Book Description
In this profoundly affecting memoir from the internationally renowned author of The Caged Virgin, Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her astonishing life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life under armed guard in the West.
One of today's most admired and controversial political figures, Ayaan Hirsi Ali burst into international headlines following an Islamist's murder of her colleague, Theo van Gogh, with whom she made the movie Submission.
Infidel is the eagerly awaited story of the coming of age of this elegant, distinguished -- and sometimes reviled -- political superstar and champion of free speech. With a gimlet eye and measured, often ironic, voice, Hirsi Ali recounts the evolution of her beliefs, her ironclad will, and her extraordinary resolve to fight injustice done in the name of religion. Raised in a strict Muslim family and extended clan, Hirsi Ali survived civil war, female mutilation, brutal beatings, adolescence as a devout believer during the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and life in four troubled, unstable countries largely ruled by despots. In her early twenties, she escaped from a forced marriage and sought asylum in the Netherlands, where she earned a college degree in political science, tried to help her tragically depressed sister adjust to the West, and fought for the rights of Muslim immigrant women and the reform of Islam as a member of Parliament. Even though she is under constant threat -- demonized by reactionary Islamists and politicians, disowned by her father, and expelled from her family and clan -- she refuses to be silenced.
Ultimately a celebration of triumph over adversity, Hirsi Ali's story tells how a bright little girl evolved out of dutiful obedience to become an outspoken, pioneering freedom fighter. As Western governments struggle to balance democratic ideals with religious pressures, no story could be timelier or more significant.
Customer Reviews:
Infidel.......2007-10-17
I am a native of the Netherlands. The book was informative to me.
I ordered the book as it would give me a current idea of the political/social landscape of the Netherlands, including especially the immigration issues over there.
An Argument for Illiteracy .......2007-10-16
Ayaan Hirsi Ali's parents should blame themselves for her leaving Islam: they allowed her to learn to read and attend school with nonbelievers. Any first-rate fundamentalist knows the quickest way to open a mind is to expose it to an outside influence--in Ali's case, "trashy" novels brought to school. If her parents had home schooled her, she would have become a mother's, father's, brother's, and husband's dream--a good, submissive (hollow) Somali woman.
Ali beautifully traces her conversion, with all its stops and starts, which is the way it happens with most "thinking" people. It's important to note that she does not want to leave her faith; in fact, she struggles to hold on to it. Her life would have been easier, as in predictable (albeit more painful) if she'd failed.
INFIDEL is an influence that will be hard to shake free of, and I'm glad of it.
One of the Saviors of Civilization!.......2007-10-15
In "Infidel," the brilliant and beautiful freethinker Ayaan Hirsi Ali cuts through the irrational rationalization of the world's most brutal and oppressive ideology: Not "radical Islam," but ISLAM, period. And Hirsi Ali should know, because, as she explains in her autobiography, she was for many years a VERY DEVOUT MUSLIM. As an outward expression of her ardent devotion to Islam and its god Allah - even before it became more "fashionable" where she lived in Africa - Hirsi Ali covered herself from head to toe in a baggy cloak so that her femaleness would not be revealed and endanger her to the ubiquitous perils for women in her culture. As we should already recognize from seeing the abuse with our own eyes, the fervent claim that Islam does NOT oppress women - frequently quite violently - represents one of the biggest deceits in the world today, and those who constantly put forth this palpably false assertion dismissing gender-apartheid within Islam should be loudly denounced. But the highly important work of Hirsi Ali goes much farther than simply denouncing the incredibly hideous treatment of women within Islam, as Ayaan undoubtedly represents one of the greatest voices of reason of all time in a battle for the very existence of human civilization.
Horribly mutilated at the age of five at the harsh hands of her stern grandmother and a local barber with a pair of scissors who cut off her genitals like a slab of meat, Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaks out loudly and clearly that such atrocities in her native Somalia are done not only to virtually EVERY female of a certain age, but also IN THE NAME OF ISLAM. In fact, it was surprising for her to discover that there are claims - many quite frantic and unconvincing - that Islam does NOT call for female genital mutilation or "circumcision," as this despicable "cultural tradition" is euphemistically and flaccidly termed. Of course, not only Muslims practice this heinous savagery, but the majority of women and girls with disfigured genitals - an estimated 140 MILLION worldwide at the time of this writing - ARE Muslims, and such oppressive barbarism goes hand in hand with an ideology that without a doubt considers women as second-class subhumans designed mostly for sexual release, baby making and household slavery.
Needless to say, someone with such intelligence and wisdom as Ayaan Hirsi Ali was not content to spend her precious life merely as a piece of meat and slave. Hirsi Ali escaped this oppressive and dreadful future - and found a liberating and exquisite non-Muslim world that she could barely have imagined, based on the virulent infidel-hating dogma she had been taught since childhood. Although she would likely not opine that the non-Muslim world is perfect by any means, Hirsi Ali's vivid and disturbing descriptions of the contrast between what she left behind and what she discovered must give serious pause to the myriad and often trivial complaints against Western civilization. As she has said in interviews, YOU may spit upon the freedoms you were born with, but she cannot be so unappreciative and disrespectul, because she has literally experienced and witnessed REAL hell on Earth, and she is extremely grateful to have gotten out. By contrast, Western values at this current time seem like paradise - this notion is precisely what Hirsi Ali has attempted to impart over and over again in her writings and interviews. In other words, we've got it not just good but GREAT. And this greatness is well worth fighting for - nay, it is ESSENTIAL we fight for it.
Despite the denials and justifications by those who cannot or will not face the horrible truth, the threat against the very survival of Western civilization is real, large and growing. If we do not wake up to this threat quickly, we will very likely find ourselves living in a world of submission and enslavement that we cannot even conceive. Hirsi Ali knows these facts to be true, as she has already lived through such a nightmare - and SHE DOES NOT WANT TO GO BACK. We who are enlightened cannot blame her at all, as we absolutely do not wish such a future for our own children - a perfectly dreadful thought straight out of our worst fears.
Do yourself and the world a favor - buy this book, read it, digest it, pass it along and support the efforts of the handful of individuals such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali in saving human civilization.
Acharya S
Author, "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold," "Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled," and "Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ"
Fascinating Story--Live.......2007-10-15
I found that when I read this book, I kept on going back to the latest book by Christopher Hitchens _God is not Great_. I'm glad I read his book first, as Ali's book epitomizes what can be so wrong with religious fundamentalism that has gone astray or been misinterpreted.
This book was fascinating from cover to cover. The author's voice was loud and her storytelling was vivid. Each of the sections shed light on different periods and aspects of her life. I was repeatedly struck with how she was able to overcome her circumstances and be so incredibly brave to start her life anew on the run from a mismatched arranged marriage.
I also appreciated her social commentary about her life and the life around her that she witnessed. She wasn't judgemental in a negative or overbearing manner, but she did comment forcefully at times about what she didn't like or didn't fully understand.
This book is worth reading and will help dispel cultural ignorance and eurocentricism. The audience for this is wide--lay audience and academic.
The Muslim world is playing for keeps.......2007-10-14
Don't miss this book!
