Night -- Elie Wiesel

It's taken me a few days to digest this book. I have been meaning to read this for sometime and I finally sat down and read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Stunning and upsetting all in one. I know other people have probably said this before, but one of the most powerful books about the Holocaust that I have read. This one is going to sit with me for a long time. I am now interested in reading this follow up called All Rivers Run to the Sea to see what his life was like after the war.

Nomad -- Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I have mixed feeling about Hirsi Ali and this book. I really enjoyed Infidel and it was eye opening. This book on the other hand, I feel like was her recaping Infidel and then adding in all her opinions on Muslims and how they should change or other countries should change. I agree with a few things she states in this book, but on the other hand I don't agree in many aspects. I work with Muslims on daily basis and I see many of the things she refers too, but I have also met many men and women who were able to assimilate just fine. Though she brings up many very interesting points, sometime I cannot relate to her way of thinking.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

What a stunning book. I absolutely loved this one. I work with refugees and immigrants on a daily basis and this one really hit home. I always knew that the medical systems was very difficult for them to navigate, but this book pointed out many things that had never crossed my mind. One thing I particularly liked was how the doctors vulnerability really showed through. I think so many people think that doctors just know everything and can work magic, but this book shows that this isn't the case. I was also interested in the history of the Hmong. Fadiman really did an amazing job with this book.

The Middle of Everywhere

I really thought I was going to like this book. We read it for my book club at work and honestly this book did nothing for me. I didn't quite understand who exactly she was.... she kept saying that she was a "cultural broker" but never really explained what that meant. I thought the stories were good -- but the book it's self was all over the place... I didn't like the way it was laid out and how it jumped around. I guess this book also might be more insightful for someone who doesn't work with refugees on a daily basis. I pretty much knew everything she was writing about. I might share this book with someone who has never had the experience of knowing a refugee personally.

A Fine Balance

I read this for my first book club. I have been meaning to read it forever...so the time came. What a dynamic book! Despite it being depressing -- I love this book. The characters were pitch perfect. I love how everything came around full circle. I was emotionally invested in this book and really felt the ups and downs! Wow! A fine balance between hope and despair. Of life and death... just beautiful.

The Help

I loved everything about this book! I had been putting it off and now I am so happy I read it. It's one of those books I was having dreams about... couldn't stop thinking about. The story was fantastic and so were the characters. I even loved what Stockett had to say at the end of the book about her own childhood.

I still find it hard to imagine that this was going on not that long ago.... wow! How much has changed... yet... how much hasn't changed! This book made me happy and sad all at the same time. But mostly hopeful.

Don't Get Too Comfortable

I didn't really understand this book. The stories were amusing enough -- but didn't get how they all really connected. Maybe they weren't supposed too... and in that case, I didn't really like the book. I might be missing something, but who is this David Rakoff person and why did he get to try/do all these crazy things? I don't know... I was pretty bored by this, actually....