Greetings, commies!
All lives matter ... some deaths just get more media coverage. Some ethnic groups clearly are more vocal than others. Belarusians do not like to talk about their plight. They don't talk much about their losses during WWII or the consequences of Chernobyl. They are the quiet sufferers. You are never going to get exact numbers of how many ethnic Belarusians died during WWII, but 2 million is a safe estimate (this is after you subtract about 750,000 ethnic Jewish casualties on the territory of Belarus). From the point of view of percentile demographics, this was an absolute catastrophe. Today, while researching my latest novel, I stumbled across this picture of a bunch of teenage factory workers in Nazi-occupied Minsk being prepared for execution for aiding the resistance movement. This was one of the first public executions. My hope for 2017 is that as we talk more about "global awareness", we take a more inclusive approach and look at EVERY ethnic group, even the quiet and underrepresented ones.
Have a nice day!
- Deplorably yours,
Connecticut Commie
Greetings, commies, fellow "deplorables" and SJWs!
Today's edition is dedicated to a series of memes I created to illustrate the plight of the often overlooked Second World Problems. Sandwiched somewhere between the "haves" and the "have-nots", we are a community of Russian brides, cleaning ladies and hackers. We are people too, and we have our stories to tell! So get outside of your comfort zone and educate yourself already!
Greetings, Deplorables and dedicated history buffs ;-)
I know The Beauty Shop looks like a frilly girly romance, but it's not. I promise, there is plenty for guys to like. Your testosterone levels will not decline, I promise. Actually, it's a serious, expertly crafted historical novel set during WWII.
Synopsis:
England, 1942. After three years of WWII, Britain is showing the scars.
But in this darkest of days, three lives intertwine, changing their
destinies and those of many more.
Dr Archibald McIndoe, a New
Zealand plastic surgeon with unorthodox methods, is on a mission to
treat and rehabilitate badly burned airmen – their bodies and souls.
With the camaraderie and support of the Guinea Pig Club, his boys battle
to overcome disfigurement, pain, and prejudice to learn to live again.
John
‘Mac’ Mackenzie of the US Air Force is aware of the odds. He has one
chance in five of surviving the war. Flying bombing missions through
hell and back, he’s fighting more than the Luftwaffe. Fear and doubt
stalk him on the ground and in the air, and he’s torn between his duty
and his conscience.
Shy, decent and sensible Stella Charlton’s
future seems certain until war breaks out. As a new recruit to the WAAF,
she meets an American pilot on New Year’s Eve. After just one dance,
she falls head over heels for the handsome airman. But when he survives a
crash, she realises her own battle has only just begun.
Based on
a true story, "The Beauty Shop" is a moving tale of love, compassion,
and determination against a backdrop of wartime tragedy.
My thoughts:
I was immediately intrigued by this novel, because I have a recurring nightmare about seeing a burning plane crashing in the field. The mixture of terror and curiosity give me night sweats.
When I read the author's bio, I was not surprised that she had a career in healthcare. The medical parts of the novel are explored in depth. Henderson understands the pressures and the rewards of a military medic's life. She understands the loneliness, the stress, the need for humor, the frustration of dealing with obstinate patients, the temptation to get emotionally involved with them. The air battle scenes are also top notch. They are gorgeous, eloquent, striking, raw and just technical enough without sounding like they came from an air combat manual.
Now, romance is the weakest aspect of the novel. In fact, some passages sound like they were written by another author. Such an impressive piece of prose is speckled with pedestrian stock expressions that you would lift out of a romance. "Deep blue eyes", "butterflies in the stomach", "soft lips" and "I can't leave him at a time like this". Thankfully, those occurrences are not numerous. They made me wrinkle my nose a few times but not wince all the way.
I am not sure which aspect of the novel is prevalent. Is it a hardcore military history piece? Is it a field hospital drama? It's certainly not a historical romance. I wish the cover had more testosterone on it. I wish it showed more of the airplane or some surgical equipment as opposed to a girl in the middle of a field. You wouldn't know that it's a serious historical piece. I hope that WWII buffs do not pass on this novel because of the cover and the title. I do not have the heart to subtract stars from such a fine novel. I give it 4.5, but post 5 stars.
Synopsis:
Willowood, Kentucky 1965 - Robin Lee Carter sets a fire that kills her
rapist, then disappears. She reinvents herself and is living a
respectable life as Catherine Henry, married to a medical school dean in
Tucson, Arizona. In 1985, when their 5-year-old son, Michael, is
diagnosed with a chemotherapy-resistant leukemia, Catherine must return
to Willowood, face her family and the 19-year-old son, a product of her
rape, she gave up for adoption. She knows her return will lead to a
murder charge, but Michael needs a bone marrow transplant. Will she find
forgiveness, and is she willing to lose everything, including her life,
to save her dying son?