In today's world a solid understanding of Islam is essential. Many people claim that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Ms. Ali makes it clear that nothing could be farther from the truth. This has always been true in Islam. For more on this, I would suggest the book "Why I Am Not a Muslim" by Ibn Warraq, which describes the miserable fates of both Islamic heretics and non-Muslims in Islamic countries since the time of Muhammad. Why I Am Not a Muslim
In the West we take it for granted that religion is largely a personal matter. This is a relatively recent development, even in Europe. Not too many centuries ago people whether or not you were Catholic or Protestant was a life or death matter in the West. Wars were fought over it, with huge death tolls. The idea of secularism and religious freedom came about not because people wanted religious disunity, but because the wars were inconclusive and people got tired of killing each other over something that could never be proven. No matter how many people you kill, you can never achieve agreement on religion, because the main differences between one religion and another are in the supernatural realm. Is Heaven populated by Catholics? Protestants? Someone else? How can we ever know?
The Muslim world has never made this transition. They really believe that conversion to Islam--by force if necessary--is the best hope for mankind. These people are not playing games. To Islamic countries, the whole concept of tolerance is nothing more than a sign of weakness.
Ms. Ali fails to draw some conclusions that I think are obvious from her story. In my opinion, the Western world needs to think very seriously about blocking further immigration from Islamic countries. This is a matter of some urgency. Many Islamic nations are already falling apart, the result of poor government, exploding populations, and environmental degradation. This trend is likely to accelerate with the passing of Hubbert's oil peak. For Western countries to accept large numbers of Muslim refugees in such times amounts to harboring a fifth column. It is cultural suicide.
Book Description
In a heartrending and astonishing novel, Eggers illuminates the history of the civil war in Sudan through the eyes of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee now living in the United States. We follow his life as he's driven from his home as a boy and walks, with thousands of orphans, to Ethiopia, where he finds safety — for a time. Valentino's travels, truly Biblical in scope, bring him in contact with government soldiers, janjaweed-like militias, liberation rebels, hyenas and lions, disease and starvation — and a string of unexpected romances. Ultimately, Valentino finds safety in Kenya and, just after the millennium, is finally resettled in the United States, from where this novel is narrated. In this book, written with expansive humanity and surprising humor, we come to understand the nature of the conflicts in Sudan, the refugee experience in America, the dreams of the Dinka people, and the challenge one indomitable man faces in a world collapsing around him.
Customer Reviews:
Unusual mashup of real and fiction.......2007-10-16
There are a number of really excellent non-fiction autobiographies of the Lost Boys currently available, 5 of them (see below). "What Is the What" is the only fictionalized account I am aware of. I've read some of the non-fiction accounts, and they are just as compelling, fascinating and dramatic as fiction; in many ways more so because they are factual and have a sense of "otherness" and level of specific detail. Although the novel has plenty of violence, it seems somewhat sterilized and made more palatable for the sensibilities of a middle class American audience - Deng's "voice" (really Eggers?) is confident and optimistic about the future, rarely did I sense the utter loneliness, despondency, hopelessness, weakness and fear that is palpable in the real autobiographies.
This is not a bad book, Eggers has created an entertaining work of art, not unlike what Charles Dickens did for the poor in "Oliver Twist", it serves to advance a social cause. But the real autobiographies are just as page-turning readable and even more emotionally moving because of their truthfulness. Literary critic Lee Siegel in "The New Republic" took the problem even further saying the novels "innocent expropriation of another man's identity is a post-colonial arrogance.. How strange for one man to think that he could write the story of another man, a real living man who is perfectly capable of telling his story himself -- and then call it an autobiography. Where is the dignity in that?" Francis Prose in "The New York Times" said the novel is very popular among younger readers in their 20s and I guess this is not surprising since fiction is usually more approachable and accessible than non-fiction, but there are some excellent real-life accounts, told in the actual words and voice of someone from Sudan, it is a challenge to step into someone else's world, but can be a transformative experience.
--See also--
* They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky
* God Grew Tired Of Us: A Memoir
* The Lost Boys of Sudan
* The Journey of the Lost Boys
* Lost Boy No More
a powerful telling of one refugee's story and how it fits into a broader disaster.......2007-09-29
Over several years, a refugee (named Achak) from Sudan who has resettled in the United States (one of the "lost boys of Sudan") told his story to Dave Eggers. Eggers wrote a novel based on the story, and the result is excellent. Leaping back and forth through time, the fictional Achak tells of how he is forced from his village by the Sudanese civil war, travels hundreds (thousands?) of miles on foot from country to country and refugee camp to camp, and then how he arrives in the United States and adjust to life there.
Several times early in the reading I wondered, Why didn't Eggers just write the story of this guy's life rather than a novel "based" on it? Eventually I could see that the novel allowed Eggers to bring in characters, sub-stories, and dialogue to teach us not only Achak's story but also about the broader conflict, the other Sudanese conflict in Darfur, and the problems encountered by a broader net of re-settled refugees. Eggers seeks to (and I believe manages to) give enthrall us with Achak and convey an impressive amount of information at the same time.
I found one of his narrative devices mildly distracting: Achak narrates from the present-day, resettled in the USA, and most of flashbacks are in the form of his mentally telling people around him his story. For example, he meets someone at his work and imagines telling them about the time his buddy got eaten by a lion. But that's a quibble.
The audiobook reading by Dion Graham (published by BBC Audiobooks America) is very well done.
Note on content: Much of this book takes place in a war zone, so we see violence and intense human suffering. And in the USA, there is a mugging that involves lots of strong language (all in the book's first 50 pages).
Straightforward, Unpretentious Memoir.......2007-09-27
I'm a fan of Eggers, and even though I'm not crazy about how the precious and overly self-aware syle of writing in AHWOSG has seeped into literature, I think he has been an important influence. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he avoided his trademark style in this novel -- not that it's a bad thing in other contexts -- but because it wouldn't have worked here. As a result, this is a kind of sparsely (and well) written story. The only thing I thought was a little contrived was the device used to tell the story, which is that Valentino is telling his story to his captor in a robbery, and then some others. They aren't listening, so he's kind of recounting the story to the reader as though he was talking to the captor. I suppose it makes it more interesting than a simple straight-out memoir, but it's a little contrived. The fact that the modern day asides are so short is evidence that they could have just been cut out altogether. (One could say it's just creative, I suppose).
I found the story very interesting, and I would not have made it through any form of nonfiction about the same topic. THis is a credit to Eggers. The character development is credible, and the way he weaves the question "What is the What" through the novel is compelling and profound. It's very well constructed and told, and could be read by a wide age range. It's also fairly evenhanded in its treatment of the politics, and never gets preachy or self-important. (He in fact debunks many of the exaggerated stories of the Lost Boys, which I thought was a pretty brave thing to do).
If you are a fan of Eggers, you will appreciate this book unless you're just in love with his schtick, which is absent. If you're one of the haters (people love to hate AHWOSG, it seems), you might want to give this a try. I think Eggers will go down as a very important writer and this is very well done. And the profits go to charity!
A good book that gets better with diatance.......2007-09-08
There have been enough African horror stories in recent years to constitute a genre - the heart of darkness narrative. Most readers turn to these tales with a mixture of humane concern and prurient fascination. Back in Conrad's day, the European or American narrator generally found himself caught between warm fuzzy liberalism and the horror. In recent years, African narrators, often children, have been the ones whose innocence has been challenged by horrendous deeds and bestial actions done in the name of liberation but in the service of greed. The thin line between naivete and cynicism is particularly treacherous for writers who lived to tell the tale, but haven't had enough time to fully see their experience in perspective. By working with Dave Eggers, Valentino Achak Deng filters the story of his years as a lost boy, and thus provides the reader a chance to get close to him. I tend to shy away from confessional narrators like Ismael Beah, whose A Long Way Gone was too direct for my taste. I appreciated his tale, but it seemed too naïve.
