Books, Books, Books

I love to see what everyone is reading. I love suggestions for good books to read. I really should be on Goodreads, but first I am doing this blog! I couldn't decide how I wanted to list books on my blog. One of my sisters makes little comments about most of the books she reads- I love to read her comments. Currently I am ranking the books out of 10 points. I think I may need a new system because realistically I don't read books that I would rank a 3 or 4 (or if I do, why would I even bother putting them on my blog?). I have had several people ask "Which book would you recommend from your list?" So, because I love books, I am going to try to do a weekly book review. It may not happen every week. Like most people, my reading goes in spurts. Here is the
first!

I Am David by Anne Holm
The first thing I love about this book is that is was originally published in 1963. Children's literature has seen a huge growth in the last 20 years. Sometimes it is hard to find good literature among all the trilogies, series, and "children's books" written for adults. When I find an older classic, I really respect that the author chose to write a children's book in a time when it certainly wasn't trendy or lucrative. Most of the time, these classics tend to have more substance than the thousands of children's fluff books that are published now.

This book also has an intriguing story line. I Am David is about a boy that is raised in a concentration camp (in an eastern bloc country). When he is 12, he is given the opportunity to escape and begins to make his way across Europe to Denmark. Because he has only known life in a concentration camp, he has no frame of reference for life in the real world. He experiences things like color, smiling, and religion for the first time. The story line captures the imagination and makes the reader think.

The characterization in this book is incredible. Although there is essentially only one character, David, his physical journey as well as his internal journey make a captivating read. Perhaps the thing I love most about the character is his purity and quest for knowledge.

This book will make you think. It will stay with you- I keep talking about it and thinking about it. It is not a book to read just for entertainment.