Cute...

Canada Reads 2016: Book #4: The Illegal by Lawrence Hill

My 4th book review for Canada Reads 2016...A sad disappointment. I hope all of Canada doesn't have to suffer through it.

Book summary from Goodreads.com:

All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland, a fictionalized country whose tyrants are eerily familiar, turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State—a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people.

There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground. He learns what it means to live as an illegal: surfacing to earn cash prizes by running local races and assessing whether the people he meets will be kind or turn him in. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped.

Set in an imagined country bearing a striking resemblance to our own, this tension-filled novel casts its eye on race, human potential, and what it means to belong.

Is it fair to expect a certain quality of writing from a writer who has delivered excellence in earlier work? I say yes. If you know what an author is capable of, then you come to expect a certain level of work. The Illegal is a great example of an author, who is clearly able to write a rich, multi faceted novel, but who opts for a quick, superficial page turner. It's contrived and simplistic. It tells the story rather than shows the reader.

Here's what I posted to Goodreads.com:

Such a disappointment from such a great author. I was expecting so much more, as I know Mr Hill can deliver on all levels when he wants to.
Is seems totally contrived, lazily written with little attempt to really develop characters and rich story lines. This is highlighted by the author inventing the country of origin for the protagonist, and inventing the land that represents freedom and safety. For me, this really undermined the entire novel, and signalled trouble right from the start.
One of the most contrived episodes happens in a popular brothel. While video taping the actions of prostitutes at work, the camera man, who is a young boy, captures footage of the country's Prime Minister engaging in lascivious actions. Rather than exploring this astounding turn of events, the author glosses over it, and leaves the reader hanging.
Mr Hill can do so much better. I expect more from him, because he is more talented that this novel would suggest. 

Inconceivable events take place without a moment's consideration. An example of this is when the
young John Falconer, is hiding with video camera in hand,  inside an armoire in brothel and the Prime Minister of the country walks in as a paying customer to be services by a prostitute. He captures the entire scene on tape and the story continues without appropriate reaction. How ridiculous.

I find it totally distracting that the author has opted to invent the country of origin of the protagonist and also invented the country that represents freedom to him--conveniently names Freedom State.

I wanted this book to end as quickly as Keita could run. I hope it doesn't win Canada Reads 2016. It's not worthy.

Canada Reads 2016 #3: Birdie

 To date, my favorite novel in 2016's Canada Reads competition.

Here's a summary provided by Goodreads.com:

Birdie is a darkly comic and moving first novel about the universal experience of recovering from wounds of the past, informed by the lore and knowledge of Cree traditions. Bernice Meetoos, a Cree woman, leaves her home in Northern Alberta following tragedy and travels to Gibsons, BC. She is on something of a vision quest, seeking to understand the messages from The Frugal Gourmet (one of the only television shows available on CBC North) that come to her in her dreams. She is also driven by the leftover teenaged desire to meet Pat Johns, who played Jesse on The Beachcombers, because he is, as she says, a working, healthy Indian man. Bernice heads for Molly’s Reach to find answers but they are not the ones she expected.

With the arrival in Gibsons of her Auntie Val and her cousin Skinny Freda, Bernice finds the strength to face the past and draw the lessons from her dreams that she was never fully taught in life. Part road trip, dream quest and travelogue, the novel touches on the universality of women's experience, regardless of culture or race. 

Slow to start, and a challenge to understand. The story is somewhat segmented at first, and it takes some time to figure out the narrative. That being said, the level of creativity in this novel is commendable. It's unlike anything I've ever read, and I found it really engaging.

Layered with Cree language and beautiful imagery.  I loved the author's playful creation of compound words.

I hope that Canada and the world get the opportunity to discover this story, and this author. It is a special book.

Romantic Outlaws: Wollstonecraft and her Daughter Shelley

My Book Club's March 2016 read...

Full disclosure: I'm not of fan of historical reads. Although I was hopeful as I do enjoy biographies, unfortunately I was really disappointed by this one. 

A telling of the lives of both Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley. 

