Arusha

By J.E. Knowles

Book Overview

Edith Rignaldi clearly understands that she and husband Joe remain together for the sake of their children. It is why they married in the first place. But she never foresaw the lifeless emotional landscape they both now occupy after eighteen years together.

Teachers in a small, God-fearing Tennessee town, they cannot insulate themselves entirely from the cultural encroachment of the late '80s: the inexorable march of the feminist and gay rights movements, the spread of the AIDS epidemic. When the faithful, steadfast Joe is finally overwhelmed by his desire for men, the lives of all four Rignaldis explode.

With the town turned against the disgraced family, the teenaged children Dana and Jeremy repudiate their parents to seek their own answers. And as for Edith-a woman named Linda enters her life. A woman unlike any Edith has ever known.

The journey of Edith and Linda lands them in an African town named Arusha, on a godly mission to witness the Rwanda peace talks. It is a place where Edith will face the ultimate challenge to her emotionally and sexually shut-down life and to everything she has ever believed in.

Arusha is the compelling story of four achingly real people-and you will not soon forget any of them.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1935226096
• ISBN13: 9781935226093
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Spinsters Ink Books
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Review of Arusha

I have already submitted a review for this purchase. But to repeat: I was thoroughly satisfied with the seller's prompt mailing, and the product arrived in exellent condition. As for the novel itself, I found it very insightful about the difficulties of a transition from a heterosexual orientation to a homosexual one. I respect and admire the author for her awareness and sensitivity, particularly in regard to gay male orientation since she is obviously a woman. Moreover, she happens to be my niece, and I am proud to have a published author in the family!

From Tennessee to Tanzania through Laughter and Tears

ARUSHA is a compelling story, built on believable characters who struggle with who they are and who they dream of being. It is both witty and deeply sensitive and so evokes both laughter and tears. And it keeps its readers under its spell from beginning to end, from Tennessee to Tanzania--a powerful read!

Excellent Read!!

Arusha is a wonderful novel that takes on highly complex family and cultural dynamics to weave a powerful story of love, loyalty, and the ability of the human person to continue to grow in self-awareness. Set in the American South, it portrays rural Tennessee in the earlier days of the AIDS epidemic. The town and its inhabitants are not ready for the changes happening in the country around homosexuality, HIV/AIDS, and the development of more progressive thinking. The book is funny, tragic, and moving. It is well worth the read!