My (Post Election) Feelings One Week Later

It has been one week.

One week since we learned who the president elect would be and even though the lump in my throat and the knots in my stomach have dissipated, there is still some poignancy lingering over me like a dark cloud.

For me this election has been personal especially as a woman. A Latina. A daughter of immigrants. It wasn't about Democrats vs. Republicans or Liberals vs. Conservatives. It was about doing the right thing. It was about not letting hate win. There is so much at stake for us that my heart is aching and I'm feeling scared.

No, not scared, petrified.

And no, I'm not just petrified that climate change will be put on the back burner or taken off the agenda altogether.

And I'm not just I'm petrified that members of the LGBTQ community may lose equality rights.

And I'm not just petrified that women may lose reproductive rights.

And I'm not just petrified of the uncertainty of the state of our economy.

It's just that I'm also petrified that the most vulnerable members of our society have been made even more susceptible to hate and mistreatment. It's also that the floodgates of hate have been opened and it seems that the racist, misogynistic, bigoted people of this country who perhaps were once closeted have been given permission to come out and openly spew hate towards Latinos and Hispanics, people of the LGBTQ community, Muslims, Black Americans, and people with disabilities, among other minority groups. Then there are the children. I cannot even fathom being a parent and having to explain this to your children or prepare them for what may come. I am petrified for the children and the parents. And while I remain hopeful that I'm wrong about a lot of these things and that the checks and balances in our government will work the way they're supposed to so we can keep some of the freedoms that are in effect today, I can't help but feel like we are taking a huge step backwards, but above all I am sickened at the thought of the most powerless people in our communities being attacked.

I am trying to see the other side of this and how people who feel let down by the system and are tired of career politicians feel, but frankly I'm having a very hard time justifying the outcome of this election solely on those things. I cannot wrap my head around why people feel that electing a person who was born into great wealth and privilege could possibly understand them, and worst of all, a person who not only condones, but also promotes hateful behavior.  All I can say is that I'm glad my dad isn't alive today to see this, I know he would be heartbroken to see this happening in the country he loved so much.

My only consolation is that I know not everybody has this hate in their hearts. I know that the closest people in my life do not have this mindset, not even a little. I also try to remember that nothing in this life is permanent, nothing lasts forever. Worse things have happened before. Our ancestors have endured much worse and yet here we all are. We are the product of the most resilient of our predecessors. So I hope as we process and grieve this loss, which by the way we are allowed to do, that we also hold our heads up high and stand with each other and for each other.

These are just my thoughts.

-Liz    

P.S. I found Episode '602: The Sun Comes Up' of the This American Life Podcast helpful in processing the outcome of this election a little more. It has stories from different perspectives of this election and it may help you too.

Compliment Day

Sometimes there's nothing like receiving a nice compliment or two (or three or four) to make your day.

Today was that day.

It all started with my neighbor this morning (who in the past I'd only waved to from a distance) asking me what I did for work. I told him and then asked him why he wanted to know he said he wondered because I am polite, well mannered and keep to myself. I thought those were nice things to say.

Not even a half hour later the nice teller at the bank told me he liked my scarf. Not only that, he told me why he liked it. According to this nice young man, my scarf was a beautiful spring color, yet it had some "fall" to it. Sweet right?

Then soon after that my landlord told me in a text message that I was amazing and adorable just because I did a small favor for her. That made me feel appreciated.

And lastly, while discussing Iron Man races and marathons with my boss through email he told me that I am a highly motivated person and he knows I can work my way up to a half marathon. That made me feel even more motivated!

So go ahead compliment someone today. I know I was inspired to do so. You just never know when you're gonna make someone's day.

Until next time!

-Liz

Portugal And I Go Way Back (Sort Of)

I had been wanting to go to Portugal for years, I mean years. I would say at least a decade. Finally I got the chance to go last November. I went alone only because my boyfriend was unable to go with me. Unfortunately this meant I did not see as much as I would have liked since I am not as disciplined to get out and see everything when I travel alone, but I did get to see quite a bit of Lisbon and I fell in love.

Before I start sharing a bit about my experience in Portugal I'd like to share the connections I've had with it since I was a child which I discovered as an adult. Here they are in chronological order (duh, what other order would they be in?).

