As I Have Loved You by Kitty De Ruyter-Bons

5 stars
LDS
memoir

I had the opportunity a couple of months ago to hear Kitty Bons speak and of course then had to read her book.

What a contrast to the last concentration camp survivor memoir I read!

Kitty's book is largely a spiritual memoir-- focusing on how her mother's faith kept them going.  It was how they survived.

Born on Java, Kitty was just 8 when the Japanese invaded.  Soon her family was placed under house-arrest.  Her father had escaped a POW camp (all military men and Europeans were thrown in camps immediately) and formed a resistance and they were to be used as bait to get him to come out of hiding.  Eventually they were moved to a camp.  And then to other camps.

The Japanese concentration camps aren't something we usually hear about.  While horrific, the intent was not genocide, but the Japanese could still be very cruel and many many people died.

Rather than dwelling on the misery and horror, this book explains how her mother taught them to love their enemies.

The story contiues, too, through the end of the war and into Kitty's adulthood.

Really just a wonderful and touching memoir.

Mormon Scientist by Henry J Eyring

Did not finish
Nonfiction
book club (sorry, ladies... I give up!)

I've been reading this book for months.

Well, okay, it's been sitting here with a bookmark in it for months. I've renewed it to the ends of the earth-- including taking it in and asking the librarian to check it in so I can start all over.

Let me start by saying it's fascinating. It really is. Henry J Eyring's story of his grandfather is really really interesting.

(Side note, for those that are familiar with LDS church leadership and highly confused-- Henry J is the son of Henry B of the First Presidency. The book is about Henry, father of Henry B. Clear as mud? Yeah I thought so too. This is why I don't name kids after us...)

Anyway.

So if it's so interesting, you're asking, why didn't I finish it? Um... because I have a limited attention span/tolerance for nonfiction. :D

The books biggest problem is organization. It's not chronological. I'm sorry, my OCD brain simply cannot handle a non-chronological biography.

PLUS, it's in sections, so when you start a new section it's almost like you're starting over again... back to his childhood.

So really, after finishing the first section of the book, starting the next seemed... redundant.

Which isn't fair, because he's a fascinating man and his story deserves attention....

But between the organization and pregnancy brain (you caught last week's Wordless Wednesday, right?) I topped out at page 116.

Now the irony (perhaps anyway... my senior English teacher may quibble with that use of the word) is that I ABSOLUTELY recommend this book! Like I said, his story is fascinating and really deserves attention... I just have no attention to give at the moment.**

Anyway-- you should try it, though. Then come tell me how the other 100 some odd pages were. :D

**I swear that needs a term.... like Pregnancy-Induced, Nonfiction Aggravated Attention Deficit Disorder.... PINAADD. Hmm... Maybe not. :D

Completely random note-- this makes 400 posts!!