Wednesday, December 29, 2010

MY READING LIFE
by Pat Conroy

His mother turned him on to books at a very early age. She could tell stories like nobody else and was a voracious reader. At the age of five, she read him Gone with the Wind (it was this book that made him become a "Southern" novelist). Her voice mesmerized him by the way she spoke the words with her Georgian inflection. He then became so enthralled with the English language that he began to keep notebooks of words taken from other books that so entranced him.
Reading saved Pat Conroy's hellish life. Writing took him to another level.
My Reading Life is about who and what influenced him to become such a passionate storyteller.
Each chapter has a different theme. His English teacher, in high school, was truly an incredible man (loved by so many) who introduced Conroy to great literature and was more of a father to him than his own; the Old New York Book Shop in Atlanta where he learned how to be a collector of antiquarian books from the owner; taking a modern poetry course taught by James Dickey (he wrote Deliverance) because a book of his poems brought Conroy to his knees.
He talks about how he came to write his own books and the stories behind them. Conroy lists authors that have swept him away, such as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. (He could easily write another whole book just on his favorite writers.)
I have never read any of Pat Conroy's books before and this one blew me away. It is unflinchingly honest and extremely personal. His writing is gorgeous. One of the last chapters in the book "Why I Write" is absolutely fabulous. How he puts words together is awe-inspiring.
He can be very funny, also, and obviously has a great sense of humor.
So, either get this book from your local library or go out and buy it. Even though the size is small, it's definitely worth the price. Superb.
Very highly recommended.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

PORTRAITS OF SUCCESS : CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH 60 OVER-ACHIEVERS
by Burt Prelutsky

Not everyone knows how to interview people. You have to have the knack, technique, personality and good communication skills to extract information that is not usually forthcoming.
Being witty, having an open mind and knowing what to ask doesn't hurt, either.
Many books have been written on celebrities, but they have only scratched the surface and not dug deep enough.
In Portraits of Success author Burt Prelutsky uses his inimitable finely-tuned talents to reveal surprising facts about what makes 60 people more successful than others. They are from all walks of life, such as authors, professors, writers, athletes, ministers, governors, land developers, theater managers, etc.
Each entry is a couple of pages and is arranged alphabetically. It displays the profession, the name of the person, the birth date and a very funny paragraph about the interviewee which then leads into the question and answer format.
Their responses on their favorite book, what makes them laugh, best and worst advice they ever received, and what their fathers did for a living are truly fascinating. Whom they would choose to invite to a dinner party (eight people only), either living or dead, is revelatory.
If you like quirky stuff and are a trivia nut, there's enough here to satisfy. For example, comedian, David Steinberg, was a guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 140 times; reporter/journalist, John Stossel, has had a stuttering problem; TV political commentator, Tony Blankley, was a child actor and taught violin.
Now, if you need an extra jolt and just can't squelch that inquisitiveness, you're in luck. Burt's previous book, The Secret of Their Success: Interviews with Legends & Luminaries, is just as rewarding and entertaining. It's set up the same way, but the beginning synopsis is made up of a couple of paragraphs. The profession is not listed in the entries; that is found in the CONTENTS pages. The questions are just as astute. Some of the entries have an addendum at the end, especially if it was the last interview ever given (Jack Lemmon, Dinah Shore, Henry Mancini).
Both books are quite enjoyable and I learned things that I wouldn't have known otherwise.
Recommended.

Monday, December 13, 2010

UNBROKEN : A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION
by Laura Hillenbrand

He never could sit still; his energy level knew no bounds. At the age of two (sick with pneumonia), he climbed out of his bedroom window and ran down the street chased by a policeman. Later, on a train, he jumped out of the moving caboose. He was a true juvenile delinquent constantly getting into trouble with daring feats and a clever mind. Eventually his defiance and energy would be channeled into running and he began training in high school. Soon he was shattering records and his next goal was the Berlin Olympics. But then, the war came and Louis Zamperini (known as Louie) enlisted and joined the Army Air Corps (ironically, as a child, he had gone up in a plane and it scared him so much that he never wanted to have anything to do with them) learning how to be a bombardier.
In May of 1943, Louie was in a B-24 bomber looking for a lost plane. He and the rest of the crew were flying in the Green Hornet which had seen better days and should never have gone back up in the air. The engines failed and the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. For forty-seven days, Louie and two other men drifted on a tiny raft dealing with thirst, starvation, and leaping sharks. When they finally spotted an island, they were overjoyed. It was short-lived.
Oh, my God, what a book! Seven years of research has produced quite a masterpiece. Author Laura Hillenbrand (her previous bestseller was Seabiscuit) can write a story of a forgotten hero that leaves you gasping, amazed, horrified, and inspired. It's absolutely riveting and truly a stupendous read.
Very highly recommended.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
by Rebecca Skloot

