I find Haven Kimmel to be a a gifted storyteller. We all have stories from our childhood that we can identify with some of Haven's. She shares the internal dialogue that children have but may be unable to articulate. Haven Kimmel has the storytelling talent of two of my favorite contributors to NPR. Bailey White and Garrison Keillor take everyday events and turn them into delightful memories. I put Kimmel into the same group and that is a gift to the reader. These writers tell the stories that one feels compelled to repeat and prime discussions but in relevance and disagreement. You don't have to like them to appreciate their talent.

Not often do you get the chance to witness something so foreign to your world from the inside of another's. The author gives the reader the insight into how so much of what happens in the Middle East is completely outside the control of the people who are directly effected by decisions made. In the United States small towns are incorporated by nearby cities with litle more effect than to increase the tax base. And we think we have no say. Imagine if your entire way of life is turned inside out putting your life in danger and you will begin to get the idea the author is presenting. This book not only educates but makes you question how you would ever be able to comprehend the magnitude of suffering that goes on in other cultures.