This did not start out to be a five-star review. In fact I had a hard time getting into it at all. I even thought about giving up on it. But since itThis did not start out to be a five-star review. In fact I had a hard time getting into it at all. I even thought about giving up on it. But since it is a small book, I persevered. Now I’m very glad I did because the ending made it all worth it. The end came rather suddenly and it took me up short. I had to ask, “What just happened?” But when I realized what had happened, it took my breath away, and I literally cried. The fact that it is based on a true story just makes it all the better.
This is a story that I probably will never forget. I think about it all the time, and probably will for a long time. My “want to read again someday” list is very short, but this book will go on that list for sure....more
Maybe it’s just the school teacher in me, but that ending brought tears to my eyes. I’m not generally a sci-fi kind of reader, but I dearly loved “TheMaybe it’s just the school teacher in me, but that ending brought tears to my eyes. I’m not generally a sci-fi kind of reader, but I dearly loved “The Martian,” and so decided to give this one a try. I have to say I loved just about everything about it, and I hated when it was over!
I loved the characters (who knew I could care so much about an overgrown singing spider??). I had no idea how Weir was going to get them out of scrape after scrape, and, as in the Martian, he did it in a very believable but creatively science-fictional way. I loved the style of writing with the flash backs that let us in on how he came to be where he was, and who he really was on earth. I loved his development into a brave hero from something less than that. I loved that there was no profanity or gratuitous sex, so I can recommend this book to everyone. This is the kind of book I needed right now. I understand how it doesn’t fit with everyone and that is ok, but I loved it. Andy Weir is just a darn good author. Thank you, Mr. Weir. Please don’t stop writing books like this!...more
Ten stars! Everyone who wants to know her or his place in the world, or in the universe, or in eternity should read this book, and then read it again!Ten stars! Everyone who wants to know her or his place in the world, or in the universe, or in eternity should read this book, and then read it again! It is exactly what we should all be doing! I want to stand up and cheer right now! God loves us because we are his children! And so does our Mother in Heaven! YES! our Mother in Heaven! We are their children! They love us and want to see us succeed. I love them!...more
Those of us who continue to use Goodreads, many of us much more often than Facebook or other social media, do so because of our love of reading. We loThose of us who continue to use Goodreads, many of us much more often than Facebook or other social media, do so because of our love of reading. We love a good book! We love a good story. Let’s say, in the last year you have read somewhere around 50 books, and out of those perhaps twenty are five star books you wouldn’t mind rereading someday. But out of those twenty, there may only be three that when you think of them, or hear their titles, or notice them in your “read” list, the emotions instantly come to the surface, and it’s almost as if you had just put the book down after reading the last chapter. You didn’t want to start another book because there is no way it would be “that good” and you would be let down! That is how it is with The Girl With the Louding Voice! You will instantly put it on your “favorites list” and you will do it with a lump of emotion in your throat.
This story of a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl with a desire to make something of herself, but who has the odds stacked so securely against her as to make schooling or any upward progress impossible simply because of her female-ness, is sadly still all too common in too many countries around the world. But when you read about Adunni’s relentless struggle, her indomitable hope, her kind and loving heart in spite of so many unloving things being done to her, your hope for the future will be renewed.
There are still good people in this world and those that help girls like Adunni are proof of that! Think of how this world might change if every one of us helped one person like her, a person of incalculable potential to, in turn, do incalculable good for others. At long last would we have world peace? It could happen!
Here is a suggestion. Listen to this read rather than reading the written word. It is written in a strong Nigerian accent that is quite hard to understand, but the narrator is nothing less than spectacular, and will have you understanding it in no time....more
Not only does this book teach you how to tell whether things you hear are true or not, it teaches you how to treat any kind of rumor or hearsay that yNot only does this book teach you how to tell whether things you hear are true or not, it teaches you how to treat any kind of rumor or hearsay that you hear, good or bad. Never assume something is the way you hear it from someone who for sure heard it from someone who really really knew the person it happened to, or was involved in the event, etc. Try to find the closest, most reliable source you can find, before you spread further rumors, good or bad. This book teaches how to do that! I’ve always been guilty of forgetting where I heard something, and then quoting whatever it is to someone else, asking them to take it on my “good authority” that it is true, when I can’t even remember where I heard it. I think that has to change in my life right about now. Not only will I be more careful about how I quote others, but I will also look for reliable and provable sources for things I hear before I pass them on to others. If everyone did that, think how this world would change for the better!...more
I need to read and reread this book! It helps me understand and appreciate what the Savior went through for me much better than in the past, even thouI need to read and reread this book! It helps me understand and appreciate what the Savior went through for me much better than in the past, even though I study the scriptures every day. It is full of great information and wonderful ideas that will help me live closer to the Spirit of Christ. It also helps me realize the importance of the actual crucifixion of Christ in addition to his suffering in Gethsemane. I always had the feeling that Calvary was equally if not more important to the Atonement as Gethsemane, and now I know why! It is!...more
There is a lot to think about in the book, and a lot to study. It was written in 2017, and already things that were then in the future on the timelineThere is a lot to think about in the book, and a lot to study. It was written in 2017, and already things that were then in the future on the timeline have started to happen. I look forward to learning more. Perhaps we all will learn more, whether we want to or not....more
