Last night when I couldn't sleep I finished reading an audio book by Geraldine Brooks, Australian born journalist and historical fiction author. It was the fourth book I was able to find in audio written by Ms. Brooks. I would recommend each of the four to readers. I didn't read them in chronological order, but I learned from each and Enjoyed the learning process.
I first read "The Year of Wonders", the story of a woman's battle to save as many people in her English village from the bubonic pleague as possible. I then read "Nine Parts of Desire" which described the lives of Muslim women in different countries and Ms. Brooks' conversion to Judiism. Then I read "People of the Book" the story of a North African Muslim girl and how she came to appear in the illustrated book of a Jewish religious ceremony. "Caleb's Crossing" the story of the first Native man to graduate from Harvard, is the book I finished last night.
In each of these books I have learned about the mind sets common to various groups of people, and Ms. Brooks' attention to accurate detail without becoming boring is a wonderful way to learn. Being historically accurate means not necessarily being pleasant, but what I have learned has given me a better understanding of the cultures and times Ms. Brooks has written about.
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