REFUGEE by ALAN GRATZ—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
April 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Alan Gratz, Refugee, Reviewed by Veronica Jorge, Scholastic Press
REFUGEE
Alan Gratz
Scholastic Press
2018
ISBN 978-0-545-880-831
News stories remind us daily of the migrant crisis throughout the world as people flee their homes for a variety of reasons. Refugee, by Alan Gratz, though written for a middle-grade audience, is a riveting novel for adults as well that draws us into the migrant experience from a child’s perspective.
Three continents. Three different time periods. Three children fleeing their countries.
Alan Gratz joins the past and the present to weave a gripping tale of the harrowing experiences of three children forced from their homes due to war and political unrest.
Josef yearns to celebrate his upcoming bar mitzvah and finally become a man. He just never expected it to be on a ship bound for Cuba, which he and his family board to escape out of Nazi Germany. When the ship is forced to return to Europe, and perhaps certain death, Josef finds himself thrust into adulthood and must make a decision that will determine the survival of his family.
Fast forward to 1994, when Cuba is teeming with food shortages and riots. Teenage Isabel finds herself on a questionable homemade raft. Together with her family and the neighbors next door, they depart for the United States. They just need the raft to hold up, avoid the Coast Guard, pray the sharks don’t get them, and hope that her mother, heavy with child, can survive the journey.
On the other side of the world, in 2015, war tears Syria apart, forcing Mahmoud’s father to seek a safe haven for his family. Amidst gunfire, danger, and the ever-present threat of death, they travel through Turkey and Serbia, enduring hunger, thieves, and prison. Mahmoud and his family continue onward through Austria and finally Germany, where the lives of the three children find a binding tie.
Refugee is a fast-paced, heart-rending story of the strength and courage of children and their valiant efforts, despite all obstacles, to forge a life filled with meaning and purpose.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on May 22nd!
Other Books Reviewed by Veronica
The Witch Whisperer: A Review by Veronica Jorge
March 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Barb Delong, book review, Keepers of Magic Series, The Witch Whisperer, Veronica Jorge
THE WITCH WHISPERER
Book 1 in the Keepers of Magic Series
BARB DELONG
The Wild Rose Press, 2023
ISBN 978-1-5092-4722-6
Willow Gladstone, one of the Elite witches with healing hands, strives for and is obsessed with being perfect. When her magic powers go awry: plates flying out of cupboards, silverware lifting off the table, and worse, she panics. As a witch living in a world of regular mortals, it’s her responsibility to keep her magic hidden and in check. If she can’t control her powers, the Bureau of Magic will incarcerate her in the secret witch society’s Haven, which she is sure is anything but.
Willow’s only option is to entrust herself into the hands of a recluse, living out a sentence on a secluded estate for his past misdeeds; Never Ravenwood, a man known as the Witch Whisperer, for his skill at fixing broken magic.
In Willow’s dire case, the cure for her broken magic is Bilbane, a special herb found only in the forbidden other-worldly realm of Tae-wan.
Willow and Never butt heads and match wits and unknowingly spark the unexpected yet much desired magic of love.
Never must decide if he should enter the magic portal into Tae-wan to obtain the Bilbane and heal Willow’s magic. Is his love for Willow strong and true enough to risk his life and the safety of their world? Willow questions what she wants most: the safety of the man she has fallen in love with, or the herb that can make her magic perfect?
What would you choose?
Enchantment, mayhem, danger, and love make The Witch Whisperer an entertaining and exciting read.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on April 22nd!
Read an interview of Barb DeLong here.
Book Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
A Piece of the World
February 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as books, Keeper Shelf, making memories, Veronica Jorge
A figurine, Delft blue. I remember that trip to Holland and laugh. As soon as our bus pulled into Delft, we piled out and made a beeline for the gift shop, searching for the souvenirs that would eternalize this journey. I turn the figurine over in my hand: a lady holding a basket, gazing out. What does she see? What memories is she holding on to? I dust the gracious lady and seat her back in the curio. As I reach for the next pieces and reminisce, I wonder what it is that makes me want to own a piece of everyplace I’ve been? To keep forever alive a moment, an experience, an emotion?
