Wartski: A Boat to Nowhere

 

A Boat to Nowhere

Maureen Crane Wartski

Published 1980

Historical Fiction

⭐⭐⭐

I read this historical fiction to my kids as part of our study on communism in Asia. 

A grandfather and his two grandchildren, Mai and Loc, whom he had cared for after their own parents died, lived in a remote village on the farthest point of South Vietnam. The Vietnam War had ended and the communist government had moved into the South, though it had taken some time to get into this particular area. 

The day the government officials made their way into the village, it was apparent they meant to make changes immediately, instituting the confiscation of half of everything the villagers manufactured, produced, sold, or caught from the sea. If one did not agree or comply, he must attend a re-education camp. That is precisely why they intended to take Grandfather since he knew too much already. 

However, before the officials could take him away, Kien (his adopted teen grandson), along with Mai and Loc, encouraged him to escape by way of the village fishing boat, Sea Breeze. Only Grandfather knew how to navigate the stars at night and the sun by day. With his knowledge and Kien's fishing skill, they could make it to Thailand. With very little food or supplies, they evaded the officials and headed west, hopeful to make a temporary home elsewhere with the promise to return to Vietnam in the future. 

They became known as the Boat People. 

It is estimated between 800,000 to two million South Vietnamese escaped between 1975 to 1995. They fled to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and  Indonesia. Some were turned away and countless died at sea. 

Why did people flee Vietnam after the Vietnam War? Because communism is incessant and promises only hell on earth. The South Vietnamese feared retaliation, re-education (brainwashing), and imprisonment (torture). They would rather face death on the open sea -- dehydration, starvation, sharks, storms, and shipwreck -- than fall into the hands of an ideology that is cruel, wicked, and inhumane. 

While I was reading this book, I was sure it was a true story, but it is not. At best, it is an historical fiction. Sadly, Vietnam still embraces Marxist/Leninist ideologies and is governed by only Communists, but today it is considered to be a Socialist Republic. I do not know much more about what it is like to live there now and I wonder if any Boat People returned to Vietnam, like Grandfather had hoped to. 

Grandfather had never made it back to Vietnam. And he never got to see his grandchildren rescued at sea. 

* * *

Hautzig: The Endless Steppe

 

The Endless Steppe

Esther Hautzig

Published 1968

⭐⭐⭐⭐

And I think that someplace inside of me there was something else -- some little pleasurable pride that the little rich girl of Vilna had endured poverty just as well as anyone else. 

The Endless Steppe is a true story, a memoir about young Esther Hautzig and her immediate family living in exile on the steppes of Siberia during WWII. During the war, life was comfy and privileged in Poland until Esther and her family were arrested by the Soviet government, accused of being "capitalists," -- what a crime! It took two months by crowded cattle car to arrive in Siberia, where they were assigned to hard labor camps and had little access to food or clothing to sustain themselves through winter.

However, thanks to the intervention of Britain, Esther's family was released from their initial assignments and permitted to live in a village where they shared a home with other poor villagers. Esther's parents found menial work in order to survive, and Esther was allowed to go to school. 

For the next five years, Esther grew up assimilating to the Russian language, the culture, and Soviet  nationalism. She made friends and even had a crush. Life was typical for this young teenager; all she desired was to be liked by others and to make friendships. Absolute poverty and near starvation could not suppress her coming-of-age experience. Even a lack of school books and supplies did not prevent her from studying, learning, and excelling.

When Esther's father was ordered to the front lines of Russia, Esther, her mother, and grandmother had to be extra resourceful to find food. Esther did her part and learned how to sew to make clothes for others in exchange for milk and potatoes. She also collected food that fell from passing trains, which she did apprehensively because she believed it was theft. 

At the end of the war, Esther's father returned to Poland, and he wrote to his wife to come home. Esther protested because she felt connected to the steppe -- she had fallen in love with it.

I had come to love the steppe, the huge space, and the solitude. Living in the crowded little huts, the steepe had become the place where a person could think her thoughts, sort out her feelings, and do her dreaming. 

But obviously, she must return to Poland. Unfortunately, someone else was living in their home now, and all of their belongings were gone, including the photo albums that Esther had wanted to take when they were arrested. It was a "crushing blow," Esther remembers, that nothing of their past remained.

And then came the most terrible news of all. It came from survivors of the concentration camps,...all the members of my father's family -- not one of them had survived the German massacre of the Jews. Of my mother's family...My mother's brother, sister, her mother, her aunts and uncles, my beloved cousins, all were dead. 

