purple heart

Finally read a book, and unfortunately, I wasn't engaged by it.  Purple Heart is the One Book One School choice for HC, so I felt I should give it a try.  At least it was a quick read.  It deals with one boy's experiences as a soldier in Iraq and his recovery after a roadside bomb injures him.  He is awarded a purple heart but has mixed feeling about the events of the day.  I guess it is a decent teen read; however, it lacks rich characters and a layered plot.  It just felt flat.

mockingjay

I preordered this book so I received it the day it came out.  Pretty cool.  Now that school has started, finding time to read it posed a problem, but I finally found a couple days.  Loved the concept of this final book in the trilogy, but I'm not sure I like the ending.  I'm still digesting it all so I may change my mind down the road.  Overall this series of books was amazing.  Although they are young adult, it would be difficult to find an adult who wouldn't enjoy them.

the promise

This is the story of one woman's promise to send a class of first-graders to college.  While I admire all her hard work and the fact that she was successful in following through on her promise, I was bored by the book.  The writing lacked sophistication and flair, and I was thoroughly annoyed by her self-promoting.  Not one I would recommend.

the power of half

The summary of this book made me want to read it, but it ended up being a disappointment.  The writing was not engaging and I was quite annoyed with this family.  Basically, the Salwen family decides to sell their house and donate half of the profit to the Hunger Project.  They visit Ghana to see where their money will go and become a closer family in the process. 

Here are my problems with this book: 1) The family sells their 2 million dollar, 6500 square foot house to move to one half the size.  Is this really a sacrifice?  I do admire the thought behind their "project" but had a hard time reading about what a life-changing downgrade their new house was (Dan and I live in a 1150 square foot home!)  2) The family came off as holier than thou the entire book...very annoying.  The daughter was described as the perfect, do-good child.  3)  The writing was so basic to the point of boring.  Only a short section even discussed their trip to Ghana and we never ever hear about their actual project.  The entire book was about the process of trying to sell the house and deciding to which project they will donate the money.

Overall, not my favorite book...far from it!

the whale warriors

"The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a radical environmental group, is led by Paul Watson, who pursues whaling ships with his ship Farley Mowat and a crew of volunteers. Watson formed Sea Shepherd after he broke from Greenpeace, and the group is responsible for sinking eight whaling ships and ramming even more illegal fishing vessels—without loss of life. Adventure writer Peter Heller was invited to accompany Watson and crew during their 2005 campaign against the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctica, and the result is this intimate and hair-raising eco-adventure.

The Farley Mowat is armed with water cannons, a catapult (for flinging garbage), a reinforced bow for ramming, and a weapon known as the "can opener." After weeks of heavy seas, fog, iceberg dodging, and cat-and-mouse with both the whalers and with Greenpeace—there is no love lost between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace—on Christmas Day, in a Force 8 gale, the Farley finally encounters the Japanese fleet."

Loved this book!  I only wish it didn't have so many f-bombs so I could use it in class :)  Dan said there is a TV show based on Watson's campaign against whalers called Whale Wars...definitely adding it to our rental queue.

a thousand sisters

Wow, what a heart-wrenching book.  This is the story of Lisa Shannon, a woman who gives up a comfortable life to help the women of war-torn Congo, all after seeing an episode of Oprah.  I was absolutely horrified, shocked, and saddened to read about the atrocities Congolese women face every day.  What interests me most about A Thousand Sisters is that Shannon works through Women for Women International, an organization through which we sponsored a Rwandan woman.  I admire all Shannon did, and continues to do, for women without a voice.

mountains beyond mountains

I read 150 pages of this book about Paul Farmer, someone who has set out to better the lives of Haitians through his medical clinic and the organization he founded, Partners in Health.  His work to eradicate TB in Haiti is fascinating, and while I really like this book, it is too tedious for me to finish right now.  I may come back to it some day, but at this point, I am putting it down for better reads!  This is the first book I haven't finished in a long time, but I can't feel guilty about it :)

three cups of tea

"In 1993 a mountaineer named Greg Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains after a filed attempt to climb K2.  Moved by the inhabitatnts' kindness, he promised to return and build a school.  Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome.  Over the next decade Mortenson built not one but fifty-five schools - especially for girls - in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban.  His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit." 

