Book: The Magician's Nephew
Author: C. S. Lewis
Quote:"Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it...cold, tingling, silvery voices. The second sound was that the blackness overhead, all at once, was blazing with stars....One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out...The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time. If you had seen and heard it, as Digory did, you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves which were singing, and that the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing."
Thoughts: I know that was a long quote. Forgive me. But this book, which is actually the first of seven in Lewis' Narnia series, is one of my favourites. Lewis give us the creation story of Narnia--before it was spoiled by the winters of the White Witch. He uses beautiful imagery; the Lion, Aslan, creates the world of Narnia through song. Lewis cleverly provides backstory for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: he not only shows how Narnia was created and how the White Witch came into being, but he also tells us how the Wardrobe was made and why it leads to Narnia. It's short, easy, and definitely worth the read.
Book: Half the Sky
Authors: Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Quote: "It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely
because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth
century. More girls are killed in this routine “gendercide” in any one-decade than
people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the twentieth century.
In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the
twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism. We believe that in
this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender
equality around the world."
Thoughts: This was part of the TBB library for India, and I am so glad I read it. Kristof and WuDunn, long-time journalists, shed light on many problems that women face worldwide: from maternal mortality, to sex slavery, to female genital mutilation. It is an easy read, with story after story of women who are impoverished, have been rescued from sex slavery, and have had fistula repairs. Not all the stories are happy and successful. There is no sugarcoating the issue here. But Kristof and WuDunn make it clear that these are not impossible problems to tackle. In the back of the book, there are a number of remarkable organisations working with women all over the world. Some were started by women who faced and conquered these issues, others were started by school kids. In the end though, Half the Sky makes you want to DO something. And it makes it clear that you actually can.
Book: A Crime So Monstrous
Author: E. Benjamin Skinner
Quote: "Immigrants, the lifeblood of America, usually come into the country only if they have the means to pay for the journey. Now, some human smugglers offer the chance to immigrate with little or no money down. The offer always comes with strings attached, however. And sometimes, it comes with chains."
also
"This is an act so unnatural, a crime so monstrous, a sin so God-defying, that it throws into the shade all other distinctions known among mankind." -William Lloyd Garrison
Thoughts: Another find from the TBB library! This book is an interesting review of modern-day slavery and the steps that have been taken (or NOT taken) to abolish it. It is again filled with personal stories from Skinner and different slaves he encounters. He looks at sex slavery which is the most obvious or globally known form of slavery, debt bondage, child slavery, and many other instances of forced labor. Skinner defines slavery very clearly. There are some sections where Skinner talks about US efforts to stop slavery, and I wondered, "Why is this relevant, and why are you continuing to talk about this?" Ultimately, however, this was an eye-opening book demonstrating that slavery--true slavery--is a reality for people all over the world; there are more slaves today than ever before. And I just had to ask myself, "What am I going to do about it?"
Book: The Namesake
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Quote: "Gogol says nothing. He has not read the story himself. He has never touched the Gogol book his father gave him on his fourteenth birthday. And yesterday, after class, he'd shoved the short story anthology deep into his locker, refusing to bring it home. To read the story, he believes, would mean paying tribute to his namesake, accepting it somehow."
Thoughts: I loved this book (also from the TBB library). It was an interesting novel about an Indian family living in America. The parents grew up in India, but their children grow up surrounded by American culture (and they clearly prefer it). It made me ask myself how I view foreigners in America, how I view my surroundings in another country (aka someone else's home), and what makes something "home." The characters are relatable, and it was an easy read. I felt like I'd gotten to know Gogol throughout the course of the book. It was definitely a good read.
*The title of this blog is from the first two lines of Emily Dickinson's poem "There is no Frigate like a Book." It's one of my favorites. :)
