"My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me"

I recently heard about a book that piqued my interest. It was called: My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past by Jennifer Teege, and it's a true story (my favorite!). Here is a synopsis of the book:

An international bestseller—the extraordinary memoir of a German-Nigerian woman who learns that her grandfather was the brutal Nazi commandant depicted in Schindler’s List.

“I am the granddaughter of Amon Goeth, who shot hundreds of people—and for being black, he would have shot me, too.” In an instant, Jennifer Teege’s life turns upside down; the shock of discovering her ancestry shatters her sense of self.

Teege is 38—married, with two small children—when by chance she finds a library book about her grandfather, Amon Goeth. Millions of people worldwide know of him through Ralph Fiennes’ chilling portrayal in Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List. Goeth was the brutal commandant of the Plaszów concentration camp—Oskar Schindler’s drinking buddy, and yet his adversary. Responsible for the deaths of thousands, Amon Goeth was hanged in 1946.

Goeth’s partner Ruth, Teege’s much-loved grandmother, committed suicide in 1983. Teege is their daughter’s daughter; her father is Nigerian. Raised by foster parents, she grew up with no knowledge of the family secret. Now, it unsettles her profoundly. What can she say to her Jewish friends, or to her own children? Who is she—truly?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, since it wasn't very long. It was so interesting to read about how this woman inadvertently stumbled upon a book while at the library, and it changed everything she thought she knew about her family history. I definitely recommend this book if you like true stories and history.

25

For years I've been thinking how great it would be if my mom could reach at least 25 grandchildren. I found out earlier this year that this desire would be a reality when my sister, Annette, told me that she was pregnant. Yay! Another grandchild for my mom, and another niece for me. :)

My sister, Chandra, flew to New York to help Annette out when she had her baby, since Annette didn't have anyone to help her with her kids. Chan to the rescue! She and Annette had a lot of fun together. Here are some of the highlights...

They went apple picking together:

Annette took Chandra to see some of the LDS church's historic sites in Palmyra, NY:

Chandra held down the fort at Annette's house and took care of her four kids while she was busy having her baby. Annette's baby arrived via C-section on Wednesday, October 12, at 11:47 AM. She had a little girl that she named Eden Elizabeth (Edie). She was my sister's biggest baby, weighing in at 6 lbs. 5 oz., and she was 19 inches long.

Here are some pictures from when Chandra and Annette's kids went to the hospital to meet the new baby:

Christian had so much fun with Annette's twins, Lincoln and Annika. Christian loved having playmates that were his size. Chandra said that Annika especially took to Christian. The three little ones loved watching the big kids leave for school in the morning, and were excited to see them come home in the afternoons. 

Annette came home from the hospital two days after she had her baby. There's no place like home! The hospital gave Annette this peas in a pod toy. Joseph put Edie inside of it, and Chan snapped a picture.

Here's Christian taking a closer look at his little cousin:

I'm so grateful to have another sweet niece, and I look forward to meeting her some time next year!

Another Birthday for Mom

My mom had a birthday earlier this month on October 2. Chandra and Christian came over that morning and spent the day with Mom and me. That weekend also happened to be my church's General Conference, so we watched it on TV and had a relaxing day hanging out and being uplifted by conference.

Mom always says that old ladies should wear purple, and it does look good on her. 

Joe came over and joined the rest of us for dinner. Chandra brought a big roast beef when she came over in the morning, because roast beef is one of my mom's most favorite meals. We had it for Sunday dinner about once a month when I was growing up. We don't have it very often anymore, now that it's just my mom and me living here at home (plus, it's quite expensive), so it was a nice treat.

Christian has some crumbs on his face, but he sure is cute!

After dinner, Mom opened our presents.

The fact that I gave my beautiful mother a book called "Ugly" is quite an oxymoron! Chandra got my mom a pan in the size she wanted.

After Mom opened presents, we had dessert. Mom loves carrot cake, so that's what she almost always has for dessert. Chan made it, and she always does a wonderful job. One of my mom's friends also sent her a dozen chocolate covered strawberries from Edible Arrangements, and someone else brought her a Jilly's cupcake.

Happy birthday, Mom! You are loved by your family, and you are aging gracefully!

My mom informed me a few days ago that now that she is 64, she is twice as old as I am (I'm 32), and that our ages will only get closer as we continue to age.

"37 Seconds"

SYNOPSIS: Pregnant with her second child, Stephanie Arnold began receiving mysterious but strong premonitions that she would die during the delivery. Distressed, Stephanie did everything she could to inform the medical team and her family about what she knew was coming. No one believed her, but Stephanie knew they were wrong. When she gave birth to her son, Stephanie flatlined and died on the operating table for 37 seconds, during which time she had a spiritual experience she would never forget.

This book was incredibly fascinating! When the author, Stephanie, was pregnant with her second child, she started having premonitions that she would die during the delivery. These vivid premonitions kept happening, and when she'd mention them to her doctors, no one took her seriously. She kept researching and mentioning it to different doctors, and she finally found someone who took her seriously (it was the anesthesiologist that was with her during her C-section). This doctor put special measures into place in preparation for what Stephanie had been telling her was going to happen, just in case it actually did. Sure enough, Stephanie experienced a rare amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), which is almost always fatal. Stephanie flatlined for 37 seconds during her C-section, and had her anesthesiologist NOT believed her and NOT been prepared, Stephanie, undoubtedly, would have died.

This book was very interesting, especially as Stephanie described what she remembered and saw during those 37 seconds. This isn't your typical near-death experience where someone visits heaven and sees Jesus or dead loved ones. The book was fast-paced and a real page turner. I thought the end of the book was a little lackluster, after such an exciting beginning and middle of the book, but I still recommend it.