Daily Excerpt: Good Blood (Schaffer)
Excerpt from Good Blood, Edition 2 (Schaffer):
1961 (Part 1)
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein As soon as I looked into his blue eyes, every cell in my body bubbled with joy. Yes, this must be love. I am in love for the first time. His are the bluest eyes I have ever seen. They are like the deep blue of the ocean on a clear and sunny day. My mom is sitting to my left, my sister, Edna, to my right, and I am falling in love.
Ari Ben Canaan is his name. He is in charge of taking a boatload of people to Palestine. The boat, Exodus, is filled with Jewish Europeans planning to make their home in the soon to be independent State of Israel.
Unfortunately, the British authorities have detained the boat in Cyprus. They are not allowing Exodus to complete its voyage to Palestine, and Ari has to take charge. His confidence is portrayed in his thin and muscular 5’9” frame.
“We can go back, or we can go on a hunger strike,” he says, “but before we vote, we must reflect in our hearts.” I close my eyes and can hear everyone starting the most important prayer there is in the Jewish religion, the first prayer that we are taught in first grade, the Shema, the holiest prayer, the holiest song: “Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohanu Adonai Echad.” Even Jews who don’t speak Hebrew typically know these words. T he first six words of the Shema are all I can remember by heart. We learn the whole prayer, but most people typically only remember 1 Irit Schaffer the first six words. The rest of the prayer does not seem as important, especially to me, because I know about this prayer in ways no one else does, except my sister, of course. The first six words of the Shema saved my dad’s life. My eyes go back to Ari’s face on the screen. Before I know it, the credits are rolling, and Exodus has become my new favorite movie. This must be what love is, I think again, but, of course, I decide to keep that thought a secret from everyone. Love is not something I am supposed to talk about because I am only nine years old.
Book Description:
When she was a child, her father said he had "good blood" and that is why he and his wife survived and healed from the Holocaust. The author searched for the meaning and significance of her father's words over two continents and through four generations. Her journey uncovered a unique voice of wisdom revealing mysteries of the healing powers within us and the existence of light in every situation that helps us overcome and transcend any obstacle.
This book is a quest into the depth of the human spirit. It is a rich family memoir, being deeply personal, sharing joy and pain and fear and forgiveness. It encompasses the themes of life and a topic in common with every reader: complicated family relationships.
Pinnacle Book Achievement Award
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