Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.

“War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.”

I have been anticipating Sepetys' newest book since I finished Out of the Easy a couple of years ago. I find Sepetys to be a phenomenal historical fiction writer, as she manages to find topics that are known, but unknown. First, in Between Shades of Gray, she focused on the Soviet work camps and relocations that took place during and after World War II, then in Out of the Easy, on life in a brothel in New Orleans around the 1950s, and here, in Salt to the Sea, on the massive Operation Hannibal, an ill-fated attempt by Germany to evacuate citizens from the eastern front as the Soviet Red Army closed in on Berlin.

I love that Sepetys chooses time periods that we're familiar with, but focuses on topics that we might now know about. Truthfully, I knew little about Operation Hannibal before reading this title. I know I learned a little about it in a college history course, but as it is absent from most common history books, it's not something I would have come across recently. Basically, Operation Hannibal occurred as the Red Army began pushing the eastern front back toward Germany in early 1945. The German government, in fear of what Stalin's army was doing to its citizens, ordered a late evacuation of anyone with German descent. Some citizens escaped back into Germany on foot or by train, but there was also a massive operation to use remaining ships and transport German citizens that way (much faster, but also more dangerous).

The book does involve this process, but it is so much deeper than a simple book about a failed sea evacuation. Instead, Sepetys weaves together a gruesome depiction of what war does to everyday people. The novel switches perspective every chapter between 4 young adults as they all converge on the ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff, in an attempt to evacuate. Each of the 4 come from a different country and a different background, but all see the ship and evacuation as a beacon of hope-for different reasons. On their journey, we learn what has happened to them over the course of the war-who they once were, who they lost, and what their hopes might be.

And as the ship is hit by enemy torpedoes, we see what happens to those hopes and dreams...

What struck me most about the novel is that yet again, Sepetys manages to capture the realities and horrors of war. And in particular, on the horrors of the Red Army. I feel as though little is taught here in the States about what exactly was going on in the Soviet Union under Stalin, and what the state of eastern Europe was like during the last few years of the war. Stalin committed the same atrocities as Hitler, and did things that are often unmentioned in our history books. For example, I know book talks in length about the horrors of the Holocaust, etc, but only a brief mention is given to Stalin's own work camps. We know the names of Auschwitz, etc, but can you easily name a Soviet camp? I know I probably can't without looking it up for reference.

I love that Sepetys does this-that she captures historical timeframes in a new light and makes you question what you know. I mean, after all, Stalin was our ally in World War II....is that why little is taught about what his army did? I don't know. But it makes me curious and wanting to know more.

In any case, this is a fabulous book that discusses a naval tragedy talked about seldom. It's beautifully written, and the characters are well-developed throughout. If you're looking for a great piece of historical fiction, I highly recommend this one.

“What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?” 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.

“I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And now I feel, with a strange, deep certainty, that it must be my lot in life to be taught that lesson over and over again.” 

Orphan Train is a book that I had seen around for quite some time before deciding to pick it up and give it a try. Truthfully, I knew little about the orphan train system that used to function in the United States (I knew it existed, but hadn't read further). This fictional account of one girl's journey on the orphan train contrasted with a teenager's journey on the modern-day orphan train, the foster system, is a book I really enjoyed.

The books transitions back and forth between 2 perspectives. In one, we are in the present day learning about young Molly's experiences in the foster care system. As an older teenager, she's beginning to age out of the system and has struggled to find a place where she feels she belongs. She soon befriends the 91-year-old Vivian Daly, who, in a younger life, had been an orphan on an orphan train. 

Together, their stories contrast and wind together in a narrative not only about the past, but about the present. I couldn't help but compare Molly's experiences in the system to that of Vivian's. I was most struck by the feeling of having to conform to their host family and their expectations. In Molly's case, it's fighting against foster parents who don't understand her beliefs and values (being a vegetarian, etc). For Vivian, it's losing her original name, living in poor conditions, and taking the place of a deceased daughter.

