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​Before and Again, by Barbara Delinsky

10/24/2018

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     First book I’ve every read by prolific author Barbara Delinsky. Compassion for people who find themselves in tragic situations not of their own making. A story of the how people move on from horrendous situations when they take the courage to tell the truth. Hope for families when each member is willing to let go of past misunderstandings and accept the other just as he/she is.  A good read. 

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A Place for Us, by Mirza Fatima Farheen

10/17/2018

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    This novel is about a first and second generation Muslim family in the U.S., As this story progressed, my compassion and appreciation for what families such as this one experience deepened.
      Through artful dialog among the characters, Farheen reveals insights into family relationships—between parent and parent, child and parent, and sibling and siblings. She also lets us into the thinking of each of four main characters through conversations with themselves. 

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        Compassionate Reading may sound strange, but that’s my purpose in joining the Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge. A book a week seems like a reasonable goal. Maybe I’ll read 52, maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll read 32, but probably not 520.
         Number goals appeal to me, especially ones connected with the calendar. As a teacher, I loved the definitive school year. There is nothing like a Monday morning every seven days to give me another jump start. The first of every month I take delight in turning the page of my wall calendar. I like numbers.
         However, this reading goal isn’t about adding books to a list. My goal is understand lives different from mine. Up until now I have read through the lens of my own life, one of ease, privilege, freedom and advantage; they never promised a rose garden, but I was given one. Now I want to wear the lens of the authors and their characters. I want to step into their feelings and experiences without comparing them to mine. I want to observe without judging. I want to appreciate the nuances rather than put everything into categories. I want to I want to read with my heart more than my head.
         My plan is to post how each book opened my heart to compassion.

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