For this week's Brainstorm I have 3 fascinating biographies of people who overcame hardship. To see my full summaries/reviews of each title plus any content notes/trigger warnings, please scroll below.
Full Summaries & Reviews
On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue: How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America by Tziporah Cohen, ill. by Steven Salerno
A picture book biography of Milton Hershey, how he went from poverty to prosperous businessman, persevered through many failures along the way in first the caramel and then milk chocolate businesses, and used his money to help children in poverty like he was.
I never knew that Hershey started out by making caramels and first made his name that way. His rise from poverty and his perseverance through numerous failures is inspiring, as is the way he used his money to start a school for kids in poverty that is still ongoing through his generous legacy. This is a heartwarming picture book biography and interesting background on a brand name sweet producer.
Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan
The autobiography of Romanian Virginia Prodan who grew up under Ceauşescu in a family that treated her like she wasn't a full member of the family. They would have her work while the rest of the kids had summer vacation, and she did chores while the others rested. Virginia was driven to find truth, and she thought the best way would be to become an attorney. She passes the law school entrance exams and makes it through law school to become a successful attorney. While practicing law Virginia meets some people with surprising joy and meets Christ through them. She then starts representing Christians in the Romanian courts arrested for possessing Bibles, churches who are denied permission to rebuild after the police vandalize them, and more. She successfully wins many cases by using laws about religious freedom that Ceauşescu's forces overlooked. This makes her a hero on the Voice of America reports and a target for the Securitate. They arrest her multiple times and when intimidation doesn't work, start sending assassin's after her. But it doesn't work out the way they planned.
This was a pretty astounding autobiography. Virginia Prodan has not had an easy life, but she has witnessed God work in some pretty amazing ways both through her and those around her. Her story is inspirational and I'm glad she shared it with the world. I'm not sharing too much here because I don't want to spoil it for other readers. Definitely worth the read.
Notes on content: Language: None; Sexual content: Nothing beyond some kisses.; Violence: Securitate beatings are mentioned and at least one is described. Deaths in jail are mentioned. A couple assassination attempts, but given the fact Virginia wrote this book you know they aren't successful.; Ethnic diversity: Most of the people are Romanian, but you also meet some people from the American Embassy who take an interest in Virginia.; LGBTQ+ content: None; Other: Unjust treatment by family and state leaders. Religious persecution. Virginia's husband is a gambler and it strains their marriage.
Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen by James Robinson, ill. by Brian Rea
The autobiography of James Robinson, focusing on how growing up with anomalous retinal correspondence - a condition he’s dubbed “whale eyes” to make it easier to understand - impacted his childhood and youth and adulthood, especially his feelings about reading. He then explains how he decided to make a documentary about himself as a young adult to help others understand why he looks the way he does and the challenges he has in visual perception. And then how that opened the doors for future employment, more documentaries, and this book.
Back when I did tutoring I accidentally ended up working with several kids with visual acuity issues, one was similar to James’ issue, but not exactly the same. The fact that kids who perceive the world differently can teach themselves to adapt and survive in a world not catered to their conditions is astounding. I loved hearing how James’ documentary helped others feel seen, and his further documentaries are doing the same for people with other “invisible” issues. He’s doing important work, and this book is part of that. I hope reading this helps the younger generation be more understanding and empathetic. It’s a good reminder that you never know what is going on in someone’s life. It was also so interesting to hear how he’s trying to change the Hollywood use of people with misaligned eyes to not just portray those who are crazy or evil. I need to get a copy of this for our library.
Notes on content: Language: None; Sexual content: None; Violence: I don’t remember any.; Ethnic diversity: James’ family is white American.; LGBTQ+ content: None specified.; Other: Discrimination based on appearance. School unwilling to make accommodations (or does so sparingly). Misunderstanding someone with a disability.
