The House by the Dvina: A Russian Childhood by
Eugenie Fraser -- an interesting account of life in Archangel through
the eyes of a girl growing up there with her Scottish mother, Russian
father and extended family. Bridget recommended this book and I got it
for my birthday off my Amazon Wishlist.
Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by
Anderson Cooper -- I've seen this one at my local library and finally
decided to read it. I enjoyed reading more about his personal life as
he told stories from various troubled spots around the globe. I often find it interesting how people talk about the Biblical stories and creeds within their own cultural context. For instance I was reading this morning ...
"The cultural relativity of biblical and creedal language struck me with considerable force when I was in South Africa on a lecture trip a few years ago, soon after the official end of apartheid, My schedule including lecturing at a black theological seminary, an interesting learning experience. On the drive back to Pretoria with my white host, I was told that the black church was being encouraged to develop its own creed. The reason? Because the status of "only son" was not a very high status in that particular black culture. One has no access to an "only son"; he is socially isolated. A much higher status was that of "oldest brother." Thus, if one were to speak of Jesus with the highest status known in that culture, one would speak of him as "our oldest brother" and not as an "only son." (p. 154)
The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings -- I know a lot of people who homeschool their children including my sister. I saw
this book on the new books shelf at my library and it was an
entertaining and informative read. Although the author's version of
homeschooling seems quite different from what I'm used to here in North
Carolina, I really appreciated seeing how "we" looked through her Los
Angeles eyes. My sister said she read this book awhile back and enjoyed
it as well.
The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by
Josh Hanagarne -- I stopped by the library the other day and saw this
on the new books shelf. I glanced at it and decided to check it out.
Apparently this guy has a blog, but I've never heard of him before.
Still, it was a good way to learn more about Tourette's (I have an
online friend whose daughter has this) and how this syndrome affected
this guy's life. Also, he grew up Mormon so I appreciated that aspect as
his faith was mentioned often in this book. I enjoyed the anecdotes
from the library as he works at the Salt Lake City Public Library which
sounds massive compared to the small branches in my own county.
A Comrade Lost and Found: A Beijing Story
by Jan Wong -- The author, a Chinese-Canadian journalist travels with
her husband and teenaged boys for a month-long stay in China. The
author has a special reason for the trip: she wants to find a young
woman she betrayed three decades prior. I enjoyed this book - a great
way to learn tidbits about China through the eyes of a former Maoist.
It's interesting to see how drastically this country has changed, and
what shocked the author about this country's changes. How former
dedicated Maoists, for instance, lived such luxurious lives. Lots of
interesting tips about life in Beijing as well.
The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen
-- A memoir of an Amerasian man who grew up as a despised "half breed"
in Vietnam, but later was able to come to America. The author tells of
his growing up years - the privileged life he lead until the fall of
Saigon and how drastically things changed for them as the years went
by. I read books like this wondering why I ever complain about anything
because, truly, some people in this world have horrible lives. He
closes the book saying, "as dark as my memoir may be, it is not unique
by any means. It's estimated that more than fifty thousand Amerasian
children shared my fate, or worse. Their stories were all too common
ones of terror and repression, abuse and neglect, strength, and
ultimately - for the lucky ones - survival. I kept writing in hopes that
these innocent victims' lost childhoods might finally be mourned, and
their buried secrets at last revealed." (pg. 343)
