Tracy C
Daily life of Anne Frank as she lived in hiding during WWII. The atrocities that power-hungry men subject the world to are unspeakable, and need to stop. We're living through it all over again... I just hope not to the extent. Her references to Crimea being taken struck a chord for me at this moment, with Russia invading Ukraine! Power-hungry white men.
The language is all very “time driven”... appropriate (if can call it that) for the period in time that it was written. But not appropriate, even offensive, for today.
I knew this book only by title, and that it was considered a classic. I didn't realize until I started the book that it was a book about Chinese people, so that was a surprise to me. I also think that there might be more books in this series, so I will have to look for those.
The story itself was very good. It seems rather “distant”, disconnected, factual, non-emotional, but you end up feeling for the characters of the book. You become invested in them, in a way you that you won't think you will, the way the story is being told.
Oh my goodness! I forced myself to finish this book. I have several “classics” on my “to-read” list, and this was one of them. It became available through my local library, so I got it. The language (the use of the N-word) and general demeanor toward minorities in this book was enough to get over. And then referring to “The Spaniard” and “Injun' Joe”. I knew on some level that this would be in the book, I just didn't know how difficult it would be for me to get through it. And then, the book is all about the antics of little boys, and the trouble they get into. I have no interest in that. Maybe I would have been more interested when I was closer to that age, and finding trouble of my own. But at 50, I have no interest in the messes that little boys get into. I'm trying to divert my own teen girls from other types of trouble that they're getting themselves in to. Wonder if I'll be able to get through Huck Finn...
Such a difficult but necessary read. I think that when everyone is old enough, they should read this book. We think we know about our country's evil path with slavery, but we don't truly. Even after reading this book I know there are atrocities that I couldn't even imagine. This novel takes us back... back to when the people who were enslaved were just living... truly living their best lives. These histories are difficult to digest, but they must be told. We must be better as people.
