Phoenix K

I Owe it to Those Who Served…

Revisado: 04-11-24

…to read this and other books about the Vietnam era. I was a young teen when someone I had dated was drafted. We exchanged letters during his service. I am sure I wrote of trivial, girlish things, being incapable of imagining his world there. His letters took on a harsher tone of voice—but I can’t imagine the horrors he experienced. As an adult, seeing documentaries on TV, I was appalled by the treatment of the returning American soldiers in the airport. They were spat at, ridiculed, and criticized. Made me ashamed of my fellow citizens. Such a horrible conflict—and many who served didn’t have a choice. And those who did, perhaps served under orders without understanding the country’s justification for their being there. This book was a thought-provoking read. The storyline was a bit unbelievable…perhaps a huge stretch, and I didn’t care for the protagonist. But I loved the awareness it brought to me. Thank you to all Vietnam vets—male and female—who served our country during the Vietnam era. God bless you!

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Felt I had witnessed the prince’s life firsthand

Revisado: 03-13-23

A part of me thinks I should be ashamed for listening. It is a bit cringy for me to read of the family drama, and I am sure there are other perspectives (I.e., two sides to every story). Dirty laundry. Yet another part of me valued hearing Prince Harry’s story about a world I know little of, and certainly not at all firsthand. Being a member of an institution can’t be easy for any of them. The royal family is essentially a figurehead. Each has a role to play in their dress-up, make-believe world. So many reactions. I found myself at times fully sympathetic to the issues Prince Harry addressed. And at other times, I thought: thou doth protest too much. Still, Harry strikes me as an eloquent speaker and a deep thinker. I understand his memoir to have been ghostwritten, so I wonder whether it written in Prince Harry’s own vernacular and style, or were his stories wordsmithed by a professional writer? Either way, it is a well-written and engaging book. And I loved hearing it in Prince Harry’s own narration! I am glad to have listened. I try not to pass judgment on any of the characters in the story of Prince Harry’s life. It can be so easy to do so with public figures….

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Listen to this book—whether or not you have preconceived notions about the author!

Revisado: 01-09-23

Thank you, Trevor Noah, for sharing the stories of your youth—they are so different from my own, and I learned so much about apartheid, about the cultures with which you were surrounded. In listening to your incredible stories, I must admit that the profanity you use in telling your story can be somewhat off-putting, yet had I been raised in your set of circumstances, I might speak in the same manner. You are incredibly bright and eloquent otherwise. Perhaps with time you will choose to be less profane, because you can! Your mom is an inspiration to me for her attitudes and philosophies in parenting you! She truly is your champion and hero, and her faith is unequaled! I believe her life was miraculously spared because of her unshakable faith in Jesus Christ! I mentioned to a beloved family member that I was listening to your book. That family member’s reaction caught me off guard. The comment made was, “Oh, I can’t stand Trevor Noah!” When asked why, the comment made was something to the effect of you being down on Christianity. (Both that family member and I are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by the way.) I realized at that moment that your story means so much to me because I didn’t personally know much of you (other than that you were a celebrity, a comedian, and have been on late-night TV—so forgive me for climbing out from under a rock to read your book!) before listening to your story, so I had no preconceived notions or judgments about you, your beliefs or attitudes! I still do not. You went through so much as a child and young man! So much that I cannot fathom experiencing what you did! So if your viewpoints have been so influenced—I get it! I would highly recommend BORN A CRIME to any willing to listen! Such an interesting book! Such a thought-provoking book! (I recommend listening to the author’s narration on Audible, though I now plan to also obtain the Kindle version so I can skim back through and highlight the pearls within it!) It reinforces for me why we are asked not to judge others and to leave judgment to God! And that we can blame no one for the choices we make in life, as Trevor’s mom stressed.

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Good account

Revisado: 06-20-20

I mostly enjoyed this book. It was a good account of the author’s experiences with hiking approximately 39% of the Appalachian Trail (AT). Within the account were sprinkled facts about the trail and forestland in general, which I found informative and interesting, though one sometimes wants to get back into his story. I found the dynamics between the author and his hiking companion amusing. Did I love the book? No, but I think that it was because of prior expectations set for me...comparing it to Garrison Keillor’s writings, and I didn’t find many parallels. But I have wanted to read this for years, and I am glad I did so.

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Lots of pearls of wisdom

Revisado: 02-13-20

Dr. Jordan Peterson is clearly a brilliant man. His book was so interesting to me. However, he is clearly an academician, so his concepts are deep and not always easy to absorb. Still. I loved his counsel and examples given. There is a lot to digest in his content! Many pearls of wisdom, and one can tell he is a person of strong faith and values.

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Life’s lessons imparted

Revisado: 01-02-20

Molly Burke’s sharing of her life’s lessons really appeals to me. I felt generation gap as I listened to her delivery, and at times I thought I wouldn’t like this book. But she deserves being heard and all the way through. By the end of the book, I valued and appreciated her and her young wisdom, and I really appreciated knowing about service animals from Molly’s experience and perspective and how we as sighted persons have made her life more difficult at times, even unwittingly. In the end, I most value her for her drive, her wisdom, her gratitude for life, and for her gratitude and desire to give back and pay it forward. I’m thankful for her sharing what has made her her.

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A Beautifully Woven Story

Revisado: 12-05-19

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! I liked the characters and felt I learned from them. This novel would make for a beautiful feature film one day!

Lovely narration!

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A book that held intrigue until the dry end

Revisado: 11-22-19

Though this novel could have, in my opinion, been abbreviated somewhat, it was a very good story that held my attention until the very end. Well-crafted! My disappointment was at the very end...I felt that though there was indeed resolution of the mystery, there wasn’t resolution enough for me. I wanted to know “Where does it go from here?”

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Enthralling true story

Revisado: 10-04-19

This book held my attention throughout. There was an element of “what’s going to happen next” throughout! Danger, intrigue, was almost ever-present. I found myself thinking, “what would I do if in this circumstance?” I have so much admiration for the author, her keen mind, and heart. And there were miracles in this story, which I consider divine intervention and tender mercies of the Lord!

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Enjoyable story

Revisado: 08-08-19

Really was engaged with this read. After learning various family members had read and loved it . I found myself a bit disappointed with the ending, though I may be alone in that regard. An entertaining read.

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