Welcome to Litsy!

Paul Farmer provides an excellent assessment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. It was especially hilarious given that it was released during the Covid epidemic.

#10BeforeTheEnd I have been wanting to read this for so long, and I think I did the book a disservice by reading it now. It is pretty grim (focusing on the founding of Liberia, involving a lot of slavery talk). But it is also magical, the characters are vivid and the writing is crisp and the storytelling well done. It just didn't land well with me in my state of mind, I still recommend it.
On another note isn't the table runner I got beautiful?

I previously read a fascinating book about the 2014 Ebola outbreak from a physician, but this one goes deeper. Farmer starts with that event then goes deeper into the past to show how Sierra Leone and Liberia came to be health care deserts via colonialism. You then comes forward again to show how radically different things could be with just basic supportive care. Terrific and sobering.

Listening to this 22 hr audiobook is an investment but one that pays dividends. Farmer, a doctor on the frontlines of the 2014 Ebola crisis, writes about the history of Sierra Leone and Liberia from the slave trade and founding of these countries to the current politics and extractive trading. He explains why these countries are healthcare deserts from a historical perspective and gives ideas how we can better prepare for the next health crisis.

So you may have noticed I haven‘t written an audiobook review in awhile. I‘m still listening to them, but I‘m not enjoying it as much. With all the aides coming and going, I rarely get uninterrupted listening time anymore. However, I decided to leap into a super-long (22 hour) one about the 2013-15 Ebola outbreak and an sociological history of those countries, and I‘m really enjoying it! It‘s a bit slow going, but maybe I‘ll love audio again!

This one starts by exploring Hannah‘s life on her farm in upstate NY, in a sort of female enclave, then moves back to her years in Liberia as a younger person as the country moves steadily toward war. She‘s a complex character, which I really liked, and it was interesting watching a white American navigate an African country with all the privilege she retains. (My copy half-eaten by my dearly departed Gunther, but still readable!)

I love Parks & Rec, and Retta has some of the best lines. I liked the audiobook. She is a funny, intelligent person. Not sure it would have been as enjoyable in print. Definitely a pick if you're a fan or just enjoy an entertaining memoir. Her essay with the list of examples of her laziness was very relatable...as I sit ignoring my messy house to watch baseball and screw around on my laptop. I accept my failings. 💻 ⚾ 😅

📷 from Tvinsider.com

#12BooksOf2022

My May favorite was my favorite #ReadingAfrica2022 read as well. I loved that challenge and highly recommend the book!

At the time Gbowee wrote this autobiography, she apparently didn‘t know she was being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and won it in 2011. I didn‘t know it until I finished the book and googled her to see what she has done since. Talk about a woman who pulled herself up by the bootstraps—she is it. She grew up in a fairly stable #Liberia until she turned 17, when the first of its civil wars began. She married young to a fierce abuser ⬇️