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.