BookPikks

 Note:  I found and read this book because the publisher (Academy Chicago Publisher) recommended it for my reading list.

Julian was only 7 years old when the Nazis invaded Poland, and he fled Warsaw with his mother whom he barely knew, and his aunts and cousins.  Although Julian and his family were Jewish, Julian’s beloved governess Kiki had taught Julian of God’s love for Catholics and disregard for Jews.  Thus, Julian secretly in his 7-year-old heart was a Catholic.  Julian’s thoughts and misunderstandings on God and religion form a welcome break from the brutality of the war swirling around him.  One passage in particular describes the Trinity from a  child’s mindset:

Over the next two years or so, I learned from Kiki about God and Mary, their little boy Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.  This last, I saw from pictures, was like a white pigeon that they had.  This, I supposed, was like the canary that I was going to get some day when I was old enough.

Julian’s mother was an amazingly strong and intelligent woman.  Although she was used to being pampered and cared for, when it came to the survival of her family, she did whatever it took to keep her and her son alive.  This memoir recalls the basic story of Julian’s escape from Poland.  But beyond that, it shows two important transformations in Julian’s young life.  First, Julian’s attitude towards his mother changes from disregard and embarrasment to love and respect.  Second, due to his mother’s influence, Julian discovers that God doesn’t hate people just because they aren’t born Catholic–God loves everyone.

Due to the nature of the book (a memoir) parts of the book read a bit slow, as Padowicz includes more detail than a fiction writer would.  But because of the detail and his memory of small incidents (accidentally receiving his first sausage sandwich, jumping in the hay loft) the story has an authentic feel, and has a true child’s perspective on some horrible times.

Burch recounts the tragic period in his childhood, beginning at age 8 when he is dropped off at an orphanage without explanation by his mother.  Burch is then bounced from institution to home to foster home and back to institutions for the next several years.  He never knows if or when he will see his family again, and his only comfort is an old stuffed animal taken from an orphanage.  Burch struggles to learn the rules in every new place that he visits, but the hardest rule to accept comes from a boy his own age:

“There ain’t no friends in here. . . It’s like this.  If you got a friend in here and they go away someplace, then you’re left by yourself, alone.  And if you keep making friends and they keep going away, then over and over again, you’re alone. . . It hurts.”

But in spite of this rule, and in spite of the abandonment and abuse that Burch repeatedly experiences, he eventually learns to love and receive love.

Self-help, positive thinking Dr. Laura style.  My favorite chapter title?  “The Earth Is Not the Center of the Universe–And You and I Aren’t Either!”

Grisham returns to his roots with a classic courtoom/legal drama.  At stake this time is a 40 million plus verdict, handed down by a jury against a negligent chemical company, which is of course appealed to the state supreme court.   Lawyers, politicians, businesspeople and ordinary citizens are pitted against each other, all trying to win for their side.

Although I enjoyed the book on the surface (who doesn’t like a classic good guys vs. bad guys story?), Grisham seemed to be “preaching” in this book much more so than I remember him doing in his previous novels.  (Maybe I’m wrong–it’s been awhile since I’ve read his earlier books).  An example:  At one point, a conservative group is questioning a potential candidate.  The conversation goes like this:

Abortion?  Opposed.  All abortions?  Opposed.

Death penalty? Very much in favor.

No one seemed to grasp the contradiction between the two.

There are many other not-so-subtle digs in the book against conservatives in general, and big business in particular.  In contrast, of trial lawyers, Grisham says, “No one fought as hard for the little guy.”  Grisham’s point in writing the book was to illustrate the influence that private money has when it is allowed in judicial elections.  He could have made this point just as effectively without tarring all businessmen as corrupt, and all conservative Christian groups as blindly supporting anyone who claims to be pro-life.

I first discovered Baldacci when I read his novel Wish You Well. Since then, I have read several of his popular thrillers. I don’t feel the need to blog individually about each book, as they are very similar in style and substance. However, if you are looking for an easy, entertaining, suspenseful mystery, Baldacci has many to choose from. I particularly enjoy his books because they are mostly set in the DC/Virginia area, which is familiar to me. Baldacci lives in Virginia, and writes very knowledgeably about the area.

Books of his that I’ve read:

Saving Faith: Lee Adams, PI and Faith Lockhart, lobbyist are on the run from powerful Washington leaders.

Split Second: Former Secret Service agent Sean King, and disgraced agent Michelle Maxwell realize that there’s a connection between the crimes both have witnessed. They join forces to clear their names.

Hour Game: King and Maxwell have now formed a PI firm. They must investigate a series of murders in their own hometown. This one was my favorite by far–much more suspenseful, easy to read, yet not as predictable as previous books.