Others Had It Worse by Vetra Melrose Padget Covert and Chris D. Baker

I picked it up because the cover and title peeked my interest in the human condition. How do people survive adverse times? How is it that some people enjoy life even in the worst of times? I saw that the book was a true account of a family living in Davis County, Iowa. So I checked it out.
Not a big book- but fascinating. A grandson decides to try and collect information from his grandmother before her death. She begins to writer her earliest memories and goes from there. The book is compiled of her writings. Short snippets offering a glimpse into the life of another human being. Not an easy life - poor, and a father who made moonshine for money and also consumed the fruits of his labor. (Not such a good thing for the family.) As the title implies, the girl survives, and manages to have happy memories as well. They actually had fun. Maybe when you have nothing, even the smallest of events can bring great happiness. The pros and cons of having money. What's the perfect balance of living comfortably, but still having joy in little things? Maybe by studying the lives of those who have gone before us, we can gain insight.

Barbarian Days - A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

There aren't too many of us land-bound Pellans who are actively surfing the waves these days. Don't let that stop you, however, from reading William Finnegan's Barbarian Days - A Surfing Life. It is a quest for the ultimate wave; a quest for finding oneself; and, a quest for seeing just what the world has to offer.
Finnegan started surfing as a child, but his family's move to Hawaii kicked his surfing bug into gear. His adventures span the 1960s through today, with a large part of his life spent bumming around the world, searching for the ultimate waves. During that time he was holding up odd jobs; living on little to no income; and, encountering new sections of the world, its people and their customs.
You don't have to know one thing about surfing to enjoy this book. Finnegan's vivid descriptions have you right there with him, out on the waves. His details of those he encounters are just as descriptive and thought provoking. For me, there was also this feel of loneliness and uncertainty to the tale as the author looked to figure out both the world, and himself.
If you are a reader of the New Yorker, you have encountered some of Finnegan's work before as he is on staff and a regular contributor to the magazine.

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

I learned about the father of Impressionism, Camille Pissarro, in Hoffman's latest historical fiction.  Pissarro's talent is obvious in Hoffman's portrayal.  Yet, it is Rachel, his mother and her determination to follow her heart and defy all conventions after her first husband dies that is most indelible. 

Set in the island of St. Thomas in the 1800s of a Jewish refugees community where Rachel grows up fulfilling her father's request to marry a widower in order to save the family's business.  I am transported to a tropical paradise but am reminded of the inequality, slavery and racism on the island that is supposedly outlawed by Danish rule.  Hoffman weaves in many layers and family secrets in the novel, with Rachel's dream of being in Paris someday because of her ancestry, the relationships with her parents, her children, the friendship with her childhood friend Justine and her courage and need to be validated despite her scandalous second marriage to her true love Frederick.  It is a good read.

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

This is the second book by this author that I have read. She is from Iowa, by the way, and some of the passages describe Iowa so accurately I feel we grew up together. This story is centered around two sisters, Allison and Brynn. Allison is the 'golden child' while Brynn is not so accomplished. The sisters are close. When Allison messes up she asks Brynn to help her. This is where the whole story gets complicated. I was surprised by plot twisters in the middle of the story and at the end. The author writes her books around traumatic experiences. When I read Little Mercies I felt all ended well. In this story however, if does not end up well for everyone. This probably is more true to life, but ends up leaving you feel bereft.

Swansong 1945 by Walter Kempowski

It is fitting with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II occurring this year, the stirring work of Walter Kempowski, Swansong 1945, be translated into English and distributed for all to read. It is a powerful book composed of the thoughts, ideas and writings of people from around the world during the finals days of Hitler's Third Reich.
The vast majority of the book is made up of writings from people who found themselves actually in Germany in the late days of April and early May of 1945. The country was awash in the flotsam and jetsam of the chaos it had created when it took on what became the Second World War. Kempowski provides accounts from Americans, British, French, Russians, and primarily Germans as they describe the horror and destruction that are uncovered in the final days of the war in Europe.
There are accounts from soldiers, politicians, writers, prisoners of war and concentration camp survivors all woven together to give you a feel of the uncertainty the world was about to face with the close of the war.
The strength of this book is in its first-person accounts and its varying viewpoints from the participants. Many of us had read about the battles that comprised the end of the war, but we are not as familiar when the specific people themselves - Swansong 1945 takes us down that path.

The Sentinels of Andersonville by Tracy Groot

This Civil War novel explores the horror that was Andersonville prison by concentrating on the stories of a few individuals: a prisoner, a guard, and the daughter of a local doctor.  Although the truly appalling conditions of the prison are not glossed over, the real focus of the novel is on individuals wrestling with their consciences, deciding (or not deciding) to act on their principles, and the consequences of their actions.

Orphan #8 by Kim van Alkemade

     It's 1954, and Rachel Rabinowitz is a nurse in the hospice wing of the Old Hebrews Home in NYC.  When a bed opens up, a new patient named Mildred Solomon comes under Rachel's care.  Solomon's insistence at being called "Doctor" leads Rachel to wonder if this is the same Dr. Solomon that performed numerous X-rays on her when she was at the Hebrew Infant Home in the early 1920s, leading to Rachel's permanent baldness.  It is.
     This leads Rachel to attempt to learn more about Dr. Solomon and her X-ray treatments.  What Rachel thought were treatments for an illness turn out to be X-rays done on healthy children for medical research purposes.  Alternating chapters present snapshots of her earlier life alongside her current one, so we understand how she perceived events when they happened to her, as well as how she feels about them now, when she has more facts.  As Rachel's understanding unfolds, her anger at what she was subjected to rises, and she debates exacting revenge on Dr. Solomon.  
    I enjoyed reading this book, especially the added chapter in the back where the author shares some of her family history (complete with photos), which was inspiration for much of the book.  Although I didn't always like how Rachel reacted to events, I felt that she was portrayed realistically, and struggled with tough emotions like we all do at times.