Her cells have helped develop a vaccine for polio; been used for cloning, viruses; studied for appendicitis, sexually transmitted diseases; instrumental in creating medicines to treat hemophilia, leukemia; and have even gone up in space. There are billions of them in laboratories all over the world. They are known, to scientists, as HeLa cells and became the first "immortal" human cells grown in culture. The reason they are called immortal is because the cells have lived outside the body, have never died and have never stopped reproducing. They came from a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks who had cervical cancer. Before she died, in 1951, samples of her cells were taken from her tumor without her knowledge.
Twenty years after Henrietta's death, her family found out and it was not a pretty picture.
Rebecca Skloot takes the reader on an incredible journey which started for herself when she was sixteen taking biology. It was here that she first heard of Henrietta Lacks and her amazing cells. Eventually, Rebecca would meet the family and through many years of research would uncover both devastating and remarkable stuff.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a stupendous story. Although a science writer, Skloot is able to explain all the intricacies of cells in such beautiful detail.
She writes about ethics, racism, poverty, experimentation as one story and intertwines the Lacks family as another story to create one magnificent tale.
I loved this book. It made me both laugh and cry.
Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.









































Sunday, November 21, 2010

DISCONNECT : THE TRUTH ABOUT CELL PHONE RADIATION, WHAT THE INDUSTRY HAS DONE TO HIDE IT, AND HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY
by Devra Davis

There are five billion cell phone users in the world half of which are under the age of twenty-five. What an incredible gadget! You can listen to music, talk to anyone, anywhere, send text, photos, videos, get results from sporting events, etc. But, there is a major problem: they are not safe and have never been tested for safety. Cell phones emit microwave radiation. They can damage DNA (completely unraveled), increase memory loss, cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. Children are especially vulnerable because their brains are smaller than adults and their skulls are thinner which means that exposures to radiation can be absorbed much faster and more deeply.
Standards for cell phones, today, date back to 1993 when a hypothetical model named SAM (Standard Anthropomorphic Man) was used. SAM was six foot two inches, weighed more than two hundred pounds and had an eleven-pound head. Certainly, not your average guy. He only spoke on the cell phone for six minutes. Beyond this time, the tissues inside the brain start to heat up.
Dr. Davis, an epidemiologist, writes about how the industry suppressed earlier studies of scientists (back in the 1970s), who discovered devastating results of how cell phone radiation damages human cells. For many, it cost them their careers. The data is both disturbing and frightening.
You read about some people that survived brain tumors and others that were not so lucky.
Just about every country, except the United States, is on top of this issue by testing to reduce the amount of radiation absorption. Many of them ban the use of cell phones by children.
At the end of the book is an appendix advising people how to keep themselves and their family safe from cell phone use:
Do not keep a phone turned on next to your body all day. (Check out the manual for your cell phone. There are warnings to keep the phone away from the body.)
When texting (don't dare do this while driving) place phone on a book so it can be used as a barrier.
Don't use your phone in a train, car, or an elevator. Because the area is confined in metal, microwaves radiate out in all directions.
Turn off phone when not in use.
Only use phone for emergencies. (The six minutes still applies.)
Use a landline at home and not a cordless phone as this emits the same radiation as that of cell phones.
Disconnect is a book for everyone to read who owns a cell phone. If you're still skeptical or just want more information, check out the author's website at: www.devradavis.com.
Strongly recommended.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

