I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Kim Lengling helps readers seek inspiration from powerful stories of women of faith in the book “When Grace Found Me Volume 1”.
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The Synopsis
With the turn of each page, you will find words of encouragement, hope and God’s grace living within the twenty women who share their personal testimonies within this book. Through faith, perseverance, overcoming fear, anxiety and loss, the women who have shared their stories realize that God has been with them every step of the way. When Grace Found Me is a book for anyone who may be seeking a reminder of God’s unending love for us.
The Review
This was an inspiring and heartfelt read. The author really dug deep into a wellspring of emotions and personal experiences to touch upon the stories of these powerful women who became resilient enough to trust in themselves and their beliefs to overcome great odds. The honesty and conviction with which the author wrote and brought these stories to life was moving to say the least and did a great job of utilizing imagery and tone to elevate each story to the platform they deserved.
While I myself am not a particularly religious person, any time a person can overcome something in their lives, be it a tragedy, grief, or any sort of hardship, the means by which they do it matter little to me, but instead the journey and process they took to get to that place is what truly matters. I found these stories to be quite moving, and readers of faith will, in particular, connect to the authors writing as this short yet powerful read paints a vivid image of what happens when a person puts their strength and faith into an idea or belief system.
The Verdict
Motivating, engaging, and thoughtful, author Kim Lengling’s “When Grace Found Me Volume 1” is a must-read nonfiction inspiration collection of stories. The heart and passion of the author’s writing when coupled with the moving stories of these strong women overcoming lifelong and daily life experiences created a truly strong and emotional reading experience readers won’t be able to put down. Be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 9/10
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About the Author
Kim coordinates and is the lead author on a collaborative 3-book faith series, When Grace Found Me, with additional collaborative efforts to come in 2021. She is the mother of one grown daughter and has a rescue dog named Dexter.
Her writing showcases her faith and her emotional interpretation of nature and life and what it can teach us as we traverse this journey.
Kim has been writing since 2004 as a writer, author, and freelance writer. She is a co-author of two published books and one soon to be published in 2021.
To learn more or to purchase a signed copy of any of Kim’s books, please visit www.kimlenglingauthor.com
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Peter Davidson shares this self-help guide to readers in an effort to showcase how to best leave behind a legacy for the people in your life after you are gone in the book “Making Your Mark | Leaving a Legacy | And then… A Grand Exit That’ll Have Their Tongues Waggin’”.
The Synopsis
If you want your life to amount to more than just anonymously passing through this world unnoticed, this book is for you. It describes how you can make your mark on your family, friends, and society and how you can create a legacy that will benefit future generations.
When the time comes for you to leave this world, you can go out with class, style, and pizzazz, just like you lived your life, There are many options, possibilities, and decisions involved in planning a final farewell as we will see as we watch the Grand Exit of Timothy A.B. Smythe. Timothy’s Grand Exit will have people’s tongues waggin’ for a long time and it can serve as an inspiration for your final farewell when the time comes.
Much of the information in the book is presented in true stories, scenarios, and examples that are upbeat, often humorous, and fun to read.
The Review
This was a powerful and engaging read. The author did an amazing job of crafting this book in a way that felt both productive and enlightening all at once, while also capturing a tone and writing style that felt at ease and casual as if the book were just a normal conversation between two friends rather than a simple guide from the author to the reader. The themes of life and death were so strong in this book and did a great job of highlighting the message of legacy and what it means to make a mark on this world.
What stood out to meet was the author’s ability to bring a lightness to an otherwise upsetting subject like death. The attitude and confidence that the author has given readers to take the reins of death’s impending embrace and instead find a way of living life to the fullest were amazing to read. From leaving your name on a park or park bench and starting a charity in your name to writing a book or creating a product with your name embedded into the product’s title, the author lays out some great methods of leaving a mark on the world that makes people remember you long after you are gone. Yet it was the author’s ability to find positive ways of dealing with death, both in the time leading up to it and to the actual event itself, that gave a more inspirational tone to one’s demise than the heartbreak it so often brings.