My thoughts:
A Bend in the Willow is not for the squeamish or overly impressionable or prone to hypochondria.
If you read the synopsis, it's full of provocation. It raises some very
unsavory topics such as rape, domestic abuse, murder, care for a
disabled relative, pediatric cancer and bioethics, all of which can be
easily sensationalized.
Those hot button topics cause an immediate emotional response from the
female readership for which the book is presumably intended. There is
the bread and butter of women's fiction and Lifetime movies. I do not
say it with contempt. I do not look down on women's fiction, as long as
it's done at a high artistic level, and its goal is not to perpetuate
the feeling of being victimized while demonizing the male figures. I was curious to see how the author would handle those staple ingredients and weave them into a plot line.
Susan Clayton-Goldner does a pretty good job creating a convincing female
character who has been kicked around by life a few times. Having spent her childhood in poverty, Catherine (aka Robin Lee) experiences Catherine/Robin
is really an ordinary woman, whose ambitions do not extend far beyond
having a happy nuclear family life. She has an underdeveloped ego that
she eagerly pushes aside to accommodate the interests of other people.
She selflessly carries a child of rape to term and gives him up for
adoption. She puts her career in medical records aside to raise her son
Michael with her new husband Ben. She takes on the role of a caregiver
for her ailing father-in-law. And she is willing to sacrifice her
freedom for a chance to save her youngest son after he's diagnosed with
leukemia. For Catherine/Robin it's always other people before her. I
realize that not every reader is going to like a character like that. If
you are looking for an escapist fantasy featuring a larger than life
warrior princess, this is probably not the novel for you. But the fact is, there are women with such value scales even in 2016.
Speaking
of time period, the novel spans 1950s through 1980s. Before the
internet and social media, so it was easier for a person to disappear
and reinvent herself under a different name. Also, being diagnosed with
cancer in 1985 is a little different from being diagnosed today. The
prognosis back then was a lot sketchier.
I knew this was going to be a hard read for me, because leukemia
hits a little too close to home. The author does not shroud, downplay or
sugar coat the horror of parents with a child who's diagnosed with a
chemo-resistant form of blood cancer. If you have a vivid imagination,
if you are prone to playing out the worst case scenarios, do not pick up
this book. You will not sleep at night. I know I didn't. This is not a generic fluffy heart-warmer. It's a piece of very raw women's fiction at its finest.
Greetings!
Today's guest of honor is Veles, a major pagan pan-Slavic deity, the patron of earth, water, forests and the underworld. His number one rival is Perun, the supreme and egomaniacal god of Thunder. The battles between Veles and Perun will remind you of our recent presidential debates. In fact, there was so much tension between Veles and Perun, that the statues honoring the two respective gods were never built side by side. If a ruler built the two statues in close proximity to each other, his entire domain would be caught in a conflict between the two gods.
Here is a contemporary sculpture depiction of Veles walking between an ox and a bear. The ox represents domesticity, agriculture, sedentary civilization and private property. The bear represents untamed wilderness and raw instinct. The bird on his shoulder represents the balance of freedom and responsibility. In light of an impending ecological crisis, let's take a moment to honor Veles.
Greetings, commies and fellow deplorables!
Today I would like to share a guest post in Unusual Historicals "Meet My Protagonist" series. I chose Thaddeus Dombrowski, the accident prone, guilt-ridden, sexually exuberant, passive-aggressive husband of my fifteen-year old protagonist Renate in The Gate of Dawn. In American pop culture, Polish men have been subject of many good-natured jokes. Behind every stereotype, there is a bit of anthropological history.
Greetings, commies and deplorables!
Today's guest of honor is the remarkably courageous, resilient and candid Katerina Mayants Nelligan, whose confessional memoir Happiest Mom on the Block approaches such agonizing subjects as parental bereavement. This book is her tribute to her firstborn Juliana, who is now an angel in Heaven.
Synopsis:
A memoir of a wife and mother of four who shares her biggest struggles
and breakthroughs in parenting, marital strife and more importantly
understanding of her soul purpose. Everything was perfect when she met
the love of her life and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Until one
day, a terminal cancer diagnosis of her daughter left her childless and
suicidal. Shortly after losing her daughter, she lost her job, her
friends and almost lost her marriage to infidelity. After hitting rock
bottom, she was compelled to sets sail on a journey to discovering the
meaning of life and blessings of tragedies. Along her journey she
discovers the biggest eye opening, paradigm shattering secrets to true
happiness and bliss. She was finally able to bask in the light that was
once at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel. Giving birth to three
more children she shares her biggest secrets to raising happy,
respectful and loving children who adore life in the same way she does.