The magic of What is the What is impressive. By creating creaky framing devices (the break-in of Part 1) and historical coincidences (the death of Diana Spencer and the destruction of the twin towers occur on significant days in Valentino's life), Eggers reminds us that this is a fiction based on a real life and actual incidents in Sudan's history. In the process of peeling off the artifice, the reader paradoxically draws closer to the young man who narrates the story. He preserves some mystery because we know that we don't know all that he might have said. We long to see him more clearly, just as we gaze at the drawing on the cover and wish that his eyes and features weren't obscured by shadow. But Valentino is himself trying to uncover the mysteries of fate, self, and the elusive "What," which seems both mystical and concrete.
There were times when I wanted more historical detail - religious conflicts and the promise of oil wealth explain the problem in broad terms, but Sudan has been part of public discourse for so long that one longs for more nuance. However, Valentino is not a political scientist, and the balance between naivete and knowledge is delicate. Eggers provides promising leads for the reader who wants more history. I loved the way the past and present narratives intertwined to make us sympathetic to Valentino's need for love and affection. His relationship with Tabitha was particularly affecting because we first experienced her in America and only gradually learned about the origins of their relationship. After he leaves his hometown to journey across Sudan with the Lost Boys, we forget about his parents for a long time, but we feel their absence keenly. Deng and Eggers have created a story rich in emotion and human feeling, no small task when facing the horrors of Sudan. In the end, we only know a little more about the situation in Sudan and Darfur, but we feel as if we have a Sudanese friend. And yet we can't even recognize his face or say for sure if his name is really Valentino Achak Deng.
A thought provoking and enjoyable read.......2007-09-05
Dave Eggers' What is the What is a fictional, yet truthful account of Sudanese refugee Valentino Deng and his life throughout civil war stricken Sudan and the United States of America. Eggers' retelling of Deng's life is not one of a robotic biography, but rather a fluid reminiscence interspersed with moments of the present and laced throughout with Eggers' own voice. The story is simultaneously frightening and beautiful, a feeling created by a combination of Deng's personal strength and Eggers' unique sense of timing and dark humor. This voice pokes fun at the ironies between Deng's life in America and Sudan. For example, the American Deng works the front counter at a health club in a county where almost 60 million people are overweight but while in Sudan he tried to get an extra ration card because food was scarce. There doesn't seem to by any anger at these ironies, Deng appears to be more confused by them then anything.
The plot is exciting enough to hold one's interest and be fun, yet still contains enough truth and soul to it to make you really think about Deng's plights during his journey. It is the ability to maintain this balance which truly takes the book from an interesting tale to a piece of literary art. The story itself is not only beautifully written, but expertly paced; on multiple occasions I found myself ready to put the book down for the night and turned the page to discover that I was at the end of a chapter. It is those little things that make the book an absolute joy to read. Also, I feel that I must mention the hardcover art is absolutely beautiful and protected the book from harm when I spilled a cup of tea on it, which is something I was pleasantly surprised by. What is the What is an great thought provoking, yet very accessible read, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Book Description
This unforgettable book is the first-person account of a miracle—indeed, a whole series of miracles. A tale of suffering, tragedy, and sorrow redeemed by indomitable resolve and a stubborn refusal to despair, it's set in a Sudan shadowed by unrelenting war and ruthless violence, yet illuminated by faith, generosity, and steadfast commitment to the human spirit's finest instincts. It's also the eloquently plain-spoken self-portrait of a young man who has looked death in the face many times and come away with an inner strength as impressive as it is modest and a wisdom as inspiring as it is matter of fact.
One of the uprooted youngsters known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, John Bul Dau was 12 years old when civil war ravaged his village and shattered its age-old society, a life of herding and agriculture marked by dignity, respect, and the simple virtues of Dinka tribal tradition. As tracer bullets split the night and mortar shells exploded around him, John fled into the darkness—the first terrified moments of a journey that would lead him thousands of miles into an exile that was to last many years.
John's memoir of his Dinka childhood shows African life and values at their best, while his searing account of hardship, famine, and war also testifies to human resilience and kindness. In an era of cultural clashes, his often humorous stories of adapting to life in the United States offer proof that we can bridge our differences peacefully. John Bul Dau's quiet pride, true humility, deep seriousness, compassionate courage, and remarkable achievements will take every reader’s breath away.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible will to survive combines with determination to go further.......2007-08-26
The subtitle of this excellent book ,i.e."the heartbreaking and inspiring journey of a lost boy of Sudan" is such that nothing could be more appropriate. And so does the illustration in the book's jacket design(credits to Newmarker films and Melissa Farris).
After the heart-wrenching feeling of losing their families, the incredible journey of John and the tens of thousands of lost Sudanese boys through a thousand or so miles of unknown and ferocious landscape is beyond human understanding! Yet, it was accomplished, with all those miserable conditions they carried, when they reached Ethiopia. From that land, they were again cruelly driven to the same misery until they reached the Kakuma Refugee Center in Kenya.
Perhaps in order to truly comprehend the essence of what the book narrates, the reader should imagine him/her self to be with the lost kids in their terrifying exodus. That these are YOUNG CHILDREN some as young as 8yrs and 6yrs!That they are NOT adults,like the MOSTLY ADULT refugees we hear about or the ADULT prisoners of war on their death march for a hundred miles more or less. Can anyone truly see a THOUSAND OR SO MILES of terrain associated with desolation,nakedness,terror,hunger,thirst,fear
disease,sorrow,despair and death by wild animals or hostile human beings?Immersed in this predicament,you LISTEN TO and HEAR their sobs,cravings for missing or dead parents,lament for dead or dying companions,cries from their wounds and broken bodies,slow death by starvation and the more
horrible sensation of dying of thirst leading to drinking their own or their friends'urine for survival,their fear of the night and the searing daytime. Then suddenly,gunshots,machine guns,mortars aimed at them!They panic and scatter in different directions to hide.
The aftermath of all these sufferings?-->dead bodies to bury.CHILDREN BURYING CHILDREN with sharp sticks from the bush and their bare hands for lack of axes or shovels. Can anyone comment if there is such a scenario elsewhere in the world,
past or present? Children burying children in a MASSIVE scale.
John's faith in God and himself made it possible to attain his goal from rural Africa to an American university.The adjustments and adaptations to an ultramodern world from a "stone age" type of existence by John and his Sudanese companions in America is fascinatingly told in the book.From there,he is resolved to accept the challenge to go FURTHER to help himself,his family and his people back in Sudan. He has also given us a gift which serves as an example that in the face of unbearable adversity, hope and success are still attainable with a strong faith and will. I'm sure that John Bul Dau has also spiritually added to the title of his book"God Grew Tired of Us" ...the words "But He Did Not Really Abandon Us."
This is a highly recommended reading for everone but perhaps particularly to our youth.
Inspiring.......2007-07-19
I've seen the movie twice and have met John Dau professionally a few times. The book goes into much more detail than the movie and is simply inspiring. His spirit and his honest insight into life is truly wonderful. After reading this book and learning about the horrors he has gone through in his life in Southern Sudan you wonder how he is not bitter or angry, which he does not seem to be in the least. He is simply moving forward. I'd recommend reading this book. His perspective on our country is refreshing and honest. We could all learn something from this man's integrity.
