Imagine living in a society where girls are not valued. In fact, they are property and subject to the whims of the males in their lives. Where they goImagine living in a society where girls are not valued. In fact, they are property and subject to the whims of the males in their lives. Where they go from father to husband and never have a say in what happens. This isn't a fairytale. It's a reality in Afghanistan, even after the removal of the Taliban.
When Nordberg goes to Afghanistan she expects to find out about the lives of women. What she doesn't expect to find is an underground movement of women who are posing as men. And it's something everybody knows but doesn't speak on. More commonly found in pre-pubescent girls, it has become custom to turn a girl into a boy either for running errands, helping in a shop, or to give luck that a boy will be born next. The girls are normally returned to being their birth gender before puberty starts and they are married. But there are a few exceptions.
It's hard to imagine changing yourself into a different person to be integrated in society and have freedom of movement but that is exactly what happens in Afghan culture. Whether it is for necessity to survive and get an income or because there is shame from having all girls, the reasons are varied but all widely accepted. Nordberg does a great job of showing the different personalities of the girls that have been boys for awhile and their history. It was interesting to read about how they handled the transition back (if they transitioned) and how it set them up for the rest of their lives. The different reactions of people to her was telling as well, because as a foreigner she had a lot of freedom compared to most, but was still treated differently based on her gender.
The reporting in this book was handled very well. Nordberg researched, talked to many people, and got the different sides of everything. Pretty standard, but sadly not something that happens with a lot of journalists anymore. I think the attention she paid to the leads and as in-depth as she went in her reporting was remarkable. Especially considering she was in a closed-society that doesn't encourage outsiders to make contact with women. Sure, it probably helped she was a woman herself, but it's still a difficult culture to navigate and get answers. Which makes this view pretty important. Her take of the situation, that not just women should be being helped, but the men who encourage education in women should be helped as well, is an important thought and one frequently overlooked. And the stories are engaging and well written, done in a professional way but still having a lot of detail. I could have kept reading if there was more.
I think this is a great book that shows a hidden side of Afghan culture that could be key to improving lives for women over there. I definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in women's studies or Afghan culture.
**This book was received in a Goodreads Givaway**
The Underground Girls of Kabul Copyright 2014 333 pages
So, the only thing I ever really knew about Jane Goodall was that she was the lady who worked with chimpanzees. That's it. Turns out, she has done a lSo, the only thing I ever really knew about Jane Goodall was that she was the lady who worked with chimpanzees. That's it. Turns out, she has done a lot more than that. And a lot of that had to do with plants.
From an early age, Goodall loved plants, and even had a special tree at her grandmother's house. While off fighting to save the chimpanzees she was studying the local vegetation as well. In this book there are some accounts of her own experience, but it is also a book of history and current activities in regards to the plant world and the development of world crops. She covers GMO's, plantations, poisonous plants, beneficial plants and much more. The actual book is broken into four parts. My Love For the Natural World, which is just Goodall's history with plants. Hunting, Gathering and Gardening, which talks about the different gardens and seed banks in the world and even has a special section on orchids. Uses and Abuses of Plants, which includes sections on healing, drug plants, plantations, mono-crops and GMO's. And the Way Forward which shows what is going on now to help preserve some of the different plants of the world that are rapidly becoming extinct.
Goodall is almost always polite. When faced with distasteful topics she kind of side steps around the people who are making it bad and instead focuses on those who are doing good and making differences. So nothing is scathing in this book in regards to anyone. And a lot of her personal stories are very nice too. It's easy to see she was close to her family and enjoyed spending time with her grandmother and the garden that she had.
This book covers some controversial topics. Goodall is a pretty large name and she blasts GMO's and other crop practices pretty hard. There's going to be some mad people as a result. But, since I'm anti-GMO I'm perfectly fine with what she has to say. If you don't believe the same way though, you won't be happy. You have been warned. She did bring up a bunch of topics I knew nothing about and found incredibly interesting. Like the amount of methane that is produced by rice paddies. I always thought rice was a pretty good crop, but on a large scale that doesn't appear to be the case. Just little facts like that make the book well worth reading. And the pleasant tone, despite the hard topics, makes it very engaging and easy to read.
