I missed the 2nd post in February due to a short month, single parenting (while Nathan was away on business in Sweden) and travelling myself (to San Francisco for my mom's 60th birthday). Hours spent home alone and at the airport, along with the persistent wintry weather have been conducive to reading, which I will share some topical selections for you to enjoy!
Reading for pleasure is a lovely indulgence, but reading with a cause feels so much more purposeful. Many of these selections have been introduced to me by my friend Brooke.
Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to promote peace, one school at a time by Greg Mortenson
An inspirational story of one man's efforts to address poverty, educate girls, and overcome cultural divides by building schools in impoverished villages, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the world by Tracy Kidder
As a specialist in infectious diseases, Farmer's goal is nothing less than redressing the "steep gradient of inequality" in medical service to the desperately poor. His work establishing a complex of public health facilities on the central plateau of Haiti forms the keystone to efforts that now encompass initiatives on three continents by creating a charitable foundation called Partners in Health (PIH, or Zanmi Lasante in Creole)
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
New York Times columnist Kristof and his wife, WuDunn, a former Times reporter, make a brilliantly argued case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide. Note particularly the authors' focus on individual action (such as providing a list of hospitals and schools to direct charity to).
What is the What by Dave Eggers
Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war-the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath-of the 1980s and 90s. Valentino joins thousands of other "Lost Boys," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps.
If you are in need of a good read, pick up one of these, or recommend another good read with a good cause!
