Genealogy, I'm not doing it, my genealogy...everybody sing.

Genealogy – may I please be excused? While I was visiting the Frozen Chosen (my parents) in Canada last week I got the distinct impression that my mother was tagging me to work on the American side – her side, of the family tree. This is the line that has become somewhat petrified. My sister sawed the Canadian branch – dad’s side, right out from under me! Ok, she didn’t exactly steal it away from me since I didn’t have it, and she does live in that country, and she does actually do genealogy. I have used the “I am working on my posterity, not my ancestry” excuse far past its expiration date since my last posterity married and moved out five years ago. I wonder if reading the fictional book “Genealogy of Murder” by Lee Martin can count as working on genealogy. I just wrote the review for this very cheesy book ( I was much nicer for the newspaper since the author now lives in Salt Lake City). The picture here is actually Frank Foster, Mark's great-great but I like this picture, and it's a blog, not a family group sheet.

I am sitting at Alyssa's computer

“The Zookeeper’s Wife”

First I’ll send out a big thank you to Michelle Richings who filled in writing this column for two weeks while I was reading under a palm tree in Hawaii – Mahalo Michelle. And Second, I read some great books while I was sipping my pi-nada (pina colada with nada added) on the shore of Turtle Bay and I am excited to share them with you. My favorite was “The Zookeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman so it gets the Book Look In Print award -or the BLIP. This is a cherished award as you can well imagine.

The zookeeper’s wife is the true story of the heroic Zabinski family who lived In Poland during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. In the Author’s Note Ackerman explains why this true story was so compelling for her to write. “Jan and Antonina Zabinski were Christian zookeepers horrified by Nazi racism, who capitalized on the Nazis’ obsession with rare animals in order to save over three hundred doomed people. Their story has fallen between the seams of history, as radically compassionate acts sometimes do. But in wartime Poland, when even handing a thirsty Jew a cup of water was punishable by death, their heroism stands out as all the more startling.”

Using Antonia’s journal, Ackerman begins the tale of the zookeeper and his wife in the summer of 1935. They live an idyllic life caring for animals in beautiful surroundings in the middle of Warsaw. Antonina has a gift for nurturing and caring for the wounded and baby animals. As she brings them into the house for care, her skills and love for nature are very evident. Humorous antics are inevitable in a household combining animals and children and there are many entertaining escapades. Following the invasion of Germany, with most of the zoo and its many animals destroyed, their lives drastically change and they become heroic. Animals continue to coexist in their home, but now there are also Jews hiding there from the nearby ghetto of Warsaw. Jan and Antonina manage to provide not just a hiding place under the watchful eyes of nearby soldiers, but a sanctuary for those fleeing the Nazi Holocaust.

The absorbing story of individual bravery under extreme hardship and danger reminds us that good and great people light the pages in even the darkest events of history. I have read many sad books in the Holocaust literature collection, but this one left me feeling hopeful and inspired. It will have an honored place on my bookshelf as the first winner of the BLIP award.

Book Look Review and a picture of me reading at Turtle Bay

not the best picture of me reading, but the swimsuit one Mark took somehow did not survive the save and delete process...

“The Zookeeper’s Wife”
First I’ll send out a big thank you to Michelle Richings who filled in writing this column for two weeks while I was reading under a palm tree in Hawaii – Mahalo Michelle. And Second, I read some great books while I was sipping my pi-nada (pina colada with nada added) on the shore of Turtle Bay and I am excited to share them with you. My favorite was “The Zookeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman so it gets the Book Look In Print award -or the BLIP. This is a cherished award as you can well imagine.

The zookeeper’s wife is the true story of the heroic Zabinski family who lived In Poland during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. In the Author’s Note Ackerman explains why this true story was so compelling for her to write. “Jan and Antonina Zabinski were Christian zookeepers horrified by Nazi racism, who capitalized on the Nazis’ obsession with rare animals in order to save over three hundred doomed people. Their story has fallen between the seams of history, as radically compassionate acts sometimes do. But in wartime Poland, when even handing a thirsty Jew a cup of water was punishable by death, their heroism stands out as all the more startling.”

