Lisa Barker Speaks to All Through Unforgettable Love Story...

"...Can I share something with you?" They nodded. "I have been giving your situation a lot of thought, Joe, and I think this applies to you, too, Wendy. It seems like you both have inherited quite a lot of hurt and anger. Listen to this passage from Lamentations:

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!

Inheritance

By Lisa Barker

--Powerful

--Gut-Wrenching

--Realistic

Two individuals, caught in the life created by their families, meet...If the book was not fiction, most individuals might have questioned, "was it fate?" that brought them together. You decide. I like to think that, sometimes, miracles do happen and people are brought into another's life because, just because...If you are someone who still believes it's possible, then you will love Inheritance just as much as I did...

Joe and Daniel were fraternal twins. Daniel excelled in sports and in school and was his father's favorite. Joe enjoyed cooking and helping his mother and had even been embarrassed and ridiculed by his father questioning his son's manhood... At the same time, that father was constantly unfaithful to their mother. It is hard to tell whether their mother had started out as she was, but later in life, she had become totally critical and judgmental.

Perhaps part of it was when Daniel announced at his graduation dinner that he was gay... and immediately was disowned... Perhaps it was the constant fighting of the parents as well. but, one day, while Joe was helping his father wash and polish one of his antique cars, he was especially affectionate to Joe and that day gave him the keys to that car (which had earlier been promised to his brother). 

Then, before Joe could even get into the house, his father sat in the driver's seat and killed himself...

For many years, Joe had gone completely into alcohol and sex to try to forget his past, but for four years he had been sober and was now the chef/owner of a bar & grill. It was on his birthday, at the age when his father had committed suicide. None of his family had remembered his birthday or its significance--after all, they had been predicting for years that he was exactly like his father and would probably follow his same path...

Joe was so lonely that he decided to go to the home of one of his former lovers, who hosted "get-togethers" routinely. That night he drank too much and became sick...

Wendy was at that party, hidden in a room so the guests wouldn't see her. Her sister clearly was ashamed of how she dressed and that she was part of her own history of being called "trailer-trash." Wendy had searched to find her sister since their grandmother had died. Secretly Wendy had hoped she would be met with open arms and provided a new home... Instead she had been told to leave the next morning.

Seeing Joe on the ground had brought Wendy quickly to caring about somebody other than herself. She got dressed, pulled her small suitcase and clothes together, and went out to offer help and to drive the guy, who clearly was unable to do so, home. At the same time, she would be able to leave and get some place where she could start to figure out what she was going to do.

I wish I could say that this quickly resulted in a wonderful "happy-ever-after" life... Not!

Too much had happened in their lives, leaving feelings of loss, of anger, of guilt:

"Guilt is useful because it doesn't feel good. It should stop us from doing things that are wrong or harmful to others and ourselves. And when we do something wrong, we need to feel true sorrow and then turn to God for forgiveness. The next step is making up for what we have done..."

The author has used a wonderful story to share much that all of us can ponder. This is more than a simple love story, albeit a beautiful one. If you allow yourself the time to consider all that these two individuals did "in reaction", you just might see yourself in some way...and, in turn, receive the joy and grace available...

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GABixlerReviews

Review: Daughter Shares Memoir of A Broken Family

Image via Wikipedia

"Channa will evade Nazi soldiers and survive WWII by the age of 12"

Broken Birds:

The Story of My Momila

By Jeannette Katzir




In many ways Broken Birds is a sad, but wonderfully detailed historical documentary of some of those events that took place during World War II and, in particular, what we know as The Holocaust. It is the story of a young girl and boy who narrowly escaped death and who later married. Each story is presented separately. Channa Poltzer is Momila; Nathan her husband. Jeannette Katzir, on of their daughters is the author. But it is a story of family--a family that, today, right now, continues to be affected in small and large ways by what happened so many years ago.

Or is it?

For those of us who are children of that war, there are many who can share familial "results" from their parents living during the war. How much more, then, can the effect of those who were actually there during that war be upon the children of those children?


When I was young and, for some reason, asked about our heritage (German on both sides), I can remember that my mother would respond in only one way--we are Americans.

And when Jeannette, her Father, and other siblings traveled to Germany, they often heard from those who lived there that the places they were asking directions to--for instance, the death camp--did not exist.

It is Shame that brings those answers...shame at what was done to men, women and children there in those camps... Readers cannot help but feel this shame, once again, as Katzir shares the story of her parents. Both children bravely faced what they had to do and, in the end, escaped to a better life. Praise God for that.

At the same time, Katzar's family story, of broken birds, may very well be illustrative to the families of many in America, who are members of dysfunctional families. I say this not to detract from the hardships and very real and open account of Katzir's memoir, but to strengthen its universality to the larger American families who have been affected by their past. Unfortunately, by revealing the jealousy, greed, and selfishness in such detail that occurred upon the death of Channa, the drama among the remaining family to a great extent overpowers the parents' story.
 
Were the actions taken by the children of the Poltzer family due to the lives of their parents? Or are they typical of children in America who are greedy and the desire for money and an easy life is expected rather than earned? Mainly my reaction was that the two stories should never have been merged. I respect greatly what was researched and documented for Channa and Nathan. However, in my opinion, Sibling rivalry that requires money to reflect parents' love is not a new story.

Perhaps Honor Thy Mother and Father was the story I was expecting for those who made it through the Holocaust... Still, there is much to read in Broken Birds. Channa and Nathan's stories are indeed worth reading. And if you wish to find a book opening discussing what happens in families about money, upon the deaths of other family members, well, I have many stories of my own and other families I have known and didn't really find much different to offer here. I wish I could say that this was a memorable book. It was not. Please read other reviews on this book so that you may decide for yourself. Perhaps the sibing rivalry many of us have faced was too dominant for this reviewer.

Book Received
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G. A. Bixler