Daily Archives: March 26, 2010

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

Buy on Amazon: I am Nujood by Nujood Ali

I was hesitant about giving this book a rating on GoodReads – because I can’t really say that I enjoyed it.

There are a few things I appreciated about it. I appreciated it’s short, to-the-point length. Any more and I don’t know that I could have handled it. I appreciated that the book focused so intently on rehabilitation and didn’t feel the need to go into massive amounts of detail with regards to Nujood’s circumstances and the horror she dealt with.

This is an important book. It’s written in a way that really brings out the confused girl-woman’s voice from Nujood. She’s 10 years old – a child, but the things she talks about should never have had to come out of a child’s mouth.

Important book and one that should be read. Talk about this book, get people reading it. I intend to.

View all my reviews >>

Secrets of Eden: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian

Buy from Amazon: Secrets of Eden: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian

I have a love/hate relationship with Chris Bohjalian and this book emphasized it even more. It takes forever for me to get myself fully involved in his books.. but I do it. Why? Because the final chapters of the book will punch me in the gut and leave me shaking my head in awe. That’s what keeps me reading.

From Double Bind to Midwives and now to Secrets of Eden, he hasn’t disappointed me. Books that, if I would have only read the first half, I would have given 1-2 stars of rating get 4-5 stars from me by the end of the book. This is mystery as it should be written, unraveled slowly, bits and pieces of information fed to you from various angles and a conclusion that will leave you reeling.

Secrets of Eden is the story of a double-death. The death of an abused woman and her husband. She, by strangulation and he, by gunshot. The story is broken into four sections and told by four separate, but very connected individuals. Pieces of information are given to you from each point of view and.. if you have, in the words of Austen, “delicate sensibilities” they will not be spared.

It was interesting, I hadn’t intended to pick this book up (meaning to read another book before it) but I chose to because of the disappointment I’d had in the book I’d read before it. I wanted a real mystery, something that would jar me and make me think. This book did just that.

View all my reviews >>