This month we read three different books by three different authors, all non-fiction. The first is a memoir called Flesh Wounds by Richard Glover, the second a memoir The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku and lastly, Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales. There were also three other books read but the theme of all these books is about forgiveness, coping and resilience.
It was a very lively and interesting discussion.
FLESH WOUNDS by RICHARD GLOVER
TAM: Richard told the
story of living with a very strange mother. Perhaps it was the British class
system that made his mother pretend she came from the upper class and the fact
she was married to an alcoholic. She
said they both had a shared narcissism. He talks about how you can survive all
this and make a success of your life.
Tam said it was very interesting and good reading.
ED: His mother pretended to be something she wasn’t. She made out she was an only child. She told Richard she did not have sex with his father, and as a child, he believed it. When his parents moved to New Guinea to run a newspaper Richard was only a baby. He was taken care of by a Nanny who gave him lots of love and attention. When he is older, he meets and marries a nice girl called Debra and has two children. To help understand why his mother would pretend to be upper class, he delves into his past and finds he has a whole loving extended family in England. Ed enjoyed reading this book.
KRIS: This memoir is both funny and sad. It’s an honest account of his dysfunctional family – a distant mother with delusions of grandeur and an alcoholic father. Neither parent was a good role model nor provided any real parenting. Even though Richard believed he should do his duty to his parents, the coldness and neglect of his mother affected him. Despite this, he became successful and determined to be a better parent to his own two boys. Although, it was sad in parts it was also quite positive. It was a very interesting story.
SHEILA: This was the second time Sheila had read Flesh Wounds. She found the book extremely sad.
BEST WISHES by RICHARD GLOVER (2023)
LESLEY: This book is frivolous, relatable and at times, serious as Richard moves from things that annoy him, amuse him and onto his hopes and wishes for a better world. It’s an easy read with many moments of laughter. However, rather than read, as I usually do, from cover to cover, I should have left the book out on the table and dipped into it in smaller doses. 365 wishes became a challenge, towards the end, to keep me interested. His witty, wry observations are amusing, though.
THE DAG’S DICTIONARY by RICHARD GLOVER (2004)
DIANN: She said he has written 17 books. It was written in 2004. Diann loved this book. She said it was a very funny book of words that should exist. One example is Guylingual which is a description of an Australian woman who can take part in conversations about cars, football etc.
THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH by EDDIE JAKU
PRUE: At 100 years old he would be a fair judge of life’s experiences, considering his life story. His parents would be proud. It is an inspirational book about surviving horrors without being horrific in detail. It balances sadness with joy, hate with love and fear with hope. It is an honest telling of human nature, simply written, concise and well worth the read.
PAT: She said she had to leave out the middle section as she didn’t feel in the right place to read the more distressing parts. She said Eddie was an intelligent Jewish man. He was an Auschwitz survivor and he had lost all his family in the war due to the Nazi’s. He believed happiness is in your own hands, it comes from inside yourself. Some of his quotes were “If you are healthy and happy, you are a millionaire.” and “Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful.” He was very philosophical. Pat found the book to be very uplifting.
ROSEMARY: She said it was a very quick and easy read. She liked Eddie’s positivity and persona.
JO: She read it one sitting. She said it was very sad but positive as well. He was very strong to go through what he did at the camp.
KERRY: She had read it before. The first time she was quite emotional, but this time she was more objective. Eddie had a wonderful childhood. This is where he got his strength from – a great start in life. Kerry liked the fact he chose to be happy. He had great determination and although he could not deny his past, he chose to move on. The book is a great memorial to him. She felt it was an authentic voice and she liked the read.
BEV: She agreed with all that was already said but wanted to add that Eddie’s father told his son that education was important. This helped him get through. He convinced Nazi’s of his skills to his advantage. This kept him alive. He was very intelligent. His father was as well. After a bad experience in Eddie’s earlier schooldays due to him being Jewish, his father arranged to get false papers for Eddie with a new name and to go to a different school. Bev enjoyed this book.
TERESA: She thought about what made Eddie different in his ability to survive the trauma of the concentration camp. Eddie felt the greatest thing was love and to be loved by another person and there was the importance of education and work. He felt if your morals are gone you go. Kindness gave him the strength not to give up. He believed in the importance of love, friendship and health. Teresa also liked this book.
ONE MAN WITH MIRACULOUS HANDS by JOSEPH KESSEL
JOAN: This non fiction book was published in 2023. It’s the incredible story of Doctor Felix Kersten, a Finnish physiotherapist and masseur who became Heinrich Himmler’s personal doctor. Through this connection he was able to save many lives from death and prison during WWII. Joan said it was well written and a page turner.
ANY ORDINARY DAY by LEIGH SALES
ROSEMARY S:
Sales interviews people who have suffered high profile tragedies and
those who have been there to support them through their grief and trauma. Rosemary
was particularly fascinated by the stories behind those who are there to help behind the scenes, the state coroner, a retired detective and a forensic counselor from the Department of Forensic Medicine. Through the
darkest times of their lives, we come to understand a little of how they coped,
not only with the trauma, but also the attention that was brought upon them,
particularly from the media. Rosemary said it
was an interesting, honest and thought provoking story. This is a story of forgiveness,
coping and resilience. She enjoyed it but didn't love it. She found the scientific data and research a little boring.
Kris
JUNE: We will be reading books by Edgar Wallace (Crime Writer). Books are still available on the bookshelf.
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