Bring Back Our Girls

Sometimes it takes an event halfway across the world to make you realize that a fight that you consider to be a personal one is actually a worldwide fight.

On April 14th in Nigeria, a group calling themselves Boko Haram invaded a girls school, taking the students hostage. Eight more girls have been taken since then.  This group opposes all western influences, especially when it comes to educating girls. These girls have been taken to be sex slaves, to be sold in the name of marriage.

As an American woman who has taken advantage of the opportunities that have come about only because of the hard work of previous generations, it’s easy to forget that in some parts of the world, the most basic of rights needs to be fought for. It’s easy to see the injustice in your own corner of the world, it’s harder to see the injustice in other parts of the world.

These girls are no different than any others. The rights to education, career, choosing the path in life that is right for you, is a human right, regardless of your sex. If a female should choose the traditional path of marriage and motherhood, that is her choice. But if she chooses not to, that is her choice as well.

My heart goes out to these girls and their families. No one should be denied the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, especially if you are a female.

 

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I Pity The Poor Immigrant: I Pity The Reader Of This Book

There are some books where the title tells you everything you need to know about the story, even before you read the description on the back or on the jacket cover.

Zachary Lazar’s newest book, I Pity The Poor Immigrant, uses the word, pity in it’s title. The pity should be for the reader and not the characters.

The main character, Hannah Groff, is a Jewish-American journalist. She has traveled to Israel to investigate the murder of a writer, David Bellen. As she proceeds in her investigation, it becomes complicated. Her father’s former mistress, a child survivor of Bergen-Belsen, Gila Konig becomes part of her investigation along with another of Gila’s former lovers, gangster Meyer Lansky.

The narrative is not linear. Mr. Lazar takes the reader from present day back to previous decades. He also intermingles Israeli politics, geography and Bible verses.

It’s quick read, however, I found that I could not follow the plot and the ending was non-existent.

I pity the reader of this book.