Amazing story of Grace in Tragedy.......2007-07-03
The author's experience in childhood rates among the all-time records of extremes of human suffering. The story is, however, much more than a record of suffering. It is a story of triumph and faith in the goodness of God without being trite or over-simplifying very complex paradoxes and inconsistancies in life. John Bul Dau is a living demonstration of the superiorty of faith, optimism, and determination over despair.
God Grew Tired of Us: A memoir.......2007-05-30
This book showed the human side of this tragic war in this country and how they survive. This made you aware of others and their struggles during the war in Africa. A must read on your list.
Mixture of Humor and Sadness.......2007-05-10
A daunting story of survival. Somehow the author though obviously scarred by the experience still finds humor, compassion and optimism with life. If you liked "Kite Runner" then give this one a try.
Amazon.com
Though Lincoln, Nebraska, seems a strange gathering place for refugees from all corners of the globe, it is the setting for Mary Pipher's The Middle of Everywhere, an ardent, anecdotal, and at times moving study of some new arrivals to the United States. Pipher emphasizes the resiliency of the refugees--from Laos, Bosnia, Northern Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, and the former Soviet Union--whose homeland tales of death, privation, torture, and multi-pronged persecution vary only in the details. In America the refugees must learn a new language and pick their way among the temptations and wonders of a complex land. Does a Publishers Clearing House notice mean one is a millionaire? What is aluminum foil? Is an overdue library book a jailable offense? Pipher visits classrooms and homes and offers extended portraits of a female family of Kurds and a bewildered clan of Sudanese, as well as snapshots of many other refugees. She is a harsh critic of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and an advocate of "cultural brokers"--the social adjustment equivalent of practical nurses. --H. O'Billovich
Book Description
Over the past decade, Mary Pipher has been a great source of wisdom, helping us to better understand our family members. Now she connects us with the newest members of the American family--refugees. In cities all over the country, refugees arrive daily. Lost Boys from Sudan, survivors from Kosovo, families fleeing Afghanistan and Vietnam: they come with nothing but the desire to experience the American dream. Their endurance in the face of tragedy and their ability to hold on to the virtues of family, love, and joy are a lesson for Americans. Their stories will make you laugh and weep--and give you a deeper understanding of the wider world in which we live.
The Middle of Everywhere moves beyond the headlines into the homes of refugees from around the world. Working as a cultural broker, teacher, and therapist, Mary Pipher has once again opened our eyes--and our hearts--to those with whom we share the future.
Customer Reviews:
America redefined.......2007-02-14
I was working with a church group on mentoring Somalian refugees into mainstream America down south. This book fell into my hands as a blessing to understand how and why I am doing what I am doing. Pipher delves into the heart of the life of poor refugees (and to some extent immigrants too) who are given 'shelter' from their war or crisis torn homelands into a strange and completely different country. She looks into their past/present and possible futures with great love, compassion and above all a deep and sincere desire for America to be the real home of these people so separated from lands of their birth. I would give her five stars for that alone - the vast majority of americans i meet and whites in particularl live in an Utopian world where refugees and any other form of 'trouble' from the rest of the world is considered 'invasive' - the best they can come to is patronize, rarely any understanding. If not for churches and other immigrants life would be hell in more ways than one for these people. Pipher writes eloquently in the last few pages on using therapy (again a very american thing) in dealing with trauma, with both its pluses and minuses, and also on her own growth and healing from the lives of the many courageous souls she met in this process. My hope and prayers are for more people like her, and a more open minded America in times to come.
A must read for all!!!.......2006-03-01
At first I was apprehensive about reading this book. It was a required reading for a class. Once I started, I realized how wrong I was!!!
This is a great book. It brought to light how hard it is for refugees in America. I was also intrigued by the fact that Lincoln, NE is a major refugee hub.
I am a teacher, and I come into contact with Hmong students all of the time. This book remided me that they are not like us and everything I need to be aware of.
I have recommeded this book to everyone!!! I could not put it down!!!
The Muddle of Everywhere.......2004-04-26
For those who still believe that the forced (We voted on this WHEN?) conversion of the America into a "multicultural," ever-less-European caldron of aggravated grievances and simmering sensibilities remains limited to places like Los Angeles and New York, they should read clinical psychologist Mary Pipher's glowing account of the "transformation" of Lincoln, Nebraska. Lincoln is Pipher's hometown, one of the quiet American towns targeted by the U.S Office of Refugee Resettlement as a "preferred community for newly arrived refugees."
One of the difficult problems Pipher had growing up in Nebraska was that her "state's identity over the last 150 years has been mainly European." As a child Mary would wistfully play the "globe game," spinning a world globe, pointing her finger at some random spot, and imagining what wonders she would encounter there. Later she was increasingly torn: Travel to some exotic locale, or remain in monotonous old Lincoln, which many derided as "the middle of nowhere." But now, thanks to her government's refugee-immigration policies, the fun globe game has come to Mary Pipher!
Today, Pipher admits, when long-time residents of Lincoln drive down their quiet streets and see the same houses and trees, they are unaware that their town is becoming drastically altered. We will soon have a "brown Nebraska," and this is "happening nationwide," rejoices the "Irish-English" Mary Pipher. For, "We are becoming a richer curry of peoples."
Now Pipher looks at sections of her once dreary hometown and is happily reminded of the exciting colorfulness of "East Harlem" or "Bangkok." And, luckily for her, "where cultures collide [as in Iraq?] is the best vantage point for observing human resilience." Pipher has "always loved Culture and Personality studies and now," she writes, "I can be an anthropologist in my own town." Yes, at last, Pipher can visit the public schools in Lincoln and find "children from fifty different nationalities who speak thirty-two languages."
Someone might easily write another, equally voluminous book, a handy companion to this one, entitled "The Incredibly Obvious Things that Never Occur to Dr. Mary Pipher."
Pipher interviews three refugee Muslim brothers who are in tears describing how terribly American men treat American women, a sort of "mirror image" of how American men view Muslim men's treatment of Muslim women. Yes, it is undoubtedly painful for immigrants to live in a culture they see as sinful. What is completely lost on Pipher is that this is exactly why it has made sense historically for people of drastically different cultures to live in separate nations.
Also, one of the things that Pipher loves most about Nebraska is that it is a "vast farm and ranch state." In fact, the "state's best feature is our population density." That refugees and other immigrants continually flowing into Nebraska, many with historically high birthrates, will eventually bring staggering population growth, pollution, crime and all the other urban ills to her beloved sparsely-populated state never seems to penetrate the otherwise infinitely sensitive and psychologically nuanced mind of Mary Pipher.
Different refugees, we read, prefer to live among themselves, since they can help each other cope. Sometimes interviewing refugees can be tricky. There are "highly charged political and personal questions" and "Religion and politics are danger zones." In fact, "Everything is more complex than it seems." Gosh, no kiddin, Mare?
So what will happen when large sections of America are splintered among these very different cultures, and they all start contending for power over these "highly-charged" issues? Another question left unconsidered by Dr. Pipher.
Sometimes these lapses in cognition are so extreme that it is difficult to see them as innocent. "Globalization will change everything forever." Racially and culturally the world is becoming a cozy "bowl of salt and pepper." Oh really? Is China becoming less ethnically Chinese? Mexico less Hispanic? Why is this "salt and pepper" paradise only thought to be beneficial for traditionally white nations? Don't ask. On this question too, sorry, the Doctor cannot see you now.