1.) My father was Catholic and I sorta grew up Catholic too (for a time anyway) so I grew up seeing lots images of saints and apparitions of the Virgin Mary. As a matter of fact my parents used to sell these kind images (I had a bizarre childhood ok?), but my favorite of them all was the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. I absolutely loved it. The story behind the image is about the Virgin Mary appearing to three shepherd children in 1917 in the town of Fatima in Portugal. I think it was the fact that this happened to children that made the story so intriguing to me, I am not sure, but even though I am not a religious person today I still love the story.

Our Lady of Fatima Prayer Card

2.) I traveled to Brazil for the first time in 2001, when I was 20 years old (eek, don't do the math). As you may already know, Brazil was once a Portuguese colony. Well it was during this trip that I absolutely fell in love with the language. After that trip I knew I wanted to learn Portuguese.

That's me at the Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil in August of 2001

3.) In the summer of 2002 I received a postcard in the mail from Portugal that my sister had sent me (and I sill have it!). She was there for a work trip and had taken the time to write me. By this point I had already expressed my desire to learn Portuguese to her. In the postcard she mentions how she thought of me while there and asked if I had started taking Portuguese lessons yet. Ah the mementos and the feelings they stir up, aren't they wonderful?

Postcard from Santa Maria in the Azores in Portugal dated June 4, 2002

4.) In the fall of 2003 I started taking Portuguese classes. I was finally on my way to learning Portuguese!

The only Portuguese/English dictionary I still have (because it's the best!)

5.) In 2006, I was chosen to go on a semester long adventure as a student in the city of Salvador in Brazil which a lot of people don't know was the first capital of Brazil. It was an amazing experience, one of the best times of my life. It also resembles Lisbon very much.

That's me again at the Church of Bom Fim in Salvador, Brazil

6.) Alright, here comes another saint story. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of lost or stolen things, travelers, single people looking for love, and a slew of other things. Many people think that he was Italian because he lived and died in Italy, but he was actually Portuguese, born and raised in Lisbon. Saint Anthony is one of the most popular saints in Catholicism and of course I grew up knowing about him. Anyway, there's this tradition, in Mexico at least (I'm unsure if this tradition exists anywhere else) in which single people, particularly women, will put a statue of Saint Anthony on its head and pray to him for finding true love. Once they have found love they put Saint Anthony right side up again or another version of that is that he will turn himself right side up once true love has been found for that person. So this is where things get more interesting. I met my boyfriend in 2010 and things were moving along rather slowly. Honestly, I didn't even know if things would ever get serious between us. Well in the summer of 2011 I put both my Saint Anthony candles upside down and later that year our relationship got more serious. True story, but shhhh, my boyfriend doesn't know about this!

The picture I posted on Facebook on June 6, 2011 of my upside down Saint Anthony candles. Apparently nothing is sacred anymore in this age of social media (pun intended).

7.) San Francisco has been my favorite city ever since I can remember. When I was a kid and I would go to San Fran with my parents I would be in awe of this huge, incredible city. Oddly enough (or not) Lisbon looks like San Francisco. It even has a bridge with a striking resemblance to the Golden Gate bridge that's called the 25 de Abril Bridge. And just like San Francisco, Lisbon has a lot of hills. In fact it is called the city of seven hills. I guess I have a thing for hilly cities, I don't know.

This is me at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, circa 2003

So anyway, those are it. Those are the connections I have to Portugal and all I can say is what a dream come true it was for me to finally be able to go.

Is there some place you feel connected to that you dream of visiting some day? Do tell.

Until next time!

-Liz

Bossypants By Tina Fey

Bossypants had been on my reading list for a while when I finally started reading it when I went on vacation last November. It is definitely a must read, especially for women. Tina Fey is hilarious and just plain awesome. It is a fun, light read, just know that if you do take it on vacation like I did, be prepared to get looks from strangers when you are laughing out loud.