This book is a compilation of thousands of hours of research and
experiences that will leave the reader with a deeper understanding of
the privilege of motherhood, the secrets to a satisfying marriage and
the gift of discovering who you really are so that you too can be the
happiest mom on the block!
My thoughts:
I found out about this author through a Russian parenting group on Facebook. Turns out, we are from the same hometown in the south-east of Belarus, a former Soviet republic. Maybe it's not my place to speculate about it, but I cannot help wondering if the terrible illness that took her firstborn is somehow linked to the radiation fallout from Chernobyl. Even though she is five years younger than me, her early childhood experiences are very similar to mine, especially her brief encounter with anti-semitism, which clearly left a lasting impression on her. And, just like myself, she chose to marry an Irish-American. I found myself nodding and smiling through various passages, as they were somewhat similar to mine. But you do not perceive Kat and James as a "mixed" or international couple. The cultural clash/integration is not the focus of the story. You start rooting for this ambitious, modern couple, who share a strong work ethic and a dream for a large family.
This book is very raw and candid. The author does not pull any punches when describing the horrific illness that took the life of her oldest daughter Juliana. Even if you have never been through such an experience - and I pray you never have and never will - you have probably tried to imagine what it would be like. If you bring a child into this world, there is no guarantee that he/she will outlive you. Infant death used to be a lot more common. I'm not saying that people in the bygone days had a thicker skin about it. But there were more bereaved parents out there who could relate to your experience. Losing a child in the 21st century can also feel isolating, because most families are spared this heartbreaking experience, due to the medical advances.
But, as the title of the book suggests, Kat and James' story does not end on a tragic note. Having gone through every circle of hell, they emerge victorious, their commitment to each other renewed. They go on to have three more children and rebuild their lives and careers.
Real life stories of love, loss and recovery are much more engaging than formulaic romance novels where all plot-twists are pre-determined by the demands of the genre. If you want an inspirational real life story, from a real life woman, not an actress on Lifetime channel, please consider "Happiest Mom on the Block".
Happy New Year, commies and fellow Deplorables!
Nothing instills hope like a good Dystopian/Apocalyptic novel. Today's guest is Kellie Wallace, who has become a frequent flyer on my blog. She's here today with a new release When Our Worlds Collide.
Synopsis:
As one city’s fate hangs in the balance, a woman’s destiny is about to be determined…
Amira
Frost is forced to watch her home be invaded by the warmonger state,
Argos. Divided into multiple class zones, the city’s once peaceful
existence is threatened.
When an opportunity arises for Amira to
get close to the General, she accepts with the hope that her new
position as his personal food taster can help reclaim the municipality,
but she is pulled deeper into his regime than she initially anticipated.
For every controlling force, a resistance is born…
The
Ravens’ elusive leader, Grayson Roe, has one goal—to lead the
resistance to victory against the barbaric military. Dedicated and
ruthless, he sets out to use Amira to their advantage by offering her a
proposal she's unable to refuse. Nothing will stop him from regaining
control over his city and its people—not even the dark haired beauty
whose loyalty seems questionable.
A city threatens to fall and a decision needs to be made…
As
the battle rages, Amira is caught between two opposing forces and
reevaluates her allegiance when her loyalty is tested. Her home is
under attack, her friends and family are dying, and she is faced with a
grueling decision that has the power to save or bring down an entire
city.
When worlds collide, she must choose between saving her
home or surrendering to the one man who threatens to destroy it
all—including her.
My thoughts:
I have been following this young author's work for a number of years now, and I've read all of her books. She has produced a string of stimulating, extremely readable and memorable stand-alone novels. Her two topics of choice are WWII historical romances (with the emphasis on historical/military versus romance) and Dystopian/apocalyptic. It seems that every Tom, Dick and Harry writes Dystopian novels nowadays, and the quality is all over the board, with literary merit often compromised in favor of action. Dystopian fiction is a concept fiction. Just as sci-fi and horror movies do not require big name Hollywood stars to stand on their own, as long as the premise is good, same applies to Dystopian novels. One does not expect elaborate literary experiments in a Dystopian novel. But Wallace elevates her fiction a few notches above, because she does invest into character development and literary crafstmanship. "As Our Worlds Collide" has a distinct Greco-Roman vibe, as the characters and places have names that seem to be taken out of Greco-Roman mythology. But that's not the only ethnic pantheon that the author taps into. For instance, the protagonist's name is Amira, which means "princess" in Arabic. There is also a character named Vesna, which means "spring" in Russian. If you are into foreign languages, mythologies and world civilizations, you will enjoy this novel at a new level.
