book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This book was just DELIGHTFUL.  Rather then a long review, here are a few reasons why I loved it.

-- The setting is a place I had never heard of (Guernsey) and now I really, really want to visit. I asked Daniel if he had heard of Guernsey, and he said of course because that is where Guernsey cows come from.  Touche.

--The whole book is written as a series of letters.  I think this approach has the potential to be very hokey and confusing, but the authors did such a wonderful job.  The letters allow the different voices of the characters to really shine.

-- Speaking of the characters, I want to be real-life best friends with them.  Basically, I want to move to this book.

--Finally, be sure to read the author's note and learn why there are two authors.  It's a touching story.

Go read!

what I am reading: the harvard classics and the autobiography of benjamin franklin

When I came across the Harvard Classics collection while browsing around the internet, I was intrigued.  This collection is a compilation of books and essays, gathered by Harvard president Dr Charles Eliot in 1909. He stated one can achieve a liberal education by reading through these books (which famously can fit on a 5 foot shelf).  As all the books are available for free kindle download from project Gutenburg, I decided to amuse myself by working my way through the set. 

The first book on the list is the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, so that is where I started (though there is no set order; I think I might group books together by time period for my own sake).  I had never read this, and really only knew the basics about Mr Franklin:  he was a big figure in colonial America, he did something with electricity and a kite, and there is a fabulous science museum in Philadelphia named after him.  Though his autobiography is a rather fascinating look at the life of a person in the 1700's in colonial America, I wondered when reading why it is included in this collection.  Most of what I would think of as the important parts of his life, such as his experiments with electricity or his contributions to the Declaration of Independence and time as the president of Pennsylvania, are not included.  I realized that perhaps Franklin's autobiography is the first book in the first volume of this collection because Franklin, incredibly, was almost entirely self-educated.  He had two years of formal education from ages 10-12.  The rest of his impressive abilities in writing, thinking, and languages (he read latin, french, italian, and spanish) came from reading.  He taught himself to write properly by reading famous poems and essays, and then rewriting them in his own words.  He learned debate skills from the Greeks.  And throughout his life, he sought knowledge by forming groups of like-minded people who spent time discussing, debating, and encouraging each others interests. 

Benjamin Franklin was lucky for his time, because he grew up in the printing industry and later became a printer, thus having access to many books.  We have such a rich resource in the internet, and really it is only laziness that keeps me from reading more classics rather then poplar fiction.  I'll take Franklin's story as inspiration to try and improve myself a little.  Anyone else want to tag along? Next up for me is John Woodman's Journal.

book review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

I’d heard a lot of positive things about this book, but for some reason it was stuck in my head that this book is about in vitro fertilization… which it is not.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks follows the life and early death of a woman named Henrietta Lacks, her unknowing contribution of some amazingly unique cells, and then the absolute explosion of scientific progress that stems from the use of these cells.  But the book is not just a rundown on scientific progress over the last 50 years.  The author immerses herself in the lives of Henrietta and her family, and does a wonderful job of revealing the many issues surrounding medical technologies, and the responsibilities or lack of towards the humans who are a source of the starting tissues.   She does not press the issues, rather she presents them and invites the reader’s thoughts.   Skloot's fair description helps the reader appreciate both sides of the debates;  her portrayal of the many struggles faced by Henrietta and her family clearly shows her empathy for their situations, and passes those feelings to the reader. At the same time, the author's excitement and wonder over discoveries such as the polio vaccine, cancer treatments, and the mapping of the human genome (all of which were made possible with Henrietta’s cells) helps the reader understand the truly pivotal role Henrietta’s cells have in modern science.   Skloot weaves the huge amount of medical breakthroughs linked to Henrietta’s cells throughout the text; which makes the enormous amount of research that went into this book quite readable.  This book is a fascinating look at the evolution of science in the last 50 years, and the parallel evolution of medical ethics.  It is also a reminder of the human facet of medical progress, and the fact that science cannot ignore people for the sake of advancement.  But at it's heart, it is a story about a woman and her family that finally is being told.  

book review: the Power of Habit

This is how much I liked The Power of Habit:  I borrowed it from the library, and I took notes.  I decided notes are not enough, so I bought a copy for myself.  I've been enthusiastically sharing this book with friends, and I'm making my husband read it.  This book melds two things that I love:  science  and translating that science into life.  