One of my favorite quotes of the book is Tina's reply to a comment made by a perezhilton.com reader about how Tina Fey ruined SNL and how she is only celebrated because she is a woman and a liberal. Here is part of her response:

"Women in this country have been over-celebrated for too long. Just last night there was a story on my local news about a "missing girl," and they must have dedicated seven or eight minutes to "where she was last seen" and "how she might have been abducted by a close family friend," and I thought, "What is this, the News for Chicks?" Then there was some story about Hillary Clinton flying to some country because she's secretary of state. Why do they keep talking about these dumdums? We are a society that constantly celebrates no one but women and it must stop! I want to hear what the men of the world have been up to. What fun new guns have they invented? What are they raping these days? What's Michael Bay's next film going to be?"

Hahahahaha, so funny, so brilliant. I really love this woman.

Until next time!

-Liz

My 2015 To-Do List

Day Planner from Barnes & Noble

I love my new 2015 day planner. I am definitely trying to be inspired and live my dreams. If that's not what life is about then we're screwed.

Last year I had a list of resolutions (click here to see how I did), this year I have a to-do list:

1.) Lose (an additional) 20 pounds (plus the 4 I gained over the holidays);

2.) Scrapbook at least through 2009. That means scrapbooking about 14 different trips and events that happened between 2007 and 2009. Yes, I'm that behind, but this is the year for getting closer to being caught up;

3.) Build up my emergency fund;

4.) Get a new and professional design for my blog;

5.) Be kinder to everyone. In general I think I'm pretty nice, but if someone is mean or rude to me I tend to react the same way and that's not a good way to be; and

6.) Drink less soda. I am not giving up soda all together, but since I have a can of Diet Dr. Pepper almost every day, I think I need to cut back quite a bit.

What goals have you set up for yourself this year?

Good luck in 2015!

-Liz

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Miss Rumphius is definitely my favorite children's book of all of time. Even now as an adult I don't get tired of reading it. What better message to send children than to tell them the story of a woman who despite setting out to make her dreams come true, she never forgets that she must also do something to make the world more beautiful?

I love the audio version of it too.

Please share this book with all the children in your life.

Until next time!

-Liz

Have Passport, Will Travel

I just got back from a trip to Portugal and I can't believe what a difference just five little days in Lisbon have made. I had not taken a proper vacation since 2011 and I was starting to feel it. Not because I was exhausted and needed a break (though that was part of it), but because my mind and senses had not been evoked in a very long time, at least not in the way that travel evokes them. Lily Tsay's quote, "to travel is to awaken." is very fitting to me right now because I have awoken once again. My travel bug was dormant. It seems that it is back and with full force. That's right, have passport, will travel.

I cannot even begin to explain the importance of travel, particularly international travel. I think it is so important for us, especially as Americans, to learn about the world. We tend to be very ethnocentric and while I think that our country is great, I also think that our way is not the only way. We have so much to learn from the world.

Now I know that traveling is not easy, I know that. Finding the time and money for it can be very challenging because it's not exactly a life necessity. Why do you think I hadn't been able to travel in so long? I also know that I have been incredibly blessed in my life to have had the opportunities to travel from a young age that not everybody has had. All I'm saying is that if you have the opportunity to travel, take it, take it immediately and if not you can still make it happen. In my eyes "travel is worth any cost or sacrifice," like Elizabeth Gilbert says and if that means scrubbing toilets after your day job to have extra money for travel then I will scrub toilets after my day job to have extra money for travel.

I love this TED talk that Rick Steves made a few years back. I am posting it because, a.) Who doesn't love Rick Steve's??? and b.) He eloquently describes what we gain from "thoughtful travel" as he calls it. I promise it is worth your time.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” – Mark Twain

Until next time!

-Liz

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I finally finished reading The Fault In Our Stars this week and then immediately afterwards I watched the movie, of course.

These are my favorite quotes:

1.)   "That's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt."

2.)   "...I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

3.)   "...the world is not a wish-granting factory."

4.)   "You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."

5.)   "The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention. The guy who invented the smallpox vaccine didn't actually invent anything. He just noticed that people with cowpox didn't get smallpox."

6.)   "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you."

Do you have a favorite quote in this book?

Until next time!

-Liz

I Will Not Be Calling In Dead Tomorrow

The Dreadful Keyboard

Have you ever expressed frustration to your boss in an email by saying that you were going to call in dead the next day and then later remembered that the reason he is currently out of town is for a funeral? Yea, me either. *sigh*

-Liz

P.S. I really need a vacation ASAP, but since that is over a month away, I will take up drinking instead.

