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Doc Susie: The True Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado Rockies
Doc Susie
By Virginia Cornell
Life was hard, very hard, for the residents of Fraser, Colorado, according to Virginia Cornell’s biography of Doc Susie. Most of the year was extremely cold, and some peoples’ bodies never adjusted to the high altitude. Men were employed in low paying, dangerous lumber jobs or in higher paying, but even more dangerous work, digging out and constructing a tunnel to make faster passage west out of Denver on Moffat Road and across the Continental Divide. When finished, it replaced a treacherous railway route that connected Tolland to Fraser. Lives were lost through accidents and illnesses resulting from bad working conditions. The owners of the railroad and tunnel project were anxious to achieve success along with accompanying fame, prestige, and money, without regard for the people who did all the hard work and took the risks.
Doctors were needed in Fraser, but few wanted to stay long. Doc Susie moved there in 1907 as a cure for her own tuberculosis and to escape an unhappy home life. A petite lady, she had graduated from the University of Michigan. Despite being a woman doctor, she gradually earned the respect of the residents. She made a lot of “house calls,” often to the scene of an accident—deep woods or remote, snowy roads. Frequently, she answered pleas for help for sick patients in isolated areas of Grand County. When she arrived, she examined the patient and took charge, giving orders to the family members. She had a “no drug, no alcohol” policy which meant some painful treatments, but she did use ether for surgery. Going to the patient’s home gave Doc Susie the opportunity to teach the families, by word and by example, the importance of cleanliness so that a wound would not become infected or a disease spread. This spunky lady was not afraid to stand up to railroad bosses or any other man who challenged her personally or professionally.
Doc Susie would have enjoyed being a wife and mother, but those roles never worked out as possibilities for her. This book gives a good picture of what life was like in the Rockies during the first half of the 1900’s for both men and women. The information in the book is well-researched. The author brings Doc Susie’s tale to life in a well-written narrative style. She also includes reproductions of many period photos, including some of Doc Susie. The courageous Doc Susie and her friends are historical figures that I cared about as I envisioned their place in the development of Colorado and of the United States.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction
Publication: 1991—Manifest Publications
Memorable Lines:
Doc Susie looked into a sea of sincere blue eyes. She knew these men, knew their word was as good as money in the First National Bank in Denver, knew that trying to change their minds—well, some said it would have been easier for the Captain to turn the Titanic around before it hit the iceberg than to change a Swede’s mind. If these men said they were going to move a building, you might as well stand back because you might get hurt if you stood in the way.
Mountain life was so harsh; a woman’s waking hours had to be spent keeping the family fed, warm and clean. The same drudgeries awaited them week after week: boil the clothes on Monday and hang them on the line to be showered by cinders raining from the sky each time a train passed, iron on Tuesday, bake on Wednesday, mend on Thursday, split kindling, split kindling, split kindling. The only recognitions these drudges got for their efforts was to be yelled at if things didn’t get done.
Sometimes it seemed there were handsome, strong, beautiful men behind every tree. Unfortunately, the pastoral illusion vanished the moment these he-mountains opened their mouths. After an evening of trying to make conversation with some muscle-brain she found herself yearning for the stimulation of a good book. Sometimes she found herself attracted to raw masculinity; usually the man in question vanished from the scene very quickly, intimidated by her authoritative ways and superior education.
Propaganda Girls–lies to win the war
Propaganda Girls
By Lisa Rogak
Writing a biography about a small group of women must be quite challenging. Lisa Rogak divided her task into four main parts. First, she gives background separately on each of the four ladies: Betty MacDonald, a journalist who was living in Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed; Zuzka Lauwers, a bored, multilingual lawyer from the Czech Republic; Jane Smith-Hutton, wife of a naval attaché in Tokyo; and Marlene Dietrich, German-born actress and singer.
In the next section of the book, Rogak describes individually their early introduction to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—recruitment, training, and assignments. Then, in the section titled “Believable Lies,” the author describes the actual work the women did. They put in long, hard days, sometimes in less than ideal living and working conditions, but they loved the independence they had in accomplishing their tasks. Their branch was Morale Operations (MO) where they produced “black propaganda.” Always based on at least a kernel of truth, they created media with the goal of demoralizing enemy soldiers and also citizens in occupied areas. They learned as much as they could about the affected country to make it appear that the flyer, broadcast, or whatever media was chosen originated in the enemy country. In “Back to Reality,” Rogak discusses the difficulties each woman had in finding her place in the world when the war ended.
