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Rash: a memoir
Writer Lisa Kusel, while living comfortably in her California home, feels an unsettling lack of personal contentment. When she sees a job posting for a new international school in Bali, she convinces her schoolteacher husband Victor to apply.
Six weeks after his interview, Lisa, Victor, and their six-year-old daughter, Loy, move halfway around the world to paradise. But instead of luxuriating in ocean breezes, renewed passion, and first-rate schooling, what Lisa and her family find are burning corpses, biting ants, and a millionaire founder who cares more about selling bamboo furniture than educating young minds. Not to mention Lisa’s fear that one morning she might see the Dengue Fever rash on her young daughter.
RASH is an unfiltered, sharply-written memoir about a woman who goes looking for happiness on the Island of the Gods, and nearly destroys her marriage in the process. For anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over in an exotic locale, this is a poignant reminder that no matter where you go, there you are.
Six weeks after his interview, Lisa, Victor, and their six-year-old daughter, Loy, move halfway around the world to paradise. But instead of luxuriating in ocean breezes, renewed passion, and first-rate schooling, what Lisa and her family find are burning corpses, biting ants, and a millionaire founder who cares more about selling bamboo furniture than educating young minds. Not to mention Lisa’s fear that one morning she might see the Dengue Fever rash on her young daughter.
RASH is an unfiltered, sharply-written memoir about a woman who goes looking for happiness on the Island of the Gods, and nearly destroys her marriage in the process. For anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over in an exotic locale, this is a poignant reminder that no matter where you go, there you are.
271 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2017
31 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Kusel
5 books273 followersI’m both an avid reader as well an an author, which is why I like hanging out on Goodreads. The reader in me really enjoys combing through other people’s book reviews. I so appreciate when folks I follow or are friends with recommend new authors, or cheer me on when I begin a book they themselves loved.
The author in me is just as grateful for the community here. Whether you loved, liked, or flat-out hated one of my books—I’m just thrilled to see my stories being read; connections being made.
The books that I've written include the novel HAT TRICK; OTHER FISH IN THE SEA, (a collection of linked stories); RASH, my wildly funny memoir about running away to (and from!) Bali; and THE WIDOW ON DWYER COURT, a sexy psychological thriller that came out in July 2024.
My newest book is titled LONG WAY DOWN. It's a thriller about a young woman named Deni Rydell who believes that marrying into an uber wealthy local family will make all her dreams come true. As you might have guessed...oh, man, is she ever wrong. It comes out October 21, 2025. I can't wait for you to read it.
When I’m not volunteering at my local food shelf, meditating or cooking, I can be found wrangling words (as well as my crazy cat, Dave) at my desk overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont.
Welcome to my world. Oh, and please follow me on Instagram @lisa_kusel
The author in me is just as grateful for the community here. Whether you loved, liked, or flat-out hated one of my books—I’m just thrilled to see my stories being read; connections being made.
The books that I've written include the novel HAT TRICK; OTHER FISH IN THE SEA, (a collection of linked stories); RASH, my wildly funny memoir about running away to (and from!) Bali; and THE WIDOW ON DWYER COURT, a sexy psychological thriller that came out in July 2024.
My newest book is titled LONG WAY DOWN. It's a thriller about a young woman named Deni Rydell who believes that marrying into an uber wealthy local family will make all her dreams come true. As you might have guessed...oh, man, is she ever wrong. It comes out October 21, 2025. I can't wait for you to read it.
When I’m not volunteering at my local food shelf, meditating or cooking, I can be found wrangling words (as well as my crazy cat, Dave) at my desk overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont.
Welcome to my world. Oh, and please follow me on Instagram @lisa_kusel
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 3, 2024
A well written 'travel' memoir of a California family of three moving to Bali for Victor to teach 7/8 grade children at a brand new international school. I have to state up front that I personally have never been to Bali, nor have I ever wanted to go there. This memoir only confirms that times ten.
After half a book of hell on earth, I didn't wait around to see if there was a happy ending, enough. 3 stars.
After half a book of hell on earth, I didn't wait around to see if there was a happy ending, enough. 3 stars.
