We Are Called to Rise: A Novel

I loved this book so much I started a book club with the sole intention of making everyone in my neighborhood read it. I'll let you know how our first meeting goes, and if everyone feels like I do about this baby. We Are Called to Rise has earned a physical place on my bookshelves - which is no easy thing to do, these days. Seriously, our bookshelves right now are stacked 3 rows deep. I prefer to check my books out from the library, and if I like them a lot, I will buy a copy for my iPad over getting a physical copy. But this book was so good I utilized Amazon.com's "1-click-to-buy" before I even really knew what was happening. When I first opened the book and started reading, I wasn't impressed. I almost quit reading after the first chapter. Oh, what a mistake that would have been. I'm so glad I stuck it out. I've read tons of alternating viewpoint stories before, but this is one of the first I've found where I've been invested in every single story, in every single character. McBride effortlessly switches between each character's voice, which when you have characters ranging in age from 8 to 58, characters running the gamut from being an young immigrant to being a wealthy, white female - her ability to follow each character's unique voice is pretty darn impressive. The stories do all come together in the end. I didn't know how that was going to work out, but it did. I should not have doubted. This book reminded me a lot of the movie Crash, only it was actually good. (If you loved Crash, I apologize.) This book, man. It lifted me up and threw me to the ground and ripped out my heart and gave me a hug and mugged me and held me up at gunpoint but also took me to the hospital and made me cookies. It reminds me of a tapestry. Each character has a story that interweaves with the character in front of them. Sometimes the weaving is with dark threads, and sometimes it is light. But the overall picture it creates is beautiful, masterful, and touching. Also, epic. It's not necessarily a happy book, this one. It's downright devastating in areas. I think I even cried once or twice (which never, ever happens with me. I don't cry. Except when I watch The Fox and the Hound. Because saddest. Movie. Ever.) But even though the book is tragic, the ultimate tone is hopeful. I'm not sure how McBride even pulled that off, but she did. And the title? I can't believe what a fantastic, well-chosen title this book has. The story made ME feel called to rise. This is easily the best book I have read in 2014. If you read nothing else for the rest of the year, read We Are Called to Rise. Just be prepared for one roller coaster ride of a book, complete with corkscrews and loops. Wowza. I will be eagerly awaiting more works by Laura McBride. And I almost even want to transfer to the university she teaches at, just so I can meet her geniusness in person. Oh, if it were a movie, I would probably rate it at PG-13. There is a some language and some violence (one character is an Iraqi War veteran, so most of it is related to his story.) There is also mention of an affair. Nothing was overtly graphic or over-the-top.

There are quite a few great books out this summer, and although the "multiple character stories seem separate but build together" genre probably doesn't need new entries, there are a few reasons why We Are Called To Rise stands out in the current crop of fiction: 1. The opening scene, which involves a 50-something woman finding out that her marriage is ending is just wonderfully done. I am a 40 year old man, but that scene stuck with me for quite some time, and is worth reading in and of itself, even if you put the book down after that chapter. 2. Even though there were quite a few moral issues that were brought up in this book, I did not feel like the author was villianizing (or glorifying) any of the characters. They are all flawed, but also human. 3. When books are told in a style such as in this book, where there are chapters that alternate among 4 characters, I often find myself becoming more interested in one of the characters, and rushing through (or becoming annoyed with) the other sectioins. This book started out that way, but about halfway through I became very interested in all of the characters. I don't think this is a very easy thing for an author to do. 4. It is also not easy for any author to nail a childs voice, and McBride does an amazing job with the voice of a 10 year old Albanian boy. So those are four reasons why I would put We Are Called To Rise on your books to read list this summer. If you read it and don't like it, then I will buy you some nachos.

I am amazed that this is a debut novel . The writing drew me in from the first page and then the descriptions , especially of Las Vegas life just blew me away . The story and characters are so skillfully drawn you would have thought that Laura McBride had been doing this for years . I was hesitant at first to write this because I'm not sure I can accurately express what an emotional read this was for me . It was just so damned sad ! Call me milk toast or whatever you want. I was so taken by this story and these characters that I cried through the last 100 pages. And then to make it even sadder , the author in her notes at the end of the book, tells us that her inspiration was an actual tragic event . McBride says in her notes, “The one thing that almost kept me from writing the story was that it was so unbearably sad. …. So the challenge I set myself was this: could I write a story that accepted the full unbearableness, and still left one wanting to wake up in the morning ? “ I’m telling you it was unbearably sad and if McBride is referring to the reader still wanting to wake up, I did, but I don’t feel the same as I did yesterday. It is narrated by four different people who are worlds apart but yet all in Las Vegas . Avis , the middle aged woman facing marital problems after 29 years of marriage has more to confront with her son's problems than with her failing marriage. Luis , the physically and emotionally injured soldier returns from Iraq and he’s a mess. Bashkim , the 4 th grade Albanian immigrant tries desperately not to be different or makes waves , but his family is very different . I loved Bashkim the most. Roberta is the child advocate who feels she can make a difference in the lives if the children she advocates for. You get to know her the least until the tragedy takes place. I love a book which allows me to care about the characters and this one did right from the start. But I didn't realize how much I would until the story unfolds So much is covered here - the toll that the Iraq war took on two vets with their physical and emotional scars; the difficulty of the immigrant experience for some; how an unstable childhood life shapes a middle aged woman and how in spite of her grief, she digs deep to find her strength. I knew at some point that the lives of these people would connect but I was not expecting the tragic event that brought these people together. If I have a criticism , it's that in all the narratives , except Bashkim's the author spent more time than necessary telling us what she wanted to convey - what matters , making a difference , accepting the adversity . The characters and their strength to get through the hard, very hard things that life dealt them could have spoken for themselves. Yet I can't give this book anything less than five stars. I have already read some criticisms of the neatly wrapped up ending and I could not disagree more. Nothing was neat about the ending . There's the feeling that life goes on , but no not a neat ending. Just a note: I requested this book from NetGalley because the description made me want to read this book . I was thrilled when I finally received an approval and totally disappointed when I found that the approval for some reason came after the book was archived and I was not able to download the galley. I kept thinking about this book and every time I read about it somewhere, I became more convinced that I had to read this book . So I bought it and it was worth every penny.

