Little Bee by Chris Cleave

From the back cover: We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again...the story starts there.
Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

First line: Most days I wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl.

My thoughts: First off, that blurb interested me in the book but it, the story, was not magical. It was sad and tragic. Little Bee is the story of a 16 year old Nigerian girl who escapes from her home land after her family was killed and her village was destroyed for the convince of oil companies. I loved the voice of Little Bee and loved following her thought process in her chapters. I grew to truly care about her and her circumstances. Little Bee's chapters alternated with the other main character's chapters as the story of their relationship is related. The other is Sarah, an English journalist and suburban mom. They meet on a beach in Nigeria under horrific circumstances and then two years later they meet again in England. The only light moments were provided by 4 year old Charlie and his insistance that he is Batman fighting baddies. Cute. I did not like the ending, at all. I think it was meant to be left open but after reading the whole thing I know what would happen next.

This story opened my eyes to tragic happenings in our world. If you are looking for a light read, this is not it. I found it an uncomfortable read (as only human rights violations can be,) with an important story to tell. I do recommend it.

Rating:




Quote: "I smiled back at Charlie and I knew that the hopes of this whole human world could fit inside one soul. This is a good trick. This is called, globalisation."

“I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived.”

Links:
At wikipedia
NY Times Review (scroll down)
First Chapter
The issues
Chris Cleave

Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

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I loved this book as much as I have love all the others in the series.

As usual we get a glimpse of Mma Ramotswe's gentle life in Botswana as she sets out to do what she does best--help people with their problems and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Mma Ramotswe must find a family for a woman who just found out that she was adopted. She found this out when her adoptive mother died so she doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her family are now living. Mma Makutsi's fiance, Phuti Radiphuti, buys her a beautiful new bed. Unfortunately, she is a bit careless and causes herself trouble. The name of the story comes from the business owned by Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe's husband. He swindled by a doctor who promised a miracle cure for his daughter, who can not walk. Mma Ramotswe finds this hard to believe. One more problem is that some one leaves threatning letters. But she deals with these difficulties with her usual grace and good humor, and in the end the miracles that occur at Speedy Motors are small but heart warming ones.

If you haven't read this series I think you would love it!

5

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." - From To Kill A Mockingbird


You've probably already read this book. It is another of my all time favorites, and I will read it again. I love that it was told through the eyes of a child, Scout. It gives it an innocent authority that touches your heart. If you haven't read it try it. If you had to read it years ago for a class assignment try it again. I have found that as an older person, I appreciate the story and Lee's writing much more than I did years ago. 5

The Grapes of Wrath

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I can't believe I got to be this old before I read this book. You've probably already read it and if you haven't you should.

It was set during the great depression and followed one family, the Joads, as they were driven out of their home and driven west seeking work, along with thousands of other families. It is not a plesant time in our history and treated starkly by Steinbeck.

This book grabbed my heart. I was somewhat dissapointed at the end. I wanted to know what happened to the Joads, where Tom went, how Noah got along, if Al married the girl, did the starving man survive after Rose of Sharon helped him.