May 23, 2024
When the author asked if I would review her book she described it as anti Eat Pray Love. Since I was one of the few people who disliked that book this piqued my interest. She also said that the premise of her book was that her family upended their lives in California to move to Bali and in her words “it pretty much sucked”. Lisa and her husband and their young daughter decide to shake up their lives and try something new. Victor, a teacher, decides to teach at a new eco friendly school in Bali. What’s not to love? They get to live in beautiful Bali, Lisa can write, Victor can teach at this cutting edge school, and their daughter Loy will get a great education. As it turned out none of this happened. All the promises the school administration made about the school and their staff accommodations were false. The school didn’t live up to its potential in any way. They did get quality teachers but they had no ability to teach as they were promised. The housing situation was horrendous. Lisa’s descriptions of the heat, bugs, mold, etc were so vivid that you almost felt you were living it. Victor, an amazing person all around, persevered with the teaching conditions and his disillusionment a lot longer than most people would have. Although it was initially Lisa who was the driving force behind the move from their life in California to Bali, she fared the worst. While Victor and Loy carried on, Lisa was mired down in complaints and misery. I can’t say I blame her though. This was not the Bali that most of the tourists see. This was living in tough conditions. Lisa doesn’t sugarcoat how poorly she adapted and the stress it put on her marriage. This book is not all doom and gloom however. There are a lot of light hearted moments as well. Interesting information about Bali is found throughout the book. I really liked the writing style. If you like adventure books check this out. I got caught up in the story and really enjoyed it!
November 22, 2022
I feel an inexplicable kinship with Kusel. I like her sense of humor, and I relate (much) too closely to her frenetic pace, anxiety, and curiosity. I wanted to stop her from going on the trip right from the beginning; I knew it was going to be what but was. But she did it, by God! Kusel and her family bought the ticket and sailed into a manufactured ideal of “Bali” with a kind of optimism that conmen and shisters dream about walking into their lairs and webby dens.
I want to say I loved reading this because I admire the courage of this writer, but the truth is I could barely watch as paradise disintegrated into ants, disease-carrying mosquitoes, broken bamboo, and buckets of sweat covered in mold. Where “Eat, Pray, Love” made me want to hurl Gilbert’s book out the window for its saccharine, cloying aftertaste, Kusel’s portrait of the underside of paradise’s log was equally excruciating for different reasons. Definitely Heart of Darkness stuff.
The idealists and the capitalists are turned out in this memoir, and I think that is its greatest strength. She reveals plenty of little moments of appreciation that I admired, but the overall balance tipped more toward yikes (for me). While Victor and Lisa said they’d do it again, I still reside in camp “Hell No, Please Don’t Go.”
Kusel would make an excellent suspense writer. She has a great sense of timing, and she can build tension like a pro. The problem with the non-fiction is that some of that delicious suspense has nowhere to go because the narrative must stick to the truth. The tame, tidy, truthful ending. To be fair: I’m so glad her life got that ending, but I feel like there were too many villains left unpunished!
File Under: Stressful af: A Memoir
I want to say I loved reading this because I admire the courage of this writer, but the truth is I could barely watch as paradise disintegrated into ants, disease-carrying mosquitoes, broken bamboo, and buckets of sweat covered in mold. Where “Eat, Pray, Love” made me want to hurl Gilbert’s book out the window for its saccharine, cloying aftertaste, Kusel’s portrait of the underside of paradise’s log was equally excruciating for different reasons. Definitely Heart of Darkness stuff.
The idealists and the capitalists are turned out in this memoir, and I think that is its greatest strength. She reveals plenty of little moments of appreciation that I admired, but the overall balance tipped more toward yikes (for me). While Victor and Lisa said they’d do it again, I still reside in camp “Hell No, Please Don’t Go.”
Kusel would make an excellent suspense writer. She has a great sense of timing, and she can build tension like a pro. The problem with the non-fiction is that some of that delicious suspense has nowhere to go because the narrative must stick to the truth. The tame, tidy, truthful ending. To be fair: I’m so glad her life got that ending, but I feel like there were too many villains left unpunished!
File Under: Stressful af: A Memoir
January 1, 2019
Kept me riveted.