I enjoyed this book by Goodall and because of that would probably read more of her books. She takes an interesting topic and introduces readers to all parts of it.
**This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**
The Arrow Catcher is a coming of age/karate book. And as such I think it would really appeal to teenage boys. The main character, Jonathan, goes throuThe Arrow Catcher is a coming of age/karate book. And as such I think it would really appeal to teenage boys. The main character, Jonathan, goes through some pretty traumatic stuff, yet still endures.
Jonathan is unfortunate enough to witness the death of both of his parents. Then, he is shipped off to Japan to live with his grandfather and his new Japanese wife. But instead of being taken into their home he is dropped at the gates of a local school of karate where he must gain admittance and do his best against hostile classmates.
Jonathan is strong. There's no denying that. Almost too strong actually. Considering the life events he has been through I would expect a character not quite as balanced. He seems too good to be true. The rest of the characters were a little more believable. They had flaws, and managed to combine good and bad aspects of their personalities. And everyone in this book is very intense.
I liked the concept of the book. An American boy struggling to gain a place in an esteemed school in Japan and endure physical difficulties. I wasn't as fond of the pacing. It was actually hard to keep up with how old Jonathan was because of the abrupt changes in the book. The pace moved pretty fast as well and I'd be reading about a conversation when I was suddenly thrust into a battle within the space of a page. It was disorienting. But I imagine those that enjoy reading action novels will truly enjoy this book. Because it does have a lot of action and adventure.
This is definitely for people who like karate. As said before, I'm sure this would be a book that's very popular with teenaged boys or those who like the martial arts.
**This book was received in a Goodreads Giveaway**
There's something insanely comforting about a holiday romance novel. Really. I don't know what it is but I love them, and I must not be the only one bThere's something insanely comforting about a holiday romance novel. Really. I don't know what it is but I love them, and I must not be the only one because there are quite a few out there. Who wouldn't want to get a nice mug of cocoa (spiked of course), sit by the fire, and read a lovely book? And this one fit the bill, albeit a little unconventionally at times.
After spending her credit cards to the max, Genevieve Beaumont is tricked into coming back to the States by her father who seeks to put her on a shorter leash. He wants her to fix up her grandmothers house for sale and actually start taking some responsibility for her life. However, plans go awry when she starts a bar fight over Christmas carols and ends up having to do community service with the dark, dashing, and wounded Dylan Caine. Dylan is a war vet who lost his eye and arm to a blast and has come back Hope's Crossing to live a quiet life in the mountains. So he is less than pleased when he has to do Community Service at a local charity for wounded warriors that his sister helped create. And he is even more displeased at his growing attraction to Genevieve.
These are some flawed characters. But in a realistic way. You've got your wounded war vet, who pushes people away from him thinking they won't like him since he isn't "complete." You've got your spoiled socialite who just wants to go back to France and shop her days away. And you've got your supporting cast making sure that these two fall in with each other every chance that they get. It's a good mix. I actually did like Genevieve despite her materialistic tendencies. She wanted to do good, she just seemed a little lost.
The situations were pretty realistic too. I mean, how much more realistic can community service and punishment get? No romantic meeting on mountaintops for these two. Just bar brawls. Although there was one thing that troubled me about the bar scene, and this may just be showing my ignorance of how the law works. Why is it that only Dylan and Genevieve got in trouble? The ADA was the one who made the first physical contact. I would think that they would have been charged for assault as well. But oh well, we probably didn't want to see them doing community service anyway. The writing is quite humorous. There were a couple of lines in there that made me laugh out loud. Especially the one at the front involving cookies. It's great, look for it. And there are no explicit sex scenes, but there is a lot of romance and cussing. So it's not one of your "tame" romances.
I really enjoyed this story and didn't even realize it was the sixth book in a series. Obviously it can be read as a stand alone but I think I'll enjoy seeking out the first five books.
