An inspiring and subtly told story about all the contradicting emotions an Ethiopian political exile experiences while living in america. His search for "home" is an emotionally confusing journey, and his clumsy attempt at appropriating his new "home" is very poignantly told. A realistic depiction of isolation and cultural disparity, told without manipulating your emotions. If you are yearning for a dramatic and emotionally told story about political immigration like "Little Bee" you may be disappointed, but if you crave a lovely and subtly told story, and one that may very well enrich your perceptions about what it may be like to be a political exile living in america (or anywhere really), then "The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears" is for you.

This is the first book I have read by Irvin Yalom but after reading "The Schopenhauer Cure" I immediately ordered his novels about Spinoza and the one about Nietzsche. If you like philosophy or are curious about knowing about these renowned philosophers, Yalom is a great source. The Schopenhauer Cure, much like Sophie's World, is informative but one never forgets it is a novel. One gets attached to the characters and hope that they will be fulfilled, healed, and happy. The story is revealed through chapters that alternate between a modern Day therapy group and the life of Schopenhauer. It is essentially a story that opposes two different points of views about life, should we give importance to the attachments we have (emotional or material) or should we aim for a complete detachment from those things much like the buddhists or isolated intellectuals such as schopenhauer and the character Philip?

I like so many things about this book… the story is told form the perspective of a little girl.. a perfect voice to put into words all of the incongruous things she witnesses, and there are so many. Taking place in the still segregated southern US, Scout and her brother and raised by a single dad… a just man, intelligent and discreet.. and a lawyer. All of the characters are confronted with so many contradictions and often prejudices.. seen from the perspective of a child, it all takes on a different angle. A truly beautiful coming of age story. This is the kind of book you wish you had bought in hard cover to keep for generations in your library and to read and reread.