The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne

The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne (2006)
Read: October 2012

I picked this book up at the CSA when their library was having a book sale.  I was trying to be selective and so only bought two books from the sale at 5LE each.  I picked this one out because, although it wasn't along our favoured theme of Egypt/Middle East/Travel, I had read a book by the same author over the summer.

The story follows Will, a reporter for the NY Times, who's wife gets kidnapped and the finds himself then trying to figure out a series of clues to find her - and, it turns out, stop the end of the world!  It was a pretty good concept to be honest, and the grounding in Jewish tradition and folklaw seemed well based.  I did also like the clues that he had to solve via text and computer and the chase of finding these around New York.  My only problem with the book was that it felt like there was a significant section in the middle where Will was concentrating so much on solving the clues that he forgot that he was actually meant to be looking for his wife.

A 1/4 Gram by Essam Youssef

A 1/4 Gram by Essam Youssef (2008, English translation 2009)
Read: September – October 2012

We were lent this book by a friend after they raved about it and as it isn’t published by the AUC Press it’s doubtful that it would have otherwise come up on our radar. I’m glad it did though because it is a very real story and one that feels well set and well told.

The book follows Salah from his days with his mates in school until he is an adult, but this journey is not one of growing up, but one of growing addiction. As a reader you can see it coming; that the group of friends first try one drug and then another, until not only their friendships but their lives revolve around drugs.  The book itself is very lengthy, but this is necessary in order to tell the full tale, I feel.  It shows that the pathway to addiction is not linear and that the road to recovery is much the same.  There are many times in the story when you hope that Salah will make a different decision but when he doesn’t you know that it is just the addiction ruling his life rather than he. I did find Salah a believable protagonist and his complicated story is required, as it would not have ‘worked’ if he had simply been on drugs and then come off them.

As a reader I found it frustrating when Salah was trying to check out of the rehabilitation hospital.  This was a clear turning point in the book – and in his life.  I really wanted him to succeed, but I also felt his attitude towards rehab showed a real arrogance.  I would like to have seen him credit for doctors more for his progress and role in recovery.  Salah does succeed (in checking out, and in staying clean) and the credit for the work of the doctors is then there.  As Salah journeys along the road to recovery he finds a sponsor to guide him.  I really liked that the sponsor is younger than Salah as this emphasised the importance in the Programme of experience over anything else. The author clearly understands addiction and the Programme and is passionate that others should be exposed to the realities of both through the story.

I am not really a fan of the preface/post-script for the book trying to emphasise that this is a true story and manuscript approval etc.  I don’t feel this is required for the book to have power and impact. 

You don't often find a novel with appendices, but I did think it was important to have the NA steps in, as and this does give book power and grounding. It was interesting to see the history of NA in Egypt and I hope that this book inspires others and enables NA to expand here.  I thought that it was a missed opportunity that there were no links to encourage readers to find out more about NA in Egypt e.g to help themselves/others.

Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam

Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learnt in School by Andrew Hallam (2011) 
Read (Kindle): September 2012

When Scotty first mentioned this book I thought it was just about a teacher who was a millionaire, and didn't realise that it was also actually about 'teaching' people to be able to do the same.  Scotty was so keen to read it that he downloaded it onto the Kindle within a few hours of discovering it and he read it in less than a week.  I then started it a few days later on Scotty's recommendation, and also finished it within a few days.

We both found the book to be really informative and really relevant for our situation.  Hallam is an international teacher like us, and we have been trying to work out what to do with our savings recently so finding this book and ideas linked in perfectly.  The ideas in the book helped us be more confident about taking control of our own savings, rather than having others manage them for us.  It also helped us understand the stock markets and shares a bit more and how different savings styles work.  We weren't looking to have a huge understanding of the stock markets, so this book was just right, as it does not go in to detail about 'buy and sell' etc, but just enough to get the understanding you need to play the 'long game' of savings and investments.

I'd definitely recommend this book for other people who are interested in taking control of their savings (however small or large) and who want to invest for a significant period of time.