This is the final week of the German Literature Month challenge and participants can read whatever they like. I decided to read a novel by Gudrun Pausewang because I found the last book I read by her, Traitor, to be such a well developed taut story that I was on the edge of my seat right up to the end. What an excellent writer she is, though not everyone’s cup of tea.
Along the way, Gisel’s mother goes into labor and has to be taken off the train. The family continues on, but must change trains along the way. At the station, Granny goes to find out which train to take, while Gisel watches the luggage and the kids. Suddenly, an air raid siren goes off and the children are carried along with the panicking crowd to find shelter. Then Erwin gets separated from them. Gisel leaves Harold alone with the food bag and tells him not to move, but once she finds Erwin, Harold has disappeared, along with their food. And in the meantime, a 7 year old girl named Lotte attaches herself to Gisel.
Air raid wardens insist they find shelter. Once the raid is over, all the kids want to go to the bathroom, and they head that way. Turns out, Harold was in there all the time, with the bag of food he had to rescue from a thief. Finally, together again in the now empty ladies room, the air raid sirens go off again. This time the train station takes a direct hit, and the kids can hear that the shelter has been destroyed, but the rubble is blocking the ladies room exit and they are stuck there with no lights, no water and no heat.
Then they discover that there is a severely wounded soldier in the men's room next to them, whom they can speak with through a small pipe. This man, Herr Rockel, is able to give Gisel advice on how to survive until they are found and seems to draw some comfort in hearing the noise they make.
Buried under mounts of rubble, knowing that they are literally surrounded by death, they don’t know if they will ever be found, but must carry on with that hope. How they do that makes up the bulk of the story, although the reader knows from the start that at least Gisel survives, since the story is framed by a letter she is writing to her granddaughter for her 16th birthday.
First published in 1971, I have chosen Judith Kerr’s children’s classic When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit to read for the fourth week of the German Literature Month challenge. Kerr was born in Berlin in 1923. Her family chose to flee Germany just before the Nazis came to power because her father, Alfred Kerr, a well-known writer, had openly criticized this regime. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is Kerr’s autobiographical novel about their flight.
The book begins just before the March 1933 election. Things are pretty good for Anna, 9, and her older brother, Max. They do well in school and enjoy playing with their friends. They are Jewish, but secular Jews. But one day her father disappears and Anna learns that he has traveled to Prague. He had been warned that he would be a wanted man by the Nazis depending on what happened in the upcoming election.
A few days before the election, the Reichstag Fire occurs and it is decided that the rest of the family would now travel to Switzerland to meet up with him. All household goods are packed and put into storage, including all the toys and games that belong to the children. Their Onkle Julius, who happens to have had a Jewish grandmother, but thinks he is safe and that the Nazis won’t last anyway, is sorry to see them go, but expects the family back with a short time.
The train to Switzerland is a harrowing adventure. There is always the fear that the passports will be questioned or worse, taken from them, barring entry to Switzerland. But everything goes well and the family arrives in Zurich and are all reunited. They soon learn that the Nazis had shown up at their home in Berlin to collect their passports the morning after the election that gave Hitler supreme power in Germany.
The formerly well off family suddenly finds themselves very poor and Anna’s father can find very little work as a writer/journalist. Despite their neutrality, the Swiss don’t want provoke the Nazis right across the border. Nevertheless, Anna and her family remain in Switzerland for about a year, living in two small, inexpensive rooms at a Gasthof. It is very pleasant there; in fact, the only unpleasant incidents are from German visitors who refuse to let their children play with Jews.
It is later decided to move to Paris, in the hope of getting more paid work. Once again the family find themselves living in a small, inexpensive apartment. There are many adjustment difficulties, such as Max and Anna are expected to attend school and learn French at the same time. Food and money are scarce, and everyone is beginning to get on each other’s nerves. But they make friends with the Fernand family, which gives them some social outlet. Eventually, the family makes it way to London, where things are expected to work out better for the family.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is an uncomplicated book, told from the point of view of a child, which Kerr w
So Far From the Bamboo Grove tells the story of an 11 year old Japanese girl, Yoko Kawashima, who had lived in Nanam in North Korea all her life; in fact, she had never even seen her homeland Japan.
