Scan barcode
hlogan's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting life story. I loved reading about the Maasai lifestyle and culture and how welcoming they were to this foreign visitor. I love how much she identified with them and became a part of their family life. I loved the tips at the end on how to get more involved in charitable or development work, as well. A really great read.
There were two things that I didn't like about the book. First, the lack of proofreading: there were so many typos and grammatical errors as to be very distracting. I would give anything to have been employed to proofread this book! It was all I could do not to pull out my pencil and start marking it up. The second thing I wasn't crazy about was how unforgiving Robin's attitude was toward her American family. Her birth parents are painted throughout in a most unflattering light, and she seems to have never lost her sulky teenage resentment towards them. It was hard to reconcile this brave, giving, nurturing "Naserian" person she became in the company of the Maasai with the self-pitying, world-hating grouch she became in the presence of her birth country and birth family. I thought she would outgrow it over the years, but even the parts written in reflection from the distance of years spent in Kenya, she still couldn't seem to understand her parents' point of view, and seemed most unwilling to try.
A small price to pay, however, for the benefit of a fascinating story.
There were two things that I didn't like about the book. First, the lack of proofreading: there were so many typos and grammatical errors as to be very distracting. I would give anything to have been employed to proofread this book! It was all I could do not to pull out my pencil and start marking it up. The second thing I wasn't crazy about was how unforgiving Robin's attitude was toward her American family. Her birth parents are painted throughout in a most unflattering light, and she seems to have never lost her sulky teenage resentment towards them. It was hard to reconcile this brave, giving, nurturing "Naserian" person she became in the company of the Maasai with the self-pitying, world-hating grouch she became in the presence of her birth country and birth family. I thought she would outgrow it over the years, but even the parts written in reflection from the distance of years spent in Kenya, she still couldn't seem to understand her parents' point of view, and seemed most unwilling to try.
A small price to pay, however, for the benefit of a fascinating story.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
Theory: many memoirists would benefit from writing the book, then scrapping the first chapter and writing it anew.
As far as 'white girl moves to Africa' books go, this was a surprisingly good one. I'll admit to some disappointment that the author wasn't more, well, confidently badass, but I think you could successfully argue that she proved her badassery in quieter ways.
What works so well here is that she does obvious growth over the course of the book. As she finds her way in a new culture, she's also in a good position to discuss the Maasai, and cultural differences, in a nuanced and thoughtful manner. She comes away with both a better understanding of the Maasai (and Kenya more generally) and a better understanding of how she does and doesn't fit into the picture.
The pre-Kenya portion of the book is probably useful background on the author but feels like a warm-up, so if you're struggling with it, keep pushing through; the book's worth reading once the author gets to the meat of the story and finds her rhythm.
As far as 'white girl moves to Africa' books go, this was a surprisingly good one. I'll admit to some disappointment that the author wasn't more, well, confidently badass, but I think you could successfully argue that she proved her badassery in quieter ways.
What works so well here is that she does obvious growth over the course of the book. As she finds her way in a new culture, she's also in a good position to discuss the Maasai, and cultural differences, in a nuanced and thoughtful manner. She comes away with both a better understanding of the Maasai (and Kenya more generally) and a better understanding of how she does and doesn't fit into the picture.
The pre-Kenya portion of the book is probably useful background on the author but feels like a warm-up, so if you're struggling with it, keep pushing through; the book's worth reading once the author gets to the meat of the story and finds her rhythm.
lpm100's review against another edition
3.0
Book Review
3 stars
Old story= A loser in his/her own country can be a king/queen among people that development has passed by--but featuring a Jewish lady instead.
*******
I have tried to come up with a compromise between my dislike for this author and the things that I could learn from this book that she wrote. In a lot of ways, this book has been written before (and it has echoes of a book that I have reviewed a couple of years ago on here: I Chose China: The Metamorphosis of a Country and a Man )
1. Some Silly Self Indulgent White Person that is angry at the world for No Reason in Particular and finds a third world country to give his/ her life meaning. It seems like so few of these people are interested in actually learning about the local culture as they are escaping something (that was not really all that bad to begin with).