This truly is an amazing story, proof that one man can change the lives of so many.  I really did love it; however, the details are overwhelming at times, especially for someone with little knowledge of Pakistan's history.  There were times, I admit, when I skimmed a page or two.  Also, although I admire Mortenson's achievements, I felt the book painted him in an almost God-like manner.  He came off as self-promoting in parts.  All that aside, this is a book anyone with a "humanitarian spirit" should read.  Well worth the time. 

outcasts united

Another amazing and inspiring book.  For the past two decades refugees from all over the world have been relocated in Clarkston, Georgia, a small, traditional Southern town outside of Atlanta.  Imagine the cultural clash when families from Sudan, Iraq, Congo, Afghanistan and more than 50 other countries move to a conservative town that spans one square mile.

Luma Mufleh, an Afghan woman who moved to the U.S. to attend Smith College, sees the need for a support system for these child refugees and starts a boys soccer program: The Fugees.  The program saves many boys while also witnessing the loss of others.  Luma is a coach, a mother, a mentor, a savior.  As her team manager said, "No one person can do everything, but we can all do something."  How poignant.  This book will definitely be on my class list this fall.

the boy who harnessed the wind

"William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala--crazy--but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do."

Wonderful, inspiring book.  Absolutely loved it!  This book is another step in my journey to finding great books about humanitarian efforts around the world.  I will definitely add this to the list!

eco barons

I learned a TON about environmental activism in this book by Edward Humes!  In his words, "In an era in which government has been either broke, indifferent or actively hostile to environmental causes, a band of visionaries – inventors, philanthropists, philosophers, grassroots activists, lawyers and gadflies – have been using their wealth, their energy, their celebrity, and their knowledge of the law and science to persuade, and sometimes force, this country and the world to take a new direction." 

He tells the story of these eco barons like the former CEO of Espirit who works tirelessly to protect some of the last pristine wilderness in Chile and around the world, the former CEO of Burt's Bees who invested in saving the Maine Woods, the LA pool cleaner who worked with Arnold to lower global warming, and many others who dedicated their lives to saving the planet.

I picked this up as a possible book for our freshman humanitarian research project, but it may be a bit too heady for them.  In spite of this, I'm so glad I read it!  It reaffirmed the notion that you don't need to be a billionaire (or millionaire!) to make a change.  You just need the resolve to take the first step and do more than just talk about what needs to be done.

between two worlds

While reading Half the Sky, I was drawn to an organization they mentioned: Women For Women International.  Most intriguing was the brief discussion of the founder, Zainab Salbi, a woman who spent her life in the shadow of Saddam Hussein.  Between Two Worlds is a gripping story I could not stop reading.

"Zainab Salbi was eleven years old when her father was chosen to be Saddam Hussein's personal pilot and her family's life was grafted onto his.  Her mother, the beautiful Alia, taught her daughter the skills she needed to survive.  A plastic smile.  Saying yes.  Burying in boxes in her mind the horrors she glimpsed around her.  'Learn to erase your memories,' she instructed.  'He can read eyes.'

In this richly visual memoir, Salbi describes  tyranny as she saw it - through the eyes of a privileged child, a rebellious teenager, a violated wife, and ultimately a public figure fighting to overcome the skill that once kept her alive: silence."  

everything bad is good for you

I have always said that when I have children I will not buy a gaming console, I will limit TV, and I will monitor their surfing time.  Now, after reading this book, I realize I have been saying this all for the wrong reasons.  It isn't the violence, sex, and overall lack of moral content that I should be worried about. 

According to Malcolm Gladwell (author of some of my favorites like The Tipping Point), "Steven Johnson proposes that what is making us smarter is precisely what we thought was making us dumber: popular culture."

Johnson's book argues, very convincingly might I add, that pop culture is growing more sophisticated and posing new cognitive challenges that are actually exercising our brains, not atrophying them.  I cannot believe I'm actually buying his argument but I am.  Maybe I will take my colleague's advice and rent all the seasons of Lost this summer.  Either that or start playing Grand Theft Auto :)   

life as we knew it

An asteroid collides with the moon, forcing the moon out of its orbit and closer to Earth. Tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, blizzards, and the end of life as they knew it. 

This story of one family's struggle to survive was an interesting read, but it dragged on a little too long for me.  Most annoying, though, was reaching the "end" and realizing it was the first book of a trilogy.  Ugh.  Not sure if I want to invest more time into it.  I'll have to think about it.  Reading time is precious these days.

little brother

Again.  I managed to stop reading for three weeks.  The problem lies in not picking up a new book the same day I finish one.  Once a couple days pass without selecting my next project, I become lazy and fall into the black hole of illiteracy.  For the record, I did decide on my next escape from reality, so you should see me back here shortly, not a month from now!

Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother, visited our school last month, and even though I missed his talk, I've heard great things about his writing, so I borrowed this book from my friend Kate.  A "rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion" captures it perfectly.  This is the story of a group of teenagers who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on San Francisco, decide to fight The Department of Homeland Security because they feel they, the innocent victims, are having their constitutional rights stripped.  Being treated like terrorists inspires these kids to fight back and protect the Bill of Rights.

Totally cool book.  Definitely held my interest, though a little drawn out.  I'm not a "techno-geek" but still loved the book.  Some of the tech talk can be confusing but you don't need to understand it to enjoy this read.

Check it out for free!

sold

After finishing Half the Sky yesterday, I picked up this book written by Patricia McCormick because it tells the story of one girl's nightmare as she is sold into sex slavery.  It complements what I learned in Half the Sky because it is a fictional, personal account based on the author's interviews of girls in brothels in Nepal and India. 

This book is beautifully written in almost vignette-like verse, deeply contrasting the horrifying turmoil of the young narrator's life.  It does a wonderful job of forcing the reader to acknowledge a world we try to pretend does not exist in today's world.  But it does.  And it's important to open our eyes to the atrocities that are so real to so many young women and girls.  Although Sold is a young adult book, it needs to make its way into adult literary circles as well.

half the sky

"Women hold up half the sky." - Chinese Proverb

Half the Sky, written by Pulitzer prize-winning spouses Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, will change your persective on life.  This is not just a book about women's rights, rather a book about human rights.  If you have a humanitarian bone in your body, Half the Sky will shock you, sadden you, and empower you.

Half the Sky is a "passionate call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world."  It discusses sex trafficking, honor killings, female genital cutting, maternal health, and other horrifying realties.  Realities we have escaped through our privileged Western upbringing.

If you have a mother, a sister, a daughter, a female you love, this book is a must.  If you don't have time to read it, visit Half the Sky to see what you can do to make a difference in the lives of women and girls across the globe.  I know I will no longer be able to turn a blind eye.

six months in sudan

The story of a 33-year-old doctor on assignment in Sudan through Doctors without Borders, this memoir is both shocking and touching.  I could not put the book down.  Loved, loved, loved it.

James Maskalyk originally told his story through his blog and later in this book.  The memories he retells leave a searing mark on your heart, espcially the ones of the Sudanese infants and children.  

I recommend this to anyone in search of an inspring and thought-provoking humanitarian story.  James is a beautiful writer, capturing an almost vignette style in his blog entries, which are woven throughout the book.  Truly a wonderful memoir.

Thank you to my freshman student Nicole who recommended this book to me after it changed her own outlook on life.

catching fire

Okay, so I fell off the wagon and stopped reading for a month.  I don't know what happened.  I guess life happened.  This weekend, though, we went out of town for a wedding without the boys so I actually read a book.  I finally picked up the next book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  This book is almost as engaging as the first, and I have already pre-ordered the third one to be released in August, just in time for school to start, the ultimate delay to my reading!

hunger games

I've been hearing kids talk about this book by Suzanne Collins all year, so I finally gave it a go. Loved it. I can see why it's a favorite among teens.


The Starred Review captures this book best: "Collins has written a compulsively readable blend of science fiction, survival story, unlikely romance and social commentary. Hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death."


It kept me reading late into the night (okay, that's 10:30 for me) when my bed usually wins the battle! The whole concept behind the book really makes you think about what the author is trying to say about war and our government. I can't wait to pick up the 2nd book in the trilogy, Catching Fire, but it will have to wait until I finish a book I just borrowed from my mom...

i am the messenger

By the same author as The Book Thief, this young adult book held my attention all the way. It has some poetic elements like The Book Thief but had a completely different plot that was just as engaging.

I Am the Messenger is the story of Ed Kennedy, a cab driver who appears to be going nowhere in his life, until he stops a bank robbery in progress. After the robbery, Ed's life changes as he becomes the messenger (or so he believes). He receives mysterious playing cards with clues as to people whose lives need changing. And Ed is the person for the job.