Their stories do parallel each other, and highlight the negative aspects of our current fostering system. I mean, in most stories where there is discussion about foster parents, are there ever any positive, healthy relationships? I know they must exist, just not in literature (if you know of any, please tell me). But it really talks about the plight of young people in our country, and the world at large. What do we do with children who are orphaned? What happens to those kids who don't get adopted?

“So is it just human nature to believe that things happen for a reason - to find some shred of meaning even in the worst experiences?”

The book raised a lot of questions for me. I want to learn more about this-both the historical aspect of the orphan trains, but also our modern system for taking care of kids in the system. If anything, this book was inspiring for me (I have already planned out a unit on this topic to do with my AP kids after they take their test in May). 

Back to the story....Kline managed to weave the two stories together seamlessly, and while I was a bit more invested in Vivian's story than Molly's, I found a lot to value in each. When I initially finished, I was almost bothered my Molly's story, thinking it distracted from the power of Vivian's, but after some reflection, I realized that Vivian's story merely highlights Molly's-it shows that we still have children with no families.

In all, it was a beautifully written book and a fast read. If you're a fan of historical fiction, you're sure to enjoy this one.

“So is it just human nature to believe that things happen for a reason - to find some shred of meaning even in the worst experiences?”

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

“It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter how much I loved him and tried to put him back together again, he might stay broken forever.” 

I'm not all that familiar with Ernest Hemingway. I've read some things by him-A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises, and a few short stories-but nothing that really sticks out in my memory. I know that I never studied him in depth while at college, and I only have faint memories of my tenth grade English teacher telling me to give him a try.

What I do know is intriguing. I know that his style is simple in that he tries to remove emotion so that the reader can form their own opinions and thoughts about the action. I also know he was a bit of an alcoholic, married a few times, and committed suicide. I also know that Hemingway spent a lot of time in Michigan as a youth (we visited one of his favorite bars in Petosky this summer-I sat in his chair).

But really, that isn't a lot to know about him. And while I know that The Paris Wife is a fictional account of his first marriage to Hadley Richardson, it made me want to get to know Hemingway on a more intimate level this coming year (thus, why A Moveable Feast, a book lingering on my shelf for years, is on my TBR Challenge list).

So, The Paris Wife is mainly told from Hadley's point of view. It starts with her as a 28-year-old first meeting the younger Ernest Hemingway before he published much of anything. They fall in love, get married, and move to Europe. It is only once they are in Europe that Hemingway begins to write in earnest (no pun intended....okay, maybe a little) and starts to make connections with the literary greats of the era.

I loved those portions of the novel-the characters meeting figures like Fitzgerald and his wife, Gertrude Stein, Pound, and more. It brought to my mind all their wonderful work, but also reminded me of the importance of connections in the literary world.

However, it wasn't just those literary figures that made the book work. It was the fact that Hadley's love for Ernest was just so raw and real. Hadley truly understood Ernest's passion and desire to write and fully supported it. She left her home and family to live with him in Europe and continually put his desires above her own.

“Why is it every other person you meet says they're an artist? A real artist doesn't need to gas on about it, he doesn't have time. He does his work and sweats it out in silence, and no one can help him at all.” 

The novel unfolds as they deal with challenges to their relationship from within and the influence of those around them. As Ernest starts to gain success, he pulls away until his inevitable affair.

The last 50 or so pages of the book were probably the most interesting of all. I knew, prior to reading the novel. that Hemingway had a series of wives, so of course, it was to all crumble. And crumble it did. And while McLain explained in a series of questions I read online, no one really understood why Hadley let what happened....well, happen. So, McLain's take was insightful.....and I don't know how true it is, but it fit the character of Hadley that McLain constructed.

In all, The Paris Wife was a beautifully written book. The bits about falling in love and being in love resonated deep with me. I've also got spiked interest in reading some of Hemingway's other work in the future, so it was inspiring on more than one level. This is one I definitely recommend!

“Books could be an incredible adventure. I stayed under my blanket and barely moved, and no one would have guessed how my mind raced and my heart soared with stories.”