P.S.S. Hooray for awesome bosses who are nice and see the humor in things.

Creo En Mi / I Believe In Myself

“Creo En Mi” de Natalia Jiménez es una de mis canciones favoritas en este momento. Que bello mensaje.

A veces el favor más grande que otras personas nos pueden hacer es no creer en nosotros porque nos hace luchar más intensamente por lo que queremos y cuando finalmente lo logramos la satisfacción es más grande aun.   

“Creo En Mi” (I Believe In Myself) from Natalia Jimenez is one of my favorite songs at the moment. What a beautiful message.

Sometimes the biggest favor other people can do for us is not believe in us because it makes us fight more intensely for what we want and when we finally achieve it, the satisfaction is even greater.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite

I have to admit I was a little disappointed at first that this book wasn't more about the Peace Corps. It's a memoir about Eve Brown-Waite's life as an American expatriate in Uganda mostly, but she does have a short Peace Corps stint in Ecuador at the beginning of the book. I loved the book at any rate.

I think Eve Brown-Waite is a wonderful story teller. Her writing is candid and unapologetic as she describes her misadventures abroad. I was literally laughing out loud throughout the book. I really enjoyed it. It's a good book to read if you are interested in learning a bit about what life as an American expat is like and even if not the love story alone is worth the read. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good love story.    

Until next time!

-Liz

I Have Won The Jackpot

I have won the jackpot ladies and gentlemen. Last night my boyfriend came over to visit with the low-carb chicken Greek salad that I had petitioned and also a pita bread to go with it (I always feel silly ordering those two together). Not only that, he made an extra stop to buy me the Sprite I requested after he had already bought the food because I texted him that I was feeling nauseous and needed a Sprite. And no, no, no, it didn't end there, he actually sat down with me as I ate my dinner and drank my Sprite and watched a couple of Sex And The City episodes with me. Now that's love people, that's love.

Until next time!

-Liz

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

The Paris Wife is the story of Ernest Hemingway and his marriage to first wife Hadley Richardson. Wait let me back up. The Paris Wife is a book about Hadley Richardson and her marriage to Ernest Hemingway. It's from Hadley's perspective with a few intercepting chapters of Ernest's perspective. The book mostly takes place in 1920's Paris (though they do travel quite a bit), so you get a glimpse of that time period which is absolutely fascinating to me (as well as Ernest).

I really liked Hadley at first. I thought she was so much like me. We both lost our fathers at a young age; We both fell out of a window as children; We were both named Elizabeth (though she went by Hadley); And we were both late bloomers of sorts, but that's where the similarities end.

I loved Hadley and Ernest's love story at the beginning and I can see why Hadley was so taken by Ernest. I think it might have been impossible not to fall in love with Ernest. Soon after their marriage began, however, I started feeling annoyed with Hadley. She seemed so needy. Now, I tried to remember that she was a newlywed and that she missed her husband when he went away for work, but I hated that her whole life revolved around him. Now, again, I tried to remember that she was a newlywed and that she lived in a different era, but still I couldn't help but feel bad for her and not in a compassionate way either. I just felt sorry that she was so pathetic. When Ernest started acting like a jerk and being unfaithful, Hadley bugged me even more for not leaving the relationship and for the third time, yes, I know it was a different era and things were different, but the thing is that she was surrounded, if not, part of the lost generation in the roaring 1920's. I just wish she would have stood her ground more in the relationship and done more for herself.

I love historical fiction and this book does a fine job at capturing this time period and though it is no secret that Hadley's marriage to Ernest ends in divorce because we know he had two more marriages after this one (no spoiler there), I felt frustrated with Hadley throughout the book. Even so, it is always great to take a peek at history through a book and get a glimpse into the lives of the people of that time, the choices they made, and how they felt. For those reasons I loved this book.

Until next time!

-Liz

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is the second dystopian book I've read this year. That's a lot for me because this is a genre I don't normally reach for, but I kept hearing people talk about it and then I saw that there was a movie coming out so of course I had to read it and then watch the movie. I didn't board the Hunger Games bandwagon back when the books first came out you see and I have yet to read them or watch the movies so this time I thought I'd jump on the Divergent bandwagon. God I'm such a follower. Anyway, the book is good. I liked it.

