Sihpromatum - I Grew My Boobs in China by Savannah Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book Info: Genre: Memoir
Reading Level: Young Adult
Recommended for: Anyone who is interested in stories about travel experiences
Animal things: girl has to give up all her pets (birds, hamsters, lizards, dogs...); graphic depiction of animal slaughter
My Thoughts: I'm not normally a person who reads memoirs, so this is a bit of a departure for me. However, the author has written this in a style like a novel, just telling a story, and it's very readable.
The scene where Savannah had to give up Harrison made me just sob. I choked up again when they bade farewell to Baagii and Future as they left Mongolia. And now I'm extremely curious to hear what happened in Russia...
I found this to be a very interesting book. I've always had wanderlust and have always wanted to travel, so hearing about these places to me was fascinating, and the author does a great job of giving the broad outlines of the landscape, and a stronger, underlying sense of the emotions it evokes. The idea of doing all this with a backpack and walking most of the time, though, is just a bit too hardcore for me. Probably because of how much pain I suffer when I try to walk pretty much anywhere! I was really impressed by the Mongolian people as described in this book, and their philosophy of taking care of anyone who needs it; their reasoning is if they help those in need, when they themselves are in need, then they can expect the same thing. It's very civilized, and this world needs more civilized behavior.
I really, really enjoyed this book, way more than I thought I would. It's not perfect, I noticed a few minor copy editing issues, but the story is fascinating and it's obviously written with a lot of heart. I think anyone who likes true-life coming-of-age or travel memoirs, or just is interested in traveling in general, will find something to enjoy about this book. Don't hesitate to check it out, it's very enjoyable!
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: SIHPROMATUM (Sip-row-may-tum) is a memoir series of one family’s four-year backpacking adventure around the world. The first installment, I Grew my Boobs in China, is the beginning of an intensely fascinating, sobering, and emotional memoir of Savannah’s introspective and innovative family adventure.
In 2005, 14-year-old Savannah Grace’s world is shattered when her mother unexpectedly announces that she and her family (mother, 45; brother, 25; sister, 17) would soon embark on an incredible, open-ended journey. When everything from her pets to the house she lived in is either sold, given away or put in storage, this naïve teenage girl runs headlong into the reality and hardships of a life on the road.
Built around a startling backdrop of over eighty countries (I Grew my Boobs in China relates the family’s adventures in China and Mongolia), this is a tale of feminine maturation—of Savannah’s metamorphosis from ingénue to woman-of-the-world. Nibbling roasted duck tongues in China and being stranded in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert are just two experiences that contribute to Savannah’s exploration of new cultures and to the process of adapting to the world around her.
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Hi Katy:
ReplyDeleteGreat post on Dragon.con and so glad you had a great time. Except, of course, for the rude people. They're everywhere.
I must say though that my experience in grocery stores and the such, the people in wheelchairs are really very pushy, beeping all the time, actually pushing everyone out of their way. Unfortunately, they are the rude ones.
As we know though, the world is filled with all kinds of people and surely hope there were more kindly people than not.
Quite an experience, I'm sure.
Love your blog, you know, and your reviews.
You know, honestly, based on how I was treated at Dragon*Con, I do not at all blame those people for being rude. They probably have to deal with the sort of thing I did that weekend all the time and have probably long since given up on anyone treating them with dignity, kindness and respect and feel that the only way they will ever manage to push through things is to do just that: push. I know I was tempted more than once to tell Dmitry just to ram some jackass in the knees. I can't imagine the frustration of someone who can never stand up out of that chair to reach a box of cereal on the top shelf, who cannot easily corner around the end of the aisle but some jerkwad is standing right in the spot where you need to be able to go with their mouth hanging open apparently contemplating the difference between catsup and ketchup like Mr. Burns. When beeping to let folks know you need to come through doesn't work, what is left but to push them out of the way?
DeleteSee, when I said this gave me a different perspective, it really did... :-) If you spent a few days in a wheelchair among crowds of people, you might find that you would better understand those folks in the grocery store. But honestly? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, and I quite like you, so... Still, try to cut those folks some slack, 'cause I gotta tell ya: they're probably just fed up.
Thanks so much for commenting, and feel free to let me know if I'm out of line. I don't want you to think I'm attacking you, I think this is a great topic for conversation. Glad you enjoy the blog, even if it is mostly reviews (and giveaways this week). Comment away whenever you feel the muse.