The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, is a book about habits-- what they are, how they are formed, the consequences of habits, and (most interesting to me) how you can change habits and create new ones. I came across an excerpt of this book for this online NYT article about how Target uses statistics to figure out the exact buying habits of each customer, and then predicts future buying habits.  This sounds dry, but Duhigg makes it fascinating.   It is quite eye-opening as to how much humans are creatures of habits-- Duhigg says one study found "more than 40% of actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits."   40%.  That is a lot of life to be floating through on automatic. Habits can be little things, such as always turning right when you enter a store, or more complex, such as backing your car from the driveway.  They can be harmless, such as always buying the same toothepaste, or destroy your life, such as gambling. Habits shape our individual lives, public lives, and lives in a community.  Sometimes, changing even one habit (called a keystone habit) can influence everything else we do in our lives without our conscious effort.  The point of this book is to teach us to recognize the huge impact habits have on our lives.  Duhigg emphasizes although we might not consciously perform our habits, once we learn about them, we are no longer blind and we can choose to change them.  

This book is just good. It is an interesting subject, well researched and supported by studies.  Duhigg provides fascinating case studies and examples to illustrate each point.  Most of all, it is a useful book.  I  love the last chapter, in which Duhigg provides a step by step plan to change habits, summarizing all the points throughout the book.  I am a person who loves my routines (which is not necessarily bad), but it is too easy for me to fall into familiar patterns and never try anything new or fix things that need work.  This book opened my eyes to how many things in my life have fallen into routines-- especially things such as how I interact with others, or what I do when I have free time.  I've taken notes and plan on using the methods he explains to create better habits for myself... up first-- a clean house! 

book review: Kisses from Katie

“Every day we have a choice.  We can stay nestled in our safe comfortable places…. We can let fear of something that really is small compared to the greatness of God cripple us.  Or we can take a risk, do something to help someone else, make a person smile, change someone’s world. “ (pg101)

Some books I read immediately go on my “need to reread this every year” shelf, such as Mountains beyond Mountains.  These books help clear away the cynicism and hopelessness that can come from living in a country that is very poor.  Kisses for Katie is one of those books.

At the age of 19, Katie Davis went to Uganda for what was supposed to be a year of teaching kindergarten.  Four years later, she is still there.  She has started a non-profit organization to care for her town.  She has adopted 14 (!) little girls, and cares for many more sick and needy every day.  She has arranged for the sponsorship of over 200 children, so they can go to school.  Oh, and she also feeds 1600 children every week.  And yet in the day to day it is the little things she focuses on, such as feeding one street child, visiting one sick elderly lady.  She starts with one person, and God takes it from there.

In society’s eyes, there is nothing spectacular about Katie.  She comes from a nice family, had a lot of friends in high school, but then dropped out of college after her first semester and never went back.  Her one amazing gift is her ability to love.  And that gift is changing the world around her.  Katie is an example of what an ordinary person can accomplish.  She has no huge following, no famous connections, only friends and family at home who support her and a few locals who help out.  If she can do this, anyone can.  And that is what is so wonderful, and so scary, about her story.  Scary because it makes you think hard about your own life, and how it could be different.

I have to admit was a bit disappointed in this book, for the sole reason that much of the content seemed to have been recycled from Katie’s blog (http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/).   Since I’ve been following her for a while, nothing in the book was really new.  I was looking forward to learning more about Katie and her life, such as what a normal day is to her, what kind of struggles she goes through with her 14 adopted daughters, or even some background on the area she is living in.  I think this book would be more satisfactorily approached as a reflection/ prayer book.  Katie has a gift for taking stories from her life and showing how God is working in the world, and how people can work for God.

Even though I wish the book was a bit more in depth, I still recommend it, especially if you are not familiar with Katie’s story. I also recommend her blog, which has many wonderful pictures. It is a wonderful reminder of how much one small person can help, using only determination and faith.

book review: Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

This is the story of a journalist, Joshua Foer, who spends a year making himself into a memorizing master.  He learns how to memorize long strings of random numbers, names for unknown faces in yearbooks, and the order of a whole deck of cards… in under 2 minutes.  And he uses methods of memorization that have been around since the Greeks, not some crazy system.  This is something anyone can learn, as he proves.

My first thoughts after reading this book:  If these methods have been around forever, why wasn’t I taught them in school? Why couldn’t this book have appeared  before 2 years of trying to memorize the cranial nerves in PA school?  Or better yet, when I was in high school and the first question on every history test for 3 years was a list of important dates in American history… the same list…which I consistently got wrong for three years??? Aargh.

