summer reading book review

I just finished reading two books: I'm a Stranger Here Myself and Dead Women Walking. I thoroughly enjoyed them both.

Bill Bryson's book I'm a Stranger Here Myself is a collection of writings (that he submitted to the newspaper he was working for at the time) about coming back to the United States after having lived abroad in Great Britain for 20 years, and the subsequent wonder (and frustration!) at all that had changed in that time. His stories are hilarious as always! It gives you an understanding about culture differences between British and Americans, gives you reasons to love our country, and of course, reasons to wish it was more like Great Britain. He talks of things from his childhood, like quaint little diners and drive-in theaters that have all but vanished. Another aspect of growing up were skeezy motels that were all part of the adventure of road trips, that have nowadays improved greatly to have more than 3 rings holding up the shower curtain. I loved his family stories, his nostalgic reveries, and his hilariously descriptive language. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Dead Women Walking was about 3 working-class Taiwanese women, that each struggle with difficulties in life: emotional, physical, marital, and especially spiritual. We see their stories interwoven throughout, with similarities of drunken husbands and abuse affecting all three. One woman was even possessed by evil spirits--I had to stop reading it right before bed because I got creeped out! Three-quarters of the way through we meet Elisabeth Weinmann, a German missionary, who is called by the Lord to be a missionary in Taiwan. Having learned that most evangelism is usually only done among middle and higher classes, she started reaching out to working-class women by distributing magazines in their shops. Elisabeth is introverted, and felt uneasy among strangers, but the Lord strengthened her to reach out to these lost women. In the book, we learn about Taiwanese culture, and what maladies affect the working-class. This book delves into what Taiwanese women have to struggle with, and demonstrates that their only salvation from their struggles is Jesus. 3 out of 5 stars.