Christmas in Snowflake Canyon Copyright 2013 362 pages
**This book was received as part of a Good Reads Giveaway**
**This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**
This was a cute book. And I think it hilarious that it's aimed towards boys but the majority of the **This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**
This was a cute book. And I think it hilarious that it's aimed towards boys but the majority of the readers thus far seem to be girls. Although it can apply to girls in some aspects. And the author even has a section on how this book relates to girl geeks.
Geeks have a hard time dating. Especially if they stay in their basements playing video games all day. Ok,so that's stereotyping, but really, this book advises those that may be more socially aware of NPC's than they are of real people. We start with the introduction, and then prepping for a date. Next is plotting how to meet someone and then the actual asking of someone on a date. Chapter 5 has how to get through the date and chapter six explains what you do depending on if it went well or not. Finally, we end with Chapter 7 which goes on to describe further dates or a breakup. It's all covered.
I love the way the author describes "Player 1" in this book. The person who wants to start dating that is. He captures all of the weaknesses and the strengths. And he tries to capture all of the different types of nerdiness there is, from comic books to video games, to just being tech savvy or a social media follower. And there's a handy dandy guide for determining which sort of geek you are.
As far as methods I think there is so good advice in here. Especially if you haven't really dated before. And while I didn't find out why even geeks don't hit on me, that's alright, I learned how they act when they're trying to ask someone out. I think the chapters are outlined well and go in a logical order. My only thing I didn't agree with was on the clothing part. The first part was alright when he was talking about normal clothes, but then he tried to say that certain characters (like Captain Kirk or Neo) are great characters to emulate for clothing. I'm not going to lie, some of those looks are just not going to get you a second date, just a weird couple of glances. Otherwise, there's some good stuff in this book.
I do need to comment on the pictures and layout of the book. It uses pixelized images and makes the book very videogameish. And everything is really colorful. So a pretty book with useful information, it should be a book single geeks should definitely check out!
The Geek's Guide to Dating Copyright 2013 204 pages
**This book was received in a Goodreads Giveaway**
I have to say, this fourth and final book in the Coffee Creek Montana series certainly improved upon**This book was received in a Goodreads Giveaway**
I have to say, this fourth and final book in the Coffee Creek Montana series certainly improved upon the third book. The characters were written better and the plot moved along better. And because it is the fourth book, it's one of those series that would be helpful to read in order. Especially because this one relies a lot on the history from the other books.
Winnie has finally returned to Coffee Creek. In Book One, we saw her on her wedding day, about to get married to Brock Lambert, when a terrible accident killed him on his way to the church. Now, almost two years later, she returns with her son (she was pregnant with Brock's child)and finds herself trying to fit in with the Lambert family despite an overbearing almost-mother-in-law. And to make things even more complicated, she has feelings for Brock's foster brother, Jackson, who feels so much guilt over the accident that he's just not prepared to have any kind of interest in Winnie.
I was glad we got to see more of Winnie in this book. She kind of just disappears in the first book and then we only have phone conversations between characters with her in the next two. And it did seem unfair that she lost her fiance and never had another chance for love within those books. Jackson is also a well written character. But I can't say I like him. But that's probably because he just isn't my type. Regardless, he has fully developed emotions in this book and is believable. The only character I didn't really like was Olive, the matriarch of the Lambert family. She's hard to get along with anyway, but she has some unexpected changes of heart in this book that are just never fully explained.
This wasn't an exciting plot. It was more angst and emotion driven. But I thought it was well done. I really wanted to see what would happen with Jackson and Winnie. And some side plots that the author had been creating in the previous books were also resolved in this one. So that provided some closure. Maybe they weren't as dramatic as I was expecting, but they were realistic. This is a romance novel, but aside from the unsnapping of a bra, they weren't descriptive. It's a tame romance novel in that regard. So if you're looking for cowboys and love stories, this is going to be in that genre.
