Wow, this is so profoundly not a book from an American perspective, and it astonishes me how much that struck me while reading it -- the message of considering the consequences to those around you, of choosing how to compromise (or not) to keep your integrity without damaging others, of profound and meaningful apology, of putting others first and planning ways to protect those who cannot fight for themselves -- it shames me that these are things I don't recognize in most of the reading I do.

That's kind of a sidebar, but an important one. The book is good. The alternating viewpoints work really well for the most part. although the ones from Ginger Juice's perspective didn't resonate as well for me, I think kids will find them powerful. Loved the message of environmental activism. Loved learning about Indonesian culture. Appreciate that the author is drawing on her own experiences. Loved the gradations of experience, especially regarding religion, and the ways that people respect each other. It doesn't pull any punches when talking about military power and government power that impinges on people's rights, but also leaves a lot of space for the complexity of human emotion. Really loved Ari's story, and how he is inspired by chess to change the things that cause him pain. There are lots of great messages in the book.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )