3 comments about Da Vinci (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists).

1. "Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real", p 9

   The young reader will learn about Leonardo's beginnings in Vinci, the time he spent in Florence learning more about painting, his painting years in Milan and his final years of painting in France.

   Leonardo's depictions were noticeable more "alive" than his Renaissance contemporaries. His use of beautiful backgrounds behind the main object of attention makes this a good choice for the young. Their attention will initially be drawn to the main figure in the painting and then will be sustained by the natural settings in the background. His paintings almost appear that they are done while the person being painted in on vacation. The young will intuitively pick up on the relaxed composure of the main figures

   Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His illustration of some folks deciphering Leonardo's notes and their findings is cleverly presented.

   The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.

   This is the 4th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "Mike's portrait was painted by an artist who claims to be a direct descendant of ...".

   The price of the book is well worth paying. The book contains the following: da Vinci's Paintings (10.5), Drawings (8) and Underpainings (2), Venezia's Illustrations - 7, Others' paintings - 1.5.




2. Mike Venezia's books on the greatest artists of all time are off the chain! He make his books more interesting for kids under 10. This one about Italian Renaissance artist Di Vinci is probably one of his famous ones. (Since Di Vinci is famous for his painting called the "Mona Lisa" 1503-1506). This book contains famous paintings (some with details) from Di Vinci including the deteriation of the tempera "The Last Supper" (1498), from the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Each book includes back cover illustration of Venezia. His books are small steps to learn about each artist. The series also includes Venezia's comic illustrations. In high school art history, the reader will learn more detail about the artists that the author couldn't tell you (like I did).



3. I often have looked for kid-oriented books about art and artists, and usually end up putting them back on the shelf. This series by Mike Venezia was a hit with me (an artist)AND my grandchildren. They're witty but not cutesy, the information in them is actually well and interestingly explained in language a child can understand, and I enjoyed reading them myself!

5 comments about Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President.

1. This book from they guy who wrote a book about Hussein's connection with Osama-yup a true work of fiction. So you can imagine how good this book is-line your bird cage with it.



2. I doubt many historians would consider Dick Cheney the most controversial VP in US history - compared to Aaron Burr, Cheney is relatively tame.
   
   But despite the title, it is still good to see a volume that tries to cut through all the hyperbole and hatchet journalism in an effort to "stick to the facts." Cheney detractors looking for ammunition may not be satisfied, but the book certainly deserves kudos for its good-faith attempt at thoroughness.



3. There were many things that I suspected about Cheney, but never really knew, until now. The book is easy reading and very informative. It is one of the rare instances
   
   Yes, there are a few elephants in the room that are not addressed in depth, but at least they are referred to. In fact, in 20 years, they will be much less important than they seemed 5 and 10 years ago. Making this book somewhat of a glimpse into the future of how Cheney will be "remembered by history."
   
   I wish more biographies were written this well, regardless of who the subject is.



4. I suppose that when compared to other Vice President's books that Cheney is enthralling. The political scientists, who can tolerate some conservative bias, will be pleased. He is a mysterious man and this book illuminates some of our recent years with him.



5. This book appears to have been ghost written by Dick Cheney as it contains nothing but arguments always in support of his career despite the facts of his career. The author is no more than an apologist for Dick and should be ashamed of his cherry picking facts to suit his argument.

No comments about Wagner Beyond Good and Evil.

5 comments about James Herriot's Dog Stories: Warm And Wonderful Stories About The Animals Herriot Loves Best.

1. I read his books as a teen and loved them. Bought the whole set for my grandsons, [teens]. They laughed until they cried. [so did I].



2. This is an exceptional book of true stories from the author's actual experiences... a heart-warming book that will bring laughter, tears, and a thorough enjoyment for readers of all ages.



3. I drive an hour each way to and from work, and this enjoyable book made the time go by quickly.



4. All of James Herriot's books are great. This is another one. All dogs are unconditional love on four legs.
   
   Stephen Richey author of The Galley



5. James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories is a short but delightful book written by the world famous veterinarian. It is beautifully illustrated by Lesley Holmes.
   
   This book consists of ten stories from Herriot's previous books that feature dogs that he has treated over the years. It's difficult to pick a favorite as they all have amazing personalities. There is Brandy, who is such a scrounger that he gets his tongue stuck in tin cans that he digs out of the trash can. TrickiWoo, a Pekingese, picks winning horses at the races. And Gyp, an epileptic sheepdog, only barked once in his entire life. Although all the dogs have special characteristics, it is obvious that it would take a veterinarian with compassion and humor to see that these animals are more than just pets.
   