But now, towards the end of the war, Yoko, her mother and older sister Ko are warned by a friend, Corporal Matsumura, that things are not going well and they must try to return to Japan immediately. With Mr. Kawashima, a Japanese diplomat, away in Manchuria, China, and their 18 year old brother Hideyo working elsewhere, Yoko, Ko and their mother leave their home in the middle of the night, taking only what they could carrying. The corporal had been able to secure them places on a hospital train bound for Seoul, where they hoped to find passage on a ship to Japan.
Hideyo had wanted to join the Japanese army when he learned that the war was no longer going well for them. But he is rejected by the army and placed in a factory in another part of Korea to make munitions for the Japanese army. When the war ends, he also finds it necessary to flee and the book is split between the difficulties he meets on his journey with that of the Kawashima women.
The women are able to board the train to Seoul using a letter from Corporal Matsumura, but when the train is bombed 45 miles away from that city, they are forced to walk the rest of the way. Not long after they start walking, the women are stopped by three armed Korean Communist Army soldiers. But when planes fly over and bomb the area they are in, the soldiers are killed. The women take their uniforms, and because they speak fluent Korean, pass themselves off as Koreans for much of their journey. However, the bombs left Yoko with a painfully injured chest.
Eventually, the women make it to Seoul, where Yoko was fortunate enough to have her chest taken care of at the makeshift Japanese hospital. Ko minds their place in a train station, and must constantly scrounge around for food, while Yoko and her mother remain at the hospital. When Yoko is able to travel, once again manage to get places on a train, this time to Pusan, where they must await passage on a ship to Japan. But when Yoko arrives in Japan, it is not the beautiful, comforting, welcoming place she had always dreamt it would be. Japan is now a defeated country, reeling from the two atomic bombs that had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is little food and great destruction, and no welcome for the new influx of refugees returning home. Once again, they find themselves living in a train station and scrounging in the garbage of others for food to survive.
So Far from the Bamboo Grove is a compelling, well-written story, detailing how the Kawashima women survive by their wits and much luck. It is a coming of age story, in which Yoko goes from a whining, complaining 11 year old to stronger, and more mature 12 year old girl.
Unfortunately, it is a story not without some controversy. While most people like the book, it has created quite a bit of resentment among Koreans and Korean Americans, who feel that the atrocities committed in Korea during the Japanese occupation was basically ignored and that some of the facts in the book are distorted. Koreans were portrayed as rather barbaric, and there is even the intimation of a Japanese woman being raped by a Korean man. Because of this, in 2006, the book was removed from the reading list for 6th graders at the Dover-Sherborn Middle School in Massachusetts, but was later o
Last December, Charlotte over at
Charlotte's Library reviewed a book by Josephine Elder called
Erica wins Through, reminding me of a book I have by the same author stuck away in my bookshelves. The other day I dug out my copy of
Strangers at the Farm School by Josephine Elder and reread it.
This is the third and last installment of Elder’s Farm School books. The Farm School is a very unconventional school, in which a student may pursue the things they are really interested in, besides their academic subjects. Students must also help with the running of the farm part of the school with chores like caring for animals or working in the fields.
The story opens in September 1938, just as the new term is starting. The school is expecting two Jewish refugee children from Germany, brother and sister Hans and Johanna Schiff. Their father, a successful lawyer, was arrested by the Gestapo and placed in a concentration camp, their mother remained in Germany to try to obtain his release, their friends were forbidden to have anything to do with them and they were no longer allowed to attend school. So their mother sends them to England as part of what appears to be the Kindertransport program.
On arrival in London, they are taken to a center where they are given clothing to wear. They are appalled that the items are used, accustomed as they were to much finer clothing. Then they were hustled to a train and journeye to Sutton Malherbe, the village where the Farm School is located. Mrs. Forrester, who along with her husband, owns and runs the Farm School, welcomes them with open arms, but the children are a bit distant because of their recent experiences in Germany.
