#31 Rumors of War

by Dean Hughes
Rumors of War is the first novel in the series Children of the Promise. I've read this series before, but it has been about 7 years, so I decided to read them again.

The series is about the Thomas family, who live in Salt Lake City, and is based just prior to and during World War II. The father, Al, is a Stake President, owner of a car dealership, and a prominent citizen in the Salt Lake are. The mother, Bea, is a housewife. They have 6 children, but the three oldest children are featured more than the three youngest in the first book.

Alex is on a mission in Germany during the time the Nazis are invading Poland and other surrounding countries. Alex converts a German family, the Stoltzes, and grows really close to them. The missionaries are evacuated out of Germany, and Alex wonders if he'll ever see the Stoltzes again; especially their daughter Anna, who he is sure he is meant to marry. He goes home worried that he will end up fighting the German people.

Bobbi is going to the University of Utah and gets engaged to a man that everyone just adores; everyone except herself. She isn't sure about the engagement and eventually calls it off. She starts to have feelings for one of the English professors at the university, but she knows her family will not approve because he isn't Mormon.

Wally, the rebellious third son, is pushing the boundaries of his family. He is in love with Lorraine, but she won't be anything more than friends with him because of his rebellious ways. He decides to join the Army Air Corps and is shipped to the Philippines. He is on the Bataan peninsula when the Japanese invade, and he is taken as a POW.

The book ends with Alex joining the Army, and Bobbi joining the Navy as a nurse. The family has no idea if Wally is alive or dead, and they are all struggling to keep their from being torn apart by this war.

I enjoyed the book as much the second time as I did the first. It's fun listening to it on CD, but I'm glad that I read it the first time, because in the book there are footnotes giving further description of actual people and events from this time period. I would recommend reading this book rather than listening to it on CD for that sole purpose.

#30 The Measure of a Man

by Sidney Poitier
This is an autobiography about the life of Sidney Poitier. I listened to it on CD and Sidney himself was the reader. Most of the book felt more like Sidney just sat down and told his story, rather than him reading it from the book.

Sidney lived on a small island in the Bahamas until the age of 11 or 12. Cat Island had no electricity and no running water. His parents were tomato farmers, but after an embargo on tomatoes the family moved to Nassau. Sidney started getting into trouble, so his parents sent him to Miami at the age of 15 to live with his older brother. In Miami, Sidney first felt the full effects of racism. At 17 years old, he left Miami and ended up in Harlem, NY where he worked at menial jobs until he joined the Army.

He and the Army didn't mesh well, so he went back to Harlem and decided to try his hand at acting. His accent and lack of skill in acting landed him back on the street. After being humiliated by a director, he was determined to become a talented actor. He studied acting for 6 months before landing the lead in a Broadway play. This was the launch of his career. He tells about the roles that were major stepping stones to his success, and also about most of his more well-known roles. He also tells about many roles he turned down because he didn't agree with their message; he refused to play any part that portrayed him in a way contrary to his character. He often accepted controversial roles for his time period.

Some of the more controversial roles he talked about were: A cop from Philadelphia who is pulled into a murder investigation in a small Southern town in the movie In The Heat of the Night; the friend of a blind white woman in A Patch of Blue, and the fiance of the daughter of a prominent and rich white couple in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. He was the first black man to win an Academy Award for best actor; he won for his role in Lilies of the Field.

Throughout the book he refers back to the many lessons he learned growing up, and from the example of his parents. He has a wonderful way of describing his experiences and making the reader understand the effects these experiences had on him. I enjoyed the book so much that I rented In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I would recommend both of these movies and the book. I also plan on watching many more Sidney Poitier movies in the future.