Review: Dancing on a Powder Keg: The Intimate Voice of a Young Mother and Author, Her Letters Composed in the Lengthening Shadow of the Third Reich; Her Poems from the Theresienstadt Ghetto.

Dancing on a Powder Keg: The Intimate Voice of a Young Mother and Author, Her Letters Composed in the Lengthening Shadow of the Third Reich; Her Poems from the Theresienstadt Ghetto. by Ilse Weber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Introduction
I know it sounds cliche, but I know of no other way to say it: the humanity of this book will haunt you. Isle Weber's story, pieced together through records from Yad Vashem and her personal letters and poems, is one of the most moving Holocaust accounts you will ever read.

The story
Ilse Weber was a brilliant, creative, artistic soul. She was a doting wife, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. She wrote beloved radio programs for children, as well as musicals and poetry. She was also a Jew. As such, her fate was sealed when Hitler tore through her homeland. She loved Germany and the German language, which was her native tongue. The book opens with her letters mostly to her friend, Lilian. As the years progress, Ilse's letters are more and more emotional as she watches the world around her devolve into evil. She describes how former neighbors and friends ignore or even verbally attack her in public. She is confused by the political changes that seem to drive personality changes in almost everyone she knows.

Eventually, Ilse and her husband (Willi) make the heart-wrenching decision to send their oldest son, Hans, to live with friends in England. Hans arrives safely via Kindertransport and spends the rest of the war bouncing around England and Sweden. Meanwhile, Ilse and Willi bounce around Czechoslovakia and Poland with their younger son, Tomas. Ilse and Willi find it increasingly hard to find work and they both begin to suffer from various chronic illnesses. They find comfort in their community and Ilse's poems. As the Jews are thrown together in the ghetto of Theresienstadt, Isle volunteers to work in the children's hospital, playing her illegal guitar to cheer up the suffering children. Eventually, Ilse heroically refuses to abandon the children as they are rounded up for transportation. She was killed along with all the children, including her son Tomas, in a gas chamber at Auschwitz. Willi is taken to the camps too, but not before he is able to bury Ilse's poems. He survived and was able to retrieve them after the war. Hans survived as well and helped publish this account of his mother's last days.

Literary analysis
At first I wasn't sure I would be able to get into a book comprised of personal letters, especially as it is only from Ilse's perspective. I'm also not usually a huge fan of poetry. I was blown away by everything in this book. The letters drew me in with their simple, honest, emotional accounts of Ilse's daily life. She talks about being a mother, caring for her household, trying desperately to hold her family together as the world around her fell apart. This book read like Anne Frank meets Sophie's Choice. It tore my heart out. I cannot fathom sending my child away. I cannot imagine what must have been going through her mind on that last trip with all those children. I cannot even begin to know what would have gone through her mind standing in that gas chamber, clutching her son, sensing that the end had come...

Any grammatical errors were original to Ilse, and honestly are few and far between (possibly attributed to her efforts to learn and write in new languages). This book was difficult to read on an emotional level, but incredibly moving.

Conclusion
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is unique in a way similar to Anne Frank, but from the perspective of a courageous and loving mother and wife. I want the world to read this book and never, ever forget Ilse Weber, her family, and the other 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust.

**Special note: If you ever have the opportunity to visit Israel, you must make the trip to Yad Vashem. It is breathtaking and unforgettable. It is absolutely worth your time. It forever changed my perspective on the Holocaust and the Jewish people.**

View all my reviews

Review: In the Days of Rain: A Daughter, a Father, a Cult

In the Days of Rain: A Daughter, a Father, a Cult by Rebecca Stott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Introduction
Rebecca Stott was born fourth-generation Exclusive Brethren, an infamous and extremely conservative Christian-based cult. How did those experiences shape her development and the rest of her life? How much did it contribute to her father's volatile personality?

The story
Ms. Stott promised her father that she would write a book about his life. She spent the first seven or so years of her life in the Exclusive Brethren, an extreme version of the Plymouth Brethren, during which time her father was a very prominent member. She shares her experiences, which are validated and fleshed-out using news clippings and interviews from other former members. Her father died before the book could be completed; however, Ms. Stott attempts to honor his memory as she exposes the volatile and unforgiving world of the Exclusive Brethren, starting in the early years of her great-grandparents and continuing through her childhood and the years immediately following her family's withdrawal.

Literary analysis
I was disappointed in the overall content of this book. The topic - one family's experiences in a cult - was promising and I had high hopes. The book spends a lot of time building up to the actual cult information. The author talks at length about her promise to her father, her struggle to find the time/energy to write the book, her fears surrounding the controversial topic, etc. Once she gets to what is, in my opinion, the meat of the book, it is hard to follow. The timeline bounces around constantly. I regularly had to go back a few pages or even chapters to try to figure out where I was in her historical context. The ending was also unsatisfactory, leaving me feeling like the author had simply run out of things to say and so ended rather glibly.

There were several supposedly Biblical references that were incorrect (e.g. the author states that Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob; this is not true - Benjamin was the youngest son.), as well as grammatical errors. As I received an advance copy, I expect that some of these mistakes have been corrected before publication in July 2017. I found this book difficult to read and considered abandoning it more than once.

Conclusion
I do not recommend this book. There are surely better historical and even personal accounts of the Exclusive Brethren out there if you are curious. The errors and disjointed nature of this book, along with the Ms. Stott's style of writing, were not engaging or easy to read. This is, however, only my opinion as requested by the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

View all my reviews

Review: The Sacrament of Happy: Surprised by the Secret of Genuine Joy

The Sacrament of Happy: Surprised by the Secret of Genuine Joy by Lisa Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Introduction
Lisa Harper is back with another engaging, hilariously relatable book that reads like a fond missive between friends. Can Christians be truly, deeply happy? What does the Bible have to say about happiness? Spoiler alert: it is not only permissible, but actually encouraged! God wants his people to be happy!

The story
Lisa has certainly faced some trials in her life, a fact about which she is consistently honest and vulnerable. The amazing thing about her is that every time you see her, she has a million-watt smile that could probably be seen for miles in the Tennessee wilderness where she resides. How is she always so happy?! She's human, which means she leads an imperfect life just like the rest of us. Lisa Harper has, however, stumbled on a very simple, foundational Biblical secret: that is that God desires for all His people to know true and lasting happiness. This does not mean life will be perfect, that we'll get every material thing we desire, or that we'll never know suffering. On the contrary, we are promised suffering and even persecution. In her typical light-hearted but heavy hitting way, Lisa mixes personal (and often hilarious) anecdotes with Biblical truths that are life-changing. This book gives practical advice and examples of how to be truly happy in Christ.

Literary analysis
This book occasionally felt a little disjointed, but I honestly didn't mind. I am not ashamed to admit: I love and admire Lisa Harper for the wonderful, exuberant woman of God that she is. Her spirit is one of encouragement, her heart is bigger than a Montana sky, and her joy is infectious. Some people are put off by her story-telling; I love it. I enjoy the way in which Lisa manages to stay true to herself while seeking to lead others to Christ. Her books so far have had wonderful nuggets of truth sprinkled in among stories and conversation that often make you feel as though you're sitting right next to her, sharing a cup of coffee and a heart hug or two.

I did not find any grammatical or spelling errors in this first reading.

Conclusion
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, encouraging, Biblically sound read!

View all my reviews