Live from Cairo
I didn't know for sure when I chose this book, just how many memories it would bring back. It did just that though. The streets and memories of Cairo came flooding back to me. Thinking about the moments I spent in taxis, the many adventures that I was able to have. The emotions that living in Egypt brought out in me.
But this book also gave me a deep connection to those that are seeking to go to other places, due to war.
The story in this book tells so much of the time of the revolution. What was going on in Egypt during that time, but it also tells the story of how hard it is to get to America. I am always amazed by Americans that continue to put people down that try to come here. I am always amazed by Americans that don't even pretend to understand just how difficult it is to be from a country that is constantly at war. A country where women are raped, and it is okay. A country where police have the right to just beat whoever they want, and that is the way business is done.
We have a long way to go in this world. But I think the first step is to always be able to listen to someone else's story and really hear it. Not to compare it to our own, but to understand where that person comes from, and how much they have gone through.
A few excerpts from the book:
"That's where the interview ended, with the feeling- belonging to no one specifically, but floating in the air above the table- that the only way to change Dalia's fate was to change her location." -page 24
"Charlie recalled why he'd left Montana, not because he had somewhere to go, but because he couldn't bear living amid selfish white similitude." page 55
"I was an immigrant in a land that didn't want me." page 64
"Maybe he just wanted to assure Omran that it was possible to survive unfathomable tragedy. That there might be some joy to be had in the end." page 119
We have to let stories impact us, I'm thankful for this one!
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Book #16.... Unsaid by Neil Abramson
I didn't really know what to expect with this book. I was trying to pick something that I wouldn't usually pick. I was also trying to pick a book that would be easy to read, because I needed easy with the crazy schedule that I've had.
This book was emotional, and it took me to a place I really didn't know I had in me. A place that examined grief, but also lives of animals. The level of emotion I held throughout this book was very high. To understand this you would need to read it. There was a lot that I took away from it. A lot that I learned from it.
The first is that everyone grieves in their own way. I think that I knew this, but this book was a portrait of that. It so clearly allowed me to see just how we need each other in our grief even when we don't know that we do. We need to be able to lean on each other, and open up to sharing the moments with others. So they are able to be there when we need to lean on someone.
The second is that animals are an integral part of our world, and we need to treat them better. I think that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of the pharmaceutical company that I am just not aware of. Understanding that maybe I need to be open to more research and understanding more of how testing is done is something that this book brought out in me.
The third is that love is something we all need. Every breathing creature needs love. We can't block ourselves completely out of it, or we will not survive. We have to learn that love is what it takes to get through all the ups and downs. Why don't we love more? Why aren't we willing to go out on a limb for each other more?
I'm going to try to do that for sure. So here's to love, and learning about how to be in that love.
This book was emotional, and it took me to a place I really didn't know I had in me. A place that examined grief, but also lives of animals. The level of emotion I held throughout this book was very high. To understand this you would need to read it. There was a lot that I took away from it. A lot that I learned from it.
The first is that everyone grieves in their own way. I think that I knew this, but this book was a portrait of that. It so clearly allowed me to see just how we need each other in our grief even when we don't know that we do. We need to be able to lean on each other, and open up to sharing the moments with others. So they are able to be there when we need to lean on someone.
The second is that animals are an integral part of our world, and we need to treat them better. I think that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of the pharmaceutical company that I am just not aware of. Understanding that maybe I need to be open to more research and understanding more of how testing is done is something that this book brought out in me.
The third is that love is something we all need. Every breathing creature needs love. We can't block ourselves completely out of it, or we will not survive. We have to learn that love is what it takes to get through all the ups and downs. Why don't we love more? Why aren't we willing to go out on a limb for each other more?
I'm going to try to do that for sure. So here's to love, and learning about how to be in that love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)