Now that the kids are getting a little older, I am actually finding some time to myself again to relax on the beach while on vacation. With this new found freedom, I have started to read again and I’m actually finishing books that I haven’t been able to finish for years!
On one of my last holiday I downloaded “A House in the Sky: A Memoir” by Amanda Lindhourt and Sara Corbett, a book that was recommended to me by a gentleman that I had interviewed for an open position at my last employer (thanks JC!). I wasn’t sure what I was getting into but I was told it was about a girl who traveled and found herself in some difficult situations. I thought, PERFECT, this is just for me…a story about a girl who travels.
From the first few pages of the book I was instantly hooked. The story is narrated by Amanda and in the first few chapters she starts off by describing herself as a child who is obsessed with her National Geographic magazines and how she dreams about traveling to far away places, desperately wanting to get out of the small town where she lives (restless traveller maybe?). Eventually she moves away from home and obsessively saves her tips from working as a cocktail waitress to travel to Latin America, India, Afghanistan and other exotic locales. During these adventures and good times, she is bitten by the travel bug and vows to keep travelling. Eventually Amanda finds herself working as a news reporter writing stories about war torn countries and it’s in the depth of Somalia where her luck seems to run out.
Amanda is held hostage for 460 days and retells her story with passion, suspense and a compassion for her captors that one would not expect. She describes in details the events that unfold and how she pushes through in those darkest moments. In the end you have a story of survival, courage and hope, one that moves the reader to realize that the power of the mind and determination can help you get through anything.
If you are looking for a book to inspire, educate and keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning, this is the book for you. Just warn your family that once you start reading this one, they will have to fend for themselves until you are done as you will not be able to pull yourself away.
Happy Travels (and Happy Reading)!
Clara
Thanks Clarice…I’ll have to pick this one up. Great inspiration.
It’s a good one. You will enjoy it 🙂