Book Report: The Rent Collector

I was asked by Deseret Book if I would be interested in reading and reviewing some of their current best-sellers.  Being a huge book nerd, I jumped at the chance.  They sent me copies, but the reviews and opinions are my own.

 

From the publisher:  

Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the ill-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money--a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman’s journey to save her son and another woman’s chance at redemption. It demonstrates that even in a dump in Cambodia--perhaps especially in a dump in Cambodia--everyone deserves a second chance.

Holy.  Gravy.

The Rent Collector was amazingly good.

I wish I had words to  describe the levels of emotion and joy and thoughtfulness that I experienced while reading this book. 

Let me back up--

I currently suffer from "Pregnant Brain" and it takes A LOT for me to be able to get into a novel, lately.  I can't be bothered with precious tropes, I get really irritable with too much exposition, and I want a plot that hooks me from the beginning.  The Rent  Collector had me reeled in from page one.  The story of Sang Ly and her desire to help her family could have gone maudlin and manipulative, but Cameron Wright's straight-forward voice really set me at ease; I saw the world through her eyes, experienced her choices as earnestly and urgently as she did.  (The setting of the Cambodian dump where families live touched my heart, as we recently participated in a Craft Hope service project for such a neighborhood in Nicaragua, and I was really interested in the details of how people lived.) 
As Sang Ly progresses throughout her journey we learn as she learns--through stories.  I loved the motif of interspersing traditional tales throughout the story, adding different layers to the novel.  

In short--I loved this book.  It was fabulous.  It captivated my imagination and left me feeling inspired.  It is a rare novel that can break through my crabby shell to touch me, lately, and The Rent Collector did that many times over.  I highly recommend it to anyone who loves literature--this would be great for your book club, too. 

I 'd lend it to you, but I think I am going to go read it again after Thanksgiving dinner. 

Book Review: Christmas From Heaven

I was asked by Deseret Book if I would be interested in reading and reviewing some of their current best-sellers.  Being a huge book nerd, I jumped at the chance.  They sent me copies, but the reviews and opinions are my own.

From the publisher:  


Christmas from Heaven is the story of the humble beginnings of what became a beacon of hope to a war-torn land, the story of Gail Halvorsen, a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot to the Berlin Airlift, in which US forces flew much-needed supplies into a Soviet-blockaded Berlin.
As he performed his duties, Lt. Halvorsen began to notice the German children gathered by the fences of Tempelhof Air Base. Knowing that they had very little, he one day offered them some chewing gum. From that small act, an idea sprang: He would "bomb" Berlin with candy. Fashioning small parachutes, he and his crew sent them floating down as they approached the Berlin airport, wiggling the wings of their C-54 as a signal to the children that their anticipated cargo would soon arrive.
Lt. Halvorsen became known by hundreds, if not thousands, of children in Berlin as "Uncle Wiggly Wings" or "The Candy Bomber." Word soon spread, and donations of candy and other supplies poured in from sympathetic Americans. Lt. Halvorsen's small idea became a great symbol of hope not only to German children in a bombed-out city but to all those who yearned for freedom.
Famed broadcast journalist and author Tom Brokaw brings this remarkable true story to life in a stunning live performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, captured on the accompanying DVD. Also included in the book is a template and directions for creating your own “Candy Bomber” parachutes.

I love Christmas books.  LOVE.  But I am also really picky about them--I don't need anymore random Rudolf or poorly illustrated stories about squirrels who discover True Meanings or whatever.  I want beautiful books that are thought-provoking or fun or both.  I don't want to be manipulated into crying because the little match girl ran out of matches and THERE WAS NO ROOM AT THE INN, guys.  I hate that crap.  Christmas books are so tricky.

Christmas From Heaven was perfect for my family.  The true story absolutely captivated my eight-year-old and the pages are long and  smooth and gorgeously illustrated.  She really enjoyed reading it, and then I put on the DVD that came with it and she just about died from the awesome.  "Mom!  He's reading at the same time as me!*"  She didn't care that it was Tom Brokaw in a velvet sport coat with his velvet voice** she was just captivated by the story and the performance.  (I have had the pleasure of attending a Temple Square Christmas Thing years ago, and I know how amazing the productions are--and Christmas From Heaven was no different.  I wish I could have seen it live.)  And then--THEN!-- the most delightful, beautiful deviation from the book happened on stage.  And we all*** started crying.  (I don't want to give it away, but there was an awesome visitor.)  

