I promise to stop with the Books and will start posting photos of my CROATIA trip in my next Blog post. But when I had 2 Book Club books due in the same week, both about World War II, I felt compelled to share with you a quick intro to the second one.
In school in the 1960's we were not taught about World War II and it wasn't discussed at home. Perhaps because it was still too "fresh". Now it seems that there are many books recounting stories, which can be quite tough to read. Is it because it reminds us that not all of us are kind, compassionate and pleasant? That some humans can treat other humans so horribly without thinking twice?
"THE PARIS ARCHITECT" was another "WOW" book for me, but it also gave me a heavy heart while reading, because of the atrocities described. Until I read "SARAH'S KEY" by Tatiana de Rosnay, I didn't even know that Jews were rounded up in Paris!! My favorite city in the world. How could that be? This book is an even clearer reminder that it's true.
Again, I liked the short chapters - they make me feel "Ok, I can read just one more chapter......ok, just one more....... etc."
I loved the creative mind of the main character, architect Lucien. He designed hiding places in apartments and houses for Jews. With his talent, he had the ability to save a life or more!
I struggled with the question of "if MY life, or the life of one of my loved ones depended on my turning in another human being, a stranger, a Jew, would I act on it? Could I live with myself after that?" Truly the ultimate in "bullying" by the Germans at that time......
So, I really didn't like reading about the atrocities, however, I did like that the result of reading this book made me "FEEL" and "QUESTION" and "WANT TO DISCUSS".
A few passages from the book:
Page 4
"His father, a university-trained geologist of some distinction, had had the same dog-eat-dog view of life as the most ignorant peasant. When it came to the misfortune of others, his philosophy had been tough shit, better him than me. The late Professor Jean-Baptiste Bernard hadn't seemed to realize that human beings, including his wife and children, had feelings. His love and affection had been heaped upon inanimate objects - the rocks and minerals of France and her colonies - and he demanded that his two sons love them as well."
"His father tested them at suppertime, setting rocks on the table for them to name. He was merciless if they made even one mistake, like the time Lucien couldn't identify bertrandite, a member of the silicate family, and his father had ordered him to put the rock in his mouth so he would never forget it. To this day, he remembered bertrandite's bitter taste."
"He hated his father, but now he wondered if he was more like his father than he wanted to admit."
Page 6
"Once on the street, he couldn't help looking back at the corner where the shooting had taken place. The Germans and the body were gone; only a large pool of blood marked the spot of the shooting. The Germans were unbelievably efficient people. The French would have stood around the corpse, chatting and smoking cigarettes. Full rigor mortis would have set in by the time they had carted it away. Lucien almost started trotting but slowed his pace to a brisk walk. He hated being late, but he wasn't about to be shot in the back of the skull because of his obsession with punctuality."
Page 10
"Still he admired these great apartment blocks that Napoleon III had championed. His admiration had grown when he'd visited his brother in New York before the war. The apartment buildings there were junk compared to those in Paris."
If you've read this book, and would like to share your reaction, I'd be interested to hear about it.
Joan
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