Amateur Reader II

It is that time again, folks. Here is the monthly reading round up for you (albeit short and sweet):

June was the month of memoirs. Specifically, I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced; Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love; and The Story of My Life: an Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky.

First up, I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.

3.5 Stars. Very quick read; most of the time you don't want to put it down because you want to know what happens to this poor girl. While quick, it is not always easy in the sense of how horrifying Nujood's situation is. My question is how much of the voice is Nujood and how much is it of the journalist, Delphine Minoui? If it is more of the journalist (which makes more sense to me), I wish she would have provided more general background information along with the present context of Yemen.

However, the writer does portray the great strength of Nujood. She is an amazing girl with an incredible life story, and definitely worth your time. 

Now, The Story of My Life: an Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky.

3 out of 5 stars. According to Goodreads.com, "I liked it." And that I did. I didn't really like it, or love it for that matter, but it was better than just "okay." I don't know about you, but I love nonfiction memoirs of women from the Middle East/Asia. Their life, which for all intents and purposes IS so foreign, intrigues me. Ahmedi's particular story kind of draws out, and just like with Nujood's book, I would've liked more background and contextual writing. Sometimes, despite her tragic young life, she takes on a very selfish and whiny voice, which really bothers me. I guess she gets credit for being so raw? I don't know. I think my biggest problems are more editorial based, so I blame the editor more than anyone else here for a bad review.

Any way, despite the tragedy, I found myself laughing out loud to some of the anecdotal sentiments of moving to a new and completely foreign land. It helped move things along.

All in all, what the book did for me the most was instill a sense of gratitude for being born and raised an American. Our freedoms, pleasures, and opportunities are amazing. However, in the end, if you had to choose between Nujood and Story of My Life, I would definitely pick Nujood. Sorry, Farah. Perhaps I was a little over zealous with 3 stars? 2 star ratings just make me feel bad.

Last but not least, Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love.

4 out of 5. I'm almost willing to go to a solid 4.5, I liked it that much. I laughed, I cried, I got angry; you really run through the gamut of emotions with Uhlberg. He does an excellent job of painting a picture of his own emotions, caught between two worlds: child/adult, hearing/deaf. While I'm sure Uhlberg's life story it not unique, I feel like we don't read or see much about this kind of life situation.

Growing up in WWII era Brooklyn, the reader can experience Uhlberg's childhood right along with him. You feel his awkwardness when people call his father a dummy; his frustration when trying to interpret a conversation between his father and the butcher; his childish mischievousness when thinking he can get away with certain troublesome acts. What is more, you can feel the great love and respect he has for his family. Just thinking back on it, I get a lump in my throat. Uhlberg not only puts a smile on your face, but truly pulls at your heart strings, rewarding you with a delicious, filling history of a very special family of four.

Read this when you can, you won't regret it.

So, how was your month of books? Anything good?