As soon as it was over, we talked for a minute about how one person doing one good thing makes a difference, and then my daughter ran the book to the neighbor's house because she wanted to share it before they went to bed.  (That NEVER happens with Christmas stories about alligators who want the perfect gift.) 

Christmas From Heaven is awesome.  It would be a perfect gift for families with older kids, especially if you attach some mint gum to go along with the story.  I have a feeling it will be making the rounds throughout our neighborhood this year. 

*Apparently she really missed out on my generation's "At the sound of the bell, Turn The Page" records. 
**I did.  Delightful.  He can read me the phone book. 
***My friend Cat and I.  I am super pregnant and emotional, and she was feeding off of my hormone vibe in a big way.

Book Report: My Name Used to Be Muhammad

I was asked by Deseret Book if I would be interested in reading and reviewing some of their current best-sellers.  Being a huge book nerd, I jumped at the chance.  They sent me copies, but the reviews and opinions are my own.

My Name Used to be Muhammad :The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian. by Tito Momen and Jeff Benedict

From the publisher:  Tito Momen was raised Muhammad Momen. He was born in Nigeria and was taught to observe the strict teachings of Islam. At age five he woke at 4:45 every morning to attend the mosque and perform dawn prayer with the other men in his village. Training to memorize the Qur’an began at age six. It was at this same age that he began copying the entire Qur’an word for word. He was being raised to emerge as a leader among clerics, capable of leading a jihad, or holy struggle, to convert nonbelievers to Islam. However, Tito’s path took an unexpected turn when he was introduced to Christianity. His decision to believe in Jesus Christ cost him his family and his freedom. Tito thought he would spend his remaining days enduring a life sentence in an uncivilized Egyptian prison. For fifteen years he suffered and waited and prayed. Tito said, “I never gave up hope. I never stopped believing.” Although he was falsely imprisoned, beaten, and ridiculed, Tito’s remarkable true story is one of faith, forgiveness, and testimony that God does hear and answer prayers.

I have to admit, I was kind of hesitant to read this one--it just didn't seem like a book I would dive into.  I was absolutely wrong.  From the beginning chapters I was completely drawn into the descriptions of life in an incredibly orthodox compound--Momen tells his early life story so simply and easily that I was able to understand the way he was raised, and his matter-of-fact stories were so plain that I could see where he came from and understand his point of view.  (Early on he gives the reader a disclaimer that, while his experiences as a Muslim were not always happy, he absolutely acknowledges that they were, compared with the millions of Muslims worldwide, atypical.  I appreciated this about his story--it was HIS story, not a how-to or a call to arms for any person in any religion and, in fact, was much more a story about Christ than about "Mormonsim.")  

 **I don't want to give too much of his story away because I want you to experience it for yourself.  It was THAT good.**

As I became engrossed in his story I was repeatedly struck by how truly lucky I am to live in a country and culture that allows me to express my beliefs, to choose my own path.  Momen was jailed and made an example for the courage of his convictions, and I wept as I read how he suffered, yet I was continuously filled with gratitude for all I have in the United States right now.  (I ended up using his story in my Sunday School class when I taught about how we are commanded to ask questions and seek the truth for ourselves.  Zing!  Double-duty!)  (As soon as I get it back from my neighbor, I am making my 17-year-olds read it.  And then I will read it again.)

Without reservation, I recommend this book to you, your mom, your grandma (even though she hates everyone) and your teens--and if you are going to be in downtown Salt Lake this Thursday evening, go meet this man and shake his hand for me.  Seriously. 


(Interested in anything else I read?  Follow me on Goodreads over on the sidebar).

"Is TV? In Store????!!!"

This post is sponsored by Gymboree. Bring a friend to a Gymboree store and sign up for Gymboree Rewards together and you'll both SAVE 25% off an in-store purchase.

Part of the holiday experience is the traditional taking of Christmas Photos to put on the Card Containing the Letter Full of Lies.  Now that my boys are approximately the same size, we have no clothes that are not destroyed.  Enter Gymboree.

I went with my friend, Shalynn,  in the morning when we thought our children would be best behaved.  We were such fools.  Almost immediately Buster fell down while playing "chase the girls and scream loudly" and cracked his head and things just got more awesome from there.  

But we perservered and our reward for shopping together?  We signed up together for Gymboree Rewards and saved big-- 25% on top of the sale prices--and got GymBucks.  Which are like gold.  And now my kids have a matching look for the cards. And I saved enough to ALMOST be able to afford stamps to send them out.

Moral of the story?  It is worth taking the children out in public to shop with a friend.

PS: Ordering this online for a certain fat someone...