Sadly, this biography was especially challenging as it is greatly lacking a critical and effective editor. The author is clearly an expert on her subject, but she gets bogged down with the details and loses the readers. I found the work seriously confusing as it jumps between the two women and jumps back and forth in time--leaving the reader to remember who all the characters are and what they were doing when the last connected chapter ended. To complicate matters, the author bores the reader to tears with endless minute details that add nothing to the overall understanding of the circumstances. It didn't help matters with half of the characters having the same name or willingly changing their names half way through their lives. (Ok, so that's not the author's fault, and I can't possibly hold her responsible for my resulting confusion on this.)

Mary Wollstonecraft:
The Rebel

Clearly, the author has spent much time reading all of the correspondence of Wollstonecraft and Shelley. I was very disappointed that her endnotes are in fact, not noted throughout the text and as such are not helpful to the reader.  Gordon has lost perspective and the ability to focus on the formative events. This weakness undermines the effectiveness of this biography.  

Mary Shelley:
Author of Frankenstein

Overall confusing and unsatisfying. Here's a example of a great 350 page work that has been diluted with an extra 300 pages of confusion and boring detail. It's in need of a serious edit and overall tightening of details.

No spoilers in this one...It's spoiled before your start. It gets one star because there is no zero star option.

Canada Reads 2016: Book #2: The Hero's Walk

This year's Canada Reads theme is Starting Over.

Anita Rau Badami's novel is not only about starting over; it is a story of hope, renewal, forging on, and looking to the future. 

Here's a brief summary from Goodreads.com:

As The Hero's Walk opens, Sripathi's life is already in a state of thorough disrepair. His mother, a domineering, half-senile octogenarian, sits like a tyrant at the top of his household, frightening off his sister's suitors, chastising him for not having become a doctor, and brandishing her hypochondria and paranoia with sinister abandon. It is Sripathi's children, however, who pose the biggest problems: Arun, his son, is becoming dangerously involved in political activism, and Maya, his daughter, broke off her arranged engagement to a local man in order to wed a white Canadian. Sripathi's troubles come to a head when Maya and her husband are killed in an automobile accident, leaving their 7- year-old daughter, Nandana, without Canadian kin. Sripathi travels to Canada and brings his granddaughter home, while his family is shaken by a series of calamities that may, eventually, bring peace to their lives.  

A strand of Jasmine flower

This novel was a pleasure to read. It is beautifully written with rich, complicated characters. They are well developed and help create interest. There is a gentle plot that is enriched with a few other captivating sub-plots. Badami develops great setting: I could almost smell the strands of jasmine blossom and feel the breeze out on Sripathi's veranda. And while the initial conflict of the death of Sripathi's daughter is a tragedy, the novel does not wallow in doom and gloom.

It's a great read, and entertaining. 

One of the most beautiful scenes is that of the turtles laying eggs on the beach.

When I was a child, my best friends mother told us stories of her as a young girl in Pakistan and how her family would go to the beach to watch the turtles lay their eggs. 

The Value of Book Clubs

I'm not going to lie, sometimes the damn book gets in the way of a good Book Club meeting.

Love my Book Club friends!

Canada Reads 2016 First Read: Bone and Bread

I love the CBC!!!

I have begun my Canada Reads 2016 homework, and my first novel is Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz

Here is an excerpt from Heather Leighton's Globe and Mail review: 

In Bone & Bread, Beena and her younger sister, Sadhana, live in a tiny apartment above a bagel store in Montreal’s Mile End. Their father, Vishram Singh, the bagel-shop owner, dies suddenly, leaving the business to his younger and more traditional Sikh brother, Harinder. The Singh family in India had disowned their eldest son because of his marriage to a white American woman, Beena and Sadhana’s mother, in spite of her conversion to Sikhism.

After the father’s death, their apartment is set ablaze by neo-Nazis, and Sadhana soon shows signs of obsessive compulsive disorder. Tragedy strikes again when the mother dies, leaving the two young teens in the care of Harinder, the girls’ only living relative in Canada. Within a year, Sadhana is admitted to hospital for anorexia, while Beena finds herself pregnant. The child’s father, Ravi, a bagel-shop employee, is nowhere to be found.