   I truly enjoyed Favorite Dogs Stories. However, if you've already read Herriot's other books (which I haven't), you will find that they're repeats.

1 comments about Lady Liberty: A Biography.

1. This is a wonderful book about the Statue of Liberty. It is very moving and I am very impressed with it. I teach ESOL students so immigration is a factor in all my students lives whether they are living here for the rest of their lives or just visiting here for a couple of years while their parents attend university here. I am also a big fan of Doreen Rappaport who wrote wonderful picture books about Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon. Lady Liberty tells her story by covering life stories of major figures involved in the creation of the statue. This is quite effective. I learned more about the making of the statue than I had before and I felt very in tune with the people who made the statue happen. The French governments and the US governments weren't all that interested in the project, they had other concerns on their minds and it was more of a bother than anything anyone wanted. It was the pushing of some people from both continents to make it happen and the rest liked it. The courage of the creators was enormous because at any time, people could have convinced them to call it quits. Human creatively and determination is always a good tale.

5 comments about Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone.

1. Dugard is one of the new breed of biographer, in that he knows that every- mans life is made up of truth and fiction. At his best he gives us the more interesting side of both but is always faithful in explaining what has become myth and what can be documented. The life of David Livingstone has become so entangled with his myth that even after reading his diaries it's hard to tell how much is true and how much was perceived as true.
   
   When it comes to Stanley, who reinvented himself so many times not to mention his change of name, always leaves the impression that he has taken the time to edit his journals and diaries. He is very seldom shown to be introspective, except when he uses those emotions to further his own myth. He was a driven man who could never settle for what he had done before, and had to do more than anyone else. The story of Livingstone being found by Stanley at a little village in the Lakes Region of Africa would have been so much more powerful if it had not been deconstructed and rebuilt so many times.
   
   In this format, Stanley finds Livingstone sitting on the front porch of his house/hut and goes over to introduce himself. They are both civilized men who have been beaten down by the nature of Africa and have past the point of exhaustion. Livingstone is on the edge of starvation and has been for the last year. Stanley has crossed parts of Africa which Africans and Arab Slavers fear to go into. I can see Stanley (who idolized Livingstone) being uncertain of how to say hello, and therefore being as differential as possible.
   
   Dugard does a wonderful job of putting both men into the context of the societies they lived in and the people they depended on. It's a fine and interesting story.



2. This book is way too much fun. The story is so compelling, and so much fun to read, that I am left with one complaint:
   
   I have difficulty using this book as a research tool. It's fabulously entertaining, but the depth is hidden in the footnotes, and I am thusly forced to turn to other sources for the research that I wish to do by reading the book in the first place.
   
   Still, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in post-Colonialism for a lively read.



3. Henry Morton Stanley, who's real name was John Rowlands- he was left at a horrible Victorian workhouse after his grandfather died (his mother having abandoned him), was a remarkable man. He certainly had his flaws, but considering his lack of family from age five, he did rise to a prominence that would certainly make a Horatio Alger book pale by comparison. By contrast the missionary David Livingston, was a crusading anti-slavery activist who became distracted by the then popular obsession- the source of the Nile. Despite his more prim upbring Livingston had his flaws, which emerge in his journals and letters. He was also a remarkable man and certainly endured (as Stanley did) hardships that should have killed him before they finally did.
   
   This fascinating story, including many details I had never encountered in earlier books, are well recounted in "Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingston" by Martin Dugard. This is a real page-turner and a story that is not censored to make either man look better than he was. I did find several errors in fact (elephantiasis is not a form of leprosy and one GENUS of mosquitoes transmit malaria, not one species as implied by the author!) However, despite such lapses and an occasional purple passage, Dugard has written a most interesting account of the famous expedition to find Livingston. The reader will also start to realize why Africa is in its current state, what with inter-tribal warfare, Arab and other slave trading, constant raids, murder, endemic disease and colonialism, it is hard to see how anything else could have resulted. The wonder is that any African states are stable at all after their fairly recent history.
   
   A good read and a worthwhile examination of two lives that unexpectedly intertwined.



4. A good story, though not extraordinarilly well written. It does serve well enough as a casual introduction to the story of Stanley and Livingstone.