The next day is a busy one, with new arrivals, dormitory assignments and exploring the farm. Johanna is happy to learn she may be able to help take care of some calves, but Hans becomes quite indignant when told he could help with the pigs. The other kids don’t understand his attitude until he explains that to a Jew, a pig is an unclean animal. But Hans is also angry and insulted that they are expected to do any kind of work usual to a farm, feeling he is above that kind of labor.
Johanna quickly adjusts to life at the farm school, and particularly enjoys doing the farm work that is expected of her. She gets along with the other girls, even developing a GP (Grand Pash or crush) on Annis Beck, herself a senior student and the school president. But, remembering how things were in Germany, she never lets herself get very friendly with the other kids, despite her loneliness. She is very thrilled when she is asked if she would like to play field hockey, since playing games in Germany had been forbidden for Jews.
At first, Hans does not make even this much adjustment. He cannot get past his anger at the English, who were Germany’s enemy in World War I and responsible for the death of his uncle and wounding of his father. While out walking with Johanna, and airing his grievances, the pair comes across some Gypsies harvesting the hops fields. The Gypsies are very friendly and it eventually comes out that they have also been to Germany and plan on returning. One
Most people have heard of Oskar Schindler, the ethnic German who saved 1,200 Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazis by employing them in his enamelware/ammunition factory, thanks to Thomas Keneally’s book
Schindler’s List and Steven Spielberg’s movie based on the book. But not many have heard of Varian Fry, the 32 year old American who went to Marseilles, France in August 1940 to help rescue refugees stranded there after France fell to the Nazis. Many of these refugees had fled to France from Hitler’s Germany during the 1930s.
McClafferty details Fry’s mission beginning with a mob attack on Jews that he had witnessed on 15 July 1935 in Berlin, Germany. This left a deeply disturbing impression of Fry, and in 1940, three days after the armistice was signed between Germany and France, he attended a luncheon in NY about the situation of refugees. A collection was made at the luncheon that raised $3,000 and a private organization called the Emergency Rescue Committee or ERC was formed. Its purpose was to rescue Jews and non-Jews who were enemies of the German state and who were also well-known artists, scientists, musicians, and politicians. The list of almost 200 names included people like Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Lion Feuchtwanger. Feuchtwanger was a German writer who had written the first book about the life of a Jewish family in Berlin under the Nazis in 1933 called
The Oppermanns (
Die Geschwister Oppermann).
Taking the list of names and the $3000 donation money, Fry volunteered to go see what he could do about getting these renowned refugees out of occupied France. The job proved to be more than anyone had thought it would be. First, there was the problem of finding the people on the list, who were more than likely living scattered around the south of France under assumed names or, like Feuchtwanger, were in a French concentration camp awaiting deportation. And there was the problem of everyone having the right papers at the same time. Each family member had to have exit and entrance visas with the same dates, as well as travel visas to go through other countries. A valid passport was required everywhere and since all German Jews had become stateless with the passage of the Nuremburg Laws in 1935, they did not have and could not obtain a valid passport.
McClafferty describes in a very clear easy to understand way the complex problems Fry faced when he arrived in Marseilles and his trials and errors as he learned how to work around all the difficulties, done mostly with the help of very clever people and a lot of deception. And she chronicles the deterioration of Fry’s marriage as he became more involved with what he was doing. Fry began to believe that he was indispensable to the rescue operation, and this led not only to more problems with his wife, but also with the ERC. Fry’s original mission was to last only for a month, but by the end of that time he was too involved with what he was doing, and delayed his departure. Eventually, word go around Marseilles that he was there to help rescue people, and other refugees, ordinary people not on the list, began to show up outside his hotel. These people could only be helped with day to day expenses, not gotten out of France. So many refugees came to Fry that he had to hire some help and ultimately set up a relief organization called the American Relief Center or ARC.
