May This Be the Best Year of Your Life - Sandra Bornstein

Genre: Memoir, Adult
Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review

From Goodreads:

After stepping out of her comfort zone of American suburbia, Sandra Bornstein found herself in a life altering experience that made her question the meaning of marital bliss. Living alone in a three-hundred-square-foot dorm room, she taught fifth grade at a renowned international boarding school in Bangalore. This compelling, honest, and edifying memoir shares everything she learned about perseverance, travel, education, faith, and family. Had Sandra never resided in India, she would have missed out on an experience that ultimately enhanced her resiliency, confidence, and passion for life.

My Thoughts:

I would love to be as adventurous as the author of this book is.  I see her as not only a creative person, but a very brave soul.  As I read her book I kept thinking, I would not have the  courage to go to another country and function at times on my own. It didn’t matter that part of that time she was with her husband or her son.  When her husband as a terrible accident back in the states she is finally offered a teaching position in India.  She bravely takes the job.  I understand why.  As terrifying as it is, there is a part of her that knows if she doesn’t do this she will always regret not trying.  Her time there with her husband helped prepare her somewhat. A lot of what she had to do had to be faced by herself.  I loved the depiction of the Indian people and their culture.  I am lucky in that my school has a very large Indian population.  Many of my Indian students take extended periods of time to go back to their country during the summer or holidays. Some of them return for weddings.  Their parents have come in and held festivals at our school to teach our other students about their culture.  It helps that I teach at and IB (International Baccalaureate) school which encourages the learning of diverse cultures.  I feel there is so much I can learn from my students as I try to teach them.  The most fascinating thing I have learned is that you can’t lump them all together into one “Indian pot”.  There country and cultures are as diverse as ours here in America.  The author has done an excellent job of showing that.  She has shown the hardships and inequity faced by so many when it comes to education.  It makes me glad I live here in the United States.  I have heard some of these kinds of stories from my Indian students.  Some of them came here because of relatives moving here. Most came here because of the educational and economical opportunities.  It irritates me when I hear people put my Indian students down.  I was in charge of the spelling bee at my school a few years back.  When we went to the county competition the two people who ended up competing for first and second place were both Indians. A man sitting behind me said to his wife, “Of course it would be one of the Indian’s, they don’t have a life outside of studying.” At that point I wanted to turn and blast the man. I kept thinking, if our students and their families have had the opportunity to see the life some of them have seen without education then they would understand the importance of education.  I believe that is one of our downfalls here in America.  We take everything for granted.  There are so many things to be learned, not only about the Indian culture and lifestyle from this author. By bravely telling us her story she makes us take a good hard look at love, family and life in general.  It is written with pride and joy and with her whole heart thrown in for just the right emotional mix.  This is a book that I whole heartedly recommend to my friends.  It is one I will be taking back to school with me in the fall to share with my fellow teachers.

About the Author:
Sandra Bornstein is a licensed Colorado teacher with a Linguistically Diverse Education K-12 endorsement and two masters' degrees- one in education and the other in Jewish Studies. She has taught K-12 and college-level students in both the private and public sectors in the United States and abroad. Married to Ira, a lawyer, she has four adult sons and currently lives in Colorado.

Her Website:  www.sandrabornstein

 

The Complexity of a Soldier – Grady Harp

 

Genre: Adult, Military, Realistic Fiction
Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

 

From Goodreads

No one knows the heart and mind of soldier. Every day they must face scenarios and life choices that most of us will never even imagine. When Rory Nichols joins the Army, this hard lesson hits hard and fast. After 911, he is deployed to Iraq. He and his wife, Emily, face sacrifice and strife which they fear their young marriage may not survive. Pushed to his limits, Rory begins to ask questions. Then one day, he receives a fateful phone call relaying the most wicked of betrayals. He rushes home to face an enemy he had not predicted. In this penultimate moment he will right a wrong and stand for what he believes in at all costs; making a statement to his country, to his family, and to all victims of this seething crime. It is a story of life, love, and rising above the acts of war and abuse.

My Thoughts

Serving in the military is difficult during the best of times.  It is made harder when a soldier must leave their family and go forth to a country to protect the rights of others.  In this book we find a soldier who has made a promise to protect his country from all enemies both foreign and domestic.  He serves two tours in Iraq.  He has lived through the loss of his best friend JT, who was also a soldier.  Imagine his feelings of devastation when he is called into his commanding officer’s office and told he is being sent home early due to and incident that has put his four year old daughter in the hospital.  Imagine how he must feel being so far away knowing he was unable to protect those he cherishes more than life itself.  Those imaginings don’t even begin to tell you or explain to you what this soldier went through.  The author has done an excellent job of stepping into the mind of a soldier.  They have shown the reader all sides of the soldier and the complex life they live.  I do remember when the Iraq war started after 9/11.  My brother and three of my nephews were shipped over.  I remember hearing from my brothers some of the things that were going on and being told not to tell my mom.  He wanted to spare her the atrocities he saw.  I remember my own son joining the army.  I also remember my heart dropping when he told me he was being sent to Korea.  Everyone kept telling me that it wasn’t like being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.  They were right. He wasn’t right in the thick of things.  He had to worry about the dictator just a few miles from his camp firing a missile at him.  I was so proud of him when he told me he wasn’t afraid of dying if it meant he could protect the lives of his loved ones.  He left behind a pregnant wife, son, daughter and step-daughter.  Like Rory, in the story, I have no doubt my son would go to all lengths to protect all member of his family.  There were so many connections to make to this book.  I am proud to stand behind ALL of our soldiers and what they stand for.  This is a book that everyone needs to read.  I recommend it to everyone.  My only word of warning is some of the language.  The content was so good I could just skim over that part.

Beyond Judgment “Brainrush III - Richard Bard

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller, Adult
Source:  I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review

From Goodreads:

With Publishers Weekly heralding the first book in his Brainrush thriller series as “terrifically entertaining” and “inventive and compelling,” and the sequel consistently near the top of the Amazon “Top Rated” list since its December 2011 release, Richard Bard now unleashes Beyond Judgment, which sees hero Jake Bronson at the mercy of his hidden past.

Suffering from coma-induced amnesia, Jake Bronson’s quiet existence in Italy is shattered by the arrival of a kill team doing the bidding of an ancient order. But while the assassins hunt Jake down, they unwittingly awaken fragments of his dormant memories and deadly skills. Now, with enemies stalking his every step, Jake is on a race to piece together his broken past and reconnect with lost allies and loved ones, risking everything to reawaken his true self and stop an ancient order from unleashing humanity's ultimate judgment.

My Thoughts

This is the third and last book in this trilogy and I have loved each one.  I keep waiting to see these on the big screen because that is where they truly belong. If you love action then this book was written for you. This is the good versus bad story that has you praising the protagonist for doing whatever it takes to protect those he cares about. 

In this book we get to meet Jake’s autistic son and see the connection they have. The bad guy in this book is as bad as they come. This series is science fiction at its best.  Imagine being the key that awakens an alien race that will decide if we “deserve” to continue living based on how far we’ve come. Now imagine that you are the one who has to save the world.  That’s a lot of weight on your shoulders. For Jake it’s just what he does.  If you’ve never read a science fiction book then this is the one you must read.