5. Ever since I read "The Last Voyage of Columbus," I have been a Martin Dugard fan. In "Into Africa," Dugard does an admirable job of mixing adventure story-telling with important historical details to make this a fun, historically-compelling read. As a young child I thrilled at the adventures of Livingstone and openly wished to be like him. Now, many years later, Dugard's prose has pernitted me to relive that childhood adventure while also allowing the adult in me to savor the gritty reality of Livingstone's near-fatal treks.

5 comments about The Seventeen Traditions.

1. For the money, it was not much of a book. For the talent accepted for the author, it was not much of a book. Simple platitudes which are mostly captured in the first chapter, and the rest of the book just re-hashes that theme: My parents were great, I am great, why don't you do likewise! Of course it is too late to change parents, but it does give some good foundation thinking for people just starting out to raise a family, and who are looking for some parenting skills.



2. I've long admired Ralph Nader and have enjoyed some of his
   other books . . . so when a friend recommended that I read his
   latest, THE SEVENTEEN TRADITIONS, I made it a point to get a copy.
   
   My only problem came afterwards; I couldn't put it down . . . so
   some other projects had to be aside as I read about Nader's
   boyhood in a small town in Connecticut, and how that existence
   and the role of his parents affected the rest of his life.
   
   As he notes:
   * I am often asked what forces shaped me. Rather than trying
   to give a full answer to that question-which would take
   longer than a limited interview would allow-I often reply
   simply, "I had a lucky choice of parents." My brother, two
   sisters, and I had a remarkable father and mother, who
   cared for us in both direct and subtle ways. The examples
   of their lives set us on the solid paths we have explored
   ever since.
   
   As I was reading it, I kept thinking of how my parents were
   similar in so many ways . . . in particular, this passage
   could almost have been written about them as well:
   
   * Mother and Father each lived to be just short of a century
   old; we benefited from their seasoned perspectives and
   wisdom for many, many years. They were forever young,
   exemplifying my mother's strong belief in the importance
   of remaining "interested and interesting." And they succeeded
   in doing this throughout their lives, attracting ever-younger
   friends to visit, whether we children were home or not. They
   created the strong family base from which my siblings and
   I sallied forth into the wider world, full of new experiences
   and high expectations.
   
   In sharing the lessons he learned from his parents, Nader
   also gave this advice that should be heeded by anybody raising
   children today:
   
   * Perhaps it was my father who best captured their attitude. Once,
   when I told him that I'd done my best at something, he leaned
   over quietly and looked at me. "Son, never say you did your
   best, because then you'll never try to do better."
   
   As the holiday season approaches, methinks that THE SEVENTEEN
   TRADITIONS would make a perfect gift for anybody wanting to
   read about life back when his or her parents were younger . . . and
   how much of what took place then could still be put into effect now.



3. A short book that reflects on society, democracy, and the peace
   of a good life.



4. This book offers greatly needed insight for a nation filled with antidotes, from fast-paced labeling of psychological disorders to quick fix prescription drugs and self-help book remedies. Ralph Nader takes the reader back to a slower paced society--a world enveloped by the wisdom of his parents. Chapter by chapter, Nader shares pithy, memorable maxims such as, "Jokes are to words as salt is to food" (81), along with other valuable scenarios which serve as life-enriching lessons. For a sampling of the earnest adult figure many of us may have missed while growing up, Nader's book is analogous in resource value (on a smaller scale) to The Discourses of Epictetus.



5. This book is one of Nader's finest published works. It chronicles his life, and how he was raised. He takes the lessons learned as a kid growing up and puts them into seventeen specific traditions that are very easy to read.
   
   The rare and valuable part of this book is that it's one of the only times you can find Ralph Nader willing to talk about his life rather than about politics. There isn't much, if any, political discussion in this book other than a few instances of how his family used politics to bring home values.
   
   I highly recommend this book to all of my friends and family. He touches you with stories of how his parents immigrated from Lebanon and the lessons passed on to him and his siblings. The book will give you an appreciation for spending time with family, and does so in a way that is easy to read and enjoy.

5 comments about The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism.

1. This is good book on its own, but a great reference for those who wish to know more about the area. The is so much emphesis on the Impressionist Movement itself that there is very little information about the times and events that made the movement such a revolution. Art historians talk of the Salon, but a laimen may not grasp its importance, which King does. The only regret I have about the book is how little King speaks of The Commune. It was a devestation to the people and city of Paris and again very little is known. King addresses it, but fails to deliever with respect as to how the artists responded to the disaster.



