2 Books

I had the pleasure of finishing 2 books yesterday.

The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford.
This was a totally unexpected read for me. I fully enjoyed it though. It's a story about a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl during World War II and their highly unlikely friendship that turned into a courtship. During the telling of this story, the current life of the Chinese boy, told 50 years later, is also being told. Kind of a fun little mix.
The whole history of Japanese Internment camps is extremely devastating. In high school I did some research on the Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho. I can't believe we as Americans did this. And somehow, so many of these citizens maintained their loyalty to the country and forgave us.
I also realized during this book how my problems really seem so micro compared to what other people had to endure. I am pretty lucky.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne.
Another fictional World War II book. Seems like my cup of tea lately. This book put such an interesting spin on life in Germany. The main character's father is a Commandant in the Nazi Army and is stationed at Auswitch. Which, this darling kid thinks is called "Out-With." The innocence that is portrayed with this kid makes it seem, even more than it is, how ridiculous the Concentration Camps were. Through a kid's eye, things seem much simpler. This kid, Bruno, makes an unlikely friend during his time there and on the day he's supposed to go back to Berlin, because mama can't handle even being there, he disappears.
Heartbreaking, but definitely worth the read.