The Verdict
A gripping, thoughtful, and engaging nonfiction, self-help style read, author Peter Davidson’s “Making Your Mark | Leaving a Legacy | And then… A Grand Exit That’ll Have Their Tongues Waggin’” is a must-read book of 2022. A beautiful way of bringing lightheartedness and warmth to an otherwise cold and painful experience, the author not only shows how to lean into death with dignity and power, but how to live life to the fullest and on your own terms, and makes the perfect companion to leaving a legacy that the world will never forget. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Peter Davidson is the author or co-author of thirty books published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, Perigee/Putnam Publishers, Haworth Press, Sweet Memories Publishing, Northwestern Publishing, and others. His works include fiction, nonfiction, college textbooks, and children’s picture books. For more than two decades, Davidson was one of America’s most active writer’s seminar presenters, having presented 637 one-day seminars in a 15-state area from Minnesota to Tennessee and Colorado to Illinois.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
An honest and open discussion of the esoteric teachings of the Torah as it relates to the depths of the human condition in author Pnei Hashem’s “You”.
The Synopsis
There is a wisdom awaiting you that is not supposed to be a secret. It is ancient, and it is available, but it is widely unknown. It has been hidden for too long, and it is time for it to be revealed.
Existence is not meaningless. Humanity is not irredeemable. The future is not bleak. The alienation and despair that lurk just beneath the surface of the modern psyche are not the inevitable human condition. They are the result of misguided ideologies that pervade our global culture and invade our every thought. Each of us – each and every one of us – is so much more than we imagine. We are here for a reason, and we are equipped with all of the capabilities that we require.
“You” is an introduction to the deepest depths of the human experience based on the esoteric teachings of the Torah. These concepts have been shrouded in the cloistered world of Chasidic mysticism for millennia, and the goal here is to present them in terms that will be accessible and resonant to the layperson. The ideas that “You” expounds will be useful and inspiring for people of all creeds, races, and backgrounds, for those who practice and believe as well as those who question and doubt.
As our society is descending, once again, into conflict, tribalism, and illiberalism, it will be a better world for all of us when each of us recognizes her/his infinite value.
The Review
This was a truly profound and engaging read. The heart of this book lies in the exploration of Jewish mysticism and the Torah as a whole. The author’s expertise and research were so well-defined in this book, exploring passages and discoveries about this religious text that few modern spiritual and mystic readers have taken the time to explore on their own. The imagery of these passages was powerful in their own right, as it helps to see the connections between the stories being told and the messages that they have within them.
What stuck out to me immediately was the way in which the author was able to write about this subject without taking a “preaching” or “conversion” approach to the topics. The way the author allows people of all backgrounds to explore this topic and draw their own conclusions from it was so inspiring to read, for although I am spiritual I am not really a believer in any one particular religion or faith. However, the concept of ego death and the realities of consciousness as a whole was so captivating to read about.
The Verdict
Thrilling, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking, author Pnei Hashem’s “You” is a must-read nonfiction spiritual read. The eye-opening discussions and combination of philosophical and spiritual themes in regard to the Torah and Jewish Mysticism were brilliant to behold, and diving into the history and culture of this particular faith was heartwarming to read about. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
The author, who wishes to remain anonymous, is an award-winning writer in the secular world who was introduced to the wellsprings of Torah and Chassidus as a young adult. After decades of study and frequent interaction with some of the most renowned Rabbis of the generation, the author has been encouraged to focus his clear and incisive writing style on the explication of the depths of Torah.Regarding the author’s anonymity, the hope is that this will enable the reader to focus exclusively on the message and not the messenger. The concept of bittul is central to the Chassidic tradition, yet it defies precise interpretation. Commonly translated as self-nullification, the idea is that one can express her/his greatest potential when s/he allows the infinite to flow through her/him without the interference of the ego. That said, each of us has been created with particular qualities and talents with which we are to fulfill our given task. Therefore, one must strive to make a positive impact on the world while simultaneously nullifying her/his desire for recognition or acclaim.The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that everyone has a responsibility to use the qualities with which s/he was divinely endowed to share the universal wisdom and inspiration of Torah with those who are within one’s sphere of influence: if you know aleph, teach aleph. It is the author’s hope that this book will help many others – of all backgrounds and affiliations – to see the beauty and elegance of every aspect of their existence, and to live a life of profound optimism, love, meaning, and purpose.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Tenants of a historic building fight to keep their home and stop the corporate landlords who hold the rights to their building in the palm of their hands from tearing it down in author Dennis Hathaway’s “The Battle of Lincoln Place”.
