"Little Bee" by Chris Cleave

I got this book at a used bookstore because I was intrigued by the description on the back cover which did not really give anything away about the story while promising an unforgettable read. Now that I am done with the book I can honestly say that readers will not be disappointed. The book focuses on a story of a Nigerian refugee who flees a local oil war to seek asylum in Britain. What happens to her in Nigeria is horrific. No less horrific is the treatment she gets by the immigration authorities in the UK. She spends two years locked up in a refugee detention center outside of London and then gets deported back to Nigeria because her home country is considered to be safe by the UK immigration officials.

Little Bee's immigration woes are just part of the story. Back in Nigeria before she ever sets foot in the UK, she meets a British couple who came to Africa on a holiday despite the local oil war raging in the country side. This encounter changes their lives for ever. The author examines how humans react when faced with extreme danger and atrocity. What motivates one to save another human being or decide to pass by, and if one refuses to help how does that person cope with guilt and continues on living? These are timeless questions, and the author thoroughly explores them. Cleave is an extraordinary writer. The story alternates between the voices of a Nigerian and a British woman, and Cleave has no difficulty writing from a female point of view. If you are looking for something to read, look no further. I must warn though: the book has pretty graphic violence/rape descriptions.

"The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls

I read this book a few years ago, but it is one of those stories that really touches you and stays in your mind. I find that I keep recommending this book to friends when they look for something good to read. Walls writes a very candid memoir about her childhood. Her parents had four children but did not believe in a traditional way of providing for the family. Neither the father nor mother had steady jobs. They moved around a lot, sometimes even camped out in the wilderness. The mother painted and wrote but never really cooked a decent meal for the children. The father (when sober) taught them whatever he knew about sciences. Eventually, the family settles down in a small town in West Virginia. Walls remembers them being the poorest kids in school, going hungry and dirty while their dad was gone for days and the mother refused to take responsibility for providing for the family. It was clearly a lifestyle choice for the parents, one that Walls, now an adult, has a hard time understanding. For me, as a reader, this story was very eye-opening. I personally never encountered a family which makes the choice to live a life of wandering, subjecting their kids to experiencing hunger, want and humiliation from early childhood. Hardship did not break Jeannette Walls. It motivated her to escape and build a better life for herself. She clearly knew what kind of lifestyle she did not want for herself. She became a successful author and wrote this amazing story of going through dire poverty in the midst of the wealthiest country in the world.

I hope this book will touch you as much as it has touched me.

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth

So here we go back to dystopias! Divergent by Veronica Roth has been on my Kindle for probably more than a year, but I had too many other books to read and, frankly, I was a bit weary of the genre. However, now that the movie is out in the theaters, and it seems to be doing fairly well compared to other young adult book to movie adaptions, I decided to give it a shot.

Divergent does not disappoint. It is action-packed, fast-paced, and features a strong female character. The book is set in a distant future in Chicago. The society is divided into five factions. Each faction is centered around a predominant character trait which defines the life of its members: courage, intelligence, selflessness, kindness or honesty. At sixteen, all children undergo a test which is meant to identify which faction they belong to. Regardless of test results, children get to choose which faction they will join. They can go with their test results or pick some other faction. The main character - Tris - gets an inconclusive test result. She shows equal aptitude for three out of five factions. This phenomenon is called the divergent, which is extremely rare and dangerous. Dangerous because divergents are hunted and eliminated. And so we follow Tris on her journey to self-discovery as she joins an unfamiliar faction, makes friends, confronts her fears and ultimately comes to terms with who she is.

This book was clearly conceived as a trilogy from the very beginning. There is not a lot of world-building in the book. Tris seems to be pretty uninformed about the politics of the society she lives in and does not even know what lies "beyond the fence" of the city of Chicago. Readers are left wondering about why the society is divided the way it is and what the rest of the world is like in this distant future. These questions are tackled by the author in Insurgent and Allegiant which I have not read yet, but intend to do so.

In sum, I do recommend the book especially if you liked Hunger Games and are looking for a similar feel. The book explores what true courage really is and what motivates one to face and overcome his or her fears. Roth is an amazing story-teller and I can't wait to read the other two books.

"Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation" by Serhy Yekelchyk

Once again, Ukraine has been making headlines with its political unrest and uncertainty. Even after being independent for over 20 years, the country is still struggling to figure out its national identity. A lot is being said in the press about the country being divided into the "pro-Russian" and the "pro-Western" factions. If you are curious to learn more about Ukraine and Ukrainians, I highly recommend Serhy Yekelchyk's Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation. The book came out in the wake of the so-called Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004-2005, when the world watched as Ukrainians refused to accept the results of a rigged presidential elections and poured into the streets to demand justice.

Most other books I've seen about Ukraine tend to either overemphasize its historic ties with Russia or completely disregard those ties. I think Yekelchyk's book offers a balanced view of Ukraine's history which underlines the fact that this constant tension between leaning towards the West or towards Russia has always existed throughout Ukraine's history. The trick for this nation is to figure out how to balance these opposing forces and to stand on its own. A house divided cannot stand. It is time for Ukraine to realize that its strength is in unity and independence. It is a great nation that can stand tall without being subservient to either Russia or the West. Enjoy the book!

