The Kindness of Strangers

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Some of those stories were better written than others (not all contributors are writers after all) and some were more interesting than others. I found some of the stories/activities of some people noteworthy and I wanted to read on on their experiences and to find more about them , while I didn't like some stories so much. And most annoyingly - to put a “Dalai Lama vaguely talks about kindness” stamp on this whole parade? That raised an expectation that was never actually met - for reasons I mentioned above. A sweeping psychological history of human goodness -- from the foundations of evolution to the modern political and social challenges humanity is now facing. Travel opens our minds to the world; it helps us to embrace risk and uncertainty, overcome challenges and understand the people we meet and the places we visit. But what happens when we arrive home? How do our experiences shape us?

This isn't an autobiography but more a memoir. Adie shows us round her career, but we walk behind her, not beside her. Adie the journalist is revealed in wonderful detail. Kate the woman is as much a stranger when you've finished the book as when you started. This book both made me want to travel, or more specifically to adventure, to more historically "out of bounds" or perhaps less trodden places but also offered some valuable life lessons. For example, sometimes taking is the best gift you can give (think restoring the dignity of refugees in, for example, the jungle).

I really love short stories, and I have read short story anthologies in the past, but I struggled a little with this one because the stories were so short. Any time I start a story, it takes a while to wrap my mind around the setting, the characters and the voice. With this book, by the time I settled into the story, it ended, and I was sometimes loath to start the next one because of the work it would take to mentally get into the new setting, character and voice. As stated, there are tons of books that deal with abuse, but I've had a difficult time finding ones that deal with the emotions & confusion & the "where the hell do I go from here?". A lot of these books showcase therapy sessions, trials, etc. Been there, done that. Kittle doesn't make this a priority which I so appreciate. The ending is satisfying & something I can smile at. This is really just a wonderful book all the way around, regardless of the subject matter. It's a difficult topic to swallow, but it's even harder for someone like Jordan trying to scrape their way out. Received this for a secret santa present after making a passing reference in a bookshop to it looking interesting with my secret santa within earshot! It makes for a really enjoyable and heartwarming read from some of the UK's top adventurers who have each been met with kindness in times of adversity.

Sarah Laden is a widow and lives with her two sons, Danny and Nate. She has her own catering business which is doing extremely well. She is very close with best friend, Courtney who helped her survive in the painful days after the death of Sarah's husband. Courtney's son Jordan is best friends with Sarah's son Danny. However, the day comes when Sarah realizes she never truly knew her best friend at all.Each character had such a strong role and life for that matter. I was impressed with who they were and who they became. I actually had these crazy sensations under my skin when I read parts of the book. It's always so hard to hear or read a child struggling. It just doesn't seem fair.

It's an extended 'From our Own Correspondent', really, the Correspondent being Kate Adie, and she's reporting on the Japes that she experienced in her rather exciting and privileged life. Don't bother reading this if you want to find out about Ms Adie's personal life. I did find it interesting for fleshing-out the news stories that were on the telly as I was growing up, in particular Northern Ireland and the Falklands War.

Books

This is a book written by solo wanderlusters for solo wanderlusters, an assemblage of journals that showcase why kindness is a universal language that transcends countries, cultures, language and race; it is an ode to travelers who have had firsthand witness to unrequited kindness that challenges xenophobic sentiments and unfair stereotypes towards selected nations. At the same time, this book is also dedicated to people who doubt the excitement and adventure that solo traveling brings, making them intrigued to go out there and start exploring the world for themselves. It's a book that shows how there is still so much about the human heart that people don't fathom, and learning how to be humble in accepting just how little we know about people in foreign lands, and thereby restoring some faith in humanity. I honestly don't know how to rate this book because I loved it so much yet disturbed all at the same time. I found myself not being able to put the book down but probably because I wanted to know what was going to happen to each of them. Of course it broke my heart as we know this really does exist every day. I think it was a GREAT approach for the author to show- yes, good things can come out of horrible situations. Jordan is the quiet, skinny, pale boy who is best friends with the youngest of Sarah's two sons. Sarah is recently widowed and runs a catering business out of her home. She has catered "parties" for Jordan's parents on numerous occasions. She is close friends with Jordan's mother. When police investigate Jordan's reason for attempting to take his own life, the small town where they all live is thrown into a confusing denial. None more so than Sarah. This book is a perfect example of why I love my GR buddies- without them I never would have had this on my radar; I never would have known this existed, because let's be honest: that cover is easy to overlook. Don't let the cute cover fool you- this is emotionally draining. But it's worth it. This book was torturous in moments, yet ultimately heartwarming. There is no question that this world is full of evil. We see it in the shootings that seem to be happening on an alarmingly regular basis. We see it in the face of pedophiles. We see it in the face of mothers who kill their children. However, there is also tremendous good. I've never been so taken with a character, than I had with Sarah. Her nurturing and kind spirit toward Jordan ignited my soul.