Maw Books Blog

I’m not sure how I discovered Sky Burial by Xinran. I think I simply visited my library’s catalog and searched for author’s beginning with X. Xinran’s full name is Xinran Xue but goes by just her first name (double bonus with the X’s though!). When I read the description of this wonderful book I knew it was for me! I was a tad nervous when I went to pick it up because of the little heart sticker on the spine saying it was categorized as romance. I’ve never really read anything with that little heart sticker as it makes me picture busty and scantly dressed men and woman on the cover. But not to worry, Sky Burial was as romantic as it gets but in a very Asian way. If fact the subtitle is “An Epic Love Story of Tibet.” And in every way Sky Burial is an epic love story. And from what I gather, Xinran based this story on her real life encounter with Wen, who told her her story.

The time: 1950.

The place: China.

Shu Wen and Kejun are married and love each other fiercely. Three weeks into their marriage Kejun receives orders in the army as a doctor to travel into Tibet. Less than a hundred days later Wen receives news that her new husband has died in an “incident.” Wen is unable to find answers and still believes that Kejun is still alive. She joins the army as a means to travel into Tibet to find out for herself. Her unit is attacked and she finds herself on her own. Wen doesn’t know the language or the customs, but finds refuge in the company of a Tibetan woman, Zhuoma (on her own journey as well). They in turn are rescued by a nomadic Tibetan family and as they move from place to place, she continually seeks answers about her husband’s death. Wen’s journey lasts more than thirty years in the vast, empty and silent landscape that is Tibet.

I found myself drawn into the story of Sky Burial by Xinran. Beautifully written, I felt drawn back into another time and place and learned much of the hardships and simple beauty of the Tibetan people. A very enjoyable read.  Xinran also wrote The Good Women of China, a book that I now would like to read as well.

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy begins in Poland. It’s 1943 and World War II is drawing to a close. A Jewish family escapes the ghetto and are on the run with the Nazi’s close behind them. The father and stepmother must hurriedly make a decision to save their two children and abandon them in a forest in hopes that they will find a farmer to take them in. They are told to never say their Jewish names and are given new German names, that of Hansel and Gretel. Thus begins this haunting tale that ingeniously parallels the Brother’s Grim fairy tale. They make their way through the forest, leaving bread crumbs along the way and are taken in by Magda, the village “witch.” The story switches back and forth between Hansel and Gretel at the village and between their parents who hope to return to find them. Their only thoughts are how to survive the war amidst so much mistrust, destruction, starvation, and despair.

I believe that this is the first Holocaust book that I’ve read that is completely fictionalized. It didn’t feel the same. It took me some time to read and I didn’t devour it like I normally do with Holocaust books. That’s not to say that the story or writing wasn’t great. It was beautifully written and achingly portrayed a awful period of time. I wouldn’t recommend this one for the younger reader as the book was very crude. It had a lot of bad language, graphic scenes, and sexual references. True it was the Holocaust, but this book seemed much worse for some reason.

I loved how Louise Murphy was able to weave in the story of Hansel and Gretel. I thought it was ingenious. But then I came across this review on Amazon that said this:

The Holocaust was not a fairy tale, September 9, 2007

By	Barbara Lipkin “critic” (Naperville, IL USA)

The subject of this novel is all too real, and spinning it into a version of a fairy tale is totally inappropriate. The novel is cleverly written, and the author has contrived the facts of the Holocaust to fit into a fairy tale story. This trivializes the actual events, which destroyed millions of lives. The Holocaust was not a story to be cleverly twisted and “spun” into something else. It really happened, and a novelistic treatment of it still needs to respect the tragedy of it, and not use it for a clever exercise. I don’t know what drew the author to write about this subject. Judging by her name, she isn’t Jewish, Polish, or German. She apparently has no first-hand knowledge of the Holocaust, has never been to Poland, and has no other apparent connection to the events of this novel. So creating this novel was just an outlet for her creative talent, without true emotional content. This subject should not have been used that way.

