A Bell For Adano

A Bell For Adano by John Hersey

Major Victor Joppolo, an Italian-American Army officer, is sent to bring democracy and order to the town of Adano.  His concern for the happiness of the people center around restoring a 700 year old church bell taken and melted down for bullets by the fascists.

This book was published in 1944 and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1945.  I truly enjoyed this book and read it in just a few days.  It has more to it, of course, than tracking down a bell.  It illustrates the good, bad, and ugly of American occupation during WWII. Being born during/after the Civil Rights movement, I forget about the prejudice that everyone felt towards anyone not like them, both American and Italian.  Plus I remembered that most people at the top are bullies that refuse to listen to others' opinions...

The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A young woman, Edna Pontellier, seeks to "find herself", even if it's at the expense of her marriage and children. This story definitely has to be understood in the context of its time.  When it was written, women still had no opinion worth hearing, and spent their lives pleasing everyone else but themselves.


Unfortunately, the main character is way too self-centered for me.  She married her husband to shock her parents, she is a detached mother, and is bored and irritated by a friend that actually has a happy marriage.  Please!  Sure, her husband is a control freak, but Edna needed to grow up a little.  She spent his money on whatever, just because she could... what about losing yourself in helping others?  The thought never even entered her mind; life revolved around her.  I realize that she felt trapped by her past choices, but her present choices were no better.