Unnatural Resources, Mindy Uhrlaub
Unnatural Resources, Mindy Uhrlaub
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Unnatural Resources

Author: Mindy Uhrlaub

Narrator: Henriette Zoutomou, Xenia Willacey

Unabridged: 6 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2022


Synopsis

When her Congolese village is destroyed by an invading militia group, eleven-year-old Therese is injured and outcast. Stranded with only her little brother's best friend in a war-torn jungle, she is forced to make a choice: lie down and become another victim of the war or stand up and survive. Desperate to find her mother and beloved brother, Felix, she uses her greatest gift, her knowledge of English, to navigate the vast web of humanitarian aid groups. Along the way, she meets the charismatic one-legged teenager, Robert, who takes her on an adventure with a film crew which becomes her lifeline back home. Luna, Therese's mother, has been taken as a slave and concubine to the handsome and evil leader of the militia, The General. In a harrowing act of bravery, she uses her own knowledge of languages to make the difficult choice to escape into the mountainous jungle. In her struggle to reunite with Therese and Felix, some of the least likely people become her friends. With its themes of women's empowerment, Unnatural Resources is a stunning and unflinchingly brutal redefinition of the meaning of family. This book tells the story of a young Congolese girl who becomes a symbol of hope in the worst place in the world to be female.    

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sheila

A village in the Congo is so far from my experience, I might feel sympathy for the people’s plight, but I surely won’t be able to relate to the steps they take in their lives. Except… when I read Mindy Uhrlaub’s amazing novel, Unnatural Resources, I’m not just taken to the place, but I’m taken to th......more

Goodreads review by Jill

An engaging novel that reads like nonfiction. Taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the Congolese were brutalized, women and girls raped and enslaved, and villages burned to the ground, a young girl, Therese, is raped as she sees her father try to rescue her but watches as he is blu......more

Goodreads review by Paige

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. Book: Unnatural Resources Author: Mindy Uhrlaub Book Series: Standalone Diversity: Congolese MC and side characters, disabled side character Rating: 4.5/5 Recommended For...: fiction, adult reads Genre: Fiction Publication......more

Goodreads review by D.K.

UNNATURAL RESOURCES – by Mindy Uhrlaub – Historical Fiction When her village in the Democratic Republic of Congo is destroyed by an invading militia group led by The General, eleven-year-old Therese is assaulted. Stranded with only her little brother's best friend, ten-year-old Virgil, in a war-torn......more

What an incredible, heartbreaking yet hopeful story of resilience. A young girl in Congo is brutally attacked, her father murdered, her mother and brother are missing and she is determined to find them. Before I started reading, I worried that the tragic circumstances might be too much to bear, but......more