Roots by Alex Haley

"It begins with a birth in 1750, in an African village; it ends seven generations later at the Arkansas funeral of a black professor whose children are a teacher, a Navy architect, an assistant director of the U.S. Information Agency, and an author. The author is Alex Haley. This magnificent book is his."

So states the back cover write-up of this magnificent book--doesn't it just give you the chills?My good friend Taryn, when I told her I hadn't read it before, told me I simply had to read it. I had seen the TV series with I was little and remembered it as being quite troubling. But I think it deserves to be read.

As I read it, I thought so much of my own family history, of our nation's history, of resiliency of the human soul, and of the human need to pass on to our children the things that we know. After so much struggle, heartache, love, and perseverance, when I read the final chapter of the book where the author himself comes into the story, I couldn't hold back the tears. Life is truly beautiful!

*Disclaimer: You should know (and probably do) that this book deals quite graphically with slavery and all its horrors. There are brutal beatings and wicked slave masters . . . I won't go on, but there were a couple of parts I skimmed over. Yet I still feel it is such an important book that it's worth reading--if it wasn't, I probably wouldn't have posted it!

Book Review of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. A missionary family (a controlling, bible-thumping minister, his wife and four daughters) embarks on a journey deep into the heart of the Congo. Beautifully written, Kingsolver uses the very distinct voices of each daughter to tell the story of their experiences. The entire novel is almost poetic, and although there were parts I didn't love (some of the end gets a bit slow), I found myself anxious to see what the next chapter would contain. I've never read a book so tapestry-like, with each chapter as a thread. We read this for our book club, and I think it's a great novel for that type of setting.

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

If you haven't yet discovered this series, it's time you did. My wonderful Grandma Alma, who served two LDS missions to Africa, got me hooked on these books. Written (by a man, I might add!) from the perspective of Precious Ramotswe, a self-appointed female detective, they are set in Botswana, Africa.

What I love most about this series is the taste it gives you of every day life in Africa. From the beautiful style of speaking to the pumpkin soup and bush tea, each page contains little pearls of wisdom. The people are courteous (or at least expected to be so), life is slower, and there is a respect for humanity and nature that emanates from the pages. But it is far from boring! Each book has a key mystery to solve and several minor ones along the way, but you find yourself enjoying the culture and wisdom every bit as much as the mystery.

*Disclaimer: The very first book (and only the first--there are 10 all together) has a chunk in the middle that I remember being inappropriate--the only thing I've objected to in the whole series.

Here are all the books in the series (so far):

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Tears of the Giraffe
Morality for Beautiful Girls
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
The Full Cupboard of Life
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
Blue Shoes and Happiness
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
The Double Comfort Safari

How can you not love books with names like that?