Anyways, this book is a good introduction to some basic, accessible tricks for memorizing things (not like the clunky mnemonics that were harder for me to remember then whatever they should have helped me remember).   This is not a guide to memorization, but a window into the methods, a catalyst to learn more about the art of memorization.   I do wish he had gone a bit deeper into the methods he used in his year of training, but hopefully I will be able to find other books on the subject, because it is really fascinating!

book review: Little Princes by Conor Grennan

This book is about the experiences of Conor Grennan, a guy who mostly stumbled into his role of orphan- rescuer and family-reuniter.  Young, unmarried and relatively successful, he planned to take a year off and travel around the world.  Feeling slightly guilty about the selfishness of this,  he decides on a whim to volunteer for a month at an orphanage in Nepal.   No matter that he knows nothing about Nepal, or for that matter, children.  How hard can it be to play with kids for a month?


After his month living with the orphans, Conor finds that these children worked their way into his heart.  They have changed him.  Although he continues along with his trip, he returns after a year. While he is staying in Nepal for the second time, the story of the orphans begins to evolve.  The orphanage founders had been told the children were victims of the war, but it turns out they were victims of a child trafficker.  They are not orphans.  Years ago, their parents paid huge sums to this trafficker, who promised them he would take their children to safety and provide education.  The parents never heard from their children again.  Conor undertakes the incredible task of hiking deep into Nepal, where roads do not reach, to find these parents and tell them he has found their children.


This is such a wonderful book.   The stories of the children are a delight, and their ability to deal with their situations is incredible. Conor writes with self-effacing humor, and even though the book is about a serious situation, there were moments when I laughed out loud.  One of my favorite quotes:


"I asked, 'where is the toilet?' on my first day in Southern Humla, and was told: 'No.' I don't think I had ever gotten that response before. It shouldn't really be a yes or no question, after all."


The end of this book finds Conor not only changing the lives of his young friends, but changing the ways of a whole country.  An inspiring, wonderful book; highly recommended.

Book review: if you liked the hunger games, then you might like…

Ok, confession:  I did not like the hunger games .  I read the first one when everyone was mooning over it, didn’t like it, and never finished the trilogy (a lesson learned after suffering through all three of the Stieg Larsson books, waiting for it to get as good as people were saying it was).  I thought the plot was nothing too original, I didn’t really like the main character, and I really hated the scene near the end where mutant wolves eat some poor guy.  While he is alive. 

That said, it seems if you want to read something classified as “young adult fiction” these days, your plot choices are 1.  I’m falling in love with a highly inappropriate vampire/ fairy/ werewolf**/ substitute your myth here  or 2. My utopian society is not so utopian (and may be trying to kill me!).   I’ve recently read two much-loved-on Amazon books that fall squarely into category 2. While they are by no means classics, they are fun reads in the “Hunger Games” category. Without mutant wolves.

 **totally had to spell check that.  Not a word you type every day.

Divergent, by Victoria Roth:  In this utopian society, people are divided into groups based on their most highly favored quality (courage, selflessness, intellect, honesty or friendliness).  Each faction has a role in society; for example those in the selfless group are the law makers, those in the courageous group defend the society.  People grow up in one faction of society, but at the age of 16 they can choose which group they want to spend the rest of their lives in.  Enter Beatrice, who doesn’t quite fit into any of the categories… and therefore maybe her utopian society is trying to kill her! This is an enjoyable fast read, but at the end I was left with a lot of questions, because many aspects of the character’s world are quickly described but never elaborated.  I’m not sure if there is a sequel, perhaps if there is more answers will emerge.

The Giver, by Loius Lowry:  This book has been out for years, but I had to include it because I think it was one of the first in this genre, and also because it is really good. Society has been “perfected” by making everyone equal.  Emotions and attachments are not allowed.  The leaders of society observe each person, and select jobs, a spouse, and even children for the couple based on aptitudes and compatibilities.  In the giver, 12 year old Jonas is selected to train for a unique position in his society; that of memory keeper.  He is to receive all the memories of what the world was like before the current way of life came into being.  His world is peaceful and fair, with no pain, lies, or discontent… at least on the surface.  As Jonas receives more memories, he begins to question aspects of his life that had been accepted without thought before.  One of the best features of this book is that the reader discovers how the world has been changed right along with Jonas, as he learns more about the past through memories.   Definitely a must read book.