It is unfortunate but in the end Fry was fired by the ERC and finally escorted out of France by the police in 1941. Yet he had accompli
Operation Pied PiperThe story of the rescue of 2,000 civilian refugees from Poland and 50 orphaned Jewish children
Joice Loch’s account of events of her incredible rescue of Polish refugees and orphaned Jewish children in A Fringe of Blue are greatly understated. In fact, she makes no specific mention of Operation Pied Piper at all. I am left to wonder whether she didn’t recognise the enormity
My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Catherine Stock
Sangoel’s father died in the war in Sudan and now he and his mother and sister are refugees headed for America. Sangoel has little more than his name to take with him. The family is put in a small apartment, dressed in donated clothing, and Sangoel starts school. But no one ever says his name right. They all say San-go-el and Sangoel worries that he has lost his name entirely. That’s when Sangoel has a great idea and creates a t-shirt that uses symbols to tell them how to pronounce his name: a sun and a goal. The children understand immediately and all of them start to create their own symbols for their names.
This book concisely and concretely tells the story of a young refugee. Though his life circumstances may seem distant and unique, readers will immediately relate to having their name pronounced incorrectly and the frustration and dilemma that it causes. Williams and Mohammed have written just the right situation here to make Sangoel relatable and his circumstances universal. They also explore the dizzying changes a refugee faces from not knowing how to cross the road to dealing with new appliances. Stock’s illustrations are paintings that are colorful and realistic. They work well with the story, as Sangoel and his family struggle to understand the new land they are in.
This is not an ideal story time book, rather it is best for longer discussions, building understanding, and learning about the world. This would be well-used as a featured book in a unit or in a setting that allows discussion. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from book received from publisher.
The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson
Meli and her family are Albanians living in Kosovo. They are in grave danger. Her older brother, Mehmet is detained after leaving school one day. He is finally returned home to his family. So many people are being killed by Serbs that they are forced to flee their home, leaving their store and almost everything else behind. The family is forced first into tents in the mountains where they are safe for a short time, sleeping in a single shared tent and living without running water or electricity. Mehmet expresses interest in joining the Kosovo Liberation Party and the family leaves the mountains to keep him safe. They then live with their uncle in the family’s small farm with many people living under one roof. They live in constant fear of being discovered and turned out of their home with the tiny babies, elderly grandmother, and small children. Eventually they are forced to become refugees and the family is forced to separate with Meli and her immediate family going to the United States.
Paterson tells a gripping story of heroism, courage and family ties in this brief novel. As readers experience the fear and uncertainty through Meli’s eyes they will be moved by her story. This book captures the emotions of war without allowing them to overtake the storyline. Instead the book is about everyday people becoming heroes, small choices that mean living one more day, and endurance in the face of such hatred. Paterson rights with an honesty and a tautness that makes the book easy to read but difficult to digest.
This is an important book that is not just about the Albanians in Kosovo, but about all wars, all displaced people, and their courage and strength. Paterson takes a single incident among many and makes it universal and true. Highly recommended, this is a great book for classroom exploration and discussion. Appropriate for ages 11-13.
Reviewed from ARC received at the ALA Conference.
By:
Aline Pereira,
on 10/6/2009
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We came home from the library recently with a very special story: The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Karin Littlewood (Frances Lincoln, 2002). Our attention was first caught by the radiant smiles on the front cover but as soon as we leafed through the book, we realised that there was a darker side to the story. In fact, I was very glad that I then actually read it on my own first, as it proved to be a very moving story and I had to get my own tears out of the way before reading it aloud.
A new boy, Hassan, joins a class in an English school. He is struggling with everything being so different from his home in Somalia. The afternoon class is painting, which he has never done before. He sets about painting his house and family back home - “a lovely picture” - but then he paints in what happened to his house and family - the fire and bloodshed, and his uncle “smudged out”.
The next day, Hassan explains the painting and his family’s flight to England:
Hassan talked for an hour and then he ran out of words, even in Somali. When he finished Miss Kelly [his teacher] had tears in her eyes.
So did I… However, this story ends on an upbeat note: Hassan plays football with his classmates, who are welcoming and friendly; and paints another picture of his old house for his mother. Its bright colors help him to see the other colors around him and we know that he is starting to feel confident about his future.
So beautifully written and illustrated, this sensitive picture-book offers a focal point for children, who, increasingly, can empathise with its story through personal experience. I shared it with my own children; if you already know this book and have shared it at home or in class, do tell us.
