Shanghai Diary

Rating:
Summary: Truth vs. Fiction
Review: More than unbelievable! Is this story actually true? In this book, it seems as though the fine line between truth and fiction is nonexistent.

Riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Does confusion reign? The most inaccurate accounting of World War II I've ever read. Was this story ever verified? The stories themselves were quite interesting and entertaining, yet I can't help but question the historical accuracy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: quick and powerful
Review: This book is a quick read as there is no one highlight, no one climax...the book is chalk full of horrid surprise, history, and wisdom filled insight. This is being made into a movie currently. Vivid, powerful, a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration, History, and a Study in Contrasts
Review: Wow! I was in tears by the second page. I ordered takeout and left dishes in the sink just so I could keep reading this compelling glimpse into a lesser known aspect of World War II. I'm not a history buff, but Ursula Bacon's story drew a sketch of the war at such a personal level that I couldn't stop reading.

The book covers the eight year period during which an aristocratic Jewish family fled Nazi occupied Germany to Japanese occupied Shanghai, only to be trapped in a detention center when Japan joined the German Axis.

Lest you think the subject might be depressing, let me assure you that it is quite the opposite. The courage, enthusiasm, and even humor that this family mustered to deal with their adversity is inspirational. I especially enjoyed how the author shared the spiritual insights she gained during this period. She blended her Jewish background with Catholic schooling, enhanced by teachings from a Buddhist monk and her own intuition. The result is that she could feel compassion for those who would victimize her. That's a lesson most of us can't achieve in a whole lifetime of petty annoyances. Yet, this young girl managed to love the enemy that treated her as a "sub-human" and "lowest form of life," to use her own terms.

I think this book would appeal to a wide variety of people at any age. Some of the images portrayed will stay with me forever- the bombings, the squalor, the beauty. The author's style vacillates between conversational and lyrical. The way she dealt successfully with the contrast between her former life of unimaginable opulence and then her ordeal with abject adversity was stunning. I already find myself taking guidance from her Buddhist teacher Yuan Lin who always reminded her, "Remember, it's all the same."