I couldn't decide on three or four stars and 3.5 isn't a choice, so I'll go with four. Will has grown up "free range" in Africa. She lives in the sunshI couldn't decide on three or four stars and 3.5 isn't a choice, so I'll go with four. Will has grown up "free range" in Africa. She lives in the sunshine, has no schedule, and does what she wants when she wants. Truthfulness and courage are important. She is orphaned and sent to boarding school in England, where life is dark and cold and she is surrounded by mean girls. She struggles to fit in, runs away, and eventually finds the courage to cartwheel in thunderstorms. For those of us who have switched cultures, even if we seem to be doing it successfully, there is a lot of Will in us. I just kept thinking, someone help the dear girl! This is a YA book, but can certainly be enjoyed by adults....more
Having lived in Africa for over 30 of my adult years and also as a child, I was prepared to scoff at this book. I assumed it would be written by somebHaving lived in Africa for over 30 of my adult years and also as a child, I was prepared to scoff at this book. I assumed it would be written by somebody who spent two weeks here and assumed they were an expert on Africa. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't like that, at least not too much. Instead, four American women are changed by interacting with African women. This is usually the reality of short mission trips ... those who come are changed more than they change anything while here. I do feel that even in this book the women were definitely in the honeymoon stage of cultural adjustment, but I loved how each woman became more aware of their problems and learned from their African sisters....more
Dr Maigadi does a good job defining divisive ethnicity in an African context. He goes through the history of the ECWA church and describes how it has Dr Maigadi does a good job defining divisive ethnicity in an African context. He goes through the history of the ECWA church and describes how it has become a church full of divisive ethnicity. He then offers some solutions to the problem. The book was well thought out and presents some thoughts for all places facing ethnic division, including the USA in its present context. The biggest take-away for me is that the church is a family and as God, who is agape love itself, is the head of the family, we should be like our Father, showing agape love to our brothers and sisters. At the same time, we can celebrate our diversity, but it should not be something that divides us....more
This was an intriguing story of two children orphaned in Kenya, who walk nearly 200 km to find their grandparents whom they've never met. At first I wThis was an intriguing story of two children orphaned in Kenya, who walk nearly 200 km to find their grandparents whom they've never met. At first I wondered how believable it was, but then I read that the author walked the route himself before writing the book so it felt more believable to me then. This is a YA book, but it's good for adults, too. It does include some war violence, not graphically described....more
This book was a tough read for me. The author is a university professor and the book reads very much like a text book. It is extremely intellectual anThis book was a tough read for me. The author is a university professor and the book reads very much like a text book. It is extremely intellectual and philosophical.
There were parts I enjoyed such as the author describing interactions with friends and strangers in Guinea, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, and Liberia; his struggles to understand where he fits as an African immigrant to the US; and some of his insights into African and African-American life. He has several sections where he ruminates very philosophically on books he's read. Some of it was interesting, but honestly, a lot of it was just way over my head! Here is a sample sentence: "The frequent reference to change in conversionist discourse echoes the modernist impulse toward constant renewal." Yeah, I'm not sure what that even means.
His final chapter entitled "Homeboy Cosmopolitan" includes some really useful insights in understanding today's American black culture, though the book was written in the late 1990's, so I'd like to see an updated version of this chapter written by the author.
If you are a student of African history, of sociology, or of African-American culture, you may enjoy this book. Just be aware that it is VERY intellectual!...more
I have both good and bad things to say about this book. And whether you end up liking the book or not, it will make you think.
Zoe is a young American I have both good and bad things to say about this book. And whether you end up liking the book or not, it will make you think.
Zoe is a young American lawyer working with a Zambian NGO devoted to combating child sexual assault. She works with a team of Zambians to work for justice for a young girl with Downs Syndrome who has been raped. All evidence points to the rape having been carried out by the son of one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Zambia. And as the book goes on, the reasons for the rape become more clear.
I liked this book because it was well-written, kept me involved in the story, and showed the complexity of life in Zambia. The love story is tame and thankfully there aren't any steamy sex scenes. Likewise the violence of the rape and the demeaning of women through prostitution is necessarily there, but it's not graphic. This is a book you could let your older teens read.
Some things I didn't like were: 1. An rich American assuming she can save the world. Thankfully this was balanced by the team of extremely competent Zambians she worked with. 2. Painting Africa in very stereotypical ways (but then stereotypes come from frequent observations, so there is perhaps a grain of truth): corrupted powerful people, witchcraft controlling life, more problems than good things happening, westerners as rich, etc. 3. I'm not sure the answer to justice in the world is best provided by western governments.....but at least he gives you something to think about. How do we get involved without acting like the saviors of the world? 4. Some anachronisms, such as I've never heard anybody here in West Africa use the term "SUV". Maybe they do in Southern Africa, but it seemed like an Americanism being used in an African setting. 5. Simplistic solutions to Africa's problems and to America's involvement in those problems. 6. They risk life to get Anna's story and then she never appears in court???
That said, I would still recommend reading this book....more
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