5 comments about Inconceivable: Winning the Fertility Game.

1. The book was interesting in that it told a woman's story and how she successfully won the battle of infertility. However, if someone is looking to this book as a guideline they will be disappointed. This is not a how-to book.



2. After being told I'd never have my own biological child, also because of high FSH levels, I went to Amazon.com (Jan 1999) and researched infertility. Thank God I read Julia's soothing book. It inspired me to follow her path. After Iyengar Yoga, Chinese Medicine, Visualization, reading most of the books in her wonderful bibliography, (and 2 unsuccessful rounds of FSH IUI), my openess to others about my struggle led to a holistic practicioner in San Diego (Dr. Carolyn Mein, D.C.) that balanced my hormones naturally and directly led to the birth of my now 15 month old daughter (Aug 2000). Bless you Julia! I didn't know where to begin and you were the calm voice in the storm affirming my inner voice. I am so grateful for everything this journey has taught me.



3. If I'd known this was about secondary infertility, I would not have bought it. For the truly infertile, do yourself and your psyche a favor: Save the [PRICE]. Go ahead drink carrot juice, practice yoga, and stop reading books such as this one. At least those are three things that are affirmative self-loving acts that will keep you sane.



4. Plain and simple, Julia Indichova just makes this all manageable. She has walked the walk and knows what it means to be told that a baby is not possible. She has found a path that works and she is generous in sharing her journey with us. The people who are disappointed are upset that there is no magic formula here. But I found hope in the fact that no one solution works for everyone, that each of our paths are unique. Like our babies! Read this book, you will not be disappointed.



5. This book is great for anyone who has been told she cannot have a baby "on her own" and for anyone feeling as though no one understands. Julia articulates the frustration, overwhelm, and disappointment that is felt by so many of us who have been told we are too old or are infertile while at the same time gives us hope that there is an alternative. I wish I could meet her in person and thank her. On the inside back flap of the book it says "maybe you are the person Julia knows is out there waiting to hear it" (her story). I was that person and the book made a huge difference in the way I am going forth and made a huge difference in my life!!

No comments about Essential Doris Lessing CD: Excerpts from The Golden Notebook Read by the Author.

5 comments about A Buffalo in the House: The True Story About a Man, an Animal, and the American West.

1. I purchased this book for my mother for Christmas and she has only just managed to get it back to because everyone else has been stealing it. As soon as one person finishes it someone else grabs it. Even my father thought it was delightful. The story is beautifully told and obviously told with a great deal of love. The little side stories - especially the one about the coyote is endearing and brings a smile to the lips and a tear to the eye. This is a lovely book for anyone aged from 15 to 115.



2. I was in the mood for a heartwarming story about man's relationship to wildlife, but I expected the narrative to include reliable factual information. When, on page 21, the author referred to the "several giant North American mammals" that became extinct and then listed as examples "fifty-foot-long alligators, ten-foot-high carnivorous birds, and 1,500-pound guinea pigs," I threw the book down in disgust and haven't picked it up again. If this guy doesn't know the difference between mammal, reptile, and avian, why should I believe anything he says about the natural history of the buffalo, or anything else for that matter?



3. This is one I will keep on my shelf forever! This book is wonderful from the first sentence to the last. Roger and Charlie's relationship is magnificent and they bring you right into the center of it. My husband finished this book in an airport and unashamedly cried like a baby. It is a love story, a history lesson, and a rally cry to protect our precious american heritage in the magnificence of our buffalo.
   The cover says it all - a beautifully written love between a man and his adoring buffalo. Read it!



4. Great story about the bond between a man and a buffalo, but the author scatters his liberal politics throughout which detracts from the story and is offensive to those who may have a different view.



5. If you love reading about animals along with historical facts, this book will not disappoint you. What an amazing story. I finished reading "A Buffalo in the House" just three days ago and I am still emotional and wondering why I didn't purchase this book a lot sooner. Charlie, the Buffalo, bonded with his caretaker/owner, Roger, in such a way that you will want that kind of bond with your beloved pet. The author easily combined the story of Charlie with historical facts about Buffalo. His artist wife, Veryl, sculpted Charlie from the time he was less than a month old amid bottle-feeding and the playful antics of a baby Buffalo. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll really enjoy this wonderful story.

5 comments about Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup.

