Poorly written book. It was really hard to get through, had to read it for my bookclub and it got a thumbs down from most of us. There was an occasional decent chapter that seemed to be written by someone else. Dont waste your time on this one
Visit the country of Zimbabwe and get a view of several children including Darling, Stina, Chipo, Bastard and Godknows as they roam their community as children do. This book begins with the experiences of these characters. Their lives were dramatically changed when their homes were bulldozed by forces beyond their control. Now they live in shantytowns, making fun wherever they go.
Group members have their own hopes and dreams but the one we follow is Darling who moves to Michigan where she discovers her dreams about living in America are crushed. Her memories of her friends and her experiences in Zimbabwe become cherished memories as she struggles to meld into American society. The cultural difference is dfficult for her to understand and internalize but as she becomes more and more part of the American scene she is alienated from those she left behind. They still live with the dreams she once had.
Calls to Zimabwe become more and more disjointed as Darling tries to explain her new life but those left behind cannot understand. They believe, as she once did, that everyone in America is rich and lives in big houses. They ask for expensive items and money. For me, the story centers on this divide. When one lives in one culture and moves into another so far from the original there is a feeling of rootlessness. Where does one really belong? How can members of such different lives relate to one another?
Group members have their own hopes and dreams but the one we follow is Darling who moves to Michigan where she discovers her dreams about living in America are crushed. Her memories of her friends and her experiences in Zimbabwe become cherished memories as she struggles to meld into American society. The cultural difference is dfficult for her to understand and internalize but as she becomes more and more part of the American scene she is alienated from those she left behind. They still live with the dreams she once had.
Calls to Zimabwe become more and more disjointed as Darling tries to explain her new life but those left behind cannot understand. They believe, as she once did, that everyone in America is rich and lives in big houses. They ask for expensive items and money. For me, the story centers on this divide. When one lives in one culture and moves into another so far from the original there is a feeling of rootlessness. Where does one really belong? How can members of such different lives relate to one another?
I loved this book. Both sections, the first one in Africa and the 2nd in America, are beautifully written.
