Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris

This historical novel is based on a true story, and interviews with Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who ends up being sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex of concentration camps during World War II.

Lale speaks multiple languages, so he is chosen to be the one who tattoos prisoner numbers on the new arrivals to the camps.  That is, of course, the prisoners who are selected to live, and are not immediately sent to the gas chambers.

Lale resigns himself to his gruesome task and the fact that he receives privileges as a result of his position that others in the camp do not.  One day, he meets a young woman who captures his eye, and his heart.  He decides in that moment, that he will marry her.  But he does not even know who she is.

Lale seeks her out and courts her, a love story in a place of unspeakable horror.  Lale and Gita vow to remain strong for each other, so they can survive the camp together.  Lale begins to use the relative freedom he has to get extra food for the camp prisoners, but he is risking his life to do it.

This story is one that documents the incredible atrocities that occurred that Auschwitz and Birkenau, but also is the story of hope and survival.

Despite the amazing story and the fact that it is true, I found myself not being able to get into it.  I felt that the writing was superficial and glossed over the weight of what truly happened in these concentration camps.  I had a hard time feeling connected to the characters and the tragedies they experienced, because of the lack of depth in the story-telling.  I learned later that the story was originally written as a screenplay, which may explain the more superficial writing style.

It was still a good book, but I felt it could have been so much more.  

3 stars.

Circus Trip 2018: Gateway Arch NP History

Gateway Arch National Park
St. Louis, Missouri

Gateway Arch is a fascinating park with a unique history.  Located in St. Louis, Missouri, it was first established as a National Memorial on December 21, 1935, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  It commemorates three things: The Louisiana Purchase and subsequent westward migration, the first American civil government west of the Mississippi River, and the Dred Scott decision, the monumental Supreme Court decision on slavery that contributed to the fiery debate on slavery and was one of the pivotal events leading up to the Civil War.

Sadly, in the 1940s when they were clearing the land where the arch would eventually be built, they razed several historically significant buildings, including the 1818 home of fur trader Manuel Lisa and the 1819 home of St. Louis pioneer Jean Pierre Chouteau.  I guess those guys didn’t seem as important.  I wish they would have left those homes, or at least moved them to elsewhere on the property!  I guess I’m one who likes as much history as I can get.

The Gateway Arch itself was constructed between 1963 and 1965, and is 630 feet tall, and interestingly, also 630 feet wide at the base.  There is a tram that takes visitors to the top, where you can get a birds-eye view of the river, the park, and the government buildings below.  The basement has an exhibit about Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the Pacific Ocean from 1804 to 1806, and the later migrations of the pioneers.

But one of the best parts of Gateway Arch National Park is the Old Courthouse, which was built between 1839 and 1864.  The Dred Scott case originated here and was tried in 1846, with enslaved Dred Scott suing his master for freedom, because he had been moved to a free state.  You can see the actual courtroom where the case was argued, although the room has been altered to preserve the integrity of the building.

On February 22, 2018, Gateway Arch was made a National Park by President Donald Trump.  It is the nation’s smallest national park, covering only 91 acres.  It contains the Gateway Arch, the park surrounding it, and the Old Courthouse.  Annual visitation in 2019 was 2,055,309.  That’s a lot of people for such a small park.  There is just so much to see and do here.  I’ll share about my visit next!

Migraine Madness

It’s been more than 5 weeks since the episode that triggered my doctor sending me to an MRI, and thankfully I haven’t had any more symptoms.  In addition, I had a follow up appointment, and my doctor seems pretty confident that the symptoms were caused by a migraine headache.  She thinks the benign tumors are an incidental finding and aren’t the cause.

In support of her theory is the fact that I have had migraines since I was a young child, even though the typical migraines have been few and far between in my adult years.  I have also been having what my eye doctor thinks are ocular migraines for several years, and I had two that day.  My dad even had atypical migraines too, including one where he lost his vision for a few hours, and I have had a very similar medical history as my dad.

I have been under an incredible amount of stress lately too.  I’m not generally one who experiences anxiety and can work and function well under pressure, but I admit it has been rough going.  I keep thinking it will be done soon, but then it keeps going on…  I’m still optimistic!

I’m still waiting on my neurology appointment, but it is comforting to know that my regular doctor thinks things are ok.  I did have some bloodwork done today and I will keep pressing to try to move up the neurology appointment.  I will update as I know more.

Today I went to a flea market and found three puzzles that I couldn’t resist.  I managed to resist all the other urges to add to my eclectic collections though! 

In other news, 4 years ago today I started my incredible road trip, and I’m feeling very nostalgic about it.  I really want to be back out on the road, and it is tough to see the memories and not be able to get out there again!  I hope you all are having a good weekend!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Indiana Dunes NP

Day 73, Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Indiana Dunes National Park
Author’s Note: At the time of my visit in 2018, Indiana Dunes was designated as a National Lakeshore.  To avoid confusion, I am using the National Park designation it currently holds.

From my family in Galesburg, Michigan, I drove about an hour and 40 minutes to Indiana Dunes National Park.  I was back in Indiana and had a chance to do some state sign posing!  It is located along about 20 miles of Lake Michigan, with the western part of the park located in Gary, Indiana.

Indiana State Sign

Indiana Dunes protects the sand dunes along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, located about an hour from Chicago.  This area of the lakeshore had many steel mills, and glass companies at the turn of the 20th century found the sand ideal for their glassmaking.  As a result, the dunes were shrinking from all the sand that was being trucked away, and pollution was a huge problem.