One of the strengths of this book, however, is its humor, no matter how unintended. What we are witnessing today is the slow "unfurling" of the "unity of mankind." [Okay, I'll try to remember that when I'm watching the nightly TV body count.] Now it is time for us to "see our common humanity and blow each other a kiss of welcome."
It is tempting to laugh at these things, but it is always chilling to see how easily pious, high-minded utopianism can slither down into evil consequences.
Pipher writes that some Nebraskans just want to be "left alone." But, No way, says the compassionate grandmotherly psychotherapist, because now "nobody gets to be left alone," which is the "great lesson" of 9/11. "Either we all are safe or none of us is safe." How sweet.
Besides, Americans are so "protected" that they know almost nothing about the rest of the world. Pipher tells us that some refugees are unaware that the word is round, or can't find the United States on a world map, but Americans are suppose to feel like insensitive dolts because they don't know, for example, that they "should not touch a Vietnamese child on the head." In a world of hundreds of cultures? What a double standard!
Even Pipher concedes that refugees "range from saints to psychopaths." But why should we take in psychopaths? Because--forget about Washington, Jefferson, or the moon landing--"the central fact for American identity is that we take people in."
Tragically, the very thing that Lincoln, Nebraska was accused of being, it was not, but is now becoming. It was once the middle of a strong and cherished culture. It was at the very heart of somewhere. Now Pipher almost swoons when she describes the colorful "diversity" of a downtown park, with women in hijabs next to women in tank tops, and so on. But a nation is not a costume ball, nor is it a bizarre anthropological experiment. Only now is Lincoln becoming "the middle of nowhere."
The Plight of Refugees in a magnificent piece.......2003-02-13
The convergence of a fascinating and easy to follow narrative with a serious discussion of a theme of world proportions is seldom found in literature. Best seller author Mary Phipher met the challenge of writing with from the perspective of a health professional and a human being who exhibits compassion for a "people group," the refugee population.
The book describes Phipher's involvement in what I will call in theological terms, a ministry of care for other human beings, the refugees who have moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. It is poignant to read that she finished the manuscript on September 10, 2001 at the eve of the great disaster those of us living in New York experienced in what has been popularized as 9/11.
The book is presented in three symmetrical parts, each containing four chapters, and a Coda. Part One: "Hidden in Plain Sight" describes the unusual collisions of the culture of Lincoln, Nebraska, in the heartland of the nation, with the arrival of refugees from different countries of the world. Part Two: "Refugees across the Life Cycle," narrates Phipher's involvement with different "age groups" of the refugee population--children, youth, young adults, and families--
including social work, relief, counseling, and mentoring
Part Three: "The Alchemy of Healing--Turning Pain into Meaning," discusses specific case studies of selected groups of refugees who have suffered through wars, famines, ethnic cleansing, and displacement. It analyzes the stories and reactions of those who are finding healing and a new life in the community.
Chapters 11 and 12 were of significant help to this writer. Phipher deals with a case study of counseling and presents significant conclusions related to the challenges refugees face in their attempts to adapt to a new culture. She discusses in depth topics like choice and identity, the role of "home," what refugees can teach us about adaptation, and what the health professions need to face in dealing with persons in trauma whose cultural presuppositions are different from a "Western" approach to therapy. The section of chapter 12 "Just Plain Ignorance," (JPI) outlines ten stereotypes the general population has about refugees.
"Coda: We're All Here Now," and an Appendix provide helpful tools of "How to" for persons interested in ministering to refugees.
This writer has had emotional, intellectual and ministry connection with refugees. Ministering to Cuban, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Salvadoran refugees in Texas during the 1970s and 80s, I entered into the narrative of the book as an active participant. I was reminded by the case studies of the pain, suffering, loneliness, and challenges facing refugees. It was also good to remember the multiple acts of kindness, mercy, grace, and love practiced by church members who took the challenge of the Old Testament injunction to "welcoming the stranger in your midst."
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) classifies a refugee as a person fleeing a frontier and eligible to receive international protection. For these, an estimated 13-15 million, the agency has a mandate for assistance.
The "internally displaced persons" (IDPs) are those who are displaced in their own country and for whom assistance is more problematic. The UNHCR does not have a mandate to assist the estimated 20-25 million of IDPs, but about 6.4 million are helped. Estimates of the largest number of IDPs are in Sudan (4 million), Angola (2.3 million), Congo (1.8 million), Colombia (1.5 million), Eritrea (1.1 million), and Afghanistan (956,600).
Present and future wars will add to these overwhelming numbers. Western nations fearing terrorism are limiting the entry of many victims of persecution and ethnic cleansing, and refugees who flee seeking religious, political and economic freedom.
Those in ministry of mercy and grace working with refugees, internationals, migrants, and other foreign born persons can profit immensely by reading this book. Although the book is directed to the general population, I would recommend it for use as required reading for classes in pastoral ministry or social work.
the world comes to your town.......2002-09-19
Mary Pipher's "The Middle of Everywhere" is a marvelously wise book that encompasses the tales of people of many lands who come to Lincoln, Nebraska, and her personal story as a "cultural broker" who appreciates and respects them. The world has come to my town, also. Pipher writes, "Most of my friends were of European background. As I've made friends with people of Mideastern, Latino, African, and Southeast Asia backgrounds, I've changed a great deal. I've stopped seeing myself as a member of a majority culture. Instead, I see myself as a member of a world culture that flourishes in my hometown." That has been my experience exactly.
Especially interesting is her chapter on how American-style psychotherapy is not the method many of the refugee peoples use to heal from past traumas. She quotes a saying of her mother's: "There are three cures for all human pain and all involve salt--the salt of tears, the salt of sweat from hard work, and the salt of the great open seas." (She points out that, while once she interpreted the "seas" as an escape from family or memory, now she sees it as the beauty of the natural world.)
Pipher believes that young people adjusting to the American lifestyle should carefully choose to incorporate the best of their cultural heritage with the best of what America offers. (The pervasive media advertising and marketing, and all types of sleaze, for example, should be rejected. Family and community, shared meals, fun, love and laughter, should be cherished.) She celebrates the energy and the optimism of these newest Americans.
In a carefully reasoned discussion, she upholds the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and firmly maintains we are not practicing cultural bias when we seek to implant these basic rights all over the world.
Hats off to Mary Pipher, one of our own culture's wise women, a down-to-earth midwesterner who eats a lot of pie, and a world citizen whose heart is open to all. This book may stir you to become a cultural broker yourself, and you'll find your life enriched beyond measure. This book deserves the highest recommendation.
Book Description
"Have mercy on me, Lord, I am Cuban." In 1962, Carlos Eire was one of 14,000 children airlifted out of Cuba -- exiled from his family, his country, and his own childhood by the revolution. The memories of Carlos's life in Havana, cut short when he was just eleven years old, are at the heart of this stunning, evocative, and unforgettable memoir.
Waiting for Snow in Havana is both an exorcism and an ode to a paradise lost. For the Cuba of Carlos's youth -- with its lizards and turquoise seas and sun-drenched siestas -- becomes an island of condemnation once a cigar-smoking guerrilla named Fidel Castro ousts President Batista on January 1, 1959. Suddenly the music in the streets sounds like gunfire. Christmas is made illegal, political dissent leads to imprisonment, and too many of Carlos's friends are leaving Cuba for a place as far away and unthinkable as the United States. Carlos will end up there, too, and fulfill his mother's dreams by becoming a modern American man -- even if his soul remains in the country he left behind.