2. (My sister was a Peace Corps Volunteer, and she made this observation for me). A lot of the volunteers that go to these African countries are morbidly obese/ not-so-soft-to-look-at white women. My sister observed that a lot of the women come there to enjoy the muscular 8 packs/ attentions of the African men. After all, in the United States/ Canada-- how often does a guy even smile at a woman who does not have a waistline/ is not readily distinguishable from biscuit dough? (The girl who is on the front cover of this book does not appear to be the same as the author, and I have googled her in several other places after looking at her on the back flap of the book. She was homely in all of those other places.)
3. I also get the impression that the the author was looking for something to escape TO or just someplace to hide. I am reading that there are something like 46mln people in Kenya and 52mln in Tanzania (for a total of 98 million). The Masai are something like 1.6mln out of that-- about 1.6% of the total population of the two regions in which they are found. And the two governments of those regions are "encouraging" them to abandon their nomadic lifestyle. (Notice that when the author's boyfriend went to the big city--where other Africans lived every day-- he was terrified of cars and movie theaters.) Why would you move to Africa and then live a lifestyle that ignores 98.4% of the country? That would we like moving to America from China (Shanghai) and then joining some Old Order Amish (you know, the ones that speak a version of German that no one else speaks and ride horses and don't use electricity?) in order to get an experience of America.
4. The author of the aforementioned book (Sidney Shapiro) could not find happiness taking over his father's business or being a practicing Jew. He had to go to China to be forced to clean toilets behind revolutionaries and bow before portraits of Mao Zedong and Lin Biao before he could find meaning in his life. The author of THIS book could not be happy with her stereotypical fat, hick indulgent Midwestern family. She could not delve deeper into her mother's Judaism (and a visit to a local Chabad house would probably have solved a lot of what bothered her). Nope. She was not satisfied until she was sleeping in a hut made of cow dung and walking a mile each way to draw water and carry it on her head. And working harder than any Western person has worked in *centuries* for the barest of subsistence. (It has been said by Eric Hoffer that "people who toil from sunup until sundown for the barest of subsistence dream no dreams and nurse no grievances.")
And it might not have been so bad if the village life that she lived was even real. But if there was a water shortage and conditions got bad, then she had the option to be airlifted right bad to her comfy, obese Midwestern life.
4. The units were a bit annoying. And that may be because she used a no name Canadian publisher. But someone, somewhere went out of their way to completely eliminate feet and miles from the book (and not even put them in as parenthetical inserts) for people who speak American English.
Verdict: I would not pay more than $0.01 for this book. Also, if a person has read the Sidney Shapiro book, then this book can be skipped. And vice versa.
3 stars
Old story= A loser in his/her own country can be a king/queen among people that development has passed by--but featuring a Jewish lady instead.
*******
I have tried to come up with a compromise between my dislike for this author and the things that I could learn from this book that she wrote. In a lot of ways, this book has been written before (and it has echoes of a book that I have reviewed a couple of years ago on here: I Chose China: The Metamorphosis of a Country and a Man )
1. Some Silly Self Indulgent White Person that is angry at the world for No Reason in Particular and finds a third world country to give his/ her life meaning. It seems like so few of these people are interested in actually learning about the local culture as they are escaping something (that was not really all that bad to begin with).
2. (My sister was a Peace Corps Volunteer, and she made this observation for me). A lot of the volunteers that go to these African countries are morbidly obese/ not-so-soft-to-look-at white women. My sister observed that a lot of the women come there to enjoy the muscular 8 packs/ attentions of the African men. After all, in the United States/ Canada-- how often does a guy even smile at a woman who does not have a waistline/ is not readily distinguishable from biscuit dough? (The girl who is on the front cover of this book does not appear to be the same as the author, and I have googled her in several other places after looking at her on the back flap of the book. She was homely in all of those other places.)
