Book Review

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. This book is beautifully written. The descriptions he makes and the choice of words is incredible. It also made it much slower of a read - it wasn't the simple language I am used to =). It is about the trial of a Japanese American man in a small town soon after WWII (and Japanese internment). It explores different concerns of people during that time, including moving on after war and racism/discrimination of Japanese Americans. It was a beautiful story. I think it ended too abruptly though, there wasn't enough resolution for me.

The Invisible Wall: A Love Story that Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein. This book is a social history set in England around the time of WWI. It is a biography of a Jewish family written by the youngest son. They live on a street that is divided, Jews on one side, Christians on the other. You learn what his experiences were and what he has learned over the years. If I understand correctly, the author didn't write the book until his 90s, so there is an understanding in the book that may have been missing if written by a younger man. It is definitely a quick read but I didn't love it. Lots of discussable topics though, so great for a book club.