Narrated with the urgency of a confession, Waiting for Snow in Havana is a eulogy for a native land and a loving testament to the collective spirit of Cubans everywhere.
Download Description
"In 1962, at the age of eleven, Carlos Eire was one of 14,000 children airlifted out of Cuba, his parents left behind. His life until then is the subject of Waiting for Snow in Havana, a wry, heartbreaking, intoxicatingly beautiful memoir of growing up in a privileged Havana household -- and of being exiled from his own childhood by the Cuban revolution. That childhood, until his world changes, is as joyous and troubled as any other -- but with exotic differences. Lizards roam the house and grounds. Fights aren't waged with snowballs but with breadfruit. The rich are outlandishly rich, like the eight-year-old son of a sugar baron who has a real miniature race car, or the neighbor with a private animal garden, complete with tiger. All this is bathed in sunlight and shades of turquoise and tangerine: the island of Cuba, says one of the stern monks at Carlos's school, might have been the original Paradise -- and it is tempting to believe. His father is a municipal judge and an obsessive collector of art and antiques, convinced that in a past life he was Louis XVI and that his wife was Marie Antoinette. His mother looks to the future; conceived on a transatlantic liner bound for Cuba from Spain, she wants her children to be modern, which means embracing all things American. His older brother electrocutes lizards. Surrounded by eccentrics, in a home crammed with portraits of Jesus that speak to him in dreams and nightmares, Carlos searches for secret proofs of the existence of God. Narrated with the urgency of a confession, Waiting for Snow in Havana is an both an exorcism and an ode to a paradise lost. More than that, it captures the terrible beauty of those times in our lives when we are certain we have died -- and then are somehow, miraculously, reborn. "
Customer Reviews:
Exhilarating and painful.......2007-09-27
I left Cuba -with my parents- at the age of eight in 1963. Although my exile experience was much less trumatic than Dr. Eiré's, his depiction of life in that place at that time, seen through the eyes of a child, awakened so many emotions, dormant in my conciousness for so many years! What some reviewers have deplored as aimless ramblings brings me as close as I will ever come to a long conversation with a lost childhood friend, with all the complicity of shared experiences. The familiar sights, the smells, the terrors, real and surreal -I still am both terrified and eerily fascinated by lizards, specially the Cuban anolí, which changes colors to match its surroundings, the magic all around me in those days, Catholic school, birthday parties, fear for your life, shameful mischief... I laughed harder than I had in years and also cried too real tears!
I visited Cuba about four years ago, to witness the death of a family member who meant very much to me during my childhood. Despite the tragic circumstances and the terrible destruction of my little town, I unexpectedly felt an overwhelming peace and sense of "home" which I would not have imagined until then, having left so young. I don't recall having slept better in many years before or since. I discovered that there is a part of our being that does not travel. I left it in Placetas when I went away and there it was, intact, waiting for me. And there it stayed again.
I thank Dr. Eiré with all my heart for having brought me as close as it can be to that profusely bleeding chunk of who I am, which will never be in my present address.
Another Cuban boy.
Hightly recommended.......2007-09-19
This book was Great! I believe every person who struggled to get to the US to find freedom would enjoy this book. Eventhough I came much later in life, i believe his accounts really hit home with what i remember.
Lots of hype, but still a pretty good read.......2007-07-18
Wonderful delivery of characters throughout the book, but Eire's relentless weaving of timelines was distracting. It was almost incoherent or redundant at times, rambling from one period to another. I also had a little difficulty understanding the "wistful" invocation of philosophical and spiritual jargon throughout the book.
Despite the distractions, a good read for the first few hundred pages. Probably could have dropped a hundred easily.
Getting to know a Pedro Pan.......2007-06-25
During my career I have worked with and developed close friendships with several Cuban Americans, including two "Pedro Pans" - one of whom is currently a US Ambassador to an important European country. I could never quite imagine what life might have been like for them as boys in Cuba and how their lives were turned upside down. Their resilience has been an inspiration.
Eire's book, mentioned to me by a former high school English teacher, answers many of my questions far better than I could have hoped. It is a literary masterpiece that provides anthropological insights about the life of the privileged under Batista. Remarkably Eire does not whitewash this era - he makes it clear that the sons of Batista, of his chief torturer, and of upper class professionals enjoyed privileges unavailable to most. He admits to serial shop-lifting as a boy and the materialism that made birthday parties stressful events. But it came to a sudden end when Castro took power and banned Christmas, persecuted his opponents, and caused families to send their children abroad.
Over the weekend I had a conversation with someone whose family fled Tehran after the ouster of the Shah. Somehow her stories were evocative of Eire describing Cuba under Batista.
I am without words.......2007-06-20
Nothing I can say can do this book -- and Dr. Eire -- justice. I read this book on a (Cuban-American) friend's recommendation. I knew very little about Cuba or Castro. I have never been so moved by a book in my life. This is a must-read for everyone on the planet.
Average customer rating:
- An interesting look at Portland
- Oregonian loving this book
- Interesting, offbeat
- a puking bore
- good
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Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (Crown Journeys)
Chuck Palahniuk
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Rayovac SPHLTLED 3-in-1 LED Head-Lite
ASIN: 1400047838
Release Date: 2003-07-08 |
Amazon.com
It's rare to find a travel guide and a memoir joined neatly together in a single, highly readable 176-page volume. But Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Lullaby) is a writer of rare talent and his home of Portland, Oregon, is a city of rare wonders. In Strangers and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon, Palahniuk goes beyond the AAA handbooks to reveal the places, people, and legends of Portland that have long been known only to locals. The reader learns the location of the legendary Self Cleaning House, where to find the restless ghost of the founder of Powell's Books, and why feral cats are such an important part of Portland baseball. Portland, it seems, is also a highly sexual city and Palahniuk dutifully dissects the specialties of each strip joint as well as discussing Mochika, a zoo penguin with a real fetish for black boots. Along the way, he includes "postcards" from his life in the Rose City dating back to 1981 when, as a 19-year-old, he dropped acid and accidentally ate part of a woman's fur coat during a laser show of Pink Floyd's The Wall. As Palahniuk matures, the postcards reveal the author becoming increasingly a part of the city's scene, culminating with a wild and wooly Millennium Eve celebration at the Bagdad Theater that featured a screening of the film version of Fight Club. Fugitives and Refugees is a must for anyone who may, in their lives, go to Portland. But its appeal should reach beyond Oregonians. Palahniuk's love of the city is so great, and his stories so weirdly wonderful, it makes one want to get out of the house, get in the car, and drive to Portland right away. Just remember to pack the book. --John Moe
Book Description
Want to know where Chuck Palahniuk’s tonsils currently reside?
Been looking for a naked mannequin to hide in your kitchen cabinets?
Curious about Chuck’s debut in an MTV music video?
What goes on at the Scum Center?
How do you get to the Apocalypse Café?
In the closest thing he may ever write to an autobiography, Chuck Palahniuk provides answers to all these questions and more as he takes you through the streets, sewers, and local haunts of Portland, Oregon. According to Katherine Dunn, author of the cult classic
Geek Love, Portland is the home of America’s “fugitives and refugees.” Get to know these folks, the “most cracked of the crackpots,” as Palahniuk calls them, and come along with him on an adventure through the parts of Portland you might not otherwise believe actually exist. No other travel guide will give you this kind of access to “a little history, a little legend, and a lot of friendly, sincere, fascinating people who maybe should’ve kept their mouths shut.”
