Hola.
So nothing exciting going on at work so I’m going to talk about my extracurricular activity of the moment: reading. When I was younger I was an avid reader; but that all changed when required reading and book reports became mandatory. Yes, I will admit that there were books I read that enjoyed, but at the same time there were books I loathed. Instead of my leisurely reading that I used to do so much of, I now found myself reading books on summer reading lists and for classes.
The summer before sophomore year I picked up The Autobiography of Malcom X while doing my shopping for school books. Now, June 2009 I finished the book. Yes, there were the times where I could have finished the book but I was so fatigued with all of the stuff I had to read for school. I’m glad I finally finished, because I did enjoy his journey. I also finished Dead Aid by Dambiso Moyo (anyone studying African Development should read it for a different perspective). Additionally, I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Native Son by Richard Wright. All of this occurred within 3 weeks.
What am I reading now? I bet your dying to know. I am currently reading The Green Belt Movement by Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Minster of the Environment in Kenya. Google her to learn more.
Border’s, as I may have mentioned, is one of my favorite places to go. As of Monday, every time I go to Border’s I will read Persepolis, a comic based on the life of the author (Marjane Satrapi) growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It’s pretty good, I should finish if I go back this weekend. It’s a quick read.
What’s next on the list? Africa Unchained by George Ayittey and the Challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai. I traded in William Easterly and Jeffrey Sachs to get these books. Sachs I started reading, and wasn’t feeling. But I will definitely hear more about the latter two in development classes, so for now I want a more African perspective on development matters in Africa. I met George Ayittey once, he’s very passionate about Africa. I can’t wait to read his book.
That’s all for now. Peace!
