I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

I AM MALALA:  The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban – Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

 Publisher:
  Little, Brown, & Company
Release Date:
  October 8, 2013
Market:
  Secular
Genre:
–Memoir, Education
Length:
–327 pages
My Rating:
   2/5 stars

 About This Book (from Goodreads)

I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

CRITIQUE

This book has been on my To Read list for a while.  I was interested to read the story of a girl passionate about education.  What inspired her?  What gives her strength?  And even once I requested the book from my local library, it took me a bit longer to start reading it.  Regardless of which version I requested, the library kept sending me the Young Reader Edition.  Not what I was looking for.  However, in hindsight, I might have enjoyed it better had I read the Young Reader Edition. 

This is a book I probably should have quit considering all of the other books I have stacking up to be read.  It was not at all what I expected.  Where I expected a story about a teen who was an education advocate I found a book filled with Pakistani and Muslim history.  Where I wanted a focus on the person I received a focus on politics and corruption.  The beginning of Part 1 and Part 5 were probably the most personal.  The rest were not.  So the basic premises of the story ended up not being what I was interested in for this read.

Add to that the writing challenges, and I don’t think it is a book I will be recommending any time soon.  All the names and places were confusing.  Especially when she would write “The person’s name is X but I call him Y.”  That occurred regularly, and then you didn’t know which name would pop up in the future.

There was a lot of jumping back and forth from history to present day politics.  The story was missing any sort of smooth flow or running narrative.  Jumping topics occurred regularly.  Additionally, random conversations between Malala and her friends or aside comments would be inserted into the prose that had nothing to do with the current context.

Add to that the verb tense and language issues that probably are just a result of English being a second language made it a confusing book to read. 

Throughout the book I received no real sense of who Malala is as a person.  If you are looking for a memoir, this isn't it.  If you want to learn more about Pakistani history and politics, this is the book for you.

I wanted to love it; I just didn’t.

Wide-Open World: How Volunteering around the Globe Changed One Family's Lives Forever - John Marshall

Publisher:
  Random House
Release Date:
  February 10, 2015
Market:
  Secular
Genre:
–Non-Fiction, Memoir, Travel
Length:
–352 pages
My Rating:
   4/5

 

 

 About This Book (from Goodreads)

Oppressive heat, grueling bus rides, backbreaking work, and one vicious spider monkey . . . Best family vacation ever!
 
John Marshall needed a change. His twenty-year marriage was falling apart, his seventeen-year-old son was about to leave home, and his fourteen-year-old daughter was lost in cyberspace. Desperate to get out of a rut and reconnect with his family, John dreamed of a trip around the world, a chance to leave behind, if only just for a while, routines and responsibilities. He didn’t have the money for resorts or luxury tours, but he did have an idea that would make traveling the globe more affordable and more meaningful than he’d ever imagined: The family would volunteer their time and energy to others in far-flung locales.
 
Wide-Open World is the inspiring true story of the six months that changed the Marshall family forever. Once they’d made the pivotal decision to go, John and his wife, Traca, quit their jobs, pulled their kids out of school, and embarked on a journey that would take them far off the beaten path, and far out of their comfort zones.

Here is the totally engaging, bluntly honest chronicle of the Marshalls’ life-altering adventure from Central America to East Asia. It was no fairy tale. The trip offered little rest, even less relaxation, and virtually no certainty of what was to come. But it did give the Marshalls something far more valuable: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer personal fears, strengthen family bonds, and find their true selves by helping those in need. In the end, as John discovered, he and his family did not change the world. It was the world that changed them.

Critique

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley.  Honestly, when browsing NetGalley the cover looked interesting and the description sealed the deal for my request.  As I’m currently following a blog writer and her family as they travel the globe and have a long-time friend who just set off on a 6-12 month backpacking trip overseas, those things might have played a role as well.

My Expectations about This Book

I didn’t really have any expectations for this book.  And I thoroughly enjoyed what I received as a reader. 

Marshall gives a little background of his family and the interest in making a trip volunteering around the world.  It is enough to get you engaged with the family but not so much that it bogs down.  You as the reader really are off and traveling with them fairly quickly. 

The book is fast-paced and kept my attention throughout.  I enjoyed both the humorous encounters and the more serious moments as the Marshall family volunteered and traveled through Costa Rica, India, and more.  Marshall is an entertaining writer throughout.

I appreciated the epilogue at the end to tie up all the loose ends.  While it all didn’t go as I’d hoped, it is their real life. 

Kudos to the whole family to have the courage to uproot for six months and head into the great unknown.  I would like to be so brave. 

Questionable Content

There is some foul language sprinkled throughout the text. 

