Book Review: Ana's Story: A Journey Of Hope by Jenna Bush

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What I love about reading is that it does not only entertain but it educates as well. There are many things I have learned through reading which I may not learn anywhere else. I must say though that most of the books that I really like are those that make me emotional - those that leave me breathless with suspense or make me cry buckets of tears. Indeed, I rate a book highly if it has affected me emotionally such as when I get too attached to the characters or when I am totally caught by surprise by the unexpected plot twists. These emotional attachments are most often results of reading fiction books, which I are the staple books in my shelf. I am not fond of reading nonfiction books because

1) I am more interested with fictional plots, and
2) I am also interested in beautiful prose - two things I think I cannot find in nonfiction books (I might be wrong).

This year, though, the very first book I read was a nonfiction book. I wanted to read something light but inspiring and positive to start the year but most of the books in my TBR are heavy (and thick!)readings, i.e. A Game of Thrones, Pillars of the Earth, The Unbearable Likeness of Being. It's a good thing I was able to borrow Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope from a friend late last year so when I saw it sitting in my (disorganized) shelf, I figured it would be the best book to start the year with, plus, I would be able to return it sooner to its owner.

Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope is a true account of a girl named Ana who suffers from HIV/AIDS. Written by Jenna Bush, the daughter of then US President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, while she was involved with UNICEF, Ana's Story portrays the struggles of Ana against poverty and abuse and how she is finally able to live with purpose and meaning despite being infected with the dreaded disease. I first learned basic information about HIV/AIDS while I was in high school and though most of the myths clarified in this book I know already, it is still a wonderful experience reading this book because of the additional information I am able to learn about HIV/AIDS and the recent developments for its treatment.

Jenna Bush writes with simplicity but with candidness and I like how the narrative is accompanied by beautiful pictures. Ana's Story is a very easy and quick read, but it is also emotional and touching more so because it is a true story. What I love the most about this book is because more than being entertaining and informative, Ana's Story spurs its readers into action. At the end of the book are tips on how to help abused children as well as those who are suffering from HIV/AIDS. It also lists websites of organizations that provide additional information about HIV/AIDS. For so long a time I have wanted to get involved with UNICEF or World Vision or any organization that helps abused children and women. After reading this book, my desire has been reinforced. I hope this year I will finally be able to get involved and with what little help I can give, I hope to make a difference.

What a way to start my reading year. I highly recommend Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope. Read it and share it to your friends and family members. It is a good thing to be informed, but it is much better, way better, to act and make a difference.

5 stars.

The True Story of Catch-22

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In 1944, as the Allied Forces in Italy press toward the War's European resolution, the U.S. 488th Bomb Squadron is keeping doggedly to its mission. The lives of these men of this 488th are following the dictates of the war; there are skills to learn and hone, fears to conquer, and, of course, missions to fly. What they are unaware of is that, as they focus on their daily lives, one of their members is focusing upon them. He is absorbing a different type of information; information that is to serve him well years after the war claims its last son and daughter. Keeping all of his senses alert to his surroundings, 488th bombardier Joseph Heller is absorbing impressions that will later astonish the literary world when he pens a phenomenal novel that explodes across the planet in the 1960's. Welcome, world, to Catch-22!

This richness of memories, of knowledge that he has absorbed fuels his pages. In varying degrees his war-mates morph into wildly factitious characters trapped in the chaos of Catch-22 while deadly missions become... well, still, deadly missions.

While Heller usually chooses to deny similarities between his clever fictional characters and his war-mates, to the men of the 340th Bomb Group, of which Heller's 488th is a part, Heller's offspring are instantly recognizable. In a wild and imaginative frenzy, characters such as the hard-drinking, vengeful, and disillusioned Chief White Half Oat, young, sliced-in-half Kid Sampson, shrieking, frenzied Hungry Joe, and a slew of others blast skyward from the solid roots of their real life counterparts.

It is now more than half of a century since Catch-22's publication. Currently, the surviving men of the 57th Bomb Wing, who comprise the 310th, 319th, 321st, and Heller's 340th Bomb Groups, will still chuckle or grimace as they discuss or deride this book while celebrating at their annual WWII reunions. It is a book that has become an American classic as it pokes huge fun at a circumstance that took a monumental toll on the lives of these men. While they acknowledge and can even respect the profound impact of Catch-22, still, it is at too great an expense of those who steadily have put their lives on the line, as has Joe Heller, mission after mission, for a cause of such magnitude. They find it difficult to embrace this levity even decades after the fact.