Hmm . . . interesting. If you click through to the actual review you will see two rebuttals against this review. I agree with the rebuttals but also can see this woman’s point about “contriving the facts of the Holocaust to fit into a fairy tale story.” What do you think?

My husband is the one who actually checked out Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson from the library. I wasn’t planning on reading it, but I admit that the illustrations are amazing and I couldn’t help cracking it open to see what it was like. Before I knew it, I’d read the whole thing. I thought it was a shame that the illustrator, Nicoletta Ceccoli, only received credit on the copyright page because I think the book was so much better because of them. I eagerly anticipated each new chapter with it’s fun illustration. Would it have been the same reading experience with no illustrations or a different illustrator? No.  The illustrations carried this one for me.  They set the mood for me.  That’s not to say the story wasn’t great because I enjoyed it.

From the book jacket:

How can you tell if a river’s under a spell? River trolls, rock trolls, blue-wing fairies—the usual suspects—the stretch of the Mississippi where Claire lives has rumors of them all, not that she’s ever spotted any. But then Claire’s cousin Duke takes a swim and sprouts a horn—a long, pointy, handsome thing. After that, Claire doesn’t have much choice but to believe that something rivery is going on, especially since she’s the only one who can help Duke lose his new addition.

In the tradition of grand river adventures, Joseph Helgerson’s tale is as twisty and unpredictable as the Mississippi River itself, while an unusual cast of characters adds pepper to the pot. Readers of all ages will enjoy getting in—and out of—trouble with Claire and Duke in this nimble, sharp, and funny fantasy.

The characters were fun, the setting was fun, the story was fun. Overall, a fun, creative book. Hmm . . . what else. That’s not giving you much. Debi over at Nothing of Importance wrote a wonderful review that is much more insightful than this one, so go take a look. Horns & Wrinkles would be a perfect read-a-loud for children of any age. This was a nice escape for the overly tired mom (obviously me) who needed a break from reading depressing books about war. And it did just that.

The New York Times Bestseller List
May 11th, 2008

Hardcover Fiction

1. SUNDAY AT TIFFANY’S, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. A woman finds an unexpected love.
2. THE WHOLE TRUTH, by David Baldacci. An intelligence agent and a journalist team up against a warmongering defense contractor.
3. TWENTY WISHES, by Debbie Macomber. A widow who owns a bookstore on Blossom Street compiles a list of things she always wanted to do.
4. HOLD TIGHT, by Harlan Coben. The aftermath of a New Jersey high school kid’s suicide.
5. UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Stories about the anxiety and transformation experienced by Bengali parents and their American children.

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. THE REVOLUTION, by Ron Paul. A libertarian manifesto from the Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate. (†)
2. A WOLF AT THE TABLE, by Augusten Burroughs. A memoir of life with a cruel father.
3. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler. Humorous personal essays from the stand-up comedian.
4. HOME, by Julie Andrews. A memoir of Andrews’s early years.
5. ESCAPE, by Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer. A former member of a fundamentalist polygamous sect describes her forced marriage to a much older man.

Hardcover Advice

1. THE LAST LECTURE, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. After learning he has terminal cancer, a Carnegie Mellon professor shares his thoughts on the importance of “seizing every moment.”
2. JUST WHO WILL YOU BE?, by Maria Shriver. Shriver’s message: “What you do in your life isn’t what matters. It’s who you are.”
3. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want.
4. THE SOUTH BEACH DIET SUPERCHARGED, by Arthur Agatston with Joseph Signorile
5. THE ONE MINUTE ENTREPRENEUR, by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson and Ethan Willis

Children’s Picture Books

1. READ ALL ABOUT IT!, by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush. Illustrated by Denise Brunkus. A boy is surprised to discover that he loves story books.
2. GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. Animals seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8 )
3. DIRT ON MY SHIRT, by Jeff Foxworthy. Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman. Poems of childhood by the comedian and TV host. (Ages 4 to 7)
4. ALPHABET, by Matthew Van Fleet. An interactive safari ABC. (Ages 2 to 6)
5. KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO, written and illustrated by Mo Willems. One of Trixie’s classmates has a bunny just like hers. (Ages 4 to

