The Things My Mother Gave Me

Today is Mother’s Day in the US and a few other countries around the world, and I’ve been reflecting on my relationship with my own mom and how it’s impacted how I raise my children. It’s made me realize just how similar we are and how I’ve become more and more like her over the years. 

Physically, I’ve always been very like my mom. We are the same height and have the same hair color and skin tone. We wear the same size shoes and clothing, which has come in handy for me many times as I’ve gone into her closet looking for just the right thing to wear to an event. Our voices are very similar, as well. Back in the day when you had to call one phone to reach any member of a given family, I was often confused for her, by both strangers and friends.

My mom loves giving gifts, especially to the people she loves, so she has given me countless gifts over my lifetime. I have reminded her many times that I am now an adult with my own family, and she doesn’t actually have to buy things for me anymore. But she loves to give, and so the celebratory gifts haven’t stopped.

This year, though, I’ve been thinking about all the gifts she has inadvertently given me: 

Her laugh. My mom has a big laugh, and mine is just the same, which has gotten me into trouble with others more than once. (I’d like to publicly apologize to Andrea and Kristin, who in university had to repeatedly bang on the wall when I was laughing too loudly while they were trying to study.) Mom also loves to laugh, especially at herself. What a gift it was to grow up in a family that was always laughing, usually at each other’s expense.

Her love of food. Both sides of my family are blessed with excellent cooks and people who are always happy to eat what is being served. My mom happens to fit into both categories. She can whip up a meal for 30 people in no time and make it look absolutely effortless. There is more than one dish for which she is famous in our little town, and even though she has shared all her recipes with me, my versions never taste as good. Growing up, one of us girls always had a friend around, and she was always happy to add in an extra person or two to our meals. Even today, as adults, my friends or my sisters’ friends will pop in on my parents and Mom will fix them something to eat, usually a dish that she remembers them loving.

Her penchant for projects. Friends of my mom often refer to her as the Energizer Bunny because she never stops! She is a full-time teacher, volunteers at church, and is involved in the local theatre. In addition to all these things, she always has a project going. She loves DIY projects and, due to my parents’ involvement in several properties around town, there is always something that needs doing. During this quarantine time she has repainted most of the inside and outside of her house, refurbished several items of furniture, and learned how to use a mitre saw. Unfortunately, I did not receive her eye for interior design, so my projects usually don’t turn out nearly as well. Inexplicably, I keep doing them.

Her love of music and theatre. Singing and dancing were absolutely normal and expected parts of my childhood. We sang at home, at church, at the theatre, in the car, on the street. Going to see a show at the theatre was also a regular occurrence. It was usually the local theatre with amateur productions, but we loved it and would continue singing the songs and re-enacting our favorite scenes for weeks after. While I didn’t inherit my mother’s acting ability, I do inundate my children with musical theatre references. If we’re listening to music, it’s nearly always the soundtrack to a film or stage production. I hope my own children will look back on it with the same sense of fondness that I do.

Her sense of adventure. There are not a lot of pictures of my mom when she was young, primarily because she was the fifth child and grew up in the 60s. One of the few pictures I have seen, though, is of her as a teenager in Spain. She had traveled to Europe with a school group and volunteered to participate in a bullfight! The picture is of her holding the matador’s cape with the bull running at her. We also now have pictures of her jumping out of an airplane, hiking mountains in Hong Kong, and snorkeling in Thailand, and those are all in the last ten years!

Thank you, Mom, for the countless ways that you have helped nurture me and allowed me to grow as a person and a mom. I hope to be as generous with my time, talents, and space as you are with both family and strangers. Thank you for the gift of your love, and thank you for showing me what it means to be selfless and courageous for the ones you hold dear. Happy Mother’s Day!

Books from 2019

Yes, it is April 2020, but even though we’re well into the next year I wanted to post my list of books read in 2019. This is mostly to keep myself accountable and to remember what I’ve read, but I also really love getting book recommendations from friends and find that their recommendations are what I tend to enjoy reading the most. So here’s my list, in case you are the same:

Faith

My faith is really important to me and, as such, I try to devote a significant amount of my yearly reading to learning how to deepen it. This year’s selections came almost exclusively from friends’ suggestions, and they were all great.

1. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis Majors
2. Uncommon Marriage by Tony and Lauren Dungy
3. Letters to the Church by Francis Chan
4. Elisabeth Elliot: Do the Next Thing by Selah Helms
5. Is God Anti-Gay? By Sam Allberry 
6. Everybody Always by Bob Goff
7. The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu

The picture is the poem which inspired the title for the book on Elisabeth Elliot. I enjoyed the poem so much that I turned it into a picture that I could look at often to remember to not try and figure out all the future details, but just do what the Lord has set in front of me for now.