3. I also get the impression that the the author was looking for something to escape TO or just someplace to hide. I am reading that there are something like 46mln people in Kenya and 52mln in Tanzania (for a total of 98 million). The Masai are something like 1.6mln out of that-- about 1.6% of the total population of the two regions in which they are found. And the two governments of those regions are "encouraging" them to abandon their nomadic lifestyle. (Notice that when the author's boyfriend went to the big city--where other Africans lived every day-- he was terrified of cars and movie theaters.) Why would you move to Africa and then live a lifestyle that ignores 98.4% of the country? That would we like moving to America from China (Shanghai) and then joining some Old Order Amish (you know, the ones that speak a version of German that no one else speaks and ride horses and don't use electricity?) in order to get an experience of America.
4. The author of the aforementioned book (Sidney Shapiro) could not find happiness taking over his father's business or being a practicing Jew. He had to go to China to be forced to clean toilets behind revolutionaries and bow before portraits of Mao Zedong and Lin Biao before he could find meaning in his life. The author of THIS book could not be happy with her stereotypical fat, hick indulgent Midwestern family. She could not delve deeper into her mother's Judaism (and a visit to a local Chabad house would probably have solved a lot of what bothered her). Nope. She was not satisfied until she was sleeping in a hut made of cow dung and walking a mile each way to draw water and carry it on her head. And working harder than any Western person has worked in *centuries* for the barest of subsistence. (It has been said by Eric Hoffer that "people who toil from sunup until sundown for the barest of subsistence dream no dreams and nurse no grievances.")
And it might not have been so bad if the village life that she lived was even real. But if there was a water shortage and conditions got bad, then she had the option to be airlifted right bad to her comfy, obese Midwestern life.
4. The units were a bit annoying. And that may be because she used a no name Canadian publisher. But someone, somewhere went out of their way to completely eliminate feet and miles from the book (and not even put them in as parenthetical inserts) for people who speak American English.
Verdict: I would not pay more than $0.01 for this book. Also, if a person has read the Sidney Shapiro book, then this book can be skipped. And vice versa.
ubalstecha's review against another edition
4.0
Robin Wiszowaty never felt she belonged in suburban Illonois. She was angry and looking for a purpose. Spending a year living with a Masai family in rural Kenya gave Robin her purpose: International Development. She eventually became a speaker for Me to We, and a facilitator for their trips to Africa.
In this book, part memoir, part call to action, Robin details her journey and shows readers how she found peace, love and purpose in Africa. Written primarily for the youth market, Robin spares the reader some details (details BTW the adult reader wants to hear, specifically about her relationship with Samuel) but keeps her message of being able to change the world front and centre.
Good read for teens and a great addition to classroom libraries.
In this book, part memoir, part call to action, Robin details her journey and shows readers how she found peace, love and purpose in Africa. Written primarily for the youth market, Robin spares the reader some details (details BTW the adult reader wants to hear, specifically about her relationship with Samuel) but keeps her message of being able to change the world front and centre.
Good read for teens and a great addition to classroom libraries.
cbroughton's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up.
This is a re-read for me. I think I read this one for the first time maybe around 10(?) years ago. I remember enjoying it the first time I read it, so I figured I would give it another go!
This memoir is really interesting and provides readers with an eye-opening view into rural Kenyan communities, and Maasai culture. This book is informative, funny, and emotional. I enjoyed reading about how quickly and greatly Robyn fell in love with Africa. This book was published in 2010, but I believe her experiences are from the early 2000s—I’m sure that a lot has changed since then! While this book might not be current (and therefore might not accurately depict the people of rural Kenya today) it was still enjoyable to read!
This is a re-read for me. I think I read this one for the first time maybe around 10(?) years ago. I remember enjoying it the first time I read it, so I figured I would give it another go!
This memoir is really interesting and provides readers with an eye-opening view into rural Kenyan communities, and Maasai culture. This book is informative, funny, and emotional. I enjoyed reading about how quickly and greatly Robyn fell in love with Africa. This book was published in 2010, but I believe her experiences are from the early 2000s—I’m sure that a lot has changed since then! While this book might not be current (and therefore might not accurately depict the people of rural Kenya today) it was still enjoyable to read!
katymhampton's review against another edition
4.0
In depth, personal view on what life was like as a Maasai from an outsiders perspective. Acclimating with a whole new world proved to be an amazing, insightful adventure for Robin. It was incredible to be a part of her experience & transformation.
More...