PEARL BUCK IN CHINA : JOURNEY TO THE GOOD EARTH
by Hilary Spurling

When The Good Earth was published in 1931, it became a worldwide bestseller. Depicting the lives of illiterate rural Chinese opened the door between the American and the Chinese worlds. The author would spend the rest of her life cranking out fiction portraying the reality of the Asian people.
Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was born in West Virginia in 1892 the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries.
Absalom was a mostly absent father while Carie, who had been an idealistic bride, learned to live without him and manage their ever growing brood.
Before Pearl was even two years old, the entire family moved to China. Pearl would learn to talk from Wang Amah (her nurse), play with the children of neighboring farmers, eat the simple food of the poor and therefore, considered herself to be more Chinese than American. That is until the Boxer Rebellion forced them all to flee. Many more flights would happen before Pearl finally returned to live in the United States.
Hilary Spurling has crafted a magnificently written book. I didn't really know much about Pearl Buck and what is revealed here is absolutely riveting.
Pearl Buck was a woman ahead of her time. Her life was transposed in her writings. This biography has brought her out of the shadows.
Highly recommended.

Friday, September 24, 2010

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF WALWORTH : A TALE OF MADNESS AND MURDER IN GILDED AGE AMERICA
by Geoffrey O'Brien

Saratoga Springs, in its heyday, was a tourist destination. Its healing waters brought people there in droves. For the aristocratic, it was an exclusive club.
The Walworth family ruled over by Chancellor Reuben Hyde was the most prominent family that fit right in with the romance of the place. Judge Walworth rose to fame by his legal successes and amassed quite a fortune. While he was virtuous, strict and orderly and ran his home that way, his son, Mansfield, was the complete opposite. Mansfield, who considered himself to be a spectacular writer (pulp fiction) would marry his stepsister Ellen and then later would abuse her, for years, with threatening letters.
In due time, their private lives would become public all because of a shooting.
American Gothic meets Poe. Corruption, religious conflict, madness (all hereditary), marital problems, violence, prisons, asylums.
O'Brien is brilliant in how he sets up the characters with all of their strange personalities and quirks. He effortlessly writes about 19th century New York and holds you spellbound from the first page to the last.
Not to be missed.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

OPERATION MINCEMEAT : HOW A DEAD MAN AND A BIZARRE PLAN FOOLED THE NAZIS AND ASSURED AN ALLIED VICTORY
by Ben MacIntyre

It was 1943. Hitler assumed that the Allies would target Sicily and that would be the next big attack. In order to throw off this thought, a plan had to be put in place to deceive the Nazis.
Two brilliant intelligence officers put their heads together: Charles Cholmondeley (pronounced "Chumly") of MI5 and Ewan Montagu, a British naval officer. Though opposite in temperament and style, their partnership created quite a tour de force.
The idea was to get a corpse, attach false papers to it of where the invasion would be, then drop the body off the coast of Spain. The Germans fell for it bait hook, line, and sinker.
Ben MacIntyre is a phenom of an author. The details of how a corpse had to be found, creating an identity, how it was to be outfitted, bringing in an imaginary fiance are some of the inventions and facts that MacIntyre writes about flawlessly. Spies, double agents, heroes and scoundrels abound.
If you like intrigue, WWII, behind-the-scenes information, then grab this book. You won't be disappointed.
Highly recommended.


Wednesday, July 28, 2010

JENNIEMAE & JAMES : A MEMOIR IN BLACK & WHITE
by Brooke Newman

"Most every man be good, but not every man be good for everything."
"You can hide a fire, but what do you do with the smoke?"
"Trouble is what troubles."
"When you dream, that dream is the truth, and when you wake, that truth is nothin' but a dream."
These words of wisdom were constantly spoken by Jenniemae Harrington, an illiterate, black woman from Alabama, who was hired as a maid for the Newman family in 1948. Although devoutly religious, she played and won an illegal lottery ("policy") quite frequently. Her uncanny love of numbers impressed James Newman, who was no slouch in that category. He was a mathematical genius. At the tender age of five he was already considered a prodigy. James would be known as the man who brought the concept of "googol" and "googolplex" to the world.
The friendship and relationship between these two people endured through political upheavals, cultural changes, technological advances, and racial divisions.
The author writes in simple prose about the complexities of her father, her beautiful, intelligent, but tormented mother, Ruth, and Jenniemae who settled the chaos that surrounded the family.
Jenniemae & James is a loving tribute that is both inspiring and compelling. A truly, wonderful book.
Recommended.

