i finally finished reading say you're one of them (it took me forever). i thought i was going to just breeze through this book, partially b\c i read it to be 5 short stories- and i just thought, "i'll read one a day." riiiight. when one of the short stories is 100+ pages, and took me 2 months alone to read... well.
this book had rave reviews- it was part of oprah's bookclub (which doesn't make a lick of difference to me, b\c i couldn't care less about her). i wish i could also give it a rave review- but it left me so depressed, i'm not sure i'll ever read again.
syoot is 5 short stories set in 5 different african nations. each story is told from the point of view of a child- and although the stories are fictional in and of themselves, the horrors of what happened in the stories are real in africa. uwem akpan is a wonderful writer- and he told the stories from a child's advantage so well- but i don't know if i cracked a smile once while reading the book. in fact, it just kept getting more and more depressing the deeper into it i got. while i understand why the book got such wonderful reviews, as it was very well written. it was just a giant depress-fest to me though. i definitely need something more uplifting the next 10 books i read to make up for this one.
i definitely recommend this book if you would like a worldview into what's going on in africa's war-torn nations- and what children in africa are going through on a daily basis. if you like happy books though- stay away.
3 stars out of 5 (only for the writing)
next up- it's back to a parenting/baby book.
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Oh, i wanted to read that! Now im glad i didnt. :) i like books that leave me fullfilled, inspired, or gooey.. not sad. :(
ReplyDeleteI have only finished 2 books since the babe's arrival, just don't have time and when I do I'm too tired. I won't be picking up SYOOT, I'm into chick-lit easy reads, nothing depressing thank you. Maybe someday I'll get back into "heartier" reads, but for now I'm sticking to light-hearted fun.
ReplyDeleteHey fellow mommy reader. I very rarely go for the "happy" read so I may have to get this...
ReplyDeletecasey- this book will leave you inspired- inspired to adopt an entire african nation and bring them back to your home. the stories were just heartbreaking.
ReplyDeletelulu- i read while i'm pumping, or if ian is doing playtime in his pnp- and sometimes i'll read before i fall asleep at night- it's hard though- and it comes and goes. my next free read is my book swap read- and it appears to be light-hearted!
mm- yeah, i've noticed that every book i've read since having ian has dealt with some sort of depressing subject. they've all been fact-based fiction though- so maybe that just talks for the world we're living in. :(