Tea & A Good Book Brewing- Installment 19, Introducing March's Book of the Month

I spent the evening sitting on the recliner with a sick toddler and a book.

I was glad for the book, but not so thankful for the bug that put Parker's temperature up to 102 degrees and made him throw up on the two of us.

We've had more sickness in this house over the winter than I care to think about, and the cozy effects of the season are beginning to wear thin, but I am trying not to be dismayed. 

After all, Spring is only 17 days away, give or take a few, and the earth is already tilting towards the sun to our distinct advantage.

The other reason I am ashamed to complain too much is that so many people, past and present, have had more than long winter days and recurring viruses to deal with, and sometimes there's nothing like a reminder in the form of a good story to give us some perspective on life. 

This, of course, brings me to the book I have chosen for March's book of the month...  

The Auschwitz Escape, by Joel C. Rosenberg, is one that I started listening to several months ago on CD, so in truth it is not entirely new for me. However, I returned it to the library well before the book was complete, and that, coupled with the fact that it was on CD (which often means I end up missing things) makes me feel that the majority of the book waits to be uncovered.

According to Amazon, this is what you can expect from the story:

A terrible darkness has fallen upon Jacob Weisz’s beloved Germany. The Nazi regime, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, has surged to power and now hold Germany by the throat. All non-Aryans—especially Jews like Jacob and his family—are treated like dogs.

When tragedy strikes during one terrible night of violence, Jacob flees and joins rebel forces working to undermine the regime. But after a raid goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself in a living nightmare—trapped in a crowded, stinking car on the train to the Auschwitz death camp.

As World War II rages and Hitler begins implementing his “final solution” to systematically and ruthlessly exterminate the Jewish people, Jacob must rely on his wits and a God he’s not sure he believes in to somehow escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the Nazi’s atrocities before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.

Since I know a bit about the story already, I can say that this book is hard, for while the story is riveting, it also deals with the horrors and realities of war and concentration camps and I know there are some that stay away from that type of story. I understand that- and am giving you fair warning!- but I also think that hard can be good for us, especially when it relates to history and understanding the suffering of others.

I don't know exactly where this all comes from, but I have a particular fascination with the Jewish people, their customs, and their stories, and I have read a lot of books about the holocaust.  Again, the stories are hard, but they have been good for broadening my scope and reminding me that life is so much bigger than me and whether my bread rises or not.

They also remind me of my blessings, and of these there are many...

Not the least of which is that Spring is 17 days away, more or less, and that the earth is already tilting toward the sun to our distinct advantage!!!

Oh, yes, and that I have an enormous stack of books in the house to help with my sanity and my perspective until it gets here!