A Few Of Our Favorite Things: Nonfiction Book for Adults
17 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in A Few of Our Favorite Things
The goal: Find the best real story
The results: Two life stories you could never imagine
Amanda’s Pick:
The Stats: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, about $9 at Amazon
Why: I’m fascinated with gardening even though all my plants die.
The Story: A former coworker recommended this book, and I put it on the backburner for a while. But, after I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. Kingsolver tells the story of how her family of four left arid Tucson for the fertile Appalachian area and lived locally(with a few exceptions) for an entire year. Most of their food they grew themselves. She tells of slaughtering their turkeys, of wanting fresh fruit in winter, of finding a peace with the land.
The Pros: Beautifully written, captivating detail, haunting revelations.
The Cons: It’s a very big book and the print is kind of small. And, your Thanksgiving turkey might not sound as a appealing if you read the account of how the Kingsolver clan slaughtered theirs.
One last thing: Be sure to try some of the recipes sprinkled throughout.
Whitney’s Pick:
The Stats: Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell, about $17.00 from Amazon
Why: Because sometimes fact is stranger than fiction; Because sometimes you just need to hear what honor and duty, sacrifice and Texas pride mean to someone who fought for them.
The Story: From Amazon: On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive.
This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.
A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America’s warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich , moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The Pros: In 2001, I toured the remains of a Nazi concentration camp in Germany. While I had always considered myself patriotic, both as a proud American and an even prouder Texan, the ominous blackness that surrounded me on that spring day in Germany shifted my thinking: Freedom goes way beyond the flag. Freedom is never free, and it is truly different for those who have fought for it. Even if you disagree with Luttrell’s beliefs, the book is still worth reading because we live in a country where he is free to express his opinion, and we are free to read what we want.
The Cons: This is Luttrell’s story, so if you’re looking for an objective look at both sides of the story, this is not the book for you.
One last thing: I grew up watching old military shows on TBS with my grandpa. He’d been in the Navy during WWII, and while we never talked about his service much, I spent a lot of time watching fictional and non-fictional military TV shows with him. Even though he passed away several years ago, my interest in military history has continued. After I read and reread Lone Survivor, some of my family members, including my brother, decided to read it. This year for my birthday, he surprised me with a signed copy of the book. The inscription? Luttrell wrote, “Never quit.” The gift? Priceless.
