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Princetown And The Conscientious Objectors Of WWI by Pip Barker

Oct19

Fascinating Account

Princetown And The Conscientious Objectors Of WWI by Pip Barker is a fascinating and comprehensive account of the men who often got a bad press at the time and about whom I knew very little.

Princetown is an inhospitable prison on Dartmoor. “The whole place could only be described as grim.” I can confirm that statement as I remember my Dad driving us past it in the late 1970’s. It is grey and very bleak as it towers over the landscape.

The prison was emptied of prisoners in February 1917 to make way for the C.O’s to arrive in March 1917. It rapidly filled to hold 1200 men who remained there until April 1919. The men lived and worked in the prison or the surrounding area.

Although there were no locks on the doors, the men still had a tough time as it was cold and damp.

The public had little compassion for the C.O’s as many of the people had relatives who were fighting in the war. The women could be particularly cruel as they handed out white feathers. “These men were viewed unsympathetically, and in some cases with open hostility.” The C.O’s stood steadfast in their beliefs.

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Three Sisters by Heather Morris

Oct14

The Promise

 Three Sisters by Heather Morris is a powerful true story of survival during a time of great evil. It is a book that will horrify you as you witness the cruelty towards the Jewish people. It is a book that will inspire you as you observe the bonds of love between the three sisters. It is a book that needs to be read in memory of the six million innocents who perished.

Much of the book is set in Auschwitz and other camps, some is in the girls’ home in Slovakia and the book ends in Israel. The reader sees that “to survive one must remain invisible.”

Auschwitz was a place of unbelievable horrors. The three sisters each had the desire to survive in order to help each other and to fulfill a promise made to their father in 1929. “We Meller girls must stay strong and carry hope in our hearts.” They carried love too.

The camps tested a person’s faith. Some clung on to God. Others questioned. “We needed God in those camps, and where was He?” God walked beside them in the pits of hell but His presence could not always be felt. Our feelings are unreliable. God was there with His children.

People did what they had to in order to survive. “She has chosen to survive, so don’t ever judge her.” Heather Morris vividly describes the horrendous conditions, cruelty and torture of the innocents. Pictures have been planted in my brain through her words that are now impossible to ‘unsee.’

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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Aug1

A Legacy Of Love

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a powerful work of non-fiction that charts the author’s journey from neurosurgeon to cancer patient.

The book is beautifully and simply penned, as if the author were addressing a dear friend and not writing a book. The result is that by the end of the book, the reader feels like they have lost a dear friend.

There is a genuine feeling of loss – of what Paul Kalanithi could have achieved as a surgeon, of his daughter and wife having their years ahead without him. But there is also a feeling of celebration, too – Paul Kalanithi left behind a legacy of love – love in the hearts of his family, colleagues and patients.

The first half of the book introduces the reader to Paul Kalanithi the surgeon. He is not a surgeon without empathy, he treats every patient he meets as a person. “I had met her in a space where she was a person, instead of a problem to be solved.”

Paul Kalanithi recognized the need to connect with his patients. They needed his skill set as a surgeon and they needed his words as a fellow human being. “When there’s no place for the scalpel, words are the surgeon’s only tool.”

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But You Don’t Look Sick by Bette Brown

May2

A Useful Companion

But You Don’t Look Sick by Bette Brown is a powerful little book looking at fibromyalgia. If you are a sufferer or know someone who is, this book will be useful to read.

The book covers some of the symptoms (but not all as the list is huge), the medications and helpful suggestions as to what may work, how to cope and how to tell others.

Fibromyalgia is an invisible illness. You look fine but don’t feel fine. Ordinary tasks may be hard and brain fog (which I thought was unique to me) is very frustrating.

There are personal stories from sufferers which helps to know that you are not alone.

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