visitor and guest. In “The Kitchen God’s Wife,” we meet mother and daughter, Winnie and Pearl. Pearl is in her forties … Continue reading →

Father Goose (1964)

Walter Eckland is a filthy beast. He admits it himself and is rather proud of the fact. Catherine Freneau is a goody-two-shoes, and she, too, is proud of it. So what happens when you take a filthy beast and a goody-two-shoes, strand them on an island in the middle of a war, and throw a handful of homeless girls into the mix? A great movie, of course. Walter Eckland (Cary Grant) is an irresponsible wanderer who spends his life puttering around in his boat. Disenchanted with the structured life he used to lead as a college professor, he has put … Continue reading →

Elie Wiesel: Twenty Years After the Nobel Prize

It was twenty years ago this month that Holocaust survivor, human rights advocate, and novelist Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Although more commonly called Elie, he was born Eliezar in September of 1928 in the Transylvanian (now Romanian) town of Sighet. At the age of fifteen, barely more than a boy, he and his family were taken by the Nazis and incarcerated in one of the most infamous concentration camps, Auchwitz. His mother and younger sisters died while there. Later, Elie and his father were transported to another camp, Buchenwald. His father died in 1945, just missing … Continue reading →

Books for Pearl Harbor Day

Today is December 7th, the day we commemorate the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese which marked the beginning of the U.S. war in the Pacific. We were already at war in Europe, and suddenly we found ourselves fighting on two fronts, torn in two directions, sending our soldiers all around the world in pursuit of the cause of freedom. Along those lines I would like to recommend some books that take us from the beginning to end of the war in the Pacific. 1. “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” by Ted W. Lawson. In March of 1946, four months … Continue reading →

Faith of My Fathers — John McCain with Mark Salter

Politics is, and has always been, one of those subjects you either love or you hate, and you either love or hate the key players that are our politicians. One of those lucky persons who brings up these strong emotions in the American public is John McCain, a veteran and a senator who caught the public’s eye most through his run for the Presidency this last time around. Interestingly enough, though, this book isn’t about politics. It’s about service to country and ends before telling the story of McCain’s rise in politics. Most interestingly, McCain uses this media as a … Continue reading →

A Review of “Three Against Hitler”

“Three Against Hitler” is the true story of three LDS teenagers and what they did to fight against Hitler’s regime. The book is written by Rudi Wobbe and Jerry Borrowman. Rudi Wobbe is one of the three teenagers that fought against Hitler while living in Germany. The book is based on his account and experiences. Jerry Borrowman helped Wobbe to write his story and experiences. The book chronicles what life was like for Rudi growing up as a member of the church in Germany in the 1930’s. It introduces us to his friends Helmuth Heubener and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe. Helmuth was … Continue reading →