The Radio Signal
Author: Friedhelm Radandt
Publisher: Deep River Books
Publication Date: June 8, 2016
Length: 248 Pages
About the Author
Friedhelm Radandt served as a college president for a quarter of a century, first at Northwestern College in Iowa and then at The King's College in New York. After arriving from his native Germany as an immigrant, he earned graduate degrees at The University of Chicago and enjoyed a rewarding teaching career at that institution and at Lake Forest College.
The author shares some history of the Radandt and Job families. The families lived a pleasant, middle-class life in Germany and Poland in the years prior to the reign of Hitler and the beginning of World War II. They were both active in the German Baptist Church and community. The author believes the support that both families received from the church was an important aspect in their survival during the years they spent as refugees during the war.
"Like his parents before him, Friedhelm began looking for a Baptist fellowship as soon as he arrived in Hamburg. This had, after all, been his family's saving grace: no matter where they settled they had never been truly alone, because they always established ties to the nearest Baptist community."
Friedhelm found fellowship and love at the Baptist Church in Hamburg. Elizabeth Job was a member of the youth group at the church and their friendship eventually grew to love and marriage.
My Thoughts
This is a riveting account from a child's point-of-view of the extreme conditions endured by ordinary families during World War II. These families faced the threats of arrest, hunger, homelessness, and death on a regular basis. Both families had to relocate several times and lost their homes and all of their material possessions. There were times when it seemed that Divine intervention was responsible for their safety and survival.
I belong to a Baptist Church and found the information about the German Baptists very interesting. In recent years, the German Baptists have come under criticism for not speaking out against Hitler and the terrible injustices and atrocities that occurred during the years the Nazi party was in power. In most cases, the Nazis allowed the Baptist Churches to remain open and continue to preach the Gospel within the church. So, the Baptists were happy to be left alone and did not want to make waves that would put their organization in jeopardy.
After the war, the author did extensive research on the role of the Baptist Church and other Christian groups during the war. He immersed himself in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Ethics" and committed himself to teaching about the issue of resistance to Baptist young people's groups. He believed that dealing with the past would free the church to do God's work with integrity.
The memoir ends in 1960, when Friedhelm and Elizabeth immigrated to America, arriving in New York City aboard the SS United States. This is a book about war, but it is also about faith, hope and love. The author did an excellent job telling his story. Highly recommended!
MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
FYI ~ I received a free print copy of this book from the author's publicist in exchange for a fair review.
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Seven Stories of Christmas Love
By: Leo Buscaglia, PhD
Illustrator: Tom Newsom
Publisher: Slack Incorporated
Date of Publication: June 1, 1987
Length: 110 Pages
About the Author
Felice Leonardo "Leo" Buscaglia PhD, also known as "Dr. Love," was an American author and motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California. His dynamic speaking style was discovered by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and his televised lectures earned great popularity in the 1980s. At one point his talks, always shown during fund raising periods, were the top earners of all PBS programs. Dr. Buscaglia died of a heart attack on June 12, 1998.
The Spirit of Christmas is Love
This book features the following short stories about the author's Christmas memories:
A Christmas Morning Memory - A story about Leo's poor Italian immigrant family and a lesson in forgiveness and love.
Two Festivals of Light - Leo and his family share Christmas dinner with their new Jewish neighbors.
A Gift of Ravioli - When Leo was a boy, he had a crush on the public librarian. He only had some of his mother's homemade ravioli to give her at Christmas, but that was enough.
The Christmas Story According to Big Matthew - A humorous story about Leo directing the Christmas pageant when he was a young elementary school teacher.
A Santa Suit Does Not a Santa Claus Make - Leo is recruited to be the school Santa Claus when the school custodian fell ill.
No Room at the Inn - Leo shares the Christmas story during a magical trip to Bali on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't - Leo finds himself in the hospital recovering from a heart attack and quintuple heart bypass surgery on Christmas day, 1992. This does not stop him from spreading love to fellow members of the "Open Heart Club."
My Thoughts
I remember watching Dr. Leo Buscaglia on PBS and reading his books in the 1980s. When I saw this book at the library sale, I was immediately drawn to it. This little book does an amazing job defining the true meaning of Christmas. The author tells how each of the Christmas memories he shared in this book reinforced his beliefs in the value of caring and love.
I can't choose a favorite story from this book...I loved them all. The illustrations are lovely and add value to the stories.
The spirit of Christmas is love. Each of the seven stories in this book emphasized the importance of family, friendship, caring, sharing and love. "Dr. Love" was a great inspiration to all who heard him speak and read his books.
I highly recommend this book to older children and adults.
It is a short book that packs a mighty punch. You will want to read it each year to remind you of the true meaning of the season.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I found this book on the quarter shelf at a Friends of the Library sale.
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A Message for Grandma
Author and Illustrator: Carol Breckenridge
Publisher: First Edition Design Publishing
Publication Date: March 27, 2017
Pages: 36 Pages
About The Author
Carol Breckenridge is an artist, illustrator, and art therapist. A former elementary school teacher, she worked for 20 years as an art therapist in mental health centers, and continues to supervise art therapy interns at Ursuline College.
German Heritage
This is a gentle story about Alice, a young girl living in western Pennsylvania in the 1890s. Alice's mother sends her with a message to her German-speaking Grandma on the other side of the family farm. Alice speaks only English. As she walks across the farm repeating the message so that she will remember, she mangles it more with each new experience. Happily she gets it right at Grandma's house.
My Thoughts
I am always excited when I find a children's book that helps the reader learn about his/her heritage. I grew up on a farm with my German-speaking grandmother living nearby. Luckily, my grandmother could also speak English so I did not have to speak German to communicate with her.
The author makes it clear that each member of the farm family had to work hard to support the family. Alice and her nine brothers and sisters all had chores to do each day. Alice's mother needed flour to bake bread, so she asked Alice to walk to the other side of the farm and give her grandmother the following message, "Kann ich Mehl borgen".
It is no surprise that Alice had trouble remembering these German words. The German phrase soon turned into, "Ich kann my burden?" and "Kann is meal burger," and "I kann itch my bottom."
By the time Alice arrived at her grandmother's house, she remembered the German phrase her mother gave her. Unfortunately, the grandmother answered in German and the reader is not given the English meaning. The story ends with Alice getting a big hug from her grandmother, so I assume she got the flour and was soon on her way home.
The story is illustrated with soft watercolor paintings that add value to the story.
I am giving this story a four star rating because of the uncertain ending. It is a good story to share with children to teach about immigrants and American history. Kids will love the humor and relate to Alice's memory difficulties.
MY RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
FYI - I received a digital review copy of this book from Net Galley.
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