Parenting

Parenting three very different children comes with lots of challenges, and parenting them outside my own culture has brought its own difficulties. These two books have tons of practical advice for parents in these particular situations (raising children outside the parents’ home cultures and raising children who struggle with executive function skills) and we have implemented some to great success. I listened to both of these as audiobooks but want to purchase hard copies in the future because both are books I plan to read again to keep their messages fresh in my mind. Can’t recommend these enough!

1. Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken
2. Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare

Sustainability
In 2019 I tried to focus more on sustainability, not only as a way to help conserve resources but also as to how it relates to forced labor and human trafficking. These two books were incredibly informative and have already impacted how I shop, mend, recycle, repurpose, etc. Highly recommend!

1. The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
2. Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elisabeth Cline

Mental Illness
These are very different books but both informative in different ways. The first focuses on one family’s journey through recurring mental illness and the second discusses the Church’s role in supporting families who are affected by mental illness. Both were fantastic.

1. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach
2. Troubled Minds by Amy Simpson

Social Justice
This is a super broad category but as social justice in general is important to me, I always try and fit in a few reads that are related to it. All three books are related to issues within the US, an area about which I was lacking knowledge (I had learned a lot about issues in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, but hadn’t focused on the US). All are really insightful, no matter your level of expertise.

1. Rethinking Incarceration by Dominique Gilliard
2. Renting Lacy by Linda Smith
3. Somebody's Daughter by Julian Sher

Life from other Perspectives
For the last few years I have been trying to read books by people who are not like me (white, Christian, American--any one of those categories at least). It has been extremely informative and opened my eyes to how people from other backgrounds experience life differently. C.S. Lewis’s book details his experience of losing a spouse, Lisa Gungor’s book discusses her and her husband’s fall from grace within Christian circles as they struggled with belief, and Michelle Obama’s book detailed her life before meeting Barack and how his presidency shaped their family’s lives. Lisa Gungor’s book was probably my least favorite read this year, but I was glad to hear her side of the story as I had only heard third-hand accounts of her move away from faith. I definitely recommend the others.

1. A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
2. The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen by Lisa Gungor
3. Becoming by Michelle Obama

What books have you been enjoying during this time of quarantine? Any that you would recommend? If you’ve read any of the books on this list, I would love to discuss them with you. Probably over Zoom. :)

It Takes a Year

Let me preface this post by saying that my intention here is not to solicit sympathy. Given that this is now our second international move, we know that these things are true for nearly everyone who makes a big move to another culture, and it’s not just because we are weirdos (although we openly admit to being less than normal). My only intention is to encourage those who are moving internationally for the first time, who aren’t sure what to expect or who have found the transition to be harder than they imagined. You, my friend, are not alone.

I read an incredible book this year discussing third culture kids and the difficulties of living outside the culture in which your parents grew up. For many kids, this means they are living outside of the country in which they were born, but for others, it means growing up in a situation where one of your parents grew up in another country, so your family traditions, language, and perspectives are different than most other people in your community. There was a lot of great advice in this book (and I would HIGHLY recommend it to fellow parents of TCKs), but I was struck the most by a chapter which dealt with physically moving to a new place. The chapter covered all the expected topics: figuring out where all the necessary stores are, meeting new friends, starting a new job or school, adjusting to new driving circumstances, likely learning a new language or at least a new set of vocabulary. I was nodding my head the whole chapter, remembering how each of those things were very true for us in Thailand and have stayed true in England. Then the author started discussing how long it should take for this to happen, and I expected her to say a few months, tops. However, she started discussing why it would likely take closer to six months or a year to fully feel settled in a new place.

This wasn’t a huge surprise to me as this was our experience in Thailand. It was our first time to move abroad, we didn’t know any of the local language, and we spent the first several months basically flying by the seat of our pants. Thankfully, we were surrounded by amazing coworkers and a large expat community who helped us tremendously. We truly wouldn’t have made it without the wisdom and guidance given to us by so many. Still, we didn’t feel at home in Thailand for a long time. Other expat friends there also expressed their frustration with making deep connections in such a transient setting. We all chalked it up to having young children and/or working in intense fields, both leading to very little free time and even less excess energy for socializing.

