Dim Sum
Strength In What Remains
Strength In What Remains (Random House), by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Tracy Kidder, is a stunning true story of human endurance, and the will to do good and to forgive. It is a must read, and should be picked up by everyone interested in human welfare, global health, and anyone interested in reading a fascinating, touching narrative.
Strength In What Remains follows the life story of Deogratias, or Deo, as he is nicknamed, grew up in a family that tended cows and farmed the land in Burundi. Deo, a smart boy who had gone on to high school, college, and then, in medical school, fled for his life.
Fleeing his country’s civil war and genocide, Deo went to Rwanda, where he once more had to flee the ensuing genocide. Finally escaping to New York, he lived in crack houses, in Central Park, and eventually, found his way to Columbia and Dartmouth Medical School. Struggling against great odds, Deo survived and thrived. And returned to Burundi to found Village Health Works, a free medical clinic.
The story of Deo extends far beyond the chronology of his life, though. Strength In What Remains is an investigation into how we can survive through the greatest atrocities, how strong the human heart and will is. And how the most powerful of all actions is the ability to forgive and to repair. Strength In What Remains is heart-wrenching, horrifying and galvanizing. It is inspiring and it is essential. It is a book that, long after finishing, I can’t stop thinking about. And that is the highest compliment I can give a book - that it remains in me, that it changed me.
Read an excerpt.
-Geoff Calver
Baking Cakes in Kigali
So many in the global health community say they have a book in them Baking Cakes in Kigali (Random House) is such a book. It is the charming and uplifting debut novel by author Gaile Perkin. The book centers on the life of Angel Tungaraza, an expatriate baker who, along with her professor husband, is raising her five orphaned grandchildren in Rwanda. Part Oprah, part Precious Ramotswe, Angel brings to life the stories heard by Perkin while she worked in Rwanda as an HIV/AIDS volunteer. This undeniably spirited novel shows the resilience - and joy - of modern day Rwandans without shying away from the painful past of the genocide. It touches on AIDS, malaria, and, of course, the genocide. The book also highlights the expatriate community in which Angel lives. There are volunteers, UN workers, lawyers, as well as foibles of language, cultural differences and a few questionable moments, but there is also a great sense of community. You will laugh. You will cry. But you will also finish the book with a great sense of hope and a desire to read more about Angel. Buy it, read it, and pass it on.
Read an excerpt.
- Tina Flores
The Weight of Heaven
The Weight Of Heaven (HarperCollins),The Weight Of Heaven (HarperCollins), by Thrity Umrigar, is the story of an American couple, Frank and Ellie Benton, who lose their young son to a sudden bout of illness. Frank blames Ellie for his son’s death, and is often bitter and resentful towards her. Their marriage straining, Frank decides to take a job as a factory manager in India to provide them with a new life.
In India, Frank deals with a labor dispute and takes a keen interest in their helper’s son, a bright young Indian boy while Ellie focuses on helping others and rebuilding their lives.
The story in The Weight of Heaven is a slow-burner. It is a detailed and often beautiful vision of loss, anger and culture shock that builds to a wonderful crescendo. The greatest strength of the novel is Umrigar’s ability to portray a couple fighting for their very livelihood and the difficulty in adjusting to a new, vastly different culture. Much like in The Space Between Us, Umrigar studies cultural and class differences. And in it, she also explores the heart of human nature. The Weight of Heaven is a beautiful vision, and I can recommend it highly.
Read an excerpt.
- Geoff Calver
Conversations For A Better World
The United Nations Population Fund has created a new website, Conversations For A Better World. The goal: open discussion of global health issues. The topics range from youth, love and sexuality, motherhood, human rights, migration and prosperity, with more in between. The goal of the site is to have a new, general topic as the focal point of discussion each month, and then, the site will allow users to post comments, essays, photos and more.
Visit the site today, sign up, and begin discussing your opinions and ideas.
- Geoff Calver
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