Here are strange personal museums, weird annual events, and ghost stories. Tour the tunnels under downtown Portland. Visit swingers’ sex clubs, gay and straight. See Frances Gabe’s famous 1940s Self-Cleaning House. Look into strange local customs like the I-Tit-a-Rod Race and the Santa Rampage. Learn how to talk like a local in a quick vocabulary lesson. Get to know, I mean really get to know, the animals at the Portland zoo.
Oh, the list goes on and on.
Customer Reviews:
An interesting look at Portland.......2007-06-26
I was given this book as a gift and did not know what to expect. Though it was not a novel like other Palahniuk books I have read, I found that the quirky and humorous writing style made this voyeuristic romp through underground Portland highly entertaining. Though some of the highlighted attractions have closed their doors or are not open to the public, this is an interesting view into a side of the city that you will not find in the Frommer's guide.
Oregonian loving this book.......2007-04-10
I live in Eugene, OR... and LOVE this book! We take "trips" to our fave town all the time and love the people and places...Chuck does a great job of describing them like a native Oregonian (even though he technically isn't).
Interesting, offbeat.......2006-08-24
This collection is an idiosyncratic and appealing mix of off-the-beaten-path sights for the visitor to Portland, personal anecdotes of the author, and brief essays about the history of Portland and its defining vibes. Entertaining and enjoyable.
a puking bore.......2006-05-28
As he writes in his epilogue, "This is not Portland, Oregon." Just scads of non-site-specific deegradation written in clipped New Yorker prose. Elliptical descriptions of perversion after perversion, spilling over the pages to become one big bore. And on top of all this, there's no index to the places he touches on, so even if you wanted to go there, you'd be hardput. Self-indulgent yet simultaneously unrevealing, as uninteresting a discovery of spirit of place as one can get.
good.......2006-02-02
I couldn't put it down. It's an important book for people who live in and around portland.
Average customer rating:
- A later work of Shakespeare
- Good Seller
- Great textbook
- The storms that lead us to "ourselves."
- The Tempest
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The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library)
William Shakespeare
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A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Folger Library Shakespeare)
ASIN: 0743482832 |
Book Description
Each edition includes:
• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
• Scene-by-scene plot summaries
• A key to famous lines and phrases
• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
Essay by Barbara A. Mowat
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.
Customer Reviews:
A later work of Shakespeare.......2007-05-25
This play is a fantasy and romance. The story is of a wise old magician and his unworldly daughter. There is a gallant young prince and a cruel, scheming brother. It is very much like a fairy tale written in Shakespeare's wonderful prose. In it ancient wrongs are righted and true lovers live happily ever after. The play is also an allegory, and it holds so much of Shakespeare's mature reflections on life. It is enjoyable.
Good Seller.......2007-02-20
The book was recieved in good shape and very fast. We ordered several bookes from different places and this was the first one we recieved.
Great textbook.......2007-01-17
I bought this for one of my classes, and I like this as a text because of the notes are way down in the footnotes, but on the opposite page,
The storms that lead us to "ourselves.".......2006-08-21
I recently re-read THE TEMPEST prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of this play under the summer stars here in Boulder. Shakespeare (1552-1616) produced this emotionally-moving, poetic romance at the end of his career, in 1611, and published it in the First Folio in 1623. In fact, it was his last play.
It tells the story of Prospero, the exiled duke of Milan, and his beautiful daughter, Miranda, who have been stranded for twelve years on a desert island with two servants, the airy sprite Ariel (who Prospero rescued from being imprisonment in a tree) and the savage Caliban. Upon learning that his usurping brother Antonio is sailing near the island with the Neopolitan King Alonso's party, he uses his magic powers to conjure a sea storm that not only leaves the ship and its passengers wrecked on the island, but which also sparks a courtship between his daughter and the king's son, Ferdinand. The survivors of the wreck are separated into several groups, believing one another dead. Three subplots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban befriends two drunken crew members, whom he believes to have come from the moon, and drunkenly attempts to raise is own rebellion against Prospero. In another, Prospero works to establish the romantic relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda. In the third subplot, Ariel thwarts a murder plot at Prospero's command.
The shipwrecked passengers are eventually reunited by island spirits to discover the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand. In the end, as its title suggests, THE TEMPEST is as much about the opening scene's violent storm, as the journey that brought Prospero to the island and the psychological storm--"the sea change"--leading him to quit his magic and his remote island to return to Milan.
G. Merritt
The Tempest.......2006-06-16
This was Shakespeare's final piece of work. He created the character of Prospero in the image of himself. Being the main character, he was toppled in a coup set in his homeland of Milan, was a God-like magician capable of initiating storms and other kinds of magic. By coincidence he saw his enemies in a ship riding towards his island. Where he lived with his daughter Miranda and the native "savage" Caliban.He brought his enemies on his island. And in turn he made them do many interesting things on the island. yet in the end it was all nice and happy, unlike the tragic mood of "Hamlet" or "Romeo and Juliet".
The language was great as usual with all of Shakespeare's great works. Prospero's last lines said also became Shakespeare's last words in terms of writing was concerned. There were plenty of comedy scenes in the play involving the mean spirited native Caliban, who was a servant of Prospero and attempted to rape his daughter, Miranda and later tried to kill him. As the plot went, all became comedies as Prospero saw through everything, the good and the evil, the well planned and the silly.
As many of his contemporaries during the time. Shakespeare despised the natives and saw them as savages. This became clear with Caliban. I found Shakespeare's depictions of him relentless and cruel, almost as if he was describing a pig.
But, overall, the story was very interesting. If you like Shakespeare, then you are sure to like this.
Average customer rating:
- review by amanda g
- eye opening
- An Inspiring Memoir of the American Dream
- Heart warming and inspiring
- Miracles in many forms
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Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard
Mawi Asgedom
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ASIN: 0316826200 |
Book Description
Originally self-published in hardcover in 2000, this acclaimed memoir is now in a revised paperback edition, complete with 14 black and white photographs and a new epilogue. Here is an unforgettable true story of a young boy's remarkable journey from a refugee camp in Sudan to an affluent Chicago suburb where his family survives on welfare.Following his father's advice to "treat all people - even the most unsightly beetles - as though they were angels sent from heaven," Mawi Asgedom overcomes racial prejudice, language barriers, and financial disadvantage, eventually realizing his dream of a full-tuition scholarship to Harvard University. Of Beetles and Angels is a compelling survival story sure to inspire readers of all ages and backgrounds.
Customer Reviews:
review by amanda g.......2006-12-13
Scared for your life in the midst of a civil war. Then put into a Sudanese refugee camp, disconnected from your father but left with your terrified mother and siblings. After a while, you are reunited with your father, and your entire family is together. Then in America, where you must start over in an alien place, where you get most of your possessions from dumpsters. This was the childhood experience that Mawi Asgedom underwent.
The book "Of Beetles & Angels" shows the extraordinary experiences throughout Mawi Asgedom's young life, which led him to America and to graduate from Harvard University. His amazing story shows the hardships, as well as the joyful occasions, as he discovers American culture and starts an American life. I thoroughly enjoyed his book and believe that I caught a glimpse at just how hard his childhood was.
