2018 War Reading Challenge

Where on earth did 2017 go? I hope you read some fantastic WWII books last year. There’s still time to link your reviews here.

Feel free to tweet @wargenerations on Twitter when you have a review up or reach out on Facebook through our Facebook page.

This year, we’re leaving the challenge wide open. We’d love for you to link up any fiction, nonfiction, poetry, middle-grade, children’s, or graphic novels you may be reading about war. WWII, Vietnam War, WWI, Korean War, French and Indiana War, War of 1812, the American Revolution, Gulf wars, and more.

Link up your reviews in the linky below:

Let us know in the comments what your personal reading goal is for the war challenge — one book, 10 books, 50 books. It’s up to you.

Have a great 2018!

Thank Our Veterans

Honoring Our Veterans, Today and Every Day

Memorial Day 2015

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day is a federal day of remembrance. It began as a way to remember those who died during the U.S. Civil War, but now it is a day to remember all who have served in the military, including our current troops.

Many people take the time to visit the graves of their loved ones who were veterans of war, while some have just placed flags on graves for those who served, even without knowing those soldiers personally. This is a day of remembrance for those who lost their lives in war.

While I agree that these men and women should be remembered, I also urge you to remember those who currently serve (and yes, they are celebrated in November). But I think the sacrifices these troops make, and in some cases, the legacy that they continue, is just as important as those who have passed before us.

I’m lucky to know many current members of the military who have bravely fought, served, and returned home in one piece, but there are so many who are still emotionally, psychologically, and physically scarred. These men deserve our care and consideration on this day. Rather than have a cookout or place a flag on a grave — though you can still do those things, too — why not volunteer in a VA for an hour or take some hard-earned cash and donate it to a veterans organization, like the Wounded Warrior Project.

Enjoy the time you have off with veterans and family. Make the most of it before it’s gone.

Thank You, Veterans!

Day of Remembrance — Memorial Day 2014

Week 2: I Am Regina Read-a-Long

Welcome to the final week of the 2014 War Through the Generations With a Twist Read-a-Long of I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn for April.

Because this young adult novel is so short, we’re only hosting 2 discussions for it.

For this week’s discussion, we’ve read chapters 14-end, including the afterword.

Please be aware that there could be spoilers in this final discussion:

Serena: Looks like my concerns about Tiger Claw’s covetous nature toward Regina were on target.  What do you think about the author including a disturbing event in a younger reader’s book? Did you think it was well handled?

Anna: I was surprised to find that scene in what appears to be a middle-grade novel.  However, I think the author handled it well; she didn’t get too descriptive, but she also didn’t sugar-coat it.  I think it seemed very realistic and true to the characters she created.  I think that’s what I liked best about this book — it doesn’t stay away from the difficult issues, but tackles them head on.  What did you think?

Serena: I think she handled the scene really well, but didn’t “sugar coat it” as you said. I do like that she made it seem immediate and threatening, but at the same time, it didn’t get into too much detail. I wonder how teachers would approach that in the classroom, especially since those types of things surely happened.

Anna: It reminded me of the discussion we had about Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains, and how she avoids the subject altogether.

Did you feel that the story was rushed toward the end? The pace was definitely quick in the latter half, but I think her reunion with her mother was quickly tied up and then the story ended. I think it would’ve been interesting to see how Regina fared after that (even if only a chapter or two), especially since the author emphasizes how much she lost, from her language to her own identity, and how she didn’t want to leave Wolefin behind.

Serena: I do think the book’s ending was a bit rushed, but I wonder if that has to do with the lack of source material about the real Regina. I do think there should have been a bit more about her transition back into a white man’s society. It would have been interesting to see how she acclimated herself or didn’t. I did read the afterword about it, but I think it would have been more interesting to read as part of the narrative, especially as she and her mother reunited.

I do think its an interesting paradox that she would feel so connected to her old family and the Indian family, and how she’s torn about how to choose, even though Wolefin wasn’t exactly nice to her and wanted her to marry Tiger Claw. I think it would make for a good discussion about what identity is and how you hold onto in a time of crisis.

Anna: If there wasn’t much source material about the real Regina and the author had to invent all the previous scenes, I think she could have done the same after the reunion between Regina and her mother. I think the ending is what made this a 4-star book instead of a 5-star for me.

The book definitely does make you think about identity and all the gray areas when it comes to war. It’s interesting how the war is so central to the story, especially in how it sends the warriors away and leaves the women to fend for themselves in the harsh winter, yet it also manages to stay in the background. So I definitely think the issues of identity and faith are more prevalent.

