Booking It June Update

Check out what others are reading at Life as Mom.

Mindblind by Jennifer Roy I checked out from the library. It can be found in the Young Adult section.  It is about a 14 year old Asperger's Boy and how he is navigating his adolescents.  He is involved in a rock band.  He believes he is not quite a genius because he hasn't contributed anything meaningful to the world.  I thought it was a good book.  It reminded me in some parts of my oldest son and his very black and white thinking.  I loved that the main character was in love with the Amazing Race TV show because my kid is too.

I also read Unquenchable Thirst - Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life by Mary Johnson.  This was an autobiography.  Mary Johnson left Missionaries of Charity after being a nun for 20 years.  She goes into great deal about convent life and her spiritual journey.  There are a few graphic scenes in regards to sexuality.  It was interesting and gave me some insight into what it would be working for Mother Teresa.  She really delves into the inner workings of the convent and the politics of religion.  I would of liked to have know more how she navigated her life after she left the convent especially since she was a nun for 20 years.

I finally got my hands on the much touted book, Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  Yes, I know another book about the Pacific Crest Trail. This about a woman who did much of the trail- 1,100 miles as a solo hiker with no experience as a long distance hiker. I totally consumed this book in 2 days. Cheryl reeling after the lost of her mother to cancer. She trashes her marriage. She cheats and does drugs.  There are some very raw parts in this book.  (There are some very adult themes in this book so if this makes you uncomfortable this book isn't for you.) She makes a rather impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.  She embarks on what becomes somewhat a spiritual pilgrimage of self discovery. She talks about her need to walk alone. I don't know why I am so drawn to these books. Maybe I need to go on my own pilgrimage. I really like this quote

There's no way to know what makes one thing happen and not another. What leads to what. What destroys what. What causes what to flourish or or take another course.

Cheryl need the trail to be the catalyst to change her life. One thing is for sure when we are in pain, abandoned, and an emotional wreck, we trash even the good things or more to the point, we can't even recognize the good things. As a side note, this has been chosen for Oprah's book club. I have now read 3 books or memoirs about those who walked the Pacific Crest Trail - The Cactus Eaters, A Blistered Kind of Love, and Wild.  They were all good.  My review of Cactus Eaters and A Blistered Kind of love can be found in my April Booking It Post.