I Could Do That...NOT!

I am embarrassed to say that I had not heard of Tracy Kidder before I read Strength in What Remains. If someone had asked I would have said that Tracy was a woman, even though Tracy Lawrence is one of my all-time favorite singers and has been since Sticks and Stones came out in 1991. Man, I LOVE that song. I know what he's saying. I FEEL it!
Hmm....I think I am off track here.
Like I was saying, I didn't know Kidder until Strength. The dude is huge! I mean, he's won tons of awards. Check it out.
A friend recommended this book to me and at first I thought it would be kind of boring, but I really admire this friend and so I thought I would give it a try. I was hooked from the start. Strength is the true story of Deo, a young man from Burundi, a medical student who witnesses the genocide in his country and in neighboring Rwanda. He flees his war-torn homeland with the help of a well-connected acquaintance and ends up in New York City. Life in NYC is incredibly difficult for Deo who does not speak English. He was once a medical student, but in NYC he ends up working as a grocery delivery guy, making $15 a day and sleeping in Central Park. On one of his delivery runs he meets a former nun named Sharon. Sharon is determined to help Deo and she does, introducing him to others who can help him and eventually help him to help himself.
Deo's story and the story of the genocide in Burundi is heart-breaking. The story of current day Burundi is heart-breaking still.
Reading Deo's story really made me think about how blessed I am...and also how weak. I mean, I complain if I can't find a parking space that is decently close to the restaurant door. Deo is a modern day hero, but I doubt he'd like that title. He's a modest man, too.