The Night Sky by Maria Sutton ~ A Book Review

Riveting. The on-the-edge-of-your-seat-I'm-not-putting-this-book-down-come-hell-or-high-water kind of riveting.

Written by Maria Sutton, The Night Sky: A Journey from Dachau to Denver and Back memoir is the story of a woman's search for her own family story. A story within a story, if you will, and it reads like a suspense novel. In fact, at times, while reading it, the phrase, "No way! That can't be true..." slipped from my lips. Ms. Sutton had me along side her twisting and turning through the time machine maze with magnifying glass in hand looking for clues, racking my brain for ideas to help, feeling my heart ache with the discovery of some of the answers found, and smiling with tears with the uncovering of other answers.

It takes courage for anyone to search for their family history. No, truly it does. It's not all shaking-leaves-oh-look-my-great-grandfather-was-a-private-detective-and-I-guess-I'm-one-too-how-cool-is-that-[silly-giggle] kind of endeavor. No siree. It takes guts to chase those family stories that make us who we are; those stories that are an intrinsic part of us; those stories we yearn to know with every fiber of our being; those stories that make our hearts ache and our bellies burn with the desire to know; those stories that make us weep; those stories that make us lose sleep and don't care; those stories that make us laugh so hard our bellies ache, those stories that make us say, "What the hell?", and those stories that totally leave us speechless.

It also takes extreme courage to not ever, ever give up. And Ms. Sutton never, ever gives up until she has the answers. Goodness, I love this about her. And I'm so thankful she shared it with the rest of the world. If you've ever wondered if you could have the courage to find your family stories; if you've ever wondered if you could set out and track down those family stories; if you've ever wondered if you could [or should] track down those family stories that aren't easy or pretty; or if you've wondered if you could share that courageous journey, then you need to read this book.

Other reasons to read this book?

• Because it's a good read. Plain and simple. This is a good book for ANYONE to read. I promise you won't be disappointed.
• The backdrop is the present and WWII Poland, Germany, and Ukraine. So, if these are research interests of yours, then this is a must-read.
  
• There's a happy ending. [Maybe not the ending you were devising in your head while reading, but there is one.]
• Mentioning WWII again, if you are interested in taking a look at a non-textbook peek into one of the many facets of this war and its impact on Poland, Germany and the Ukraine, then you must read this book.
• She utilizes all sorts of tools to research including hiring professionals as well as a former KGB agent.
  

You know, the more I read memoirs and family stories, the more I think family history should be a requirement for all those who study history at every level in schools. I have a confession. I never really liked history in school. [A shocker, I know.] But now? I can't get enough of it. [And it makes me furious how our educational system transforms our history from fascinating to uninteresting. How do they do that?] Anywho, it doesn't even have to be my family history for me to get excited about history in general anymore. I read other folks' histories and I even buy pieces of other people's histories. I can't get enough of it no matter whose history it is. Why? Because all of family history is interconnected creating a multidimensional web of history that spans not just the world, but time. We're all linked. How would our world be if we all got a little more excited about history? You know, once we learned that we all actually have some skin in this game called history? [Yeah].

Ms. Sutton does an outstanding job telling her story in her memoir, The Night Sky: A Journey from Dachau to Denver and Back, and all I can say is thank you. Oh, and read it!

It's available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com at the links below, and I have it in my 4YourFamilyStory.com Amazon Shop [where there are other books listed that I've read, plan to read, or review soon.]

So. What are you waiting for? Go get it and read it. Enjoy!

~Caroline

Disclaimer: Maria Sutton contacted me and provided me a copy of her book to read and to review. All opinions of her book are my own and are not influenced by her gifting me her book. Her memoir is an excellent read, and if it wasn't, I wouldn't have said it was. Additionally, I am an affiliate of both Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, and if you click on a link or image advertising this book on my site and buy it, I do receive a small commission for referring you.

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Hardback Cover

Kindle

Barnes & Noble