Beena tells their story from the present as an adult living in Ottawa with her now 18-year-old son, Quinn. Sadhana, the actress, dancer and political activist, has died, and Beena must return to Montreal and empty her apartment. In the process, she uncovers evidence that raises suspicions about the circumstances surrounding her sister’s death. She also discovers that Sadhana had secretly contacted Ravi, now a rising right-wing political star.

I had difficulty with this novel. Bone and Break is suffused with strife and misery, cruelty, grief and despair--not a light read. Nawaz’s narrator, Beena, is plagued with tragedy: her ungrateful, anoretic sister Sadhana is emotionally manipulative, her father and mother pass away leaving them orphaned, and their only relative--their uncle-- is repressive and unable to love them.

The writing is a challenge too. The story skips in and out of the first person singular into plural. Stylistically, I believe that this is a problem. Although there were moments of beautiful prose, there were moments that I found myself confused by Nawaz's writing.  

Farah Mohamed will be defending Bone and Bread. She is a very interesting women in her own right. Here's a link for more info on her unique perspective on life: http://www.cbc.ca/books/2016/01/farah-mohamed.html

Farah Mohamed will be defending
this novel

I don't believe that this novel truly hits the theme of "Starting Over" for CBC's competition. Without question, this novel has many losses, and forces it's characters to adapt to change and challenge, but it's not inspirational or overly memorable.

I suspect that this isn't this year's winner. We will see if others across Canada agree. 

Here's another blog that I enjoyed reading about this novel:

http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/2016/01/review-of-bone-and-bread-by-saleema.html

Canada Reads: 5 Books, One Contest. Let's get at it!

This year, I resolved to participate in the Canada Reads challenge. With the 5 finalists selected, I am away to the races with the required reading. This year's theme is "Starting Over", or transformative events that create a new beginning.

In addition to the fun reading, I secured tickets for two of the four debate days; I will be attending on Tuesday March 22, and Wednesday March 23 at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. What fun! Sadly, Wab Kinew will not be hosting this event, as his political aspirations have forced him to step down from this project. I wish him well with the political race. (Not sure who the host will be in his stead.)

Now let me get back to my reading!

Here are the final 5 books that I will be reading:

Farah Mohamed defends Bone and Bread

Vinay Virmani defends The Hero's Walk 

Bruce Poo Tip defends Birdie

Adam Copeland defends Minister Without Portfolio

Clara Hughes defends The Illegal

Here are the authors and the celebrity personalities that will be defending their novels:

No pressure, but the Celebs better bring their A game!!!

This One Might Bug You: Cockroach...

Book Club Book #2 for 2016...Wonder how many members will make it through this one?!?

One of Canada Reads 2014 finalist, Rawi Hage's Cockroach is the story of an impoverished Iranian immigrant who is struggling with many issues in Montreal. The theme of 2014 for Canada Reads was: "One Novel to Change Canada". Having read this novel, I'm not sure that Cockroach is far reaching enough to carry that title.


Here's Goodreads' summary:

The novel takes place during one month of a bitterly cold winter in Montreal's restless immigrant community, where a self-described thief has just tried but failed to commit suicide. Rescued against his will, the narrator is obliged to attend sessions with a well-intentioned but naive therapist. This sets the story in motion, leading us back to the narrator's violent childhood in a war-torn country, forward into his current life in the smoky emigre cafes where everyone has a tale, and out into the frozen night-time streets of Montreal, where the thief survives on the edge, imagining himself to be a cockroach invading the lives of the privileged, but wilfully blind, citizens who surround him.

The main character who remains nameless struggles with:

mental health--he is delusional, and has episodes of believing he is half human, half cockroach.
financial--living in poverty, struggling with hunger, holding down a job, securing clean housing.
historical conflict--his past haunts him, he has memories that revisit him.
social problems--his friends who owe him money, and are owed money, have questionable loyalties.
cultural conflicts--these are really hi lighted by the interactions between him and his psychiatrist, Genevieve.

