Monica Drahonovsky
Monica Reads
By Monica Drahonovsky
Good day to you all.
Author B. A. Shapiro has sewn together a story of two women within two time frames and does it so easily you are never lost in time.
The Muralist is a “who done it” kind of book that will make this a real page turner for you.
Popularly known figures emerge who interact with the protagonists. Remember FDR and Eleanor as well as the slowly growing deep mire of muck that led up to the entrance of the U.S. into World War II.
After setting out instances and causes believed by an unknown painter in 1939, the difficult task of peeling layers of time, information and secrets held by her family, the reader gets to make some assumptions and leaves the pages of the book with a deeper understanding of the two divergent time frames.
Author Shapiro is a master of cloak and dagger as well as having a keen understanding of the history as well as art and the heroism of families in difficult times.
I hope you will take the time to read this book. It wasn’t calming or carefree, but intense and helpful in coming to terms with why people do what we do.
A major theme is the way the United States acted so late and with so little attention to bringing as many Jews via visa manipulation to safety before the Nazi slammed the doors of escape and opened the doors of concentration camps.
Are we not using the same strategy today by denying the thousands of people fleeing their countries in the aftermath of war and attrition by terrorism in the Middle East? The excuse in 1939 by FDR & Breckenridge Long (appointed by FDR to manage the visa situation) was that they were afraid Americans would lose their jobs and pro-Nazis would sneak in and cause upheaval at home – I have heard this excuse used today.
What have we learned in 70 years? Please pick up the book at the library or a book store or borrow it from someone you know. This is a powerful read.
Monica Reads is InDepthNH.org’s new column. It is written by Monica Drahonovsky who is known for her love of history and her lifelong love for reading. She has a bachelor’s degree in History, with a minor in English, along with teaching credentials. “My years of reading for leisure and pleasure have given me the insight to read a book and analyze the author’s baggage, cargo and ability to write the language of his/her mind and utilize the gift of prose to educate and entertain the reader. Go get a book, read it and enjoy the adventure.” — Monica West
Contact Monica at mawest@tds.net