I'm glad the series ended on a positive note. Overall it's been pretty good and since I'm partial to cowboys and Montana, I was happy to read about Coffee Creek. I also wouldn't be adverse to this not being the final book in the series.
**This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**
More of a political book than a memoir, Radical was written by Nawaz to show how he was brought into**This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**
More of a political book than a memoir, Radical was written by Nawaz to show how he was brought into the world of Islamist extremism, and why he decided to leave it and advocate for a more balanced view. It shares a good deal of knowledge on Islamism and Muslims and does have a little bit of memoir that is used to explain Nawaz's own path.
As a teenager, Nawaz experienced a lot of racism. Between that and other factors, it was no surprise when the Islamist group Hizb ut'Tahrir was a draw. Having an answer for everyone, Nawaz found somewhere to put his energy. And in joining the group he made a decision that would later see him in an Egyptian prison. But it was there that he began to question his views, and after being released, he kept discovering more views that meshed with his previous thinking. Because of this, he wen ton to start Quilliam, a foundation that wants to reverse extremism and shed light on misconceptions of both the West and Muslims.
Nawaz's journey is fascinating. He does a great job explaining his thoughts and actions and you can see why he made the choices he did. And he admits his faults and why he feels guilty, taking blame for things instead of trying to blame someone else. It's that aspect that makes this book read as authentic. I also like that he shared how the organizations worked and how they targeted people to join. It definitely helped me understand why extremists may think like they do, although it certainly doesn't explain the motivations for 100% of the people like that out there. Regardless, it's easy to see why Nawaz's current role is that of a speaker on the subject.
Because this was in a memoir form we go from Nawaz's childhood to the present day and it covers his years as a teenager in a gang of sorts, to his time in prison, to creating his foundation. I actually found the book to be a bit choppy and jumpy; so much time was spent on the first half and then it seemed like once he got out of the prison the book flew by too fast without as much detail. But really, that's my only complaint on the book. I don't normally go for political books as they operate in a realm that is not my expertise, but Nawaz made his subject matter presentable for anybody in this book. I learned that Muslim and Islamist don't mean the same thing necessarily. I learned how the Jihad is different from Hizb ut-Tahrir, and I think that that understanding is very important. Too often everything is painted with a broad brush and people, regardless of individual feelings, get swept into it just because they fit a certain characteristic. And that's part of the message Nawaz was trying to give.
I think this is a very valuable book for understanding extremism and feelings against the United States. As I said, it doesn't encompass everyone, but it does explain the motivations for a lot of people, and it has a great lesson in trying to prevent extremism and violence.
**This book was received as a GoodReads Giveaway**
I went from really loving this book, to barely liking it, back to loving it again, with no particula**This book was received as a GoodReads Giveaway**
I went from really loving this book, to barely liking it, back to loving it again, with no particular order to my moods or thoughts on it. And I think it kind of reflected the writing within. A lot of emotions all swirled together and laced with a bit of melancholy. But then, memoirs are rarely beacons of happiness so I shouldn't be surprised.
Kate Christensen group up in a family full of hippies. Pot smoking, naked parties, granola, you name it, it was there. But she remembers most of it with happiness, not counting her volatile abusive father. Her true happy memories are those of her mother, who did her best to be kind to her children. Because of the unconventional lifestyle though, her adulthood is rife with difficulties and a sense of wandering. Absorbed in food, alcohol, sex and other fleeting pleasures, she can't seem to grasp what she wants, but has a moderately good time figuring it out.
I like Kate, she's not shy about listing out her faults and her good points and readily admits her mistakes. She's brash and loud and unapologetic about it. And she admits that she wished for a lot of things to be different, which I think we all do. For the beginning of the book she makes her mother seem perfect and while I'm sure she's a good lady, I somehow doubt she was as perfect as Kate made her out to be. But towards the end of the book she finds more fault with her mom and it seems more realistic. Nobody is perfect. And her dad, well, it sounds as it if it was a good thing he wasn't around very much. Her sisters we hear more about in the beginning than throughout the rest of the book and it sounds as if they had pretty interesting lives as well. It would have been nice to hear more about them.
