Joyce Rambert

Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste:The Origins of Our Discontents is a gift to the world because it is a well researched, well written, thorough analysis of three different artificial but accepted caste systems originating in India, Nazi Germany, and the United states that have caused death and tremendous pain to thousands of human beings. I especially appreciated her sharing how the US influenced the Nazis in creating their caste system and how Germany has accepted the truth of what the Nazis did and made attonement, whereas Americans have been unwilling to look at the problem honestly and make amends to African Americans who continue to suffer under this brutal caste system because of the ignorance of those who have been artificially given a higher caste. She goes on to say Germany does not celebrate the Nazis or heroes that fought for the Nazi cause. However, she omits the fact that America's celebration of rocket scientists from Nazi Germany has absolved them and led to Germany naming a street after their leader.

Julia Donaldson's "The Gruffalo" is a wonderful book that I might buy for my grandchildren. It has such a clever plot that teaches children to think, and it has great rhymes and great vocabulary.