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There are currently 41 member reviews
for The Same Sky
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Barbara H. (Richmond, IN)
The Same Sky
The Same Sky has two voices experiencing two very different problems. . Both voices, Carla a young teen from Honduras, and Alice, a married woman in Texas, are portrayed in such detail that the reader emotionally connects with each one. The book reflects so much that is of our time that it is nearly a learning experience, but, on the other hand, it is written so the reader understands both of them, is sad for both, and wishes at the end to know what happens to both. This book is a very fast read for two reasons: one, it is so interesting; two, the writing and arrangement has such clarity.
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Amy M. (Southlake, TX)
The Same Sky
Thanks to Book Browse for the advanced copy of the same sky, by Amanda Eyre Ward. This book appealed to me on many levels. As a resident of Texas, I enjoyed the familiar descriptions of the cities and the people who make Texas a great place to live. As a breast cancer survivor, I related to Alice and the courage of the many women who fight this battle to survive and raise their families. As Immigration is a major topic in Texas, I appreciated Carla's struggle to come to America and shed many tears with her. Her courage and determination to succeed was very inspiring. As. Retired high school teacher, I felt a great closeness with Principal Marion as she fought to keep her school alive, test scores passing, and maintain a normal life outside of school. Her student, Evian, reminded me of so many students who search for who they want to become while struggling with many issues at home. This book was wonderful, reminding me of House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez. I will share this book and foresee it being a book club selection in our school. Thanks again.
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Sharon R. (Deerfield, IL)
The American Dream from two perspectives
I love this book! The research regarding the issues of adoption, immigration and barbeque, yes, even barbeque are done meticulously and heartwrenchingly so, that this story will stay with you a long time.
Alice's story begins with another adoption falling through at the last minute. Jake, her husband, and Alice's hopes for a family are wrenched apart again and they bury their feelings in their work. Alice particularly struggles with the "unfairness of it all". All she wants is a baby to make her life whole.
Carla's story is about survival. As human beings we want to believe we would fight with every ounce of our being to stay alive in the face of seemingly un-surmountable adversity. Carla is a child fighting to immigrate from Honduras to America to find her mother. Her flight with her younger brother in tow should be made required reading for all members of the United States Congress who are currently debating the immigration laws.
As these two different stories are told in alternating chapters, Ms. Ward brings their lives together in a surprising conclusion. I would highly recommend The Same Sky to everyone who loves a good story about families struggling to live the "American Dream".
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Liz M. (Red Bank, NJ)
The Same Sky
A very timely book. Ward has a wonderful style and has chosen a format that only enhances this very special story. There are so many passages worthy of writing down. "In order to live passionately you had to come to terms with the fact that death was inevitable." "Let's be in love for awhile before we worry about anything."" Maybe they haven't been forced to see the worst of human nature, to know the true value of joy." To cite a few. This delicious book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you grateful. Most importantly it will make you view your fellow members of the world in a new way and hopefully soften your heart. I simply love this book.
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Carol R. (Foster City, CA)
Captured My Heart
"The Same Sky" captured my heart. I couldn't put the book down, even though I wanted it to last longer. Both characters' stories are deeply affecting. Carla's story is riveting!
While I knew about the struggles of people attempting to cross the border into the US, I never comprehended the horrors to which people are subjected. That they are willing to subject themselves to such atrocities speaks to the terrible conditions in their home countries and to the hope of a better life in the US.
Read this book! It will educate you about immigrant struggles. And the characters will stay in your heart for a long time.
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Cheri S. (NEWBURGH, IN)
The Same Sky
Konrad Adenauer, the first post-war Chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963, is credited with saying, "We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon." In Amanda Eyre Ward's latest novel, Same Sky, the same thing can be said for the two leading characters, Alice and Carla.
Alice, a 40-something native New Yorker/Austin, Texas transplant, has faced many difficult horizons since becoming an adult: the loss of her mother, surviving breast cancer and living with the complicated and very often devastating circumstances of infertility. However dark her days have been, Alice possesses a form of eternal optimism that propels her forward in her happily married life with Jake, a professional Texas BBQ smoke-master. One cannot help but be on her side, hoping and praying that someday, her dreams will be fulfilled.
Far away in a very dark and dangerous part of Central America, 12-year-old Carla lives her life under a sky that is constantly raining a hopeless terror, an unending hunger and a hostile future. Left with her aged grandmother and younger siblings by her Mother who escaped to America to make a better life, Carla's childhood is non-existent – she is forced to live an adult's life. Determined to be with her mother, she embarks on a venture of escape that is rife with all of the vulgarities of this world and the next, making her an even older version of a 12-year-old, more burdened than one can imagine.
The intersection of the lives of these two comes together not only under the same sky, but also with the view of a mutual horizon of hope that is beyond their wildest dreams – both being freed and able to focus on the life they have struggled to achieve.
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Gloria Ganderbilt
Timely and enlightening
Oh my goodness, where do I start. This book was so good on so many levels. . Two different lives, both nicely fleshed out and interesting, each in her own way. Alternating chapters was a little disconcerting at first, but soon became part of the puzzle. How were they finally to be connected?
That thought stayed in the back of my mind throughout the book. I thought the author must have done much research to have been able to describe so well the perils faced by children attempting to get into the United States from the south. I knew it must be difficult, but this book helped me understand how very treacherous it is, and how very hard life must be that these people will risk the dangers to get thru the borders to a new and hopefully better life. The other story in the book, Jake and Alice's struggle with infertility and their desire for a baby was also well done. This reader could almost feel the pain they experienced and the way each struggled with disappointment.
The last pages of my book were awash with tears as I finished. Such a wonderful ending to two very different stories! The writer tied it all up quite nicely, with a few sentences and left me feeling happy and content with the simplicity of it. A beautiful story - well done.
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