Eventually, we felt like our house in Thailand was home. We could hold conversations with our neighbors in Thai, we knew how to drive to lots of local places without using Google Maps, we had our favorite restaurants and beloved dishes at each one. Our kids were into a routine with school both at home and at co-op, we had good friends at work and at church, we found our rhythm of communicating with friends and family in the US regularly but not excessively.

Then we moved. We anticipated this move being much easier, given that we spoke the local language, didn’t look so “foreign”, and that the culture was so much closer to that of the US. Man, were we wrong. It turns out that as soon as we opened our mouths, everyone knew we weren’t locals. Despite speaking the same language, we only understood about 75% of what was being said to us (on a good day). On top of that, we knew NO ONE. There was no one to tell us the British names of everyday products or where to buy them. No one to help us get the kids registered for school and advise us on what things they would need to be ready for the year. No one to answer our questions about all the weird things that British people do (I’m still not fully confident as to when I should say “Cheers!”).

So here I am, reading this book, several months into our second international move and feeling like things are going so slowly. Then the author, who has done the most research on TCKs and practically coined the term, is telling me that everyone who moves internationally has these feelings. It was so freeing! I instantly felt much better about not having most things figured out, knowing that it would just take time. My new mantra became “It takes a year.”

Now, just because I had this head knowledge doesn’t mean that I instantly took it to heart. I found myself repeating this mantra over and over again:

...when I showed up to a big event, only to realize that I don’t know anyone there and I will probably sit awkwardly by myself most of the time.

...when I looked up the celsius equivalent for the thousandth time.

...when we found out about a really fun activity and wished that we had playmates to share it with.

...when I had to covertly look up a word, or three, to understand a conversation.

...when birthdays rolled around and our invite lists were really, really short.

...when I pulled up Google Maps, AGAIN, just to get to the grocery store.

...when two fellow moms were making plans for a lunch together and I really, really wanted to be invited.

But this story has a happy ending. We are coming up on 11 months of living in England, and I am proud to report that we can drive several places without the aid of GPS; I’ve actually given directions to British people looking for local sights. We’ve had two occasions where we had to say no to a social engagement because we had another one to attend. Our vocabularies have greatly increased and it’s rare that we have to ask what a word means. We know lots of our neighbors and our kids have been invited to several playdates and birthday parties.

This will happen for you, too. It might take six months, a year, or even two years. If it’s taking longer than you want it to, just remember, it’s not you that’s the problem. It just takes a year.

Books Read in 2018

In 2018 my resolution was to read 18 books in the year (not including books read to my children). Since I do a lot of audiobooks while I cook, clean, or organize stuff, it was rather easy to get through all 18. Generous friends also let me borrow their hard copies of books I didn’t have access to any other way. I’ve separated them into two basic groups like last year: Christian Living and Life from Other Perspectives. The focus this year was once again to try and learn more about how other groups live their lives and how I should live mine. The descriptions come from Amazon but the opinions are my own.

Christian Living

1. Keeper of the Angels’ Den by Geoff Benge and Janet Benge

Suddenly, Corrie's ordered life was lost in the insanity of war. With bravery and compassion, her family and countless other Dutch citizens risked everything to extend God's hand to those innocents marked for certain execution in a world gone mad. Corrie ten Boom's life of determination, faith, and forgiveness in the face of unimaginable brutality and hardship is a stunning testimony to the sustaining power of God.

Inspiring story of extreme bravery in the face of evil. Great story for both kids and adults!

2.              Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

Written in Shauna’s warm and vulnerable style, this collection of essays focuses on the most important transformation in her life, and maybe yours too: leaving behind busyness and frantic living and rediscovering the person you were made to be. Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection.

Since I am a person who struggles with my own imperfection, this was a great read. It was a fabulous reminder that I am imperfect, no matter how much I try to be perfect, and being present with those around me is more important than hiding my imperfections.

3.              No Greater Love by Mother Teresa

No Greater Love is the essential wisdom of Mother Teresa — the most accessible, intimate, and inspiring book of her teachings. Thematically arranged to present her revolutionary vision of Christianity in its graceful simplicity, the book features her thoughts on love, generosity, forgiveness, prayer, service, and what it means to be a Christian. A passionate testament to deep hope and abiding faith in God, No Greater Love celebrates the life and work of one of the world’s most revered spiritual teachers.

Mother Teresa’s life has always been an inspiration to me, so it was great to read her words and hear her perspective on how to love others.

4.              The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

The classic Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, contains nine sermons delivered by Lewis during World War Two. The nine addresses in Weight of Glory offer guidance, inspiration, and a compassionate apologetic for the Christian faith during a time of great doubt.

