Summer Reading

I have been incredibly blessed in my life with something that absolutely everyone needs...

...my own personal librarian.  Not only has she been talking about boys with me since we were twelve, she also reads all the books and tells me about the good ones so I can head straight for the best stuff.  This blog has reached the big time because she has agreed to loan us her talents (and help me keep posting momentum!) with some wonderful recommendations for summer.  So far I've read the first book and I have to say--it was all I hoped for.  Sam loved The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  Thanks for keeping us well read Becca!!

Summer Reading—Three books that made me remember why I love to read.

Sometimes you read a book and it alters slightly the way that you think about the world and your place in it, not just while you are reading it, but long after you have put it down.  The following three books have kept me thinking about them for months and I would recommend them without reservations to anyone.  So, as you are enjoying  your Summer Reading, here are some options.

Baby We Were Meant for Each Other  Scott Simon

In this touching memoir, renowned NPR commentator, Scott Simon recounts the adoption of his daughters from China. His love for them is palpable in every word and transcends culture and ethnicity.  Simon also recounts other stories of adoption and adoptive families.  These personal stories combined with the story of the Simon family make for an up-lifting read.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide  by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Kristof and WuDunn view women’s rights as the 21^st century’s human rights crisis and convincingly use the experiences of individual women to spotlight the issues presented in their narrative. Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. The creative solutions to these major problems are presented in concrete and attainable ways.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health This non-fiction title reads like fiction and allows the reader to grapple with tough ethical issues while remaining totally engaged with the story.

I know I said three, but this weekend I read the best book….

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

This charming story is told alternately from the perspective of Henry in 1986 and in the 1940’s at the start of World War II.  Henry is from a Chinese family and becomes friends with Keiko who is from a Japanese family after they meet an elementary school. Henry’s father is a Chinese nationalist who vehemently opposes Henry and Keiko’s friendship. Keiko’s family is sent to an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho.  Ford deftly interweaves themes of acceptance and tolerance along with the bittersweet nature of first love.