Striving towards Eat, Pray, Love
After the unexpected death of his father, Ken Budd sets off on a quest to make sure that his life matters. This sincere but superficial book is the recounting of that quest. While parts of the book were delightful and funny, other parts I struggled to get through as they contained way too much detail and not enough narrative drive.
Rated of 5
by Sharalynne P. (Munster, IN)
Not Interesting To Me
I don't usually do this but I'm giving up on this book after reading it about one half way through. It's not at all interesting to me and I can't figure out why, if he truly wants to help people, he doesn't do it here in the United States. Why does he have to go to China to help autistic children when he doesn't speak the language and he can help autistic children here? I know his purpose is to contribute to the world but I guess I'm just not getting it. Does he really want to help people or travel? Sorry, I guess this book just wasn't for me.
Rated of 5
by Mary D. (Claremont, CA)
The Voluntourist
I'm having a bit of trouble finding words to review this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the vignettes, the tales of the people and places Ken Budd told. However, there was always an underlying bit of self-centeredness, brought on by the death of his father and his realization that he and his wife would never have children of their own, by choice. It seems to me that this important part of a couples' life should have been clearly settled and understood before marriage and the passage of many years. It was a constant subject, one that he couldn't seem to come to terms with; he chose to deal with it by leaving to go off volunteering around the world, leaving friends, family and wife at important times in their lives. Unfortunately, this colored my opinion of the book and the small goals he achieved by helping. Also, even though he mentioned that the topic of these short-term volunteers (two weeks seems to be average) and the possible negative effect it may have had on the people was discussed in depth, it was never resolved to my satisfaction. All that being said, this is a good introductory book for those who are interested in voluntouring; his descriptions of the housing, transportation, amenities, and the people were all well detailed and documented. Mr. Budd hinted that he and his wife had some lengthy discussions on the subject of her decision to not become a mother, but that was never brought up in the book, and I wonder if he is still feeling "sorry for himself."
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of 5
by Eileen P. (Pittsford, NY)