Serena: I agree that the issues most prevalent are faith and identity here, and I think that Regina’s strong religious upbringing helped her tackle the challenges ahead of her as an Indian captive.

I do like that this one included most about the French and Indian War than the previous book I read, Indian Captive (which is also based on a true story). This made the dangers of war more immediate and their actual impact on the village more immediate for me, with the warriors heading off to battle and leaving the women alone to find whatever rats and nuts they could in winter to get sustenance.

Regina seems to endure quite a bit more loss when her “sister” Nonschetto is killed and she’s forced to leave the village with the white men and lose her “mother” and her dog. Why do you think she’s not as despondent at Quetit?

Anna: I think it’s because that’s the only home Quetit has known, so she’s bound to feel the loss more keenly. When they are forced to leave the village, Quetit is the same age as when Regina was taken captive. That scene really brings the book full circle; at the beginning, we see the Indians killing and stealing from the white men, and at the end, we see the white men burning the Indian village — and with all the kindness we witnessed in between, it really drives home the point that there is good and evil on both sides.

This book really took me on a roller-coaster ride. I was so upset at Regina’s happy family life being torn apart and her being thrust into this new world against her will. And then I was sad that she lost her old self, but I was glad she was able to cope and even find moments of happiness in her new life. And then I felt so bad when she was torn away from that into another situation full of chaos and uncertainty. This really was a downer of a book, and I think that’s why I had a problem with the ending because reuniting with her mother was supposed to be a happy time — she was getting a piece of her old life back, after all — but all I could do was feel bad about how confused she was about who she was and worry about how she would cope.

Serena: I agree the end could have been fleshed out more. I could have even been ok with just a bit more solace from Regina when she’s in her mother’s arms, rather than the bit about the song. I wanted a bit more emotion there. While I get that the song is important to her, I just wanted her to articulate some form of comfort or emotional connection with her mother.

I did enjoy the book more than the other book I read on this time period for all of these reasons and for the inclusion of war. I do think this would be a great discussion for a book club or in a classroom.

Any final thoughts?

Anna: I’ll be honest — I didn’t have high expectations for this book, but I ended up really liking it. The story itself was interesting, more so knowing that it was based on a true story. I think the author did a great job with Regina’s evolution to Tskinnak, and I like how it was a balanced story.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about I am Regina in the comments.

We hope that you’ll join us in June for a read-a-long of the Korean War novel, War Babies by Frederick Busch. SCHEDULE to be released in May.

Week 2 I Am Regina Read-a-Long Discussion Postponed

 

Due to some schedule issues and ailments, Anna and I are postponing the I am Regina read-a-long discussion until April 30 for Chapters 14-end (including afterword)

Please come back for Part 2 on April 30.

If you missed part 1, go here.

Week 1: I Am Regina Read-a-Long

Welcome to the first week of the 2014 War Through the Generations With a Twist Read-a-Long of I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn for April.

Because this middle-grade novel is so short, we’re only hosting 2 discussions for it.

For this week’s discussion, we’ve read chapters 1-13.

Serena: When we start out in I am Regina, we meet the main character and her family.  What role do you think Regina plays in the family structure, and do you think that her role in her own family plays a role in why she is selected by the Indians?

Anna: I’m not sure Regina’s role in her family had anything to do with her being taken. I assumed that had more to do with her being a girl and a child. It seemed as if the other captives that day were either children or women, aside from the one man who spoke the Indian’s language.

As for her role in the family, she is the youngest, and her innocence comes through, especially in her outright fear about the rumors of Indian sightings and her constant need for comforting from her mother. It seems like her bond with her mother will be important throughout the story, and the author does a good job of setting that up from the beginning, even though we only meet her mother for a few pages. The close-knit structure of the family makes it even more heartbreaking when Regina witnesses her father and brother die, knows nothing about the fate of her mother and other brother, and is pulled away from her sister when the Indians part ways and go to their respective villages.

Serena: I agree that I’m not sure her role in the family has anything to do with her capture, but does establish her sort of as the younger child who is just beginning to learn responsibility in her own family unit. It strikes me that they would want to capture those who are young enough to be trained but not too young that they cannot work.

I also noticed that these were German immigrants and that the ship’s name was Patience. I wonder if that is a foreshadowing for Regina. Perhaps she needs patience, and definitely, her faith to cope with what’s on the horizon. It seems like religion is a big part of this novel.

