Becoming Alice~By Alice Rene

From her window, Ilse sees the Nazi soldiers parading through her street. Ilse realizes that the Jewish are not wanted in Austria, when she and the family maid go shopping. When their band account is frozen, Ilse’s father decides they must sell some of their possessions. Her father then escapes from Austria by saying he will go gather goose feathers. Her father gets visa’s for Ilse, her mother and brother. Unfortunately the Nazi’s have shut the border and the family has to reroute their trip. When they finally arrive in Lithuania, Ilse is reunited with her father. Herr Lehmann smuggles the family over the border to Latvia. Fredi, Ilse’s brother can get a visa to America is he goes to boarding school. Their parents make him go. Ilse’s father has been trying to get visas for the rest of the family with no success. Finally the family is granted the visas. They have to travel through Kobe, Japan. Once they arrive in Kobe, they board a ship that will take the refugees to their new home in America. Ilse’s family settles in Portland, Oregon. An organization that helps the Jewish find jobs, offers to buy a grocery store for the family to run. After much consideration, Ilse’s parents agree. Later they enroll Ilse in school, which causes her much distress because she speaks no English. After living in the United States for the required five years, the family applied for citizenship. Ilse changes her name to Alice because it sounds more “American.” She hopes changing her name to Alice will make her upcoming high school years easier than her grade school. After graduating from high school, life begins to be more comfortable for her.

Many people know something about the Jewish Holocaust, but you hardly ever hear about a family who escapes by moving to the United States. It was refreshing to read a story about a Jewish family that had a relatively happy ending.

Indigo Awakening~By Dr. Janine Talty

Indigo Awakening is the story of Dr. Janine Talty’s difficult struggle with being different. This book opens with the author, Janine, telling the reader about her early school life. She was placed into special education because she couldn’t comprehend reading or math. She knew she didn’t fit with the other kids because she was more creative and imaginative. Janine expressed herself through art, because it made sense to her. She demanded to be tested for dyslexia after seeing a news report. When her parents got her tested, they found out she had an abnormally high IQ, as well as dyslexia. Her parents then transferred her to the local catholic school because the classes were smaller and Janine could get more individualized attention. Switching to the private school had helped, but she was still not sure she could even go to college. After many injurieds, Janine decided that she wanted to be a doctor. After moving to the Midwest, she started many different medical programs, until she finally settled on going to Michigan State University in Lansing. After both she and her husband finished medical school, they moved back to California. Janine’s struggles continue until she realized that she was an Indigo.

For those of you who don’t know what an “Indigo” is, Janine uses the words of Kyron in her epilogue. Indigo’s have a “feeling of royalty and a sense they deserve to be here. Their self-worth is healthily intact, and often tell their parents ‘who they are.’ They have difficulty with authority and will not do certain things such as waiting in line. They get frustrated with ritually oriented systems that don’t require creative thought. They have an innate ability to see a better way to do things. They are ‘system busters.’ They often feel misunderstood by other who are not of the same consciousness and seem antisocial unless other like them are around. They often have difficulty fitting in and school is often difficult for them socially” (311). There is also a quiz in the appendix which will help you determine if you are an Indigo.

Indigo Awakening was such a great story. It was definitely a memoir that I enjoyed. Some parts were difficult to read because of how she is treated as a young child. No one should be treated so horribly. The story is relatable to anyone, who has felt different, either because they don’t fit in or just express themselves in more creative ways. If you suspect that you or someone you know is an Indigo, this is a must read.