2. Author Ross King's "The Judgment of Paris" is a painstaking look at an interesting period in French history when a new political system was born and, more interestingly for the rest of the world, a new approach to art was set before a skeptical public. Both events were accompanied by enormous turbulence and resistance, but both have endured to this day.
   The book's focus on two painters of the time--Ernest Meissonier and Edouard Manet--to chart the progress of change is arguably a little exclusive, but author Ross effectively argues that they are good choices as representatives of the spectrum of extremes present in the decade covered by the story. What was particularly interesting to me about this book were the details of the annual or biennial salons that were make or break for art and artists in the 19th Century. Ross has amassed some amazing details that clarify that process, but also make clear why impressionism finally flowered and flourished in such an important way.
   "The Judgment of Paris" takes a bit of slogging through because of the denseness of its details, however the author's skill in pushing his story along makes for very interesting reading for anyone interested in art or 19th Century European history.



3. My husband read this, and passed it along. While I finished the book, I found slightly infuriating: Chapters are short, occasionally the book reads like a guest list at a fancy party and nothing is treated in any kind of depth. To top it al off, there are too few reproductions of the art discussed. In all, a decent view into the rise of Impressionism but, not one with great soul.



4. I loved this book. I just got back from Paris and I am an artist so I felt right at home reading about the art world in Paris over 100 years ago. Nothing changes much in the art world. In 2008 there are exhibitions with so many restrictions and rules, the art is lost in the Museum/gallery politics. The book reads like fiction, it is a bit over researched, but I do feel completley at home visiting the M room. Good job!



5. King chronicles the careers of two French artists, Ernest Meissonier and Edouard Manet, during the late 19th century. Meissonier, the darling of the Paris Salon (the organization that could make or break an artist's career during that time), was the most famous and highest paid painter of the day. In contrast, Manet, heralded as the father of the Impressionist movement, struggled with constant rejection by the Salon as well as the critics. Manet's popularity came later in his career and following his death while Meissonier's work has since faded into obscurity. King gives a fascinating look at the politics and history of the turbulent time period. My only criticism: while the book provided some illustrations of the paintings, there could have been more. King went into great detail about the minute details of many paintings, which was wonderful when the painting was illustrated in the book, but a bit frustrating when it was not. All in all, a good read.

5 comments about Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World.

1. A candid, insider's view of the fascinating woman-centered Moso culture of southwest China. Yang Erche Namu is a strong-willed, ambitious girl who wants to leave her village and make it in the outside universe. Yet her descriptions of Moso traditions, especially of her initiation into womanhood, show a culture of incredible beauty.



2. Living in China, I wanted to experience a little about its culture. I have lived in some other countries (in the "western" world) and living here has both been a challenge and a great experience on how things are different from "my" western side of the world.
   Then, I stumble across this book and it's even more amazing the way her (Namu's) life changed from the childhood in the Moso country to living among the han chinese (don't think these people are the same), learning their culture, their language and writing ( I myself know how difficult this is, I've been struggling for 2 years), and even go live abroad in the west. This is amazing, I wonder how she must have changed and how much she has learned from all this. It's really incredible.
   This book is easy reading. Besides, it's not a sad story, like the ones we've been reading about women in China of the cultural revolution, etc. I really enjoyed it. It's so good she shared her story with us.