I really enjoyed this memoir which tells of Lisa, husband Victor, and daughter Loy’s time in Bali. At the start of the book they lived in California. A perfect life. But was it perfect? Her excitement comes across about a new life in Bali. She can't wait. I loved the bubbling, bursting out of words. She thinks how it will all be. So wonderful. And you just know it won't be like she's expecting…….And then she's so comical: after her being all excitable, then she keeps saying she's not going!
And there they are and it's not sounding like it will be the paradise she was imagining. Will the grass be greener?
It kept me riveted. I'm wanting to say "I couldn't put it down"-but, due to the time of year when I read it-the busy build-up to Christmas-I was really saying: "I want to pick that book up and have time to read it!!!!”
I loved the chatty style with vivid descriptions of the local foods, customs, historical details etc. She really brings it to life through this wonderful writing. It was easy to become totally involved in this. Oh my goodness-this dental filing ceremony! My sister is a dental nurse so this was very interesting-and cringe-making for me to read about this! I read every word eagerly. Emotional, as well as chatty bits, and often made me smile and giggle, entertaining how she tells everything.
I can so identify with her: I don't like too much heat; hate the 'wickies'/creepy crawlies abroad; the itching with them; the sand getting in everything. I fully understood where she was coming from and what she had to put up with. Very often, holidays sound like they're going to be so perfect-and then things go wrong, and you get a massive, itchy mozzie bite etc-and all you crave for is cool England with no itches! That's why I love travel memoirs- you can travel without experiencing all the little inconveniences. I really enjoyed my travels in this book. Part-way through there is a section which includes photos.
I really enjoyed this memoir which tells of Lisa, husband Victor, and daughter Loy’s time in Bali. At the start of the book they lived in California. A perfect life. But was it perfect? Her excitement comes across about a new life in Bali. She can't wait. I loved the bubbling, bursting out of words. She thinks how it will all be. So wonderful. And you just know it won't be like she's expecting…….And then she's so comical: after her being all excitable, then she keeps saying she's not going!
And there they are and it's not sounding like it will be the paradise she was imagining. Will the grass be greener?
It kept me riveted. I'm wanting to say "I couldn't put it down"-but, due to the time of year when I read it-the busy build-up to Christmas-I was really saying: "I want to pick that book up and have time to read it!!!!”
I loved the chatty style with vivid descriptions of the local foods, customs, historical details etc. She really brings it to life through this wonderful writing. It was easy to become totally involved in this. Oh my goodness-this dental filing ceremony! My sister is a dental nurse so this was very interesting-and cringe-making for me to read about this! I read every word eagerly. Emotional, as well as chatty bits, and often made me smile and giggle, entertaining how she tells everything.
I can so identify with her: I don't like too much heat; hate the 'wickies'/creepy crawlies abroad; the itching with them; the sand getting in everything. I fully understood where she was coming from and what she had to put up with. Very often, holidays sound like they're going to be so perfect-and then things go wrong, and you get a massive, itchy mozzie bite etc-and all you crave for is cool England with no itches! That's why I love travel memoirs- you can travel without experiencing all the little inconveniences. I really enjoyed my travels in this book. Part-way through there is a section which includes photos.
August 25, 2020
It's not Bali it's you.
This book about moving to Bali to teach at the new John Hardy Green School , as it just opens up is more about expectations then anything else . What the author envisioned is nothing like the reality.
I read Take your shoes off by Ben Feder right after this, A book of a CEO that takes a sabbatical in Bali and his kids attend Green School, what a comparison- published 2018. Rash is well written and the author is humorous in places. But her complaints are numerous. A third world country ,a new start up school, disease, insects lots to annoy a person, and it does this author. Bali has no redeeming features according to her.
This book about moving to Bali to teach at the new John Hardy Green School , as it just opens up is more about expectations then anything else . What the author envisioned is nothing like the reality.
I read Take your shoes off by Ben Feder right after this, A book of a CEO that takes a sabbatical in Bali and his kids attend Green School, what a comparison- published 2018. Rash is well written and the author is humorous in places. But her complaints are numerous. A third world country ,a new start up school, disease, insects lots to annoy a person, and it does this author. Bali has no redeeming features according to her.