The chapters within the book are separated into different stories and times of Mawi's life. This way, the reader truly gets to see how wonderful and cruel our country can be to those who are starting over in a new place, and how Mawi and his family start in a new and foreign place. The book also shows Mawi's experiences viewing racism, biased brutality, and what it is like to be noticeably different from most others around you. " Most of our classmates treated us nicely, others ignored us, and the rest -- well, we could only wish that they would ignore us. We may not have understood their words, but we always understood the meaning behind their laughter. `African boodie-scratcher! Scratch that boodie!' `Black donkey! You're so ugly!' `Why don't you go back to Africa where you came from?' We were just two, and they were often many. But they had grown up in a wealthy American suburb, and we had grown up in a Sudanese refugee camp. We were accustomed to fighting almost daily, using sticks, stones, wood chips, and whatever else we could get our hands on. So it was usually no contest, especially when the two of us double-teamed them, as we had done so many times in Sudan. The cruelty of brutal beatings and the name calling left Mawi and his older brother scared and unsure about their new found home America.
Mawi Asgedom's parents dreamed that their children would do well in school. The primary values that they taught their kids were that education was most important, knowledge was power, and that if all of the children within their family studied hard, they could earn scholarships and become smart and powerful leaders within their new country. Mawi kept his parents' values close and fulfilled them all. "I graduated from Harvard one year ago and have since thought much about my parents' dream. By earning my scholarship and graduating, I have fulfilled it. But along the way, I have found greater value in other dreams. And while Harvard University taught me well, my true education has come from less-likely sources. As I look back to the angels, the Charlenes and the Beth Raneys; as I look back to God's servants, dressed as beggrs and as beetles; as I look back to my inspirations, to the Mamas and Tewoldes, I see true guidance staring back at me. True power comes from focusing on what we can give, not what we can take." Mawi learned so much throughout his life and not only made his parents' dreams come true, but also made his own dreams come true.
This book, with all of its extraordinary detail and description, probably cannot entirely summarize all of the struggles, hardships, and rewards Mawi and his family endured from their journey to America and once in America. However, throughout the pages and dialogue of the story "Of Beetles & Angels", the book does an exceptional job of showing how unique Mawi Asgedom's life was as a child. I absolutely recommend this book.
eye opening.......2006-07-11
Beginning in 2001 I worked with two refugee families from Liberia. I wish I had read this book first, because it would have helped me to understand better the sorts of things these families might have experienced before they arrived in our country. While experiences of war, persecution and homelessness vary among people arriving in the USA, the feeling of confusion (even when you speak English, like 'my' families did) and dependence mixed with utter relief of finally getting here seem to be common among all. "My" families knew basic things, but our housing, food and school systems were totally overwhelming even for these educated people. And the police, which we're taught to depend upon, strike fear into every refugee I've ever met. Most of them have had bad experiences with police.
So when I read this book I could relate to some things, I cried over others, and I put others in the back of my mind to remember for when I'm working again with refugee immigrants, especially in these days of heated debates about immigrants.
Personally I think this book should be a must-read in every high school curriculum and for every teacher, not only because it's such a compelling story, but it helps us to see others through another lens and it is ultimately a story of hope.
From a strictly literature point of view there are better books out there, but this one tugs at the heart. And it's also a fast read if you want it to be.
An Inspiring Memoir of the American Dream .......2005-10-23
Of Beetles and Angles is the remarkable non-fiction account of Mawi Asgedom's jouney as an African war refugee to America and the obstacles that he and his family had to overcome. In his own words he describes his inspiring transformation into a man with traditional values and principles mixed in with the demands of everyday life in a new society. Influenced by his older brother and father, Mawi sets out to experience the American dream and more importantly, look upon each and every person as angels sent to test the will of our hearts.
Heart warming and inspiring.......2005-08-11
I won't take a lot of space stating what the book is about. Just get it and read it, everyone from middle school through adults. You'll be glad you did.
Miracles in many forms.......2005-01-24
This book told me one thing: everyone can be an angel. No matter in what form, that thing could be an angel.
From this story, a boy named Mawi was a refugee. His homeland had been involved in a war. His father decided the family would flee to Amerikha, as they called it. It was a place of peace, which was something that didnt exist in Eritrea, their homeland.
Many perils were made in America. Mawi needed to go to school, with his brothers and sister. He survived through prejudice and violence at school. His dream was to be welcomed with a scholarship into a special university. He worked very hard to achieve his goal.
How did it happen? Just read the book and find out!
Book Description
A stunning literary survival story, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "moving, beautifully written account, by turns raw and tender."
Across Sudan, between 1987 and 1989, tens of thousands of young boys took flight from the massacres of Sudan's civil war. They became known as the Lost Boys. With little more than the clothes on their backs, sometimes not even that, they streamed out over Sudan in search of refuge. Their journey led them first to Ethiopia and then, driven back into Sudan, toward Kenya. They walked nearly one thousand miles, sustained only by the sheer will to live.
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is three boys' account of that unimaginable journey. With the candor and the purity of their child's-eye-vision, Alephonsion, Benjamin, and Benson recall by turns how they endured hunger and strength-sapping illnesses. How they dodged the life-threatening predators-lions, snakes, crocodiles and soldiers-that dogged their footsteps. How they grappled with a war that threatened continually to overwhelm them. Their story is a lyrical, captivating portrait of a childhood lost to war, and of the perseverance of the human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
A life-changing experience.......2007-10-04
I never thought that a book could move me in the way that this has. It is gripping, inspirational, horrifing, beautiful tear-jerker that will keep your jaw dropped. You will be forever changed by this true account of a tragedy that sadly many Americans do not know about. Amazing book. Make sure to have a box of tissues by your side!
A must read.......2007-09-26
I couldn't put the book down and at the end I cried. It was hard to believe that boys so young had been through so much. If your interested in whats going on in Sudan than I think its a must read.
True, Real, Humbling.......2007-09-26
This book is so powerful, these boys journey is so humbling, there is no way that you could read this book and not look at your life in a different way. The crazy thing about it is that it is ALL TRUE, this is thier account of their lives, this book has encouraged me more to want to fight for social injustices.
Must Read.......2007-08-11
I have a BA in English and taught high school literature courses for seven years before becoming the administrator of an alternative school. I consider myself well read. Therefore, when I say this was the most moving book I have ever read, I do not say so lightly. I had the honor of meeting one of the authors, Benjamin Ajak, at a recent conference. While his English is not articulate, his message is gut wrenchingly moving. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is not a summer beach romance. It is the story of the survival of the human spirit at its most base level. It is both appalling and inspiring. It is a must read. If you are not a humanitarian before you read it, you will be after you read it.
Must Read.......2007-06-27
Amazing!
This sad true account of the lives of the people of Southern Sudan is a must read.
Book Description
Three years ago, award-winning actress Angelina Jolie took on a radically different role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Here are her memoirs from her journeys to Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Ecuador, where she lived and worked and gave her heart to those who suffer the world's most shattering violence and victimization. Here are her revelations of joy and warmth amid utter destitution...compelling snapshots of courageous and inspiring people for whom survival is their daily workŠand candid notes from a unique pilgrimage that completely changed the actress's worldview -- and the world within herself.
Customer Reviews:
Everyone interested in humanitarian work should read this!.......2007-10-17
This was a great book, i am soo glad i bought it. It really made things real and showed you the reality of what goes on in the world outside the bubble of your own perspective and own country. I would recommend this for everyone, even if your not an angelina fan because everyone should know about these living conditions that are how a large portion of the world are subjected too and it really makes you appreci
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