Another Two Books Down
Sep. 4th, 2007 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
le_bebna_kamniBut I'm not going to make the 50 Book Challenge. Ah well, I'll see how close I actually get.
Book #26: The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The back cover begins with the sentence, "Only Robert A. Heinlein has won more Hugo Awards for Best Novel than Lois McMaster Bujold...", and I believe it. Although The Curse of Chalion is a much slower read than some of my more recent books, the extra time is worth every minute.
The book is about a man named Cazaril, who once was a minor noble and commander of an army, but who was sold into slavery in foreign lands by an act of treachery. Now, several years later, he returns to his native country of Chalion to reclaim some of his life and live as a humble servant. However, his fortunes take an unexpected turn, and he climbs much higher in his associations than he had ever hoped. However, this climb also comes with a price: the ruling household of Chalion has had a curse bestowed upon it that dooms the ruler and their associates to tragedies and failures. It falls to Cazaril, then, to see if he can break the curse before it claims both him and the one he serves.
Bujold's world is richly developed, and her characters are very interesting and realistic. While she lacks the action/adventure of most fantasy writers, this is more than made up for by her complex political machinations and excellent dialogue. All and all, a highly recommended book, and I look forward to tracking down more of her writings.
Book #27: Not by the Sword: How the Love of a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman, by Katheryn Watterson
I know it sounds cheesy whenever I hear a song that says "You can change the world with love", but somehow I always gravitate toward books that have that message. I like the idea that people can change their minds, change their outlook on life, become at least a slightly more tolerant or even caring. Spitting venom at people never seems to work -- it's always the individuals who show compassion who are the ones we remember for making positive changes in the world.
This book is the true story of Michael and Julie Weisser, who changed the life of an infamous man named Larry Trapp. While the average person might not have known who Larry Trapp was, Trapp was Grand Dragon of the Nebraska KKK, and well known and respected amongst its members. He was highly militant, and took great pride in planning bombing of synagogues, immigrant resource buildings, and other "racial" targets without getting caught by local law enforcement or the FBI. Regularly he sent hate mail and threatening letters to activists in the community and terrorized his wheelchair-bound neighbor.
When the Weissers, who were Jewish, moved to Nebraska for Michael's job at the B'nai Jeshurun Temple, they too began receiving threatening mail from Larry Trapp. Like any normal family, they were scared at first, then angry. But rather than returning the hatred, the Weissers took a different approach and tried to be kind to this man.
While the change didn't happen all at once, Trapp eventually came to realize that he had been wrong about Jewish people, blacks, immigrants, and others that he had fought against for so long. While the transformation talked about in the book is not something that would happen for everyone, it's a wonderful reminder that people can and do change.
A good, inspiring read.
Book #26: The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The back cover begins with the sentence, "Only Robert A. Heinlein has won more Hugo Awards for Best Novel than Lois McMaster Bujold...", and I believe it. Although The Curse of Chalion is a much slower read than some of my more recent books, the extra time is worth every minute.
The book is about a man named Cazaril, who once was a minor noble and commander of an army, but who was sold into slavery in foreign lands by an act of treachery. Now, several years later, he returns to his native country of Chalion to reclaim some of his life and live as a humble servant. However, his fortunes take an unexpected turn, and he climbs much higher in his associations than he had ever hoped. However, this climb also comes with a price: the ruling household of Chalion has had a curse bestowed upon it that dooms the ruler and their associates to tragedies and failures. It falls to Cazaril, then, to see if he can break the curse before it claims both him and the one he serves.
Bujold's world is richly developed, and her characters are very interesting and realistic. While she lacks the action/adventure of most fantasy writers, this is more than made up for by her complex political machinations and excellent dialogue. All and all, a highly recommended book, and I look forward to tracking down more of her writings.
Book #27: Not by the Sword: How the Love of a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman, by Katheryn Watterson
I know it sounds cheesy whenever I hear a song that says "You can change the world with love", but somehow I always gravitate toward books that have that message. I like the idea that people can change their minds, change their outlook on life, become at least a slightly more tolerant or even caring. Spitting venom at people never seems to work -- it's always the individuals who show compassion who are the ones we remember for making positive changes in the world.
This book is the true story of Michael and Julie Weisser, who changed the life of an infamous man named Larry Trapp. While the average person might not have known who Larry Trapp was, Trapp was Grand Dragon of the Nebraska KKK, and well known and respected amongst its members. He was highly militant, and took great pride in planning bombing of synagogues, immigrant resource buildings, and other "racial" targets without getting caught by local law enforcement or the FBI. Regularly he sent hate mail and threatening letters to activists in the community and terrorized his wheelchair-bound neighbor.
When the Weissers, who were Jewish, moved to Nebraska for Michael's job at the B'nai Jeshurun Temple, they too began receiving threatening mail from Larry Trapp. Like any normal family, they were scared at first, then angry. But rather than returning the hatred, the Weissers took a different approach and tried to be kind to this man.
While the change didn't happen all at once, Trapp eventually came to realize that he had been wrong about Jewish people, blacks, immigrants, and others that he had fought against for so long. While the transformation talked about in the book is not something that would happen for everyone, it's a wonderful reminder that people can and do change.
A good, inspiring read.