Propaganda Girls was extremely well researched with an extensive bibliography and footnotes. There are many quotes from those who knew the four women and from written resources. These references give authenticity to the biography. The format Rogak chose for this book is fairly rigid resulting in characters who are well-defined in each progression. They are, however, never infused with personality. If you like your nonfiction to be so exciting that it could be mistaken for fiction or be a page turner, then this will not be a good match for you. If you want to learn about women making a difference in World War II, probably saving lives, and working for less pay and respect than their male counterparts, then you’ll be satisfied with this glimpse into a portion of World War II history that has not been well-publicized.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction, History
Publication: March 4, 2025—St. Martin’s Press
Memorable Lines:
Marlene loved the job, and between the cross-country bond tours, working at the canteen, and making an occasional movie, she was exhausted all the time, but here was a way that she could directly affect the lives of thousands of young men who were about to put their lives on the line. She had found her calling.
Betty had crammed a lot of living into her century of life. But like Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene, her war service was the highlight of her life. “There was a real reason for what we were doing in those days,” she said. “A lot of the things we tried didn’t work, but it was war, and it was important.”
But after more than five years of war, Paris wasn’t in much better shape than Tokyo. The city was impassable in many places; apartment buildings and homes were in disrepair and often uninhabitable. Most buildings in the city had gone unheated for the length of the war, except for those that had been occupied by the Germans.
The Watchmaker’s Daughter: the true story of World War II heroine Corrie Ten Boom
The Watchmaker’s Daughter
by Larry Loftis
The Hiding Place, the original popular story of Corrie ten Boom, written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, was released in 1971 and made into a movie in 1975. Corrie, skilled in watch repairs, and the rest of the ten Boom family saved many Dutch—both Jews and non-Jews—from being sent to prison, concentration camps, and labor camps by German Nazis in World War II.
Although The Hiding Place was a landmark book in telling the story of this remarkable Christian lady, Larry Loftis has gone even further in writing The Watchmaker’s Daughter. His research into the background of the World War II setting of the book sets the reader up to better understand the times culturally and politically and the invasion of Holland. His research includes examining photos and original small books by Corrie ten Boom along with memorabilia that are archived in the Billy Graham Center Archives at Wheaton College. Corrie ten Boom did not keep a diary, but Loftis sought out many other primary sources including journals and letters from survivors who had been hidden in the ten Boom home.
Corrie and her older sister Betsie were interned in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp for their crimes of hiding Jews. There these Christian sisters had a ministry within the barracks, holding secret Bible studies and encouraging the other women to hold strong despite the horrible conditions and continuous threat of execution. Upon release, Corrie began a ministry of traveling internationally with a message of forgiveness and established 3 different centers, one in a transformed concentration camp, to meet the physical and emotional needs of survivors. Betsie had a vision of the centers while they were still in the camp at a time when the fulfillment of her vision seemed impossible. Corrie’s story is an amazing one showcasing the love of God and the power of forgiveness.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction, Christian, History
Notes: Even if you think you know the story of Corrie ten Boom, I encourage you to read this book. Corrie’s story is unforgettable, and her courageous life of dependence on God extended way past the events in Ravensbrück. Loftis’ research and writing along with Corrie’s life and faith make this book remarkable.
Publication: 2023—HarperCollins
Memorable Lines:
This was the hardest part—the hatred. Over ensuing days Corrie tried to be nice to the woman, but to no avail. “She seemed to be entirely devoid of human feeling,” Corrie recalled, “and altogether hard, hostile, and wicked…Why should they always snap and snarl at us? I always greeted them with a pleasant ‘Good morning,’ but everything seemed to glance off their impenetrable armor of hate.”
“My sister died here,” she told Tiny. “She suffered so much. I, too, have suffered. But Jesus is always with us. He did a miracle in taking away all my hatred and bitterness for my enemies.”
