MONICA READS, by Monica Drahonovsky

We Were Strangers Once By Betsy Carter

Good versus evil and hope triumph over fear in this well-written book We Were Strangers Once by Betsy Carter.  The story takes us to the United States and Germany during the 1930s and to the beginning of the Second World War.

In Germany, a couple with one son write books on plants and birds.  The husband wrote the and the wife is a world-renowned water colorist.  In New York, we are introduced to a different couple who were raising a daughter and son.  He eventually moves west for a better future for his family only to find desolation and hopelessness leaving the wife to continue raising the kids.  These two families bump into a time warp of depression and antisemitism.

Hope is the center of everything in this book.  People and how they handle trauma and friendship make this a truly interesting read.

Monica Drahonovsky

How do we handle our lives with all the learned hatred of others with different religious beliefs and economic positions?  Do we stand fast or do we explore other opportunities of thinking and feeling?  Hopefully, the reader finds that a different way of thinking is  certainly okay.

Hopefully, you will read this book and come to terms with how you react when confronted with opposing ideas and beliefs.

Monica Drahonovsky reviews books for InDepthNH.org. Monica 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. “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.” Contact Monica at mawest@tds.net