Thursday 13 September 2012

Book Challenge: Day 24 (pt. 2)

I said I'd think about it. It took me almost 3 months but I finally do have an answer to the following:

Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read

A good book is one that teaches the reader something important, while taking the teacher on a journey to another time and another place. Furthermore, the good book gives rise to thoughts and questions.
I read one of these books the other day. It's touching and beautiful and it makes you angry at the world for all the injustice and stupidity. And it makes you think about moral issues and life in general. Unfortunately it seems to be only available in Finnish and Swedish - therefore I can wish that more people would have access to this little book (it's so tiny it's almost a booklet) giving insight to one very little piece of human history.



In English the title of this book would be something like And I Wasn't A Prisoner. The author, Hella Wuolijoki, was a Finnish-Estonian writer, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment during the Continuation War for being a spy for the Soviet Union. During the imprisonment, she wrote a journal in which she made observations about her fellow inmates and life in prison, while commenting the war and the social situation in Finland.

Her good, friendly shadow walked upright before me, she gestured silently to me with a worker's hand: "Don't be afraid... there is no death... for those, who die for life..."     She was a Finnish working woman and she loved her country and her people, she gave her life for its liberty... carrying the name of a traitor. She walked into death singing. Her name was Martta Koskinen*.
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Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time


*Martta Koskinen was the last woman to be executed in Finland.
** The translation is mine, so you know whom to blame for all the mistakes.

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