Review on : The Color Of Water

THE COLOR OF WATER

By James McBride

 

 

The Color of Water  is  a novel  that has a mixture of many things . James McBride was able to illustrate the discrimination , racism , poverty and the American dream in one of the best seller novels at the New York Times.  McBride talks in one chapter about his childhood and hardships while in another chapter the mother is the narrator for the incidence of her life. His voice and his mother’s voice together in one book.  James  never knew anything about the background of his mother nor did any of his siblings saw or heard any of their mother’s relatives. This has brought many questions to McBride as he grew up. And he insisted on asking his mother about questions of her past and who she was ? Thus , she finally revealed to her children and to the world who Ruth McBride was ! or in fact who Rachel Shilsky was.

 

Rachel Shilsky was from a Polish Jewish family that migrated to the United States of America when she was only a child . They lived in the south Suffolk , Virginia .Where at the time racism against the black and Jews were prominent. Rachel suffered at school and neighborhood from teasing and racism for being Jews;  when Jews were a minority in the States at that period . Rachel was raised in a household that had no love , and no means of any affectionate because of her mean father who had no respect or kindness for her  handicapped mother from polio . Her father , Tateh, was a greedy man who had a store and made the children work there all the time; before school and after school.   Rachel had no love for her father not only  because of the way he treated her mother and brothers ; but also because of the way he treated her. He use to abuse her and she was afraid of him …which eventually made her run away from her house to New York to start a new life and find love . She married a black man and she was reborn being a Christian.

Her mother , whom she loved most  died and she couldn’t even say goodbye to her. Her family refused her and to them she was dead because she married a black man . They sat “ SHIVA “ for her  which means that she’sno more alive to them . That has broken Rachel ‘s heart as she loved her mother so much , she was her eyes and ears in America and translated everything to her. She found peace and rebirth in Christianity. Started a church with her husband . Rachel had 8 children from Mcbride and after his death  from cancer she remarried Jordan and gave birth 4 more . Yes, She raised 12 children in pure love to God and education . She insisted on graduating them from higher schools and thought them on discipline and love. Ruth McBride or Rachel told James that his father Andrew McBride was a man of vision and that without him ; she could be lost.

One point worth mentioning is that Rachel was a very wise lady and never wanted her children to think that they were different from her and to suffer the discrimination . So whenever James use to wonder about why his mother was white ; she use to simply tell him that she was “ light-skinned “. And when he asked about the color of God , she replied that He was the Color of Water. As a child James had many questions about his mother and about the racism he use to face when going with her out. This book makes us live the incidence happened back in early 19’s . Worth reading.

 

Hoope

Review on: Tuesdays with Morrie for Mitch Albom

Tuesdays With Morrie

Mitch Albom

It’s a story about life and for knowing life. As it says in the cover  ” Life’s greatest lesson “ .

The story is about Morrie Schwartz , a professor at Brandeis University . After being diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ) , a no cure disease and knowing that he is dying ; he started sharing his life with the people and to give them all that he knows and experienced in life. Being in TV show , accidently one of his favorite student who was going through a hard time in his career and life ; saw him . This former student who had felt guilty for not keeping in touch after graduation starts dropping visits to his teacher .  And so they started meeting every Tuesday to talk about certain things . They talked about death , growing old , money , family , forgiveness , culture and marriage . Morrie said that when people die , they don’t really die but they stay alive in our heart because that’s how love goes on . As  “ Death ends a life not a relationship. ”

In a beautiful account he teaches us many lessons of life , things we don’t learn in high school . But from people , people who are older than us , who lived and been through a lot . They stare with us their experience so that we can learn from it and live life as we should before it’s too late.

I highly recommend you to read it;  to everyone who really wants to  have a reason to live. To love life .

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and how to let it come in .”

Pg: 52

Tuesdays with Morrie

Book Review : For One More Day

FOR   ONE   MORE   DAY

BY   MITCH  ALBOM

If you just had one more day to live in your life with whom you like to spend it with ? and if you want go back  on time to change one thing what would that be? And many other questions that kept us wondering ; you will find answer for in this novel .

FOR ONE MORE DAY is one of the most beautiful novels I read by Mitch album , when he describes in a very exciting way all the incidence gone in the life of Charles Benetto to his beloved mother Posey  Bennet; in the account of times that his mother stood for him and times that he didn’t stand for his mother.

Regardless of many things, parents conflicts effects the children’s decisions however  Posey Benetto told her son that he never has to choose between his parents . Yes, It not an easy thing to be in a position where you have to choose whom to support or go with; wither your father or mother.

Where all at once his mother was gone and  at the moment he was playing baseball as his dad wanted . He left his mother on the day of her birthday , he left his mother to die alone . All he wished for now was to spend one more day with his mother to make it up for that happened . What if gets the chance to see his mother when her ghost comes and guides him through.      