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The Synopsis
The Battle of Lincoln Place is a stirring account of the courage and perseverance shown by the tenants of a large, historic apartment complex who stand up to the greed and heartlessness of their corporate landlords, whose quest for profit threatens to destroy their long-time homes. It follows four women who lead the hundreds of working class and elderly tenants in a desperate struggle on the streets, in the halls of government, and in the courts of law and public opinion, along with a fifth woman who fights for recognition of the forgotten Black architect whose innovative ideas about community and social interaction were featured in the apartment complex’s design. It is a story of heartache and joy, of despair and hope, and finally, of the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of indifference and disdain faced by some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
The Review
This was such a strong and powerful read. The author did an incredible job of bringing this story to life. The stark reality of the tenant’s situation was felt immediately, as the author vividly painted an image of the day the forced evictions began. The imagery and tone the author struck in this first chapter were equally mirrored by the research that went into the history of this building and the legal battles that went on in the wake of this event.
The way the author was able to succinctly share the facts of the case and the history behind the building while also marrying the raw emotions and heartbreaking experiences that the tenants had during these events was so inspired. The themes of greed on both a personal and corporate level, as well as the social justice and action that everyday people can take in the face of injustice, were so powerful in this book and kept the reader invested in the narrative throughout the read.
The Verdict
Heartfelt, captivating, and engaging, author Dennis Hathaway’s “The Battle of Lincoln Place” is a must-read memoir meets political and social justice nonfiction book! The passion and determination the subjects of this read had and the detailed way the author wrote brought this story to life in a wonderful way and made the readers take attention to the struggles of the housing crisis facing so many others around the world. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Born and raised on an Iowa farm, Dennis Hathaway has worked as a newspaper reporter, construction worker and building contractor. He was director of low-income housing rehabilitation for a non-profit housing corporation and staff member of a job training and education program for at-risk youth. He was an active member of community groups dealing with issues of affordable housing and homelessness, and served eight years as president of a Los Angeles nonprofit organization fighting outdoor advertising and visual blight.
His nonfiction has been published in the Los Angeles Times and CityWatch, an online public affairs magazine. His fiction has been published in print and online journals, including TriQuarterly, Georgia Review, and Southwest Review, and his story collection, The Consequences of Desire, won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. He was the publisher and editor of Crania, one of the earliest online literary magazines, and his volume of poetry, The Taste of Flesh, was published by Crania Press.
He lives with his wife, artist Laura Silagi, in Venice, California.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Ta-Nehisi Coates takes readers on a personal story of growing up with a tough-love father, his relationship with his mother, and the trials he would face, including racism, girl troubles, and so much more in the YA adaption of his memoir, “The Beautiful Struggle”.
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The Synopsis
Adapted from the adult memoir by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Water Dancer and Between the World and Me, this father-son story explores how boys become men, and quite specifically, how Ta-Nehisi Coates became Ta-Nehisi Coates.
As a child, Ta-Nehisi Coates was seen by his father, Paul, as too sensitive and lacking focus. Paul Coates was a Vietnam vet who’d been part of the Black Panthers and was dedicated to reading and publishing the history of African civilization. When it came to his sons, he was committed to raising proud Black men equipped to deal with a racist society, during a turbulent period in the collapsing city of Baltimore where they lived.
Coates details with candor the challenges of dealing with his tough-love father, the influence of his mother, and the dynamics of his extended family, including his brother “Big Bill,” who was on a very different path than Ta-Nehisi. Coates also tells of his family struggles at school and with girls, making this a timely story to which many readers will relate.
The Review
I found the author’s work to be so passionate and moving. The intimate way the author delved into his personal experiences and his life as a whole was in one breath very relatable, and in another breath very eye-opening, as he brought a truly unique perspective of what life was like as both a young black man and as the son of a Vietnam vet and Black Panther during a very turbulent time in our world’s history. The imagery and tone the author struck really brought the experiences the author delved into to life in a vivid way.
The author’s ability to translate this very adult memoir into a teachable lesson for younger readers, primarily YA readers, was amazing to read. The history and culture of that era and the hardships the author endured on both a cultural and personal level are things younger generations can definitely learn from. The personal struggles of his home life and his childhood will resonate with so many readers out there, and the artistry that has defined the author’s life and career is felt in every chapter.
The Verdict
Engaging, atmospheric, and beautifully written, author Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “The Beautiful Struggle: A Memoir” is a must-read nonfiction meets YA book. The contrast of struggle versus hope is a powerful theme that is felt throughout this reading, and readers will be able to find both important lessons on culture and history while also relating to the author’s life in one way or another. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Between the World and Me, a finalist for the National Book Award. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow, Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story “The Case for Reparations.” He lives in New York with his wife and son.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A man blind from birth and a young Golden Retriever puppy come together, never knowing they would capture the world’s attention by achieving the impossible and surviving one of the United States deadliest terrorist attacks in author Michael Hingson and Jeanette Hanscome’s “Running with Roselle”.