Matched, by Allie Condie:  


"Lying in my bed, my body and soul bruised and tired, I realized the Officials are right.  Once you want something, everything changes. Now I want everything. More and more and more. I want to pick my work position. Marry who I choose. Eat pie for breakfast and run down a real street....Go fast when I want and slow when I want. Decide which poems I want to read and which words I want to write. There is so much that I want. I feel it so much that I am water, a river of want, pooled in the shape of a girl named Cassia."


This book reminded me a lot of The Giver in the first few chapters.  Basically the society is much like that in The Giver, where the past has been erased and every person’s action (and even dreams) are monitored. Life is simple because everything is predicted and provided according to a person’s unique needs.  Meals are brought every day, specially tailored to the nutrition needs of the person, jobs are selected for a person based on their aptitudes, and a “match” is selected for people if they wish to marry.  However, underlying this perfect existence is a fear of going against the norm, because punishment can be extreme demotions in quality of life or even banishment to far off places.  Cassia is the 17 year old protagonist, and we meet her as she is about to learn the identity of her match.  Up until that point, her way of life has been unquestioned, but a mistake is made and she is shown two men who could be her match.  Though officials quickly assure her of the correct match, doubts have been sewn.  What if the other man really is her better match?  From this initial doubt, Cassia quickly begins to question many aspects of her society.  She has to choose if she will continue to live as she is told to, or if she will rebel, and face the consequences. This book is really well written, the style flows and the integration of poetry beautifully contributes to the character’s development (it turns out the author is an English teacher).  Another trait I liked is that the character’s world is well developed, with little details that make it much more a realistic, even possible, future.   Cassia’s character is interesting and dimensional.  I’m glad this book is the first of a trilogy, I will definitely be reading the rest.  

updates

The other day I bought 1 single gallon of gas, something I don’t think I’ve ever had to do before.  I only had $12BZ on me, and gas is now $11 per gallon (or about $5.50 US)!  I know gas prices are high in the states too, but when you consider a fairly good wage for the whole day is $25 US, you can understand how paying $5 for a single gallon of gas is exorbitant.   I think it’s only a matter of time before this starts causing problems here.  The cost of gas (and diesel) has risen over 100% in the last 5 years or so, but transportation fares have stayed the same. Yet  historically, whenever buses or taxis have tried to raise fares, riots have broken out… 

Daniel got a nasty case of flu which took him out of commission for the entire of last week.  Hence, I became sole animal feeder.  Only one animal died… I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my fault? I’ve got a pretty good morning and evening routine down now, but I have decided solo farming is not for me.

We got some guinea hens, because they are supposed to be tick-eaters, and I want the birds to eat the ticks before the ticks eat me.  I’m not sure why this didn’t occur to me, but guineas lay eggs every day!  And we have to do something with the eggs!  This weekend I made custard from scratch (5 egg yolks) and a white cake (5 egg whites).  We now have  4 eggs left to deal with as of this morning.  This is after we gave one dozen to my brother in law, and  I made Daniel deal with about 10 more (I think he is going to try and hatch them.  I don’t want to know what happens to them as long as they are not in my kitchen).

Daniel has killed two scorpions in our house in the last 2 weeks.  TWO. SCORPIONS.  As a result, I spend a large amount of time poking suspiciously at my shoes before I put them on.  I’m thinking of sticking to sandals for a while. 

I finished the sequel to Blackout, which is called All Clear.  The book was 645 pages long, and it would have benefited from a lot of editing.  I'm pretty sure the entire plot could have fit into about 45 pages, the rest was characters running about worrying about where the other characters had gotten to.  I only stuck with it because I wanted to know how it ended.... so not worth it.  If anyone happened to read Blackout, and wants to know how the sequel ends without trudging through it, email me and I will summarize it in 3 sentences. 

for book nerds like me...

This kinda made my day.  #4 is my favorite. Which is yours?

book review: Blackout by Connie Willis

Even though the books I've reviewed so far seem to fit a nice, educated, non-fiction category, the truth is 99% of the time I'm reading fiction.  And yes, the honor's grad in me cringes to admit it.  But I love a good story, and non-fiction can tend to be... dry.  One of my favorite types of book to read are historical fiction, because I feel like I'm learning something, even while indulging in a novel.  Not sure how true that always is, but it makes me feel better about spending 6 hours reading (wait, did I say 6 hours?  umm, I meant the minutes I scrounge between industriously cleaning and doing farm chores.)