1. How nice to find a beauty editor who's managed to retain her sense of humor. There is a very droll wit at work here, and it's perfect for the subject matter. Godfrey-June is intelligent and speaks in a voice all her own--readers of her Lucky column will recognize it immediately. She really is like no other. The amazing thing is that there really is something for everyone even remotely interested in beauty/fashion in here and, unlike Allure's new "Confessions of a Beauty Editor," which takes recycling to a whole new level, this is an original voice with something new and different to say. She never takes herself too seriously, which is part of the charm. It's good, quirky fun. Long may Godfrey-June remain comfortably ensconced "above the fray" at Lucky--they are "lucky" to have her.



2. I fell in love with this book! I rarely get through an entire book but this one was the true exception. Why? Jean Godfrey-June's writing style prevails, foremost, but I found it personally interesting because I have been trying to understand my buyers' habits on eBay. Why would anyone pass up a chance to own a big name brand for a cheap price? Jean knows why. What really works or what really doesn't work is highlighted right throughout this fabulous book. I often found myself reading pages out loud to people because I was so entertain or just shocked. I love her beauty tips and I love her sense of self-contridiction (where and how she lives). I read this before the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" ever came out. If you are interested in fashion journalism or understanding people from a marketing/psychology point of view, I definitely recommend this one to you. This is such a good read for the 30+ gals who are considering using expensive beauty products.



3. While there are some amusing bits in this book, I would not give it more than one star. This lady may be a great beauty editor (I am a subscriber to Lucky mag) but she is hardly a stellar author. So much of this rings false...come on, she wears a designer dress revealing her boobs to a FiFi Awards show and "forgets" she's been nominated and is "shocked" when she wins and has to accept under the lights? Puh-leeze! A lot of the book is the same kind of self-deprecating (but secret look at me) kind of writing. But since I got this at Bath&Body at 90% off the original price, it's not too bad.



4. This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Jean Godfrey June's humor is wry, self-deprecating and totally spot-on--she made me actually laugh out loud several times while reading it. It reminded me of Diana Vreeland's autobiography, which is really insidery, yet also totally clear-eyed, down-to-earth and witty. Plus, her beauty advice is almost freakishly honest (cellulite creams don't work, all makeup comes from the same four factories, no matter the price), which I appreciate.



5. I almost felt guilty that I had so much fun reading this book. I read it in one day--couldn't put it down. I felt like I was spying on someone (and something) that I wasn't supposed to know about. Highly entertaining.

2 comments about American Heroine: The Life and Legend of Jane Addams.

1. Jane Addams was a remarkable woman. This book is the best biography written of her life. She was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in her later life. Her liberal views of American society are covered thoroughly by this author in his chapters of her early work at Hull House, and her later work for world peace. A must read book for every woman, because Jane Addams was truly an American woman.



2. This truly outstanding and detailed biography of Jane Addams surveys the founder of Hull House, a social reformer who was one of the most admired women in American history. American Heroine recounts her life, work and ideas, providing chapters which go into far more depth and detail than most reviews of her life, probing the philosophy behind her works and the atmosphere of her times.

No comments about Walking in God's Promises: Character Studies: Sarah (A Woman After God's Own Heart®).

5 comments about Cuba Diaries: An American Housewife in Havana.

1. There are far too many 'doom and gloom' books on Cuba (not unlike books that discredit the entire Chinese Communist movement). In the Cuban diaries, the writer does not attempt to judge, but simply documents all her observations and her personal experience in the 4 years she spent there, and leaves the judgement for the reader. In one part, she describes an inccident of teenage car theives and explains the crime without including her opinion. Yes, her concerns and worries are small in contrast to the greater picture of Cuba, and yes, many might feel that she is just a housewife, her role of little or no political significance. However, she had never tried to play up her character nor promote herself to be anymore than who she is. I feel that those who thinks her experience are not worthy of attention have missed the point.
   
   I mean, Cuba, like all country, has it's upside and downside. Isabella complains about the downside but she didn't fail to acknowledge the upside. She talks about what a relief to spend a week in Miami, then what a relief to be back in Cuba. I've read a number of books describing communist countries - and they often focus on how miserable lives are in those 'god-forsaken' countries. Isabella's book does not pass a verdict, it simply offers a tiny glimpse through her little life and those few years she spent there.
   