Anna: But they also kept the girl Regina named Sarah, who was so young she had to be carried the whole way to Tiger Claw’s village and doesn’t seem to do any work when she first arrives. Being told from Regina’s point of view, we unfortunately don’t see their reasoning for deciding who to kill and who to capture.

That does seem like a major foreshadowing, and it also gives readers a bigger understanding of the difficult life Regina has lived for someone so young, from the arduous journey on the ship to America to establishing and working the farm to the latest, even harsher, upheaval.

Religion does play a big role in the novel, but I like that it’s not one of those preachy stories. The author does a good job showing how her faith helps her to survive.

Knowing that this book is based on a true story makes it even more moving and sad to me. Do you think the author does a good job balancing the “good vs. evil” aspect of the various sides of the war? As Regina is assimilated into the village, it’s a wake up call to her that there are shades of gray, that both sides have done some really terrible things.

Serena: I do like how the author portrays the religion as her faith that she turns to to keep herself strong. Comparing it to Indian Captive, which I read recently, with a similar story, the religious aspects are more even handed here. I like that.

As for the balance between good and evil, I think that’s done well too. There are good and bad among the tribes and good and bad among the whites. Regina goes from being a naive girl fearing the Indians to realizing that the Indians can be good and caring too. Both this and the Indian Captive are based on true stories, and it seems that this was a regular occurrence during the French and Indian War.

Do you think Sarah’s age made it easier for her to adapt to her new life and name, Quetit, than Regina?

Anna: Yes, I think Sarah’s age made it easier for her, especially if she’s not able to remember her life before. The fact that she didn’t talk until arriving at the village also helped her cope, I’m sure, because she didn’t have the same struggle Regina had in wanting to hold onto the language she has always spoken and needing to communicate in the tribe’s language to get along in her new life and avoid beatings or worse for refusing to embrace her new status as Indian.

I think the author does a great job of showing how Regina struggles with the memories of what happened on the day she was captured and how she struggles to adapt to this new life, where she has to work even harder at every day tasks than she did on the farm. There was even a moment where she felt guilty for dancing. I’m really curious as to what will happen in the second half, because she seems to be settling into her life in the village now, making friends and even softening to Woelfin, and as war comes knocking on her door, I’m sure she will have some very difficult choices ahead of her. How long can she hold onto her memories and her language?

For a middle grade novel, I am very impressed so far.

Serena: I think Regina has gotten stronger as the novel moves forward, thanks to some kind guidance.

While I’m worried about the impending war coming to the village, I’m also concerned about her near Tiger Claw, especially since he’s drunk most of the time and he’s seen her dressed up. That concerns me.

I wonder how much of Woelfin’s bitterness is tied to the death of her husband and the disappointing son, both of which had help from the white man? Also, I wonder if Regina would return to the white man when all is said and done, if she’s given that chance.

Anna: I think any sexual interest Tiger Claw may have in Regina probably would be glossed over, since it is a book for younger readers, but I was thinking the same thing. I think Woelfin has a lot to be bitter about, and I’m curious to see how her relationship with Regina evolves. If Regina has to choose between the tribe and the white men, I think whether or not her mother is still alive will figure heavily into that decision, and hopefully that won’t be an unanswered question for her.

Serena: You’re probably right that they will gloss over the sexual aspect, but he could still try to make her his wife. And I think you’d get the picture about what he’s after, at least older readers would.

Woelfin is an enigma. We know about her past, but we also know about her current life in the village too, and it seems that she has less than others and part of that is related to Tiger Claw. He seems more interested in drinking and war than much else, including caring for his own mother.

I do wonder about Regina’s brother and mother and whether they were captured, killed, or escaped from captors. That will be interesting to find out. I find this middle-grade book to be well done.

Any final thoughts?

Anna: That’s why I’m torn about the first-person viewpoint. I think it’s essential on the one hand to show Regina’s internal struggles and assimilation, but it also prevents us from getting a handle on the other characters.

I can’t wait to read the second half!

April Read-a-Long of I Am Regina by Sally M Keehn

As part of the War Through The Generations 2014 Reading Challenge with a Twist, we’ll be hosting a read-a-long for the French and Indian War.

In April, we’ll be reading I am Regina by Sally M. Keehn.

Discussion questions will be posted on Friday for the designated chapters.

Given the shortness of the book, we’ll hold 2 discussions this month.  Here’s the reading schedule and discussion dates:

• Friday, April 11: Chapters 1-13
  
• Friday, April 25: Chapters 14-end (including afterword)

We hope you’ll be joining us in June for the Korean War read-a-long of War Babies by Frederick Busch.