Anyways, Blackout is historical fiction.  The book's premise is a neat concept-  time travel has been invented, and scholars use it to transport themselves back to the time they are interested in studying.  The (many) characters in this book choose different events and locations in World War 2 England.  They try to integrate themselves into daily life in order to unobtrusively study the events.   Of course, things end up going wrong.... and 500 pages later the book ends up in a major cliff hanger (huge pet peeve! but don't worry, there is a book 2).

 The details of life in wartime England are fascinating and absorbing.  The author does a wonderful job with the time traveler idea.  The characters know in theory what the "ending" will be, but they find themselves entering daily life, where people are much the same as any time period.  Even though huge events are happening all around them, the characters find themselves occupied with small everyday concerns, such as a hole in new panty hose, an annoying neighbor, or having cabbage again for supper.  The author does a wonderful job of bringing the time period alive in all the little details.  You can tell this is a very well- researched book, but the many details do not obtrude into the story, they make the story richer.

Besides the cliff hanger ending, another thing that bothered me about this book was the multitude of characters with first- person narratives, and the fact that each chapter switched characters and narratives.  While this allows the story to encompass more of what was going on in World War two England, I often found myself confused as to which character I was reading about.  The author also has the annoying habit of bringing in new characters (with first person narratives) in random chapters, leaving me trying to figure out what the heck was going on  and who was narrating. 

However, I recommend this book, especially if you need a long book for a trip or plane ride.  I don't think this is a book you can set down and then pick up a while later, because you will not be able to keep all the characters straight.  It is a long book, be ready to devote some time.  Don't be afraid of the time-travel bit, it's not a science-fictiony book.  I felt this book gave me realistic idea as to what life was like for everyday people during wartime England, and it is fascinating. 

**PS I reviewed the sequel, All Clear.

book review: the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I had heard of this book when it first was published, and ignored it as another feel- good mystic self-help book.  Is this the deepest, most profound thing I’ve read in a while? No, but it was pleasantly though provoking while being a quick read.  The author decides to dedicate a year to becoming happier.  She starts this by doing a lot of research into happiness- reading studies and books that range from Oprah to Aristotle.   Then she chooses 11 premises that should increase happiness, and tries each for a month.  At the end of the year, she decides what actions/ ideas, if any, have improved her overall happiness.

I liked that the author started with research, I think it is my scientific side.  I found the studies she quoted on happiness interesting.  The beginning of the book is strong, but eventually the author starts quoting her blog comments and the writing seems to get choppy, like she realizes she’s beaten the point to death already.  However, I would recommend reading this book.  While reading, I found some of her “rules” trite, but I noticed phrases would pop into my head whenever I was in a bad mood.  For example, one of her techniques for when you need a happiness boost is to tackle a task you have been procrastinating, which worked for me.  Another tip I appreciated (and use) is to use a bathroom when it’s available (the premise being that at least you will be a little more comfortable).   Obviously not deeply profound, but sometimes it's nice to have a little reminder about daily things that can make life a bit more pleasant.

summer changes

I made some pretty new pillows which feel really summery to me.  The flowered print one was made from a vintage pillow case, it is so cheery.  And super easy, all I did was cut the pillow case in half, and sew up two little cases.

And this is my new favorite thing:  a locker!  I begged, borrowed, and drove 6 hours to get this, and I love it.  I want to get it sandblasted eventually to get rid of the institutional tan, and leave it a nice silvery metal color.

 
What else... I read The Help, and it was the first book off Amazon's best seller list that I actually liked.  Read it, it's good.  I especially liked how the author switched between characters throughout the book, it was well done.

book reviews: summer reads

I read a lot.  Like, 2-3 books a week a lot.  The books I recommend on this blog, those are the stand-out, you-have-to-read-this books.  Since I've only written a few book reviews, it seems those kind of books don't come along very often.  A few months ago I thought it might be fun to try and read some of the books listed on Amazon as top sellers-- if thousands of people were reading them, they must be good, right?  Um, mostly no.   I thought I'd give some brief reviews on books worth reading... and also books to skip.

