My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner – A German against the Third Reich Book Review

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein

It is often easier to go along with the crowd rather than make a stand against what you believe is wrong. The question is, when the time comes to make that stand, do you silently go along with the crowd or are you brave enough to make that stand?

In 1930’s Germany, Friedrich Kellner was an ordinary man. Married with one child, he was a mid level government official in a small town. He also vehemently disagreed with everything The Nazis were doing in Germany. While the war raged on and a majority of the German people were easily hypnotized by the Nazis, Mr. Kellner kept a secret diary full of personal insights and news clipping, revealing his disgust and anger for everything that was going 0n around him. His diary and his experience during the war will soon be told in a new memoir, My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner – A German against the Third Reich.

Based on the diary found by Robert Scott Kellner, Mr. Kellner’s American grandson, the book is a true testament about how humanity and compassion can still exist, even when dictators rule and citizens are easily swayed to mindlessly follow what government officials are saying and doing. The publishing of the book is also quite timely, especially considering who occupies the Oval Office.

I absolutely recommend it.

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RIP Dolores O’Riordan

If you were a teenager in the mid to late 1990’s, you may have been a fan of the band, The Cranberries. Today it was announced that the band’s front woman, Dolores O’Riordan, passed away suddenly at the age of 46.

For a generation of music fans, The Cranberries represented a simpler time in life.  Their music spoke of life, love, change, and everything in between.

When nothing else helps us to get life and the sh*t that life throws at us, music is often the one thing that makes wading through the sh*t a little easier.

For reasons that are only known to our creator and heavenly parent, sometimes we don’t live to see our old age. Unfortunately, Dolores O’Riordan is one of those people. RIP.

What Would Martin Luther King Jr. Think Of America in 2018?

Every January 15th, America celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Decades after his death, he remains an icon for civil rights not just in the United States, but across the world.

Considering all that has happened in our country since his assassination nearly fifty years ago, I feel like I have ask what he would think of America in 2018?

I think he would be immensely proud that Barack Obama sat in the Oval Office for eight years. I also think he would be thrilled to see the leaps and bounds made by Americans of color since 1968.  I also think he would be angered and still marching when the murders of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner made headlines across the country.

While we still have a long way to go in terms of true equality, we would not be as far along as we are without Martin Luther King Jr.

Wherever you are, sir, RIP and thank you. Your courage helped to create the America we see today.

Victoria Series 2 Episode 1 Review

Queen Victoria has the rare distinction of being one of the few female rulers in human history. Last year, the television series Victoria (based on the book of the same name by Daisy Goodwin, who is also the series’ show runner ) hit our small screens.

Last night, the second series of Victoria premiered on PBS. The second series starts a month after the first series ended. Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) is a new mother and has been on resting since giving birth. Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) has stepped into his wife’s shoes while she recovers from bringing their daughter into the world. But Victoria is eager to get back to work and like many mothers, has to find the life/work balance that is sometimes akin to walking on a tightrope. While Victoria is trying to balance family life, her marriage and her job, Albert is trying to find his own identity outside of his marriage.

I really enjoyed last night’s episode. Not just because creator and writer Daisy Goodwin brings these real life people into our modern lives, but also because Victoria and Albert’s marriage seems so ordinary, despite their extraordinary status in society.  Like any married couple, they love each other, but they disagree quite fiercely. I also very much appreciated that Victoria’s dilemma is quite modern. She is working in a man’s world, but at the same time, she is a wife and a new mother. Any woman trying to maintain the same delicate balance will tell you that it is not easy.

I recommend it.

Victoria airs at 9PM on Sunday nights on PBS.