So how many women in the group read it? ALL OF THEM READ THE BOOK THIS MONTH!!!!! That has to be a first!!!

What a Book: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Seldom am I engaged with a book so much that it troubles me after I've put it down. Such is the case with Celest Ng's novel, Everything I Never Told You.

Thanks to my book club friend Mary Anne, I was lent this novel after our last book club meeting. With my ongoing resolution to not purchase books, a lent book is such a wonderful gift! This novel was no exception...In fact it was a treat because it was such an engaging story.

Here's a quick synopsis from iTunes Preview:

Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . . So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.

When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it’s the youngest of the family—Hannah—who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.

This story is so much more than a "Who Dunn It?" mystery. As iTunes says, it is a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another. I would also add that it explores relationships among siblings, and how each one's experiences interpreted so differently for the others in the family.

I found this novel very unsettling; incredibly well written and Ng manages to painted such a foreboding atmosphere within this family. Here's a little chat with the author:

I think this novel could make a great movie also. Enjoy and Thank You Mary Anne!

It's a Long Story (...And I Read it All...) by Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson...Everything You Never Really Cared to Know...And So Much More!!!

A country music icon with so many stories, he's how WN summarizes his most recent autobiography:

"What I say is that this is the story of my life, told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm that I lived it. 

It's a story of restlessness and the purity of the moment and living right. Of my childhood in Abbott, Texas, to the Pacific Northwest, from Nashville to Hawaii and all the way back again. Of selling vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias while hosting radio shows and writing song after song, hoping to strike gold. 

It's a story of true love, wild times, best friends, and barrooms, with a musical sound track ripping right through it. 

My life gets lived on the road, at home, and on the road again, tried and true, and I've written it all down from my heart to yours. 

Signed,
Willie Nelson -

Can't say that I'm a Willie Nelson fan--I've enjoyed a few of his songs along the way. I was surprised to learn just how many of the country hits have been written by him. For example; the classic, and maybe one of my top 5 songs ever "Crazy" as sung by Patsy Cline.

He's old. He's stoned. Still writing country music, and still getting thrown into jail for possession of marijuana. Has had 4 wives...at one point he was married to 2 women at the same time, but he dismisses this with a 2 line comment.

That him...WN.

He has 7 kids by 4 different wives...His son from his first marriage died, but WN offers no details, and avoids the entire discussion of his children throughout the book.

The autobiography was like an agenda recap. Tales of gigs, and troubles. However, I found this autobiography devoid of serious self reflection. It's a safe re-tell that glosses over issues that really would be interesting to explore. Compared to Keith Richard's harrowing story in his autobiography "Life", Nelson scrapes the surface and stuffs lyrics after lyrics to seemingly fill the pages.

Not recommending this one...I'm no better for having read it, and I can't get back the time it took to read!

NEXT...

All the Light We Cannot See

2015 Winner of the Pulitzer

What a way to start our 2016 Book Club reading.

We were really fortunate to have chosen All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Here's a quick summary:

"From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. 

When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge." 


http://www.anthonydoerr.com/books/all-the-light-we-cannot-see/

The book club's discussion today was very fruitful too. Of all attendees, only one hadn't read the novel...Most of the other ladies enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Author...Hope He's Busy Writing
More Fiction for ME!!!

Perfect Place for This Perfect Book

We agreed that is was a rich story that was cleverly woven together. The shifts in time were interesting, and the wide range of characters with different experiences and perspectives was fascinating.

The only lady that didn't enjoy it, indicated that she had heard many stories about traumas of WW2, and as such, didn't enjoy the story. She also mentioned that her reading of the story was often interrupted. In my opinion, it's hard to enjoy any novel that requires some attentive reading if you are constantly having to put it down and attend to other things.

Personally, I devoured this novel over the Christmas break and savoured the last 40-50 pages on the trip down to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico.

Breaking Away by Patrick O'Sullivan

Mandatory Reading for
All Hockey Parents?

Breaking Away is the harrowing autobiography of exNHL player Patrick O'Sullivan, who was physically, mentally, and emotionally abused by his father as a child and youth.

