Island's End by Padma VenkatramanRelease Date: August 4, 2011
From the acclaimed author of Climbing the Stairs comes a fascinating story set on a remote island untouched by time. Uido is ecstatic about becoming her tribe's spiritual leader, but her new position brings her older brother's jealousy and her best friend's mistrust. And looming above these troubles are the recent visits of strangers from the mainland who have little regard for nature or the spirits, and tempt the tribe members with gifts, making them curious about modern life. When Uido's little brother falls deathly ill, she must cross the ocean and seek their help. Having now seen so many new things, will Uido have the strength to believe in herself and the old ways? And will her people trust her to lead them to safety when a catastrophic tsunami threatens? Uido must overcome everyone's doubts, including her own, if she is to keep her people safe and preserve the spirituality that has defined them.
Drawing on firsthand experience from her travels to the Andaman Islands, Padma Venkatraman was inspired to write this story after meeting natives who survived the 2004 tsunami and have been able to preserve their unique way of life. Uido's transformation from a young girl to tribal leader will touch both your heart and mind.
Breaking the Spine is the host I sorta remember the tsunami of 2004. I was in fourth grade and I remember being badly shaken by the images, unable to watch the news because I felt helpless. The tsunami opened my eyes however because the next year when Katrina hit, I gathered three of my good friends and we had a bake sale. I did something. I'm now ready to learn more about the tsunami (I already have quite a bit of knowledge from Sea by Heidi R. Kling) and the Andaman Islands which I can't even locate on a map.
By the way Reading in Color turned 2 years old on Monday July 4. Yes I did almost forget my book blog bday but I did announce it on Twitter xD
What are you waiting on this week? I've seen lots of 2012 releases popping up, is it too early to be waiting on those?
