Read 100 books -- 10 POLITICAL / GLOBAL

One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future by Ben Carson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In less than 300 pages (or just 5 audio discs) Carson pings on a grocery list of pet peeves and at the end of each section offers four "action" suggestions. I liked EVERYTHING he said and am thinking I want to own this book and give a case full away as Christmas gifts.



A Thousand Pieces of Gold: Growing Up Through China's Proverbs by Adeline Yen Mah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The library houses this volume in the "folk literature, fairy tales, and proverbs" section, which somehow piqued my curiosity. I would say it falls more into either autobiography or history of China, but had it been in either of those places I would never have picked it up. The author is best known for her two autobiographical works FALLING LEAVES and CHINESE CINDERELLA.

I found her personal applications of the proverbs her grandfather taught her which spring from the time of the 1st Emperor and the wars following his death to be fascinating. I especially appreciate learning that to know a country and its people one must have an understanding of its proverbs or sayings. It is the "salt in the stew" -- invisible to the untrained eye or palate, but seasoning all.

The time of the 1st Emperor approximates the time of the Roman Empire. It was a period of massive construction--the Great Wall of China and many roads and canals. There was also great violence done to the people.

The author shows many parallels to this emperor and Mao Tse Tung. Her account is drawn from an ancient book of Chinese history she calls SHIJI, which was written at great sacrifice to its author.

I feel it imperative that we in the West be more cognizant of the ways of the East and this little volume makes this more possible.

Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century by Don Richardson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was fascinated by this account of the Sawi people of New Guinea and the missionary couple who went to live with them in the early 1960's. As the author says -- the 20th century is going to encroach upon indigenous people sooner or later. It's a question of, will it be "givers" or "takers" who reach them first. The missionaries were among the first, in this case. The missionaries learned their language and created a written language for them. The missionaries learned their customs and beliefs and in some cases these paved the path for understanding Christianity and accepting Christ. It was so much better for these people to have been brought into this age in this way than by the laws imposed by the new governments as western society made its way into this jungle.

The audio book is read by Paul Michael, the same voice actor who reads the Dan Brown books.