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"  Mardi Jo Link, Bootstrapper A drunken divorcee tosses her wedding album into a bonfire\u2014when Link hit rock bottom, she changed her life. Bootstrapper tells of her choice to raise her children on her Michigan farm by conquering day-to-day tasks with humor and determination. Win a zucchini contest? Check. Order chickens? Check. Raise three unruly boys? Well, that&amp;#039;s a work in progress, but one definitely worth the read.\u2014Maggie Malach, New York City As much as the book&amp;#039;s premise seems to focus on Link moving on with her life, it actually serves as a love letter to her three sons. Link&amp;#039;s job is to take care of her children (and that she did); her sons provide the much needed motivation to keep on keeping on. Link&amp;#039;s experience on her beloved Michigan farm also provides a painful glimpse at a very different world and a rural way of life that many people have forgotten still exists in the United States.\u2014Becky Goodman, Houston The story\u2014a divorcee starts life all over again\u2014has been done before, but Link proves that a successful memoir is in the telling. She is a wry, intelligent author who is full of heart; it is touching to see how hard she works to make a good life for her kids under difficult circumstances.\u2014Gena Hymowech, Brooklyn, NY Initially, Bootstrapper reads slightly too stream-of-consciousness, but Link&amp;#039;s ability to hunker down to preserve her farm and fight for the life she wanted for her boys is undeniably admirable. Though her struggles seem all encompassing, she comes out of the battle confident in her ability to not only survive, but thrive.\u2014Kathrn Kandas, Princeton, WV Link&amp;#039;s writing inspires not pity but enthusiasm: the reader begins rooting for her from the first page.\u2014Melissa Taylor, San Diego Laugh-out-loud funny! Link conveys the emotional roller coaster of divorce with clarity and humor, and she&amp;#039;s got a kick-ass story to boot.\u2014Clara Ritger, Genoa, NV Many of Mardi Jo Link&amp;#039;s struggles in this book seemed to be told as if she had watched one too many reality TV shows. Her story is heartwarming, however, and her love for her boys genuine.\u2014Joy Kinlaw Brady, Abbeville, SC  Nina Sovich, To The Moon And Timbuktu Reading Sovich&amp;#039;s memoir is like sitting down for coffee to hear about a friend&amp;#039;s life-changing experience and drinking the whole pot, along with a bottle or two of wine, and then ordering takeout because you got so engrossed you forgot dinner. It&amp;#039;s an epic journey. I was thrilled to tag along.\u2014Melissa Taylor, San Diego Sovich has led a life of adventure as a reporter around the world with a focus on politically unstable environments. As she contemplates the next step in her life as a newlywed living in a new city with a new job that she despises, she makes the jump to follow in the footsteps of idols like Mary Kingsley and explore Saharan Africa on her own. While she occasionally seems to relish the role of the martyr (though she does purposefully seek out this unorthodox experience), the hardships she faces are real and trying.\u2014Becky Goodman, Houston Sovich is a gifted writer, and her unobtrusive narrative style gently guides us through her adventures in West Africa, sharing important historical information about the region without making it feel like a textbook. Her experiences of finding women in Africa to nurture her were particularly moving.\u2014Joy Kinlaw Brady, Abbeville, SC Not every woman will go to Africa to overcome her inner demons, but every woman will have moments in life when they feel as though someone else is living it. Framed within the context of the heavy burden so many women carry\u2014do I have children? Am I a good wife?\u2014Sovich shows a path to answering yes to both without feeling as though she has let down the Rosie-the-Riveters who came before her.\u2014Clara Ritger, Genoa, NV When restlessness called, Sovich hopped on a plane\u2014to Africa. To the Moon and Timbuktu chronicles her trek to one of the most remote places on Earth. Faced with scalding temperatures, dangerous companions, and the stigma of being a woman traveling alone, Sovich shows incredible resolve, enriching her journey by building relationships wherever she stays.\u2014Maggie Malach, New York City  Mindy Budgor, Warrior Princess Budgor&amp;#039;s journey to become the first female warrior in a Kenyan tribe is a modern-day girl-power saga. Her tale not only shows the physical results of incredible dedication but also the respect an outsider can earn with a little elbow grease\u2014and Chanel Red Dragon nail polish! Success requires overcoming numerous cultural differences with honesty and humor.\u2014Maggie Malach, New York City Warrior Princess is an inspiring read. Budgor&amp;#039;s goal has helped catalyze a paradigm shift in how the Maasai view women, and as a moran of the tribe, her opinion and genuine concern for their well-being are now part of its legacy\u2014a very cool connection halfway around the world. The references to the Maasai tribe&amp;#039;s anthropological history provide helpful context to the story, and contrast nicely with Budgor&amp;#039;s Jewish-American upbringing.\u2014Kathrn Kandas, Princeton, WV A wonderful story of a woman who stops at nothing to get what she wants. Perfect for anyone who wants a true adventure of a read.\u2014Rachel Heller, Santee, CA While Budgor&amp;#039;s ostensible reason for becoming the first female Maasai warrior is to empower African women, she doesn&amp;#039;t spend very much time discussing their plight. Moreover, the narrative voice seems a bit immature, and insignificant details became distracting over time. Though Budgor has a great story to tell, she might have waited another decade to write it.\u2014Joy Kinlaw Brady, Abbeville, SC Though this memoir is packed with adventure, it lacks the emotional depth that would have made it truly memorable.\u2014Ashley Cambers, Ypsilanti, MI Budgor&amp;#039;s journey to Africa and desire to improve the standing of women in the Maasai tribe is noble, but it also seems imposing. Though her self-awareness and comedic commentary are entertaining, there doesn&amp;#039;t seem to be much to suggest that this trip is about anything but her.\u2014Clara Ritger, Genoa, NV The reader is immediately drawn to Budgor&amp;#039;s self-deprecating humor and personal identity crisis; she voices the concerns of many young women as she tries to find direction. But Budgor&amp;#039;s pampered attitude lacks a big-picture focus on the long-term impact her actions may have on Maasai women. In the end, she seems to treat the experience as a case study more focused on gaining admission to business school.\u2014Becky Goodman, Houston While the reader can appreciate Budgor&amp;#039;s achievements, there&amp;#039;s mixed emotion on the reasons behind her journey and the impact of a privileged American making so many waves in Maasai culture only to then jump on a plane and leave it behind.\u2014Nicole Krug, Bethesda, MD While the concept of Budgor&amp;#039;s quest is admirable and the story intriguing, she ultimately comes across as immature and unserious, is in distinct contrast to the challenge she undertakes. It&amp;#039;s difficult to believe that the Maasai would take on a silly person as their first-ever female trainee. Ultimately, though I&amp;#039;m proud of Budgor&amp;#039;s accomplishment, I wish she had approached the telling of her story differently.\u2014Melissa Taylor, San Diego "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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