If You Like Books about Survivors...

One of the great things about reading books from other time periods and situations is that it gives you perspective on your own. All the books I'm featuring today, which are mostly geared toward grown ups, have strong, inspiring protagonists. There's something about reading a story about a pioneer or a Victorian era orphan when the world is going crazy around you. It reminds you that people have always faced difficulties, which often make our own look small.

 

JAYBER CROW by Wendell Barry

You can tell this author is a poet. Every word, every phrase is economical, and though his writing is lyrical, there is no purple prose here. What I loved about this book is that it gave me a slice of what life was like during the last century, from World War I to 1980s, roughly the time period of my great grandmother's life. I also learned a lot about the history of agriculture and how modern methods of farming affect small towns. And it has one of the most poetic and deep meditations on grace and the question of suffering (and why a good God allows suffering). It’s also a very unconventional love story with an enigmatic ending that I’m still puzzling over.  

AMY SNOW by Tracy Rees

Amy Snow is a fast read. It’s about a girl, who was left as a baby in the snow to die (hence the name), and the girl who finds her. They grow up together; Amy Snow being treated as little better than a servant. When the older girl dies, Amy Snow is kicked out of the house with nothing. It’s soon after that she gets a letter from her dead friend and then begins a treasure hunt throughout Victorian England to figure out the secret her friend kept from her family.  While I did figure out the “secret” fairly early on, what I loved about this book was not only it’s detailed Victorian setting and characters—reminiscent of Dickens in many ways—but the wonderful friendship between these girls. For whatever reason, I don’t find many deep female friendships in modern lit, and I wish I saw more. While I thought there were a few anachronisms and the male characters were not have as strong and charming as the females, it was still a completely engaging book, and I’ll be keeping an eye from more from this author. This is her debut. 

MRS. MIKE by Benedict and Nancy Freedman

I discovered this book at my local library. It was published in 1947, so it's not a new book. It's based on a true story about a 16-year-old girl who moves to Calgary for her health and ends up marrying a mountie. (She's a bit young to marry, but this does take place in 1907.) She follows him to the Canadian wilderness and adventures and hardships ensue. It's more about her conflict with the land and the people she encounters and life itself than her relationship with Mike, her husband. At one point, she decides she can't take it anymore and returns to civilization, but the wilderness has ruined her forever for stuffy and regimented society. This is one of those books you'll never forget. If you meet anyone else who's read it, you have an instant kinship. It's been called the Canadian Little House. (This book is often labeled YA and would be appropriate for most teens.)



What are your favorite books about survivors? Please leave your recommendations in the comments!