The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of a family's history - of love, great wealth, and great loss. The author, de Waal, had been given, by his beloved Uncle Iggy, an exquisite collection of 264 tiny Japanese carvings called netsuke. Passed down through his Ephrussi family, who were at one time extravagantly wealthy Jewish bankers who hobnobbed with the Rothschilds, Impressionist painters, and Emperors, the netsuke finally ended up in his hands. de Waal researched his family through poor beginnings in Odessa, high times in Paris and Vienna, and when the family lost everything during Kristallnacht and the German occupation. Although the book starts slow, it picks up steam until it can't be put down -if you enjoy history this is definite read. I do wish more more pics of the netsuke were included.


Favorite quote: Objects have always been carried, sold, bartered, stolen, retrieved and lost. People have always given gifts. It is how you tell their stories that matters.

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Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How could anyone survive the horrors and degradation of body and soul of World War ll POW camps? Although many men and women did just that, this book focuses on the true story of Louie Zamperini, a troubled youth, an Olympic contender, a bombardier on a B-24, and a survivor of both a plane crash in the Pacific and Japan's POW camps. To top it off, Louie survived the after effects of war on return to the US - flashbacks and PTSD and goes on to create camps for other troubled youth.

I had actually seen an article in Guideposts on the power of the human will and forgiveness and it mentioned Zamperini's experience and piqued my interest. Written by the same amazing author that penned Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken is a goldmine for information on World War ll - a time period in which I've always had an interest. I'm not sure how to put into words the effect this biography had on me. The power of the human spirit is phenomenal....




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