Pros

·         Engaging page turner
·         Easy to read
·         Marshall writes in such a way you can picture and feel yourself there

Cons

·         Some foul language
·         I wish it was longer J

Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away - June Cross

Synopsis from B&N: June Cross was born in 1954 to Norma Booth, a glamorous, aspiring white actress, and James "Stump" Cross, a well-known black comedian. Sent by her mother to be raised by black friends when she was four years old and could no longer pass as white, June was plunged into the pain and confusion of a family divided by race. This is an inspiring testimony to the endurance of love between mother and daughter, a child and her adoptive parents, and the power of community.


I actually came across this book when I was looking for another book of the same title.

I found the perspective on race interesting. I grew up an Air Force brat, in diverse environments and with diverse people surrounding me. So racism is never something I’ve really been able to grasp. I mean, 1954 wasn’t really that long ago…50ish years. Yet mixed-race children had an entirely different upbringing, according to Cross’s book.

I enjoyed the relationship between June and her “adoptive” mom. I think that Aunt Peggy loved her as she was her own. However, June always had her birth mother, Norma, in her life. And Norma had a completely different set of values. I’m sure that added to confusion in young June’s life.

The book doubled back on itself some, which led to confusion. And the prose was tedious to slog through at times.

Have a Little Faith - Mitch Albom

Book club book for August. I’ll admit it…I was not thrilled about this pick. I had read The Five People You Meet in Heaven and had not been as impressed as I felt I should have been from a NYT Bestseller. And it left me feeling a little unsettled.


So I began Have a Little Faith with trepidation. When the first chapter or two didn’t really catch me, I was really worried I might not be able to get through it. Then it picked up. It got my attention. I connected. And I ended up really enjoying it and thinking about my own faith and the faith of others.

This story begins with a request. From a rabbi to a congregation member. From “the Reb” to Mitch. A request for a eulogy. That sets Mitch Albom out on a journey to discover more about Rabbi Lewis. Which becomes a discovery of faith – the rabbi’s, Mitch’s, and others in the world. And, ultimately, Mitch discovers many things about himself.

It was a very satisfying read. Short chapters. Once it got going – it was easy to breeze through…until there was a phrase that grabbed me and caused me to stop and ponder. I enjoyed the contrast between the Jewish faith and other faiths and the concept of building a community. I learned a lot about the Jewish faith (easily done since I knew next to nothing going into it). Was reaffirmed in some of my Christian beliefs. And again felt a longing for true community.

The only thing I disagreed with is the conclusion which eludes to all religious paths leading to God and whatever is good in the hereafter.

Takeaway Quote: “And it hit me, finally, that this was the whole point of my time with the Reb and Henry: not the conclusion, but the search, the study, the journey to belief. You can’t fit the Lord in a box. But you can gather stories, tradition, wisdom, and in time, you needn’t lower the shelf; God is already nearer to thee.”

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

Okay, so I will admit up front that I read the “Young Reader’s Edition.” I actually started out reading the regular old adult edition for my book club this month. But I kept getting bogged down in details and rabbit trails and having to look back because I confused the similar names of various mountains and various people – sometimes even across categories. I really wasn’t enjoying it…as much as I had hoped I would because I’m all about education.


I also knew there was no way I’d be able to finish the book before tomorrow night. So last yesterday I picked up the YA one and finished it tonight. Conveniently, the chapters are all named the same in both books. So it was easy to pick up where I had left off in the other version. And I enjoyed it a lot more this way.

Greg Mortenson is definitely a man cut from a different cloth. Adventurous, yes. A little lost and bouncing in his younger days, for sure. But all of those things ultimately led him to discover and pursue his passion. And I have to admire that. He was not afraid of hardship. He was not afraid of hard work or inconvenience. He lived like no other (in his car, in a stinky sublet apartment, etc.) so he could do what he could to make this world a better place. I like that.

While I don’t know that I can jump onto his education is the only way to solve terrorism bandwagon, I can acknowledge that it is a huge step in the right direction.

Definitely a worthwhile read…if you read the juvenile version.

Notes Left Behind - Brooke & Keith Desserich

Elena Desserich wanted to become a teacher. But at 6, a rare form of brain cancer threatens her very survival. This book is the story of her struggle as told through journal enteries written by her parents.


Based on the title and the synopsis I read, I really thought the book would be more about the literal notes that she left behind in their home. It wasn't, even though there were some copies of those notes scattered throughout the book. The synopsis also said that the book was written for Gracie, Elena's younger sister, so that she would be able to remember Elena. I don't really see it accomplishing that goal either as the book more deals with their parents thoughts surrounding Elena, her illness, and coping.

It wasn't realy well-written. But I'm sure that my journal enteries, compiled and published, wouldn't be either.

This book did make me think about how I would handle being in the same situation. Would I do things differently? The same? And how incredibly challenging a terminal diagnosis to one's child would be.

I give kuddos to the Desserichs for being so transparent, but I don't know that this book is a recommended read.