And while writing this post, I have enjoyed discovering Mary Hoffman’s blogs (Book Maven and Mary’s Musings) as well as her website. I don’t know where I’ve been, but I realise I have a bit of catching up to do in terms of her books for older readers and know what I’ll be looking for on our next trip to the library! I also love all of the books I’ve come across illustrated by Karin Littlewood - her own website is under construction at the moment but here’s the link because one day…!
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 6/16/2009
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To commemorate World Refugee Day this week, corporate sponsor Microsoft Student has pledged $50,000 to UNHCR's "Gimme Shelter" campaign through the Causes application on Facebook. For every person who joins the cause, Microsoft will donate $1, and... Read the rest of this post
By:
Aline Pereira,
on 10/26/2008
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PaperTigers’ current Book of the Month, Alfredito Flies Home by Jorge Argueta and illustrated by Luis Garay (Groundwood 2007) is the story of Alfredito and his family’s return to El Salvador for the first time in four years, since arriving as refugees in San Francisco. The writing bubbles over with happiness and excitement as readers/listeners are carried along by Alfredito’s narration of events – the preparation, the flight and the hectic, happy holiday itself.
This opens the way for young readers/listeners to empathise with Alfredito’s experiences, even if they have never been in his situation themselves. They will then also be able to engage with those other moments which give pause for thought: such as the allusion to the family’s original journey to America under the guidance of “Señor Coyote”; the visit to his grandparents’ graves; or the underlying reality of separation, with some family in America, some in El Salvador.
For children who have parallel experiences to Alfredito’s, on the other hand, Alfredito’s story is invaluable: as Debbie of American Indians in Children’s Literature pointed out in her review.
Luis Garay’s sensitively attuned illustrations make this book extra special and provide plenty of details both within and outside the narrative – so there’s a lot to discuss. I would recommend this book be shared at least the first time children are introduced to it – not only because its tone so lends itself to being read aloud but also because of the discussion and/or questions it will provoke.
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Fleeing the horror that has turned her home in Cambodia into a battleground filled with death and starvation, twelve-year-old Dara and what is left of her family cross the border into neighboring Thailand and the safety of Nong Chan, a camp for Cambodian refugees. Quickly they become absorbed into the life of “a vast barren field teeming with refugees” which “had the feel of our village during the years of peace before the fighting started.”
This is a place with enough food for all, where Dara’s family joins forces with the family of Jantu, a girl who becomes Dara’s friend. Jantu has the gift of magic hands; she is able to turn clay and leftover scraps into toys and she makes Dara a clay marble that contains the magic and power that are badly needed in these troubled times. Even more magical and powerful are the bags of rice seeds that are given to the refugees and carry the promise of future crops in their abandoned fields in Cambodia. Dara and Jantu’s families dream of feeding themselves once again in Cambodia, but even in the safety of the refugee camp, war interferes brutally with their plans.
Written by Minfong Ho, who worked as a volunteer in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border in 1980, this book has become a classic since it appeared in 1991. Dara and Jantu, with their determination and courage, are characters who reach beyond borders and age barriers to show readers what it means to become refugees and how hope can bring people back to their homes. Please join us in reading and discussing The Clay Marble in July.
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In her post at the beginning of the month, Aline talked about books which help young people gain some insight into what it means to be a refugee, in light of World Refugee Day on the 20th June – and in fact we decided to bring her post up to the top on Friday to keep the day at the forefront of our minds.
She mentioned Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed (Eerdman, US 2008) and this really is a particularly special book for giving an idea of what life is like for children in a refugee camp.
Two other books for younger children which also highlight some of the difficulties faced by refugees but also, crucially, that in essence children are children the world over, are:
A True Person By Gabiann Marin, illustrated by Jacqui Grantford (New Frontier Publishing, 2007), in which a young girl, Zallah, is living with her mother in an Australian immigration detention centre, while they wait to hear if they will be allowed to stay in Australia - see our full review here; and…
One Green Apple by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ted Lewin (Clarion Books, 2006), which tells the story of Farah, who has recently arrived in the US from the Middle East. She is not finding it easy to cope with a new culture and language – but on this, her second day of school, she is going on a field trip to an apple orchard and it is a chance for Farah and her classmates to make the first steps towards friendship and learn that there are ways to get over any barrier of language. Tone of voice, gestures, smiles – all these help to make Farah begin to feel welcome and recognise that some things can and will be just like they were at home.
