The Summer of my German Soldier by Bette Greene

Patricia Bergen has an interesting summer when she turns twelve. The town of Jenkensville, Arkansas becomes the home of a camp for captured German soldiers. And on one of their trips into the store that Patricia’s family owns she meets one of them named Fredrick Anton Reiker. He is the translator for the bunch so that they can buy hats. Little does Patricia know that the time she spends with him that day will not be the last. After he escaped from camp, she hides him in her background and brings him food. He is the only friend she has and that friendship will cost her everything.

The story that Bette Green writes is full of emotions. I could tell it was a dated story but at the same time she wrote the characters very well. The storyline was great and easy to follow. She had a difficult topic to talk about but I found it very interesting. One of my favorite things was that she would write how a person would talk for the colored folks as they were referred to in the book.

Patricia really did not have an easy life. Between the fact that her parents didn’t care for her since they thought she was ugly to being a Jew who wanted to help a German soldier in hiding from the authorities. She always seemed to find herself in some kind of trouble. Her housekeeper Ruth was a sweetie. She really looked out for Patricia while her parents seemed to have more important things in mind. Her sister Sharon was the favored one since she looked so much like her mother and I found that to be rather harsh. Anton was a sweet heart and so civilized. I was completely impressed with him.

This was a great book but again I could see why it would be challenged since it had a lot of foul language as well as repeat use of a slanderous word towards African Americans. I was appalled at how much it was used but that is what it was like during that time. I give this book a 4/5. I was upset with the ending even though I knew it was not going to be happy. I think things should have been different but then again I was not born during that time. I could have had a completely different reaction. But all in all, I was impressed and look forward to reading the sequel, Morning Is A Long Time Coming.

199 pages/Banned/Young Adult/ New Author

Well I was hoping to finish up Dedication today but was not possible. I will most likely finish tomorrow evening and will post my review then and then after that I have 2 romance stories to read and review. :)

Exile by Richard North Patterson

Here is my review of this wonderfully written and intense book!

David Wolfe’s life gets turned upside down when he gets a call from Hana Arif whom he knew at Harvard. He hasn’t talked to her in13 years but also suddenly not only does she need his help but also he has to figure out the secrets of Palestine. It all but tears apart his life at the seams and he has to figure out if it is worth it to risk it all just to help a friend. Yet will he be able to find out the truth of what really happened when Prime Minister Ben-Aron was assassinated?

This is my first book by Richard North Patterson and it had me on the edge of my seat. He not only had to do a ton of research but he had to make you feel for all the characters involved and he did an amazing job at it. He kept the facts simple and made sure to keep his beliefs out of the book. He presented both sides Palestine and Jewish very well.

I really felt for David and Hana. They have feelings for each other they never realized and could never really experience since they are from two different sides. Traditions and beliefs kept them apart. Watching David evolve and change in how he handles things was amazing. It was not an easy journey for him and he had quite a few difficult decisions to make. Once he decided them, he stuck to them no matter the cost to him or anyone around him. He did what he thought was best but at the same time didn’t want to hurt anyone. Hana was trying to get a life for her daughter Munira that she never had as a child. Hana is a wonderful woman who truly wants to best for Munira. She sought it out and almost lost everything in the process. Decisions we make as parents are never easy but it is most often times the best in the long run. I could really relate to Hana as a mother and wanting her child to experience life in all cultures.

This story is amazing and I give it a rating of 4/5. At times it got too intense for me to handle but I had to keep reading to find out what the outcome was going to be for all involved. I did not care to hear Mr. Patterson’s beliefs on the subject but I did appreciate the fact that he put them at the very end because it would have tainted my outlook on the book. It is not an easy subject to write about which I agree with him. He did a wonderful job and I was impressed with how well he was able to cover all the ideas as well as outlooks of the people. This is not a book you want to hurry through but take your time and soak it up. I am a fast reader so that didn’t help me at times but I took my time every time I picked up this book so I could really get an idea of what the characters were trying to do and what their beliefs were. I truly feel I got the best grasp on it that I possibly could and I am interested in seeing what else Mr. Richard North Patterson has written.

Not onto The Terror by Dan Simmons, hopefully not as intense. :)