I received a free copy for my honest review.
About the Book:
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: HCI (October 6, 2015)
Katrell Christie never intended to visit India. In fact, her ideal vacation was a tropical beach where she could relax with a margarita in her hand. But when this former art student turned roller-derby rebel met three teenage girls at a crowded Buddhist orphanage in Darjeeling, she knew she had to help. What started as a trip made on a whim would prove to be a life-altering experience that would change the fate of these lost girls.
In her new book, Tiger Heart: My Unexpected Adventures to Make a Difference in Darjeeling and What I Learned About Fate, Fortitude, and Finding Family Half a World Away (October 2015), Katrell tells her remarkable story – from her quirky Atlanta tea shop to her fight for her young scholars halfway around the globe. Two scholars in the program are set to graduate from college and move on to pursue advanced degrees.
Most of the girls Katrell met in India faced grim futures as laborers or domestic servants. Some might have been relegated to lives of sexual exploitation. For them, she founded The Learning Tea, which has offered scholarships to 15 young women in Darjeeling, providing them with tuition, housing, clothing and medical care.
Katrell has us sipping tea with her at roadside tea huts, tasting hot samosas, dodging feral monkeys, and roaming the chaotic streets of Mumbai. The smells of small villages waft from the pages as we accompany her on her riveting and sometimes hilarious adventures across the globe in her mission to empower the young women who have become a part of her family. Join us in experiencing then sharing the inspiring story of one woman and her mission to make a difference through the power of educating girls.
About the Authors:
Katrell Christie is the founder and owner of The Learning Tea, a project which provides schooling and a safe haven for impoverished young women in India. Through her efforts with The Learning Tea, Ms. Christie has changed the lives of many women living in Darjeeling, India. Visit TheLearningTea.com for more information.
Shannon McCaffrey is an award-winning reporter focusing on investigative stories for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.She is an avid reader, a mother, and a runner.
My Opinion:
This amazing book pulled me in from the very first paragraph. The writing style is so inviting, open and honest. It’s like you are in the middle of a conversation with the author. Nothing feels pretentious or forced. You feel what she feels; her excitement, her uncertainties, her fears, and her joys.
Katrell starts out as a young woman running a tea shop. One day a young woman comes in and a friendship develops and suddenly talks of a trip to India begins. Other than serving tea from Darjeeling Katrell never gave India a thought. But she is slowly convinced to go and little did she know that her whole world view would change as a result of that trip.
She learns while there of the treatment of women – especially those of the lower castes. Even worse is what happens to orphans. These young ladies are tossed at 17 with nowhere to go and no skills to help sustain them She felt compelled to help. Little by little and with many failures as well as successes she creates a way to teach these girls to value themselves and to not only support themselves but to also give back. It’s an amazing story. I think one that everyone should read.
Rating:
5
The Giveaway:
One lucky reader (US/Can) will win a copy of Tiger Heart. Just enter as many ways as you would like on the Gleam Widget below. Full rules are on the widget. Good luck everyone.
