The author blends history (1867 in Canada), a mystery that is compelling to the very end, and a sense what isolation can do to someone. When motivated, it is surprising what a person can do. The lead character went to search for her missing son, who is a prime suspect for a murder in a small town. The descriptions of cold Canada and survival methods are vivid. It is the mystery that carries the reader along. ]]>
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This is again the power of one dedicated person. We can change our environment. His commitment, sense of service, and vision were inspiring. Think of one person getting the schools built in Pakistan. I still picture the young children doing math in the dirt because there was no school or regular teacher - just one person coming one day a week to educate the children. Conditions were cold and hard, but he did it. Great book. I also saw him speak in Huntington Beach and was inspired again. ]]>
This book will be one that remains in my mind for a long time. The woman from war torn Somalia related her experiences with female circumcision, male dominated society, and life as a Muslim woman. Many descriptions were hard to take, but her strength in adversity was strong. In the Netherlands, Theo Van Gogh and she made a movie that was controversial about these issues, and he was murdered when bicycling into town. She had to go undercover, and for her safety, finally left the country. At the end of the book, I felt happy I live in the US, and yet so sad for her life in Somalia, Kenya, Saudi Arabic and Brussels. ]]>
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Karen
read and liked
Staci's
review of The Power of Reading, Second Edition: Insights from the Research:
"I'm moving this book to my "read" list even though I didn't finish it completely. I'm giving it 3 stars only because it wasn't "easy reading"....unless you like to read textbooks with hundreds of cited studies. Krashen definitely...more "
"I'm moving this book to my "read" list even though I didn't finish it completely. I'm giving it 3 stars only because it wasn't "easy reading"....unless you like to read textbooks with hundreds of cited studies. Krashen definitely...more "
Karen
read and liked
Brent's
review of In Dubious Battle (Penguin Classics):
""In Dubious Battle" is a great book, one that is sure to make you angry and sad while reading it. Steinbeck does a great job of showing both sides of the labor battle, while making one side as good and the other as bad, but still showing b...more "
""In Dubious Battle" is a great book, one that is sure to make you angry and sad while reading it. Steinbeck does a great job of showing both sides of the labor battle, while making one side as good and the other as bad, but still showing b...more "
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As I was reading it, it was only oward the end that I realized the "truth" of the journal or autobiography. The index, footnotes, and re-writes made me a believer for awhile. My discussion group had varied opinions on the truth of reflections and whether the author had to tell the readers what was true or not. Did we trust the author or not. Very much like the Memoirs of a Geisha in that the author is not the person in the tale after all.
Fascinating book on other levels, such as references to the authors, artists, and people of the time. ]]>
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