Book Swapping

Hey ! If your looking for some good book swapping wesites, check out www.paperbackswap.com and www.swaptree.com. At Swaptree, you can also swap cd's, dvd's, and games as well. I have saved a lot of money using these two sites.

The Heretics Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.

For me, Kathleen Kent's tale of her ancestor brings to life what life was like back in the late 1600's. I am working on my genealogy and have traced some of my ancestry to Massachusetts and Maine. Reading this story has made me wonder what my ancestors were thinking of the witch hunts that were going on. I certainly hope they were not involved in putting any of these innocent people in prison. I did not see any of their names involved in this. Because of her book, I have learned more about this period of time than I have ever learned in school. A friend of mine thinks that times have not changed (and maybe she's right) but I really hope that we are no longer that barbaric. This is why we should all learn more about history so that we don't repeat events such as this one.

"Push" by Sapphire

"An electrifying first novel that shocks by its language, its circumstances, and its brutal honesty, Push recounts a young black street-girl's horrendous and redemptive journey through a Harlem inferno. For Precious Jones, 16 and pregnant with her father's child, miraculous hope appears and the world begins to open up for her when a courageous, determined teacher bullies, cajoles, and inspires her to learn to read, to define her own feelings and set them down in a diary."

That is an excellent description of a very moving, very poignant, story of young Precious Jones who works doggedly to reclaim the life that was stolen from her by her rapist father and her angry, abusive mother. At first I had a hard time getting into this story because it is told by Precious in her own guttural language derived from the culture she grew up in. She speaks almost phonetically, as in "muhver" and "fahver". But her story draws you in so quickly that before long you feel yourself feeling her anger, her pain and suffering, and her happiness. Precious is truly a remarkable character and is a wonderful example of courage and grace. I grew to love and admire Precious Jones.

Political Apologies

Oh my goodness ! I was just listening to a politician apologizing to President Obama for some slam he made about him. It seems our politicians have become very good at apologizing. It's quite a change since we have come out of an administration that never apologized for anything (but probably should have). First, we had Obama apologizing for to the world for the United States' behavior. Then, Joe Biden had to make a quick apology for telling a man to stand up and take a bow (the man was wheelchair bound). Governor Sanford, who cheated on his wife, apologized to his constituents for his behavior. I never heard him apologize to his wife. Now Harry Reid is apologizing for comments he made about President Obama concerning his "light" complexion and his lack of a "Negro dialect"What the heck is that ?!?!?! Oh well...I apologize for venting so much. Oh no ! There I go. I apologize for apologizing. Aw shucks, it's catchy. Now I'm apologizing for my apology while whining about apologizing political apologists ! Grrrrr.