Site reviews
'Padre' - an excellent book that changed the way I think!
This is an excellent book and deserves to find a much wider audience. We probably all have stereotypes of what Africa is like – this book explodes them with the truth. Raven Moore was a Peace Corps volunteer and this is her memoir of her time there. What made it so engaging to read for me was the excellent written style – places and people are brought alive through Moore’s descriptions, and her use of dialogue is superb. There are sad, heart-wrenching moments, but the whole book is also full of a life-enhancing sense of humour and warmth and compassion, because the author’s own voice is clear and string, although never obtrusive. There were many moments when the writing made me laugh out loud. I set aside a day to read it and I quite literally could not put it down. Recommended without reservation.
'Padre' - an excellent book that changed the way I think!
This is an excellent book and deserves to find a much wider audience. We probably all have stereotypes of what Africa is like – this book explodes them with the truth. Raven Moore was a Peace Corps volunteer and this is her memoir of her time there. What made it so engaging to read for me was the excellent written style – places and people are brought alive through Moore’s descriptions, and her use of dialogue is superb. There are sad, heart-wrenching moments, but the whole book is also full of a life-enhancing sense of humour and warmth and compassion, because the author’s own voice is clear and string, although never obtrusive. There were many moments when the writing made me laugh out loud. I set aside a day to read it and I quite literally could not put it down. Recommended without reservation.
Thrilling journey!
Padre is a fun and engaging read that will bring you right along with the author on two simultaneous journeys: one to and through Cote d’ ivoire as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and also through Moore’s journey of self-discovery as she grapples with what it means to be a Black American female on African soil. In her own words, “the moon I’m used to has become another moon.” Moore’s lush and vivid descriptions of her surroundings and experience will make you feel as if you’re traveling along right beside her on the hottest of days, taking in the natural beauty of her surroundings, indulging in local cuisine, and even grappling with an awful bout of malaria. Her voice is genuine and her reflections honest. Both equally funny and gut-wrenching, her reflections are honest and a thread of genuineness courses throughout the book--making it relatable no matter who you are. Through Moore’s account you truly see that “life is everywhere and weaves itself through everything”. Padre is reminder of that. Life is the essence of our experiences, keen observations and subsequent reflections and how they propel us forward.
Thrilling journey!
Padre is a fun and engaging read that will bring you right along with the author on two simultaneous journeys: one to and through Cote d’ ivoire as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and also through Moore’s journey of self-discovery as she grapples with what it means to be a Black American female on African soil. In her own words, “the moon I’m used to has become another moon.” Moore’s lush and vivid descriptions of her surroundings and experience will make you feel as if you’re traveling along right beside her on the hottest of days, taking in the natural beauty of her surroundings, indulging in local cuisine, and even grappling with an awful bout of malaria. Her voice is genuine and her reflections honest. Both equally funny and gut-wrenching, her reflections are honest and a thread of genuineness courses throughout the book--making it relatable no matter who you are. Through Moore’s account you truly see that “life is everywhere and weaves itself through everything”. Padre is reminder of that. Life is the essence of our experiences, keen observations and subsequent reflections and how they propel us forward.
Who cannot be changed after accompanying Raven on this fascinating journey!
PADRE! is a delightful and oftentimes harrowing journey as see through the perspective of a young woman who discovers her strengths while facing the challenges of living among a foreign culture, during her experiences in the peace corps. Many bittersweet moments engaged my attention throughout the reading of this book. A page-turner.
Who cannot be changed after accompanying Raven on this fascinating journey!
PADRE! is a delightful and oftentimes harrowing journey as see through the perspective of a young woman who discovers her strengths while facing the challenges of living among a foreign culture, during her experiences in the peace corps. Many bittersweet moments engaged my attention throughout the reading of this book. A page-turner.
WOW!
It was really good book! I finshed it a few days ago. It brought back soooooo many memories. Your village, the people in it, and your expierences were very different from mine. It was cool to read about your time there and relive some of my time there.
WOW!
It was really good book! I finshed it a few days ago. It brought back soooooo many memories. Your village, the people in it, and your expierences were very different from mine. It was cool to read about your time there and relive some of my time there.
La Grande......Felicitations......
WOW...IS ALL i CAN SAY. THIS BOOK HAD ME TURNING THE PAGES QUICKLY IS ALL I CAN SAY I COULDNT PUT IT DOWN. AS A RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER IT STRUCK ME RIGHT IN THE HEART. RAVEN DECRIBES AND ARTICULATES WHAT IT IS TO BE A PERSON IN ANOTHER CULTURE. HER STORIES ARE REAL AND TRUE TO THE HEART. IT TAKES ALOT TO BE A PC VOLUNTEER AND SHE BRIGHTLY OUTLINES THIS IN HER BOOK. THE STORY IS DEEP AND HAS MANY TWISTS AND TURNS, BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY, YET SHE KEEPS TO THE END. THE STORY IS DEEP AND PERSONAL, YET SHE LETS YOU INTO HER WORLD AT THE MOMENT OF TIME. KUDOS FOR A BOOK WELL WRITTEN AND WELL RESEARCHED.
La Grande......Felicitations......
WOW...IS ALL i CAN SAY. THIS BOOK HAD ME TURNING THE PAGES QUICKLY IS ALL I CAN SAY I COULDNT PUT IT DOWN. AS A RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER IT STRUCK ME RIGHT IN THE HEART. RAVEN DECRIBES AND ARTICULATES WHAT IT IS TO BE A PERSON IN ANOTHER CULTURE. HER STORIES ARE REAL AND TRUE TO THE HEART. IT TAKES ALOT TO BE A PC VOLUNTEER AND SHE BRIGHTLY OUTLINES THIS IN HER BOOK. THE STORY IS DEEP AND HAS MANY TWISTS AND TURNS, BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY, YET SHE KEEPS TO THE END. THE STORY IS DEEP AND PERSONAL, YET SHE LETS YOU INTO HER WORLD AT THE MOMENT OF TIME. KUDOS FOR A BOOK WELL WRITTEN AND WELL RESEARCHED.