Children’s Chapter Books

1. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. How Greg embarrassed himself on his summer vacation (ask his older brother, Rodrick); a sequel to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” (Ages 9 to 12)
2. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. The travails of adolescence, in cartoons. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. LOCK AND KEY, by Sarah Dessen. A free-spirited high school girl is sent to live with her wealthy older sister. (Ages 12 and up)
4. TWEAK, by Nic Sheff. A memoir of a teenager’s methamphetamine addiction. (Ages 15 and up)
5. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, written and illustrated by Brian Selznick. A novel “in words and pictures”; an orphaned thief must decipher his father’s last message. (Ages 9 to 12)

Children’s Paperback Books

1. MASSIE, by Lisi Harrison. A Westchester girl takes a summer job selling cosmetics; a Clique novel. (Ages 12 and up)
2. THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. A girl saves books from Nazi burning and shares them with a Jewish man in hiding. (Ages 14 and up)
3. SILVERMIST AND THE LADYBUG CURSE, by Gail Herman. A fairy becomes superstitious. (Ages 4 to
4. I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU, by Ally Carter. A girl in spy school falls for a local boy. (Ages 12 and up)
5. BRATFEST AT TIFFANY’S, by Lisi Harrison. Crushes divide the girls on the Pretty Committee; a Clique novel. (Ages 12 and up)

Children’s Series Books

1. THE TWILIGHT SERIES, by Stephenie Meyer. Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)
2. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan. Battling mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE, by Erin Hunter. Cat warriors fight for survival in a mythical land. (Ages 9 to 12)
4. MAXIMUM RIDE, by James Patterson. Winged children try to save the world. (Ages 10 and up)
5. FANCY NANCY, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. A glamour girl ’s divine life. (Ages 4 to

Paperback Trade Fiction

1. THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, by Kate Jacobs. A group of women meet weekly at a New York City yarn shop.
2. NINETEEN MINUTES, by Jodi Picoult. The aftermath of a high-school shooting reveals the fault lines in a small New Hampshire town.
3. THE MEMORY KEEPER’S DAUGHTER, by Kim Edwards. A doctor’s decision to secretly send his newborn daughter, who has Down syndrome, to an institution haunts everyone involved.
4. THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared.
5. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. A young man-and an elephant-save a Depression-era circus.

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. INVISIBLE PREY, by John Sandford.Detective Lucas Davenport finds ties between the murder of elderly Minneapolis residents and a political scandal.
2. THE BOURNE BETRAYAL, by Eric Van Lustbader. Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne tangles with diabolical Islamic terrorists.
3. DARK NEEDS AT NIGHT’S EDGE, by Kresley Cole. A ballerina-phantom haunts a vampire warrior in an abandoned manor.
4. THE GOOD GUY, by Dean Koontz. An ordinary man finds himself at the center of a murder plot.
5. SIMPLE GENIUS, by David Baldacci. Two former Secret Service agents investigate a scientist’s murder while one battles her own demons.

Paperback Non-Fiction

1. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. A former climber builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
2. EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert. A writer’s yearlong journey in search of self takes her to Italy, India and Indonesia.
3. 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. A minister on the otherworldly experience he had after an accident.
4. MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan. A newspaper columnist and his wife learn life lessons from their neurotic dog.
5. THE GOD DELUSION, by Richard Dawkins. An Oxford scientist asserts that belief in God is irrational.

Paperback Advice

1. A NEW EARTH, by Eckhart Tolle. A spiritual teacher prescribes letting go of the ego to help end conflict and suffering.
2. HUNGRY GIRL, by Lisa Lillien. Recipes for burgers, nachos, pizza, fudge, onion rings and other “guilty” foods — without the guilt.
3. THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle. A guide to personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.
4. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. Advice for parents-to-be. (†)
5. SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Vegan diet advice from the world of modeling.