For more than fifty years the Beje had been her own hiding place, her refuge. But Ravensbrück had taught her that this magnificent home—with all of its memories—was but a shadow; her true hiding place was Christ.
A Shadow in Moscow–Cold War spies
A Shadow in Moscow
by Katherine Reay
As you can guess from the title A Shadow in Moscow, this book is about spies—two women in particular—and is told in two timelines with a third included in an epilogue. I didn’t like the two timelines for a lot of the book, but by the end I understood why the author chose that style. She purposely does not reveal the connections between the two women operatives until late in the book. She, in fact, keeps a lot of clues from the reader. The whole book is interesting, but a little unsatisfying until the author reveals the relationships to the reader and to the characters themselves. At that point I was shaking my head at the courage, intelligence, and loyalty of these women.
Almost any summary of this work of historical fiction would include spoilers, so I will instead relate some of my impressions. I have read other books by Reay and appreciate her as a writer. She has researched her topic well and has shared information about the Cold War in a way that makes it understandable to the reader. It is hard to comprehend from our position in North America the length and depth of the spy organizations and culture that permeated the world during that era, especially as it involved the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain. This is a story of intelligence agencies (CIA, MI6, and KGB) and counterintelligence agencies. We learn of the extent the KGB went to in their efforts to control the actions and even the thoughts of their people. We see this on an organizational level, but also a personal level as individuals and families are unable to express themselves or know who to trust. As Reay states in her notes to readers, “only in truly understanding our pasts will we be able to navigate—with empathy, humanity, and wisdom—our presents well.”
At two-thirds of the way through this book, I would have given it a moderate stamp of approval. At the end I was overwhelmed with the writer’s talent, with the way the various threads were drawn together, and with the motivations and resolutions for various characters. It will transport you to a difficult time in history when choices, whether based on ethics or on greed, led to life and death decisions.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Historical Fiction
Notes: Discussion questions are included in the back of the book and Reay references other resources on her web page. If this is chosen as a book club selection, I would advise that the members read the whole book before discussing it.
Publication: June 13, 2023—Harper Muse
Memorable Lines:
Jamison’s cramped and stuffy book-lined office is my favorite spot on campus. Something about its dusty, ink-and-paper smell takes me right back to my bedroom and my all-night read-a-thons—because at home you get the best books in secret and only for one night.
Our conformity gives an illusion of power and peace as we are raised to believe our way of life is superior and virtuous. Illusions are powerful things. If you believe them hard enough, they can become one’s reality.
“They’re Americans, Sasha. They have constitutional rights agains that kind of stuff.” The memory is bright and convicting, blinding me with truth. That’s the difference, I think. Forget the bedazzled clothes, the neon colors, the malls, the plentiful vegetables. Forget it all. It’s window dressing hiding the truth. None of that matters because only one thing counts. Rights.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
The Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown
Are you a big sports fan? Do you love rowing competitions? Do you know what makes a good coxswain? If your answers, like mine, are “no,” I guarantee that you will love The Boys in the Boat anyway!
Daniel James Brown is a masterful writer. His research is the backbone of the story, but that is just the beginning. He focuses his story of nine young Americans and their coaches on one amazing young man, Joe Rantz. In the process of rolling out this tale, Brown gives the reader a deep look at Joe, who despite terrible odds survived desperate times and the abandonment of his family. With sacrifices and persistence, he struggled through the Depression to earn his way through college and a place on the University of Washington eight-oar crew.
Holding down several jobs and living in tiny, dank quarters, Joe was bullied by his teammates for always wearing the one ragged sweater he owned and for being perpetually hungry. Despite World Wars, the collapse of Wall Street, the Great Depression, flooding, the Dust Bowl, and record unemployment, there were still students who were of a “privileged” class. Many students in the West were from tougher, more humble circumstances, but few of Joe’s teammates had backgrounds comparable to Joe’s. The rowers in the East generally went to elite schools and reflected British roots in their rowing.
Although the book focuses on Joe, partly because of Joe’s unique story and partly because the author was able to interview Joe himself and Joe’s daughter, Brown also includes the backgrounds and activities of each of the other boys in the boat.
