Monday, March 24, 2008

Book Review: The Translator by Daoud Hari

I received an advance reader's copy of the book The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's Program, and in the spirit of the program posted the following review on my LibraryThing account:

I'm at a bit of a loss for words to talk about The Translator. I could say that it is moving, powerful, and deeply personal, all of which is true, but those words all feel a little cliched, and don't adequately describe what makes this book so special. Reading this book felt different than most other reading experiences that I've had; Daoud Hari's style made it feel like we were having a conversation, and that, it seems to me, is memoir in its purest form. The skill of the writing coupled with the importance of the subject matter make this book an essential read.