It’s the same with movies I’ve seen and loved. Gotta buy the VHS, then upgrade to the DVD in case the VHS goes bad. And even though I have both, I still watch the television film version when it airs and don’t mind enduring the intrusive commercials.
Then there are my books. Some with places of honor on shelves, the power of sentiment attached to each one. And designated piles: ‘To Read.’ ‘To Read Again.’ A wish list of books, ‘To Buy.’
When the news announced the banning of Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, I rushed to confirm I had a copy, which led to a thorough examination of which books might be brittle, yellowed and frayed. A new list formed: ‘Books to Replace.’
All of which leads me to conclude that maybe all of these actions explain my desire, my need, to write. A significant event, an emotion, an intense experience, compels me to want to immortalize it. I grit my 36 teeth and magically weave the 26 letters of the alphabet into some meaningful representation of the emotions exploding in my heart. A yearning to create stories that will last forever, that will be cherished by others and replaced over and over again because they’ve connected with a piece of my world and they too want to own it forever.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on March 22nd!
0 1 Read moreUPROOTED by Albert Marrin—A Review by Veronica Jorge
January 22, 2023 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Albert Marrin, book review, Histroy, Non-fiction, Uprooted, Veronica Jorge, World War II
Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II
Albert Marrin
Alfred A. Knopf
2016
ISBN: 9780553509366
We all come from someplace. For varying reasons an ancestor set America as a goal post, made it their home, and so here we are; one, two, or many generations later.
The migration and uprooting of peoples are nothing new as any student of history or intelligent observer knows. But the current migratory events beg us to question. As a nation of immigrants, by and for immigrants, when will we get it right?
In Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II, Albert Marrin skillfully balances facts, first-hand narratives, news clips, photos and illustrations to present a comprehensive and insightful account of the uprooting and internment of Americans of Japanese descent after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Albert Marrin’s writing is clear and concise as he explores the foundations, historical events and racial attitudes of both America and Japan that culminated in war between the two nations.
In addition, he details the role that the news media played in stirring panic that encouraged animosity toward the Japanese-Americans.
The author also references similar experiences of other groups throughout our history. For example; the forced removal of Native Americans, the Chinese Exclusion Laws of the 1880s, and the racism against African-Americans that led to the Civil Rights Movement.
Lovers of history, in addition, will recall the English Only Movements that have surfaced at various times in the United States in order to protect and secure the country from foreigners, and the expulsion of Mexican-Americans in 1929-1936, who were blamed for taking American jobs.
Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II challenges readers to grapple with thought provoking questions. How do we ensure the safety and liberty of each individual? Should race and religion exist as factors when determining a nation’s security? Should the media be held to a higher standard of accountability in its news coverage?
These questions are all the more relevant today as the world becomes an increasingly migratory multi-cultural environment and continues its war against terrorism, human trafficking, drugs, pandemics, and the like.
Albert Marrin reminds us of the importance of studying history. It not only informs us about the past. It helps us decide about the future. We can learn from our collective knowledge and experience.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on February 22nd!
0 1 Read moreA Year Is An Ocean by Veronica Jorge
December 22, 2022 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as beginnings and endings, End of year, Veronica Jorge
As the year draws to an end, preparing to close its final chapter, I think of the beach.
It might seem perfectly normal to those of you living in sunny climates, or to snow bunnies hastening away from the cold. But to those of us in areas that have already seen our first snow, it might sound strange.
To me, beginnings and endings can be like the ocean.
Like a rushing tide, every New Year, we rush toward new goals and hopes.
Sometimes shrinking back in fear, or drifting away into distant doubts and difficult memories.
Sturdy ocean rocks, like strong foundations, enable us to stand secure. And even walk on water, like faithful friends that make us believe we can do the impossible.
Our footprints in the sand are washed away like our past failings and errors. While a merciful new year, grants us another chance at life.
The 1960s song, Try to Remember, written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, plays in my mind. Emotion tightens my throat. My heart forms a prayer for the coming year.
May no one weep. Not even the willow.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on January 22, 2023!
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