Monday, July 19, 2010

LOST RIGHTS : THE MISADVENTURES OF A STOLEN AMERICAN RELIC
by David Howard

The year was 1789. James Madison had just pushed through a Constitution. Citizens were not too happy about it. Freedom of speech and religion were not guaranteed. Back to Congress it went and was debated upon for six days. Finally, the amendments were passed, but they had to be in a separate document. There were fourteen handwritten copies; one for each of the original states and one for the federal government. They would come to be known as the Bill of Rights.
Fast forward to 1865. The Civil War is ending. Robert E. Lee surrenders, Abraham Lincoln is shot, and Sherman's army marches into Raleigh, North Carolina. The Capitol is in shambles. Soldiers have destroyed whatever they could find, which included pillaging, inside the building and have left it in total disarray.
One unknown man walks off with a folded piece of parchment paper.
Lost Rights follows the saga of this document in the course of 138 years. The book is so exciting that it's impossible to put down. The tale involves antique dealers, historians, investors,
manuscript experts, auction houses, attorneys, governors, the FBI, and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Phenomenal research (Sources consists of 24 pages) and superb writing makes for one heck of a read.
Highly recommended.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

MY GRANDFATHER'S SON : A MEMOIR
by Clarence Thomas

"Play the hand that you're dealt." "Any job worth doing is worth doing right." These words of wisdom would forever remain fixed in the mind of Clarence Thomas and he would strive to adhere to them his entire life.
Thomas was born in Pinpoint, Georgia and lived in dire poverty (the house was a shanty with no electricity) until he was seven. He and his brother were then sent to Savannah and raised by their grandparents. Myers Anderson (his mother's father) was a very proud man with a strong work ethic who was determined to mold the two boys in his own image. He was Daddy to Thomas as his own father was nonexistent. His grandmother was Aunt Tina who created a loving home for them.
These two people would be his greatest influences as he grew up.
My Grandfather's Son is a tribute to Clarence's grandfather, his hero, who made him the man that he is today. Thomas writes honestly and openly about his life. What is really interesting is how his ideology changed and how much of an individual he is.
I found this book to be awe-inspiring. Clarence Thomas has grit, determination, courage, ambition and integrity.
Highly recommended.

Monday, June 21, 2010

APPETITE FOR AMERICA : HOW VISIONARY BUSINESSMAN FRED HARVEY BUILT A RAILROAD HOSPITALITY EMPIRE THAT CIVILIZED THE WILD WEST
by Stephen Fried

If you mention the name Fred Harvey to most people, the response will be a blank stare. Most of them have no idea that this visionary created this huge hospitality empire in the western half of the United States from the 1870s through the 1940s.
His birthplace was England, but he left, at the age of seventeen, to come to America. Fred's first job was a dishwasher (the lingo at the time was a pot walloper) and he worked his way up acquiring culinary chops at the same time. Always looking forward, Fred knew that he wanted to be a businessman and when the Santa Fe railroad was founded, so was the Harvey House.
Eventually there would be restaurants, hotels, retail shops, newstands and bookstores from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Fred Harvey brought tourism to America.
Appetite for America is brilliantly researched with superb writing. It is jam-packed with trivia and details, such as: background information on Howard Johnson (he was a cigar salesman), George Mortimer Pullman (cabinetmaker and a side business of moving buildings), J. Williard Marriott (started out with an A&W Root Beer stand), how the Harvey Girls, the country's first female workforce began, the Grand Canyon, Native American arts and crafts, plus so much more.
Sixteen pages of photographs grace the pages. There are three appendices which comprise the trip that Stephen Fried took with his wife to look for what remains of Fred Harvey's empire; recipes that the all-star chefs cooked with very precise instructions; a list of all the locations of Harvey's operations, whether the building still exists, is restored, functioning or closed.
Not to be missed. A terrific read.
Very highly recommended.

