Welcome to Litsy!

So far the story is developing slowly!

A couple of quotes to give you the feel of the book:
“Sometimes you took over one of the guard posts, checked your watch an hour later, and found that 5 minutes had passed.”

“The army gave outposts pretty names like Basil, Crocus, Cypress and Red Pepper. This reflects a floral preoccupation in our military which in naming things generally avoids names like Hellfire and Apache...”

And explains the title: flowers is the army code name for wounded.

This is a memoir of the author‘s experiences as a young Israeli soldier serving at a forward outpost named “Pumpkin” in southern Lebanon in the 1990s. The stories of several other soldiers are also told, as well as the history of “The Mother‘s Movement,” which led to Israel‘s withdrawal of forces from Lebanon. The final section relates the author‘s experience visiting Lebanon years later, using his dual Canadian passport. Con‘t below:

My Mother‘s Day flowers—lilies, which I believe are a symbol of peace. Having just finished 2 books relating to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, #Pumpkinflowers (NF) and #DinnerAtTheCenterOfTheWorld (F), I have been thinking about this part of the world a lot. How I wish peace was possible.

Hope to review these soon—one a pick,one maybe not.

Checked out 10 books from the library, several of which I‘ve put on my To Read list since joining Litsy. Way behind on reporting, books finished—hope to have some time to report tomorrow. Finished #ThePerfectStorm last night. Scarey. What to choose next?

#Aprella FACT:I‘m a crier😥so today I‘m overly emotional as Israel honors the memory of all who died either serving in the IDF or were murdered by acts of terror. In a small country EVERYONE has someone they knew who has sacrificed their lives so others can live here. Every grave has an honor guard today who memorializes the soul who gave their life. My son volunteered to stand in front of a lone solider‘s grave. The tagged memoir #KeptMeCrying

I saw this title on the NYTimes 100 notable books list, and I love memoirs so I decided to check it out. It is a super interesting read on a subject that I don't have knowledge about. Definitely makes me want to seek out more about the area, culture, conflict etc. from both soles of the war of course!

#readharder

Thought provoking and insightful. Beautifully written with humor, humility& honesty. I have tremendous respect to our young men & women who are willing to give their life to protect ours🙌🏻

In honor of all who serve and especially those who gave their lives..."fast and engaging… A compelling war memoir containing elements of terror, observation, boredom, and grim (at times absurd) humor. This is an excellent read…” —Library Journal, starred review