March 7, 2019
I don’t normally read a lot of memoirs. Lisa Kusel’s book Rash made me reevaluate that choice, because there is something infinitely touching about someone sharing their life story with you, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. As I laughed, cringed and shuddered my way through Lisa’s honest and vivid account of her year in Bali, I related on many levels to her story. For us, the thing that would fix all of life’s problems was a three-year stint travelling around Australia in a caravan with two kids under five. I wish that I could be sitting around the campfire with Lisa and compare notes, because what a laugh that would be!
Who would give up the comfort of their life in California, uproot the whole family and move to a little tropical island in Indonesia? Someone looking for a change. Change is good, right? A change of scenery may even fill that hole of chronic discontent in our heart that niggles that there must be more to life. So when Lisa found an advert looking for teachers to help set up an innovative new school in the tropical rainforest of Bali, it was like a dream come true. Her husband Victor applied for the job, and soon the whole family set off to embark on their new adventure. But life is usually not that simple, and Lisa and her family soon find out that their tropical paradise is not what it was supposed to be.
I loved Lisa’s candid writing style, her self-deprecating humour and her warts-and-all approach in describing her “seachange”. There are no enlightened moments with Balinese medicine men or serene rides through lush rainforest on an old-fashioned bicycle to the gentle tinkle of windchimes. Instead, her days are spent squashing giant killer ants that threaten to carry off her daughter in the middle of the night, hiding under layers of netting to escape swarms of dengue infected mosquitoes and scraping thick mould off bamboo furniture and walls to the deafening sounds of gamelan music as she is reflecting on her crisis-stricken marriage. There were quite a few funny moments, too, like Lisa’s standoff with a protective male monkey, which I related to from our own personal experiences in Bali – I never forget the time when my husband tried to fend off the fang-bearing killer monkey with his thong (the flip-flop kind, not the underwear) whilst his womenfolk fled in panic. Lisa, if you had indeed spent some time in Kuta with those beer-swilling Aussie rugby teams you may have learned some life-saving thong combat action!
Whilst Lisa spends many lonely, miserable days in the country she had hoped would be the answer to all her problems, she reflects on the eat-pray-love phenomenon and questions herself on her lack of Gilbertian enlightenment. Having been to Bali I can see that living in a rather basic bamboo hut in the middle of the Balinese rainforest without some of the conveniences we take for granted would look a lot more serene in a movie (or the Green School advertising clip I found on Youtube) than in real life. I appreciated Lisa’s honesty as she shared her struggles every step of the way, and the way her Western views regularly clashed with the different cultural practices she is faced with in her new home. Her inner probings to explore her capacity for unhappiness are relevant in our society today and made for some reflection on my part whilst I was reading her honest account. I have read somewhere before that characters in books never seem to eat or pee – well, Lisa has it all in her book, which makes it all the more relatable! What also made this book speak to me is that I knew most of the places Lisa talked about in her story – we may even have aooommmmhed on neighbouring yoga mats during a yoga session at the Ubud Yoga Barn without realising it.
All in all, Lisa Kusel’s memoir is a poignant account of a woman searching for happiness and contentment in a far away land, only to find that all her problems have followed her. Written with honesty and humour, Rash will appeal to everyone who has ever dreamed of escaping it all. I hope that Lisa and her family have found contentment in their new life in Vermont and that the year in Bali is but a distant memory that ultimately brought them closer together. If nothing else, it made for a damn good read!
Thank you to the author for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
Who would give up the comfort of their life in California, uproot the whole family and move to a little tropical island in Indonesia? Someone looking for a change. Change is good, right? A change of scenery may even fill that hole of chronic discontent in our heart that niggles that there must be more to life. So when Lisa found an advert looking for teachers to help set up an innovative new school in the tropical rainforest of Bali, it was like a dream come true. Her husband Victor applied for the job, and soon the whole family set off to embark on their new adventure. But life is usually not that simple, and Lisa and her family soon find out that their tropical paradise is not what it was supposed to be.
