Extraordinary True Life Stories

I just finished two books recently, both excellent! Funny thing is, they are both true life stories written by granddaughters about their grandmothers, who were both born in the early 1900's. That's where the similarities end though. One was born into an impoverished family in west Texas, the other an aristocratic family in Pyongyang, North Korea.


Still Life With Rice by Helie Lee

This one was full of surprises. It came recommended by my friend Lynn, who said she especially enjoyed it since she and her family recently lived in South Korea for a year.

It starts off with granddaughter Helie, living life much like any other young adult in America, but being at odds with her Korean mother and grandmother and their inquiries into what she is doing with her life. She decides to take a sojourn to the place where her family originated, in hopes of finding her purpose.

The rest of the book is her grandmother's life story. Here is a sample from the dustjacket:

"Born in 1912--"the year of the rat"--to aristocratic parents, Hongyong Baek came of age in a unified but socially repressive Korea, where she learned the roles that had been prescribed for her: obedient daughter, demure wife, efficient household manager. Ripped from her home first during the Japanese occupation and again during the bloody civil war that divided her country, Hongyong fought to save her family by drawing from her own talents and values."

What was such a pleasant surprise in the midst of this secular novel was the story of how Hongyong, her husband, and her children became believers of Jesus Christ, and how they persevered in their faith despite the horrendousness of wartime.

An utterly fascinating and beautifully written memoir.


Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

This is one of those books that you know is a true life story, yet throughout you keep uttering, "seriously?!" because it's fantastical. And I don't mean in a ridiculous sense, but in that this woman's story is incredible!

Maybe our generation has life too easy. (Okay, so I know that's true.)

This is the story of Lily Casey Smith, born in 1901. A no-nonsense kind of gal growing up in west Texas. She spends the first 10 years of her life living in a dugout. At age 6 she is helping her disabled father break horses. At 15 she makes a solo journey on horseback to a teaching assignment 500 miles away. Drought, flash floods, tornadoes, the Great Depression--hardship follows her throughout life, but her pluck and ability to made do through the most challenges circumstances is inspiring, and she does so with a wonderful sense of humor.