Now nearly all the characters upon whom Heller drew for his masterpiece are gone - Cathcart-Chapman, Dreedle-Knapp, Piltchard-Dyer, Daneeka-Marino, Havermyer-Myer, Major Major Major Major- Major Major, Tappman-Cooper, and the rest. All have passed now.

All but one: Wells-Wren Catch-22's sole survivor.

It is Captain George L. Wells, an extraordinary pilot, who weaves throughout a new book by Casemate Publishing, The True Story of Catch-22, is due to be released this Spring, From his first mission, October 26, 1943, to his last on March 19, 1945, George kept a small black mission book, now well-thumbed. Every one of his historic 102 missions is accurately recorded and, with the regularity of almost daily flights, each of these missions will keep step with the pages of this book. True-life George, Bill, Bob and, creator Joe funnel into the loopy, rogue, and ripe-to-bursting factitious personalities of the humble, capable CAPT. WREN, the naked-in-the-ranks Lt. Yossarian, the 'Black-Eye' or 'Feather-in-my-Cap' Col. Cathcart and the arbitrary, unpredictable Gen. Dreedle. Even though Heller's fully developed characters stand solely, solidly, and uniquely on their own merits, still it must be acknowledged that any resemblance to persons living or dead is, in fact, actual.

The True Story of Catch-22 is divided into thirds. Part 1 highlights four solid Air Force officers who Joseph Heller blindsided when he creatively massaged them into four of Catch-22's heavy hitters. But to paraphrase slightly, "Truth is as fascinating as fiction." Part 2 rewards our brain's right side with full-color illustrations of Catch-22's factitious spawn contrasting strongly, on facing pages, with our actual WWII heroes brought to life in previously unpublished photos and accompanied by first person narratives. Lastly, Part 3 goes to the heart of this book as twelve men of the 340th relate twelve true tales. In miniature, here lies the true story.

George speaks for all of these aging warriors, these passing threads of our history, when he says,

"I am surprised at being among the last of these men standing. I am being allowed to bid a respectful and loving farewell to each of these brave, honorable, and dedicated men, these friends and brothers with whom I am forever bonded.

And that, of course, includes you, Joe."

Patricia Chapman Meder is an author and a nationally and internationally exhibiting artist. She combines her artistic skills with her current literary focus centering on a segment of the Second World War. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado with post-graduate studies throughout Europe.

Book Review: I Want to Help: My Story About Cancer, Depression, and God

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Non-fiction/Memoir

I Want to Help: My Story about Cancer, Depression, and God

T. Laresca

2009

Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.

20 pages

I Want to Help is T. Laresca's testimony on how his belief in God saved his life. The author discusses how his faith helped him to survive cancer after being told that he would only have three months to live if the prescribed treatments did not work. In this slim book, Laresca shares with the reader the impact his illness and the subsequent treatments had on his body and mind. He also reveals an incident with police that could have resulted in the loss of his life, had it not been for his unwavering faith.

Pain drove Laresca to seek medical assistance after several hours of suffering at home. Surgery revealed testicular cancer that had spread to his stomach and lungs. Two months of chemotherapy followed. The treatment was grueling and took a heavy physical toll on Laresca. But through it all, the author relied on his faith in God and maintained a positive outlook: "The whole time I believed God would take care of me (2)."

Laresca's credits his remission to his faith and medical treatment. He has been cancer free for over eight years. The next phase of Laresca's journey was unexpectedly difficult. He fell into a deep depression after his treatments were finished. The cancer had stripped him of his independence: he was physically frail, jobless, broke and living with his parents. The author states that depression was a more difficult adversary than cancer because of the shame associated with mental illness and his unwillingness to seek treatment.

After sharing his story about surviving cancer and depression, Laresca discusses a violent encounter with police during which he was repeatedly maced. He writes that he died during the incident. "I remembered something that I hadn't done that I had always wanted to do. That was to help, so I fought my way back... (17)."

This is a short read with a powerful message about the role faith can play in sustaining a person through all types of adversity. The author uses his story as a tool for sharing not only his personal beliefs, but to inform the reader about the mind's impact on the body and how crucial it is to think positively when problems arise in life.

I Want to Help is a straight forward, inspiring piece about a man of faith who wishes to use his story to help others.

Melissa Brown Levine

for

Independent Professional Book Reviewers

Melissa Brown Levine is a writer, book reviewer and manuscript consultant. She is the author of "I Need to Make Promises: A Novella and Stories." Read an excerpt at http://www.melissabrownlevine.com/.