"The Cuckoo's Calling" by Robert Galbraith

By now it is common knowledge that The Cuckoo's Calling was penned by J.K.Rowling. It is interesting that she released two books almost simultaneously: one under her own name (The Casual Vacancy - see my review of this book here); and the other under the name of Robert Galbraith. While the first book did not receive positive reviews by critics, the second was hailed as "one of the best books of the year" (USA Today). 

One might speculate how big a role expectations played in such a difference in reviews. The highest expectations were placed on the famous writer, whereas not as much is usually expected of a debutante. Having read both, I must agree with the critics. I liked The Cuckoo's Calling a lot more than The Casual Vacancy. Even though the latter takes up a social issue, the novel drags in places and there are just too many points of view to easily keep track of. The message gets lost among the variety of issues raised. 

The Cuckoo's Calling is a detective story which plunges the reader into the world of the rich and famous as the main character - private eye Strike - is hired to investigate a suicide of a famous supermodel. The story moves along at a nice pace, the characters are interesting and multidimensional and the denouement is not obvious until the very end. Even if you are not a fan of detective stories, I think you might enjoy this one. It is exceptionally well-written and funny, and it also examines the perils of fame and wealth. J.K. Rowling allegedly promised to write more books with detective Strike as the lead character and I am looking forward to reading those.

"I am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai

I am Malala is a touching story of an amazingly brave Pakistani girl who is an advocate for children's education around the world. At the age of fifteen, she was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for girls' education, but miraculously survived and went on to address the UN and write a bestselling book. Her father founded a school for boys and girls in Pakistan and was a community leader advocating for peace and education. From an early age, with her father's encouragement, Malala was vocal about girls' rights to education. When she was eleven, she wrote a blog for the Urdu BBC website about her life under the Taliban; and later traveled with her father around the country visiting schools and making speeches about the need for education and peace. Her book provides an insight into the Pashtun culture and way of life. She draws a very clear distinction between Islam and the teachings of the Taliban. Reading the book, I was struck by the purity of her soul. She lived through the horrors of public executions, school bombings, constant threats to her father's and her own life, and finally her own brush with death. Despite all of this, she preserved her passion for knowledge and desire to bring education and better chance in life to all children. Her prayers for the world are deeply moving. Malala was just a child trying to do her best at school and dreaming of making her country a better place for everyone. Her passion for life and knowledge is contagious. As long as there are Malalas in this world, humankind has a chance. What an amazing young lady! Everyone should read this book. If nothing else, it will teach us to be grateful for what we have in life.

"Zealot: the Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" by Reza Aslan

I just finished this book, which has received quite a bit of attention lately, and honestly, I cannot say that reading this book was a worthwhile undertaking. To be fair, I think the author did a lot of reading and research in preparation. However, his book is filled with contradictions and will be frustrating for any serious student of the Bible. For example, the author states multiple times throughout the book that Jesus and his disciples were illiterate, uneducated day-laborers. But at the same time, he goes on to say that Jesus picked an obscure prophecy from the book of Daniel to confirm his status of Messiah. How could a simple illiterate peasant do that?

Aslan also disputes portions of the New Testament and brands them as total fiction with the aim of proving that Jesus was just another failed "messiah" who tried to rouse a Jewish rebellion against Rome. At the same time, he admits that Jesus never advocated violence and was a miracle worker, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead.

Furthermore, the author devotes a good portion of his book arguing that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God, and most certainly never talked about his divine origin. However, he unequivocally states that something miraculous must have happened (i.e. Jesus' resurrection) for Jesus' movement to persist and for his followers to choose gruesome death over rejecting Christ's resurrection. Aslan also claims that the majority of the New Testament is based on Paul's teachings which were not in line with the teachings of the Apostles and therefore, not in line with the teachings of Jesus. The sole point of disagreement which he cites though is whether Christians must follow the Jewish law and rituals.

Needless to say, I found the book extremely frustrating; and moreover, I think it could be misleading to those who are not familiar with the Bible. Aslan cherry picks some portions of the Scriptures to support his claims and outright dismisses others. He also relies heavily on and does not dispute the verity of the writings of Roman historians, Josephus in particular.

I decided to get to the end of the book just to see what conclusion the author arrives at. It was a huge disappointment. Aslan basically concludes that "the Christ of Paul's creation has utterly subsumed the Jesus of history." He seems to think that Jesus was a zealous revolutionary who challenged Rome and tried to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, but that this Jesus is completely lost to history.

To me, the fact that Aslan failed to disprove Jesus' miracles or his resurrection speaks volumes. He in fact admits that Jesus most probably did work miracles, and something miraculous (such as his resurrection) must have occurred for Jesus' movement to persist. As such, Jesus' works speak much louder than anything else Aslan might have said in his book.

In sum, I think Reza Aslan did a great job marketing his book, but reading it was utterly frustrating and disappointing.