The Worst Book I've EVER EVER Read.....

I don't know why I'm so adamant about spreading the word on how ridiculous this book is. Maybe its because in all my nearly 35 years of life (give or take 5 years depending on when I actually started to read and comprehend), I've never wanted to hurl a book straight into a raging fire. I've never wanted to call an author up directly and tell her how awful his/her book is, and tell them that I'm so disappointed in myself for having been robbed of any amount of money (in this instance, $14.00). I was so robbed. I mean, I've read bad books before. But in the past I've simply put them down, and not finished them. This time though, I endured reading until the end because I was obsessed with hating this book.

The book is called "Forever Lily", and the author (self-obsessed to the 10th power) is Beth Nonte Russell. I'm not even going to create a link to it because I'm so thoroughly disgusted. Ok, fine. Here it is. Maybe you can get it for cheap on Amazon. Nah, I wouldn't even spend that money. I'd say borrow it from the library, but still- you'd be wasting gas getting there.

This book, as indicated by its beautiful (and truly deceiving) cover, is about a woman's journey to China, with her friend- to adopt an infant girl. The intriguing premise however, is that it is her friend who went through the adoption process- the home study, the mounds of paperwork, and the coughing up of the suitcase full of cash- to adopt the baby girl. In the end, her friend can't do it. She freezes, backs out, and "bails"- so to speak. The rest of the book is about how this awesome and mighty author came to terms with her soul (through meditation, running, praying, dreaming of herself being a Chinese empress/concubine (???), and whining like a spoiled 16 year old girl to her husband), and adopts the little 13 month old (who, at 13 months, can give an expression of "the deepest sadness, a mixture of fear, grief, and incomprehension") in her friend's place.

Now, I don't pretend to think that I can write better than she. And I'm not saying that she can't write. In fact, she can. She's really descriptive, and lyrical- NOT however, not even close, to Elizabeth Gilbert- who wrote "Eat, Pray, Love". What I'm angry with is the self righteousness, and the blatant lack of knowledge and respect for the Chinese people and their VERY ancient culture, regardless of how "backwards" it can appear to be. It would be like me trying to write something about the Middle East, and fill the narrative with generalizations that are only found in my head.

Right off the bat, on page 12:

"Finally, our flight is called. Alex has to help me onto the plane, which is packed with Japanese and Chinese businessmen. Except for the flight attendants, we are the only women on this flight, and that makes me very uncomfortable (what were you, like- born under a rock?). The men don't acknowledge us at all; it is as if we're ghosts, we don't exist (what would you like them to do, oh mighty one?)."

And on page 46, when the adoption group learns that they will meet their adoptive children one day earlier than planned:

"All day long Anna has been telling us that the babies will not be delivered to the hotel until tomorrow morning, and the parents set their minds to a relaxing evening with nothing on the schedule. Anxious as they all are to meet their new children, a nice meal and some sleep are what they were looking forward to for this evening. To suddenly think of dealing with babies in less than fifteen minutes, just off a plane, hungry, exhausted, and not prepared, is overwhelming for us all (or just you? How do you know what the adoptive parents went through to get where they are? How many years did they have to wait for a baby? How many years before that might they have tried to conceive a baby of their own before turning to adoption?)".

I do believe that the reason she laces the book with her dreams/meditations/visions of herself being a Chinese empress is so that the rest of the book doesn't sound too blatantly one-sided. Like, she can write all about the yuckiness (ie, history she knows nothing about) because- well- she wouldn't want to be a Chinese Empress, then- would she? She also writes of the horrific conditions in the Chinese orphanages, and wonders who/why/how could anyone leave children in such terrible places (why does anyone give their child up for adoption? There's always a reason, however great or small- and it doesn't happen only in China, missy). She then meditates so deeply that she has a vision from The Blessed Virgin Mary- who tells her that it is her place to save this one little girl.

For the love of God. For the love of Buddha. For Christ's sake. Jesus. I mean, COME ON.

I'm all for a great tear jerker, and I understand where (if you've been living under a rock) you could be horrified at the sheer nastiness and dirtiness of a third world orphanage. So write about it- that's totally cool. But don't make yourself out to be the savior, saving poor orphan girls from a horrific country called China where men do not acknowledge the power of the woman, thereby producing more orphaned girls because of the "one child policy", (ie- families toss their baby girls in hopes for another chance at a boy). Jeez. Have you met MY mom??? My dad lives with HER in fear. How about Joy Luck Club? Yup- Chinese moms rule the roost.

Oh, and Oprah saved a whole institution of girls in Africa without once making herself out to be a savior. She never blamed Africa either- its just the way things are, and shit just happens.