C.S. Lewis is one of my all-time favorite authors. It’s hard to condense all of Lewis’s wisdom from this book, but this quote encompasses the meaning of the title: “The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations.”

5.              Bittersweet by Shauna Neiquist

"This is what I’ve come to believe about change: it’s good, in the way that childbirth is good, and heartbreak is good, and failure is good. By that I mean that it’s incredibly painful, exponentially more so if you fight it, and also that it has the potential to open you up, to open life up, to deliver you right into the palm of God’s hand, which is where you wanted to be all long, except that you were too busy pushing and pulling your life into exactly what you thought it should be. I’ve learned the hard way that change is one of God’s greatest gifts, and most useful tools. Change can push us, pull us, rebuke and remake us. It can show us who we’ve become, in the worst ways, and also in the best ways. I’ve learned that it’s not something to run away from, as though we could, and that in many cases, change is a function of God’s graciousness, not life’s cruelty.”

A friend recommended this book and it was a perfect read for 2018. Leaving our mostly familiar life in Thailand to a brand-new and totally different life in England was 100% bittersweet. It was encouraging to be reminded that everyone goes through bittersweet periods in life, but those times should be seen as a time of growth.

6.              Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom

In 1940, Corrie ten Boom was living with her father and sister above their watch shop in Haarlem when their country was invaded. Armed with the gift of their faith and their belief in doing what was right, this devoutly Christian family provided sanctuary for persecuted Jews. Before long, the Nazis captured Corrie and her family and sent them to a concentration camp, where Corrie lost both her sister and father. But remarkably, throughout this turbulent time, from her near-destitute days in postwar New York to her heart-stopping adventures in Africa, Corrie sustained the faith in God that helped her become one of the most beloved evangelists of her time.

If you can’t tell, our family has a small obsession with Corrie Ten Boom. A friend recommended this book to me and I was not disappointed! It’s a great account of Corrie’s life after World War II.

7.              Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually Changing the World? by Eugene Cho

Eugene Cho has a confession: "I like to talk about changing the world but I don't really like to do what it takes." Cho does not doubt the sincerity of those who want to change the world. But he fears that today's wealth of resources and opportunities could be creating "the most overrated generation in history. We have access to so much but end up doing so little." He came to see that he, too, was overrated. As Christians, Cho writes, "our calling is not simply to change the world but to be changed ourselves." In Overrated, Cho shows that it is possible to move from talk to action.

This was a good reminder that even my best intentions are useless without action.

8.              Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker

In this highly anticipated new book, beloved author Jen Hatmaker parlays her own triumphs and tragedies into a sigh of relief for all normal, fierce women everywhere. Whether it’s the time she drove to the wrong city for a fourth-grade field trip (“Why are we in San Antonio?”) or the way she learned to forgive (God was super clear: Pray for this person every day, which was the meanest thing He ever said to me. I was furious.), she offers a reminder to those of us who sometimes hide in the car eating crackers that we do have the moxie to get back up and get back out. We can choose to live undaunted “in the moment” no matter what the moments hold, and lead vibrant, courageous, grace-filled lives.

This was a light and funny read. A great reminder to live in community and have courage to do whatever the Lord calls us to.

9.              Undaunted: Daring to Do what God Calls You to Do by Christine Caine

Christine Caine offers life-transforming insights about how not only to overcome the challenges, wrong turns, and often painful circumstances we all experience, but also to actually grow from those experiences and be equipped and empowered to help others. Using her own dramatic life story, Caine shows how God rescued her from a life where she was unnamed, unwanted, and unqualified. She tells how she overcame abuse, abandonment, fears, and other challenges to go on a mission of adventure, fueled by faith and filled with love and courage. Her personal stories inspire readers to hear their name called, just as Christine heard her own―“You are beloved. You are the hope. You are chosen”―to go into a dark and troubled world, knowing each of us possess all it takes to bring hope, create change, and live completely for Christ. Part inspirational tale, part manifesto to stir readers to lives of adventure, Undaunted shows the way with spiritual wisdom and insight.

Christine Caine is the founder of A21, an anti-trafficking organization that does incredible work rescuing individuals around the world. She has an amazing story and her action is challenging and inspiring.

10.           Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

I’ve enjoyed other titles by Brene Brown and was not disappointed with this either. A good reminder to continue to reach out to those who have differing opinions and try to bridge gaps of misunderstanding. “True belonging is not passive. It's not the belonging that comes with just joining a group. It's not fitting in or pretending or selling out because it's safer. It's a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are. We want true belonging, but it takes tremendous courage to knowingly walk into hard moments.”