Friday, April 16, 2010

FLAWLESS : INSIDE THE LARGEST DIAMOND HEIST IN HISTORY
by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell

Valentine's Day is the most romantic holiday of the year. Retailers spend months marketing diamonds and nowhere is it busier than in Antwerp home of the Diamond Center. The building that houses these sparkling gems is considered to be the most secure fortress, anywhere. Between 24/7 video surveillance, armed patrols, a couple of police stations, aboveground and sensors, closed-circuit television cameras, video cameras, magnetic alarms, a locked, bombproof steel door, underground, the vault is supposed to be impenetrable. A perfect set-up for a robbery.
On February 15, 2003, four Italians, known as "The School of Turin," entered the site and with cunning and ingenuity took off with close to a half billion dollars worth of valuables.
The investigators thought, at first, that the culprits would be impossible to find. One day after the heist, though, the local police received an astonishing phone call.
If you're a fan of true crime, then this is the book for you. From the Epilogue to the Prologue, you're in for one hell of a ride. Flawless is quite a page-turner. Impressively researched, the authors traveled throughout Europe for clues, documents, and sources to discover how the thieves planned and executed the heist of the century. Not to be missed.
Recommended.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

MARK TWAIN : MAN IN WHITE : THE GRAND ADVENTURE OF HIS FINAL YEARS
by Michael Sheldon

He caused quite a sensation at the Library of Congress on a cold day in December of 1906. Copyright legislation was being discussed at a meeting with lawyers, authors, and publishers.
The famous guest removed his overcoat revealing a white suit that shocked everyone in the room and was written about in all the newspapers. Wearing this particular color was intentional.
Mark Twain was used to being the center of attention, so he decided, at the age of seventy-one, that he was going to wear white until the end of his life. To him, it signified eternal youth and he didn't care what people said or thought.
The last three and a half years of his life, Twain lived large. He picked fights, wrote, visited Bermuda, played billiards, had a mansion built in the style of an Italian villa in Redding, Connecticut, got in trouble, stayed out late partying, and was almost swindled out of everything that he owned. His acerbic wit never faltered and wherever he appeared, there was always a crowd.
Mark Twain: Man in White is a superb biography. Extremely well-researched and written, effortlessly, Michael Sheldon has produced a masterful tale.
Between the incredible photographs and Twain's irreverent anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter, this book is an absolute joy to read. I loved it.
Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

FINDING OZ : HOW L. FRANK BAUM DISCOVERED THE GREAT AMERICAN STORY
by Evan I. Schwartz

On November 3, 1956, The Wizard of Oz was aired, for the first time and was watched by millions of people on black-and-white television sets. Thirteen years later, it was shown, again and people were now able to see it in color. It became an annual event and was the most watched movie ever.
The author, though, of the original story, has not been given due credit.
L. Frank Baum (how he hated his first name, Lyman) always dreamed of becoming a writer for children. But, he had to make a living for his wife Maud and his four sons. He tried all different kinds of endeavors: breeding chickens, owning a store, a publisher and editor of a newspaper, selling fine china on the road. Baum failed at each effort and was constantly on the move.
Lurking within him, though, was the urge to set his tales down.
In 1898, these images came to Baum and a year later, he wrote, feverishly, on envelopes and scraps of paper using a pencil stub. The manuscript was called The Emerald City.
1900 was a banner year for Baum. The book hit the stores and he became an overnight success.
If you're an Oz fan and want to know all the tidbits that inspired L. Frank Baum to write his masterpiece, then this is the book for you. Between the trivia and how Baum created his characters makes for fascinating reading. The Chicago World's Fair of 1893, Baum's mother-in-law, the number 4, Theosophy, had a huge impact.
Finding Oz is a terrific story and Evan I. Schwartz did a fantastic job of bringing Baum's brilliance to the printed page.
Highly recommended.