The descriptions of the qualifying race in Poughkeepsie and the Olympic competition in Berlin will immerse you in the races to the point of feeling like you are there. There are so many factors that play important roles in rowing. The coaches are key in bringing the boys along, eliminating those who do not have extreme desire and persistence. They have to motivate them to work as a team, teach them how to row, and strategize which students will work best in each position on the boat.
Each chapter starts with a philosophical rowing quote by boat builder George Yeoman Pocock. He hailed from a line of boat builders and prided himself on the quality of his boats. He also had a talent for both seeing how a rower could improve and effectively sharing that with the young man.
Leading into the Olympic competition is fascinating information about Hitler’s motivations with the Olympics and what he did to achieve world-wide acclaim. His public relations efforts portraying Nazis as accepting and culturally sensitive were quite successful internationally.
The Boys in the Boat is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. Joe’s strength of character and physical endurance are inspirational. I am thankful that the author included an epilogue that shares what happened to each of the rowers in their adult lives. There are also a few pages that give insight into how Brown learned so much about this “epic quest.” The crew endured practices in cold and rain, in heat and rough waves. The success of the nine was well-deserved and merited recording in this outstanding book.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Nonfiction, History, Sports
Publication: 2013—Penguin
Memorable Lines:
To defeat an adversary who was your equal, maybe even your superior, it wasn’t necessarily enough just to give your all from start to finish. You had to master your opponent mentally. when the critical moment in a close race was upon you, you had to know something he did not—that down in your core you still had something in reserve, something you had not yet shown something that once revealed would make him doubt himself, make him falter just when it counted the most. Like so much in life, crew was partly about confidence, partly about knowing your own heart.
“It takes energy to get angry. It eats you up inside. I can’t waste my energy like that and expect to get ahead. When they left, it took everything I had in me just to survive. Now I have to stay focused. I’ve just gotta take care of it myself.”
The wood, Pocock murmured, taught us about survival, about overcoming difficulty, about prevailing over adversity, but it also taught us something about the underlying reason for surviving in the first place. Something about infinite beauty, about undying grace, about things larger and greater than ourselves, About the reasons we were all here. “Sure, I can make a boat,” he said, and then added quoting poet Joyce Kilmer, “ ‘But only God can make a tree.’ “
As the observation train drew back upriver again for the start of the varsity race, the atmosphere grew electric, the dusky sky crackling with static. The crowd began to buzz. Boat whistles shrilled. Alumni draped arms over one another’s shoulders and sang fight songs. Somebody was about to win big; somebody was about to lose big.
Maiden Voyages–Women and ocean liners
Maiden Voyages
by Siân Evans
Under the overarching umbrella of History, the nonfiction book Maiden Voyages has two basic spokes—Women’s History and Nautical History. Author Siân Evans goes back to the beginnings of women’s affiliation with sea transportation which was mainly being the daughter or wife of a seaman. With a lot of research, she drives down to the first instances of women serving on ships and shows the progression of their work and social status as ships take on passengers in addition to cargo. Women book spaces to transport themselves across the ocean in uncomfortable circumstances. Gradually the concept of comfort on an ocean liner takes root and grows. More women begin to travel, and more women are hired to take care of their needs.
Most of this book focuses on the glory days of ocean liners between the two World Wars through the transition from transportation to holiday destination. Incorporated into the telling are stories about the lowliest women workers through the glamour stars who not only enjoy the trips, but use them as opportunities to see and be seen. The ship becomes a backdrop for those who have achieved or want to achieve fame and fortune.
The two World Wars affected all women in taking on jobs formerly held by men as the West saw a change in cultural expectations and increased rights for women. From a hazardous work environment for less pay than men received to breaking barriers and excelling in their chosen fields, women are the heroes of this book.
I liked Maiden Voyages, but I did not find it to be a page turner. Although it was told linearly as history progressed, there was some repetition as the author reminds the reader of facts as many of the personages’ roles continued through various eras of nautical travel. I learned a lot about the Golden Era of passenger ships, and I especially appreciated the many quotes from those actually involved. Primary sources authenticate Evans’ descriptions and conclusions. As the author researched the story of her great-great uncle, Cunard Chief Officer Stephen Grow of the Aquitania, this book emerged. It is told from a British perspective. History buffs, particularly those interested in Women’s Studies and Nautical History, will find Maiden Voyages very informative.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: History, Nonfiction
Publication: August 10, 2021—St. Martin’s Press
Memorable Lines:
The transatlantic ship not only provided a form of transport across the globe, it was also both the practical means and the symbol of opportunity, of new beginnings and fresh starts. From “third class” to “top deck,” from desperate women escaping financial hardship to wealthy international sophisticates hoping for romance and adventure, every transatlantic liner of this post-war era was freighted with hope.
