Review- Mud, Sweat & Tears by Bear Grylls

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was very entertaining and easy-to-read, with most chapters only 3-4 pages in length.

The book is about how adventurer and survival expert Bear Grylls grew up and his life experiences which got him to his point in life where he began his TV series Man VS. Wild. Bear also shares parts of his Christian faith.

It is a great read for anyone who enjoys a real man sharing his very real life stories, the highs and lows, from fighting for his life after a faulty parachute nearly cost his life while skydiving, to being the youngest Brit to reach the summit of Mt Everest. A highly recommended book.

Review: Little Princes by Conor Grennan

My Rating:  4 1/2 Stars

This is one of those books which you begin reading and don't stop until you finish it.  It is the story of Conor Grennan, who spends 3 months volunteering at a orphanage in Nepal, as a 'good deed' to impress his friends.  This is until he falls in love with the children of Little Princes Orphanage.  He learns of the plight of trafficked children from the mountains, who are bought to Kathmandu to be sold as slaves, and kept in horrendous conditions.  He vows to change the lives of the lost children of Nepal, who are children nobody seems to care about - who vanish.  The story is honest, funny and heartbreaking.  It is a great read for anyone with a heart for children.

Review - Three Cups of Tea - by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

My Rating: 2 Stars

This is a true story of Greg Mortenson who, after a failed attempt at climbing K2 in the Himalayas, vows to return to Pakistan and build schools for the desperately poor inhabitants of the Northern rural villages.  It is a multi million copy book, and a US #1 bestseller.

I enjoyed the book until about halfway through, when I lost interest, mainly because it is a long book- 330 pages. The story itself takes place between the 1990's and 2002 (with some interesting events happening in 2001).

A good read if you're interested in learning about the Middle East through different eyes, and the story of one man's mission to promote peace – one school at a time.

Review - Scared by Tom Davis

My Rating: 4 Stars
 

Scared is a novel following the story of Stuart Daniels and his assignment as a photographer to Swaziland. He encounters the real world – HIV/AIDS, orphans, poverty, desperation, injustice and corruption.

Although this is a novel, it reads as though it is a biography. Davis has written this incredibly, and you can see his love for those in poverty, particularly orphans written on each page. It is a great book which will broaden your horizons and challenge you to act for 'the least of these'.

Review- The Street Children of Brazil by Sarah De Carvalho

My rating: 3 1/2 Stars

If you do not want your heart broken for children living on the streets, do NOT read this book. This is the incredible story of Sarah De Carvalho and how she founded Happy Child.

I found some of the chapters a bit 'bland' especially after the first chapter opens with Sarah being caught in a cross fire in the slums of the city – it's a bit hard to keep my attention after all the action on the first few pages. There are many gripping first hand accounts of life on the streets, many from children themselves.

I wanted to read this book to gain a different perspective on Brazil, particularly because we sponsor Igor in Brazil. Even though Igor does not live on the streets, it helps to gain some perspective.

I read the updated edition, which was very interesting to read how Happy Child has grown in the many years after the book was first published.

You can not read this book without your heart reaching out to the street children, not only in Brazil, but across the world.

Review- Sold by Patricia McCormick

My Rating: 4 Stars

This book is a novel, but, it does a effective job of highlighting the current crisis of slavery, in particular child sex trafficking.
Although parts of the book were quite challening to read, I had to remind myself that this wasn't, in fact a novel, but a very true reality that is happening every day.
It was written in a way that made you keep reading right until the very last page, and I actually read this in 2 days.
Annually, over half a million children are trafficked into the sex trade.  Over 12,000 of these are Nepali girls sold to the brothels of India - which this book is about - one girl's journey.
A great insight into this incredible injustice.

Review - Under the Overpass Book

Under The Overpass - Book

My rating: 5 stars

Two young guys- Mike and Sam, take on a social experiment, by choosing to spend about 8 months living on the streets in a number of different cities in America.

They wrote about the churches they visited, and the 'Christians' they met- and how they treated them. I realised I would fit in this category. At one stage, one of the guy's shoes were falling apart, they even mentioned it to people they met in a church, and nobody offered to buy him new shoes. When I read this, I realised I never want to be a person who doesn't offer to help someone, and make a effort, no matter who they are.

After reading this, now when I see the homeless, instead of looking away, and ignoring them, I will do the opposite – a smile, a simple 'hello' or buy them something to eat. This book encouraged me to change my view on homeless men and women. I wasn't really interested in learning about the homeless, but it was one of the best books I have read.

Review - The Fair Trade DVD

The Fair Trade DVD

My rating: 2 Stars

This DVD is not what I was expecting. When I read what it was about, I thought it would be different. ¾ of the documentary is about this woman, who's fiance' died, and she was left understandably miserable. It went through all of her emotions, including wanting to commit suicide. Then, the last 20 mins or so, was about her, and her sister who decided to make fair-trade skin products.

I wanted to see more of the research and development of their fair trade product.