Kate led an interesting life, that's for sure. She did more in her first twenty-seven years of life than I did and I have to admit I'm a bit jealous. Sure, she had a lot of bad thrown in there too, but she lived. But it took her awhile to settle down too and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. Her writing has a nice flowery, but not too detailed feel to it. And her descriptions of food were absolutely wonderful. They were my favorite part of the book. Every time I felt myself feeling a little fed up at her alcohol binges, her descriptions of meals always drew me right back in again.
An interesting memoir, and not as food centered as I thought it would be, but still an engrossing read. If you're a memoir reader, this is a good one to pick up.
**This book was received as a part of the GoodReads Giveaways program**
This book covers some fascinating and horrifying subject matter. And it express**This book was received as a part of the GoodReads Giveaways program**
This book covers some fascinating and horrifying subject matter. And it expresses many themes that are well thought out and poignant. But the writing is only so-so and I didn't appreciate the book near as much as I wanted to.
Ichmad Hamid is a young boy when his father is thrown into prison and he must quit school to work to support his mother and siblings. He is gifted in math and sciences though, and a local teacher volunteers to tutor him so that he can maybe one day achieve great things. But with his heritage being against him and war between Israel and Palestine making tensions high, it seems an impossible dream. Even within his family there is much dispute over how Ichmad should run his life.
Ichmad doesn't really have a lot of personality. Sure he struggles a lot and has a number of atrocities heaped upon his family and him, but it was hard to care about him in a sense because he didn't really have depth. There were flashes of personality once in awhile, but not enough to make him feel real, even if what was happening to him was realistic. His brother Abbas, was actually a little more fleshed out in character I think, and his father was quite wonderful. But they were not the main characters in this story so we didn't get to see that much development in them. His sisters and mother were barely mentioned at all except for his mother being a source of consternation against his life choices.
The plot and the themes of this book were very sad and very real. And there was a lot of violence and description in this book, starting from nearly the first page. And this actually was at odds with the writing level of the book. The writing level seemed that it was aimed at middle schoolers rather than adults, but the subject matter was too heavy for that age level I think. It might just be a lack of polish, but it almost seemed as if the writing was purposely made simplistic. Add in the numerous math problems found throughout the book and it seemed as if it were designed to teach children, because adding the math otherwise was simply extra detail that didn't add anything to the story or even move it along. When there wasn't a bunch of math and science explanations, the pace was all over the place. It would just from day to day or year to year without much of a break in between or no set timeline. Despite that though, the story worked in that way and it was nice to see how Ichmad grew and how his thoughts changed.
If you're willing to slog through the math and somewhat simplified writing this is a decent book on the Palestine/Israel conflict even if it is fiction. Though it weighs heavily towards the Palestine side of things, it does offer some unbiased views of the conflict and the fact that working together towards peace would be the best route for everyone to take, regardless of their background.
*This review is based off of a Free Advanced Reader's Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program.
This was the first work I've read by Li*This review is based off of a Free Advanced Reader's Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program.
This was the first work I've read by Linda Lael Miller so I don't know much about the other books by her, other than they're all related in some way. So I guess I missed out on a lot of background, which is ok, I still was able to understand most of what was going on in this book (it is the first of ITS series after all). I thought, as far as romances go, that it was average. There were some good parts but there were also many flaws that I found as well.
Steven Creed has become the newly adopted father of his dead friend's son. Sensing that his high powered life isn't a good fit for the boy, he buys a run down old ranch in Stone Creek and sets up a pro-bono defense lawyer's shop there. He and his son Matt are adjusting well, especially when he gets the chance to scope out local prosecutor, Melissa. Melissa too is instantly drawn to the new cowboy in town but she has a lot of other things on her plate as well. She is the parade committee chairman this year (it accompanies their annual rodeo) and someone she put in jail has just been released and has come back to town. She just doesn't have time for romance, and even if she did, she wouldn't want to risk getting attached again anyway.
