by Daniel Jame Brown
Non-fiction / Paperback 370 pages
This is the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, left on his own at age 15, he works his way through high school, determined to work his way through college. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Along the way, the book describes what is happening in Germany as they cover up harsh treatment of Jews so as to win world-wide applause for the 1936 Olympic Games.
(Rosalie‛s comment: a bit too much detail on rowing techniques, etc., but the last half is gripping.)
by Robert Crais
Fiction / Paperback 410 pages
Bank robber Max Holman knew the two minute rule: when robbing a bank, you only have two-minutes to escape from the time an alarm button is pushed until the cops arrive. But on a heist, Max stops to give CPR to a man who had a heart attack while Max was robbing a bank. Max was caught. Fast forward ten years to when Max is released from prison. His ex-wife is deceased and his son, a 23-year old rookie with the L.A.P.D. was recently killed "in the line of duty". Suspicious of the events surrounding his son's death, he turns for help to Katherine Pollard, the former FBI officer who sent him to prison. She feels sorry for him and agrees. Together they piece together what really happened to his son.
by Tei Fugiwara
Biography / Paperback 365 pages
Two million or so Japanese lived in Japanese-controlled parts of China during the 1940s. In August, 1945, Tei Fujiwara and her family were living in Manchuria where her meteorologist husband was stationed. When the
Soviets declared war on Japan and started invading Manchuria, Tei and her family fled southwards to a town in North Korea where the Japanese Association gives them a little rice each day. After the men were taken to a Soviet labor camp, Mrs Fujiwara found herself alone, destitute and hungry. Before the journey south could continue, she had to survive--and keep her children, boys 5 and 2 and the baby girl--alive through a harsh winter of 1945-46 living with other refugees in a crowded house. They used what little money they have to buy food and fuel, but they are always hungry and cold.
Two million or so Japanese lived in Japanese-controlled parts of China during the 1940s. In August, 1945, Tei Fujiwara and her family were living in Manchuria where her meteorologist husband was stationed. When the
Soviets declared war on Japan and started invading Manchuria, Tei and her family fled southwards to a town in North Korea where the Japanese Association gives them a little rice each day. After the men were taken to a Soviet labor camp, Mrs Fujiwara found herself alone, destitute and hungry. Before the journey south could continue, she had to survive--and keep her children, boys 5 and 2 and the baby girl--alive through a harsh winter of 1945-46 living with other refugees in a crowded house. They used what little money they have to buy food and fuel, but they are always hungry and cold.
Desperate privations throw the characters of her fellow refugees into stark relief. Some fellow Japanese cheat her, others help her. An unknown Korean gives her food, at the risk of his own reputation or even life. There are Soviet soldiers who give her cloth from their stores so that she can make rag dolls and sell them on the street. The book raises the question: How would I behave if torn out of a comfortable middle-class existence and subjected to the pressures and deprivations of a refugee camp?
Eventually, Mrs Fujiwara made it to the south of Korea and was repatriated to Japan in September 1946. After reaching her parent‛s home in Japan, Tei was very ill, the baby was near death, and the boys were badly malnourished. Her parents rushed the baby to the hospital and she survived. Tei thought that she would die–she was near collapse. During her long recovery, Tei wrote what she thought would be a last testament to her young children, who wouldn’t remember their journey and who might be comforted by their mother’s words as they faced an unknown future in post-war Japan. Months later her husband came back to Japan after being released from a labor camp in northern Manchuria.
Her memoir, originally published in 1949 became a best seller in a country still in ruins. Over the following decades, millions of Japanese became familiar with her story. With her amazing story of survival and hope, she influenced a generation and a nation.
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