Xamon Song at top of Canadian suggested reading list! In other news, I am still swooning. (& win a free book)

A little over eight years ago, my now husband, then just interesting guy from local coffee shop, came to my place for the first time ever and he brought me two gifts: a nice pocket edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that month's Amnesty International letter writing campaign. I swooned.

A few months later, he went out of town for two months to fulfill an Air National Guard commitment. While he was gone, I made an unrelated visit to an SIU Law School building, where he attended at the time, and saw the Amnesty International/ Human Rights bulletin board he had helped put together and I swooned again. I think I used the word giddy in my journal entry at the time and decided that yes- I was falling in love.

As things got more serious between us, as we shared our love of justice, our passion for learning, and our life ambitions, I learned more about him everyday. I learned that his favorite book was the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I learned about alternatives to traditional law practices like mediation, and my knowledge and interest in International Affairs grew by miles. I learned that he was driven to make a real difference in the world and that his ultimate dream in life would be to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Well, actually he said, "I don't really care if I win the prize, I just want to do something in my life worthy of such a prize."

Again, I swooned. I swooned, and I wanted to come along for the ride.

Adam is a writer. He is an attorney by day, but a writer and an activist by heart. These are the dreams that lead him, and the morals and ethics that guide his days and his choices.

Our marriage isn't perfect, and sometimes it is hard to be married to a person with such lofty life ambitions, but I think it is worth it. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this journey with him, and wonder what the future will bring us. I certainly admire him, and am proud of his accomplishments. I have never met a person in my life who was so able to see and execute long term goals and has the plans to achieve them.

A few years ago Adam wrote the book Xamon Song. Xamon Song is a human rights novel. It is a novel about two men, two musicians, who join the military and learn a great deal about the world in which they serve. Xamon Song is "a view from the ground of the meeting of cultures, of the human costs of corporate malfeasance and governmental collusion."

The impetus for this long winded love letter? Xamon Song hasn't hit a best seller list or been picked up by a major publisher, but its sales have been slow and steady over the years. Its reviews have been good, and I personally think it is an important book. It has been taught in schools, and may soon even be taught at the college level at a well known university.

Over the last few months, sales have increased a bit and we were curious as to why. A quick google search led us to this Amnesty International Canada reading list and I just thought it was great. We don't know how long this list has been around, or if it has anything to do with the increase in sales, but I think it is sweet. In fact, it makes me swoon all over again.

If you would like a free copy of Xamon Song, I feel compelled to send you one. Tell me what you have done in your life to help achieve human rights for all people, (and this can be as simple as remembering to smile at someone who needs a smile!) and I will randomly pick one reply to send a free copy to.

I usually only get a few comments on my blog, but I know I have more readers than commenters. This is your chance to out yourself and win a free book! It's easy!

(you can also find Xamon Song on Myspace.
For more Xamon Song links, look to the right of my blog and scroll down a bit for a complete list)