One of my absolute favorite things to do is read, read and read some more. I would live in a bookstore, preferably BusBoys & Poets’ 14th & V location, if I could. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I got some serious reading done since I’ve been in India. So far, I’ve read roughly 15+ books and I really wanted to talk about them on my blog. I was supposed to start doing this a LONG time ago, but you know how it goes – procrastination got the better of me and I now have to find a way to tell you about these books without making a ridiculously long blog post. In the interest of reader ease, I have opted to put the books I’ve read into several categories to make it more manageable. I wouldn’t say that I have written book reviews here, more of a stream of consciousness with regard to some great books that I have had the chance to get into over the past several months. I hope you see something you like :-)
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Part IV: Books That Tugged on My Heart Strings . . .
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
This book will go down as one
of my top 10 books in life. I could not put it down and read
it over the course of 3 days. The story was compelling and I found myself
feeling for both Maryam and Laila. I spent a significant about of time in
undergrad focusing on women of color and their experiences of domestic violence
and this book reminded me of why I am so passionate about that issue. Women’s
lives, all over the world, are marked by, interrupted, destroyed and forever
changed due to violence that they experience in their homes and in their communities.
If I had to pick one book as my favorite since I’ve been in India – it would be
this one. Read. This. Book. It will change your life. 
I know, I know. How cliché – Eat,
Pray, Love in India – of course it spoke to me, right? But seriously, I loved
every minute of this book. I had already seen the movie a couple of years back,
and I enjoyed it – but the book had me going through some things (lol). It is
much, much, much better than the movie because you get a glimpse into this
woman’s mind and heart, in a way that a movie cannot adequately portray.
While I was reading this book,
all I could think was gosh, I wish I had the money to go run away for a year to
the countries of my choice. It got me to thinking, if there were 3 things that I
need to focus on, what would they be???? Maybe I could Discover, Swim, Write.
The discover part of my trip
would have to take place in an African country. Preferably a French speaking
nation so I can practice :-) I’m thinking Senegal! I say discover because I would
like to know more about Africa and the transatlantic slave trade. While I am
not sure which part of Africa my ancestors are from, I know my roots are somewhere
on that continent and I pray for the chance to spend some serious time in
Africa.
Next I’d like to swim (well actually swim, sail, jet ski, surf, etc). I love water, but I am ashamed to admit that I cannot swim, but I am committed to changing that in the next year! Not sure where I’d do this either, but I’m thinking Australia. I’d love to live on the beach, I’d take a hut and I’d be one happy Jessica.
Lastly, I would write! I want to write at least two books in my lifetime and I need some time to get my thoughts together and start putting pen to paper. I have a lot f ideas floating around lol. I know I don’t need to go away to do this, but it would be nice to set aside 3-4 months of my life to start my life as an author. Still no idea of where I’d do it – I’m thinking England or somewhere in Europe. Don’t ask why, I just feel like I could be inspired by some cool libraries at the Universities. Aww well, a girl can dream. Maybe I’ll get my chance to Discover Swim Write. We’ll see . . .
All in all, Eat Pray Love was
great. It’s a book that I plan to read again in a couple of years. Even if the
movie didn’t move you, trust me when I say the book is so much better, so give
a chance if you have the time.
The Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron
I picked this book up on a
whim because it had a drawing of a young African girl on the front cover and I
don’t see that often here in Indian bookstores (actually I don’t see that often
in bookstores in America either). Anyway,
The Cry of the Giraffe is based on true events surrounding the civil unrest,
famine and religious persecution of Ethiopian Jews who fled to Yerusalem,
their spiritual homeland, in the 1980s. You know 1980 isn’t that long ago and
this book reminded me that all over the world groups of people are fighting for
their lives and their faiths.
It made me wonder what would I
do if I lived in a country that shunned me because of my beliefs? Would I have
the courage to flee? Would I be willing to stand on my faith in the face of
strong opposition, violence and extreme poverty? I have taken being Christian
in America for granted. But after reading this, I pray that if ever faced with
persecution, I would have courage to stand by my God because God has surely stood
by me. This book brought parts of the Bible home to me, especially the Old
Testament, and my faith was strengthened even though Christianity wasn’t the
religion in question.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns,
everyone told me that I had to read – The Kite Runner, so I broke
my “no more books” rule and got myself a copy. The book tells the story of a
friendship between a wealthy boy and his father’s servant. They grew up as if
they were brothers, but class always seems to get in the way. Another book set
in Afghanistan, the author does a wonderful job of weaving the troubled times of
the nation with the story of the boys. This book is powerful because it shows
how choices of our childhood can and will follow us well into adulthood. It’s a
story of redemption after the unforgivable. It is beautifully written and I thoroughly
enjoyed reading it. I think we can find a bit of ourselves in each of the
characters – life is complicated and so are humans. Read this book too ;-)
Khaled Hosseini is two for two when it comes to me.
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