Here they discovered that their own deportation to Siberia had saved their lives. "Hunger, cold, and misery were nothing; life had been granted" to them. They thanked God. 

* * *

I am thankful to have found this little gem because it is a history I knew nothing about. Esther was just a sweet girl full of love for family with an encouraging and joyful spirit. Under such hardship, she rose to the occasion, demonstrating resourcefulness, perseverance, and courage. 

It was only after an American presidential candidate had encouraged Esther to write about her personal experiences that she did so. She wrote this autobiographical story as if she were that young girl reliving her days in Siberia again, though over twenty years had passed. Now, gratefully, we have her story forever.

Esther (Rudomin) Hautzig

1930 - 2009

Bob Laurent: Watchman Nee: Sufferer for China

 

Watchman Nee: Sufferer for China

Bob Laurent

⭐⭐⭐ 

To start, this is a juvenile read, and it is perfect for youth; therefore, my rating is based on my overall  personal reading experience. However, the biographical story of Nee T'o-sheng, or Watchman Nee, is no less impactful. 

Christianity took a thousand years to reach the Eastern world, and by then China was fixed in superstition, legalism, and the teachings of Buddha and Confucius. When England declared war on China in the early 1800s, it opened the doorway for Protestant Christians to start schools and missions. In the 1850s, Nee's grandfather became a believer and broke the pagan practices in his family, becoming the first Chinese evangelist of Foochow, China. 

In his young adulthood, Nee T'o-sheng recognized his own sin and need for the Savior. He saw what Christ had done for him on the cross and immediately wept, repented, and experienced joy and peace. To mark this milestone in his life, T'o-sheng changed his name to Watchman Nee.

While Mao Tse-tung was converting to the atheistic religion of Karl Marx, Nee was laying the foundation for the Christian church in China. It was a woman, Margaret Barber, who was his mentor, and helped him in his Christian mission. She taught him to remain humble and "stay broken." It was through this ideal that Nee never defended himself, especially when falsely accused. He explained, "Brothers, if people trust us, there is no need to explain; if people do not trust us, there is no use in explaining." 

He also learned the lesson of the cross. He taught that if one "cannot stand the trials of the cross, [one] cannot become a useful instrument [of God]. It was from Barber that he developed his lifelong motto:

I want nothing for myself: I want everything for the Lord.

And Nee lived exactly this way for the remainder of his life. Though he experienced poor health, he continued steadfast in his ministry, writing and teaching and leading believers and laying the foundation for churches throughout China. He worked hard to keep the Chinese church humble and true, grounded in the word of God, during a time when "...lukewarm religious secularism, denominational jealousies and prideful, compromised ecclesiastes had paralyzed the movement..." Corruption had found its way into the church, and he was determined to eradicate it.

But another conflict was brewing, as China was engaged in a civil war between the Nationalists and Marxists. "[Nee] understood the consequences to Christianity if a government founded on the hostile atheism of Marxist ideology came to power." While Nee was hopeful, understanding that "...the end of this world is the start of a better one," he held fast and recited a fellow believer:

The Lord sat as King at the Flood; He sits as King forever!

After prayer and patience, knowing there was not much time left to act, Nee and his fellow workers moved to spread the gospel like never before. 

On New Year's Day, 1951, Watchman Nee preached his final recorded sermon, encouraging believers to count on the Lord, trust Him, and seek His blessings because the only guarantee "...is that you will be persecuted for living a godly life in Christ Jesus."

On April 10, 1952, Nee was arrested and charged as a "lawless capitalist." He remained imprisoned for twenty years. Even after his initial fifteen-year term was up, he was denied release; while not much is known of his time in prison, it was apparent that he refused to convert to the religion of Communism. He entered his eternal rest on June 1, 1972.

He once said, 

to what are we committed? Not to Christian work, but to the will of God, to be and to do whatever He pleases. The path of every Christian has been already marked out by God. If at the close of a life we can say with Paul, 'I have finished my course,' then we are blessed indeed. the Old Testament saints served their own generation and passed on. Men go, but the Lord remains. God Himself takes away His workers, but He gives others. Our work suffers, but never His. He is still God. 

 

Nee T'o-sheng ~ 1903 - 1972

* * *

DeJong: The House of Sixty Fathers

 

The House of Sixty Fathers

Meindert DeJong

Published 1956

⭐⭐⭐

Based on true events during the Sino-Japanese War, a young Chinese boy, Tien Pao, and his piglet were separated from his parents and baby sister. The Japanese had burned and occupied their village, and they were forced to flee. One day the family sampan -- carrying Tien Pao and his pig --  accidentally floated back into enemy territory. After making his way to shore, he sought to find his way back to his family through treacherous mountainous trails. Starving and exhausted, he and his pig slept in caves by day, and travelled by night. 

