No, I still like "The Book Thief" more but this was an excellent, excellent read. How grateful I am that I have never had to see the terror the human race faced during World War II. How grateful I am that I live in a country where I get to enjoy my religious freedoms, smile as others fight for their civil rights even if I disagree with them, because dang it, they can and have that freedom to do so, a country I would gladly stand up and defend no matter how much I sometimes roll my eyes at the juvenile actions of my fellow citizen. I have learned so much about life over the past 18 months. One thing I have had to learn to do is see the bigger picture, to appreciate it. To let it be my guiding light. I feel that we have lost this virtue. That most of us can only think inside the box anymore, to allow four walls to enclose all of our pain and anger and confusion inside with us. Who wants to live like that? Just stop living like that. Open the escape hatch and climb on top. Let those emotions and feelings and thoughts that have us trapped be gone. Allow the crisp feel of mountain air cleanse your skin. The smell of wildflowers invigorate the beauty and creativity within you. Allow the rain to wash you clean and let you start anew. Allow the enormity of the ocean make you realize how small you really are. Take it in. Look at the people standing outside of your box. Watch as they live lives of joy and happiness and contentment. Always remember that you can be what you want to be. Be loud, be dumb, make yourself look foolish but it is you and you alone that it effects. Sometimes if you just take a minute to stop and look at the view of the bigger world, choices are more clear, emotions are more calm, and love is more easily felt. That is what I learned from the characters in this book. They learned to live their lives with a "bigger picture" because they saw the view. Trust me the view was dismal. It was sad and dreary but they saw and heard the beauty found in the small things of this world. A snail, a story, a song, a word, a face, a smell, a bird, a smile. This book will forever remind me that we should all live in an "attitude of gratitude". As I read this book, tears coursed down my cheeks. They starved, they bled, they hid, they ran, they resisted, they mourned beyond comprehension, they fought because their very lives and the lives of those they loved depended on it. Can you imagine living that way for years!? And not just during the war but for the rest of your life? Fighters. Anyone who endured the agony of WWII is a fighter. No matter how hard life gets, no matter how much "giving up" would be the easier choice, no matter how shattered you are, you always have a little bit of fight left in you.
I am a little disappointed in myself. I totally missed the foreshadowing in this book! TOTALLY MISSED IT! I mean MISSED IT! I screamed when the prophesy was fulfilled. NOOO! That did not just happen (frantically rewinding the pages in hopes that it will change the outcome)!! But it doesn't change and my heart literally breaks, it shatters. Not as much as it has shattered before but shatter it does. Yes, the story has mostly happy endings (unlike "The Book Thief" where I was plastered to the bathroom floor in heaving sobs for hours) so it isn't that painful. In fact, if I am truly honest, it is inspiring. It is forgiving. It is what truly teaches us to love unconditionally. It takes time but eventually all sides forgive. They forgive the conflict, the pain, the memories. One thing I've learned is that forgiveness and acceptance are always attainable. Read the book. You'll enjoy it.
And remember "We rise again in the grass. In the flowers. In songs".
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