“Educated”

 

“I had begun to understand that we had lent our voices to a discourse whose sole purpose was to dehumanize and brutalize.” (180)

My thoughts…

I abhor bullies. I cannot abide violence. I have a really hard time wrapping my head around abuse of any kind. I wanted to quit, but I had to know if Westover was going to stand up for herself…to survive despite her family.

For every word written there are a million different interpretations. There is never only one path, one right answer.

As we grow we expect our thinking to evolve. Experiences tend to shape us. To open our eyes to new possibilities, new paths.

Whose voice do we choose to listen to? As children? As adults? When do we decide to listen to our heart? To come to terms with our own thinking?

How do we begin to blend what we learned growing up with what the world throws at us? Can we blend this new information with our old selves? Which relationships will survive our shifts in thinking? Which relationships will suffer?

When is it time to cut the ties that cause us the most harm, and yet are at the core of our being? When do we have the courage to put self care ahead of the needs of others?

Will we ever know when we have truly come to terms with all life has thrown at us? And to be ok with the choices that we made?

Apology

 “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings with something I said.

I’m here if you want to talk.”

“The King’s Cartographer”

 

If you LOVE history…which I do, then this is an interesting read. If you prefer historical fiction - this is NOT the book for you.

Adventure. Exploitation. PIRATES. Expulsion. Religious freedom. MONEY. War. Commerce. Trade. GREED. 

An age of exploration. The desire to fill in the empty white areas of the global map. What is it our explorers are mapping today? What empty white areas of the “map” are they looking for?

Love, Alice

 

“The bond that exists between a mother and her children. It’s like an invisible cord tying your heart to theirs. And it’s a cord that can never be broken, no matter how old they get or how far they roam.” “Your children are a part of you for as long as you live.” (358)

The quote above sums up the novel. Of course there were some twists and turns. Shock every time I realized that the book was set in the 1960s and NOT the 1860s. But that thread of motherhood, and that invisible cord is what tugged at my heart. Perhaps, the novel was much more poignant for me, as I have a new granddaughter who lives 1700 miles away. My love for her is immeasurable, even though I haven’t met her yet. Yes, that invisible cord is what ties us together…