There was a real symbiosis between Hollywood, the heart of the movie industry, which acted as a “dream factory” in the inter-war years, and the ocean liner, which on every voyage carried people full of hope and aspirations.
…working on the big ships became even more attractive as a career option for young men and women. The opportunity to leave behind the bomb sites and rubble, the poorly stocked shops, the dull and restricted food and the dismal British weather for the neon-lit, brilliantly colored, smartly dressed and culturally vibrant cities of the USA and Canada had never seemed so appealing to the restless young.
My Several Worlds: A Personal Record
My Several Worlds: A Personal Record
by Pearl S. Buck
WHAT IS MY SEVERAL WORLDS?
It is a collection of essays integrated into a memoir. Author Pearl S. Buck, as she writes this tome, considers herself midway in her writing career. She presents it as a “record of the age in which I lived” and “as nearly an autobiography as I shall ever write.” It is not a linear book. The place she is located when she writes each section is noted, but not the date because it is such a combination of times. Although a confusing style at first, it makes sense because as she is writing about her current life in the United States, she will suddenly revert to recounting her younger years in China and historical world events or advance her opinions on a variety of subjects from practical to esoteric.
WHO WAS PEARL S. BUCK (1892-1973)?
She was a prolific author, primarily a novelist, and the winner of both the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938. The child of Christian missionaries, she spent much of her life in China until politics forced Americans to leave. Completely bilingual, Pearl was an astute translator of Chinese and had great admiration for Chinese social structure and love for the Chinese people. When she returned to the United States, she found that she lived in two separate worlds and never felt quite at home in either. She was well-traveled and had friends from all over the world.
WHERE DID BUCK GET HER INSPIRATION?
Buck’s source material was mainly her observations of people. In her travels, she paid attention to people, listening more than talking. Her focus was more on the common man and woman than the famous people who wanted to entertain her as a celebrity.
WHAT ARE SOME OF BUCK’S “SEVERAL WORLDS”?
Buck watched various political groups attempt takeovers in China. This land she loved and which helped shape her was subject to political strife from inside the country and by forces from the outside. She was witness to Western influences on young Chinese who studied in the United States and tried to bring change to ancient Chinese customs. These endeavors were not always positives for the Chinese people.
As an American adult with Chinese training, Buck experienced disparate worlds in the United States. Looking past geopolitical issues, Buck also had several worlds on a personal level. Although equipped to mingle in high society circles, she preferred a rural lifestyle with a large household of adopted children who learned life and family skills on their farm. She had a long, unhappy marriage to an agricultural missionary in China followed by a long, happy marriage to her publisher in the U.S. Although a teacher and primarily a writer, Buck devoted her talents to social enterprises as well. She opened The Welcome Home for U.S.-born children of Asian descent whose mixed-race status made them “unadoptable” according to adoption agencies. She also advocated for appropriate care for the disabled, a cause close to her heart as her first child was unable to live independently.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF MY SEVERAL WORLDS?
This is not an easy read; there is no fluff to it. In My Several Worlds you will discover a lot of Chinese history since, as Buck points out, the Chinese civilization is very old. She refers to many events in China’s past without details as she feels they have already been discussed thoroughly in books she and others have written. Her thoughts on the various subjects she examines are interesting although I do not always agree with all of them. They are informed by her unique background of living a cosmopolitan life. She was homeschooled by Christians but tutored by a Confucian. She went to college in the United States, but despite altering her clothing never felt like she fit in.
Buck is an excellent writer, but the reader needs to approach this non-fiction work with a desire to learn—to learn more about China, about adults who have grown up in more than one culture, and about the fascinating Pearl S. Buck. Having read this memoir, I think a good follow up would be to read one of her many novels.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Memoir, Nonfiction
Publication: 1954—John Day Co.
