Reviews for August's book: Three Cups of Tea: One Mans' Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time (via Amazon.com)
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts. (Mar.)
From Bookmarks Magazine
While critics agree that Three Cups of Tea should be read for its inspirational value rather than for its literary merit, the book's central theme, derived from a Baltistan proverb, rings loud and clear. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger," a villager tells Greg Mortenson. "The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family." An inspirational story of one man's efforts to address poverty, educate girls, and overcome cultural divides, Three Cups, which won the 2007 Kiriyama Prize for nonfiction, reveals the enormous obstacles inherent in becoming such "family." Despite the important message, critics quibbled over the awkward prose and some melodrama. After all, a story as dramatic and satisfying as this should tell itself.
Three Cups of Tea (reviews)
Garfield Minus Garfield
Garfield Minus Garfield is much funnier than the Schulzians and the Pumpkinites:
First Timer....
This is my first attempt at adding anything to a blog!Thanks Wileen for putting this together. Hey, Li said there were pictures posted from our meeting.
Donde esta?
I was looking at info. on Umberto Eco (Of Queen Loana infamy, I mean fame) he is one deep dude. Very philisophical. Maybe that is why I could not get into the book. Me be a simpleton. On a side note, I am digging our new book, Beware of G-d. I hope we have an awesome turn out in April.
~Grumpus
April's book!
(posted for Grumpus)
It’s Pop Up Book Club info!
Hello Everyone,
We had a five star showing at Brother K’s Coffee Shop this evening to discuss The Effects of Living Backwards. The avg. rating for this book was 2 ½ stars (out of five) due to it being intriguing yet confusing at times.
Our next book club meeting will be at the House on Moody Avenue on April 29th. Our next book is a collection of short stories by Shalom Auslander titled, “Beware of G-d.” (yes, there should be an “o” in between the G and d, if you are intrigued by how I wrote it you should attend book club….)
We will begin at 7:30 pm. Please feel free to invite others to join as well. We are really hoping to keep book club alive and going well with fabulously dedicated members. We need you!
Below is from Publisher’s weekly about the book:
From Publishers Weekly
The faithful look sharp or fall victim to a "surly, bossy, paranoid, violent" G-d in Auslander's satirical debut collection. The author, raised an Orthodox Jew, mercilessly spoofs the Old Testament deity: G-d suffers from migraines, stalks a modern-day prophet and appears as a large chicken, among other incarnations. Though harsh rabbinic voices echo throughout, and characters who engage in Talmudic-style debate usually arrive at absurd conclusions, Auslander's target isn't religious hypocrisy. Instead, he guns for sacred cows: literal interpretations of the Torah, strict adherence to Jewish law, and belief in an all-powerful deity who metes out punishment and reward according to man's fulfillment of G-d's commandments. At the heart of this satire, though, is the pain of true believers at the mercy of a capricious G-d. These are high-concept stories: a chimpanzee suddenly achieves "total conscious self-awareness.... G-d. Death. Shame. Guilt"—a burden he cannot bear. A yeshiva student wakes one morning with a brawny, goyishe body and is reviled by his community. A man enrages all major world religions with his discovery of original Old Testament tablets preceded by the disclaimer, "The following is a work of fiction." Occasionally, the Catskills-inflected comedy is corny, but for the most part, Auslander skillfully handles heavy subject matter with a droll tone. "Beautiful day," an adman says, making small talk at a pitch meeting with G-d. " 'I made it myself,' G-d answered loudly." (Apr.)
Heidi Julavits in The Village Voice
FYI, a review of the book from Village Voice. It sounds fantastic!
We're Sooooo Pot-Lucky!
February 12 we'll be holding our annual post-holiday potluck. Bring your fruitcakes! (My dog will eat anything.) Please remember that I'm a raving vegetarian and I turn into a beastie at the smell of meat in the house. Also, we have a cat, so pack your Benedril if necessary.
Yes, actually, I have been told that I suck the fun out of everything.
In addition to feasting & imbibing, we'll discuss The Effect of Living Backwards by Heidi Julavits. Find details here. But support your independent bookstore when possible (you can do that here).
Location details to be emailed closer to the event.
Reading at Women & Children First: November 8 @ 7:30pm
Paula Kamen and Iris Chang were friends and journalism majors at U of I, and both went on to write a few books. Iris committed suicide in 2004 after suffering from depression, and Paula wrote a eulogy for her in Salon.com, which turned into a recently published book called Finding Iris Chang. In a weird twist of fate, Paula happens to be my brother's high school classmate, while Iris is my sister-in-law's childhood friend and high school classmate (I was friends with Paula's brother, in case you were interested!).
Paula's doing a reading from the book at Women and Children First on November 8 at 7:30pm. She is a self-described author, lecturer, playwright, feminist, humorist, and journalist. The book is a memoir of their friendship, but it also looks at bipolar disorder and the Asian attitude toward mental illness.
This is Paula's description of the book:
The book is about my real-life search to connect the dots about the mysterious 2004 suicide of my friend, bestselling Chinese-American writer Iris Chang, the author of the Rape of Nanking. Meanwhile, it profiles her glorious life -- and the tremendous burdens -- she had in becoming a superhuman symbol of activism and social justice to the Asian community. The book seeks to clear up rampant misunderstandings about the bipolar disorder, combined with hormonal events, that claimed her life. It also explores how journalists can survive in the long-term covering dark topics, without being harmed by the toxic effects of their subjects. The book is based on a eulogy I wrote about her for Salon.com.If you're going, let me know! I'll be there with my sister-in-law.