Around the World in 80 Books discussion

India, Nepal, Thailand, Taiwan - A Christian Walks in the Footsteps of the Buddha by John R. Mabry - This is not my grandmother's Christianity! He is from the United Church of Christ, which is known for being (as he puts it in reference to Mahayana Buddhists) "open to new ideas, and letting their theology grow and evolve". This point is important to understand when reading this book, because the author is looking at Buddhism as a way to connect not only with Buddhists, but also with Christianity. He respects *faith* in all its forms, espousing a philosophy that embrases all religions as different ways of seeing and understanding the same, basic, underlying truths. He writes: "It struck me that if the Divine Mystery were a computer, Jesus and the Buddha would be user interfaces." To do that it's necessary to be completely non-dogmatic. But, if you're non-dogmatic - then what's left that really makes one a Christian? The author walks this tightrope throughout the book, talking about his love for Jesus/God, but also relating to Buddha/Dharma which on the surface look to be doctrinally opposed to each other.

But, don't let me leave you with the impression that's it's a heavy, plodding examination of the finer points of religious life - it's actually quite light reading - with funny travel misadventures getting equal time with interesting religious/philosophical musings. Which gets to my two complaints with the narrative - the author hates India (I just can't relate to this - yes, it's dirty, crazy, crowded, etc - that's why it's great!!!), and there are several times where the author talks about seeing a group of "Asians" in India - I assume he meant east asians??? He didn't seem to realize Indians are Asians????

Finally, the author manages to capture his generation's dissatisfaction with the religions of their childhoods, while making the case that one need not jump to an entirely different religion (as many California baby-boomers are looking to Buddhism), one can find all the ingredients within your native religion (in his case, Christianity). I think this is his main reason for writing the book. The key quote being, "what those who have fled Christianity for Eastern faiths have found - mysticism, meditation, and transformative teachings - were all present in the tradition of their birth. It's tragic that these people did not have skillful teachers to present it to them in a way that was attractive rather than repellant." He respects other religions, but believes very strongly that people born into Christian families/societies should remain Christians.

(p.s. I won this from Goodreads Giveaways)

50 books

Chile, US, China - Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende - At the beginning of this book I thought, Oh no - another story about a "great, all-consuming love" ugh. Not my thing. But, I'm glad I stuck with it; it ended up being much more complex - about identity: gender, race, class, nationality, and also the difference between an immature all-consuming passion vs. real, lasting mature love. Much better than I had expected!

51 books

Lesotho, South Africa - Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman by Mpho M'Atsepo Nthunya

52 books

Canada, Greenland - White Heat by MJ McGrath - This author does a great job of making you feel like you've been there - and that's saying something for the far north Canada just off Greenland. The mystery part is fine (aside from killing one of my favorite characters!), but it's really the setting this sets this novel apart.

53 books

Russia - The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander - An interesting take on the fate of the Romanov's, with a twist at the end that was not too obvious, but also not too out of left field. What happened to the missing kids is not a new idea - but this one did a good job of humanizing (is that a word?) the family better than most.

54 books

South Africa, Comoros - A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth by Samantha Weinberg

55 books

Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Nepal - Backpacks and Bra Straps by Savannah Grace - This is a fun memoir continuing the story of one family's incredible journey around the world. Besides the travel adventures, this book is also about family dynamics - and how being constantly together can create tension, even in a tight knit group. All of the family members begin to crack at the complete lack of privacy; but in the end they all come together over shared hardship.

56 books

Samoa - Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel

57 books

Andorra, Ibiza (Spain) - The Road to Andorra by Shirley Deane

58 books

Ukraine - Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov - A low-key indictment of post-Soviet society; gangsters, murder, dirty money - but all the gorey stuff happens off stage.

59 books

El Salvador - The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez

60 books

Congo (both Republic and DRC) - Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods

61 books

USSR (Georgia, Russia mostly) - Stalin by Edvard Radzinsky

62 books

India - The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - This is a beautiful novel that examines the all-too-common emotions of vengeance, envy, and hate. Yet, somehow even when the characters do things that are heinous, there's empathy in the writing. Since I'm not familiar with the Mahabarata, I can't say how closely the story follows, but I'm motivated to pick up my copy and finally read it through!

63 books

Zimbabwe, Burundi & Rwanda - Crazy River: A Journey to the Source of the Nile by Richard Grant

64 books

Australia - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - Oh my goodness, this book is funny! The main character is very endearing - although he himself (and everyone around him) admits that he's quite "unconventional". I have no idea whether or not it is a good depiction of the thoughts of someone on the autism spectrum, but since it's a "spectrum", there's a lot of variation - so it could be quite realistic. At it's heart it's a light, fluffy romantic comedy - but in this case, that's a good thing.

65 books

China - China in Ten Words by Yu Hua - A very well done examination of what has shaped China over the last few decades. Sometimes it seemed like the author was being more autobiographical (writing & Lu Xun chapters), but mostly he does a good job of showing how the Cultural Revolution is still felt in China today, and how today's crazy economic growth is another manifestation of the same creativity and lawlessness that drove other major events in China's recent past.

66 books

Hungary/Romania, Poland/Germany - Night by Elie Wiesel

67 books

Northern Canada (near Greenland) - The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath - Great series - this one set during the summer, and the midnight sun and fragile arctic vegetation play a role.

68 books

Russia - Journey into the Whirlwind by Evgenia Semyonovna Ginzburg - Wow. I've got to remind myself to only read a maximum of one horrible prison-camp memoir per month. The story would be unbelievable if I didn't already know Russian history. But, the author really personalizes the purges, prisons, and work camps. A good book - a terrible story.

69 books

Singapore (with small bits in France, US, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Macau) - Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - This book was touted as a satire - but I couldn't help but think the author was actually more of a voyeur than a satirist. Only the villains had anything bad to say about the lifestyle (bitchiness about food, clothes, flower arrangements etc.) - all the sympathetic characters were beautiful, stylish, and only loved their partners for their beauty. The two main characters were supposed to be university professors - but didn't have a brain between them. The only thing I liked about the book was the Mandarin/Cantonese/Hokkien words sprinkled throughout and the descriptions of Singaporese food. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you fail to bring enough books on vacation and end up grabbing the first thing you see.

70 books