A Book By Its Cover...

My all time favorite time to study in American History is the World War II era, the Great Depression, and the Roosevelt years. There were so many things going on during that time period that is of interest to someone who enjoys politics and history, but there were also many social dynamics involved for someone who loves sociology. I do both.

When I find a book about that time period I like to read it whether it be fiction or non-fiction. So while in the library the other day, perusing the shelves for something that would catch my interest, I ran across an author that I have read in the past; Elizabeth Berg. There were several of her books there, some I have read like, The Year Of Pleasures, Talk Before Sleep, and The Art Of Mending. I recommend them all. There were also some I had not read. Then I saw it, the color of the background was so blue it stood out among the other books. Looking at the cover I immediately knew I had to read it.

However, it was second on my reading list once I got home. First I wanted to tackle the 544 page Michael Malone book that I picked up from the Librarian's Pick display. I have never read Michael Malone before. The fact that he lives here in North Carolina and the book was based in North Carolina and the cover appealed to me, I decided to try it. I completed the book in two days. Of course, that was only because I have been sick and haven't done much but lay around for a few days. I don't normally have the leisure of lying around in my p.j.'s being drawn into a book the way I have as of late. So this book came into my life at just the precise time, when I could devote uninterrupted hours to devouring its contents.

(Reviewers notes: The first part of the book was great, draws you in with the story line, the characters and the pace of the story. However, 200 or so pages in, there are things that the author does and says that seems like he got lazy and dropped the ball for a bit. I didn't really care for the way it ended. However, you really care about the characters and that is one thing that keeps you reading to the end. That is just my opinion.)

I do plan to read more of his writing, because his writing style was interesting and I enjoyed the characters.

I know what they say about not judging a book by its cover, but many times I have browsed through the bookstore or library and searched out books with interesting covers. And many times I have found books that I really enjoy that I might not otherwise have read, due to the fact that the cover caught my imagination. If the author has worked well with the illustrator to express the ideas that he or she wants to express, and the illustrator understands that many people are visually stimulated and the cover can cause someone to buy the book or put it back on the shelf, then you can pick a book based on the cover. The cover will capture the idea of the story. It can plant the seed for the book to grow as you read it. I have a strong suspension that I am not the only one that chooses a book based on the cover.

I don't always choose a book based on the cover, because there are so many great books that just have plain covers. Maybe the author didn't want you to become distracted by the illustrations, or perhaps didn't want to give you any preconceived notions, but wanted you to make up the visuals for yourself.

Now I am deep in the middle of the home front during WWII. Reading about young ladies who are waiting for their young men to come home from war. People working and trying to survive the rationing and new work situation, waiting for letters from abroad, worrying and wondering about the ones fighting the war. Here we are in 2009 and many are doing the same thing today. Even though the news isn't telling us about the war, there is still a war going on. There are still people leaving their families behind to go off to foreign soil to fight for our country. My neighbor did just that a few weeks ago. He left his wife and son to go, not knowing if he will come back.

Living like we do by a military base, I realize it so much more than before. I see the cost of war, I am reminded of the sacrifice daily...It seems though much of our country has forgotten that we are still at war, on more than one front...we have men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan; and only God knows where else. But do you ever hear about it on the news? Very seldom...This new administration wants no part of these wars, but knows we can't just stop...

The liberal news media talked of the war and the death toll continually when Bush was in office, as if somehow blaming him for it all. ( I know that is a sticky subject, and I have to say, I don't agree with why we are there, but we are there.) Now that Obama is in office, they have quit telling us about the horror and the death due to the war, as if it suddenly stopped because Obama took over...

That is so untrue. There are still Americans fighting and dying out there and no one seems to care, because it isn't in our faces everyday like it was a couple of years ago. Because of politics and because Obama doesn't want his presidency tarnished by the effects of war...Doesn't make it not true because no one is talking about it...

I know I started rambling again, and the book cover thing I started with doesn't really have much to do with the news media hiding the war story, but in a way I think it does...covers can be deceiving, just as news coverage is deceiving...there have been times when I have chosen a book because the cover was very appealing, but found the book unreadable...I would like to buy the portrait that the media is trying sell, that the country is on the right path, things are better, the economy is coming back, and all is well on the home front as well as with the foreign relations...but when I look around at the truth of the matter, the realities of the lives of people around me...I know that I can't continue to read and buy the story the media and our government is trying to sell...All I have to do is look into the eyes of the little boy next door who doesn't know if he will ever see his dad again and see the people who are struggling to survive because of layoffs and job cuts. When I see the numbers of people loosing their jobs all around, I know that there is another story, the real story. It isn't one that is pretty but it is the one that is real, the one people are living every day...

What will the books people read fifty, sixty years from now be telling. What stories will they tell about us, about our time? Would be interesting to read how history remembers...