Indiana Dunes was authorized by Congress as a National Lakeshore in 1966, and its designation upgraded to National Park status on February 15, 2019 by President Donald Trump.  In 2020, annual visitation was approximately 2,293,000 people.  As it is only about an hour from Chicago, it makes for an easy day trip.

Indiana Dunes National Park

I checked out the Century of Progress Architectural District, a collection of five homes that were relocated to this area after the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.  These homes are privately owned, so you can’t see inside, but it is interesting to see the outside!  The architectural style of the time was very unique and these are good examples!

Century of Progress Architectural District

Century of Progress Architectural District

House of Tomorrow – Century of Progress District

Indiana Dunes has several trails to the lake, and is a well known spot for birdwatching.  So I wanted to check it out!  I hiked the Dune Succession Trail, a one mile trail that included some dune habitat, grasslands, deciduous forest and of course, the beach and excellent views of the lake.  There were also quite a few mosquitos – YUCK!

Dune Succession Trail

Dune Succession Trail

Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes National Park

Dune Succession Trail

Dune Succession Trail

I didn’t do too much exploring that day, as I was getting acclimated to traveling again, but there is lots more to see at the park, including more historic homes and farms and many more trails.  I will have to go back there sometime to check it out!  After my visit I got back on the road and headed south to the KOA campground in Springfield, Illinois.  I was going to be heading west along I-70 and was making my way south to do that!

Book Review: All the Pretty Horses

All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy

I watched this movie when it came out in 2000, but I had never read the book.   Interestingly, I feel like I liked the movie, but don’t really remember anything about it clearly.  So, on to the book!

John Grady Cole is a teenager from a ranching family, whose childhood ranch is sold off after his grandfather dies.  He and a friend decide to head down to Mexico to work on a ranch.  It is set in 1949 according to other reviews, but the novel does not make it very clear.

John and his friend Lacey meet up with another teen named Jimmy along the way, and once in Mexico, they get into trouble when Jimmy loses his horse in a thunderstorm.  They end up finding the horse in a nearby village, but its ownership is no longer clear.  And that, is where the trouble begins…

In true Cormac McCarthy fashion, it is a very dark novel.  The young men learn about the dark side of men and power.  In my mind while listening to the audiobook version, I see a world of gray.  McCarthy’s prose is very lyrical, but the book is depressing, with no happy endings.  My overall impression: not great, not terrible, and definitely a book to make you feel better about your own circumstances in life.  

3 stars.

Circus Trip 2018: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Day 72, Tuesday, September 25, 2018
In and around Kalamazoo, Michigan

After more than two months on the road, my car was a bit of a mess.  Staying at my Aunt and Uncle’s place gave me a great opportunity for reorganizing!  You get a few weird looks anywhere when you are laying all of your possessions out on the driveway, but at least this way I could put it out on the concrete and not on campground dirt.

Mom and Dad had 16 jars of cherry preserves that they wanted me to fit in the car, since they had flown out to Michigan on that trip.  Cherry preserves are tough to find out here in Washington – it is apparently a regional flavor!  So I spent a few hours retucking, consolidating, folding and rounding up strays that morning – soon enough I had a neat, controlled environment in the camping car again!  Then it was time for an afternoon of fun with my cousin!

Megan and I headed over first to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts to see some of their exhibits.  Some of the art was very sexually risque, with an entire exhibit of contemporary art of naked men with erections.  Not really my thing, but I guess art offers something for everyone.  There was plenty of other art that was more to my taste, with elaborate blown glass, Western art, and some interesting sculpture.  At any rate, it was a good visit to an art museum I hadn’t seen before.

Next up we did a quick stop at Henderson Castle, a Bed and Breakfast in Kalamazoo.  It is a ten bedroom, seven bathroom castle that was built in 1895 for Frank Henderson and his wife Mary.  Frank’s company made uniforms and regalia for secret societies, fraternal organizations and the military.  It is a beautiful home and it would be fun to stay there!

We ended our afternoon with a couple of stops at wineries in Paw Paw.  We went to St. Julian; the wines were good, but sadly our server was very disengaged.  It was unfortunate, because I always like hearing about the wines and talking with the server.  I did buy a couple of their wines to take home; their sparkling Brut was delicious and I wish I had some now!

Last but not least we went to Lawton Ridge, which was a winery I have visited before in Paw Paw.  We shared our flights so we could try more wines, and enjoyed several.  I ended up buying a bottle and a cute wine t-shirt.  It was a fun visit!

After our day out, we went home to my Aunt and Uncle’s house and had burgers with pickles and olives, and corn on the cob.  Yum!  We watched TV for a bit, but then I went to bed early in order to do some route planning, so I could resume my travels the next morning.  After a week with family, I would be hitting the road again!

 

Book Review: The Columbus Affair

The Columbus Affair, by Steve Berry

I’m back with another Steve Berry book, but this time from a different line of his adventure novels.

In the Columbus Affair, Tom Sagan is a former investigative journalist who was discredited as a result of a fraudulent article he wrote.  He is depressed and suicidal, until he learns that his daughter is in trouble.  

Bad men are insisting that Tom exhume his father’s remains and turn over a packet of information that was buried with him, in order to save his daughter.  But what does it contain?  Tom decides he can’t just give up this information so easily, and starts to investigate to discover why they are so interested. 

Tom and his daughter end up an around the world adventure looking for a lost treasure left in the New World by Christopher Columbus, that has been hidden and protected for the last 500 years by a series of guardians.  But what makes this story even more unusual is the fact that the the treasure will challenge everything we thought we knew about Columbus and his journey to discover the New World.

This book was interesting, and Scott Brick did a great job narrating the audiobook.  It was not nearly as compelling as Berry’s Cotton Malone series though.

3 stars.