   Still, while it's a good read, I won't say it's book of the year or whatever - I really would have given it 4 1/2 stars but this function is not available. So I thought I'll give her 5 for a magnificant effort from a non-professional writer.



2. I recently re-read Isadora Tattlin's "Cuba Diaries" to see if the magic of the first reading still held true. It does. This is an extraordinary book. Travel essay literature succeeds or fails by whether the author opens a doorway to discovery for a reader, or darkens that doorway with his or her shadow. Put another way, travel essay literature fails when the sound of the author's voice and the artiifce of the author's perceptions overpower the place that is the subject of the book. Travel essay literature succeeds when the noises and the smells of the place become real for the reader, and the story is the author's story about the place rather than the author's story about herself.
   
   In "Cuba Diaries", Isadora Tattlin succeeds brilliantly. She never pretends to tell the reader all there is to know about Cuba. Instead, she strikes a balance that is as difficult to achieve as it is compelling once achieved. She tells you what she saw and what she heard, not as metaphor but as experience. She never forgets -- nor lets the reader forget -- that her language, her two passports, and her affluence are realities that present certain limits to full understanding of the Cuban experience as the Cubans she encounters know that experience. But her honesty about who she is, coupled with her skill as a reporter, allow the story of her family's sojourn in Cuba to come alive. Cuba unfolds with the intimacy of letters home from your favorite sister. Two feral cats are adopted to become beloved pets, the author has her purse stolen in broad daylight, Castro comes to dinner, preceded by an entourage of security men. Isadora Tattlin's scene descriptions convey the vividness and richness of details found in the corners of a large Renaissance painting. Lizards climb walls in the nighttime, algae forms in the swimming pools where her children take instruction, cuts of meat ooze blood in market counters, the pungent perfumes of the tropics mix with diesel exhaust. But among the most effective of those details are those she presents by way of documenting the tasks of managing a household and caring for her children. The things that cannot be purchased in Cuba, or that can only be found a day or so at a time in the diplomat's commissary; the threadbare facilities of the providers of medical care; the restaurants without menus; the hotel rooms without water; the collapsing masonry of the buildings of old Havana, including the cracked floors of the studio where her little girl studies dance.
   
   Beyond the politics of Cuba and the politics about Cuba is the reality of an island country of heartbreaking beauty and hardship, and of people who daily confront that reality with pride, perseverance, pain and song. Isadora Tattlin's book will not tell you everything you may wish to know about that reality. But this book will introduce you to the reality of the place called Cuba, and I think you will find the introduction unforgettable.



3. Last Christmas I send this book (Cuba Diaries...etc) to a friend from my office as a gift. Six months later we had an exchange on this book and we both agreed that it was poorly written. Isadora Tatlin is nothing but what the title of her book claims: An American housewife who happens to be of all places, in Havana. We understood the fact of her being just another fatty wife more concerned with taking their kids to the mall on Sunday than guiding them through the intricacies of life in a third world, more or less communist country. She failed to grasp the esence of life in Havana. In short she is, precisely, the best example of a our failed foreing policy toward the island.



4. This is one of the worst books I've ever read. Rather than "an American housewife" in Havana, it should be touted as "a capitalist consumer" in Havana. Tattlin's view is one of privilege and naïveté, which would have been okay had the book been creative, informative or engaging. Sadly, it was full of complaints, misunderstandings and an unnecessary over-protectiveness. As an American who also lived in Cuba, Tattlin is the type of person I dreaded there the most, the modern day colonialist.
   
   It makes me wonders who "Tattlin" knew in the publishing world to get a book deal.



5. Certainly not as historical as the Diary of Anne Frank, but a great summer read to depict Cuba in more modern times.

5 comments about Daughter of the River: An Autobiography.

1. Rarely have I been unable to finish a book, even when it's quite terrible. However, this book was unreadable to me.

   There is no rhyme or reason to this book. There's no linear progression. It's more of a "This happened when I was 5. This happened when I was 15. This happened when I was 12. This happened when I was 5." The book goes nowhere and there is no plot to follow.

   After reading the glowing reviews here on Amazon, I was very much looking forward to reading this book. However, after reading half of it, it's in a box in the closet...




