Ulaanbataar

I just like typing that word- Ulaanbataar... This blog's book is The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson. It is a true story about a father with an autistic son. He discovers that his son is more communicative when he is on a horse. Rowan also responds to a shaman healer. Rupert decides to take Roan to Mongolia to visit the "reindeer people" and see if the combination of horses and shamanism will help his son.

Although not the greatest writer in the world, Rupert has an interesting story to tell. Different people in book club responded to different parts of the story: parenting, the religious angle, travelling in Mongolia, even the "husbands with crazy ideas" part! We mostly talked about what it would be like to have an autistic child, and Kristen who works with autistic children joined the club to tell us what her job is like. (not Kristin the wife in the story)

Back to Ulaanbataar, which is the capital of Mongolia. This week I'm playing with Google Earth. I swoop wide over Mongolia, finding the tree line that they crossed as they entered the forest. I can't find the shaman Ghoste's teepee, for which I am grateful. I like the idea that some few people are invisible in the digital world. I also enjoy the street level views made by video cameras positioned on cars. It is fascinating to swoop over the countries depicted in the books we read.