Thursday 3rd January 2019. Meeting at Caroline's house.
Francoise, Jan, Lorraine and Caroline.
Apologies from Jane and Michelle.
"Never Stop Walking."
Is a true and harrowing story written by Christina Rickardsson who was born Christiana Coehlo in 1983, and spent her early childhood in a "favela" or shantytown in Sao Paulo Brazil. With with her mother and little brother they were in hiding and permanently on the run from the police. Living in caves and feeding off scraps. At the age of 7 she and her brother end up in an orphanage. It was heartbreaking to read how her mother used to come and stand at the gates but was never allowed to see her children. Then one day when Christian was 8 years old she and her brother Patrick were adopted by a childless Swedish couple and much against her's and her mother's wishes they were taken to Sweden. Her mother spent many years trawling the streets looking for her children. Only when Christina goes back to Brazil, many years later and finds her mother did she discover what had happened to her children.
Francoise, Jan, Lorraine and Caroline.
Apologies from Jane and Michelle.
"Never Stop Walking."
Is a true and harrowing story written by Christina Rickardsson who was born Christiana Coehlo in 1983, and spent her early childhood in a "favela" or shantytown in Sao Paulo Brazil. With with her mother and little brother they were in hiding and permanently on the run from the police. Living in caves and feeding off scraps. At the age of 7 she and her brother end up in an orphanage. It was heartbreaking to read how her mother used to come and stand at the gates but was never allowed to see her children. Then one day when Christian was 8 years old she and her brother Patrick were adopted by a childless Swedish couple and much against her's and her mother's wishes they were taken to Sweden. Her mother spent many years trawling the streets looking for her children. Only when Christina goes back to Brazil, many years later and finds her mother did she discover what had happened to her children.
Christina’s life changed when she moved to Sweden, but even though she was finally in a safe place, adapting to new country was not easy. There were several culture-clashes and in the beginning it was hard for her to feel at home because everything around her was new: the food, the nature, the people, and also the language spoken around her. Little by little Christiana became Christina, and this change helped her to adapt to the Swedish lifestyle.
Christina wants her book to help increase people’s understanding about differences, prejudice and cultural conflicts, helping to promote dialogue, tolerance towards more open societies. She wants her own experience to become an example of how important it is to secure children’s rights, with Sweden and Brazil as a starting point.
Christina is now 36 and a beautiful and successful business woman. She is the President and founder member of the "Coelho Growth Foundation" bringing awareness to the plight of poverty, it began at "Lar da Infancia de Nice", the orphanage she and her brother spent time in. The charity has a branch in Sweden too. Working with young people, helping to fight xenophobia and promote cultural exchanges. The revenue from her book goes to her charity.
This was a bitter sweet story that luckily has a happy ending. Sadly the quality of the writing is poor but we all felt she managed to get the message over. The warmth of the love the mother had for her children was overwhelming and it is this that we felt helped Christina develope into the confident young woman she is today.
Although none of us are fans of memoires we all felt humbled by this story and glad to be reminded of how utterly unbearable life is for some people in 3rd world countries.
"Christina's story leaves no one untouched, and at the same time it will challenge your views on identity and culture in an era of human mobility and people seeking refuge across borders. It suggests that we are all creators of ourselves and our societies, and what we give is what we get back in return."
Francoise had not read it
Jan found it hard and too painful to finish and gave it 3***
Caroline 3***
Michelle 3***
Lorraine 4****
The next meeting will be at Jane's house on Thursday 14th February to discuss "Nocturnes" by Kazuro Ischiguro