From the first page, until the last bitter page, I felt his pain and suffering, and wanted to reach into his past and help him.

Turns out, his father, John O'Sullivan, was one of those nut bar parents that you see yelling at their kid in your local hockey arena. His father would constantly push for more--even when his son delivered award and achievement after award and achievement. John O'Sullivan was never happy with his son...Always abusive and demeaning.

In his telling of events, Patrick O'Sullivan holds nothing back. He details his depression, fears and insecurities. His honesty and openness is to be commended. I don't know many men who could share this type of story, and for this offering, he must be thanked.

His father stole his freedom to enjoy his childhood. There is no question that this abuse isolated him from his peers, and although he was a great player, it's hard to imagine all of the fun, and enjoyment he missed because he wasn't allowed to play or associate with players of his own age. I watch my son joke around and enjoy the company of his fellow team mates, and I cannot imagine depriving him of this youthful joy.

He Made it to the Show...
But at What Cost?

Patrick does revisit his childhood coaches to find out if they were complicit in the abuse by turning blind eyes to obvious ongoing neglect and crime.

While it was well written, it was such a hard read. It haunts me every day, especially when I am at the arena or at tournaments with my kids. I look at parents differently, and I have changed my approach to watching the game.

If one good thing comes from O'Sullivan's life history, I believe it is that he has made others more aware that there are parents that go way beyond normal encouragement of their children, and we must take action when we witness possible imbalances, and abuse.  Having read this book, I know that I will not stand by if I suspect abuse on the part of parents.

PO: Wishing You Only Happiness
in Your Future!

I wish O'Sullivan peace in his future, and I hope that he is surrounded by loving people who care about him, with or without (hockey) success.

If I could speak with O'Sullivan I would thank him for sharing his experiences, and I would encourage him to continue working on his journey. I would wish him very blessing in his efforts as a kind and gentle father to his children.

P.S. Jan 20, 2016: I wrote a quick note of Thanks to Patrick c/o Harper Collins Canada. Wishing him much happiness with his new and loving family. 

The Rosie Effect: Beach Read in Mexico

The sequel to The Rosie Project

Read The Rosie Effect on the beach in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico on Dec 26-27.  I enjoyed Graeme Simsion's sequel to The Rosie Project. It was entertaining with several laugh out loud moments. Excellent beach reading.

Author Graeme Simsion

Mixes Well With Mexican Margaritas

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

87% Quacky Ideas.

13% Good ideas. Sort by category, not room.  Have only one spot for items. Cleaning products in one spot. Personal hygiene stocks in one spot. Designated storage spot for each child and their belongings.

Here's a taste of the crap: Socks should not be knotted. They need to rest and recover when they are not doing their job on your feet.

Shouldn't have bought this one...That's what library loans are for. I re-gifted this one to my mom. Wonder if she'll like it?...Not counting on it!

Give your Socks a Break?...Give ME a Break!!!

The Girl on the Train

Read it in November.

Enjoyed it...

Will write more about it soon...

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

One of my bookclub selections, this book was not something that I would naturally gravitate towards. I read it over the summer as it was our September meeting's read.

This book was written by a self proclaimed introvert and it was written to make other introverts feel good about themselves. The author claims to sight all sorts of scientific studies that demonstrate the worth and strength of introverts, but her argument is a deeply flawed.  Time and time again, the author uses anecdotal examples in her argument that quiet people are not valued by today's society, and that their contributions are ignored, and neglected.

This novel is like a mini-pity party for introverts. The author claims that extroverts are more prone to alcoholism, infidelity, and dishonesty. She claims that extroverts lack self-discipline and focus.

I thought it was a novel that was written to make quiet people feel good about being quiet. Unfortunately, the author seems to enjoy putting extroverts down in the process.

It was simplistic and tiring. The reviews on Goodreads are surprisingly good...I guess all the introverts of the world came out in droves for this one!  Good luck if you want to read it!!!   

Holy Crow...I'm back!!!

It's been a challenging year. I haven't read near as much as I like to, but that's because my focus hasn't been great.

