Sunday afternoon we were out and about and Murray suggested dropping by McNally Robinson. Near the entrance, a vaguely familiar looking man* was pitching a book and politely asked us if he could tell us about it. I glanced at the cover and title "South Asian Adventures with the Active Poor" and knew it was the kind of thing we like to read, admire etc. So we chatted. It was about his family working - with women and children in Bangladesh to set up schools for the poorest neighbourhoods. Star Phoenx Story
Profits from the book support the charity (wow just like Happy Leopard Chapbooks) We bought copies.
It's a great read - you can go buy your own copy here If you liked Three Cups of Tea, you will like this one too.
*Gem Munro was a columnist in Saskatoon at one time - wrote some great stuff about Riversdale - that's why he looked familiar.
Reading a book set in Bangladesh made me very conscious of how luxurious my lifestyle is and how different from the people in the book. Like how many shelves of books are there in my house ? I just take being able to read them for granted. ... and then there are those little expensive devices - which leads to the news item:
Tech addiction symptoms rife among students
This story on CBC caught my attention this morning - I know there is a connection between consumerism, and sweat shops, the poverty of Bangladesh and the affluenza of Saskatoon. I just wonder who the real victims are?
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