Rate this book

The Bite Of The Mango (2008)

by Mariatu Kamara(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1554511585 (ISBN13: 9781554511587)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Annick Press

review 1: I wanted to like this book more than I did and I feel a little bit bad about this review in advance. There are a few reasons why I didn't really connect with it as much as I'd hoped to and they are mostly based on what my initial expectations of the book were. Perhaps the fault lies more with me than with the writer, nevertheless, it's my personal review.1. The history buff in me had hoped for a bit more background and insight to the civil war in Sierra Leone at that time. As it were, the book was very vague and simplistic when addressing the issues. Though, it is fair to say that perhaps this is in direct reference to the common, rural people of Sierra Leone not fully understanding the conflict themselves. However, for the sake of the book and it's readers, it would have ... morebeen helpful to have.2. The whole England portion of the book kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It's very hard to dislike (even that is too strong of a word, for me) somebody who has clearly suffered so much, but it is that suffering that had sort of led me to believe that Mariatu would have been a little bit more grateful for the opportunity she was given to leave the war-torn country she grew up in. The England portion of this book felt like complaint after complaint to me.3. Based on the description, I'd expected more of the book to be about how she had adjusted to a life without her hands. To be frank, it's kind of her shtick (for lack of better word) and probably a pretty large reason why the book was published in the first place. That said, I do sympathize with all the struggles and hardships faced and did enjoy, for the most part, reading about the strength it took to overcome it and find a way to live a better life. It was a very quick read and I do feel like I can connect a little bit more with a people that I knew little about previously.
review 2: Loved it. Powerful story. Gives a clear picture of what life is like for people living in 3rd world or developing countries torn by war and unrest. While Mariatu's story is horrific, the power in her story is in the way she view life despite the abuse that happened to her. She continues this outlook as she begins to heal and look to helping her people back in Sierra Leone. Loved the author's voice and the voice of the reader. less

Download links for: The Bite of the Mango

Advertising