Lily's Promise

Lily's Promise, a memoir by Holocuast survivor Lily Ebert and her great-grandson Dov Forman, is a chilling new addition to the field of Holocaust studies. Beginning with her childhood in Hungary before the war, Lily shares her story and that of her family. Until being herded into a cattle car, Lily's childhood was for the most part joyful and uneventful. That all changed when she along with her mother and younger siblings arrived at Auschwitz. With one flick of a hand, her mother and two siblings are sent one direction while Lily and two other sisters are sent another. Lily takes on the responsibility of keeping what remains of her family together, survival, and keeping their hidden jewelry.

While focused on her resilience as a Holocaust survivor, Lily's Promise does not stop upon the war's ending. Her story continues to demonstrate how her experiences in the Holocaust and her survivor mentality impacted her life from that point. Her story travels from war-torn Europe to Palestine and back to Europe. While not a psychological study, her memoir does provide a marvelous peak into the how Holocaust survivors coped with the trauma they had experienced and how it impacted their families going forward. Lily's Promise is a wonderful resource that earns a place next to Night, The Diary of Anne Frank, and others of this genre.

I received a complimentary copy from HarperOne via NetGalley. All viewpoints are my own and I am not required to provide a positive review.

From the Prairies to the Mountains

Some days you find a treasure in unexpected places. Several weeks ago, I did while "weeding" books at my workplace. We recently removed numerous biographies from our library. Most of these books had NEVER been checked out and were not going to be missed. While flipping through one book to see who it was about, I spotted the following inscription:

For some reason, the name "Inez Humphrey" rang a bell. I flipped to the next page where I saw this information:

I about fell out of my chair as Palmyra is my home church! All of a sudden the year of the inscription and the Palmyra connection made me think that my grandmother probably knew this lady. As soon as I could, I ran back to my desk and to my computer where I promptly did a search for Inez Humphrey. I discovered that yes, she was from Palymra. As I continued to do some research, I discovered she had been a distinguished professor at Moorehead State University in Kentucky where her papers are archived, had received an honored alumni award at Eureka College, AND had written a book. So, I promptly did what any self-respecting librarian would do and requested a copy via InterLibrary Loan. The second thing I did was to call my parents that evening to see if they could shed any light on the subject. They recollected familiarity with the name but not much more.

When Humphrey's book, From the Prairies to the Mountains; Memories, Especially of Illinois and Eastern Kentucky, arrived a few short days later, I promptly proceeded to devour it. What made this particular book so interesting was the frequent appearance of names and locations that were familiar to me. Miss Humphrey would describe a location and I would think "I know where that is!" or she would mention some family name and I'd exclaim "I know that family!" or "A person with that name was in m class." As I continued to read, I kept a look out for my own family names to appear. I experienced some brief sadness that no names from my family tree were listed. However, as I read I almost found myself keeping a "family tree" of the names that were mentioned. I often found myself googling different people mentioned so I could locate obituaries and see how people in the book were related to people I knew.

As I read of Miss Humphrey's adventures, I was amazed that someone from my little bitty town and my little bitty church had gone on to achieve such heights of success, particularly as a woman in the early 20th century. I was particularly excited when I realized that her niece was a lady, Frieda Shinpaugh, whom I knew and that our youth group had often visited. Of particular note, Miss Humphrey shared near the beginning of the book that family legend stated her father's family had been baptized by Alexander Campbell or Barton Stone while they lived in Kentucky prior to moving to Illinois. While it is most likely legend, it was exciting to think that the ancestors of individuals I knew may have been baptized by noted historical religious figures and particularly so as I am a librarian at a Stone-Campbell institution.

I'm very thankful to have stumbled upon Miss Humphrey's book. Reading it felt like sitting down to chat with my grandmother and having her share stories about growing up in Palmyra. It was also a walk down memory lane as I recalled my own fond memories, particularly of my home church. I also found that I want to do more research on the Stone-Campbell churches in Illinois and particularly as congregations like my home church moved from being affiliated with the Disciples of Christ to Independent Christian Churches. I would encourage any hometown friends and anyone else who is interested in history to locate a copy.

