52) A Child Called "It", by Dave Pelzer, 180 pages, Health Communications, 1995
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Rubab Mavani-Hassanali
ELAPSED TIME: 2 Days
RATING: Good.
This book tells the amazing story of Dave Pelzer's childhood... of a mother deranged enough to take out her misery on one of her children. Who'se father couldn't stand up to his wife to help his suffering son. Who'se brothers slowly learned the lessons of their mother and treated him like a slave. I have already ordered his sequel, The Lost Boy. That his mother is so messed up is gut wrenching; I hope Dave knows what happened to his brothers, and shares it with us.
53) The Lucifer Effect, by Philip Zimbardo, 488 pages, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my colleague Michael Witalec
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Good
This book is both pheonmenal and disturbing. Primarily focusing on the Stanford Prison Exercise in 1971 (Zimbardo was the professor responsible for it), and drawing parallels to Abu Gharib, this book shows how the drive for conformity coupled with the dehumanizing of "others" can quickly escalate into abuses by the majority over the "others." Having experienced a breakdown of our civil liberties in Toronto during the G20 meetings this past summer, I wonder how much of the police escalation was premeditated action versus a result of structures put in place that could but lead to extreme acts by those entrusted with our protection. One of Zimbardo's lessons at the end strikes home: I will not sacrifice personal or civic freedoms for the illusion of security.
54) A House in Fez, by Suzanna Clarke, 263 pages, Simon and Schuster, 2007
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Ally Norton
ELAPSED TIME: 1 day
RATING: Very Good
As a book describing an international living experience goes, this one is very good. Clarke and her husband are both enthusiastic individuals who seem to truly want to live a simpler life and are respectful of differences in culture. Reading about their experience of buying and restoring a house in the old part of Fez, in Morocco, was truly enjoyable. I was engaged in the life of the staff and her friends, and was glad that she gave updates on them in the Q&A at the end of the book too.
55) Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, 331 pages, Penguin Books, 2006
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Nabeela Barday
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: Very Good
Greg Mortenson is undoubtably a fantastic human being. He is culturally respectful, plays the long game (not shooting for quick unsustainable results), and has accomplished something really rare. That all being said, this book was a bit too much RAH RAH GREG. The experiences that took him from his first school to worldwide fame and a budget to support continued growth are tremendous, but the book felt a bit long. All in all, I'd recommend the book, but I'm glad to be finished reading it.
56) Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, 266 pages, Anchor Canada, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: I don't remember. Just saw it in a store and picked it up, I think.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good
Wow. This story is going to stay with me for a little while. The story of a Nigerian girl who goes through hell in her own country, escapes to England (illegally), and the parallel story of an Englishwoman who witnessed the horror and is going through her own significant life changes. To write more would be to ruin it. Ultimately, though, I expected (and hoped for) a different ending...
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