*I'm still getting in the habit of writing again. Forgive me if I'm awkward for a bit!* 

Review: Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O'Dell and Elizabeth Hall.

I was kind of a Scott O'Dell junkie when I was a kid. I read a lot of his work and was always bringing my copies with me on road trips. All of my copies are battered and beaten now, but I love them. Like all of the books I reread in November, they are a part of my childhood.

This particular novel may even edge out Island of the Blue Dolphins as my all-time favorite.

Thunder Rolling in the Mountains was the book O'Dell was working on in 1989 when he passed away. His wife, Elizabeth Hall, finished the novel. It is basically the story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce people.

Like many Native American tribes, the Nez Perce were told they had to leave their lands and go to a reservation. Instead of giving in, they fled, in hope that the United States Army would leave them alone. The speech Chief Joseph made when his people were captured is famous, and it something I had my students learn when I taught United States history:

"Tell General Howard I know his Heart. What He told me before I have in my heart. I am tired of fighting, Looking Glass is dead. Too-Hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food; no one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."

As a child, I was fascinated with the lives of the Native Americans, and this story of survival and fighting was one that gripped me far more than any other that O'Dell wrote about. It made me crave knowledge about other tribes in the United States and what happened to them as well.

And in terms of historical fiction, O'Dell did his research. He outlined the battles and the deaths of the Nez Perce people beautifully. And while his narrator, Sound of Running Feet, seems detached and hollow, it fits the tone of her tribe's story. They were running from their only home in hopes that they would find aid somewhere, and in the end, many died.

I think I can blame O'Dell for spurring my love of history at such a young age. Stories like this are why I find history so fascinating to study. And it probably led to my decision to earn a history degree along with my English degree. In my college classes where we discussed indigenous tribes and peoples, I was always fascinated and in love with the depth and strength of their cultures.

I was reminded of all these things this time around and I wish there were more novels like this for young adults. I always craved more historical fiction as a child and teen, and in the time in which I was growing up, there weren't as many options.

If you are looking for a starting point for Native American culture and history, I can suggest nothing better than O'Dell's works for young readers. They are passionate, well-written, and thoroughly researched. They helped mold my own passion for history, perhaps they can help a child you know as well.

Book 29: Alias Grace.

I enjoy well-done historical fiction. I can appreciate it when an author stays true to the time period and facts of a certain era while creating a new story, or elaborating on facts to make a story come to life.

However, when it is done badly, it makes me want to throw the book against the wall-something I have done a few times in the past.

For those authors who do create beautiful fiction set in historical settings, I commend them. Writing good historical fiction is extremely difficult. There is that threat of a history buff finding something at fault in the novel and ripping it to shreds (I have been known to do that). That is why I can appreciate work like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. While she certainly takes some liberties in what she is writing, she does it well and for the most part, only tweaks history when she needs to. It is also clear from reading her work that she did her homework.

So I am looking forward to Atwood's novel, which could also be classified as historical fiction. Alias Grace is centered on the true story of the deaths of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery in 1843. The two other servants in the house, James McDermott and Grace Marks, were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. Somehow, Grace was saved from her death sentence and spent many years in prison before being released (not a plot spoiler, merely what happened).

In Alias Grace, Atwood attempts to fill in the questions that so many people had at the time. Taking place years after the murders, Atwood creates a fictional doctor who is trying to learn the truth from Marks through interview. Atwood also throws in excerpts from newspapers published during teh time of the murders, observations from the wardens and guards where Grace was kept, court transcripts, as well as poems, etc that all highlight the characters.

Now, while I am only about 50 pages in, I can tell you this. Atwood is creating GREAT historical fiction. She is remaining true to the facts that are known, while creating a story to fill in the gaps. It is riveting. And while I already know what happens to Grave Marks based on historical fact, I am still anxiously turning each page to see if I am right. That is the mark of a great writer. She is turning a story I already know into something much more powerful and emotional.

My only hope is that she continues to stay true to the story and history, or this book will be fated to hit the wall as well. But I have a feeling it won't go there.