3. The lifestyle and cultural norms of the Moso people "one of fifty-six Chinese nationalities" of Tibet, who "number about 30,000" are much different than those of most developed countries. The women tend to engage in a series of monogamous relationships, resulting in matriarch family units with several half-sibling children. This one fact might cause people to describe them as sexually promiscuous and immoral. Others might look at the matriarchal, matrilineal Moso as an intriguing social entity not bound by the social constraints of most cultures. Although the Chinese government has encouraged marriage, the Moso people are overwhelmingly undeterred. Mothers tend to prize daughters, as through their offspring the family lines continue. Children may never learn the identity of their fathers, and if they do, will refer to them (as all men) as "Uncle." Children ideally remain with their maternal relatives their entire lives, dying in the same dwelling in which they were born. Men are needed "to herd the yaks in the mountains, to travel with the horse caravans to trade in the outside world, and to make the long journey to Lhasa to study the holy Buddhist scriptures and become lamas." Girls shift from childhood to womanhood by participating in a post-menarche "skirt" ceremony. They then move from a communal room to their own special chamber and are encouraged to engage in sexual relationships. Leaving Mother Lake is the story of Namu Erche, a member of the Moso tribe, who lived a life less ordinary. Her mother, "curious and restless," defied the norms of the tribe by moving from her own mother's home to settle in a village two days' walk distant. Namu cried so much as a young child that three attempts to trader her to other families were unsuccessful. An elder sister was instead traded for a male cousin, who was raised as her brother. At eight, she was sent to yak-herd with a great-uncle. Several years later she returned to her mother's home to participate in her skirt ceremony. When a group of Han Chinese visited her village to record traditional songs, they noticed her singing skills and chose her along with two others to participate in a singing contest. Successful in their first endeavor, they again succeeded in a bigger contest. Changed by her big city experience, she ran away from home to follow her dreams. She returned home, but only for a visit, after several years at a musical conservatory. Although Namu's story is fascinating, the writing seems overly simplified. Other good memoirs about lives less ordinary include: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, The Twelve Little Cakes by Dominika Dery, and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.



4. A beautiful book ... truely inspiring ... no-one can fail to be moved into the (Moso) world ... so full of humanity ... I would recommend it to everyone .....



5. As with all young people, Erche Namu Yang--or just Namu--faced the traditional crossroads of forging her own identity when she was a teen in the early 1980s. While many authors have written about this important life turning point, Namu's book stands out because she faced her coming of age in one of the world's most unique cultures. As the book's extended titles notes, she experienced "a girlhood at the edge of the world." What she should have said was "in a Feminist Utopia"!
   
   Namu was born into the Moso (also Mosuo) people, who live near Lake Lugu (or Mother Lake) in remote parts of Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, bordering Tibet. This area has been referred to as The Country of Daughters, with good reason. The Moso are one of the world's few remaining matrilineal societies. Mothers serve as heads of their families, daughters are favored, and property and leadership is passed down among the females. Sounds good! However, this culture has been described as a feminist fantasy as well as mistakenly understood as tribes of promiscuous women, because the women do not marry. They move from one relationship to the next when they wish, without any self-consciousness or guilt between either party. Male roles within the family structure are filled by the family matriarch's brothers and sons. The Moso believe that because the men in the household are all blood relatives, they will be forever loyal and helpful to their women kin. There's definitely something to that.
   
   No, I'm not making this up! The wealth of details Namu provides about Moso culture in her story will set the record straight about her people's lifestyle. Put on your cultural historian hat and remain aware that the Moso's socio-economic structure totally works for them, and you will learn a lot about an amazing group of people.
   
   Though it traumatized her family--especially her mother--Namu knew her destiny lay beyond becoming her family's next leader. This book is about a girl having the courage to fulfill her dreams and how these ambitions affect her relationship with her mother. The Moso cultural aspect provides a unique backdrop for a timeless story about personal growth.
   
   SIDE NOTE: I had the privilege of hearing Namu speak at the Shanghai Literary Festival one year. She is stunningly beautiful with a voice to match. She is so talented that she is successful at everything she does. When she couldn't sing anymore, she became a model. When she was too old to model, she became an author. To date, she has written 13 books--though only Leaving Mother Lake has been translated into English. Now she is trying to improve the quality of life in Lake Lugu and to be an ambassador for the Moso. She has opened the Namu Palace Hotel Museum at Lake Lugu, where artists can stay gratis if they create a piece to put in the adjacent art gallery and where guests can learn about Moso culture first hand. Hmmm. Definitely something to think about! But if nothing else, you can be inspired simply by reading her coming of age story.

5 comments about The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa.

1. Review originally published in the Hipster Book Club, April 2008.
   
   Josh Swiller's memoir, The Unheard, tells the story of his two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mununga, a dusty Zambian village home to tribal factions and a host of refugees from neighboring Zaire. Deaf since childhood, Josh was raised by devoted parents who trained him to speak and lip-read with the assistance of hearing aids. Raised to fit into the hearing world, he attended Yale but encountered feelings of isolation and frustration toward heavily-accented professors who spoke into chalkboards. In graduate school at Gallaudet University, he attempted to immerse himself in a new Deaf community but discovered that he was just as isolated in a world that spoke exclusively American Sign Language. So Josh went to Africa to find "a place past deafness."
   