Books worth reading:

I'm a Stranger Here Myself- or anything else by the author Bill Bryson.  I'm a Stranger Here Myself is a collection of essays written by Bryson, a born American, after he returned to the States from a 20-year stay in Britain.  The essays are a funny look at aspects of American life that you mostly don't even think about when you are from the States.  The thing I like about Bryson's writing is that it is funny without being negative.  Other books of his that I have read and enjoyed are In a Sunburned Country, which is about his travels in Australia, and A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.  These are great summer-and-traveling reads, cause they're light reading and you can pick them up and return to reading easily. 

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and Keith Thompson- This is an imaginative story about a young girl and her adventures posing as a boy.  What makes it unique is that the story is set in an alternate- reality future, where the world is divided into those who rely on machinery as technology, and those who use huge creatures who have been created through "Darwinian" technology to function as machines.  It's kinda hard to explain, but trust me when I say it's a fun story.  The cover is what grabbed me initially, and the illustrations that are scattered through the book are unique and really add to the story.  Technically a young adults book, but not just for them.

the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan- another young-adults book series that I thought was really well written.  This series follows Percy Jackson, in a current world where Greek gods still exist and interact plenty with people.  Percy's father is a god, which automatically makes him a hero, and this series follows the adventures he has.  I loved how the greek mythology was accurate but made relevant and fun in these books.  It definitely would be an easy way to learn mythology. The books are a quick read.  I haven't finished the series yet, but so far they've all been good.

If you can't find anything better to read books:

The Company We Keep: A Husband and Wife True-Life Spy Story by Robert and Dayna Baer- when I saw this on Amazon's top buys list, I thought it sounded like a really cool story.  Real life James Bond and his wife!  However, the authors keep assuring readers that a spy's life is actually quite boring.... which leads to a fairly boring book.  There are a few neat incidents, like when Dayna is describingthe training where they are taught to throw themselves out of moving cars and how to lose a tail.  So Jason Bourne.  The rest of the book mostly details them sitting places taking pictures.  There is no central plot, no exciting chase- filled conclusion like in fiction spy books, sadly.  The intro says that the book was reviewed by the CIA, so you have to wonder if all the exciting parts were edited out....

Why are these top-selling books they were awful:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen-  Here, I'll sum up the book for you:  Enter a nice guy.  Bad things happen to a nice guy.  Guy meets a girl and falls IN LOVE.  Bad things happen to guy and girl.  Guy and girl eventually live happily ever after.  Oh, and a circus!  There, now you don't have to read the book (or watch the movie).  Things I didn't like about this book: the main character was wimpy, his girl was wimpy, and the circus was kinda boring.  The author's note said she spend a long time researching circuses for the book... I would expect some interesting characters at the least.  But no. Skip.

The Girl With a Dragon Tatoo series by Steig Larsson- this was one of those books where I read it and then asked, why in the world is this book so popular?  The writing is only so-so, the main male character is frankly unlikeable, and there are looooong, boring essays on politics.  Swedish politics.  Add in unnecessarily graphic torture scenes, and ick.  I read all three of these books, thinking that they must get better.  Nope.  I thought the main female character was interesting and unique, but not enough to carry the series when the other stuff was added in.  Skip.

Ok, any book suggestions for me?  I would love to get some recommendations!

book review: Unbroken

Unbroken is the story of Louie Zamperini, a Olympic track runner who was taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War Two.  His is an amazing story of survival, and of the strength of the human spirit.  I am not going to give details about his experiences, because when you read this book I think it is better to be in suspense about events to come. 

Hillenbrand has an amazing gift for making the time period and events come alive, bringing in statistics and facts from countless sources, and quotes from fellow veterans that seamlessly flesh out the story.  Though facts and figures and numbers are frequently cited, the writing is never dry. She does not shy away from the difficult details, which makes some areas hard to read, but as I was reading I kept thinking how important this is-- not to forget the horrors of war.  For my generation especially, war has been an almost constant background noise.   Yet it is distant; the information and coverage subject to the whims of media.  This book was valuable to me because it gave a personal understanding of the depths that men are capable of descending to during war, and of the callous way that human lives are discarded.  Some particularly striking statistics pointed out that over 30,000 US soldiers died in accidents in WW2-- non combat related deaths often caused by equipment such as planes that were known to be faulty and were used anyways.  But this is by no means a depressing book.  Hillenbrand also shows the humor and courage soldiers exhibited in what to everyone else are unimaginably horrible situations.