The characters in this book were only half developed. We knew a little bit about them but not really enough to ever know what their motivations were in this book. I didn't see what the attraction was (aside from looks) between Melissa and Steven. Matt was cute but he was kind of just an add-in to say quippy little lines and throw the two together. All the other side characters had their roles, and I actually thought they were written better than the main characters.
As far as plot goes I suppose this is what could go on in a small town, but some of it felt contrived and rushed, especially towards the end. I did like the concept of a high powered lawyer going rancher, but then since he decides to work full time as a pro-bono lawyer, it took that away. Miller's writing is full of references to current pop culture as well. Maybe its just me, but I'm not a big fan of this, it ages the book too quickly and makes it less relevant for later times (references to the show The Bachelor in here as an example). There are also a couple of sex scenes so this book may not be appropriate for those who aren't fans of reading about this aspect of romance. I know it sounds like I'm throwing out a lot of negatives, but this book did end up entertaining me. I don't ask a lot from the romances I read, they are just brain candy, and a good way to settle down and relax. Which I was able to do with this book.
I just don't think this is one of the better formulated romances out there, but as said before I was entertained. I'll probably take a look at some of her other works as well just to learn about the widespread families that are mentioned in this book and are the main characters of her others.
A Creed In Stone Creek Copyright 2011 384 pages...more
*Please note that this book was received as a free Advanced Readers Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program*
I have mixed feelings on *Please note that this book was received as a free Advanced Readers Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program*
I have mixed feelings on this book. When reading the synopsis I expected funny stories of different people that came through the writer's line. And there is that, but there's some other stuff too that I wasn't as taken with.
In this book, Sam ranges all over the job of a supermarket cashier. From uniforms to early birds and all other types of customers, she covers everything there is to know about the job. Some of the stories are just plainly told, while others are set up in a dialogue format. She weighs in on bosses and Bargain Hunters (coupon people).
Since it is a collection of stories, as said before I expected just funny dialogues, much like you see on the spoof online sites out there. She does this, but it's a smaller part of the book. She gives other things a lot more detail, like uniforms. Honestly I thought she was overly snarky on the uniform descriptions. She may have been going for funny, but it sounded more sour. This same feeling holds true for her thoughts on asking "Are you open?" The snarky reply to that "I'm not, but my register is." And this is only done because she feels it is rude to equate the cashier with the machine. As a linguist this doesn't win with me and instead of feeling sympathetic towards the plights of cashiers in this book, instances like this make me roll my eyes (and that's coming from someone who was a cashier for years). I also felt sorry for the poor Bargain Hunters (coupon deals and such) that she chose to make fun of. They get her scorn but she doesn't know why they might be trying to save a buck.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that a good portion of the writing left a bad taste in my mouth. I tried desperately to enjoy it but there was just so much that wasn't funny in the book that it was hard to enjoy the good parts. And there were good parts. Her drunken customer descriptions and the late nighters stories were good. She can definitely write well it's just the tone I think needs work.
I would probably give this book a 2.5. I almost gave it a two but there was a good portion of the book I enjoyed. I just wish she had found a way to be funny without being cruel to certain types of people.
**Please note, this book was obtained as a free Advanced Reader's Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program***
Words in the Dust was a v**Please note, this book was obtained as a free Advanced Reader's Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program***
Words in the Dust was a very interesting story. It wasn't the easiest of reads, due to its subject matter, but there was a lot of detail put into this novel. Trent Reedy, the author, actually intended this book for children, but I think adults could take something from it as well.
Zulaikha is a young girl growing up after the end of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. She's not like other girls in her area however. Sure she wears the same clothes, eats the same food, and helps in her family's home like any other girl, but she is disfigured and this causes her great torment among the other kids and sometimes even her own family. Born with a cleft lip she has been raised mostly be her father's second wife after her mother was killed by the Taliban for having books. She has several brothers and one older sister who she adores. It is during this time that her sister is betrothed to marriage and everything starts happening quickly. Americans arrive in her town and they discover her and want to help her with surgery that will repair her lip. She also meets an old friend of her mother's who begins to teach her to read and write in secret and offers her a chance at school. Several set backs happen though and it seems as though Zulaikha will not find happiness easily nor have her lip fixed easily as well.