This story made me laugh, it almost made me cry, but most importantly, it made me really think about life. Cool book. Definitely worth the couple days it will take to read.

labor day

My freshmen used to read Joyce Maynard's novel The Usual Rules and I invited her to speak to them a year ago. She is a great writer, a gifted storyteller, and she has a quirky side that's quite interesting. After her visit, I read her memoir At Home in the World, which tells the story of her year-long relationship with J.D. Salinger. It was a page-turning to say the least.

So, when I received an email from Joyce Maynard this fall asking me to pick up her new book, I immediately ordered a copy. It took me a couple months to get to it but I did finally read it over the last couple days. Easy read. Bizarre storyline. Single mom and 13-year-old boy invite an escaped convict to come home with them and mom falls in love with him. It all takes place over Labor Day weekend.

I didn't love the book but didn't hate it. It just doesn't have the real substance I look for in a book. No wow factor.

the book thief

I just finished this book today. All I can say is that The Book Thief is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The best. Narrated by Death, this book is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl living with her foster family in Nazi Germany. It captures the fear of living in Germany under Hitler's reign but also the power of words and their ability to carry Leisel through her hardships.

I cannot begin to convey the beauty of this book. Provocative and haunting, you will not be able to put The Book Thief out of your thoughts. If you only read one book in 2010, it should be this one.

a thousand splendid suns

If you loved Kite Runner, you will LOVE Khaled Hosseini's next book even more. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a beautiful story about two women's struggle in war-torn Afghanistan and the way their lives are interwoven. They find strength in each other as they face the trials of life in a stifling and misogynistic country.

A boy in my freshman English class proclaimed this book is the best book he has ever read, so I had to read it. Not many 14-year-old boys speak that passionately about literature, so I knew there had to be something to it. I could not pull myself away from it. It is rich with history and draws the reader into the heartbreaking yet inspiring lives of these women and their families. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a gorgeous book. I got the newly published fall 2009 edition with amazing photos of modern-day Afghanistan and I highly recommend you pick this one up too.

the lost symbol

I'm a little embarrased to say I read this one. Davinci Code and Angels and Demons were entertaining, even though I cannot for the life of me distinguish between them in my memory. I felt kind of obliged to read Dan Brown's latest. Everyone was doing it so I guess I had to, right?

Turns out, I felt like I was reading the same book again, in spite of the completely different plot. It was entertaining but nothing you have to read. A bit twisted and disturbing at times, it keeps you interested and is a very quick read due to the ridiculously short chapters. Would be a good beach read or one to keep you entertained on the train to work each day. Other than that, not much to write home about.

blink

Blink was my third Malcolm Gladwell book (not including What the Dog Saw, the one I tossed aside after a few chapters of boredom). I loved Tipping Point and Outliers, so I thought I'd like this one too. Blink is about "the power of thinking without thinking". Sounds like something we could all use, especially when sleep-deprived and time-deprived. I can barely find time to do the laundry or hit the grocery store. A little thinking without thinking would be nice right about now.

I probably would've liked this book more had it not been my third Gladwell book in six months. They all just start to blend together, and I felt like I had read this one before. So, I highly recommend Malcolm Gladwell, just not all at once.

superfreakonommics

I was a huge fan of Freakonomics, so I dove right in when Dan gave me the sequel for Christmas. Levitt and Dubner dispel what they view as global warming myths while recommending some common sense solutions, they encourage suicide bombers to buy life insurance, and they unravel the economics of prostitution. Loved this book as much as the first, which is rare for me.

open

As some of you know, I have been a fan (from the word fanatic) of Andre Agassi since I was 13 years old. Why I have loved him has evolved over the years. As a 16-year-old, I respected his rebellious image and wicked backhand. As a 34-year-old, I now respect the grace with which he left the game. Dan and I witnessed his final match at the U.S. Open in September 2006. It brought many spectators to tears, including me.

So, when Agassi's highly-awaited memoir hit the book stores, I knew I would need more than a couple free hours. There is no way I would be able to put it down, and boy was I right.

Open is a painfully honest, oftentimes funny memoir of one of tennis's greatest players. Agassi openly discusses his hatred for tennis, his meth use, and his failed relationship with Brooke Shields. He tells of his heartbreaking years at Bolletieri Tennis Academy and the abusive relationship with his father. He also reveals some less than flattering things about other tennis legends like Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras.

Whether you're a tennis fan, or a sports fan for that matter, is not important. This is a book about life and one anyone will enjoy.