2. I just had a hard time reading/understanding/finishing this book. I did finally finish it because I wanted to know the mystery behind the author's father, but in the end the whole book was disappointing. I guess it's a matter of the book's structure. The author jumps from one time setting to another so often, it gets totally confusing! Also she intertwines different stories of different family members and other people in her life, that it's easy to confuse the characters. Some of the language sounds awkward, the curse words seem...forced. Also after a while, the author's unceasing bitterness towards life tended to grate on my nerves.



3. I read this book to see if I could use it in a college class I teach on young women and coming of age. After reading the split reviews on amazon.com, I decided to read the book for myself.
   
   In short: I loved this book! It has a variety of issues that pertain to coming of age including the intersections between and among gender, race, culture, class, family, education, and politics.
   
   The book is categorized as "Autobiography" but it could easily be categorized as "Autobiography/Women's Studies" for the range of women's issues it covers.
   
   I will teach this book in the future. I would just advise my students, or any reader really, to pay attention to the dates as the book jumps around a lot and it helps to have a frame of reference (e.g. Hong Ying was born in 1962 so if she's talking about 1968 she is obviously 6 years old, but usually doesn't mention that fact) in which to view each segment of the story.
   
   Highly recommended. The end of the book made my heart soar.



4. I found this book to be somewhat interesting for its time and place; the slums of Chongqing at the end of the Cultural Revoloution. The authors family situation is also somewhat interesting, but a bit too predictable. I also read one of the author's novels, that I picked up off the sale table in Hong Kong and found it also just okay.



5. Hong Ying's autobiographical novel gives an in depth picture of `normal' life in China after World War II with its `hypocrite socialism' and its terrible famines.
   It is a story of a harsh struggle for survival: unabated hunger, nerve-racking promiscuity, lack of privacy, bitter loneliness, lies and denunciations.
   It is also a tale about growing up in a `strange' family, becoming an adult, discovering sexuality and about the search for one's own roots.
   
   This book shows poignantly the real and direct impact of governmental political and social decisions on people's daily life. It is not less than a `personal' historical sketch with a genuine human touch.
   
   This magisterial novel is bathed in a magical subdued atmosphere. It is written like most `Schubertian' music in a minor key-note.
   A must read, not only for Chinese scholars.

5 comments about Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart.

1. This is an amazing book full of truth and wisdom. "You house the truth of God's essence inside yourselves, to be heard in the wisper of silence". "Really, all brokenness is a lack of oneness with one's own spirit and light". For those unfamiliar with Carlos's wealth of music and message, we learn; "every note is chosen with the hope that in the listener it will sing a story, spark a journey to goodness and mercy". I laughed, I cried, I loved it! I am a middle aged white guy who honestly thinks Carlos Santana is a Prophet, chosen and inspired by God. Just listen to his music (all of it!). Deborah Santana is a gifted writer, who tells her story in a magical and compelling narative. The message is truley inspirational. Thank you.



2. Deborah Santana opens her heart and life in this book much the same way a musician such as her father or husband does on stage. Truly a great writer Deborah chronicles a period of Rock and Roll as an insider. We are lucky to have an account from this period of two famous bands to which she was connected. But Space Between the Stars isn't just about Rock and Roll. It is a story of a strong woman who has survived that era and come out stronger. The Music on The Cds is incredible. Her son Salvador is likely to be a force in the music world, admired and respected as were his father and grandfather.



3. I was so impressed with the book I bought copies for all my sisters and mother. We all loved the book and my 81 year old mother reads reads regency romance novels exclusively. A miracle ocurred and she read this book and didn't want to put it down! We all loved it. The book gave us courage and opened our hearts. THANKS Deborah.
   Sincerely,
   Karen Gravina Hull, Massachusetts



4. I enjoyed this very candid memoir by Deborah Santana. I found myself experiencing her joys, pains and understanding her need for a spiritual connection. I cried during her disappointments and smiled as she experienced a re-birth or a self-discovery if you will. I related to her loyal and committed spirit to those she loved and her family values. I truly appreciate Deborah Santana as an accomplished writer. This is a very well written piece of work and a great read.



5. I did something I rarely do: read a book in one sitting. I started around ten p.m. and ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning.
   
   I was curious to read a book written by the wife of Carlos Santana. I remembered reading in the news that Deborah Santana (born Deborah King in 1951) had filed for divorce last fall - after the book was published. My curiosity however was mostly sparked by the desire to read about the life of a woman that I confess I knew nothing about until I picked up this book.
   