I loved Lisa’s candid writing style, her self-deprecating humour and her warts-and-all approach in describing her “seachange”. There are no enlightened moments with Balinese medicine men or serene rides through lush rainforest on an old-fashioned bicycle to the gentle tinkle of windchimes. Instead, her days are spent squashing giant killer ants that threaten to carry off her daughter in the middle of the night, hiding under layers of netting to escape swarms of dengue infected mosquitoes and scraping thick mould off bamboo furniture and walls to the deafening sounds of gamelan music as she is reflecting on her crisis-stricken marriage. There were quite a few funny moments, too, like Lisa’s standoff with a protective male monkey, which I related to from our own personal experiences in Bali – I never forget the time when my husband tried to fend off the fang-bearing killer monkey with his thong (the flip-flop kind, not the underwear) whilst his womenfolk fled in panic. Lisa, if you had indeed spent some time in Kuta with those beer-swilling Aussie rugby teams you may have learned some life-saving thong combat action!
Whilst Lisa spends many lonely, miserable days in the country she had hoped would be the answer to all her problems, she reflects on the eat-pray-love phenomenon and questions herself on her lack of Gilbertian enlightenment. Having been to Bali I can see that living in a rather basic bamboo hut in the middle of the Balinese rainforest without some of the conveniences we take for granted would look a lot more serene in a movie (or the Green School advertising clip I found on Youtube) than in real life. I appreciated Lisa’s honesty as she shared her struggles every step of the way, and the way her Western views regularly clashed with the different cultural practices she is faced with in her new home. Her inner probings to explore her capacity for unhappiness are relevant in our society today and made for some reflection on my part whilst I was reading her honest account. I have read somewhere before that characters in books never seem to eat or pee – well, Lisa has it all in her book, which makes it all the more relatable! What also made this book speak to me is that I knew most of the places Lisa talked about in her story – we may even have aooommmmhed on neighbouring yoga mats during a yoga session at the Ubud Yoga Barn without realising it.
All in all, Lisa Kusel’s memoir is a poignant account of a woman searching for happiness and contentment in a far away land, only to find that all her problems have followed her. Written with honesty and humour, Rash will appeal to everyone who has ever dreamed of escaping it all. I hope that Lisa and her family have found contentment in their new life in Vermont and that the year in Bali is but a distant memory that ultimately brought them closer together. If nothing else, it made for a damn good read!
Thank you to the author for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
December 29, 2020
Running away to Bali to live the dream life didn't turn out like Lisa, her husband, and their young daughter planned. Yes, it's the heat and bugs and other tropical goodies that get to them in their unusual living situation. But the main problem is that her husband has been hired to work for a new, exciting "green" school that is unfinished when they arrive and proves to be the source for one disaster after another. Instead of her Eat-Pray-Love, Lisa ends up with a strained marriage and loads of self-doubt...that she realizes has been there all along. She'd hoped "paradise" would magically cure her problems, but as they say, wherever you go, there you are. I especially enjoyed Kusel's self-deprecating, often humorous, voice.
April 20, 2018
Memoirs always intrigue me! Thank you to Lisa Kusel for sending me her memoir in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
“Eat, Love, Pray” gone wrong....The grass is always greener......no matter where you go, there you are.....Privilege.
These were my thoughts as I read “Rash: A Memoir” by Lisa Kusel.
In the midst of living a comfortable life in California, Lisa Kusel encourages her husband to consider a teaching position in Bali. In six weeks, the family makes a “rash” and radical move to “paradise.” Looking for happiness and inspiration for her writing, all Lisa finds in Bali are challenges that threaten her peace of mind, her marriage, her husband’s professional happiness, and her daughter’s safety. Throughout her candid, engaging, and well-told memoir, Lisa explores the difficulties of relocation and assimilation and the pursuit of happiness. Adding to the pressure, Lisa’s husband’s position as a teacher in a start up international school is not all that had been promised. Will Lisa find happiness?
Recommended for readers who appreciate candid, reflective writing exploring themes of happiness and cultural differences, for expats (especially those who have lived or traveled in Bali, and for readers who love well written, engaging memoirs. ****language****
4 stars
For the full review visit my blog: https://readingladies.com/2018/04/20/...
“Eat, Love, Pray” gone wrong....The grass is always greener......no matter where you go, there you are.....Privilege.
These were my thoughts as I read “Rash: A Memoir” by Lisa Kusel.