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List

You know how sometimes you have a billion books on your TBR list, you already have ten other books checked out from the library, and piles of books scattered throughout the house that you haven’t read yet? And then somehow, you find a book that you weren’t planning on reading and you find yourself not doing anything else until you’ve finished it? That’s what The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti did for me. It was one of those books that was on display at the library, I couldn’t resist, it made it’s way home, it got bumped ahead of all the other books and I couldn’t put it down.

I knew nothing about The Boy Who Dared when I started reading it, which made it even that much better. It’s like discovering a whole new subject of study. The Boy Who Dared is the fictionalized account of a real German youth named Helmuth Hubener. Helmuth believes in doing what is right and in being patriotic to ones country and supporting the nations leaders. But can he do both when the Nazi’s take control of Germany?

Helmuth soon discovers after listening to banned radio broadcasts from London that the Nazi’s are lying to them. He knows he has to do something but is unsure of what he, a sixteen year old boy, could do to make a difference. I’m not sure how much of this story I should give, but I really want to discuss it all, so I’ll just say ***SPOILER*** Helmuth knows of only one way to fight back and that is through the written word. Together with a couple of his friends, he distributes leaflets challenging Hitler ideology including the contents of the foreign radio broadcasts. Helmuth was later executed by the Nazi government at the age of seventeen for his activities, the youngest freedom fighter to do so.

I can’t imagine being that mature at that age to be able to decide to actively fight against the Nazi’s. What was I doing when I was seventeen? I was probably thinking about homework, friends, and prom. I certainly wasn’t thinking about risking my life to fight for something that I knew was wrong, albeit I wasn’t under Nazi control, but still! I am continually amazed at what kids can do when placed in difficult situations. Helmuth’s story made me want to stand up for what I know to be right. He was very inspiring.

I ought to state, that Helmuth was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Susan Campbell Bartoletti certainly did her research and the book was a very accurate portrayal of what I must have imagined it to be like for the LDS living under the Nazi regime. And on a side note, if you are scared of LDS literature, I ought to point out that this is not LDS literature (nor is the author LDS). It just so happens that the main character is LDS. I could easily see Helmuth being a active member of any church whether he be Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, etc and it would play out the same. Although, if you have an interest in the LDS in literature, this book is for you. Like I mentioned earlier, I knew nothing about this book when I began reading it, so I was pleasantly surprised by this dynamic.

I was halfway through The Boy Who Dared, when I thought, that his story was really beginning to feel familiar but I couldn’t place it. I did a google search and saw a part of the story that I hadn’t gotten to yet (which I then hurried and closed my browser, really what was I thinking?). But it confirmed that I had seen (not read or heard, but seen) this story before, but I still couldn’t place it. I hate it when that happens. Then it all came back. Taylor and I were at a alumni event at our alma mater and they were showing films. I saw a trailer for this movie (movie based upon the original true life events of Helmuth, not based upon Susan Campbell’s book)! It’s Truth and Treason, which is currently in pre-production starring Haley Joel Osmont as Helmuth. I really wanted to embed a video for you but it wouldn’t let me, nor could I find anything on YouTube or Google. So visit the website for some great footage. It looks really good and now I can’t wait.

Many of you may already know Helmuth Hubener’s story, although The Boy who Dared was my first introduction. In fact, Susan Campbell Bartoletti already wrote about him in her Newbery Award winning book Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. His story so moved her that she went on to write this book. And she’s not the only one, Michael Tunnel wrote a fictionalized account of the same story in Brothers in Valor, plus Rudi Wobbe and Karl-Heinz, Helmuth’s friends both wrote memoirs entitled Before the Blood Tribunal and The Price respectively. You can also find out more about Helmuth Hubener’s story at Utah History to Go and good old Wikepedia which will point you to areas of further study.

I would highly recommend The Boy Who Dared and I’m now even more interested in this amazing young man that I’m off to read more about him.