Saturday, April 19, 2008

Friday the 18th post

Just wanted to put an update from yesterday here. I read the final book in the Shadow Children series by Haddix, Among the Free. Good ending, and a hopeful one. Also finished Trouble by Gary Schmidt, and it was well worth reading. The protagonist & his brother talk about climbing Katahdin and well.. do they? Read the book & find out!

Also wanted to mention here a book I read last year, called Unto the Daughters : The Legacy of an Honor Killing in a Sicilian-American Family by Karen Tintori. What a remarkable book. When I tell people the synopsis of the plot, the first thing they always ask is, "This is fiction, isn't it?" and sadly enough, it is not. I prize this book as much for its record of cultural history, record of an immigrant family, and the ties that home, homeland, and culture can have on people. Karen Tintori gives such a beautiful picture of what made Frances (her great-aunt) who she was, and why omerta had such a hold on the family.

Unto the Daughters is also a very interesting illustration of the 'dangers' of doing family research & genealogical research. Sometimes you do find out things that aren't so wonderful about your family.... but they're still your family & they still are a part of you. It is hard to put into words how much this book means to me, and how fascinating it is, but I do highly recommend it. It is hard to read in parts, because it is real and the events happened to real people. The sorrow over some of the events is very clear, but so is the peace that comes from knowing & understanding some of the twists in the family bonds.

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