Read Diverse Books

I have just finished reading two books that are fairly different from my usual reading diet. I usually read fairly widely, but my preferred fiction genres tend to be historical fiction and gentle mysteries with some light romance thrown in as well, particularly bonnet fiction. Non-fiction wise, I read professionally for work which encompasses works specifically for librarians but also more widely in business, marketing, leadership, etc. I also read a lot of Christian books since I am employed at a Christian university. I stumbled upon the title Where Jasmine Blooms by Holly S. Warah when the title appeared on a list of recommended books somewhere. The synopsis sounded interesting so I promptly requested a copy through our local public library system. The second title, I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown was recommended by a friend on FaceBook and also promptly requested. Both titles were highly engaging and well worth the time to read.

Where Jasmine Blooms is a fiction work centered around the lives of three women in a multi-generational family. Two of the women are white Americans who have married or are marrying into a Muslim family. The third woman is their recently widowed Muslim mother-in-law who is living with one of the families. This book was intriguing for many reasons. The story shows the difficulties of an intercultural marriage as the women interacted with and learned about the expectations of their husband's family. The character of the "Mother," as she is referred to, demonstrates the difficulties of living in a new country where one is unfamiliar with the language and customs. Learning about the Muslim culture and their religious practices was also eye-opening such as when the women attended Qu'ran study just as I would attend a Bible study. Stepping into their lives and learning about the prejudices and fears they experienced as Muslim-Americans and their experiences when traveling to their homeland in the Middle East was also eye-opening. This book is highly recommended as a warm, engaging story that opens your eyes to the experiences of others.

I'm Still Here is a memoir by Austin Channing Brown. From the moment I began reading, I was drawn in to her experiences as her writing demonstrates the often heard adage of "show, don't tell." As her experiences unfold via the pages of the book, conviction sets in as you see yourself or someone you know mirrored in the stories told of interacting with white people at church, school, and the work place. While your heart breaks for her experiences and the experiences of others you know, you are also led to examine your own practices and those of organizations. While familiar with the concept of white privilege, I'm Still Here made the concept much more vivid than previously understood. In one section, Brown shares the experience of white people confessing their sin of racism to her and that now she issues a "challenge toward transformation" asking "So what are you going to differently?" (110). After finishing this book, that is the exact question I am asking myself and of the organization in which I am involved. I enjoyed this book so much and desire others to read it so a copy is being purchased for the library where I am employed. A free discussion guide for this book is available as well as an online course to delve into the content.

My challenge to my readers today is not only to read these books, particularly I'm Still Here, but also to seek out other diverse books. The opportunity to travel geographically (or through time) may not be available, but books provide the opportunity to experience other places and cultures and to walk in the shoes of others. Happy reading!

Undone

Recently I had the opportunity to review Michelle Cushatt's book Undone: A Story of Making Peace with an Unexpected Life. In a nutshell, Undone is a heart and soul baring memoir of Cushatt's journey through cancer and then changing life circumstances in her family. Some memoirs offer a pull back the curtains glimpse into an author's life. However, Cushatt gives a door-wide open entry into her life.

Undone begins with a life-changing phone call from her doctor with the words "Michelle, it's not good" after which she "fell completely apart." From that point on, Cushatt interweaves stories from her life, Bible stories and teaching, and her current reality to emphasize the truth that if you believe what you say you believe, everything is going to work out. Some stories are funny and others are serious, but each one reminds the reader that God uses and works through imperfect people. One particularly humorous story encourages readers that authenticity and vulnerability minister more than perfect put-togetherness. Throughout the book, readers are reminded messy is the beginning of extraordinary as Cushatt shares openly of a painful divorce and substance abuse.

Throughout Undone, Cushatt's theme is "God showed up bigger" and that he provides enough for one day at a time. My notes from this book are filled with poignant quotes and one-liners that pointed me back to God's grace and forgiveness. The reminders that life is meant to be lived, not to feel guilty of letting some things go, and that the battle is God's, not mine, will remain with me long after reading this book. Many women will enjoy reading Undone on their own. Others may benefit from reading this book in community and using it as a springboard to openly share their own mess and how God is making something beautiful in their life. While not designed as a book to study, a discussion guide to help facilitate women sharing their own experiences would be helpful.

Statement of Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book simply by requesting it on the author's blog in return for a fair and honest review.

P.S. I enjoyed Cushatt's reference to the CIY conference where she committed to full-time ministry as I have served as a youth sponsor at CIY several times and am blessed to minister to and with many individuals who have been impacted for eternity through the ministry of CIY.