11.           Boundaries by Henry Cloud

Does your life feel like it's out of control? Perhaps you feel like you have to say yes to everyone's requests. Maybe you find yourself readily taking responsibility for others' feelings and problems. Or perhaps you focus so much on being loving and unselfish that you've forgotten your own limits and limitations. Or maybe it's all of the above. In the New York Times bestseller, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you learn when to say yes and know how to say no in order to take control of your life and set healthy, biblical boundaries with your spouse, children, friends, parents, co-workers, and even yourself.

I read this at a friend’s recommendation and it was easily one of the most impactful books I have ever read. It was especially eye-opening for me as a parent, but it also made me realize some unhealthy habits in myself and others. Highly recommend reading this book!

Life from Other Perspectives

12.           The Culture Map by Erin Meyer

Americans precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans get straight to the point; Latin Americans and Asians are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians think the best boss is just one of the crowd. It's no surprise that when they try and talk to each other, chaos breaks out. In The Culture Map, INSEAD professor Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain in which people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together. She provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business, and combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice.

Another great recommendation from a friend! This was easily one of the most interesting books I have ever read. As a person who has worked cross-culturally, there were many times when I found myself nodding my head and thinking, “Now that makes sense!” I highly recommend this for anyone who works in or among different cultures.

13.           Freedom from Fear and Other Writings by Aung San Suu Kyi

Freedom from Fear - collected writings from the Nobel Peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi - edited by her late husband, whom the ruling military junta prevented from visiting Burma as he was dying of cancer - reflects her greatest hopes and fears for her fellow Burmese people, and her concern about the need for international co-operation in the continuing fight for Burma's freedom. Bringing together her most powerful speeches, letters and interviews, this remarkable collection gives a voice to Burma's 'woman of destiny', whose fate remains in the hands of her enemies.

Reading words of strength and hope from someone who was on house arrest by the government of her own country was challenging and inspiring. Sadly, it seems that the current State Counsellor of Myanmar has forgotten her own words: “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” I hope Aung San Suu Kyi will remember her previous plight and mistreatment as she considers the minority groups in Myanmar to whom she is turning a blind eye.

14.           Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez

Harvest of Empire spans five centuries-from the first New World colonies to the first decade of the new millennium. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States, and their impact on American popular culture-from food to entertainment to literature-is greater than ever. Featuring family portraits of real- life immigrant Latino pioneers, as well as accounts of the events and conditions that compelled them to leave their homelands, Harvest of Empire is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the history and legacy of this increasingly influential group.

Even though I have studied Latino culture and Spanish language for many years, I learned so much from this book. I was rather ignorant about the political and economic histories of the countries from which the U.S. gets most of its Latino immigrants, so this was eye-opening for me. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a more well-rounded view of the causes of Latino immigration in the U.S.

15.           Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

In 2010, Sandberg gave an electrifying TED talk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. Lean In continues that conversation, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.

I borrowed this book from a friend mostly because I wanted to see what all the hype was about. It was worth all the hype and encouraged me to be more proactive in my career.

16.           Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

On October 28, 1959, John Howard Griffin underwent a transformation that changed many lives beyond his own—he made his skin black and traveled through the segregated Deep South. His odyssey of discovery was captured in journal entries, arguably the single most important documentation of 20th-century American racism ever written. The story that earned respect from civil rights leaders and death threats from many others endures today as one of the great human—and humanitarian—documents of the era. This is the story of a man who opened his eyes and helped an entire nation to do likewise.

Another brilliant recommendation from a friend (how am I so lucky to have so many smart friends??). This first-person account of racism was both captivating and shocking, especially since the only thing the author changed about himself was his skin color (his name and profession stayed the same). Great, thought-provoking read!

17.           The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

I had never learned much about the heavy use of radium in the early 20th century before reading this book. It was informative and entertaining as I learned about the individual women’s lives as well as the general opinion of radium at the time and how some industries fought to keep the negative effects of it secret. The ordeal that these women had to endure to receive justice is heartbreaking. Great read!

18.           I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

Of course, I had heard of Malala Yousafzai and was vaguely familiar with her story, but I learned a lot from this book, not only about her personal life story, but also about the difficulties many girls like her face in trying to get an education. Malala also attends Oxford University, so I am holding out hope that I will bump into her one day and eventually become best friends. :)

What books are on your “to read” list for 2019? I’d love to hear your recommendations!