Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Nomad

I know I said I wouldn't post on Tuesdays or Thursdays anymore but I'm still trying to feel this schedule thing out. This week I am posting everyday because I want to honor Elana's awesomeness and make sure that her guest post gets as much traffic as it deserves (yes she rules but I'm sure it's obvious there is a selfish motive in here too, I'm not ashamed).

So mark your calendars! Set a reminder in outlook! Tie a string around your finger ... yeah who does that besides Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life?

Great film by the way, I'm not afraid to admit that I cry every time. My daughters call me a tear dropper.

Anyway.


I was listening to NPR on the way to work this morning as I always do. Don't you love NPR? Isn't the greatest source for news, books, arts and entertainment? I agree. So yeah I was listening to NPR and they were talking about Ayaan Hirsi Ali's new book NOMAD.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction but I did read her last book INFIDEL. It was chilling and inspiring, much like her life experiences. I won't go on about either book or her story because it's one of those things that if you are familiar with it you would know exactly what I was talking about and if you weren't well ... I don't want to alienate anyone on this blog.

Suffice to say you should read her books. Or at the very least you should read about her. Ayaan has had an incredible life and is doing amazing things to try to support the rights of women around the world.

Some Ayaan Hirsi Ali links:
The Daily Beast
Wikipedia
NPR on NOMAD
NPR on THE CAGED VIRGIN

A great quote about women from the historian Bernard Lewis:
“Women are half the population, and mothers of the other half.”

So perhaps this is a little late for Mother's day and what Ms. Ali is trying to accomplish isn't just about women anyway, but really human rights. If you are interested look her up. If not that's fine, just make sure you come back for Elana's guest post on Friday!

19 comments:

Vicki Rocho said...

I don't know why I don't read more nonfiction. The few times I breakdown, I usually love it. Just getting over some stereotype in my head of "boring". LOL

Slamdunk said...

Yeah, I enjoy non-fiction; especially inspirational people.

JE said...

I don't think I've read non-fiction, aside from my book in high-school and college. Maybe I should pick something up? ;-)

~JD

Hannah said...

Thanks for the recs. I don't read biographies much. When I read non-fiction it's either psychology or writing books.

Stina said...

Yesterday was a stat holiday in Canada, which means today is like a Monday. So I'm fine with you posting today. It's like a normal week.

Okay, maybe I need more sleep. ;)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Thanks for sharing that, Matt. I rarely read non-fiction. I need to pick up more. There's as much inspiration in those stories as in our make believe heads...sometimes more.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Thanks for the tips. I haven't read these books but I'm adding Nomad to my to read list.

Joanne Brothwell said...

I love books like that. I'll definitely be picking it up. Thanks for the suggestion.

Candyland said...

Like some of the others, I'm not huge on nonfiction (generally) but she sounds amazing. I may have to check it out. And I wouldn't miss Friday:)

Jaydee Morgan said...

I'm going to have to check this one out - and love the quote, by the way.

Courtney Barr - The Southern Princess said...

I love that you are posting every day in order to honor Elana's success! SO SO SO SWEET of you.

I am so excited for her!

I will have to check out the links that you listed. I read everything even though my writing focuses on YA.

Thanks for a great post and even though you don't plan to post on Tues & Thurs (me either btw) you may just want to reserve those days for surprise posts....something different and special like what you did today.

Always great to see you have posted!

Visit My Kingdom Anytime

Arlee Bird said...

I enjoy reading non-fiction. I also enjoy reading fiction. Wish I could read and retain at least 3 books a day. By the end of the year I'd have most of the unread books in my house finished and I could start reading more books. I don't think I'll ever finish.
And that doesn't even include all of the magazines I get.
Does speed reading really work?

Lee
Tossing It Out

Elliot Grace said...

...touching post Matt, and I thoroughly believe Mother's Day can be celebrated year round. Lord knows...if children only had us stragglers for support, it'd be an ugly world to wallow in:)

Creepy Query Girl said...

Mother's day isn't until May 30th in france so you're still within range for me! Sounds like a great and important read. Nothing would be able to keep me away from the interview friday!:)

MBW aka Olleymae said...

I recently read a couple nonfiction books on writing craft. I was quite proud of myself, because I like plots!

I'm definitely coming back to check out Elana's post!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'll definitely stop by for Elana's post.

About Me said...

I rarely read nonfiction, but her books seem right up my alley. Thanks for bringing her to my attention.

Lindsay said...

I don't read a lot of nonfiction at the moment. Maybe I should.

Looking forward to the friday post. :)

kah said...

Great links.

Can't wait for Elana's post.

Happy Tuesday!