Sarah's Key

The Good: I am a Master's candidate in Global Studies, and have spent much of my work concentrating on Just War Theory. Never, have we discussed the Vel d'Hiv Roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. And, I can't believe that we haven't. In fatc, it is my first knowledge of the event in my life, and I can't believe that is true. The way that we teach and understand and reconcile the autrocities of war, have to include the universal truths of events such as the Vel d'Hiv. So, I am very thankful to have experienced this story. To be clear, French police used French buses and French camps to send French citizens to their deaths. Of the thousands of children that were rounded up in Paris in 1942, most were sent to Auschwitz and almost none survived, and Paris was complicit in this. That's an important historic message.

The Bad: Not much. A friend gave this book to my wife, and I picked it up to share the experience. I am glad that I did. However, this is very much a girl's book. Written by a female, in a female's voice. I love female protagonist, but struggled with some of the feminine sensibilities of the author's voice. Not bad, though.

The Ugly: Almost nothing. The story is told by a novelist who is an American ex-pat living in Paris. Her main character, at least for half of the story, is an American ex-pat living in Paris. The protagonist is also a lunatic lefty journalist. I would imagine that the authoress shares the same wrong-minded world view. Blech.

Overall rating: 4.0 out of 5.0. Historically significant story. Probably higher than that if you're a woman.

Behind...

I'm a couple books behind on updates. First up...

Outliers.

The good: Sociolgical study based upon statistical data. I love it. It was very entertaining. Also, this was a book suggested by my baby bro, so we were able to share the experience - which I enjoy. However, that's about it. It was a variation of "Freakonomics", and, for me, not nearly as entertaining. Sorry, Seth.

The Bad: Normally, I prefer that for non-fiction texts, the author reads the audiobook. However, for this one, not so much... Malcolm Gladwell did read it, and his voice is so tinny, I had to take all of the treble out of my stereo so as not to give me an earache. Brutal. Also, his Canadian accent made me angry, but that's a different story.

The Ugly: Just one thing, but it's philosophical. Listen, I am a big proponent of nurture over nature in that anthropological/sociological argument, but I recognize the importance of self-determination. And some of that is inherent. Given the exact same nurturing, I would never have been Bill Gates, I ain't him. The audio has an interview with the author at the end, and he states that his purpose for writing the book is to destroy the American myth of the self-made man. I whole-heartedly disagree with this premise.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken"...

I'm going to break from my normal form for this book, because it would be demeaing. There is no "good, bad, or ugly", there is only greatness. Very seldom, all of the factors come together: a fantastic story, constructed by a magnificent story-teller, and read by an incomparible narrator. When this happens, greatness occurs. That's what happened with Laura Hillebrand's "Unbroken". I will discuss the three factors:

1. The story: If the story weren't true, it would be far too fantastical and horrific to believe. How Americans, myself included, aren't keenly aware of the story of Louis Zamperini. It doesn't take from the greatness of Zamperini, it merely infers that the number of fantastical heroes from WWII is beyond the comprehension of the average 21st Century American. It seems that many characters from this story (Alan Phillips, Bill Harris, etc.) could have been the protagonist - and that, in itself, speaks volumes. It is a suspenseful, sad, glorious, and fulfilling story - and everyone should treat themselves to it.

2. The story-teller: Laura Hillenbrand is well-known for having penned another non-fiction novel, "Seabiscuit", which was made into a film and nominated for 7 Academy Awards. To be fair, I haven't read "Seabiscuit", but I know the story. And if you could write a story that generated 7 Oscare nominations for the story of "Seabiscuit", well, you could certainly give them all to The Louis Zamperini story. Not only is the story, which spans almost 11 decades, fresh and relevant, it is an "off-the-edge-of-your-seat" thriller. All I know is, I will read everything that she writes from here on out.

3. The narrator: This is only important for us audiophiles, but few book experiences can equal those read by Edward Herrmann. He has done so much work as an actor, it would be hard to narrow down his most notable roles, but for me he is "Max" from "The Lost Boys", and he is fantastic. Anything that he reads, I want to be there.

I could read 500 books this year, none would live up to the greatness of Laura Hillenbrand's "The Unbroken".