As the characters are somewhat based on real people (according to the author's notes) they don't actually have a lot of depth to them. We see them all through Zulaikha's eyes but still don't get an overall sense of them. This is especially noticeable when Malehkah, her father's second wife, completely changes personality at the end of the novel. One could argue that it was Zulaikha growing and seeing her different, but that is not easily readable from the book, especially since its geared towards children. Her father is an enigma and I wasn't sure what to think about him. Zulaikha herself we get to experience a whole range of emotions with but I never felt truly connected to her as a character.
The writing is well enough done. It is in the first person from Zulaikha's view so everything we experience is through her eyes and her thoughts. And she is very conflicting at times with what she feels towards certain people. I think the author did a good job of removing himself from being an American soldier to seeing the world through an Afghani girls eyes. The only flaw I would really find with the writing is that it seemed rushed. There were a lot of things that happened and to me, it didn't cohesively come together and made the story a bit choppy with the different things that were happening. I think that might be why I had such a hard time finding empathy with this book; all the right emotions were there, they just weren't expressed fully. Another note would be, that while this was geared for kids, there is some hard stuff for them in here including violence and just the culture itself might be hard for a child to understand. Please don't think I'm saying they shouldn't read the book, but rather that a parent should be there to answer any questions that may come up in the reading.
I did enjoy the book and think that its a well done piece of fiction. It seems mostly believable and gives reader's a different view of what has gone on in Afghanistan aside from all the horrible things shown about its people on the news.
Words in the Dust Copyright 2011 268 pages + glossary and pronunciation guide
***Please note: This book was received as a free ARC copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program***
This book was entirely charming and de***Please note: This book was received as a free ARC copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program***
This book was entirely charming and definitely one of those feel good types of books. While its probably not a classic or masterpiece, in its own way its just as good as any of those types of books. Maybe I'm biased because I love food and heartwarming stories, but I think this book rates five stars easily. For those not familiar with Friendship Bread, it is a fermented starter that is lovingly cared for for 10 days, and then split into four with the owner keeping one to bake and three to give away and keep the starter circulating. If you've ever been the recipient of a starter you know it makes awesome bread, but gets a bit overwhelming at times.
There are many characters and happenings in this book but one thing remains solid; friendship bread is the primary character in this novel. From Julia, who has been in a deep depression ever since her son died to Hannah, a talented cellist who is going through a separation with her husband, friendship bread changes the outlook of each of these women and helps them be strong on their own. They find solace in each other and at Madeline's tea shop, where the kindly Madeline plys them with baked goods and friendship. There is also Edie, who is desperately wanting to report on a good story and who is lukewarm on accepting advances of friendship from Livvy (who happens to be Julia's estranged sister). There are several other characters short stories as well in the novel that are used to show how the friendship bread starter is being passed around town. While the story has much to do about delicious food and the bread itself, it is more wrapped around the people that make the small town so unique.
The characters in this book are wonderfully and all delightfully real. They have their flaws and make mistakes, but they strive to work through them. They just seem very human in a wonderful sort of way. I especially was enchanted with Madeline, the owner of the tea shop, because she seemed like someone I would be friends with and real life and she could cook some fabulous sounding dishes.
The writing was good. I'm not a fan of the tense Gee used but after awhile I was able to ignore it and really get into the story. In fact, I could barely put the book down I enjoyed it so much. It is an easy story to read and filled with emotion, friendship and love. There's nothing offensive in the writing and any age groups would be fine for this novel. The pace is done well in addition and I was glad to see that Gee included an epilogue for the readers to follow up on the story and characters. It was a pleasant surprise.
I'm very pleased that I got a chance to read this book. I would definitely read other books by Gee and will be on the lookout for more works from her. I highly recommend this book; especially to those who love food and cooking books.
Friendship Bread Copyright 2011 363 pages + recipes and tips
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