Ever since I was old enough to realize my brothers were treated differently than I was, in a preferential way, I have looked for clarification and valEver since I was old enough to realize my brothers were treated differently than I was, in a preferential way, I have looked for clarification and validation of my position in the world. I long ago came to realize that I as a woman am just as important as any man. The problem that remained, however, was that THEY don’t treat us that way. Certainly I don’t include every man in that statement, (and gratefully, especially not my own husband!) but there are enough of them out there that at times, many times, it is hard as a woman to hold one’s head up and offer a worthwhile opinion for fear of being looked down upon, that is, if given the chance to talk in the first place. Undervalued, or valued for the wrong things, that has been a woman’s lot for much of history. This book makes it clear that from the very beginning, men and women were created equal and were meant to remain that way. And although I knew that already, this author’s voice is strong. She knows what she is talking about. I like her! We need more like her! I don’t want to be a man. I don’t want to do “men things.” I just want to be the best woman I can be, and be respected for it. Thank you, Mrs. Campbell, for this book!...more
This is a beautiful book that taught me things about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I didn’t know I didn’t know! Robert Millet hasThis is a beautiful book that taught me things about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I didn’t know I didn’t know! Robert Millet has long been a favorite of mine, a very deep religious scholar, but also someone who can explain things clearly, and use his experiences and those of others to great advantage to illustrate his points. This book made me all the more grateful for revealed truth, and for the atonement of Jesus Christ. I love Him! I am so grateful for what He did for us all. And I honor Joseph Smith for his key role in the restoration. It was not easy, but he did it. What a beautiful story....more
I.Loved.This.Book! Of course it doesn’t hurt that I am also a string player, fluent on the guitar since age 16, and since then have become accomplisheI.Loved.This.Book! Of course it doesn’t hurt that I am also a string player, fluent on the guitar since age 16, and since then have become accomplished at the harp, violin and viola. I knew of so many of the people Albom “interviewed” throughout the book, extremely famous artists, and artists that many average people off the street would never have heard of. Notably, John Pizarelli, guitarist extraordinaire, whom Albom saved for last (and rightly so). John is his father’s protege, Bucky Pizarelli, who has played with every famous person you can imagine, and because of that, John grew up knowing them all. He is a particular hero to Mitch Albom. BTW, Bucky just died this past April (2020) at the age of 94. Look him and John up on YouTube for a real treat.
Anyway, this book was magic for me. Music is magic for me. It is among the greatest gifts of God to us mortals. I wish this were a true story, but then again, it could be the story, to a point, of one of many real life gifted musicians. I hope I have been a good influence on my music students over the years. That would make it all worth it!...more
This very short audio book was written and performed tongue-in-cheek about the great Babe Ruth, and was just a lot of fun. I learned some things I didThis very short audio book was written and performed tongue-in-cheek about the great Babe Ruth, and was just a lot of fun. I learned some things I didn't know, and others that may or may not be true. I am a die-hard baseball fan (Go Cubs, Go!) and so stories like this are sure to interest me. Wish I could have watched this guy play!...more
I know this book is not for everyone or even for most people, but for those of us who are fascinated with words, who love to learn how they came to beI know this book is not for everyone or even for most people, but for those of us who are fascinated with words, who love to learn how they came to be and why we use them the way we do, and whose favorite app is the dictionary, this will be an instant favorite. It is actually one of the Great Courses, and is therefore more of a series of lectures than a book. To listen to Professor Drout, a man who loves grammar with a passion, talk about the proper and improper use of the English language is to sit at the feet of a master. I found a few real surprises as he taught me why we should use it correctly. Some of that is based on historical context, but overall it is based on being correctly understood, and being able to change the world with the words we speak and write. I truly loved every bit of it....more
This book has profoundly affected me. I find myself mourning for a president I never knew. I had a similar experience after reading a book on the lifeThis book has profoundly affected me. I find myself mourning for a president I never knew. I had a similar experience after reading a book on the life and death of Abraham Lincoln, but every school child knows about his great life and example of goodness to humanity. I lived through the assassination of President Kennedy and know what it means to mourn as a nation not only for a lost President, but for the loss of the potential for good that his death represented. I also vividly remember the attempt on the life of President Reagan, a man whom I dearly loved and admired. All I knew of James Garfield, however, was that he had a very short administration because he was assassinated as well. The mention of him in history class was like,” oh yeh, he was one of the four presidents who was shot.” Sorry if my details are not 100% historically accurate. The point is, I now know, or feel I know, something about a man of greatness who died too soon at the hands of a lunatic, a senseless, evil death that deprived his family, his friends, and our entire country of a president with tremendous potential that would forever be unrealized. And so I mourn. I mourn for him and for countless others whose lives, had they been permitted to realize their full potential, could have brought goodness and truth to so many who needed it....more
I crept through this book because I checked it against every reference to the verses in the Book of Mormon that it discusses. To say I learned a lot wI crept through this book because I checked it against every reference to the verses in the Book of Mormon that it discusses. To say I learned a lot would be an understatement. I learned to study the way a Jewish rabbi studies the Hebrew Scriptures, which is amazing in and of itself, multi-faceted, questioning, discovering. In so doing, I learned more about the authenticity, depth and meaning of the Book of Mormon. The book is true! There is no possibility of it being a hoax. If a person thinks that the way it came forth is hard to believe, miraculous and.amazing, he would be correct, but if a person thinks it is a hoax, it would be even harder to believe because of the series of things that would have had to happen to make it possible to be made up. The first is by far the more plausible than the second. The Book is true, and the things it has to teach the world about Jesus Christ are true. Reading “Beholding the Tree of Life” just made it that much easier for me to bear this witness....more
Loading...
