"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me, there lay an invincible summer." Albert Camus
This quote appears at the end of the movie, "Ashes in the Snow," based on my new favorite book, Between Shades of Gray. The book is about a Lithuanian teenage girl who is taken by the Soviet police, the NKVD, along with her mother and younger brother, and transported to a Siberian work camp during World War II.
I have always been drawn to books about hardships, stories that depict triumph of the human spirit, or show how characters ultimately adapt to living in other countries or some challenging circumstance. The people I read about, both fiction and nonfiction, struggle, suffer, and usually not only survive, but ultimately thrive. Many readers don't gravitate to sad stories about pain and anguish. But I draw strength from these types of books. They show me how strong individuals can be, that one can go through hell and live to tell the tale.
I believe in the concept that you learn more in bad times versus good times. The past two years have not been easy for me. I know I have not suffered as much as others, and I am grateful for that. Obviously I am not trying to survive a Siberian work camp. But as difficult as this time has been, I have learned and have grown stronger because of what I have been through. I have not found my "invisible summer" yet, but I'm getting there - hopefully.
librarianintx
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