   It's said that behind every great man is a great woman. After reading this book, it's clear that Carlos is one lucky man - Deborah is quite a woman. (Most likely his infidelities was the reason for the seperation and - last I heard - impending divorce.)
   
   I give the book four stars because for the most part it's a brave, eloquent tale of a woman's life. It doesn't matter that she was with two famous men (Sly Stone, then Carlos Santana) - I could easily identify with her feelings and her struggle as a woman who is still finding her way.
   
   At times her writing is lyrical and moving - other times it veers into New Age & Pop Phychology Land, but thankfully she gets back on track before losing the reader (this reader anyhow).
   
   I obviously would not have stayed up late with a book I didn't like and I highly recommend it. (She also writes about the subject of being a biracial child).
   
   In all fairness it would be interesting to read a bio by Carlos himself in which we hear about the same years shared, but from his POV. Not that the infidelities didn't happen - he has not denied them - but still, it would make for great reading to hear his side of the story. Alas, I doubt we're going to see that book anytime soon.
   
   Together since around 1972 and married since 1973 and with three children, one wishes they could have made it.
   
   NOTE: Deborah's parents, her black musician father Saunders King and her white (Irish-American) mother Jo Frances were married for many years (he lived to be 91) and had what sounds like a very happy marriage. The passages about her parents made me want to read a book solely about her their life and marriage. It is when she writes about her father that her prose is the strongest - very "Alice Walkeresque". Maybe that will be Deborah's next book?

5 comments about Reading "Lolita" in Tehran.

1. The reader is not only able to go with Nafisi to her home in Tehran, meet the young women in her private class and experience their subjugated lives but is also able to explore great works of literature through her lenses.



2. I liked this book, to a certain extent. It's very interesting (eye-opening) to get a glimpse of Iran during during such turmoil - especially how difficult it was for a woman! But the author seems a bit more removed from the actual tension and violence than the reader is led to believe, in my humble opinion. Perhaps that's because she was at the university and therefore was somewhat sheltered. I mean, how could the local authorities not discover the ladies' meetings when the brother of one of Azar's friends always dropped off his sister with car brakes screeching. Surely that would draw attention to the group....right?



3. (Note: For some reason every time I have to write a one or two star review, folks who loved the book seem to come out of the woodwork to vote that my review wasn't helpful thus lowering my Amazon.com ranking. I have a hard time believing that only my negative reviews are poorly written. I firmly believe that reviews should cover all opinions and not just serve as love fests, thus, here is my barely one-star review for "Reading Lolita in Tehran." Vote away.)
   
   It is truly beyond me how this book has touched so many readers. Nafisi basically supplies 340 pages of English literature lectures on traditional Western canon books (ie: "The Great Gatsby," "Pride and Prejudice," "Daisy Miller," etc.)interspersed with mostly factual information (vs. any type of emotional insights) about her life in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1990s.
   
   Nafisi's writing is scattered, often flipping back and forth between discussion of a text and discussion of a person or factual event but often not truly distinguishing between the two. Time frames are non-existent. Insight is near to nil and the few insights that are touched on are repeated ad naseum. By page 28 I had written myself this note, "Okay, we get it - the regime is individuality crushing and bad - especially towards women who feel forced to live double lives - one in public, one in private. Can we get on with things now?"
   
   Unfortunately, we never do get on with things. Perhaps the repetition would not be so bad were it not for Nafisi's own tyranny in her classroom - demanding that her students read and appreciate exactly what she does. Much later in the book, she is then shocked when she discovers that her students are repeating her lessons to her verbatim and tries to see it as a consequence of the political climate and not of her own teaching style.
   
   The only authentic emotion exuding from Nafisi's writing is guilt. Her own guilt at deciding to leave Iran for the US is crystal clear and understandable. She writes of a student who says, "If everyone leaves...who will help make something of this country? How can we be so irresponsible?" It was touching to find such a true sentiment in the midst of all of the more rote topics.
   
   Overall, Nafisi details her bourgeoise lifestyle in war-torn Iran where she occasionally lives vicariously through those who had lives much more directly affected by the war and the political climate, and constantly lives vicariously through her outdated and overrated books and lesson plans.
   
