Voices from Chernobyl

I'm not any kind of history know it all, but I do enjoy learning about history.

(slight tangent: my favorite history source right now is The History Chicks. Check them out. subscribe to their podcast and visit their website)

Anyway, back on task. I know enough about history that I can answer a Jeopardy category on most history topics, but that's about it. And my Husband has a BA in History and Political Science and BBWP has an MA in history. So, I'd like to know more.

Recently, Husband has been checking out more nonfiction books out of the library that he thinks I'll enjoy and Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster is the latest one. I actually heard about this one on a recent episode of This American Life and mentioned it'd be a book I'd enjoy digging in to. Weeks later, Husband picked it up.

And I guess enjoy is certainly the wrong word. There was nothing enjoyable about this book. It was hard and dirty and sad and pitiful. But also so moving and powerful.

Before reading this book, all I really knew about Chernobyl was that in April of 1986, a nuclear reactor blew and caused massive amounts of radiation to escape. And really, that's all you need to know to appreciate the book.

Ten years later Svetlana Alexievich started interviewing first responders, their families, evacuees, soldiers called in to help with the "clean up," journalists, teachers, pretty much anyone that would talk to her that had their life impacted due to the explosion and its aftermath.

The stories are so gripping, and moving and sorrowful. By far my two favorite stories are the first and final ones. They are both told by wives who lost their husbands. These were the ones that I reacted to the most, that pulled my heart and made me cry. Probably because I am a wife and have a fear that my husband will die. And these women told their stories so bravely and nakedly.

Anyway, I recommend this book if you're into history and nonfictions. It really is a story that deserves to be remembered.

Is Cinderella really eating my daughter?

The short answer, for me, is "not yet." Although, earlier this week Daugther brought me two of the finger puppets we got both kids for Christmas (pirates/unicorns/fairies/princesses. Thank you, World Market) and wanted to play. She had the princess and gave me the fairy. She told me the princess was named "Princess." But she told me that the fairy was really named "Rapunzel" because she had long hair. Then she said, " I will say 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair. And then we'll go play at the park." Super Why! (sigh) that's how my Daughter knows about fairy tales. I try to steer Daughter away from stories about helpless princesses being rescued by handsome princes. I'd rather she build towers out of blocks, even if she is wearing all pink to do it!

Anyway, back to the book. I heard about it on npr, and in her interview Peggy Orenstein, the author, sounded a lot like Ayelet Waldman, who I REALLY like so I decided to read the book. (It turns out Ayelet actually wrote a blurb for the back cover)

Husband checked it out from the library and that was the only thing I didn't like about it. I wanted my own copy so I could underline and highlight and write in the margins.

This is a quote from the book that sums up almost perfectly my feelings on the matter: "Mothers want so desperately to guide their daughters to an authentic, unconflicted balance of feminism and femininity, on that will sustain rather than constrain them."

I could go on and on about my ideas on the subject and yada yada yada, but I'll spare you. Maybe we'll talk over coffee soon. I recommend the book. I don't know how much a non-parent will enjoy/get out of the book, but I have a friend who doesn't have children but is a teacher and she really enjoyed it. It's definitely a lot of food for thought and at the very least will spark a conversation.

Raising a daughter is hard. But, really, so is raising a son.

Next time You are at the Library of Congress ...

... Check us out!

Back in January, the StoryCorps RV/Airstream/Big Silver Camper was in Birmingham at the Civil Rights Institute. Husband made us an appointment and he was SO excited. I was a little less excited just because I had no idea what we'd talk about for 40 minutes, plus is anything we could ask each other REALLY interesting or important enough to be archived in the Library of Congress? Then I remembered they are also archiving every tweet EVER. So that relieved a little pressure. ;-)

On interview day, I was nervous/anxious/excited/pumped. I had no idea the questions Husband planned on asking me. And we all know he has a habit of being slightly inappropriate. Our facilitator, Marquita, did a great job of explaining the process and her role in it. (She was recording and she'd jump in to ask additional questions or help if there was some lag in the conversation) But what she did that was so amazing was explain the reason StoryCorps travels around (and people come to them) to interview and be interviewed by loved ones. We're telling our story. We're recording and saving the history of us for anyone to hear at the LoC but we also got a cd copy of the interview to share with friends and family. Decades from now our kids, their kids, even THEIR kids can listen to this interview and get some idea of who Husband and I were and some idea of the love that started them all.

It sounds a little cheesy typing it out but she really did a great job of letting us know that what we were doing is very important.

We had 40 minutes to record and it really went so incredibly fast. Husband and I sat across from each other in a very comfortable booth and he "interviewed" me. It was mostly how we met, turning points in our relationship and how my life changed so dramatically as our relationship grew and evolved. He asked questions about how I view my role as mother. And then we were out of time. It happened so fast.

We got our cd and Marquita took our picture to be added to our interview at the Library or Congress. And it was over. We stepped out of the silver camper and headed on our way. History made.

We still haven't listened to the cd yet. Maybe on our date-a-versary since that's coming up. We can listen to our story on the anniversary of the day it started.

It was such a great experience. If you've been a part of StoryCorps or even if you just listen to their segment on NPR on Friday mornings, I urge you to donate.

We're both NPR junkies BUT ...

Only one of us is an actual political junkie.

And it's not me. Husband is the political savant in the family. And he's won two No Prize t-shirts to prove it. It's Husband's goal to one day have a shirt for all four of us. I know he can do it. His knowledge of all things politics is borderline freakish.

Husband never misses Political Junkie on Talk of the Nation. I never miss Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me! and This American Life. And now that we've recorded for StoryCorps it's even nearer to our hearts. But we love so many programs aired by NPR it's hard to name a favorite. Heck, it's hard to name a top 10. Seriously, I could start gushing about my love for most all things NPR. But I'll save you the trouble of reading it.

BTW, my local station airs a monthly program called Tapestry I really like. But I rarely manage to catch it live. Subscribe to the podcast.

Do you/have you given money to NPR (the donate button is ALL the way on the bottom right in red) or your local station or even a specific program? I urge you to. I wish we were able to give more.