This story of lives which converge because of one horrifying decision taken in the heat of the moment is rich and wonderful. The characters are well fleshed out, I cared what would happen to them all. Las Vegas is almost another character in the novel, it is so well described.

I read many books and this book captured my heart. The writing, the themes, the characters, descriptions of Las Vegas. Brilliant. I recommend.

We Are Called to Rise tells the stories of four people – a woman in a crumbling marriage, a soldier waking up knowing he’s done something dreadful, a kindly social worker and a boy from an immigrant family. These lives collide in one miserable incident, and it is ultimately a story about the boy’s fate. This is an outstanding novel – a debut novel. McBride gives an emotional tour de force, with tension on every page. She gives us characters we care about, and captures their individual voices and actions to great skill. It is the character of the boy, Bashkim, that moved me the most. The simplicity and innocence of his view on life and his world is incredible writing. We Are Called to Rise is loosely based on a real incident that took place in Las Vegas, where the book is set, and where Mc Bride is proud to call home. The book is written in the first person, with multiple narratives as each of the characters takes a scene (it is very much imaginable as a film script). These people are isolated from each other, and you wonder how their lives are going to be connected – and then you wish they weren’t. The central point focuses on Las Vegas, as one by one the layers emerge as a spider’s web of threads form around the boy, Bashkim. It is a book of many themes – loss, marriage, immigration, war, PTSD (with two veterans featured), families (the ones we have and the ones we make), domestic abuse, violence and sacrifice – in doing the right thing. Despite this list of rather gritty themes, there are some joyous comic moments, like Avis’ (the woman who’s marriage is hitting the rocks) attempts to spice up her sex life. I almost read the book in one sitting, one Saturday evening, but did not want to rush the end in the small hours. That night I dreamt of Bashkim, and how I might rescue him and of Luis, the soldier, and how he might turn out. The ending of We Are Called To Rise was powerful. It made me cry – and very few books do this to me.

Die Mittfünfzigerin Avis ist entsetzt. Ohne Vorwarnung erzählt ihr Mann, er habe eine neue Freundin und werde sich trennen. Es zieht Avis den Boden unter den Füßen weg. Was soll sie nun bloß mit ihrem Leben anfangen. Alles scheint zu Ende. Am Anfang steht der achtjährige Einwandererjunge Bashkim, dessen Eltern aus Albanien nach Las Vegas gekommen sind. Seine Eltern sind zwar eher arm und verdienen sich ihren Lebensunterhalt als Eisverkäufer, aber der Junge hat Glück und darf eine angesehene Schule besuchen, wo er bei den Mitschülern und Lehrern beliebt ist. Doch auch sein Leben nimmt eine Wende als er einen Brief an einen US-Soldaten in Übersee schreibt. Er erhält eine Antwort, die er als sehr schockierend empfindet. Drei Menschen, die sich nicht kennen, die jedoch alle in Las Vegas leben oder gelebt haben. Nebeneinander ohne Bezug zueinander, so wäre es, würden nicht gewisse Ereignisse wie zum Beispiel der Brief dazu führen, dass es zu Berührungspunkten kommt. Was hat das Schicksal für die drei Fremden in petto. Avis, mit Eheproblemen, von denen sie bis zur Offenbarung ihres Mannes nichts wusste. Avis, die es nicht leicht hatte, die glaubte, es geschafft zu haben, die nun merkt wie brüchig alles Glück sein kann. Bashkim, voller Hoffnung auf den amerikanischen Traum, der mit der harten Wirklichkeit konfrontiert viel von seiner kindlichen Freude verliert. Und ein traumatisierter Soldat, der ums Überleben kämpft. Drei Leben, deren Wege sich kreuzen. Menschen, die einiges erleiden müssen und dabei nicht absehen können, ob es eine Wendung zum Besseren geben kann. Flucht, Schrecknisse des Soldatendaseins, Schicksalsschläge, die das Leben einem auferlegt. Ein Roman, der auffordert, sich mit diesen Dingen zu beschäftigen und der damit keine leichte Kost bietet. Allerdings entwickelt die Autorin ihre Geschichte langsam und sorgfältig, so dass sich die Zusammenhänge erst relativ spät abzeichnen. Schwierig wird es sich in die Charaktere hineinzuversetzen. Viele Empfindungen werden nur angedeutet und Tatsachen werden nicht ausgesprochen. Etliches wird dem Leser überlassen, der Zeit hat, Antipathien zu entwickeln. Wäre Bashkim nicht, für den man wirklich hofft, dass ihm eine gute Zukunft beschieden ist, käme das Buch tatsächlich an die Grenze einen als Leser zu überfordern. Diese Ungewissheit des was hätte man besser machen können gegenüber dem man kann sowieso nichts ändern können, hält die Handlung sehr in der Schwebe. Und so hat man hier ein Buch, das sehr nachdenklich macht, das aber nicht für sich einnimmt.

This novel is very interesting. Each chapter is dedicated to a different character. Eventually all comes together in a very emotional way. The author took an event that actually happened, mixed with some current events and put it all together for a memorable story.