October 2018 Reading Log

Here’s the books that I read in October, four very interesting biographies.

Irena’s Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo

This is the story of Irena Sendler who saved an estimated 2500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto.  Irena was a social worker so for a long time had a pass that allowed her in & out of the ghetto.  Even once she no longer had the pass, she helped many once they had gotten out of the ghetto.  This is not only the story of Irena but those who worked with her.  There are stories of so many remarkable people who risked their lives to save others.  The end of the book talks a little of her life after the war which was still not great as Poland was a communist country for a long time.

The Pastor and the Painter by Cindy Wockner

This is the story of the 2 masterminds of the Bali nine who were caught trafficking drugs in 2005.  They were quite unrepentant at the time but over time in jail they changed their ways and set up many programs in Kerobokan prison.  These programs helped many prisoners have a better chance when they were released.  Despite their changed ways and the good that they were doing they were executed in April 2015.  Cindy Wockner was a news correspondent working in Indonesia at the time of their arrest and came to know them very well.

The Many Ways of Seeing by Nick Gleeson with Peter Bishop

This is Nick Gleeson’s story.  He suddenly became blind at age 7.  Through sharing some of his memories we get a glimpse into the life of a blind person.  He shares a story of his Dad taking him & his brother (who’s also blind), mushroom picking.  This gives insight into how his Dad helped them pick the mushrooms themselves by directing them with instructions to where they were.  He shares many other stories including driving a  car around the race track, how others help him ‘see’ in an art gallery and experiencing a walking journey in the Simpson dessert.

Miss Muriel Matters by Robert Wainwright

This is the story of an Australian Actress who moves to London to continue her acting career but because of the injustices she is seeing she leaves acting.  She joins the suffragists to fight for women’s rights & later moves into poor areas to help those less fortunate then her.  She was the first women to “speak” in the British Parliament all be it while segregated & chained to a grille in the women’s gallery.  Her story was all but forgotten even before she died.  This was a fascinating story about an amazing woman who fought for the rights of others.

So with 4 books read this month that brings my total to the year to 50 books.

What have you been reading lately?

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