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The Synopsis
A puppy who became a true American hero. The blind boy who let nothing stop him. When they finally grew up and met, it was magic. On September 11, 2001, a blind man escaped the World Trade Center by walking down 78 flights of stairs with his guide dog. Days later, America fell in love with Mike and Roselle, and the special bond that helped them survive. Mike shared his story in the New York Times bestselling book, Thunder Dog.
Now, in Running With Roselle, kids can follow Roselle as she grows from an energetic yellow Lab prone to stealing her puppy raiser’s slippers to a confident guide dog who passes the ultimate test when her partner needs her most. Meet Mike, a boy blind from birth who excels in public school, shocks the neighbors by riding his bicycle through the streets of Palmdale, CA, drives a car around his college campus, and uses his relationship of trust and teamwork with Roselle to help others on a day that changed America forever.
The Review
As an eleven-year-old boy, I remember waking up on September 11th, in the hours before the rest of my family woke, and I watched from my home in Southern California as the attacks on the World Trade Center took place. The fear and anxiety that I felt at that moment, as well as the heartbreak at the people hurt or worse in those attacks being played over and over again on TV, broke my heart and made me cling to my family more than ever before. Yet I always have known that I could never hold a candle to the people who experienced that day firsthand or the families of those who were affected by that terrible day.
The authors did such an amazing job of finding the right balance between the grim reality of that day’s events with the more detailed backstory of both Mike and Roselle. The creative direction this nonfiction read took by sharing both Mike and Roselle’s perspectives and histories was great to read, as it gave a depth of character to the nonfiction events playing out over the narrative.
Yet what really struck me was the harmonic way the author shared multiple themes and stories with the audience. The overall theme of Mike and Roselle’s fight to survive that horrible attack was the prevailing story here, but the authors hone in on Mike and Roselle’s developing relationships, as well as the process of becoming a guide dog and the things that people born or made blind want the world to know and understand through Mike’s backstory, made this such a well-rounded narrative overall.
The Verdict
Haunting, chilling, and engaging, authors Michael Hingson and Jeanette Hanscome’s “Running with Roselle” is a must-read book. Terrifying yet inspiring, the authors not only highlight the pain, the struggle, and the horrors of that awful day, but show the camaraderie, strength, and courage it took for not only Mike and Roselle to survive the events but how they helped others and bonded with other survivors to get out of the building before it was too late. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
When the World Trade Center was attacked on 9-11, it was as though the world stood still. It was a day that captured our full attention. Michael Hingson and his Guide Dog Roselle were on the 78th floor of Tower One that day, and were able to make their way to safety and survive the attack. The duo was immediately thrust into the international spotlight, becoming well-known representatives of the strength of the human/animal bond and a living example of the powerful partnership that exists between a blind person and their Guide Dog. In 2002 Michael joined the Guide Dogs for the Blind team as the National Public Affairs director, to share his story throughout the world on behalf of the school. In June of 2008 Michael left Guide Dogs to form The Michael Hingson Group to continue his speaking career as well as to serve as a consultent for corporations and organizations that need assistance with Inclusive and Diversity training as well as adaptive technology training.
Michael Hingson is available for speaking engagements, public appearances, consulting and training contract positions and media interviews.
Jeanette Hanscome is the author of five books and hundreds of articles, devotions, and stories. She has contributed to over a dozen books, including Guideposts All God’s Creatures and Mornings with Jesus 2019. Her most recent book, Suddenly Single Mom: 52 Messages of Hope, Grace, and Promise, is described as a devotional that reads like a memoir. This year, she returned to her love of writing fiction. She is now in the process of writing the first of two novels for Annie’s Fiction.