One of those days he witnessed the Japanese shoot down an American military plane. Tien Pao rescued the injured pilot, and with the aid of a group of Chinese guerrillas, they carried him back to his unit. And when Tien Pao arrived at the village where his parents had last been seen, the people were already fleeing because of the Japanese invasion. Tien Pao searched relentlessly until he was found by a couple of American pilots and taken to the barracks where they looked after and cared for him. All sixty pilots did. Hence the name House of Sixty Fathers. 

Meanwhile, the injured pilot whom he had met in the mountains was part of this unit, and he took Tien Pao to search for his parents. Of course, the young boy recognized his mother while she was working at a nearby airfield, and finally the family was reunited. 

This juvenile story has won many awards: Newberry Honor, Han Christian Andersen, and ALA Notable Children's Book. The author wrote this story based on his experiences as a pilot in China during WWII. 

I read this to my kids for school because we are studying China during the 1900s to current times. It was somewhat juvenile for them, but it gave them a sense of China during WWII, and when the U.S. and China were allies. Now not so much.  I also gave the book two stars because it was "agreeable" and we liked it.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

 

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

Published 1937

juvenile fantasy / children's lit

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I had first read The Hobbit to my young children eight years ago, and we just finished it a second time today. Even my sixteen-year old enjoyed listening to it again. 

I had forgotten what a comforting and liberating ending it has. My favorite moment is this realization that there is a hopeful time of peace once victory is achieved, though not without significant effort, sacrifice, and loss.

The elf host was on the march; and if it was sadly lessened, yet many were glad, for now the northern world would be merrier or many a long day. The dragon was dead, and the goblins overthrown, and their hearts looked after winter to a spring of joy. 

Maybe there are stronger, more valuable quotes from the story, but this was the passage where I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders -- a hopefulness greater than the story itself, a restoration and peace -- what human hearts long for. I know mine certainly does.   

Possibly I was more sensitive to it today because my kids and I simultaneously completed our history on D-Day, of how it led to the end of Hitler and his stranglehold on Europe. That feat was not accomplished lightly, and yet in eleven months following that longest day, the assault attained its goal: the end of a mad man; the end of what seemed like endless terror. 

So too, the characters in The Hobbit are tasked with righting a wrong, defeating evil and terror, and meeting numerous daunting adventures along the way. Granted, Tolkien wrote this plot for his young son; hence, it is a story for juveniles -- though you may be a child at heart, which will suit you fine -- and therefore, it is woven with humor, charm, and lightheartedness. 

But what child does not know the triumph and victory over danger and evil? I believe we all know it well, as it is written on our hearts, and particularly why the ending is so significant. 

I am not a fantasy-type reader, but this story is still a pleasure for me. Maybe it is because I do live through the adventures of my protagonists, or maybe because I covet a hobbit hole, a warm fire, and a book to read. Over all, The Hobbit is satisfyingly good for the heart. 

Money, Greed, and God by Jay W. Richards

Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem

Jay W. Richards

Published 2009

American non-fiction

⭐⭐⭐⭐

    While I was waking up this morning, I was thinking about capitalism being the kids and I had finished reading Money, Greed, and God by Jay Richards, and it occurred to me that I finally understand something: how capitalism helped form a middle class, which is a great thing. Capitalism created a way for poor people to make a better living for themselves, and by doing so, those people could then help other people to do the same. 

    What I mean is, before America, you were either poor or rich. There were the nobility and the peasants. There was not much the poor peasants could do to change their condition, as they were stuck where they were born. 

    Furthermore, those over the peasants were not much better off either. There may be different variations of poverty, some better than others, but mainly, they were stagnant. The nobility and the Church were it, but there wasn’t too much opportunity for one to escape poverty. Maybe working under the King was better than being a peasant, but you weren’t wealthy on your own, for certain. You may work a trade, which was fine, but it was still below well off, and you were still stuck. You may work a craft for the nobility or the Church, but that was temporary. Many ended up in slavery or servitude just to be able to eat day to day because that was all that was available. There were zero opportunities to make your own way.

Enter America (though the seeds were planted in England!!!!) and the movement toward liberty and self-government, which provided the necessary free market, which permitted the wonderful political and economic system that enabled poor people to make a living for themselves. In doing so, they created jobs and needed to hire free people to do the work. Free people entered into free contracts with employers, and if the employer did not pay well or treat them fairly, they were free to go off and work somewhere else, or develop their own ideas and make something better, essentially going into business for themselves. 

