These Is My Words

Ladies,

Your reviews of These Is My Words, make me glad I chose it. Actually, my daughter-in-law, Heather, told me about this book last summer. Her book club was reading it. I bought the book and devoured it. As I was reading the ending (on an airplane, of course) I started to cry and thought . . . my daughter-in-law wouldn't have cried. Besides, I am on an airplane! I can't start bawling on an airplane! Then when I talked to Heather about it, she said she just sobbed when Jack died. Next time I won't put such a cork in my emotions :)

I read this book last summer, so I hope I can remember all the thoughts that I was wishing I could share with someone then. I chose the questions I did because I really wanted to discuss them so here are my responses: (I loved reading your reviews!)

1--I think the 1st person narrator is what hooked me in the first place. Seeing the world through Sarah's eyes (HER journal) was far more interesting than hearing it in the passive voice of the outside observer. Besides, I LOVED figuring out things (like her love for Jack) BEFORE she did.

2--Most of us have a desire to "figure things out," to understand the world and our place in it. For Sarah, this was a passion and education was her answer. There were other themes in the book as well. One was, what does it take to be a hero? Another was how do we cope with grief and/or adversity? Still another was who is really good and who is bad (appearance vs real intent--Sarah kept thinking Jack was bad, when he wasn't. She thought she was bad when she wasn't)? What is the place of religion in our lives? And the overriding theme of family, commitment, and love . . . what a great story!

3--I loved your thoughts on heroes/heroines. I think you each hit it on the mark. I thought I'd address the 2nd part of this question: Mama's mental illness. I think there is a reason we don't know her name. She becomes the universal--mother. I also thought that her withdrawing, healing and/or replenishing until someone really needed her, was significant. Who hasn't wished they could "just go away and come back when things are better" when life gets too hard? November 1, 1894 "No wonder Mama went away in her head when Clover passed. And then Papa. I am going to visit my Mama tomorrow and tell her I am sorry for everything I ever did that caused her sorrow . . and for ever wishing . . that she would come back. She probably wanted to stay there. It's a wonder she came back at all. If I knew how to make myself go away in my head, I declare I would." And yet, Sarah deals with it all. March 30, 1900 when April runs away to get married Sarah says, "Well this hurt my heart, and yet . . . I will never turn away." Mother love.

4--Sarah and Jack . . . what a love story. His death, trying to save a baby that wasn't there, broke my heart. (Katie, do you remember the story of Mom jumping and of a moving camper to save our family? Dad was driving the truck, but Mom didn't see him get it. She thought we were rolling. She hit the road, face first and was a mess! She did it to save her family.) Sarah described him as "always bursting through walls, always riding off cliffs, fight[ing] the world's woes . . . He was always safe doing what he wanted to do, and because he quite the Army he died being a Fire Chief." But Sarah also saved people. I loved that way Katie described them . . . truly equals.

I am glad you enjoyed reading "These Is My Words" and I look forward to future selections!

--Karen S.