Perhaps what makes the story so powerful is that Farah herself is the narrator – through the picture-book medium, Eve Bunting has given a clear voice to all those young people who arrive in a new place feeling vulnerable and unable to communicate. It is a story but it reflects certain aspects of reality – not everyone is nice and there are references to intolerance and impatience: but the overriding message for children in Farah’s situation is that it is possible to feel whole again; and it serves as a compelling reminder to children generally how to make a newcomer feel welcome and reassured.
Lewin’s stunning illustrations also deserve a special mention – they enhance the insight offered by the story through their perfectly attuned observation of body language as much as verbal communication; his children’s faces are perfect, whatever their expression. And the word luminosity comes to my mind every time I look at them, they are so enfused with dappled sunlight.
These are all well-written and beautifully presented books, which will make young children ponder, and probably ask lots of questions. Certainly they are best read aloud the first time they are introduced. Can anyone else recommend books for reading aloud to children which touch on the experiences of young refugees?
Bits and pieces of cultural news, and one more march for peace.
SHERYL LUNA, GABE GOMEZ, ERIKA T. WURTH AT KGB BAR IN NYC
Saturday, January 26 7:00 PM to Sunday, January 27 12:00 AM
85 E. 4th Street, NYC
Lisa Alvarado mentioned on La Bloga earlier this week that Sheryl Luna was in New York City on Friday night. Here's info about a Saturday event with more poets.
"Erika T Wurth (Indian Trains), Sheryl Luna (Pity the Drowned Horses),
and Gabe Gomez (The Outer Bands) represent a fresh perspective not only in ethnic writing, but in poetry. Rather than attach themselves to a particular school of writing, their work is about people, and landscapes and works on more than a purely intellectual level. Although none of them would do well in a hallmark, all of them express themselves in ways that are new and unique but that still speak to people not just below the waist, but more importantly, below the neck."
The KGB's website says this about itself: "In the years since it opened in 1993, KGB has become something of a New York literary institution. Writers hooked up in the publishing world read here with pleasure and without pay to an adoring public over drinks almost every Sunday evening (fiction), Monday evening (poetry), and most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The crowd loves it. Admission is free, drinks are cheap and strong, and the level of excellence is such that KGB has been named best literary venue in New York City by New York Magazine, the Village Voice, and everyone else who bestows these awards of recognition."
Read more here.
Sounds like a great place to listen to some great poetry.
OLLIN
El Centro Su Teatro will proudly present the regional premiere of world-renowned composer Daniel Valdez’s stunning original play, Ollin, February 21 – March 29, 2007 at El Centro Su Teatro, 4725 High Street, Denver.
Ollin is a spectacular recreation of one of the most profound cultural collisions in human history—the conquest of Mexico by Spain. The poetic interpretation of the meeting of these two great empires was something Valdez felt drawn to create as a symbol of both his cultural and personal identity, as the Conquest marks the birth of the Mestizo—the mixed blood race to whom most Mexicans and Mexican Americans trace their heritage.
Valdez has included elements from multiple disciplines to tell this dramatic tale, including theater, dance, music, and visual art. Distinguished painter Carlos Frésquez, local musician Tony Silva, and Boulder choreographer Concetta Troskie are working with Su Teatro actors to augment the artistic layering of the play. Add in Valdez’s original music and the result should be, as Valdez describes it, a sort of modern codices—a stunning visual and musical tablet.
Originally developed by Valdez as a radio play, Ollin was given a workshop production in San Diego and a full student production at Stanford University. Valdez is excited to work with Su Teatro in bringing the final evolution of this remarkable piece to Denver.
Valdez was an instrumental figure in the birth of Chicano Theater—working alongside his brother, the famed writer/director Luis Valdez, in the agitprop California theater group Teatro Campesino. Valdez went on to make a name for himself as a brilliant songwriter with the release of his solo album Mestizo. Valdez also worked alongside Linda Ronstadt on her album Canciones de mi Padre.
