The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Socity By Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I LOVED this book. It is written all in letters and is the story of an woman writer and friends she makes from the Island of Guernsey and there amazing stories of the occupation of their small island.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

This is a beautiful book for lots of reasons. First, the writing is tremendous and the stories and characters are rich and compelling. And second, the author's own story is also just as compelling and interesting.

The book is made of two short novellas both taking place in June 1940, the first about Parisians fleeing the city on the eve of the German invasion; the second in a small French town during the German occupation and is about the fraternization of the French townspeople and the German soldiers stationed there. The book was intended to be a suite, much like a symphony taking place with multiple acts, but with some variations on a theme with an ensemble of characters that are intertwined and overlapping throughout the different acts. The author intended the book to have five acts total, but was only able to complete these first two.

The author, who was born a Russian Jew and immigrated to Paris at 18yrs old, converted to Catholicism, but was repeatedly denied French citizenship. She was writing this while in hiding in France in 1940, but was turned over by the French and taken to Auschwitz where she died later that year. Her manuscript was saved by her 10 year old daughter thinking it was a journal. 50 years later it was published in France and became an instant best-seller.

Even considered "unfinished" as far as the overall work is concerned, I felt that the two novellas still felt complete as works on their own.

p.s. It makes a great Book Group book, not only because of the amount of information available for discussion, but also if you have a ward that reads only books with a PG rating.

The Unquiet Nisei by Diana Meyers Bahr

A Nisei is a second generation Japanese American and this book draws on a collection of oral histories of an incredible woman, Sue Kunitomi Embrey and her friends and family. In 1942 Sue, along with nearly 120,000 other people of japanese anscestry, was removed from the West Coast to what were called "relocation centers". Sue's experiances in this internment camp transform her into a life long activist speaking out against racism, prejudice, and moral injustice her entire life. Sue did all this in the face of great hostility from both Japanese Americans and mainstream communities. She worked tirelessly for more than three decades to make her particular internment camp a historic site as well as gain congressional acknowledgement and a presidential apology for those she suffered with as well as to remind us of what can happen in war time chaos so that it will not happen again.

This story is absolutely inspiring. Sue did what she felt was right and became an activist in a time when there were few voices for those who were considered less than, and in direct opposition to her upbringing and japanese culture.

Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki

Iwasaki was one of several geisha author Arthur Golden interviewed while researching his novel Memoirs of a Geisha. According to Iwasaki, she agreed to speak with Golden on the condition that her involvement would be kept confidential, but Golden revealed her identity by mentioning her name in the book's acknowledgments, as well as several national interviews. After Memoirs was published, Iwasaki received criticism and even death threats for violating the traditional geisha code of silence.Iwasaki felt betrayed by Golden's use of information she considered confidential, as well as the way he twisted reality, and denounced Memoirs of a Geisha as being an inaccurate depiction of the life of a geiko. Iwasaki was particularly offended by the novel's portrayal of geiko engaging in ritualized prostitution. For example, in the novel the main character Sayuri's virginity (called mizuage in the novel) is auctioned off to the highest bidder. Iwasaki stated that not only did this never happen to her, but that no such custom existed at all in Gion. Part of Iwasaki's displeasure with Memoirs may also have been because the character Sayuri seems obviously modeled on Iwasaki, with many of the book's main characters and events having parallels in Iwasaki's life. These people and experiences are often portrayed negatively in Memoirs, even when their real-life counterparts were positive for Iwasaki.
Iwasaki sued Golden for breach of contract and defamation of character in 2001. The lawsuit was settled out of court in February 2003.

After the publication of Memoirs of a Geisha, Iwasaki decided to write her real autobiography, contrasting with the fiction of Golden's book. Her book, co-authored by Rande Brown and published as Geisha, A Life in the US and Geisha of Gion in the UK, detailed her experiences before, during and after her time as a geiko to the outside world. It became a worldwide bestseller.