Using Antonia’s journal, Ackerman begins the tale of the zookeeper and his wife in the summer of 1935. They live an idyllic life caring for animals in beautiful surroundings in the middle of Warsaw. Antonina has a gift for nurturing and caring for the wounded and baby animals. As she brings them into the house for care, her skills and love for nature are very evident. Humorous antics are inevitable in a household combining animals and children and there are many entertaining escapades. Following the invasion of Germany, with most of the zoo and its many animals destroyed, their lives drastically change and they become heroic. Animals continue to coexist in their home, but now there are also Jews hiding there from the nearby ghetto of Warsaw. Jan and Antonina manage to provide not just a hiding place under the watchful eyes of nearby soldiers, but a sanctuary for those fleeing the Nazi Holocaust.

The absorbing story of individual bravery under extreme hardship and danger reminds us that good and great people light the pages in even the darkest events of history. I have read many sad books in the Holocaust literature collection, but this one left me feeling hopeful and inspired. It will have an honored place on my bookshelf as the first winner of the BLIP award.

More Pictures of Hawaii starring the Plunketts

The Polar Bear (dad's nickname because all he does is eat and hibernate) says "Life is good in Hawaii and I have only been here 9 weeks!"

Rachel(falling down behind kids)says "Why do I have to go down the slide with them? I have got the worst rug burn!" kids laughing...

Pono says "This is how I like to go to the beach with dad"

Kekoa says "Happy 4th of July everyone"

These pictures are of the Hawaiian side of the family - I've always wanted to say that. It is so much cooler than saying this is the Utah side of the family...

Top 10 Reasons to Vacation in Hawaii

One of our many pictures of green turtles resting on the beach

The water really is turquoise and clear and warm

Me walking outside Sarah's apartment building on the beach

more pictures later of Rachel and family ...
The only lasting Letterman contribution to mankind will be the Top Ten List. Here is my Lettermanesque list of reasons to vacation in Hawaii. It is part of a longer travel column article for the newspaper. They actually pay me to write "What I did on my Summer Vacation". Who says doing school assignments doesn't pay later in life?!
Top 10 Reasons to Vacation in Hawaii
(Mark wanted me to put bikini watching on the list but I said not necessary – it’s the understood #1 for males)
10. Every day is casual Friday. No one wears shoes and certainly not panty hose. And remember these are the wonderful folks who freed us from waistband bondage and brought us the muumuu.
9. No one bothers “doing” their hair. Don’t pack your hairspray, gel or curling iron because they don’t work in Hawaii. Ponytails are the acceptable hairstyle choice- for both women and men.
8. The aging and weight gain process completely stops while you are in the islands. The combination of humidity, huge portions of the “plate lunch” and the Aloha spirit create this temporary Shangri-La.
7. Perfect weather. The rain will stop as soon as the warm breeze blows that one cloud down the beach in about 5 minutes and you are wearing a swim suit anyway.
6. The street signs and store names are in English- just with lots more vowels.
5. Everyone is friendly. You can ask for directions if you can find someone who isn’t a lost tourist like yourself.
4. All beaches have public access and are safe and clean. At some other vacation beach destinations there is constant harassment to buy local wares. Hawaiians are much more likely to be playing on the beach like you are than trying to sell you a coconut bra.
3. You can fall asleep with the windows open to capture the cool breeze, listening to the sound of the surf. So much more restful than blaring horns all night and even the sound of an occasional gunshot at some of our other vacation spots.
2. Fabulous snorkeling and diving with lots of parading Sea Turtles, exotic Needle Fish brightly colored Parrot Fish …oh and parading, exotic, brightly colored bikinis.
1. WARM TURQUOISE CLEAR WATER AND WHITE SANDY BEACHES.

Father's Day Book Review - Belated Postings

I know this is being posted late since I have been in Hawaii for 2 weeks, but think of it as one of those belated birthday cards that apologizes, with lots of excuses, but really isn't worth much after the day...