Memorable Lines:
But I had never known what hatred was. I had neither been hated nor had I ever hated anyone. I could not understand why we, who were still ourselves and unchanged, should be lumped with unknown white men from unknown countries who had been what we were not, robbers and plunderers. It was now that I felt the first and primary injustice of life. I was innocent but because I had the fair skin, the blue eyes, the blond hair of my race I was hated, and because of fear of me and my kind I walked in danger.
No people can be educated or even cultivated until books are cheap enough for everybody to buy.
I went back to my own resurrected home with a heavy heart indeed, for I knew that from that day on the new government was doomed in the end to fail. Why? Because it had failed already in understanding the people whom it purposed to govern and when a government does not rule for the benefit of those ruled, sooner or later it always fails, and history teaches that lesson to every generation whether or not its rulers can or will understand.
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France’s Largest Spy Network against Hitler
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War
by Lynne Olson
Until I read Madame Fourcade’s Secret War, my idea of the French resistance in WWII was that it was composed of small, scattered groups of French who wanted no part of the German Nazis and fled to the forests to live in secrecy and give the Germans grief. This biography of Madame Fourcade is about her life, but also relates the amazing story of Alliance, an intricate spy network that collaborated with the British in obtaining information about German troop and ship movements that was critical to the eventual success of the Allies.
The work the resistance did was extremely dangerous from the undercover agents and their support crews to couriers and radio operators. Everyone was constantly under threat and generally on the move to avoid capture, imprisonment, torture, and execution. Yet these many brave individuals and the people who helped transport and conceal them performed their tasks voluntarily and with courage. They came from all walks of life knowing they were committing to the ultimate sacrifice in many cases.
It was amazing to read of the various situations they were involved in and the escape attempts. Fourcade, as the leader of this network, changed her identity and transferred her headquarters frequently, leaving her children in the care of others. The book makes clear how unusual and difficult it was in that time period for a woman to have a role of authority over men. She was a natural leader, however, and that quality was soon recognized by those who reported to her.
This work of nonfiction displays author Lynne Olson’s extensive research, but it reads like a novel. The reader wants to keep going to subsequent chapters to discover what happens next to the members of Alliance. There are many surprises, both good and bad.
The roles of the various countries and their agreements were at times quite infuriating. France was divided up into a northern part taken over by Germany and a southern part which became a puppet regime for Germany with their operatives everywhere. Even in exile in Britain there were two competing sides with French leaders—de Gaulle and the Free French vs. Giraud, a general the British were using to win over French forces in North Africa. There were even political pushes for dominance by the various resistance networks. Fourcade did her best to keep Alliance out of all the different political drives.
In each of the many historical fiction books popular right now, readers can learn something interesting and new about various groups in WWII. I recommend reading Madame Fourcade’s Secret War. As nonfiction, it is a slower and more difficult read, but it is well worth the effort to understand the French resistance movement and so much more about the events and major figures of WWII.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Nonfiction, Biography
Notes: 1. This would make a good selection for book clubs who want to read a work of nonfiction.
2. There are pictures of many of the agents.
3. Helpful sections of the book include Selected Cast of Characters, Author’s Note (about Fourcade’s name), Notes, Bibliography, and Index.
Publication: 2019—Random House
Memorable Lines:
Lynen, who had recently agreed to take part in a theatrical tour across France, said he would transport the transmitters and secret documents from one city to another in his costume trunk. He told Fourcade that his celebrity would be an advantage rather than a negative: No one would ever believe that the famous “Carrot Top” was a spy. It would be, he said with a grin, his finest role.
A few days before, she had gone to confession and told the priest about the poison she was taking with her and her concerns about being damned in the eyes of the church if she used it to kill herself. She hoped she would have the courage to resist torture, but she worried that she might not be able to do so and might, in the end, inform on her colleagues. The priest allayed her fears, saying her death would not be a suicide but rather a necessary means of resisting the enemy. He gave her absolution in advance.
Although they were from varied walks of life and political backgrounds, a moral common denominator overrode all their differences; a refusal to be silenced and an iron determination to fight against the destruction of freedom and human dignity. In doing so, they, along with other members of the resistance, saved the soul and honor of France.
