“Until such time as we are free, everything we do will have a price.”
White Rose by Amy Ephron
Published by Ballantine Books
Genre: Historical Fiction?
Pages: 288
Synopsis
Based on a true story, set in 1897 Cuba. White Rose tells the story of the past when yellow journalism was prevalent throughout the United States. The New York Journal sent Karl Decker into Cuba to rescue Evagelina Cisneros from jail. Cuba, at the time, was still under Spanish rule and many Cubans were apart of a rebellious group. Cisneros was one of the many arrested and thus begins our story.
The Review
I’ll be honest. The story was a bit disappointing. I read A Cup of Tea by Ephron and I was hoping this book would be just as amazing, but it fell short (just a little). It is still as exciting. I didn’t realized that the story was real until halfway through the book. It must have been difficult taking factual events and adding fictional qualities to it without compromising the true story.
There are several things that make this book good. For one, I am an absolute fan of the short chapters. The reader doesn’t have to wait a long time to get to a stopping point if something comes up while reading. Not only that, but the pacing is nice too. I think it comes from the author’s background as a screenwriter. And I love that the story is never boring and there is always something going on.
The Worst
My least favorite part was probably my lack of connection with the characters. I’m not sure why, but I felt like I was an outsider looking in and watching everything unfold. One of my favorite things about reading is getting into the story, becoming friends or enemies with the characters, feeling what they are feeling, experiencing what they are experiencing. I’m not sure if it was because it was a factual story or if it was because it was such a quick read, but I felt a disconnection.
History
Like I said before, this story is based on a true story. It is said that the US pressured Spain to release Cisneros, but they refused. This was in the time of yellow journalism (which is now similar to what we call clickbait), aka engaging headlines with little to no facts, but also where the newspaper created the stories. So the New York Journal sent Decker undercover to break her out. This event was one of the causes of the Spanish-American War in 1898.
After Thoughts/Recommendations
If I was teaching a history class or a Communications class, I might suggest this book to be read. History because this story is the beginning of the Spanish American War. Also I think my high school self would appreciate the short story/chapters. Plus history is hard for me to grasp with too many dates and people to remember, but I now can remember when and what cause the war.
As far as communications go, when I was in college I took an Intro to Communications course where we talked about yellow journalism. Even though I remembered what it was, this book may be helpful to others. I would probably have it as a suggested reading in a higher level History of Journalism class. Overall, I think it’s nice to have a book to reinforce what you’re trying to teach. I would also recommend this book to history buffs and people who like fast-paced stories.
Best Quotes
“We, in America, try to explain everything in terms of ourselves.”
“Today’s problems are tomorrow’s accomplishments.”
“If you live one day at a time and take things just in the order they are given to you, without trying to get ahead of yourself, then all things are possible.”
“Until such time as we are free, everything we do will have a price.”
“In battle you have a second to react and only a half-a-second to decide not to react.”
“Sometimes one’s friends are more aware of our action’s than we are ourselves.”
“No apologies, no regrets.”
Book to Life Connection
As a person who loves to read or watch shows, but rarely has the funds for travel, I like to spend time taking adventures through those avenues. So after or while, I am reading a book or watching a show. I find things that I don’t know much about or haven’t tried and I do them. The following are some things from this book that I am interested in learning more about and I will do them, share them, or whatever it may be.
Una Rosa Blanca
Make a pretzel cuban cigar
Mix a Sloe Gin Fizz
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