In the midst of living a comfortable life in California, Lisa Kusel encourages her husband to consider a teaching position in Bali. In six weeks, the family makes a “rash” and radical move to “paradise.” Looking for happiness and inspiration for her writing, all Lisa finds in Bali are challenges that threaten her peace of mind, her marriage, her husband’s professional happiness, and her daughter’s safety. Throughout her candid, engaging, and well-told memoir, Lisa explores the difficulties of relocation and assimilation and the pursuit of happiness. Adding to the pressure, Lisa’s husband’s position as a teacher in a start up international school is not all that had been promised. Will Lisa find happiness?
Recommended for readers who appreciate candid, reflective writing exploring themes of happiness and cultural differences, for expats (especially those who have lived or traveled in Bali, and for readers who love well written, engaging memoirs. ****language****
4 stars
For the full review visit my blog: https://readingladies.com/2018/04/20/...
July 27, 2018
I admire the autor who was able to portray so honestly her state during relocation to Bali, but at the same time it’s quite a painful read to go through detailed description of such miserable state of life they ended up being. Great that they made it through and discover some new connection as a family, but as a reading .... Perhaps such book might be interesting to people looking for relocation and believe that in other country life should be arranged exactly in the way they want, or kinda the same way it has been arranged in the country of their departure. Or how miserable life can be if you start focusing on things which are different from the way you want them to be, instead of exploring what new experiences, cultural or natural settings are around? What new you can learn from the place you have arrived? Anyway, painful read, can recommend it for people who moves to some different countries from the one they live in.
Read
December 2, 2022Kusel is an engaging writer, but this genre is not my favorite. Why? Because memoirs are too insular, and while the three of them embark on an ostensible “do good” mission, they should also be held accountable to their contribution in disrupting the real lives of an exploited people bc they want to change their scenery or run away from their midlife crises.
While the author is brutally honest about her shortcomings, it does not save her from crying her white lady tears about a lot of stuff she brought on herself. I think her broken dishes were an excellent reminder that they inserted and withdrew from the lives of the people who have no choice to to serve the exploiting culture. Third world working class folks don’t have a lot of choices. They will be enthusiastic because it might help their families. The blind spot was pretty wide.
Still, I think she’s a good writer. Memoirs are not my favorite
While the author is brutally honest about her shortcomings, it does not save her from crying her white lady tears about a lot of stuff she brought on herself. I think her broken dishes were an excellent reminder that they inserted and withdrew from the lives of the people who have no choice to to serve the exploiting culture. Third world working class folks don’t have a lot of choices. They will be enthusiastic because it might help their families. The blind spot was pretty wide.
Still, I think she’s a good writer. Memoirs are not my favorite
September 21, 2023
I found this to be a very engaging memoir that in some ways read more like a novel in that the author skillfully built up suspense within it - the reader feels the tension: how is all this going to end?
With Lisa's encouragement, the family move from California to Bali but it's not long before the dream begins to turn into a bit of a nightmare for various reasons - Lisa is spooked before they travel by all the vaccinations they have to squash in within six weeks (as a health-conscious mother this causes some alarm and alerts her to tropical diseases which she had not factored into her desire for adventure); then after an initial 'honeymoon period' in Bali, the culture shock sets in more and more as time wears on and the author struggles with the customs and superstitions of the Bali people, language barriers, food (some of which is good but others not so) and the climate and all the problems that brings to living in a tropical country; struggling with homesickness; anxiety about tropical diseases (the title is a clever play on the word rash: a rash decision to pursue this dream bringing a very real worry about physical rashes); marriage tensions surface as dedicated husband-teacher is passionate about his job; on top of that the biggest disappointment is the dysfunctional Green School project which badly lets the family down with a dysfunctional house - the whole scenario is the disorganised pipe dream of a rich expat with an ego dressed up with a green agenda.
I found the most interesting part was the author's battle with her inner struggles - she tries to embrace the new life and chides herself for being negative and keeps telling herself she's got to change - it's people not places that make you happy she keeps telling herself as she battles with all the physical difficulties of a house with a tree growing through the middle of it in a hot humid country near the jungle. Her determined husband is for a long time in denial about all the problems encountered as he struggles with his conscience, but Lisa's intuition that this is not the right place for them as a family proves to be correct. I love how Victor's half-full cup and Lisa's half-empty cup come together at the end - they are both right and neither of them was wrong in their feelings, passions and experiences of Bali.
