Memory Boy by Will Weaver

The Scream, an expressionist painting by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, rivets our attention to a trembling human form in extreme distress. As you gaze over it with your eyes, you may wonder what makes the alien-like form howl with fright. Surprisingly however, another element in the painting occasionally receives more attention. Those that view the painting today might want focus their attention on the reddish swirls in the background.

Scientists speculate that the unusually vivid background in The Scream may reveal a connection to one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history-the eruption of Krakatoa.

In the late 1800's, ash from Krakatoa swirled around the globe possibly at the same time Edvard Munch finished The Scream. This would explain the vivid red swirls. Ash particles from the destructive Krakatoa eruption could have ironically resulted in some of the most magnificent sunsets ever witnessed on earth.

Considering other more recent cataclysmic events in the form of tsunamis, earthquakes, mega oil spills, not to mention a potential cataclysm in the form of a caldera of molten lava 1500 square miles in size lurking just 5 miles below Yellowstone Park, we may just consider the setting in the story, Memory Boy, by Will Weaver, more than plausible.

The story takes place in Minnesota, but the event that triggers all the action begins as a massive volcanic eruption in the Cascade Mountain Range on the West Coast. The volcanic event is more than 50 times the scale of the 1980 Mt. St. Helen’s eruption. As ash spews over most of the country, a teenager named Miles Newell eventually catches on that his carefree life will soon be over. Under a blanket of volcanic ash, the bread basket of the world slowly dies. The national crisis gets so severe, that instead of pulling together, people start living like it is survival of the strongest. Even in Miles neighborhood mild mannered people begin to act towards each other like a bad remake of the novel, The Lord of the Flies. With violence on the rise, and Mile’s family’s mansion a likely target for looters, the Newell family decides to make a run for it to the Brainerd Lakes Area. A safe, quiet, tranquil cabin awaits them. There’s only one problem-fuel has been rationed and there is no way for the family to get there by any gas-powered vehicle.

Will Miles figure out a way to help his family escape? Will the Newell family reach their beloved lake cabin before the chaos spilling into the suburbs of Minneapolis makes their way impassible? And, if they can reach their destination, how will the Newell family survive without fuel, electricity and any basic knowledge on how to live off the land? If you like a hard edged dystopian page turner, I would recommend Memory Boy, by Will Weaver.

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

“One man’s mission to promote peace...one school at a time.”

These words come from the subtitle of a book called, Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. In the book Mortenson tells of how Afghan villagers nurse him back to health after his failed attempt to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world. To return the generosity shown him, Mortenson makes a pledge to build a school for the village. Since then, he has made his life’s mission to build schools in a country where two thirds of the population cannot read. In addition, Mortenson has been an advocate for providing girls in Afghanistan with the opportunity to go to school in a country that traditionally has closed off education to women.

Mortenson has sold about 4 million copies of his book so far. The powerful story convinced President Obama to donate $100,000 dollars of his Nobel Peace Prize to a charity associated with Mortenson. Three Cups of Tea has even been made required reading for U.S. military personal assigned to serve in Afghanistan. The campaign to build schools fits in well with overall U.S. military strategy to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Only one problem-CBS’s 60 Minutes revealed that parts of Mortenson’s story aren't true. Now there are even questions about how the money donated by President Obama and many others has been used for other purposes besides the construction of schools. As questions about Mortenson’s integrity surface, I can imagine the Taliban snickering under a rock somewhere. Winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people is challenging enough already for our military and only made more difficult when we can't back up our words with deeds. If you had to dodge bombs, bullets and corruption on a daily basis, would you welcome an American soldier into your village just because he called you “rafiq” (friend)?

In the book, Words in the Dust, a girl named Zulaikha has to dodge something more terrifying than bullets. Her stomach feels twisted. She can't make her body stop shaking. In front of her, a group of boys stands in her way, ready to hurl rocks and insults at her face. Rocks or insults, which would hurt the most? Zulaika did the only thing she could think of-she ran. Just when she thought she was safe a loud roar stopped her like a brick wall. A gigantic tan humvee turned the corner.

