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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jan 2015, 288 pages
Paperback:
Sep 2015, 304 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers
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A beautiful and heartrending novel about motherhood, resilience, and faith - a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families on both sides of the American border.
From the acclaimed author of How to Be Lost and Close Your Eyes comes a beautiful and heartrending novel about motherhood, resilience, and faith - a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families on both sides of the American border.
Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Hardworking and popular in their community, they have a loving marriage and thriving business, but Alice still feels that something is missing, lying just beyond reach.
Carla is a strong-willed young girl who's had to grow up fast, acting as caretaker to her six-year-old brother Junior. Years ago, her mother left the family behind in Honduras to make the arduous, illegal journey to Texas. But when Carla's grandmother dies and violence in the city escalates, Carla takes fate into her own hands - and with Junior, she joins the thousands of children making their way across Mexico to America, risking great peril for the chance at a better life.
In this elegant novel, the lives of Alice and Carla will intersect in a profound and surprising way. Poignant and arresting, The Same Sky is about finding courage through struggle, hope amid heartache, and summoning the strength - no matter what dangers await - to find the place where you belong.
1
Carla
My mother left when I was five years old. I have a photo of the two of us, standing in our yard. In the picture, my mother is nineteen and bone-thin. The glass shards on the top of our fence glitter in the afternoon sun and our smiles are the same: lopsided, without fear. Her teeth are white as American sugar. I lean into my mother. My arms reach around her waist. I am wearing a cotton dress, a dress I wore every day until it split along the back seam. When the dress fell apart, my grandmother, Ana, stitched it back together with a needle and thread. Finally, my stomach pushed against the fabric uncomfortably and the garment was just too short. By that time, my mother was in Texas, and for my sixth birthday she sent three new dresses from a store called Old Navy.
When I opened that box, it seemed worth it—growing up without being able to touch my mother, to press my face against her legs as she fried tortillas on the gas stove. One dress was blue-and-white striped; on ...
The Same Sky puts a human face on the recent stories of children crossing the border illegally - the desperation and brutality they experience. It reminds us that they are children who need our compassion and understanding...continued
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers).
Christina Baker Kline
Riveting, heart-rending, and beautifully written, The Same Sky pulled me in on the first page and held my attention all the way to its perfect conclusion. I devoured this book. Jodi Picoult
The timeliest book you will read this year... This one's going to haunt me for a long time, and it's going to define the brilliant Amanda Eyre Ward.We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon.
Amanda Eyre Ward's novel The Same Sky takes its title from this quote, which is attributed to Konrad Adenauer, who was the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949-1966. Who was this charismatic leader?
Konrad Adenauer was born in Cologne, Germany on January 6, 1876. His family was hard working and lived simply, and he grew up believing in frugality, and dedication to work and religion. After practicing law for a number of years, in 1906 he successfully applied for and became a member of the Cologne City Council. During the First World War, Adenauer showed his creativity and ingenuity by organizing the food supply of the city (he set up large ...
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