The Diary of Anne Frank- I read the book and saw the play this last week. I'm actually a little taken aback at how much I loved the play. The play notes promised to deliver the girl, not the myth of Anne Frank and that was exactly what we got. I wasn't expecting it to add so much dimension to the story. Anne was brought to life as this annoying loquacious young girl. Her theatrical personality and need to show off endanger the people around her. She doesn't totally graps the seriousness of their plight or the danger of the world she is hiding from. But how could she at such a tender age? Anne is constantly writing every personal detail of her life along with details about the people around her. It is poignant and sad and perfectly captures the identity of a young girl who is coming of age in disturbing circumstances. The play and book are both heartbreaking and beautiful. It may have been my favorite play I've seen this season.
During the show's intermission we saw the art show: Testament to Topaz featuring art by internees from the Topaz Internment Camp during WWII . It was a powerful experience. A great reminder of the importance of art and it's place in history. It was inspiring to see how these people chronicled their internment experience and interesting to read of the main teacher's need to share art and it's healing qualities with the people around him. It's is frightening to think that this internment camp ever existed. Terrifying to know that this incredible violation of rights occured on US soil. It seems unimaginable to me that the constitutional rights and civil liberties I often take for granted were stripped from these people because of racial bias, public sentiment, and wartime hysteria. Yet in April 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 sanctioned the immediate evacuation and internment of more than 112,000 people of Japanese ancestry living in coastal areas from Washington to California and as far inland as southern Arizona. To see artwork created during this time is a revealing experience.
The art school taught over 600 students ranging in ages from 6-70. Sixteen teachers taught 95 classes per week on 23 subjects, including figure drawing, still life, architectural drawing, anatomy, and commercial art. The show we saw had a very small sampling of some of the artwork created in these classes.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I wanted an easy book to get through. I've read too many heady books lately so a young adult novel seemed like a good choice. This World War II story is narrated by Death, who tracks the story of a nine year old girl, Liesel Meminger living in Germany. Liesel steals a series of books that move her story along starting with The Gravediggers Handbook. This morbid bedtime story is very apropos to the events going on around Liesel and her foster parents. I liked the addition of Max, the Jewish man they hide in their basement and I loved the character of Liesel's best friend. He was the most relate-able person in the book. Overall, I liked the general direction of the book. I didn't get quite as attached to the characters as I would've liked but it was worth reading.
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