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Review Date: 2/18/2018
This story is a classic for good reason. Imaginative and very funny!
Review Date: 5/8/2021
An extraordinarily intimate, thoughtful and moving account of the author's Latvian family's experiences navigating the horrors to which they were subjected during and after World War II by dueling authoritarian regimes in the Russia of Stalin and the Germany of Hitler. The author was raised in Tacoma WA by her grandmother and grandfather, who were resettled there after years in a displaced persons camp in Europe. Her grandmother's sister, brother, and mother spent years in Siberian exile before finally being allowed to return to Latvia. She captures beautifully their lives before, during and after this time of upheaval and suffering, capturing the sisters' humanity and often confused concern for each other as each struggled to know what had become of the other. Highly recommended.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
42
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
42
Review Date: 4/8/2014
Helpful Score: 1
A beautifully written account of the lives of several Annawadi slum dwellers, and of their attempts to raise their standards of living. A few do it by fair means, but most by foul. The level of corruption is astonishing, but in their eyes necessary for survival. This is not for the faint of heart, but it is a valuable look into a world few of us will ever see firsthand.
Review Date: 3/15/2014
Well written detective story!
Review Date: 11/22/2015
While the premise of this novel is intersting--what would happen if a chair made by Jesus came to light?--its execution left something to be desired. The story was awkwardly told. Colin's sense of guilt over his brother was overdrawn. The villains were cartoonish. The story had too many unbelievable elements to be truly satisfying.
Review Date: 2/15/2014
Fabulous story of the decades-long friendship between two couples. Wonderful writing.
Review Date: 10/8/2014
Helpful Score: 1
Jason Lewiss account of the first portion of his round-the-world-by-human-power adventure is what I would call compulsively readable. Intelligently written, and with plenty of hair-raising incidents, it keeps the reader fully involved and wanting to know what comes next. The author manages to make even the 111 mostly tedious, irritable days at sea intriguing. He really captures the tense, up and down nature of his relationship with his partner Steve, who, in spite of being the originator of the idea for the journey, turned out to be less adept than Jason at adapting to its rigors. Their relationship seemed real and candid. Jason also painted the picture of them as two pretty wild, devil may care young guys, which made their willingness to actually undertake their journey with inadequate funding and equipping more believable. The only thing I wished for was a slightly more seamless narrative in places, which publication with a larger publisher might have achieved. But in order to be able to tell the tale his way, Jason had to forgo the offer of a large house. That was, by and large, a good decision on his part, even though the books distribution and sales probably suffered as a result. This book deserves to be more widely known and read than it has been.
Review Date: 1/21/2020
Gritty, well-written story of a Tenmile, Montana social worker trying to save his young clients and himself. You will be picked up and carried away by this tale.
Review Date: 9/8/2011
Wonderful characters. Great look at friendship and courage and injustice. Evokes outrage and laughter. One of the best books I've read.
Review Date: 7/31/2015
Mary Slessor grew up in Scotland in the second half of the 19th century, but she always knew she wanted to be a missionary. Specifically, she wanted to be a missionary at the newly developed Presbyterian mission station at Calabar, on the west coast of Nigeria.
She did indeed become the missionary she longed to be, and she devoted the rest of her life to bringing Christianity to the native tribes of Calabar and areas upriver and inland from there. It was a long, hard-fought battle against their traditional customs, which included twin murder, the slaying of the wives and children of a deceased chief to accompany him to the afterworld, and constant tribal warfare.
Mary made a life for herself amongst these people, becoming an honored caregiver and judge. After years of showing them compassion and speaking boldly about her faith, she began to make a difference, and opened up many areas formerly closed to outside influence. Hers is an amazing story of courage and resilience in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.
She did indeed become the missionary she longed to be, and she devoted the rest of her life to bringing Christianity to the native tribes of Calabar and areas upriver and inland from there. It was a long, hard-fought battle against their traditional customs, which included twin murder, the slaying of the wives and children of a deceased chief to accompany him to the afterworld, and constant tribal warfare.
Mary made a life for herself amongst these people, becoming an honored caregiver and judge. After years of showing them compassion and speaking boldly about her faith, she began to make a difference, and opened up many areas formerly closed to outside influence. Hers is an amazing story of courage and resilience in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.
Review Date: 1/29/2020
This is the second volume of three detailing Jason Lewis' human-powered circumnavigation of the earth. A completely unlikely adventurer, Jason began his adventure wholly unprepared for the challenges he'd encounter. The story of how he rose to the occasion time after time and found a way forward where none seemed to exist is inspiring and compelling. This second book ends at a heart-stopping moment. I have the third volume on order!
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