Regards,

Hoope  

Book Review : Animal Farm

Animal Farm

For George Orwell

Animal Farm , a story about a small farm owned by a farmer named Jones . Jones use to mistreat the animals , get drunk , forget to feed them and was so cruel with them. In one day the great pig , Old Major gathers the whole animals of the farm and narrates to them the dream he saw that the animals where going to rule the farm one day and that their future will change . Thus after his death , Snowball and Napoleon stand up for this cause and starts the revolution against the human and Jones. In a well-planned battle they kick out Jones and all the humans from the farm and they start ruling the farm themselves .

In the beginning , the animals used to do the work effectively , the harvest was better than in Jones days , the animals use to enjoy the food and leisure time . Things seemed so good. Not until the pigs try to take over everything and their greediness changes the habits and rules that was set by the animals in the farm were broken by the pigs  .

Going through the story you will find that Orwell was referring this novel to the Russian revolution and the characters matches the leaders at that era . However, not only that time; but it’s a good example for the political problems in many countries . Some leaders try to rule over they give promises and set dreams nevertheless as they rule they change. Governments try to make us believe whatever they want us to believe .

The novel reminds us to be so aware of our civil rights and procedures as pigs break the rules they set and they manipulate the other animals. ( No animal should sleep on bed – No animal should kill other animal – No animal should wear clothes… etc.  ) Yet, it was broken !

The novel really amazes me and its one that you would like to read over and over again. Read it to know how the farm was destroyed and the animals rule was not as flourishing as it seemed so. Interesting incidents go through and many characters will get us attached to the book.

Enjoy reading .

Regards ,

Amal

Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Review on :

Alchemist

By : Paulo Coelho

 

It is said that his books have touched the hearts of people everywhere, and so it is !!

 

The Alchemist , one of the most inspiring books ever . A book that teaches you how to cling on your dreams , on what you believe in , until you make it true. It simple says ” Don’t stop moving forward for nothing is impossible. “

The Alchemist , is written by the great Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho . It is a story of a young shepherd named Santiago that dreams one day about finding a treasure in the Egypt’s Pyramids . He meets and old king which shows him the way towards his treasure and tells him how he should follow his Personal Legend and to not be afraid of  what days behold for him . The young boy knew nothing best than his flock and now he had to give them away, all that he built and worked for all these years ; thus , start a mysterious journey to nowhere but a dream .

Therefore, he did ! , he sold his sheep, travelled to Africa and started his journey . In pursuing his dream he goes through many incidents from being robbed by a thief in Tangier , working in a crystal shop and meeting the Alchemist but most of all he meets his love, Fatima in the mid of the desert.

This book is a must- read and you will come to know that if you do not follow and find you Personal Legend in you life ; you are probably living aimlessly . People are always afraid of changing but it is the change,  the step, which means a lot in your life.

It’s a book about hope , dreams , faith and most of all courage  to pursue your path.

It teaches us how to trust our hearts and that when we move towards our dreams the world always wants us to find it and helps us to make it come true.

Regards,

Hoope

My Review on” Sorry ” by Gail Jones

 

 

 

 

 

” She wants to sink somewhere , slowly to release , to  sleep . perchance to dream.”   

 

 

 

Ch:13  pg: 125      

                                                                                           

 

A remarkable novel . ” SORRY “a word that means a lot , though sometimes its hard to say  . it has two aspects , which Jones tried to present through her novel.

One was the sorry that people felt for the young damaged girl; Perdita and her wrecked widow mother. That was a hard feeling that concealed deep in them. The pitiful eyes of the people around  in there small little town at western Australia .

The story takes place during the Second World War. When an English anthropologist ; Nicolas travels to Australia along with h is wife , whom was annoyed from the whole situation. ” Sorry “  a fiction , imagery… and with some political issues about how the aborigines were treated those days.

 

Jones presented that in a very tragedian poetic way, how a child’s innocence is stolen or just drifted away by things that were quite complicated .Was it because of her distant mean father , who treated her mother badly; or because of the mother whose far from her , lives her own Shakespearean poem . Or the murder of her father. Maybe the war that she had witnessed since the day she was born. Thus she never thought or even imagined that it might come to an end .

Among all that struggle to prove her existence in the world .Perdita meets Billy and Mary, an aborigines , with whom she has created a very strong bond ; a bond of friendship & family .That was somehow an introduction of the present of a better world. A world of happiness , a world of love , a world of sacrifice . A world that made our little Perdita realize that her life might eventually change .Regardless of what happened in the past , of her parents , of everything she might was. All at once she starts to get involved in the wheel of life , meeting doctor Oblov which helped her overcome her stutter .Living with a lovely foster family , outstanding in her studies. Trying to strengthen her fragile relation with her sick mother . All that seemed hard but was not impossible .Perdita changes the verses of her life .

 

Only then , she receives a letter said that Mary died. Her only sister & best friend passed away .She was shaken ; it was like a hard slap from life on her tiny face, a one she couldn’t take.

Now comes the second aspect of SORRY . when Perdita regrets not saying to her only sister Sorry!  because she had to give her freedom away & carry the burden that Perdita was to carry. She was the reason for that has happened to Mary.

To find out what was that , you have read the book.

 

I enjoyed reading this book , because every little page makes you interested in knowing what’s next. A novel that illustrated a lot about life , about hardships , about war ; what it takes with  it other than people’s life , and most of all about Friendship.