Review 576: The Red Umbrella

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is another freebie book from Sync some years back (2017). I did not finish the book. I listened to just under 14%, which equals to around 40 pages, not too far into the book, but I wasn’t enjoying it.

The writing is very simplistic, which this is billed as young adult sometimes it can be overlooked. I read a few reviews, both those who liked it and those who did not, and decided my reading time would be better spent with a different book and leaving this one. (I’m not good at letting a book go.)

The book starts in early May 1961. The book point of view is from a young teenager, Lucia Alvarez, her quinceanera is coming up in November. She comes from an upper-middle class family, her father is a banker. Lucia and her family are Cuban and this is during the time that Fidel Castro takes over the government.

The title of the book comes from the (embarrassingly) red umbrella Lucia’s mother carries with her all the time.

Review 547: Beyond the White House

Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope by Jimmy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With the recent passing of former President Jimmy Carter I figured it was a good time to read one of the books I’ve had sitting on my shelf for awhile unread. This book was a good introduction to the work Carter and his wife Rosaylnn has been doing through the past several decades, and it is remarkable work.

The first chapter is a bit of an eye opener at the state of the Carter’s affairs after leaving the President’s office. They had to remove themselves from his farming business during his term and what had been a lucrative business free of debt was now over $1million dollars in debt. So he was broke. Plus needed to raise funds for a Presidential library, and left the office as an unpopular person. He decided to not use his experience for an monetary gain, but instead to be benevolent or work in some non-profit way. This became the impetus for starting The Carter Center.

The Carter Center has several aims and goals, which basically come down to improving people’s lives, particularly in impoverished areas. The book covers some of the work they have been involved in since the founding of the center. It’s quite impressive.

The list is long: such as being mediators in war zone areas, preventing or stopping wars, overseeing and helping democracy in areas previously run by dictators, trying to eradicate the overlooked diseases in poor nations, not to mention human rights, women’s equality and much more. Due to the amount of work and the many different countries Carter has worked in, the book feels more like a summary instead of a detailed account.

Or course, this work was not done by Jimmy Carter alone. There were many people that helped, interns at the Center, doctors that lead the charge in helping with the diseases, and partnering with Emory University. But his name and position has helped tremendously in some areas and places, allowing him access where others would be denied, or it would take much longer to get to a point of talking with other leaders.

An informative book about a remarkable man. Too bad more ex-Presidents would take his lead as an example of what that clout can do. Thankfully Carter had a long life and was able to make a lasting change in many people’s lives.