.....I so wanted to know about Rex the cat though. Did he make it to see them again?
With Lisa's encouragement, the family move from California to Bali but it's not long before the dream begins to turn into a bit of a nightmare for various reasons - Lisa is spooked before they travel by all the vaccinations they have to squash in within six weeks (as a health-conscious mother this causes some alarm and alerts her to tropical diseases which she had not factored into her desire for adventure); then after an initial 'honeymoon period' in Bali, the culture shock sets in more and more as time wears on and the author struggles with the customs and superstitions of the Bali people, language barriers, food (some of which is good but others not so) and the climate and all the problems that brings to living in a tropical country; struggling with homesickness; anxiety about tropical diseases (the title is a clever play on the word rash: a rash decision to pursue this dream bringing a very real worry about physical rashes); marriage tensions surface as dedicated husband-teacher is passionate about his job; on top of that the biggest disappointment is the dysfunctional Green School project which badly lets the family down with a dysfunctional house - the whole scenario is the disorganised pipe dream of a rich expat with an ego dressed up with a green agenda.
I found the most interesting part was the author's battle with her inner struggles - she tries to embrace the new life and chides herself for being negative and keeps telling herself she's got to change - it's people not places that make you happy she keeps telling herself as she battles with all the physical difficulties of a house with a tree growing through the middle of it in a hot humid country near the jungle. Her determined husband is for a long time in denial about all the problems encountered as he struggles with his conscience, but Lisa's intuition that this is not the right place for them as a family proves to be correct. I love how Victor's half-full cup and Lisa's half-empty cup come together at the end - they are both right and neither of them was wrong in their feelings, passions and experiences of Bali.
.....I so wanted to know about Rex the cat though. Did he make it to see them again?
May 29, 2020
Loved this book. Loved the author’s style of writing. I actually hated Eat Pray Love & never understood all the hype. This book is real & relatable & thoroughly enjoyable!
January 20, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. The lesson here is that living in a place can be very different to enjoying a holiday, where you only experience the best of "paradise". Having grown up in Africa this brought back some memories of the fauna and flora, the heat and humidity and especially the insects of the tropics !!! I found the culture and lifestyle of the locals very interesting and some of it shocking and heartbreaking, especially all the stray dogs. It is understandable how adjusting to such a different way of life could put pressure on a relationship. Lisa's complaining sometimes became a bit trying but in her defence she overcame this in time. I had great fun following all this on Google street view and I almost feel like I have been there. I hope that the school has since' found it's way and is succeeding and giving the students a good education. I found this website very interesting especially the bamboo architecture:
https://www.greenschool.org/bali/
https://www.greenschool.org/bali/
May 19, 2020
An amazing book! Lisa Kusel’s writing makes us feel like we are living and seeing what she and her family experienced. Happiness, paradise and home are some of the words that the writer invites us to redefine during her search. A must read, specially during quarantine.
August 27, 2023
Lisa Kusel moves from California to Indonesia with her husband, Victor, and their six-year-old daughter, Loy, when Victor accepts a teaching job at The Green School.
What initially seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity turns out to be a bad bait-and-switch as student learning and faculty health and safety are low on the school’s founders' priority list.
While Bali should be the ideal setting to make a fresh start and get to work on her next novel, Lisa quickly discovers her new home is anything but an inspiring island paradise.
From the smoldering heat and endless smoke to the festering mold to ant invasions, this wild world, complete with virus-carrying mosquitoes, has Lisa itching (literally) to leave. But duty-bound Victor wants to honor his commitment to the school and its students, causing friction between the couple.
Despite all the obstacles her family faces, Lisa maintains her wonderful wit, forms friendships, and does some serious soul-searching in a monkey sanctuary as she tries to keep her marriage and her mental health intact.
Told with tons of humor, honesty, and heart, RASH takes readers on a journey through the jungle with a narrator whose eyes are wide open.
This memoir reads like a conversation with a friend who pulls no punches and isn’t afraid to tell you she's as flawed as her circumstances.
