July 5, 2017 SHAME SHAME SHAME

Intelligence, integrity, humility, empathy, responsibility.  These are some of the words that pop into my IDEALIST brain when pondering the attributes of a good president.  Regardless of political party, the person  representing the United States should be above petty, childish "unpresidential" behavior. The President of the United States should also have self-control and common sense enough--NOT TO  TWEET every ridiculous--embarrassing thought that enters his mind.  If self-control is questionable on something as benign as tweeting, what's going to happen when our country is faced with serious issues involving life and death?? The President of the United States is behaving POORLY, and I FOR ONE AM MORTIFIED.  As an American--I hang my head in shame-- we REALLY are the LAUGHING STOCK of the world. The SAD REALITY is that our President's behavior is simply a REFLECTION of America as a whole. I see it every day. Since when is it okay to ridicule others--especially on social media? Since when is it okay to bully people--even the press? When is it okay to be dishonest?  When is okay to blame others for your reckless behavior and decisions instead of accepting responsibility? With the role model we have in office right now--all I can do is shake my head--WAKE UP AMERICA--What a shame!
It would really be a shame though, if I didn't review one of my favorite books, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer.

I absolutely loved this book when I read it a few years back. The cast of characters will touch your heart--they are simply unforgettable. This novel is told in epistolary style--a series of letters between Juliet Ashton, a well-known author living in London in 1946 and the the members of the Guernsey  Literary and Potato Peel Society who live on the Island of Guernsey. Ashton is looking for the subject of  her next book and becomes interested in writing about the harshness of World War II--of which both London and Guernsey have just emerged. After finding a letter in an old book written by Dawsey Adams, a farmer from Guernsey,  an unlikely correspondence begins that eventually extends to all the members of the literary society. From the letters, Ashton learns about the German occupation of Guernsey and the hardships faced by the natives at the hands of the Nazis. She also learns about kindness, and the glue that binds the inhabitants of Guernsey--from the pig farmer to the doctor--so much so-- that she sets sail for Guernsey to meet the people who have changed her life. In one sense, this is a book about war and survival, but it is so much more. It's also the story of the camaraderie that develops after The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is established. This wonderful story is only 290 pages--about a 3.5 mile run--that will stick with your forever. Enjoy!