The main character, Beatrice, lives in what was once the city of Chicago and society has split up into five groups called factions: Candor who are the honest, Amity who are the peaceful, Erudite who are the intelligent, Dauntless who are the fearless, and Abnegation who are the selfless. At the age of 16 everyone undergoes a personality test of sorts to help them figure out which personality trait they most possess and help them determine which faction they should join because they are born into one faction, but have the choice to switch to another. Once they select their faction at the yearly choosing ceremony (wether it'd be the one they were born into or a new one) they can never switch factions. The problem is that Beatrice's test results, or Tris as she is later called, are inconclusive because she falls equally into three different factions, Abnegation (the one she was born into), Erudite, and Dauntless. This makes her divergent which makes it very dangerous for her because as she will find out, the government is threatened by her incapability to "fit in" to a single group and be easily controlled.

Like I said before, I liked the book. The movie was good too, but I don't think I will ever get used to the fact that the movies are never going to be exactly the same as the books, still good overall though. The story has action, suspense, and yes, even love. The book does have some violence that made me cringe a bit, the movie not as much. I was left with a lot questions about this society and how it came to be and about a few of the factions that were not talked about as much. These questions will probably be answered in the next book, Insurgent, but I guess that is how trilogy books work, the first book leaves you wanting more so that then you have to go out and get the other books. That's convenient isn't it? By the way, I took the book's personality test and I'm divergent. I suspect most people would be, at least I would hope so. 

Until next time!

-Liz

P.S. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

My Easter Eggs

My last two Easter eggs

Just when I thought I had eaten the last of them I find two more. Don't worry, I'm thinking about freezing my Easter eggs juuuuust in case I wanna eat one some day.

Happy belated Easter!

-Liz

Who Was Cesar Chavez?

I saw the new Cesar Chavez movie last weekend and I am so glad the world is finally being introduced to him through this medium. If you've never heard of Cesar Chavez you are not alone. I believe most Americans don't know who he was. Hopefully you have heard the name before as there are schools, parks, buildings, and streets across the country named after him. Even here in Salt Lake City we have our very own Cesar Chavez Boulevard which is the part of 500 South that runs from about 500 West to 700 East. It goes without saying that our public education system has many holes and flaws in it. We keep hearing time and time again how the U.S. lags behind many other developed countries in education, even though more is spent per student here than elsewhere. Kids graduate from high school without proper reading, math, and science skills. It is a real shame that even history lessons are lacking, especially when we could use more minority historical figures and role models, but I am getting off topic here. I know about Cesar Chavez because I'm from the part of the world where his fight began, Central California, but it was not until college that I had a real lecture about him and what he did.  

Cesar Chavez was an American civil rights activist. For decades the agricultural growers of Central California exploited the workers that did (and continue to do) the back breaking work of picking the fruits and vegetables that we (and the rest of the world) consume. The working conditions were awful. There were no toilets in the fields, no potable water, no breaks, and the pay was meager. Cesar Chavez along with Dolores Huerta started the United Farm Workers of America Union in 1962. In 1965 Cesar Chavez organized and led a strike against the grape growers of the region which lasted about five years before working conditions and pay began to improve. This was the beginning of the Chicano Movement and though there is still much more room for improvement in the fields, because even in this day and age mistreatment, child labor, and low wages still exist, Cesar Chavez helped promote awareness of the working and living conditions of the people that help feed Americans and the world.
 
I have included part two of a four part PBS documentary named Chicano that talks about this very topic. It is one of my favorite documentaries and I never get tired of watching it.

Until next time!

-Liz

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I first read The Giver back when I was in high school. I believe I was in 11th grade and I remember thinking what a bizarre story it was. It was unlike anything I had ever read before. Re-reading recently it has made me feel no different.

Jonas lives in a community of the future that is "perfect" in that it lacks all pain and suffering. There is no hunger, disease, or fears, no crime or war, but there is also the lack of any real joys or pleasures of life. The community strives for equality or "sameness" as they call it, but that means that people don't have the freedom to choose a job, a home, or a spouse. Everything is decided for them, thus there is no such thing as feelings, or passion or any real human connections.