    

    In realizing this, I have a better appreciation for capitalism and the free market. Society is usually split between the powerful and the subservient, or rich and poor. But a free society opens up the inevitable, producing a wide range of wealth, and those who take advantage of it have opportunity to be very wealthy, if they like or are able. 

    Some are content to live with just enough, and that is ok, too. Unfortunately, we will always have poverty, which is also varied because everyone has his own reason for being stuck in poverty. But in a free society with a free market, there aren’t too many good excuses that you can blame on someone or something else. Much of it is self-induced, though there are ways out. 

    I was thinking of reasons why we still have poverty, and I came up with a few: 

• poor choices early on, like getting pregnant and choosing government assistance as a way of life. There is no end to that anymore. 
• Choosing a life of crime. 
• Getting ensnared in drugs and alcohol. 
• Health or medical issues or disabilities, or mental health problems, though sometimes this is out of one’s control. 
• Family and other personal issues, which also can fall into mental health complications. 
• Dropping out of education, limiting yourself to low-skilled work. 
• Making poor economic decisions, living outside of one’s means, and living in debt!!! 
• Lack of desire to work or take care of yourself or your responsibilities - laziness and no initiative. 
• Sometimes you live where there is no industry or opportunity, but in America, you are free to move about the country. It’s not easy, but people can do it if they are determined. 
• And I’m sure there are more reasons because we live in a free society, so everyone’s situation is different. 

    Poverty can be temporary. People move in and out of different economic levels. The goal is to move up, but naturally, life happens. The problem is mental and a heart issue since we tend to be prideful and spoiled and expect to start at the top and live large instantly, which is a lack of understanding of our economic system. Starting at the bottom is good, building on experience, which is also important, as well as delaying gratification and not making debt a lifestyle. But young people are not taught this, not at home or at school. 

    Capitalism is beneficial to society and individuals because it enhances people's lives and makes life worth living - that is, being free to create and invent and work and make a living. Working encourages ideas and growth potential, and working is very good and healthy and makes people content and productive. I can go on and on.  

    But I will end with saying that Money, Greed, and God is an excellent and simple explanation and demonstration of how and why capitalism in a free market is the best economic and political system in the world, which enables the private sector to own and create wealth for itself. Though dated (pub. 2009), nothing has changed!

    The message in this book is for Christians to see how God has His hand in this economic system, and that they should naturally reject the world's ignorant view that capitalism causes greed, encourages theft,  and that Christians can't be capitalists. These are heart issues that are present regardless of the economic system in place. Unfortunately, many Christians have adopted this worldview and falsely believe the world can offer a better way to make money and impact poverty. 

Hopefully, Mr. Richards can change some minds...and hearts!!!

Funny story...but not really:

    I read this whole book to my 13-, 14-, and 16-year olds over the course of two months. At the very end of the conclusion, the author re-asked the question he presented at the beginning of the book: "Can Christians be capitalists?" After weeks and weeks of going through the well-laid out arguments, I presented the question again to my kids. And how did they reply? In unison, and resoundingly, "NO!" 

Face smack!

    My 13-year old said, "OOOhhh, I thought you said...'Communist'!" And to be fair, we are studying a lot of Communism right now. I can see how she can have brain switched the two (eye roll). But seriously. A teacher knows when her students are NOT actively listening. 

Currently Reading

What I am reading with my kids:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

    This is a reread together, but this time I am reading it for school, since it was written before the start of WWII. My kids are also watching the film editions, as we get to the corresponding parts in the story.

Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism by Starr Meade

    We've read through this book as a family many years ago, and we were due for a reread.

Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism the Solution and Not the Problem by Jay Richards

    The author does a good job dispelling the myths of capitalism, many of which are held by Christians, while providing evidence (including biblical) for the ways that capitalism and a free market works for everyone and why it is the best economic system in the world. Nothing else comes close. 

World War II For Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk

    We're not reading the entire text, but it does have primary sources or first hand accounts, like letters and telegrams, from people who experienced WWII. That's what we are focusing on.

Unbroken (Adapted for Younger Adults) by Laura Hillenbrandd

    Even though this is adapted for younger adults, it is still wildly graphic. I have skipped over some descriptions. Otherwise, this is a remarkable story about courage, perseverance, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I want my children to know about Louie Zamperini because he was an amazing American Christian. 