Monday, March 22, 2010

BIRTHRIGHT : THE TRUE STORY THAT INSPIRED KIDNAPPED
by A. Roger Ekirch

James Annesley (known in his youth as Jemmy) had a rather bleak life growing up. Even though he was born into a quite wealthy family, he certainly was not involved with the goings-on. He lived, mostly, like a waif crusing the streets of Dublin and fending for himself.
Soon after his father, Baron Altham died, his uncle, Richard, kidnapped Jemmy and shipped him off to America. For thirteen years, he was an indentured servant in Delaware. Eventually, James escaped and returned to Ireland and took his uncle (now the Earl of Anglesea) to court to gain what was rightfully his. (Five aristocratic titles and estates in Ireland, England, and Wales.)
The trial was truly sensational and one of the longest in eighteenth-century England. (It lasted twelve days.) After being away for so long, James had to prove his identity. He was accused of being a "pretender" and many attempts were made on his life.
Birthright is an incredible story superbly researched by A. Roger Ekirch, a professor of history at Virginia Tech University. He uncovered 400 legal depositions at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin and the National Archives near London. With these documents and numerous newspaper reports, Ekirch has written an amazing tale.
Recommended.


Saturday, March 6, 2010

CHERRIES IN WINTER : MY FAMILY'S RECIPE FOR HOPE IN HARD TIMES
by Suzan Colon

After being laid off as a magazine editor, with a six figure salary, in 2008, Suzan Colon had to cut down her budget. Shopping at Whole Foods and specialty stores were no longer in the picture.
While rummaging in the basement, one day, she found her grandmother's recipe file. Here was Suzan's sustenance.
Nana, as Grandmother Matilda was called, either handwrote or typed specific directions for the recipes. She would add comments along the edges. At times, newspaper clippings would be torn out and attached.
Suzan's grandparents lived through the Great Depression, barely. They survived by Matilda's ingenuity. This resilience was passed down through the family and cooking became the way to get through hard times.
I loved this little gem of a book. It's warm and comforting with beautiful writing. Every section has the original recipe in very tiny print. If you are so enamored, you can prepare the dish, yourself. Nothing is difficult. Very simple. Don't worry. No need to strain your eyes. On the next page is the recipe in a normal font.
Cherries in Winter is just delightful.
Recommended.

Monday, March 1, 2010

THE POKER BRIDE : THE FIRST CHINESE IN THE WILD WEST
by Christopher Corbett

The gold rush of 1849 attracted people from far and wide to the American West. Only men came. Some became quite rich, while others died trying.
The Chinese arrived in the thousands. They were poor, illiterate and spoke no English. Their intention was to stay for a couple of years, make some money and then return to China to live off their proceeds. Consequently, they were called "sojourners." The name that was used most often, as the Chinese stayed longer, was "celestials" due to their exoticism.
At first, the Chinese were welcomed and praised for their industriousness. They were savvy and frugal and would work long hours. Chinatowns started sprouting up, first in San Franciso and then, later, in small cities, elsewhere.
When competition started to arise for work among the sexes, the Chinese were no longer wanted. (They had jobs as laundrymen, restaurant workers and servants, which were all positions originally done by women, not men.)

The Poker Bride is one hell of a story. Interspersed within the history of the gold rush, is a tale of a young Chinese concubine, named Polly, who is smuggled to San Francisco (riding on a pack horse) and eventually won in a poker game. Her new owner, Charlie Bemis, a gambler, after several years, marries her and they settle on an isolated ranch in Idaho.
Christopher Corbett is a terrific writer with quite an eye for details. Mark Twain and Bret Harte make appearances along with a whole slew of characters.
Not really interested in the Wild West, this book, hands down, changed all of that.
Highly recommended.

Monday, January 25, 2010

ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE : MY FAMILY'S JOURNEY TO AMERICA
by Kati Marton

They were the last independent journalists reporting from Budapest during the Cold War.
Endre Marton worked for the Associated Press and his wife, Ilona, was a correspondent with the United Press. (In actuality, he filed reports for both the AP and the UP. She was no writer, but a shrewd commentator.)
Their friends were American diplomats and they led a bourgeois life. Even as they were much admired by other colleagues, though, the Martons' anti-Communism and dangerous risks taken, daily, eventually led to their arrests.
Several decades later, Kati Marton returns to the country of her birth and discovers, through the reading of secret police files, how her parents were spied on and betrayed.
Enemies of the People is quite a page-turner. The wealth of information that she discovered about her mother and father is quite astounding. Most of what she read, Kati never even knew about. Whenever she asked her parents about their lives, they preferred not to say anything.
The book is extremely well-written and a terrific story.
Recommended.