“On top was a big gun with a barrel like a cannon. What looked liked a very tall man was really the top half of a soldier standing straight up through the roof of the vehicle behind the gun.”

Zulaika didn’t know that the American soldier was in her village to propose the idea of a school, one that would even allow girls to attend. All Zulaika knew at that moment was the fear that an American soldier had seen her face. Women in Afghanistan traditionally wear a chador, a head covering held closed in the front, but Zulaika had left her face exposed. As she raced back to her home, the soldier reported back to his commanding officer what he had seen. Little did Zulaika know then that the soldiers would later offer her one of the most precious gifts she could possibly imagine.

Will a school be built in Zulaika's village? Will she get permission from her father to attend? Why was an American soldier ready to offer a gift more precious than gold right after a group of boys wanted to hurl rocks and insults at her face?

If you would like to gain a better appreciation of what life is like for a girl living in present day Afghanistan, then I would recommend, Words in the Dust, by Trent Reedy. He is a former soldier and now a teacher in Iowa. His book is much more than a tale of culture clash. Reedy's book encourages us to consider that American soldiers are sincerely trying to make a difference in the Afghan people's lives, despite the cultural forces that are dead set against anything good coming out of a difficult situation.


Words in the Dust reminded me of the book, The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis. Both works are invaluable to anyone wanting to have a glimpse of what life is like in war torn Afghanistan.

Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow

Just when you thought terrorism couldn't get any worse, disturbing news came out of Iraq last year about another Al Qaeda plot. The terrorist group was reported to have hatched a plan to sew bombs inside of dogs. After the bombs were surgically implanted, the dogs were placed in kennels and delivered to a Bagdad airport. The dogs were supposed to be loaded on a plane destined for the United States. Thankfully the terrorists' plot failed. The plot was exposed when the dogs were found dead in their kennels. They died because the terrorists didn't stitch them up properly.

Using dogs in warfare is not so unusual. Dogs have been at the side of soldiers throughout history. They also have been a source of comfort as well. It seems that Al Qaeda thought they could use our soldiers' love for dogs to their advantage. Take a look at the following preview put out by the Military Channel called "No Dog Left Behind."

In World War 2, dogs were used for many purposes. Some were trained to sniff out the enemy. Some were even strapped with bombs and trained to go under enemy tanks. You know what happened when the bombs exploded.

In the book, Saving Zasha, by Randi Barrow, we find ourselves in Russia at the conclusion of World War 2. The war so devastated this country that it left an indelible scar on both the soul and land of these beleaguered people. Major cities like Leningrad were destroyed. Vast agricultural areas ended up as scorched earth. It is estimated that 20 million people died in Russia alone during World War 2. With so much destruction, even man's best friend was not spared.

Despite the fact that nearly every dog was wiped out by the war, German Shepherds on the loose were still shot in the streets of Leningrad by the Russian people; they so despised the Germans for what they did to their country that they would shoot the dogs on sight. It's possible some Russians thought it was the patriotic thing to do.

In Randi Barrow's fictional story, we are introduced to a boy named Mikhail. He's glad the war is over, but he's disheartened by the fact that his father hasn't returned home from the war. Mikhail clings to the belief that his father will come back, even if the rest of his family doesn't hold out much hope.

One day, Mikhail and his brother discover someone in the woods near their farm. The man isn't their father. The man doesn't appear to be a soldier either, but he's wounded and near death. But what really shocks the boys is the man's traveling companion. The stranger has the most beautiful German Shepherd the boys have ever seen. When the man later dies of his wounds, Mikhail and his family have a decision to make about a German Shepherd named Zasha. Will the family do the patriotic thing and turn Zasha into the authorities? But, if they do, Zasha will certainly be shot on sight. Shouldn't they save a beautiful creature that somehow had survived such a horrible war? What will happen to Mikhail and his family if they can't keep Zasha a secret from their neighbors?

Find out in, Saving Zasha, by Randi Barrow.

Listen to an excerpt - click here.