Review: Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir

Recommended for: people who enjoy memoirs, readers interested in the psychological impact of WWII

Teaser quote: For decades, readers have wondered what Anne Frank might have become, had she lived. My mother's coming-of-age story may provide some indirect insight, and shed light on the long-term impact of the Holocaust, and other tragedies, on the children involved. (pg. 3)

My rating: 3.5 /5

My thoughts:
I think it’s important to start this off with WHY I chose this book. After the birth of my 1st son, I thought it would be nice to start a family tree. I realized that I didn’t know very much about my mom’s side of the family. My maternal Grandma passed away in the early 80’s leaving my Grandpa as my only known relative. My maternal grandparents, although not Jewish, were Eastern European and fled to Canada during the war…that’s all I knew. I called up my Grandpa to inquire about his past. Did he have any brothers or sisters etc. etc. I could tell by the quick, surface answers I was given that this was just too hard to talk about and left without learning too much. I chose Bending Toward the Sun as a way to fill in the gap of questions that I never had to chance to ask.

Told in three parts, Bending Toward the Sun is a unique opportunity to see the impact a truly horrific experience not only on the survivor but on generations to come. It begins with a glimpse into Rita’s happy childhood which leads into the terrifying experience that ultimately overpowered her ability to enjoy life. There are no grisly details of the Holocaust, just enough information for us to understand what she saw that haunted her forever. The focus of part two is Rita’s adolescence, starting her own family and trying to lead a normal life in America. I found this section a slow read, probably due to the fact that it mostly dealt with her depression and heartache. In reading the book jacket, I was in awe at how successful her daughter, Leslie, became and yet reading about her life in the book I was too caught up in the sadness and did not get the same vibe. The final part deals with the decade over which this book project took place. We see the impact on Rita’s grandchildren and an attempt at closure for all. Maybe I am too much of “a glass is half full” girl but I was expecting more of a fairytale, happily ever after ending which never came into fruition. I applaud Rita (and all contributors) for reliving such a dark part of their lives in hopes that others may learn from it. Thanks to Bending Toward the Sun, I feel a bit of closure.

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Leslie Gilbert-Lurie, author of Bending Toward the Sun, will be on the Today show Tuesday, September 1st, the day of it's release (tomorrow!)

Enter my giveaway here

Mailbox Monday

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday.

My goodies this week (Now to find the time to read them all!!!) :

Canadian cover VS US cover
I like the US much better!! What do you think???

Going to be a huge hit!

Love the Bones T.V. show, 1st time reading Kathy Reichs

can't wait to read this one!

What books did you get?

Another award!!!

Being a recipient of this award affirms that this blog invests and believes in the Proximity – nearness in space, time and relationships.This blog receives this great award as a further way to re iterate that it is exceedingly charming, and aims to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

Thanks to Lisa over at Book Blab for once again thinking of me. She is my BBFF (Best Blog Friend Forever)! I didn't start blogging so I could talk to myself so this award means a lot to me.

...and passing this along to Deb over at Bookmagic and Teddyree over at The Eclectic Reader


Happy Friday everyone!

Word Verification Balderdash

A fun & exciting weekly meme over at Sheila's blog http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

All you need to do is write down a few of those crazy word verifications when you post and make up your own definition.

I forgot to write them down!!!! My word I remember from this week:

egape - what happens when someone online drives you crazy...you go egape!

Thoughtful Thursday

The wonderful world of books enriches our lives by giving us the opportunity to experience, well pretty much anything one can imagine! We can be transported to a new time or place, experience pure joy or extreme sadness, become a president or a slave etc. etc.

Where has your book taken you this week? What have you learned?

Comment then post a link to this post on your blog for others to find their way here and join in on the fun :)
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This week I finished Bending Toward the Sun by Leslie Gilbert-Lurie. I was in Poland and California reliving the life of a Holocaust survivor. It was depressing at times but worth it just to get a glimpse at the impact not only on a survivor but on generations to come.

Now I'm back in high school, falling for the 'bad' guy reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Oh the memories! Funny how, after almost 2 decades, it feels like just yesterday :)