Book #17: From Ashes to Africa

Title: From Ashes to Africa
Author: Josh and Amy Bottomly

I came home from school on Wednesday to find that a bunch of books I'd ordered about Ethiopia had arrived, so I decided to delve into the one that interested me most: From Ashes to Africa, Josh and Amy Bottomly's story about adopting their son Silas from Ethiopia in 2007. An hour or so later (yes, the book is about 183 pages, but it's such a quick read) I got up from my chair feeling disappointed. Maybe it's unfair that I read From Ashes to Africa so quickly after finishing Melissa Fay Greene's fantastic There is No Me Without You, but From Ashes to Africa felt lightweight by comparison. The most compelling part of the story comes when Josh and Amy write about how they married after a whirlwind courtship and found themselves deeply unhappy after a few months of marriage. Instead of giving up, they went through years of counseling and emerged closer than ever and ready to have a baby, only to discover that they couldn't conceive a child. About halfway through the book, they turned to international adoption, and the last quarter of the book is about the actual journey of traveling to pick up Silas.

I don't know what I wanted in From Ashes to Africa, what I thought the Bottomlys' book would deliver that was different from what I'd already read on their blog, but I just wanted more of a story. I also put the book down wondering if people who adopt internationally and aren't part of the Southern Christian community feel like outsiders, because much of the book (including the foreword from Tom Davis) felt directed at a specific audience of evangelical Christians, and since I come from a religious background that often finds itself at odds with people from that religious persuasion, I wonder if I may potentially face some prejudice because of my faith. Regardless, I'm glad that Josh and Amy told their story and that they've paved the way for people who want to take this path toward becoming a family.