Customer Comments

Kathy Lee has commented on (2) products.

Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon

Kathy Lee, January 1, 2013

I am not usually a fan of nonfiction books, but, Far from the Tree, Children and the Search for Identity is a huge exception. This book has not only kept my attention but stimulated my thinking about people who are greatly different from the norm, how that affects their family, themselves and the society at large and the controversies surrounding the interfaces between all of these groups. Solomon has done a thorough and thoughtful exploration of groups including children who are deaf, have Down's Syndrome, are autistic, have schizophrenia, are the product of rape or have engaged in criminal activities to name just a few of the groups explored. He discusses how these people see themselves, how their parents see and interact with them and how the greater society does or does not take on responsibility for helping. This is a superbly written and researched book that so far has not flagged in keeping and engaging my attention (I am two thirds through the 1000 pages). I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in broadening their understanding of those who are somehow different and exploring how we as a society should and can approach this difference for the benefit of all and the development of a more ethical and caring society for all of its members.

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The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

Kathy Lee, January 22, 2012

This very short novel follows Japanese picture brides from their days on the boats coming to their new lives in America early in the 20th century to their displacement to internment camps in WWII. It is a unique book with the narrative consisting of brief sentences, each describing one of many individual women's experience. There is no single narrator who is followed throughout the book. Nonetheless the author provides a very rich and moving depiction of the experience of these Japanese women and their families as they move through their lives. I learned a great deal about this aspect of the American experience before and during WWII. Highly recommended.

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