The Wind in My Hair–compulsory hijab
The Wind in My Hair
by Masih Alinejad with Kambiz Foroohar
In her memoir The Wind in My Hair, Masih Alinejad, in exile first in Great Britain and later in America, tells the struggles she had and all Iranian women still endure with laws in Iran that make wearing the hijab compulsory from age seven. The “morality police” in that country take this law over what women wear to the extreme. Women can be beaten, flogged, and jailed if even a strand of hair escapes the hijab. Women who have resisted this compulsory law have had acid splashed in their faces and have been incarcerated, tortured, and sometimes raped.
Masih tells her personal story of an impoverished, but mostly happy, rural childhood with conservative parents. Always a bit of a rebel, Masih was expelled from high school in her final semester and jailed for belonging to a small anti-government secret society. Later as a parliament reporter, she was banned from the parliament building for asking the wrong questions.
In exile Masih worked tirelessly and sometimes under threats of violence for the rights of women in Iran. There are more issues involved than compulsory hijab, but that is a visible sign of the control men have over women in Iran. Masih used the tools of social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, to broadcast her positions in Iran where the government controls television and newspapers. The movements she started were given exposure internationally via the Internet.
Masih is highly critical of female politicians and government employees who visit Iran but are unwilling to bring up women’s rights in official discussions and wear some version of head covering during their visit. Masih made recordings of Iranian families’ stories about their dead or missing loved ones called The Victims of 88. Brave women flooded her social media accounts with pictures of themselves without the hijab in the interest of freedom. The Wind in My Hair is well-written by a journalist-storyteller who has lived the story she tells. It will grip you and not release you as you ponder the freedoms you currently enjoy in your own country.
Rating: 5/5
Category: History, Memoir
Notes: Perhaps because she was not raised American, perhaps because she is a journalist, Masih’s perception of current politics and reporting in the U.S. seem somewhat skewed. She clearly understands that you can’t trust reports in Iran, but does not seem to realize that there is censorship in the U.S. by big business, politicians, and the media working in concert. That viewpoint does not change the importance of her analysis of the Iranian government’s control over its people following the deposition of the Shah.
Publication: May 29, 2018—Little, Brown, & Co.
Memorable Lines:
“The Americans are coming to steal Iran away. They’ll kill us all.” I really thought we’d face another war immediately. It was not rational, but, like millions of Iranians, I had been brainwashed by the daily propaganda on the national television and radio stations. I thought it was only Khomeini who was strong enough to stand up to the greedy U.S. capitalists. Many years later, I discovered that Khomeini was a coldhearted dictator who ordered the execution of thousands of Iranians.
I didn’t even know what charges I faced. No one had read the complaint against me. I had no lawyer to defend me. I was forced into giving a confession, and now all that remained was for this judge to pass a sentence. It didn’t sound very just. Later in life, I discovered that there is not much justice in the Islamic Republic.
There is a predictable cycle in Iranian politics, as predictable as the weather. Every year, for a few months, the government relaxes its grip and some actions are tolerated—women can show a few inches of hair under their head scarves, or men and women can actually walk together without being married, or the newspapers can publish mildly critical articles. Then, just like the dark clouds that gather in late autumn, the freedoms are taken away and transgressors are punished.
Feliz Navidad! A Christmas Tree for Book Lovers!
This Christmas tree made from books is in the Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra, a public library in Pátzcuaro, Michoacan, México. The library is located in Plaza Chica, officially known as Plaza Bocanegra. The library occupies a 16th-century the building that was a San Agustin church. It was built in 1574 and converted into a library in 1936. The mural in the background was created by Juan O’Gorman. It depicts Michoacán’s history beginning with the pre-Hispanic era and ending with the 1910 revolution. I visited this library when I lived in Pátzcuaro, and the mural is incredible. The building is located on a plaza with numerous small shops (tiendas) and a very large outdoor market (mercado). The plaza is always bustling with pedestrians, autos, taxis and public transportation vans (combis).
Thanks to Rick M. of Michoacán who granted permission to display his photograph.
Below is a picture of the exterior of the building.
Credit for this photo belongs to Wiper México, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52416290
education pathways 