Books 2012: Hippie Boy

Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story by Ingrid Ricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really love memoirs, the stories of people, every-day people. I especially enjoyed this memoir because it I think it is a story that is, in parts, more true and common in the states than most would perhaps realize. Poverty, religious-fanaticism, broken homes and the amazing ability of children to love their fathers/mothers. Having worked in a school with the poorer students of a small town, I felt like I was offered a glimpse of their lives, the stories they couldn't express and the humanity of us all. I suppose, in parts, I could even glimpse my own life at various intersections of the novel.

One passage that stood out, especially for the imagery:

"My stomach felt like a hundred bees were buzzing inside it, angrily stinging me as they bumped up against their prison walls." (location 142)

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A few more notes: (As in I should of Added):

I started reading this book because a dear, dear friend of mine started reading it and although she didn't email me to say "hey, you should read this book" it popped up in my Goodreads and I thought "hmm, I have that book too, I should read it!" I like feeling like I'm reading with friends, even if they're on the other side of the world. You should get on Goodreads and Link up to Pixel of Ink so we have the same books and you can help me decide what to read ^^ Just sayin.

(Typed while drinking water from a mug decorated by colorful little zoo animals and plants). 

Book 2012: Barefoot in Baghdad

Barefoot in Baghdad by Manal M. Omar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I always enjoy memoirs. I enjoy stories, of people. People who are living out their passions and finding a side of a bigger story most people don't have the privelege of knowing. Manal Omar's Barefoot in Baghdad provided me a personal, emotional story of the not only her life but the life of many admirable woman from Iraq and the world over as well as a number of admirable men who mutually understand the value of women. At times, I wish there were more details of her experiences but enjoyed the story nonetheless.
Impactful quotes:
"Walk barefoot and the thorns will hurt you." It is often used as a warning to those who challenge societal norms. (location 84)

"...you need to understand that we are tired of fighting," Asma said, "That's all I have been doing; it's all my mother did. We don't want to fight anymore. It doesn't mean we have given up. Far from it. It just means we want to find a more peaceful way to live something that may resemble a normal life." (location 1490)
"Years of humanitarian work had taught me that the smallest intervention could set loose an avalanche of unexpected consequences." (location 2405)

"Like so many others, her ability to empathize with human loss had been replaced with political zeal." (location 3574)

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A few other notes:

Manal Omar worked for Women for Women International while living and working in Iraq. This is an organization which I also read a lot about while reading Half the Sky. I'm hoping to use some of my non lazy hours to finally go to the site and register to be a 'sponsor' as I believe the work done through Women for Women has great potential to positively affect change in the world, and in my own heart and mind as I work toward maintaining and fostering an ability to empathize with my human brothers and sisters. (If you look at my post regarding Half the sky, you'll realize I should have already registered with Women for Women...now is the time to act!)

Book 2012: There is No Me Without You

There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children by Melissa Fay Greene

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Powerfully written, There is No Me Without You, presents solid research, incomprehensible statistics and the more powerful prose of personal narratives and stories out of Ethiopia giving a face and depth the the HIV/AIDS crisis.

I cannot adequately express how moving and powerful this story was for me. The HIV/AIDS crisis, the cause of orphans and widows are all completely overwhelming and more often than not leave me feeling powerless and hopeless. Greene presents these overwhelming factors alongside the stories that exemplify hope and power in the lives of ordinary women and children. I cannot solve this crisis. But I don't need to sit back passively and watch it play out either.


A powerful read for any American, those well versed in the AIDS pandemic and those who have forgotten that is a pandemic. It reads easy, presents a number of views and a wealth of information and heart regarding our world.

"Adoption is good, but children, naturally, would prefer not to see their parents die." (page 25)


(I'm in full support of adoption, as is the author, she just makes the point that it's not THE answer and we, as a globabl community, ought to be seeking solutions which allow for more parents to live WITH their children, rather than solutions which only allow a few children to live.)


"She could see the nice young man he was born to be, but he was headed for an early grave. If powerlessness made vulnerable the girls of Ethiopia, hopelessness made vulnerable the boys." (page 105)


"You don't have to be a saint to rescure other people from suffering and death. You can just be an everyday, decent enough sort of regular person, nothing extraordinary, and yet turn lives around." (Location 7832 - Q&A with the author)


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This story is powerful on it's own.  This story is increasingly powerful when your heart and mind can see not only the picture and story of the children and lives depicted by author Greene, but when your own life has introduced you to a child with a similar, but oh-so-unique-story. (Look for the One Year Ago stories, September 2010).

This story then takes on a unique face. Something personal.

Not a chapter went by that my heart and my head weren't swimming with images of my best friend, her husband and their precious boy. 

A boy who calls me Auntie.
A boy who is more than a 'nephew'.
A boy who is indescribable in what he means in my life,
                               the lives of others and of course in his parents lives.
A boy who loves two places with his whole heart.
A boy who loves two families without hesitation.
A boy who lives with great passion and intentionality.
                               all at the brink of five years of age.
A boy who continues to captivate my heart from thousands of miles away.

There is No Me Without You is powerful.
As a story.
As a life.

If you read this, I hope you have a face to put on it.
Or that your future gives you a face to put on it.
Because the more real a story like this is to you, the more powerfully it will stay with you.

(Typed having recently finished a paper cup of instant coffee mix)

Book: Married to Bhutan

Married to Bhutan by Linda Leaming


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Such a fascinating read about a country which is nearly impossible to fly into even in 2011 (I thought maybe we could take one of our vacations there, I think it requires more planning than we generally conduct for travels). A short stay in Bhutan quickly lead to life in Bhutan for Linda Leaming and the stories she shares are humurous, enlightening and entertaining.

A few gems:

"So along with all this peaceful beauty, there's a lot of vulnerability." (p.6)

"Sins of the flesh are probably the least destructive to humankind; and things like anger, hypocrisy, jealousy, greed, and pride are much more damaging in the end." (p.47)

"In Bhutan, saying very little is the epitome of good manners...It's more okay not to talk. People are comfortable with scilence. I believe my Bhutanese friends and family are talking without talking." (p. 64)

"Part of loving is just relishing the mystery and the improbability of it all." (p. 80)

"Winter is an inward time. Trees abandon their leaves, and their sap, their life force, concentrates in their trunks." (p.143)

"In my life, adventure and dreams have taken precedence over desire for material objects." (p.216)

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