Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Camel Bookmobile

THE CAMEL BOOKMOBILE: Masha Hamilton: Harper Collins: Fiction: 308 pages

Fiona Sweeney leaves her job as a librarian in New York City to participate in the camel bookmobile project in Kenya, delivering books to isolated tribes. When one member of a tribe refuses to return his books, the project is threatened and Fiona stays with the tribe to try to retrieve the books, becoming intimately connected to the group.

This is a very good book for several reasons. First, Masha Hamilton, an international journalist, has a very nice writing style. Second, the camel bookmobile is a real and interesting project. And, third, it’s a book about a librarian. Librarians make wonderful protagonists. This would also be a good book club discussion book, addressing topics like tradition, cultural conflict, education, and family obligations.

MBC

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