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danileighta's review
4.0
What an incredible story. Though the telling of it was sometimes overdone, in terms of the author discussing his emotions at length, this is a fantastic depiction of life in rural Uganda and just what it takes to bring hope to a community. Primarily, the book is about the building of a school for AIDS orphans. The book is from 2010 and the prevalence of AIDS has receded, but in 2017 1.3 millions Ugandans were living with HIV, so this is still a major crisis (avert.org).
There were so many incredibly touching stories told, but the student who is sticking with me right now is Bruno. He is 13 and has been living on his own fow quite some time, maintaining his families small crops and house. His parents died of AIDS. At the end of the book, he says his hardest moments are when he wakes up in the middle of the night, all by himself, with no one to comfort him or turn to. I mean... can you even possibly imagine?
This is a great read and the audiobook version is read by a talented voice actor, Richard Allen. You can't go wrong either way. If you are interested in education, world health, travel, humanitarian work, human rights, children's rights, etc., you should give this book a read.
There were so many incredibly touching stories told, but the student who is sticking with me right now is Bruno. He is 13 and has been living on his own fow quite some time, maintaining his families small crops and house. His parents died of AIDS. At the end of the book, he says his hardest moments are when he wakes up in the middle of the night, all by himself, with no one to comfort him or turn to. I mean... can you even possibly imagine?
This is a great read and the audiobook version is read by a talented voice actor, Richard Allen. You can't go wrong either way. If you are interested in education, world health, travel, humanitarian work, human rights, children's rights, etc., you should give this book a read.
jackie_shimkus's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
abbykruth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
rachelb36's review against another edition
3.0
A typical do-good read: inspiring and encouraging, informative enough, but not a dynamic, superbly crafted story.
I would have liked to hear less detail about Kaguri's experiences with fundraising and more about the people who are doing the day-to-day work, and the students' lives.
I really liked that the author included the costs of various items in the book; though early in the book he states that USD$85 is a low-end monthly wage for a teacher in Western Uganda, and that only $2 or $3 will cover a student's tuition and book fees. Later he says $85 is a competitive wage, and a students' books for the year are $45. I'd like to know which is true.
There were also some cultural differences which were not explained, so readers who are unfamiliar with Ugandan culture may be confused at points.
I also couldn't help feeling that the author's Christian beliefs were downplayed, or didn't influence many of his decisions. While it makes perfect sense to me that the school would accept students from any or no religious background, it saddened me that there were nonbelievers in leadership and that the students seemed to be getting indoctrinated with the idea that a person's religion doesn't really matter, as if they are all equally correct and good - an idea which completely contradicts Christianity.
I would have liked to hear less detail about Kaguri's experiences with fundraising and more about the people who are doing the day-to-day work, and the students' lives.
I really liked that the author included the costs of various items in the book; though early in the book he states that USD$85 is a low-end monthly wage for a teacher in Western Uganda, and that only $2 or $3 will cover a student's tuition and book fees. Later he says $85 is a competitive wage, and a students' books for the year are $45. I'd like to know which is true.
There were also some cultural differences which were not explained, so readers who are unfamiliar with Ugandan culture may be confused at points.
I also couldn't help feeling that the author's Christian beliefs were downplayed, or didn't influence many of his decisions. While it makes perfect sense to me that the school would accept students from any or no religious background, it saddened me that there were nonbelievers in leadership and that the students seemed to be getting indoctrinated with the idea that a person's religion doesn't really matter, as if they are all equally correct and good - an idea which completely contradicts Christianity.
val_halla's review against another edition
3.0
Twesigye Jackson is definitely an inspiring man, but I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The "ghostwriter" probably did more damage than help, with tortured metaphors on every page and irrelevant details littering the descriptions of places. Each person's outfit was described, each car given a make and model. I find it hard to believe that the narrator (Twesigye) really remembered all of those details over the years, and at any rate, they added nothing but bulk to the story. Despite the mediocre writing skill, though, this book is helpful to see why nonprofit organizations are best served by the people who live in the area, or are from there. The Nyaka school is a good example of charity done right.
marierossi's review against another edition
4.0
I actually really liked this book! It was just a quick, easy read that was very informative. I found the author personable through his words and experiences. It's brings a new angle to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
fallingstar924's review against another edition
4.0
Great book! Very inspriring, and looking forward to getting involved with the Nyaka AIDS Foundation soon!
This is a great look at how an idea can become reality and help a community.
This is a great look at how an idea can become reality and help a community.