I read a lot of books and I enjoy many of them. But every few months, or more often if I am lucky, I find a book that 'moves' me. This was one such book for me.
The book is divided into three sections about this woman's travels for a year of her life. 1st - eating in Italy. 2nd - pray in India. 3rd - love (and balance) in Indonesia. I related to much of what she said and found she had some good insights into life. Great read for me.
The book is divided into three sections about this woman's travels for a year of her life. 1st - eating in Italy. 2nd - pray in India. 3rd - love (and balance) in Indonesia. I related to much of what she said and found she had some good insights into life. Great read for me.
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I would like to comment on Star Girl. I will not be able to attend book club this month We have back to school night. Please bear with me. I know this book has made the rounds and finally ended up in my lap. I loved this book. I was Star Girl. Of course not literally but I was that strange girl who had no borders or censors to my actions. When I entered High School I had been LDS for only 2 years and was still finding my way. My father was deployed shortly after I began my 8th grade year and my mother was raising us as best she could. I am deftly a free spirit. I would often show up to school wearing jeans, and PJ shirts (the old kind made for men with all the stripes and piping)or in costume often caring a fountain pen filled with Peppermint extract so I could smell like mint all day long. There was that period of time I was in the FFA, in the animal rights group, Forensics, drama, and the Chamber Choir all at the same time. Or the time I dressed up as a soda can to promote Recycling.
As I read Star Girl I thought that maybe one of my boyfriends from High School wrote it. So as kids will be the main character became ashamed of the lovely freshness he loved. I cried remembering the rejection. I know we all are told we should be ourselves. But the pressure to be what everyone wants you to be is so crushing that many loose themselves too much in the group. Even as an adult I have felt this pressure to be like all the other women around me. I have been told to change myself to make friends. I don't think I will ever do that.
Yes, I was disappointed in Leo. Yes I was disappointed in the students and I wanted to reach into the book and give Star girl a huge hug. I surely do hope that as this book is read by more people that intolerance should end. We can tolerate something and still not accept them. Luckily I had good friends and my faith to get me through my High School years.
Unfortunately this book does shine a light on the viciousness of our society. To shun someone for being a kind, loving, free thinking person is exactly what we do every day. As a culture we tend to embrace the uniqueness of a person then to chew it up and abandon them. New Ideas are rejected, kindness is so very often ignored. As a person who walked in Star Girl's shoes I would still have done all those strange and kooky things. Thanks to FB I am reminded of the lives I touched and the true friendships I had from those who listened and dealt with me being me.
Star Girl should be the archetype we should all live by.
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this book.
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