At the age of 12 everyone begins training for the job that was assigned to them, but when Jonas turns 12 he doesn't receive just any job, he gets assigned to be The Receiver of all memories, good and bad, from the past. The current Giver is the person who trains Jonas and teaches him about the pains of war and joys of love. As Jonas learns of the old way of life he has to decide whether he wants to continue living in the community he was born into or if he wants to seek out a life of feelings and emotions elsewhere.

This story is definitely thought provoking. It is meant to make you question your life and relationships and the social issues around the world. We often speak of hopes of a better world without pain and suffering, but what things would we have to give up for such a world? And how would we recognize joy without pain?

I found some parts of this book difficult to read. The practice of euthanasia and infanticide are part of the story and I was horrified by them. There is also mention of suicide. It is a little shocking that this is children's book and I can't imagine having read it at a younger age than 16 or 17 so it is not surprising that this book has been banned in some schools across the country. At the same time, I really like the book because it does make you question things that you've never thought of before. At just 179 pages you would not think this book would have that much of an impact, but it does. I highly recommend it. Plus I hear there's a movie coming out soon.

Until next time!

-Liz

2014 New Year Resolutions

Look at me looking all giddy at the gateway to 2014!

I don't always like the holidays, each year varies, but this year I am definitely glad they are over. I was a scrooge all the way up until Christmas eve, but boy am I excited about the new year! I always like the feeling of having a fresh start. Reflecting on my life at the start of the year and deciding what I wanna get right this time (by way of resolutions) is way more exciting to me than Christmas is. This year I have six things that I want to accomplish:

          1. Lose (an additional) 20 pounds (plus the 6 I gained in the last month or so);

          2. Pay off those 3 debts that have been hanging over my head (you know who you are!);

          3. Blog more often (about random, silly things. Why not? It's my blog after all.);

          4. Start jogging (again);

          5. Take a trip somewhere I've never been; and

          6. Be a better friend (I can be such an a-hole sometimes).

So that's it, that's my 2014 to-do list! What are you new year's resolutions?

Until next time!

-Liz

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I had only ever heard of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie, but had no interest in watching it and one day, months ago (maybe a year ago), my friend at work mentioned this book to me so I added it to my reading list. About a month ago the book and movie were brought up again at work in conversation so I decided I must read it immediately and see for myself what all the fuss was about. Luckily, I already owned it because I bought it months ago at a thrift store after having added it to my reading list (a common practice of mine) and oh is it good! I couldn't put it down and I even found myself thinking about it at work and anxiously awaiting the moment when I could be reunited with it to continue reading it. You know a book is good when your thoughts about it are competing with your thoughts about going to Zumba after work–something I love, but more about that another time.

I had been advised about the violence this book contained so I was prepared for it and, surprisingly, I handled it rather well. I mean I was creeped out and repulsed by it, but no nightmares. Thankfully the entire book is not like this, but it does have several episodes of violence, more specifically, violence towards women. In fact, this book's original Swedish title (the author was Swedish) was Men Who Hate Women.....so there you go.

In a nutshell, this book is the first of the Millennium Trilogy written by Stieg Larsson. It is a fictitious crime/mystery/thriller novel that takes place in Sweden where journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired by a wealthy man to solve the mystery of the disappearance of his teenage niece from forty plus years ago. Mikael is later assisted by badass computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. 

I like the characters. They have depth and you become intrigued by them, especially with Lisbeth.

This book brings to light that even Sweden has it's problems, past and present. Besides the statistics about violence against women, I found it interesting that there was a Nazi movement in Sweden in the first part of the 20th century. Coincidently, I found an article about recent violence in connection to Neo-Nazis in Sweden. Now I don't know about you, but when I think of Sweden I think of that nation that is often referred to as the nation which has one of the highest standards of living in the world and where people are happiest, not one of violence and Nazis, but I guess no country in the world is perfect and immune to evil. Also, according to this book Swedes eat a lot of sandwiches and buy a lot of Ikea furniture, go figure!