   After a ten-week training course, Josh was off to inspire a sense of community ownership in Mununga, with a charter to organize the villagers to build their first community infrastructure: wells to provide fresh water to the disease-ridden community. The villagers, led by politicians whose primary concern was getting their rake of the banana wine production, were perplexed that the white man didn't have the money and power to give them a well. Politicians had deep-seated tribal affairs to sort out and were suspicious of Josh's motives in offering "help" to the community without bringing along cash and resources. Josh writes of the plight of the Africans with a voice of introspection and humor. His teaching experience required navigating "an educational system based, apparently, on the principles of unlimited recess." By keeping the tone light, Josh conveys profound insights with nary a trace of pity for himself or the economically ravaged country.
   
   For his part, Josh was able to speak Bemba, the tribal language, better than any of his fellow volunteers. Bemba was just another series of verbal sounds Josh had to perform without hearing. In the village and even the larger city centers of Africa, background noise was low, so Josh was able to distinguish sounds more easily. He also noted that people tended to speak to him slowly and directly, further aiding his comprehension.
   
   Josh formed warm friendships with his cook, houseboy, and fellow health clinic worker Jere. In many ways, The Unheard is the story of Josh's friendship with this steadfast and wise chess player. Jere was Josh's constant ally throughout his struggles fighting for resources, adhering to tribal customs, and maneuvering against a ferocious tribal leader out to destroy Josh for his own purposes. Josh learned to adapt his style to reach the Africans in any way possible. In one of his more successful moves, he fosters cultural exchange by passing out a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition to his male students.
   
   The zenith of Josh's experience in Africa was the construction of a local clinic for which Josh put his own Peace Corps career on the line. He self-funded the effort via outside grants in quasi-violation of bureaucratic red tape. Throughout his time in Mununga, Josh wrestled with his inability to effect lasting change against a tidal wave of cultural differences. He finally acquiesced to the urgings of his friend Jere to make one small, practical contribution to the village by building a clinic. Josh's arch nemesis, the tribal leader Boniface, manipulated both the Peace Corps volunteer and the villagers throughout the process, misappropriating project supplies and resources, and finally sabotaging the project in a climactic lynch mob of violence. For Josh, the after effects were devastating. He was forced to suppress his personal outrage and again adhere to the advice of his friend Jere, who continually encouraged Josh to adapt to the local system. Josh learned that subtly outwitting Boniface at his own game was much more effective than pursing any official means of justice.
   
   Josh Swiller did indeed find a place past deafness in the lakeside village of Mununga, Zambia. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in a war-torn, disease-ravaged region in which being light-skinned and American was strange enough that no one bothered to alienate him based on deafness. In his memoir, he casts a critical eye at the Peace Corps process as well as his own conduct in Africa. Josh recognizes that he had naïve goals when he first arrived; learning how to work within the system was an arduous process. He balances his criticism of the local government corruption and his frustration at the lack of industrial progress with his genuine awe and appreciation for the beauty and friendship he found in Mununga. The Unheard is at once a comedy of errors, a coming-of-age story, and a touching tribute to a strange piece of paradise.



2. Josh Swiller's account of his Peace Corps years is a wonderful insight into how he coped with volunteering in an African village as a young deaf man. It is a real page turner. A 5 star read!



3. As a Psychotherapist, I would recommend this book to anyone with a hearing problem or anyone who has a child with a hearing problem. I also would recommend it to anyone who needed to be inspired by the human spirit and to see that the limits of our coping capacities are beyond anything we can imagine.



4. I love this book. I've recommended it to just about everyone I've spoken to since I finished it. It is a wonderful memoir. It is hard to put down, and it's incredible to reflect on.
   
   Read it.



5. I found Josh Swiller's riveting and beautifully written account of his Peace Corps service in Eastern Africa impossible to put down. Swiller weaves insight about deafness brilliantly into his story, giving the reader an insider's perspective on being deaf in any and every possible situation. As the mother of a present Peace Corps Volunteer, I couldn't help but imagine how Josh's mother might have been feeling during his two years in Africa. What did she know about his experience? Was she able to communicate with him? Did he protect her by not divulging details of the danger? While he doesn't tell the reader much about his mother in his book, I found myself wondering about her beyond the book. And...I have continued to think deeply about his experience long after reading his final words. I'm ready to read whatever Swiller publishes next!