The Courtship Review

It’s easy to look at the past with rose-colored glasses. This is especially true when it comes to love and romance. Modern dating sometimes comes off as dry or lacking that spark.

The new NBC reality dating show, The Courtship, premiered last night. The best way to explain it is Jane Austen meets The Bachelorette. Nicole Remy is our heroine. Fed up with the apps, hookup culture, etc, she “travels” back to the Regency era, hoping to meet her future husband. Joining her as her advisors are her parents, her sister, and her best friend. Vying for Nicole’s heart are sixteen suitors, each hoping to be the one.

My first thought on watching this show is how much I appreciate a man in Regency garb. It’s one of the reasons I love this period.

Fangirling aside, it is a unique twist on a genre and subgenre that we have become all too familiar with. Though the I do have two things to nitpick on. The first is Nicole’s outfits (so far). The dresses are beautiful, but they are not exactly authentic to the time. The second is a scene that I will not elaborate on for those who did not watch it. What I will say is that in Austen’s era, it would have created a major scandal.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The Courtship airs on NBC on Sunday night at 8PM.

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Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust Book Review

If we are lucky, the bond that we have with our siblings is one that is strong. In certain circumstances, it can mean the difference between life and death.

Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust, was published at the beginning of the year. Written by Joshua M. Greene and Renee Hartman, the memoir is the story of how Renee and her sister, Herta survived the Holocaust. Renee was both the ears and the voice for her family as both her parents and Herta were deaf.

Before the war, life was relatively normal. Everything changed when the girls were separated from their mother and father. With a target on their back due to their Jewish faith, their only choice was to find a safe place to hide. But they were soon caught and sent to Bergen-Belsen. With death all around them, the sisters turned to each other, hoping that would be enough to stay alive.

Told in an oral history format, this book speaks to the strength of two young girls who could have easily given up. But in turning to one another, they found the spark that allowed them to pull through and live. Though the main audience is young readers, the impact of this experience is not on an adult who might pick up this book. Though we know that both Renee and Herta survived, that journey to liberation is fraught with danger and suspense.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.