Bearded Lady by Mara Altman (Kindle Single)

I don't normally talk about the books I read, especially to my co-workers. However, this book I found hilarious and something that a lot of woman could totally relate too.

Bearded Lady by Mara Altman is exactly that kind of book. This is a short available on Amazon for the Kindle but can be read on a PC.

When I found this single I was looking for something quick and easy, what I got was the realization that I'm not alone. As a white female aging brings the dreaded hair, that dark hair just on the corner of your mouth or on your chin that you swear wasn't there yesterday.

I have had many "water cooler" conversations finding out what works best for who. From plucking, shaving, waxing, bleaching and the crazy ideas many women have stated, everyone has their own remedy. I didn't feel alone in this ugly battle, however society depicts women as being hairless in which many of us feel we should conform.

In Altman's single she too divulges the depths women go through to hide this plague. She talks about her adventures of finding the perfect remedy to her hair, the fear that her man would learn of the unwanted hair and the path to accepting that it's all just a part of life. The single is truly a letter to her future husband, which I found a little odd, but acceptable.

I laughed through the majority of the book, shaking my head with every new step in her adventure in understanding. I laughed so much I had to pass it on.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah's Key intertwines the past with the present. When Julia, an American living in France, is required to write an article about Frances history, what she learns dives her into the horrid past of Sarah and a dark day in Frances history.

de Rosnay does a great job of twisting and turning both Julia and Sarah's lives together. The journey of Sarah's lost youth and the path she takes to get back to her brother is full of horror that one can't fully fathom.

Sarah thought she was protecting her brother, letting him hide, thinking she would be back in a few minutes. In that horrid moment Sarah locked her brothers fate and what took place after was the idea that only a child could believe. As an adult we know and understand that without food and water we only have days to survive, in Sarah's mind all she could picture was the idea of saving her brother from the hidden space in the wall.

Julia who is assigned to write an article for the 60th anniversary of Vel’ d’Hiv, once a skating ring in France, that held a dark past related to Nazi Germany and the extermination of Jews. During her research she found a path that intertwined her present day life with the past, Sarah's life and a family secret hidden for many generations.

The story of both Sarah and Julia shows the many endurance's one can go through for a family member.

Over all the book was a great read and I was very glad it was turned into a movie.  I had finished the book just as the movie hit screens and got the privilege to compare the two. I rarely find many movie scripts that stick to the books plot line, but Gilles Paquet-Brenner (director) did a great job of this. I felt satisfied with the transition from book to movie as very little was changed with the transition.

I found that the story brought more knowledge of WWII that I myself did not know. This part of history, the French participation during WWII, is very rarely talked about. Once I completed the book I decided to research more information of Vel' D'Hiv, wondering if this was just a piece of full fiction. To my surprise Vel D'Hiv was true with a very disturbing past as described in de Rosnay's book.

I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

Have you ever read a book that left you questioning everything about your life? Why you choose to do something or what you would have done in that persons shoes?

I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced did just that for me.

Nujood lives in the Yemen, a place I have heard of but know very little about. Her story is compelling; coming home one day to learn that your father had decided it was time you be married off. She went from being a bubbly, curious little girl to a woman and wife in the blink of an eye.

While there were promises made, that were bound to be broken. Nujood found herself in one of the scariest situations in which a girl could find herself, without her family, in a strangers home with someone she now must call her husband and no escape. While her marriage is short, it is full of brutality with many enablers and no allies.

All Nujood knew was she wanted out, she never wanted to feel the pain her husband inflicted on her again, in which with the help of her second mother, who was married to her father, she devised a plan to escape. She knew after months of pleading and begging the only person who could help her was herself.

With all the courage she could muster took off towards a local bakery one morning as planned but instead veered off into a direction that would ultimately change her life. She found her way to the local courthouse and stood in front of a judge in which she exclaimed "I want a divorce."

These four words would forever change her life and those of so many Yemen girls futures. For a child to contest their marriage and ask for a divorce was unheard of, they are brought up as second class citizens, never to question the decisions of men. By Nujood taking the courage to speak up and the help of the many judicial officials the laws are slowly changing on the legalized age of marriage and Nujood was granted her divorce.

This is where first world citizens may start to question Nujoods next steps. After the divorce is final she decided to move back home, to live with the father who once moved her into marriage without her consent.

While there are no homes or orphanages for girls like Nujood there was a chance for her to move into a boarding school. Instead she opted for protecting her younger sister from a similar fate and moved back home.

I do not doubt her father has learned his lesson, but I do not understand why one would move back in with the man who gave her away with no protection other than a few words of a promise. However, we are talking about a 10 year old little girl who knows nothing else and still loves her father deeply.

As I finished this book I was left asking myself what would I have done? Would I have had the courage like Nujood? Or would I have given in and accepted my fate?

Being female, growing up in America we are taught that we are equal as men. But in under developed countries, such as Yemen, girls are not taught this. So I could not fully answer these questions, as I do not know what it's like to be less than something. I can only conclude that with my spirit I would likely find the similar courage as Nujood.

Overall this book was relatively easy to read. I had some difficulty with pronouncing city names and Arabic words but then again I don't know this language so I don't hold it against the book. (That's more of a user defect!) I feel that all women within first world countries should take a day or two to read this book, to gain an insight to how others are treated around the world and the idea of how different our lives would be if we were not equal.

The proceeds of the book go towards helping Nujood with school and someday becoming a lawyer along with paying for food and rent for her family. And while I don't agree with the part of helping out the man who her in this situation, I know the love of a father and that this is a little girl we are talking about. Therefore, I look past this discomfort and hope that Nujood achieves her goals someday with the help of the proceeds from her memoir.

Holiday Rewind

I hope everyone had a great holiday! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday I hope it was full of friends, family, and lots of memories.

As many of my readers know part of this challenge is to not buy books with my own money. Therefore the plethora of gift cards I have received this holiday season have gone to great use.

I was talking with a friend before the holiday about this challenge I have set in place and told her I have no idea what I'll do with empty bookshelves after I'm done. Well no fear there, I have bought approximately 10 books with gift cards from this holiday season alone.

One of the books I'm excited to read is I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. I truly love reading memoirs especially about different life changing events, not just the every day biography about a persons life.

Among my many new books I also bought War Brides, Why the caged bird sings, The Night Circus and many more.

What books did you receive, buy or read this holiday season?