Jeanette serves on the leadership team for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference and thoroughly enjoys equipping writers through workshops, critiques, and one-on-one coaching. When she isn’t writing, Jeanette gravitates toward all things creative, including singing, creative lettering, knitting and crochet, and (the newest addition) learning ukulele.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I grew up and went to college in Maryland, then shortly after moved to Raleigh, NC. I started in real estate sales and investing in 2002 and really enjoyed the investment side, along with renovating projects. After about a decade of working with clients and investors alike, I realized there was a lack of direct, easy to comprehend and in-person training for novice investors to learn the ropes without being upsold into future programs. I started teaching to give people a trusted, reliable source for investing advice. My teaching progressed into various courses and in doing so, I started writing the content. That was really my first foray into writing.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
As I was teaching, I noticed that everyone learns at different rates and it would be great if I could take all my teachings and turn them into one clean source, such as a book. Over the years, I’ve seen thousands of books written on the subject, so for my book to stand out, or at least be relevant, I knew it had to be something that the novice investor could not only understand, but feel confident in performing my lessons on their own. I was inspired to help the average person build wealth and secure their financial future. I wasn’t interested in selling an unrealistic goal of owning 100 homes or a large apartment complex, but rather simply a few homes owned over the course of a decade or two that could really change the long term trajectory of someone’s finances.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
There are 2 things I want the reader to get. The first is motivation. Anytime you try something new, especially when it involves using your hard earned money, you have to be motivated. The second is a feeling that investing in real estate really isn’t that tough or complicated. When broken down into smaller, realistic steps, I think people will realize that truly anyone can do this. I want the reader to walk away motivated and then take action!
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
This is all I know, lol! As a real estate broker, investor and teacher, I wouldn’t be able to write a book on anything else!
5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I’m not a huge social media person, however I do realize it’s place in the marketing world. Facebook has been helpful just because it’s a place where people know me and thus, trust that if I wrote a book, it may be worth a glance. We do marketing on platforms such as Amazon and reaching out to national bloggers and book reviewers, but the book has gained most traction via word of mouth and positive reviews about the book. At the end of the day, if the writing is solid, people will find it; or at least I hope so 🙂
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Make a plan and understand the self-publishing process. I had to create a pretty solid plan for the flow and content of my book or else I would just be aimlessly writing with no direction. I think that was absolutely critical for me to actually complete the book in an effective way. The other item is understand the self-publishing process. Just like real estate investing, it’s not super complicated and anyone can do it, but you really have to take the time to understand the process or you may burn a lot of money and time unnecessarily.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
No new books currently in the works; this one kind of mentally exhausted me. It took 20 years to gather enough information and confidence to write this one, so I may be a few years out before I follow up with another one. In the meantime, I’m continuing my real estate career and continuing to invest in real estate and teach as many people as I can that they can do it too!
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About the Author
Jason started his real estate career over two decades ago as a real estate sales broker and since then has grown his real estate team to the top ranks in North Carolina. He also manages his own real estate portfolio and has had tremendous success with building his rental portfolio, along with ‘fix and flip’ properties along the way.
In addition to real estate, Jason has a passion for teaching, so he combined his extensive real estate and investing knowledge to pursue another chapter in his career. Jason teaches and coaches real estate brokers, novice & intermediate investors, as well as works alongside large individual investors to help scale their portfolios.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
This is a story about my life. Initially, it was not my plan to write and publish this book. I simply began journaling to aid in my healing and recovery process and upon doing so; it occurred to me the potential benefits of sharing my story with others.
2) What inspired you to write your book?
I wanted to bring awareness to the taboo subject of child-to-parent abuse and possibly making a difference and offering hope to fellow survivors and others.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I have two important messages: (1) It is never too late to make changes in your life; and (2) Unconditional love is not always possible if one’s safety and well-being are at risk.
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4) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Popular book review sites such as this one, have been very positive and helpful in providing exposure to my book.
5) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Do not give up on your dream of writing. For some it take 6 months and for others it takes 6 years. Either way, once you have completed and published your book, it is an extremely satisfying experience.
6) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I am actually thinking of writing some children’s books- quite the opposite from this book! I am looking forward to continuing with my publishing career and writing under my own name.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I have always liked writing. It began with essays in the elementary school, continued with writing to at least ten pen pals from the whole world, and I had to do a lot of writing also in the companies for which I worked. In the last twenty years I wrote a lot of textbooks for my students. My memoir is a bit different writing and I must say that I enjoyed it.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I wished to let my children know how life was when their mother was young. I also wanted to show women that it was possible to join career and family life even in the ex-Yugoslavia where management places were reserved for men who were members of the Communist party.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope that readers will understand and support one of the main points, namely campaign against domestic violence. And I also hope that they will struggle to achieve their dreams just as I did although I was a poor and frightened country girl.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I adore reading biographies, autobiographies and memoirs so it was easy to decide that I should write also my own memoir. I am thrilled if I read a full description of somebody’s life and it is not necessary that this person is a celebrity. Everyone’s life is something special and worth reading.
