To the Library and Beyond One of this week’s book reviews has been done by Pat, who has read the book, “Thomas Paine”, by Craig Nelson. Thomas Paine was an important personage during American Revolutionary war times. This biography is written in an easy, readable style,with many quotes from letters and vivid descriptions of the people and environmental conditions. This book reveals conditions of general life 200 years ago that makes the reader relieved we live today. It also depicts politics, power struggles, and conflicts in England, France, and the New World in our forefathers’ own words. Pat’s impression of those times is “nothing new under the sun”. We haven’t changed much, but are better off now than people were a long time ago. Another book review this week, by Joan, is titled “The Long Walk”, by Slavomir Rawicz and written in 1956 with an addendum in 1997. This is the story of the author and six other prisoners who escape a Russian labor camp in Northeastern Siberia during the early years of World War II. He was arrested from his home in eastern Poland just because he had been in the Polish army.At this time, the U.S. S. R. was acquiring new territory and the author, by being in the Polish army, was seen as a resister to the Russians. He, along with many others, was shipped 3,000 miles by train from Moscow to Irkutsk, U.S. S. R.; then they walked approximately 1,000 miles to the labor camp in NE Siberia during the winter of 1940-41. After working just a few months at the camp, the author and six other prisoners escaped and began their walk of about 2,500 miles across Asia to safety in northeastern India. Their walk in very harsh conditions included crossing central Siberia, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, a section of China, Tibet, Bhutan, and into India. They had very few supplies, including weapons, food, and shelter. However, they were assisted by many people along the way, especially in Mongolia and Tibet. This is a fascinating account of how the will to survive enabled a few men to show unbelievable physical strength and stamina in extremely difficult conditions. The above books are but two examples of the great nonfiction books we have in the library, along with many adult fiction, juvenile, young adult, and kids’ books. Come on in and look around!
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