I definately started this book with high expectations.  Laura Hillenbrand also wrote Seabiscuit, quotes from which have been used in countless homilies here in Benque (Father Mark is a little obsessed).  Overall, I would say it was not Seabiscuit... but is still an incredibly well written book and a story that needed to be told.  And a book that should be read.

book review: The Crosswicks Journals by Madeleine L'Engle

Was Madeleine L'Engle anyone else's favorite author as a child?  A Wrinkle in Time, An Acceptable Time, And Both Were Young- I read her books over and over growing up.  Her books are not "children's books," and reached me in different ways at different times.

Madeleine's Crosswick's Journals are not fiction, but excerpts from journals she kept during her life.  There are four journals, each dealing with a period of her life.  The word that comes to mind when thinking about her writing is gentle.  These books deal with a range of things, some humorous and some heart-wrenching, but Madeleine's writing is like stories and advice from a favorite godmother, someone you ran to for help when your own life was difficult.  It is also interesting to see how people and places from her own life made it into her books.

These journals are a perfect curl-up-on-a-snow-day read.  They don't have to be read in order, or even all together, but after you read one you will want to track down the rest.

book review: Mountains Beyond Mountains

I read this book twice. In one week.  As soon as I finished it, I started over again so I could absorb it a bit more.  And I am going to buy a copy when I go home for Christmas so I can reread it on a regular basis.


So how is that for a positive book review?

This book tells the story of Dr Paul Farmer, a man currently devoting his life to making sure people the world over get health care.  And not just the basic first aid level of care many poor patients, but the same level of care that is provided for the best insured patient  in the best hospitals in the US. To quote Dr Farmer,“…the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that’s wrong with the world.”  Just because you are poor does not mean your life matters less. Having worked in health care both in poor areas in the states and in a third world country, I can tell you that this goal is considered radical, unachievable, and potentially harmful by many funding organizations and health care workers themselves. And yet Dr Farmer is acheiving this goal, small step by small step.


Though Dr Farmer's work is amazing (I had read a few of his own books on the subject before and also recommend them), what really inspired me in this book was Dr Farmer himself.  This man lives and works in the most desperate of poor nations, Haiti, and faces the  frustrations of convoluted, inefficient bureaucracy and lack of supplies and money that one sees in third world countries.  Yet he doesn't allow himself to become discouraged, or settle for less because the fight is too hard.  He treats each and every one of his patients as if they were the only, most important patient.  He treats his patients (and everyone else he interacts with) as human beings.  And the best part is he keeps his sense of humor while doing so.


Here is another quote from Dr Farmer that I think encapsulates him:
“When I was sick, when I was in prison, when I needed clothes, you gave me, et cetera. We got those covered. One thing that comes back to me, with all this cost-efficacy crap, if I saved one patient my whole life, that wouldn’t be too bad.  What did you do with your life? I saved [a baby], got a guy out of jail.  So I’m lucky. To have a chance to save a zillion of them, I dig that.” 


Read this book.  It will inspire you to be a better person.

bookworm

Lately I have been reading a lot (um actually I always read a lot... lately I have been reading even more).  And unlike the majority of time in Belize, I am actually reading some really good books (A small US college uses the cabins on the farm some semesters, and they gave me unlimited library access).  I know that I always enjoy book recommendations, so I thought I'd put a link up on my sidebar and post a little discussion about books I feel particularly strong about.

These first two books really should be read together.  I had heard of these books for a few years but never got my hands on them till now.... I wish I had read them earlier.  Both books talk about the current industrialized state of the food industry in the US.  And it really is not a pleasant picture.  Genetically modified food, terrible worker conditions, contaminated food "cleaned" with harsh chemicals.  For all people worry about eating in third world countries like Belize, at least I know mostly where my food is from, and I could watch it being processed if I so choose (our pig, for example, is going to bite the dust and live in our freezer fairly soon). I know my neighbors, and I know who does things cleanly. In a country where the average item you buy in the grocery store travels 1500 miles to get to you, there is no chance for quality control through customer knowledge.  And according to these books it doesn't seem the government is too interested in quality control as long as the big food companies keep giving them money.

Anyways, these books will provoke a lot of conversations if nothing else.  I highly recommend both.  Along with the books, we watched Food, inc.  and The Future of Food.  Daniel was so impressed with both documentaries he is showing them to all the science teachers at school and asking them to show the films to all their classes.