From Sacrifice to Secrets: The Complexity of Choices
Follow into
Save into
Welcome to our fourth and final week of Summer Book Reviews! Read on for the last set of books from my shelf so far this year, and a final guest review from another dear friend and subscriber.
Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography, by Theodore Roosevelt
This one popped up on my Spotify audiobook suggestions, and I listened to it during a period of lots of windshield time (yes, even more than usual) this spring.
Pretty self-explanatory, you may think: this is a book about Theodore Roosevelt’s life, told from his perspective. Well, think again. It’s somewhat about his life, but more about how he looked at the world and what he believed about the role of policy, both domestic and foreign. After a few brief chapters about his childhood and birds and, oh yes, his period of time as a cowboy out west, it largely gives us a play-by-play of his political maneuvering and how he viewed the key policy matters of his era.
I started listening because I’ve long been a fan of at least the concept of Theodore Roosevelt, largely due to his oft-quoted “Man in the Arena” speech and his love for the outdoors and work in establishing our National Parks system. I kept listening because it was actually fascinating to see how many (often incorrect) assumptions I had made about his other policy leanings based on the tidbits of knowledge I had about him.
One Thing Differently:
Not a new concept, but one I need to be reminded of often, is that you can’t assume you know what someone believes about one thing because you know what they believe about another. We could all work on this one these days, I think.
The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
At the recommendation of a number of friends, I read this one on Kindle during a vacation out west this spring. While I normally prefer to physically hold the books I read, airplane time lends itself to Kindle books to reduce the weight of my carry-on ;)
This was a fabulous historical fiction piece, giving a glimpse into the various French perspectives on World War II. While it is technically a work of fiction, there are aspects that are loosely based on true stories of the French Underground, particularly the women who helped distribute information and smuggle Allied soldiers back to safe territory.
When good friends recommend a good book, and especially a good World War II era historical fiction book, I’m rarely going to say no. Staying engaged with this one was no challenge, either; the story moves beautifully, and it struck a rare balance of entertaining and thought-provoking. As I think is often the case when we look at historical events, it’s easy to think we’d be the heroes; The Nightingale presents the very real internal struggles of the real people who lived through the German occupation of France.
One Thing Differently:
In my many forays into the history of World War II, I’ve rarely explored the French perspective, and certainly the perspective of families who were forced to make choices between the safety of their children and loyalty to their country. More than anything, this book gave me more empathy for people whose decisions I do not understand, and a more thoughtful way to look at my own decisions.
Guest Review: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Our final guest review comes from a voice you’ve heard from on The Next Step already this year, in her Guest Voices article a few months ago. Gracie Murphy has been a dear friend for a number of years now, from our time together in a student leadership organization to attending SIU and now navigating through career choices, relationships, and life in general.
I recently read the book, “Have a Little Faith,” by Mitch Albom back in May of this year (on my flight to Austria).
Mitch Albom is one of my favorite authors because he writes both fiction and non-fiction books, all centering around his own vulnerability and often referencing struggles he has faced on his faith journey. This particular book is a non-fiction story that puts the audience in the lives of two religious figures: a Jewish Rabbi who has a wealth of knowledge and a Christian pastor who comes from a troubled background. Albom compares two people who, on the outside, could not be more different, and helps the audience form connections between the people (and religions represented) that are not obviously seen.
I picked it up because I was looking for a good read for my 8-hour flight to Austria, and I was intrigued by the title of this one. Actually, my grandpa had read this and gave me the “thumbs up” when I asked about it. It was a quick read, and I finished it before the trip was over, but Albom’s words are just as valuable as they are minimal. The book challenges your thoughts on religion, people, and the way you live your life.
One thing I took away from this book is that religion is not about proving why one way is right or wrong; it is about identifying what that greater purpose for life is. Aside from the religion conversation, this book also opened my eyes to how many assumptions I tend to make about people different from me that are just that - assumptions. It’s unfair of me to create an opinion about someone who I don’t know well enough to form an opinion about. That is something I have been trying to hold myself accountable to after reading this book.
I highly recommend the book for someone who is struggling to choose the specific religion they want to attach themselves to, struggling to understand the purpose of their religion or greater purpose for here in life, or for those who are just simply looking for a book to help them see things from a different angle.
About Gracie:
I am Gracie Murphy, a current student at SIU. I am grateful to call Miriam a dear friend of mine, and I have enjoyed being a subscriber to The Next Step to receive inspiration and opportunities for growth in my own life when it comes into my inbox.
Missed your chance to share a book review? Drop a recommendation in the comments below! We’ll be moving on from this series, but I’ll never turn down a good book suggestion.