Mineko left home to begin studying traditional Japanese dance at the Iwasaki okiya (geisha house) in the Gion district of Kyoto when she was only five years old. She was legally adopted by the okiya's owner, Madame Oima, and took on the family name Iwasaki. She had been chosen as the house's atotori, or heir. When Madame Oima became too old to run the business any longer, it would be Mineko's job to take over. Mineko became a maiko (apprentice geiko) at age 15. By age 21 she had earned a reputation as Japan's best dancer and maiko.

I absolutely loved this book! When I was in Japan I picked up some of the feeling of respect and awe for these women and their lifestyle and was so excited to find a book which acurately depicts it. Another strong woman who yet remains obedient in the confines of her culture.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

If you want to immerse yourself in a complex and mysterious culture, read Arthur Golden's first novel, "Memoirs of a Geisha". Steven Speilberg just bought the rights to this novel, a wise move since the story is full of vivid images and brisk action.
The story follows the life of a young Japanese girl, Chiyo, as she is sold into slavery during the Great Depression. It begins in a small fishing village as the 9-year-old's father sells her and her sister, Satsu, to a local businessman. Because of her unusual grey eyes, Chiyo is then sold to an okiya, a geisha house, while Satsu is sold into prostitution.
It is amazing that Golden, an American male, has so eloquently portrayed the life of a Japanese geisha. He captures the emotions of his characters perfectly while describing Japanese life.
Chiyo initially rebels. But when she learns that her sister has escaped without her and her parents have died she accepts her fate. She struggles to find independence within the strict world of the geisha and climbs to the top of geisha society, only to crash during World War II. She then starts over and finds independence through her patrons.
Golden fills the book with vivid images and subtle descriptions of the nuances of Japanese culture, and is absolutely brilliant in his description of the customs and rituals of the geisha. Through the meticulous detail the reader can fully understand the politics, rivalries, and traditions of the Japan geisha society.
But while Golden captures your attention with information, this is also the book's minor downside. With so much detail you almost get bogged down by the numerous definitions of Japanese terms. But if you hang in, the action picks up and you will start to cheer for Chiyo as she continues her struggle. Golden explores the concept of freedom within a slavelike society as Chiyo uses her brains more than her beauty to make an independent life for herself.

Review by Ann Hastings

I Loved this book. I thought it was an interesting and well told story.

When The Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Hothle

This is a book that mixes Philippine folklore with the amazing tale of some that survived the occupation of Manila by the Japanse. As with any WWII survival tale it is an amazing story of struggle and humanity. A group of neighbors huddle together in a cellar, hiding from the brutal Japanese forces. To pass the time they take turns telling stories. Each of these "short stories" are wonderful and rich. The overall story of these people is also wonderful filled with courage and strength.

The Book Thief

I borrowed this book from my Mom, a voracious reader/book collector, back in August.  She told me it was wonderful, but I was hesitant to read it because she told me it was the story of a girl in Nazi Germany.  I am always hesitant to read books about Nazi Germany because they are inevitably sad.  So I didn't open this book up and decided this last Sunday to return it to her unread.  As I handed the book back to my Mom, my sister-in-law made me take it back. "That book is amazing, and you can't not read it," she said.  So I grudgingly took it back home with me and read the first chapter on Sunday.  Oh my goodness, this book was AMAZING.  Any yes it was sad.  I cried really hard.  My eyes are still puffy.  What is it about?  Well I guess you could say it is about a girl in Nazi Germany and her little life in Himmel Street, on the outskirts of Munich.  The jacket of the book says, "It's just a small story really, about, among other things:  a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery..." It is a wonderful story about the power of words and books.  One final quote from the book; "How does it feel, anyway?" "How does what feel?" "When you take one of those books?'  At that moment, she chose to keep still.  If he wanted an answer, he'd have to come back, and he did.  "Well?" he asked, but again, it was the boy who replied, before Liesel  could even ope, her mouth.  "It feels good, doesn't it, to steal something back."

This is the story of a girl stealing some words back from Hitler.  It is a wonderful book.

Atonement

I liked this book for the most part. It was very...wordy, if that makes sense. It is a good story but there is not a lot of conversation. There are a lot of sections where we are reading what the charecters are thinking. Overall it was a good but slow read for me.