On Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn, being home and snoring.

Towards the end of my husbands hospital stay (when we were both a bit more confident that everything would turn out ok) I decided to sink my teeth into a book with a bit more depth than Celeste by Virginia Andrews (not that that was going to be a hard task).  My book club chose to read Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn over the Christmas break but I honestly didn't think I'd get around to reading it. As hubby got better I didn't feel the need to beg the nurses to let me stay longer than their strict visiting hours, and I ended up with a bit of 'me' time where I could finally start on our book club pick.

Nicholas and Sheryl are a husband and wife team who have won a Pulitzer Prize in journalism, and through their work as journalists and foreign correspondents for the New York Times they witnessed the horrific way that women in under-developed countries are treated. Half the Sky is an account from various women about the way they have been sexually, physically and mentally abused and how they overcame this atrocious treatment. Many of them (through micro-loans and generous donations) became successful business women who campaigned for womens rights to education and medical care. Nicholas and Sheryl are firm believers that educating women would eradicate a lot of these problems and now, I am too.

This book was overwhelming. It probably didn't help that I read it in hospital, but still. I felt like a burden had been placed on my shoulders and I needed to do something about it. I still don't know what, but it's something I can't ignore. The stories of these women broke my heart but it is a book I think everyone should read. You know, we don't have it as bad as we think. These women had every reason to give up and stop fighting, but they didn't. It was amazing and inspiring and I'm enjoying spending the time thinking about what I can do to help.

On another note, we're home. After three weeks living in a hospital, we're finally back and sleeping in our own beds. It's been the worst four or five weeks (I've lost count) of our lives so far and we are really embracing the small comforts of home. Who knew that being able to wash dishes in my own sink versus the sink in my apartment at the hospital would bring me so much joy? Things at home have changed, but now we appreciate the little things like being able to go for a walk around the block.

The other night I was laying in bed waiting for hubby to fall asleep (I've found that since coming home I can't sleep unless he is) and after tossing and turning to try and get comfortable, he finally fell asleep. Then something weird happened. He started to snore and that sound made me feel immeasurably happy. He has snored for as long as I've known him. I can't say that it bothered me that much, I would just have to poke him sometimes so he would change position and quieten down. But on this particular night when he started snoring I didn't feel annoyance or frustration. I just smiled and knew that for the next few hours he won't be in any pain and everything is ok. I think I may be the only woman I know who (now) loves the sound of her husband snoring.

Now that we're home and settling into a routine, I have the time to get back to reading like I used to. So, the posts should be way more regular... I hope.

Sam I Am