I am already reading the second book in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and I'm looking forward to figuring out who Lisbeth is. I moved the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movie to the top of my Netflix queue and it has now been sitting at the top of my DVD player for the last two weeks. I am trying to build up the courage to watch it. The book I could handle, the movie I am not so sure. I don't even like watching shows like CSI or Law and Order because of their violent themes.....Anyway this post is way longer than I intended it to be. If you're still reading, first, I wanna say thank you, second, I wanna say I really liked this book (I think I established that at the beginning). I think that any time you are both, entertained by a book and able to take something away from it is a double bonus!

Until next time!

-Liz

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath, first published in 1939, is said to be John Steinbeck's greatest masterpiece. At the time, this book caused so much controversy that it was banned and even burned in some places due to its telling nature of what life was like for the poor migrant workers in California. The rich farmers were portrayed as greedy and ruthless and the government was portrayed as protective only of the interests of the wealthy and not of those of the poor. People thought this book to be inaccurate and overdramatized, but it was mostly the members of the Farmers Association of California who felt that way, go figure.

The main characters of the story are the Joads, a fictional family from Oklahoma forced to leave behind all they know because of the dust bowl of the 1930's. Like countless other families of that era, they go seek out the advertised opportunities of the promised land of California and journey across the country, but instead of finding work and a better life they only find "Okie" hatred, prejudice, and injustice.

"They were hungry, and they were fierce. And they had hoped to find a home, and they found only hatred. Okies—the owners hated them because the owners knew they were soft and the Okies strong, that they were fed and the Okies hungry; and perhaps the owners had heard from their grandfathers how easy it is to steal land from a soft man if you are fierce and hungry and armed. The owners hated them. And in the towns the storekeepers hated them because they had no money to spend. There is no shorter path to a storekeeper's contempt, and all his admirations are exactly opposite. The town men, little bankers, hated Okies because there was nothing to gain from them. They had nothing. And the laboring people hated Okies because a hungry man must work, and if he must work, if he has to work, the wage payer automatically gives him less for his work; and then no one can get more." Steinbeck, John. (1939). “The Grapes of Wrath.” Penguin Books; page 233.

I started reading this book a few years ago and had the hardest time getting into it. I wanted to give up on it more than just a few times, but as a Californian and more specifically, a Steinbeck country native, I feel it is my duty to read all Steinbeck literature. If not I would be like an Englishman never reading Shakespeare or a Spaniard never reading Cervantes and that simply cannot be. So instead of giving up on the book completely, I'd read as much as I could handle then put the book down.....for a month or two.

Eventually I would get to like the book and then love the book. When I got almost half way through it I started feeling like I was really getting to know the Joads (it's hard to keep the characters straight because there's so many) and I felt for them as they struggled every day to stay afloat; I admired their optimism about all the wonderful opportunities that were awaiting them in California (or so they thought); and I was terrified for them as they were nearing California because I had the sneaking suspicion that they were going to have to endure a lot of hardship in this dream land where they did not know they were not wanted; and lastly their courage to keep going after all the bad things that happen to them was very inspiring.

I'm not gonna lie to you, this book is a little depressing, it does, after all, take place during this nation's great depression, but you become invested in the characters and you start rooting for them and hoping they achieve their dreams, which are the most basic of dreams, like finding their livelihood, a home to call their own, and their daily bread. My heart ached for the Joads as they suffered through the trials and tribulations of that time which included, but were not limited to poverty and displacement, illness, hunger, and even death. Worse yet, they had to do it all in an unknown land far where they were despised, from home.

Though it took me a while, I fell in love with the Joads and their story because despite all the horrible things that happen to them, they try to keep the family together as much as possible and not only that, they remain kind to one another and to perfect strangers. I was especially moved by the constant generosity the Joads and the other families in their situation gave one another despite having close to nothing.

"Learnin' it all a time, ever' day. If you're in trouble or hurt or need--go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help--the only ones." Steinbeck, John. (1939). “The Grapes of Wrath.” Penguin Books; page 376.

I know this book is required reading at some high schools and colleges, but it wasn't for any of the schools I went to and I’m glad. I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much back then as I do now. I highly recommend this book. It is reminiscent of some of the issues going on today in our country and around the world (like immigration issues and social and economic inequalities among others). As a forewarning, I want to add that this book may stir up many different emotions, but if not, at the very least it will be a good history lesson and that in and of itself makes reading it worthwhile.

Until next time!

-Liz