   I found Maureen Corrigan's book, "Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading" to be a more enjoyable "memoir in books." Despite it's lack of interesting locale, Corrigan is able to garner real life lessons out of general fiction and literature. I would recommend it to anyone who liked "Reading Lolita in Tehran."



4. Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran" has gotten much (in my opinion too much) attention over the past four years. She focuses mainly on how she had a book group, composed mainly of her university students, to discuss works of literature, mainly English language classics involving sexual relationships. I find her insights on these works intriguing, and also was intrigued by the descriptions of life in Iran during the Revolution, war with Iraq, and post-Khomeini. However, she appears to view herself as a know-it-all of literature, dispensing THE view on these books, but later seems surprised that her students merely repeat her words verbatim on tests. She also is very representative of the Iranian ultra-secular intelligentsia, who are ultimately more at home in the Western world than they are with most of their countrymen. She needlessly bashes Islam and Muslims (she could easily have left her diatribes solely against the regime), and then she wonders why the "Moslems" have so much animosity against her class! Far too much of the book focuses on the injustices, real and horrible as they may be, that women and the intelligentsia deal with in Iran. It's sad and deplorable, but how many times do we really want to hear about in one book! She also goes so far in trying to hide the identities of people in her book that it's hard to tell how much is real and how much fiction. In the end, there are much better books out there on literature, contemporary Iran, and other issues presented in the book, but if you have a real interest in all these subjects, then this book might be worth your time.



5. Imagine...Having to hide a satellite dish for fear of being arrested and thrown in prison,having to hide your face with a veil,your body with a robe,your head with a scarf,and God help you if a couple of loose strands of hair are sticking out. Imagine living under such a strict regime that a woman can not walk down the street with a man who is not her husband,father or brother,of having to scramble to different tables in a restaurant where a raid is going on, if you are sitting with a man who is just a friend. Imagine being subjected to body searches for no reason, of being jailed and quite possibly executed for having an opinion not accepted by that regime.Imagine the books you love, great and classic literature by Nabokov,Austen,James,and Fitzgerald, hard to come by and considered evil propaganda. And if fearing what your own countrymen can do to you is not enough, now imagine all that, with bombs going off constantly for years, landing so close they flatten your neighbors house and kill everyone in it. This was everyday life, a battleground of fear from all sides, for professor and intellectual Azar Nafisi. She only wanted to read, teach and discuss her favorite works of fiction.
   
   Those are just a few of the injustices and life threatening situations, described in "Reading Lolita In Tehran".
   After refusing to wear a veil to her job as a teacher of Literature, sticking to her own agenda of books considered controversial, Nafisi formed her own little group of women to study the great books mentioned above. She considered them "her girls", like an Iranian Miss Jean Brodie. They discussed the great works of Lolita, The Great Gatsby(this one was put on trial by her class at the University - imagine putting Gatsby on trial!), Pride and Prejudice among others, as they met in secret at Nafisi's home sans the robes and veils revealing their jeans and bright colored T-shirts, along with their inner most thoughts. They saw themselves as the heroines of the fiction they read. They discussed their sometimes unimaginable situations,their deep faith,the deaths of their friends, and the political times they lived in.
   
   Azar Nafisi writes of how this group came to be, how these young women defied authority by studying unacceptable fiction. The girls themselves each have quite a background and stories of chilling experiences. Considering themselves lucky for only getting 5 years in prison for expressing their opinions instead of death in some cases.You can't help but feel a bond with each one of them. Nafisi also takes us back to the years before the group. She writes of life of in the "Islamic Republic of Iran",of teaching at the University of Tehran, and the extreme authoritative figures that ruled. Her writing seems to go off on tangents and some times it is a while before we are brought back full circle to the point, but I have to say, that every word she writes seems important to this story, and well worth reading through. She brilliantly interweaves the theme and characters of the books with the way of life in Iran.
   
   This book left me deep in thought about the things I read in it. It was an up close and personal look at life we've heard about, but always seemed so far away. It not only touched me deeply and emotionally but I learned so much about the history and politics of the country as well. It certainly made me appreciate my own life much more.
   
   Highly recommended read for everyone, and may be an especially deep discussion for book club groups.
   It is quite a bit to absorb, but one that I will read again someday...Enjoy the read...Laurie