“The Charlemagne Pursuit”
Fathers Day gift books should be about manly men who live dangerous lives filled with archaeological mysteries that only they can solve. Author Steve Berry has written a series with a hero that is reminiscent of Indiana Jones. In fact, I wonder why we haven’t seen an action movie starring Harrison Ford. Berry, in a recent interview said that movie rights had not been sold but he pictures someone like George Clooney as his lead character named Cotton Malone. Ok, I can see that. Cotton is a former government agent who retired and opened a bookstore in Denmark. Like Indiana Jones he can’t resist leaving his quiet life to solve an ancient mystery and he always attracts murderous opponents.

In the opening pages Cotton Malone is searching for the true story of his father’s death. Forrest Malone was supposedly killed in a submarine accident in the North Atlantic in 1971. The submarine actually sank in the Antarctic. The mystery is why the navy kept the true mission a secret and why they never recovered the bodies. Malone wants to find the submarine and find out what really happened to his father.

His life is immediately threatened upon obtaining the top-secret report given to him in exchange for a past favor. While he is still holding the unopened folder he is attacked. Of course he triumphs and is joined by a mysterious woman ready to help him. Her family quickly joins the quest since their German father also disappeared on that voyage. But their motives are suspicious and they are keeping parts of the puzzle secret. The power-crazed American Admiral Langord Ramsey emerges quickly as the villain behind the recent murders and deceptions.

How does Charlemagne enter the story? As in all Cotton Malone stories, historical fact and fiction are woven into the story line. Apparently Charlemagne left clues about an ancient race of god-like people with incredible knowledge and ability. This lost civilization existed before even the Egyptians or Mayans and may have provided some of their mysterious knowledge. The author includes notes at the end of the book to explain how he developed his plot from historical research which makes it even more interesting.

Combining Nazis, experimental US submarines, Charlemagne and ancient peoples is a solid foundation for a Father’s Day thriller. There are nonstop fights and chase scenes to keep dad turning the pages as he watches you mow the grass from his reclining lawn chair.

And since it was 2 weeks, here is review number 2 with thanks to Mariel for lending it to me.

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
It’s interesting how artists portray life. The post-modern movement in visual and written expression invigorates and stimulates conversation at museums and book stores. Two people gazing at a large vibrant painting filled with unidentifiable shapes and lines can have completely different reactions. “I don’t like that – it’s a mess and doesn’t look like a horse to me,” says the lover of traditional art. “Are you an idiot or just blind? This masterpiece is by a famous artist and his portrait of a horse is brilliant,” argues the lover of the post-modern. Could they both be right? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Yes. Sometimes it is good to step outside our usual and experience something unusual. Art provides that for all of us whether it is visual or written.

“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is a good example of a brilliant post-modern book. If you prefer a more conventional reading experience, Jonathan Safran Foer is not the author for you. If you are in the mood for a little adventure you will enjoy this highly acclaimed novel. He is very original in his style and presentation which includes photos, blank pages and even a numerical code section that is unreadable. These imaginative pages are woven into the story line. It can be a distraction for the reader or it can enrich the experience. As a reader we are of course allowed to choose how we feel about it.

The narrator of ELIC is nine-year-old Oskar Schell who lives in New York City. His father has recently died in the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. Oskar is a brilliant, grief stricken child who begins a quest to solve the mystery of a key without a lock. His father left the key behind with the word black attached as the only clue. As he tracks down New York residents with the surname Black (he believes that is what the word represents), we meet a wide list of new characters. We also read the heart rending story of his grandparents who survived the fire bombing of Dresden through letters. Trauma and survival have haunted many generations of this family. Connecting the tragic events eventually allows Oskar some healing as a survivor.

I tend to like a little of both – traditional and post-modern in art and literature. I found Foer’s novel to be ingenious and heartbreaking. I recommend it for those that want to experience a reading selection with masterful prose and unconventional style.