No More Divisions

Efrén Divided was an excellent book that reminds all of us, especially those who are attempting to follow Christ, we are all one.  People matter.  When we put a name and face on those we might otherwise simply call "undocumented" or even, "illegal" it makes a difference.

Nightmare

As I have said, I would rather have a nightmare and wake up and realize it was just a dream than have a good dream and wake up and realize it was all imaginary.  That is especially the case with Dream Land:  The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic.  Don't we all wish that this was just a nightmare. Last year I officiated at the Homecoming service of a young man who was my brother's friend growing up.  He had a long battle with heroin.  

What frustrates me a great deal about this whole horrible nightmare of the proliferation of heroin use and deaths is that now it is happening to white, middle class people, there is media attention.  That is truly upsetting.  All lives matter, they do.  

The other thing that really frustrates me is the fact that it really is all about money.  Big pharmaceutical companies and their greed.  This book is excellent and a must-read.  

Must Be Hard

It has to be hard for Gustavo Arellano to read some of the letters written to his syndicated column Ask a Mexican.  The book of the same name was painful to listen to for a lot of reasons- NONE of them related to Arellano. Wait.  I can't figure out if Ask a Mexican is still going on.  I mean, it is still going on, but I guess Arellano isn't do it?  I am so confused!
Anyway--people ask the dumbest, rudest questions.  And I know that it is great to see these stupid idiots ask these questions and then see Arellano really make fun of them and point out how stupid they are, even though they are probably too stupid to realize that he is making fun of them, because this guy is really funny and smart.  But still, I mean, should people this stupid be allowed to ask the stupid things that they ask?  Yes, of course.  We all have the right to be wrong.  But really.  Blah!

I'll Fly Away....

Another great song.  Bird was a pretty beautiful book.  I was listening to it at the same time that I was reading Nightingale's Nest though, and that was a pretty dumb thing to do for me.   Both books are beautiful and powerful and really should have been given their own time in my mind and imagination.  I gave four stars to Bird but now that I look back on it, I think I am going to change it.  There is a lot going on here.  Grief.  Culture.  Intergenerational stuff.  This was a heavy, beautiful book.  Yes, I am going to change it to five stars.
Jewel is of Mexican and Jamaican descent and that figures into the story.
One thing I just can't believe about Bird is that this is Crystal Chan's first book.  Unreal.  Now I know that she probably has been writing for a long time.  But man, a first time author putting out a beauty like this?  If 2015 isn't 1954, Bird will be named as an Honor for sure.  Oh, also, I have to say I loved, loved, loved, loved Jewel's dad and her grandfather.  Chan really knows how to paint a soul with words.  Excellent.

What a Story

The Crossing is a must-read.  I didn't know much about Juarez, Mexico.  I still don't, but The Crossing is one of those books that will cause me to do tons of research on it.  This book takes place fairly recently after the Vietnam War and is centered around a young boy named Manny who lives in the streets of Juarez and an American Army General who is still reliving he horror of his time spent in country.  The conditions on the streets of Juarez at that time were horrible.  In an author interview at the end of the audiobook, Paulsen tells that he spent time in Juarez and his time there inspired this book.  He says in the interview that at the time of his taping of the interview, the condition of life for the children of Juarez were reported as being still horrible.  I googled it today and found much the same, though, promises of much hope.  What an incredible story of the impact of greed, war, of children and hope and hopelessness.  An incredible, incredible story.