Courage

Be brave! Have courage! When I say these things to my daughter, I’m usually trying to help her tap into her superhero strength to get through the trauma of a doctor’s visit or a vaccination. Courage is something we put on to face the monsters under the bed or other not-so-pleasant experiences.   However, several of the books I’ve read recently seem to be teaching me a new way to think about courage. These stories demonstrate how living in community and putting others first are the most courageous things we can do. Sometimes, though, the first step is learning to believe in oneself.

In The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, you follow the life Joe Rantz as he discovers himself and his place in the boat. I was amazed with the resilience of each man on that crew – both in life and in the boat. The story starts with Joe’s childhood. After his mother’s death, his father repeatedly abandons Joe. I thought that it was miraculous that Joe could ever trust anyone (especially his teammates) enough to accomplish what that crew accomplished together. The most courageous thing that Joe did; however, was to learn to trust himself. He had to discover his self worth – something we all need courage to accomplish. Once he believed that he had something valuable to contribute to his community (boat), they began to accomplish tremendous things…not to mention a gold medal!

Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale is certainly a story of courage as any story set during the Nazi occupation of France would be. Two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, are thrown into the resistance in different ways but both discover their courage when they discover who they are and how the community needs them. For Vianne, her discovery that she can defy the enemy by creating community is as courageous as any direct act of defiance (I don’t want to give anything away). She discovered her own identity separate from that of her “marriage”, and then she was unstoppable. Isabelle always saw herself as courageous and independent – as she “survived” abandonment many times before the war. However, the risky behaviors that she considered courageous only provided the opportunity for her discover how to be truly brave. Both sisters find themselves in communities that played important roles in resisting the Nazis. As I read, I wondered if I could have been as brave. Vianne and Isabelle found their place in a community and lived out their daily lives putting others first. In this, we see tremendous courage!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was also recommended to me. The characters in this book are courageous, but not in expected ways. Bruno is young and naïve and his biggest challenge is finding something to do in his new home, “Out With”. In the end, we realize just how courageous he was…even though he never realizes this himself.

I definitely enjoy the WWII genre. Other books I would recommend (read previous to this current book project):

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack

Blackout by Connie Willis

All Clear by Connie Willis