From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs by Amy Cohn

    My kids and I have been using this book chronologically for the last three or four school years. I have  learned through Charlotte Mason how important it is for children to learn their nation's folklore and folk song, and this book has been a blessing. It's not only for children. 

What we recently finished: 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

    My kids actually liked critiquing this story. It made them angry, at times, and I was glad because it demonstrated that the story did what it was supposed to do. It made them think. We talked about the human condition and how cruelty does not need to be taught. We all know it very well. 

What I am reading for myself:

The Iliad by Homer

    I am reading this for TWEM (poetry), and I admit it is very difficult for me.  I am not enjoying it. I know the story very well because I have read children's versions over and over, yet the real thing is not piquing my interest. It's kind of a disappointment, and I just want to finish it and move on. 

Sweet Land of Liberty by Charles Coffin

    This is an early American history book written like a pleasant detailed story about people and events. Early American history is a favorite of mine, so I am enjoying this. 

What I very recently finished: 

The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom

    This was more academic than I had expected, but I did like it. Sometimes it went over my head, thanks to the philosophical aspects. In a nutshell, Bloom saw the coming catastrophe of the death of reason with  the birth of relativism within the American university system, and he blamed the 60s. 

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

The Time Machine

 H. G. Wells   

Published 1895

English Sci Fi

⭐⭐⭐

The Tine Machine was not very major "Reading England" material, but I added it since the setting is around London and the Thames at the end of the nineteenth century, as well as hundreds of thousands and millions of years later, into the future.  England in the late 1890s was a time of great scientific and technological advances and progress, as well as a time of conflict between laborers and the wealthy upper class.  

The Time Traveler was a scientist who built a time travel machine in his laboratory with the intent to explore the future, using the fourth dimension, which is space (not the astronomical kind either).  He expected to find a future utopia where man had ultimately solved all of his worldly conflicts with labor, poverty, and the environment; however, that was not to be the case.

SPOILERS COMING . . .

Hundreds of thousands of years into the future, he found a world of beauty, like a Garden of Eden, where the temperature was warmer, and the inhabitants had their pick of the land (vegetation) for food. Incidentally, the Time Traveler thought this was great news, until he met the people of this strange world. They were not very intelligent or knowledgeable, as they could not communicate with the Time Traveler about their world.  They were weak, lazy and leisurely, with no curiosity or interest in life, and there were no families.  These people, called the Eloi, were juvenile-like.  

He also learned that they lived in continuous apprehension of night and darkness, and of the underworld beneath them.  That was where the Morlock lived.  The Time Traveler discovered that it was the Morlock who took care of the Eloi, but they also ate the Eloi.  The Morlock attacked in darkness because their eyes could no longer adapt to the sun or light.  You see, the Morlocks were descendants of the modern world's factory workers who had to work in dank, dark conditions and dangerous situations.  Overtime, power shifted, and the descendants of the Eloi, the wealthy upper class people, became lazy and lost control.  Now it was the underground workers who controlled the upper class society of non-laboring citizens.  

For the short time that the Time Traveler stayed in this strange world, the Morlock stole his time machine, and he had a few run-ins with them in his attempt to learn about them. Eventually, he did get his contraption back, and instead of going home to 1895, he went on to see if there was any hope for human beings in the distant future.  Unfortunately, he found a dying earth with strange unusual creatures. It was totally disappointing.  Therefore, he returned home where he met with his colleagues and friends to narrate his strange tale to them.  

And just like a drug, he couldn't stop himself; by the end of the story he was back in the saddle of the time machine again, in search still of a better world for humankind.

FROM BOOK TO FILM 

It is difficult not to confuse the story in the book to the story of the 1960 film version because they are different, and the film fills in some of the missing pieces from the book.  The film focused more on war. When Wells wrote The Time Machine, WWI and II had not occurred, yet.  The film addressed life during and after war, and how it changed man.  Man was drawn into underground shelters at the sound of the sirens, a practice that continued long into the future.  That is how the Morlock captured their prey; people had become conditioned to go underground and seek shelter from danger, at the sound of the siren.

Also, according to the film, man was detached from human relationships and emotion.  At one point, an Eloi was drowning, and no one was compelled to save her.  It is totally believable.

This was a great book to read to my imaginative younger children.  My eight-year old transformed a recliner in our living room into a time machine, and since we read them the book, they have not stopped discussing time travel.  While the vocabulary level is extremely scientific, and not elementary, they were still able to follow the adventure of the idea of time travel.  Time travel is such an adventurous concept.