Sunday 26 January 2020

Holes in my comfort blanket

I don't usually take the news as a blog theme but I'm feeling unsettled. There are holes in my comfort blanket. Major news items happen to other people - right? Except this week it feels different, what with, the Coronavirus outbreak, a citizens' climate crisis assembly, Holocaust Memorial Day, antisemitism and the impending Brexit.

Coronavirus could threaten us all. A friend arrived back from China on Tuesday. We spent time together on Friday, joked about face masks, but really - I mean really, it is not a joke and it could have an even more drastic effect on the world than the flu epidemic of 1919. The virus could already be in my house. My daughter works at a University that has a large number of Chinese students, some from the worst hit provinces. The virus could already be in her house too.

I won't bang on about the climate crisis because there has been so much about it in the media this month that there's a risk of us developing 'news fatigue' but when I read that David Attenborough is coming to the Midlands to talk at a major citizens' assembly I did a double take, muttered an expletive or two, and declared to myself that it is time I did more to help the world than merely reusing shopping bags.

Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, since the world was stunned by unbelievably horrific images in the news. Those events have formed an uncomfortable backdrop to my entire life. Had the Holocaust never happened the community in which I grew up, and am still a part of, would have been very different. I have lived surrounded by immigrants and refugees. The German refugees, those who came on the kindertransport, lost everything. They rarely talked about it but the pain was always there, like a cloud choking their aura. I remember one of Mum's friends who fell silent whenever Mum mentioned her cousins. I remember my Sunday School teacher with his number tattooed on his arm. He never stoped talking about it. I must have been about seven and would come home on Sundays with an ache in my heart.

In spite of the above, I am having to include antisemitism as one of this week's disturbing news items. There is no denying that it is still with us. What is wrong with human beings? Why are we hardwired to hate? The issues of antisemitism in the Labour Party are yet again in the news as the Party campaigns for a new leader and in today's paper there's a plea from World Jewish Congress leaders to halt antisemitism. I keep asking myself what Mum would think about all this, even though I know the answer. She would be shocked and horrified, and so am I.

Which brings me to the final news item, Brexit. This time next week we will no longer be part of the EU. The papers have published photographs of a commemorative 50p coin that will be issued on Friday, but can we abide by the motto engraved on it:
Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations (inspired by Jefferson's first inaugural address). 
I only hope that this hand of friendship is extended to immigrants and refugees living within our borders, and to all descendants of immigrants and refugees, because I certainly fall into that category and I rather suspect that, if we delve back far enough, so do we all.

Chancellor Sajid Javid with the commemorative 50p coin



Friday 17 January 2020

An Amazon Moan

Amazon exasperates me. This morning I decided to update by Amazon Author Page and was shocked to see that they have my Jewish Voices book for sale at £61. This is a complimentary book. It says as much on the back cover. The printing of the books was paid for the Heritage Fund UK. How can anyone possibly be expected to pay £61 for a free book?

I also noted that they don't mention the paperback version of The Children's Book of Richard III. The hardback copies have completely sold out which means that anyone visiting Amazon to get a new copy of my book, rather than a used copy, can't get one. I don't know what Amazon's rules are but I have stated as much in my author profile blurb. Here is what I said:

...Rosalind's 'Children's Book of Richard III' is selling so well that it has now gone into paperback. The paperback does not seem to be available on this site but has proved to be a best seller in the Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester's Museum shops, the Bosworth Battlefield shop and can be purchased from the author herself...

I wonder if they will object. Incidentally, I now have a supply of books to sell at events etc so if you would like a copy, seeing as you're my blog friend, I'll let you have a signed copy for £8. Just comment below.

This is the link to my Amazon author page. If you've got a browsing minute perhaps you could have a look and let me know if I've missed anything or if anything needs updating.