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5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Social media are (at present) my weak point. I have recently asked one of my colleagues to help my organize Facebook and I hope that I will soon get used to it. I normally communicate by e-mail and I respond each mail that I receive: info@leila.si.
6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Everybody has an interesting story to tell. Do not keep it for yourself, share it with us! Read a lot to get the necessary writing skills and be honest and objective when writing.
7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I would like to describe the second half of my life when I had to struggle with my son’s Crohn’s disease and with Slovenian government to establish a private college. I would also like to write about my pilgrimage Camino de Santiago (walking, about 800 kms). Perhaps I will find time to write one or two biographies of Slovenian women.
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About the Author
The author writes under the pseudonym Iris Novak. She was born in the second half of the twentieth century in Slovenia, the northern part of the then Yugoslavia. She graduated from English and German, acquired her MA in Management and PhD in Librarianship. She worked in the international business, in librarianship, was director of a school for foreign languages and finally established her own business: employment agency and a college. The author lives in Slovenia, is married and has three children.
Iris Novak: AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN IN YUGOSLAVIA: 2 excerpts
Chapter 18, excerpt: University
The next morning, I came to the lectures again and many other students, too. The first two hours were cancelled. Then an old teacher began to lecture about old English literature. When he started speaking, my neighbors and I exchanged looks. His pronunciation was so poor, and he spoke English with such a horrible Slavic accent that we could not imagine how he’d become a university teacher. Of course, he had a PhD in English literature, but how did this justify such poor pronunciation? His lectures were boring, and he spoke so quickly that we could not write down his words. When we argued that we could not put down his words, he said that we could study old English literature in the library. The loudest student, the one from Texas, asked if we could borrow or buy one of his books, but he said that there weren’t any.
“So, we have to take down notes, don’t you think so?”
“You can, if you can’t remember what I say,” and he looked at her as if it was obvious that her intelligence quotient was under average. “But do not write everything, put down just what is essential. Only perfect fools put down every word that the teacher says.”
Some students tried to show that they were intelligent, so they stopped writing, but the majority of us silently admitted that we were simpletons and that we could not differentiate which of the teacher’s words were important, and which were not. All those who did not write notes and learn them by heart failed their exams. Then they borrowed our notes and some managed to pass.
This approach to teaching was the norm in Yugoslavia and has continued at the university level in Slovenia, with few exceptions until now. Even now, many people are not aware that students deserve fair treatment and respect. If one starts to say that teachers should focus upon students, he often hears that only really strict teaching, as was used in the previous century, forms really good professionals. What brainwashing we endured!
Chapter 50, excerpt: Everything Changed
Our youngest child brought a lot of happiness to our family. Both girls were old enough that they could sometimes take care of him, feed him or change his nappies. Lili was nine, Vali was six and Martin was two. The whole family observed how he started to raise his head, fix his eyes and stare at something for a long time, how he started to crawl and then walk.
During his first months, he enjoyed it when Tone held him in his arms, and it made my heart thrill when I watched them. As soon as Martin could sit at the table, we placed him in a special chair as an equal member of the family.
Each time I served a meal, my little boy showered me with compliments: “You cook so well, how beautiful, how wonderful you are!”
The child gave me more praise in one week than my husband in our whole life. I mentioned that Tone could try to imitate Martin, and Tone started with his old excuses, saying that he was not like other men who flattered women. He always spoke the truth and I should appreciate it, instead of expecting stupid courting behavior that was beneath him.
“I’m not speaking about courting. What I want to say is that you could sometimes praise me if I am well-dressed or if I cook something good. I do not expect you to bring me flowers.”
“Why should I speak such nonsense? You are certainly well-dressed, because your closet is full of clothes. I just don’t know why you always look as if you were going to a business meeting or to a concert. Other women dress in a sportier way. And I also don’t know why I should praise the food that you prepare. I eat everything, isn’t that enough?”
Martin interrupted him: “Mum cooks well, the best in the world.”
Tone stared at him: “Well, I wouldn’t believe that some people can flatter women even when they still wear nappies.”
“That’s not flattering – it’s a sign of love. The little creature loves me and tells me that, while you don’t care about me anymore.”
“Oh, come on, don’t speak like that. OK, if you want to, I will from now on start saying that I love you and that you cook well. Tomorrow, in the evening, I will be the first to praise you.”
On the next day, he came to dinner, sat down, placed his spoon beside his plate and tried to invent an appropriate compliment.
But Martin already stroked my hand and chirped: “What a good cook you are. I love you so much.”