We sold and moved house earlier this year, and throughout that process, I had a hard time relaxing enough to actually concentrate and read. As a result, I haven't read many books and I neglected my blog during this down time.

Needless to say, I'm back in the swing of things now. I have started reading again, and I'm making an effort to get back to blogging. The original reason for this blog was to document my reading. I have always found that if I don't make note of my reading, I forget what I have read, and sometimes even end up reading the same book twice!

I'm going to post a few updates to mark the books that I have read since March. Sadly I can't remember them all, but it's a stab at it!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Just what the doctor ordered: Easy and soothing. Garth Stein has created a fictional novel that is written from the perspective of the family dog, Enzo.

Recommended and lent to me by my friend Anna D.B., she said it was an enjoyable easy read. After the struggle presented by Infidel, I welcomed the break.

Here's a quick summary from Wikipedia:

The novel follows the story of Denny Swift, a race car driver and customer representative in a high-end Seattle auto dealership, and his dog Enzo, who believes in the Mongolian legend that a dog who is prepared will be reincarnated in his next life as a human.^[2] Enzo sets out to prepare, with The Seattle Times calling his journey "a struggle to hone his humanness, to make sense of the good, the bad and the unthinkable."^[3]

Enzo spends most of his days watching and learning from television, gleaning what he can about his owner's greatest passion, race car driving — and relating it to life. Enzo eventually plays a key role in Denny's child-custody battle with his in-laws, and distills his observations of the human condition in the mantra "that which you manifest is before you." Enzo helps Denny throughout his life, through his ups and downs.

Garth Stein in his racing garb.

 This is a great picture of the author who was a champion race car driver until he crashed his car racing in the rain.

I really enjoyed this novel. It's well written and makes for smooth reading. It pulls at the heart strings without being too sentimental.

After reading this book, I found myself paying closer attention to my own dog, and wondering if he's trying to tell me things. Enzo the narrator of this novel spends a lot of time listening, understanding and trying to help his owner navigate the challenges of his life.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Autobiography by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I have resolved--along with my friend Lea Anne--that I will read each monthly book that our book club selects, regardless of whether I enjoy the selection. This month's read of Infidel was a challenge in many ways, and I struggled to complete it for a variety of reasons.

A brief summary of this autobiography from Wikipedia:

Hirsi Ali writes about her youth in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya; about her flight to the Netherlands where she applied for political asylum, her university experience in Leiden, her work for the Labour Party, her transfer to the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, her election to Parliament, and the murder of Theo van Gogh, with whom she made the film Submission. The book ends with a discussion of the controversy regarding her application for asylum and status of her citizenship.

I have read many autobiographies and I have to say that this was one of least enjoyable. It was a tough read for many reasons:

1. The narrative had little direction and as the reader, I found myself floundering between the author's life torments. It is a basic blow by blow, and the reader is left being dragged from trauma to trauma.

2. There were endless characters and it was tough to keep track of every cousin, aunt, distant relative. It would have been good to have a family tree to keep track.

3. A seemingly endless string of abusive women. Grandmother is a nightmare, mother is no better. Clearly Ali and her sister are abused. (Her brother is no better).

4. Wild generalizations about Muslims and Islam. Ali dismisses all Muslims as either repressed (females) or dominating repressors (males). It's troubling to me that she makes such broad statements and expects the reader to accept these statements as the truth. I found this very troubling, and I hope that other readers also challenge Ali's agenda on this assertion.

5. Ali suggests that the attempt by the West to accommodate Muslims by allowing specialized schools for Muslim children is detrimental to Western ideals.

I gained some insights and raised more questions for me:

1. I found that I questioned my lack of knowledge on this subject. Why have I never learned about any religion?
2. Where do I turn to learn more about Islam and the Muslim way of life, so that I can understand current events more thoroughly?
3. How can we, as a caring and functional society, learn to accommodate a wide variety of religions without dominating or being dominated.
4. Is there a role for middle aged women like me to help build bridges between different religious groups? (I think women must play a central role in this issue).

Those are my thoughts, and maybe because these issues have been raised by Ali's book, I would suggest that it's worth reading.