Su Teatro has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Valdez, beginning in 1975 when he and El Centro Su Teatro Artistic Director Tony Garcia met and exchanged ideas at a theater workshop in Denver. More recently, the two teamed up to create the original Su Teatro productions The Westside Oratorio and El Sol Que Tu Eres. Ollin marks their third collaboration.
Ollin, written and directed by Daniel Valdez, February 21 – March 29 at El Centro Su Teatro, 4725 High Street. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, curtain at 8:05 PM. Tickets are $18, $15 students/seniors, with special group discounts available. Call (303) 296-0219 for tickets and information.
NATIONAL LATINO WRITERS CONFERENCEAlbuquerque, New Mexico
May 21–24, 2008
Nationally known authors, agents, and editors will present in workshops and panel discussions. All attendees will have the opportunity to have three one-on-one appointments with an agent, author, and editor. Accepting a total of 50 fiction and nonfiction writers. If submitted early authors will read a sample of your work. Workshops will include hands-on exercises.
2008 Literary Genres
Novel • Short story (fiction/non-fiction)
Screenwriting • Playwriting • Poetry
Mystery/Detective • Comics • Special features
2008 Faculty
Martín Espada - Helena María Viramontes - Javier Grillo-Marxuach - Frank Zuñiga - Benjamin Alire Sáenz - Alfredo Corchado - Kathleen de Azevedo - Rolando Hinojosa-SmithFor information and to register contact Katie Trujillo 505.246.2261, x148 •
[email protected]nhccnm.org • NHCC 1701 4th Street SW • Albuquerque, NM 87102
MILAGROS DEL CORAZONChicano Humanities & Arts Council’s (CHAC) 9th annual silent auction and fundraiser - Friday, Feb 8, 2008 6-10 PM - Space Gallery
765 Santa Fe Drive, Denver
Celebrate Valentines and help support CHAC's cultural art and community outreach programs with an evening of live music and hors d'oeuvres. Place bids on a wide variety of unique hearts, gift baskets, services and original artwork, created and donated by members and guest artists, local schools, business and community supporters.
Music provided by Latin Fusion Band Debajo Del Aqua
Cocktail attire optional.
CHAC Gallery (see below) will be open during the event.
Tickets are available for $7.00 each or $12.00 per couple at the event or in advance by calling CHAC at 303-571-0440.
WINTER SOLDIER: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTANFrom the
Vietnam Veterans Against the War website:From March 13-16th 2008,
Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in Washington D.C. to "break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."
This spring, the largest gathering of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan will share their experiences in a public investigation called
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan. Providing testimonies to war crimes the United States perpetuates with the ongoing wars and occupations as well as the increasingly poor treatment of returning veterans by US government agencies here at home. Vietnam Veterans Against the War are seeking members and friends to host fundraisers, provide monetary donations, personal support and spread the word about Winter Soldier Investigation.
Later.
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That sounds like an amazing story! Thanks for the review...I think my kids would like it as well.
http://therelentlessreader.blogspot.com/
Thanks for featuring my book! I wrote it hoping younger generations would learn about the St. Louis and your blog helps bring it more exposure.
I did think this was a really amazing book, and one that can really appeal to kids. I hope your did do read it and like it.
I thought this was such an interesting story and that fact that it was based on a true event made it all the more poignant. It is such a readable book and in today's day and age, has so much resonance. Thanks for writing it and bring attention to the particular part of Holocaust history.
You find the most interesting books, and your reviews make me want to read them all!
This book sounds fascinating! I have added it to my list. I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Awesome review.
~Jess
The story of the St. Louis is particularly fascinating and heartbreaking. Seems there are several new books out on this topic!
And I have a friend who has been writing one also.
Thanks, Barbara, I appreciate the compliment. Most of the time I just randomly read whatever catches my eye at the moment, and I am usually pleased with my selection. The Other Side of Life was a very interesting book.
Thanks, this is a fascinating book, Jess. I hope you get around to reading it one of these days.
I have read some adult books that cover the St. Louis, but this is the first YA fictionalized account of that event I have read and it was really excellent. Is your friend's book for kids or adults? I would be very interested in reading when it is available.