Week 3: Conversations

Conversation #1

 I would recommend The Bread of Angels by Stephanie Saldana, even though it’s a more serious read than Eat, Pray, Love.  This is primarily due to two things:

The book is centered around a young woman’s quest for God. It is the story of a Westerner’s journey of self-discovery in a Middle Eastern city that is a mixture of people of differing faiths, ideologies and cultures. Stephanie’s quest spans monasteries and mosques, and includes a romantic relationship with a monk.

Damascus offers many situations and people for Stephanie. As a result, we get to see her thoughts on these matters: God, family, the future, religious discipline, the role of women in the secular and religious spheres as well as love and heartbreak.

Although she is a Christian, Stephanie tackles studying the Quran. We learn about her immense struggles during this process. There are also a bevy of other experiences that serve to reveal joy, hope, love, anger and surprise that Stephanie experiences during her journey. All of this would appeal to this particular reader.

Secondly, the narrative paints an incredibly vivid picture of Damascus. The story takes place during a time when a predominantly Christian nation is waging war against countries with primarily Muslim populations. Damascus has Christian and Muslims communities’ existing side-by-side. There contrasting views and ideologies within the same community and between the differing communities. The narrative is able to strongly convey the tension that exists in the region during this time.  It gives the reader a fascinating portrait as the people of Damascus weed through the demands and realities of everyday life.

Books that focus on self-discovery through travel really interests Reader #1 and therefore, The Bread of Angels should interest him/her.

Conversation #2

I would recommend I am Legend by Richard Matheson. First, it’s not a very long read at approximately 150 pages. This should provide some initial appeal to the reader.

 Secondly, it’s a completely different kind of vampire story from Twilight. There are no real romantic themes. I am Legend is an action-adventure story.  There is little dialogue as the only person who can communicate is the main character. In fact, the main character is the only major character in the whole story. The book uses flashback scenes to explain the current setting. Therefore, there is a strong focus on the main character’s actions and inner thoughts. These actions and inner thoughts provide the scaffolding for the progression of the story. Instead of being a love story that relies heavily on teenage angst, I am Legend is a horror-thriller that focuses on themes like alienation, prejudices, and survival.

It seems likely that a short vampire story with entirely different themes from Twilight would at least pique the interest of Reader #2.  

Conversation #3

For Reader #3, In the Kingdom of Ice would be my recommendation. My post about the book in Week 2 clearly shows why this book would be recommended.