It’s no surprise that Lisa has turned to writing suspense because this memoir had me on the edge of my seat wondering: would the marriage make it, would anyone contract a terrible “rash” or other illness, and how fast could the family return to the comfort and safety Lisa craves.
RASH is the perfect cautionary tale for anyone who believes moving to a new location will solve all their problems.
I’m excited to read Lisa’s forthcoming novel. Her voice, humor, and sharp observations are a captivating combination.
What initially seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity turns out to be a bad bait-and-switch as student learning and faculty health and safety are low on the school’s founders' priority list.
While Bali should be the ideal setting to make a fresh start and get to work on her next novel, Lisa quickly discovers her new home is anything but an inspiring island paradise.
From the smoldering heat and endless smoke to the festering mold to ant invasions, this wild world, complete with virus-carrying mosquitoes, has Lisa itching (literally) to leave. But duty-bound Victor wants to honor his commitment to the school and its students, causing friction between the couple.
Despite all the obstacles her family faces, Lisa maintains her wonderful wit, forms friendships, and does some serious soul-searching in a monkey sanctuary as she tries to keep her marriage and her mental health intact.
Told with tons of humor, honesty, and heart, RASH takes readers on a journey through the jungle with a narrator whose eyes are wide open.
This memoir reads like a conversation with a friend who pulls no punches and isn’t afraid to tell you she's as flawed as her circumstances.
It’s no surprise that Lisa has turned to writing suspense because this memoir had me on the edge of my seat wondering: would the marriage make it, would anyone contract a terrible “rash” or other illness, and how fast could the family return to the comfort and safety Lisa craves.
RASH is the perfect cautionary tale for anyone who believes moving to a new location will solve all their problems.
I’m excited to read Lisa’s forthcoming novel. Her voice, humor, and sharp observations are a captivating combination.
April 21, 2018
Rash is the clever title of Lisa Kusel's book about the months that she and her family lived in Bali. Kusel's husband moved there to teach at the Green School and Kusel, herself, went there to write the next great novel. They both had high hopes that Bali would be the answer to their prayers. To most of us, living in Bali does sound a lot like life in paradise, but such is not always the case.
Kusel is adept at portraying Bali with genuine candor-their bamboo 'hut,' bugs and all, the unusual celebrations, like the one that celebrated people getting their teeth filed down, and the malfunctioning, half-built school, the reason they moved there in the first place. She holds nothing back as she describes her not-so-lush bathroom facilities, the acrid smoke coming from funeral pyres nearby, and the constant dysfunction that her husband had to deal with at the school. Lonely, depressed, and homesick, Kusel tried hard to make a go of it, to support her husband and save her marriage, and maybe, even their dream.
I tore through this book because as an overseas educator, I related to so much of it. There were parts where in mid-read, I had to stop and tell my husband, "They had an ant fiasco in their house, too!" It was almost cathartic for me to read about the constant turmoil at the Green School, as I also worked at a for-profit school in India, which had no curriculum or basic teacher supplies and the owner thought about saving money, rather than educating students. I felt her husband's pain, throughout.
I highly recommend this entertaining travel read, which is also a must for those educators who think about going abroad to teach. Thankfully, not all overseas schools have the same issues, but there are still some out there that you must be aware of.
Thanks, Lisa Kusel, for telling your story.
Kusel is adept at portraying Bali with genuine candor-their bamboo 'hut,' bugs and all, the unusual celebrations, like the one that celebrated people getting their teeth filed down, and the malfunctioning, half-built school, the reason they moved there in the first place. She holds nothing back as she describes her not-so-lush bathroom facilities, the acrid smoke coming from funeral pyres nearby, and the constant dysfunction that her husband had to deal with at the school. Lonely, depressed, and homesick, Kusel tried hard to make a go of it, to support her husband and save her marriage, and maybe, even their dream.
I tore through this book because as an overseas educator, I related to so much of it. There were parts where in mid-read, I had to stop and tell my husband, "They had an ant fiasco in their house, too!" It was almost cathartic for me to read about the constant turmoil at the Green School, as I also worked at a for-profit school in India, which had no curriculum or basic teacher supplies and the owner thought about saving money, rather than educating students. I felt her husband's pain, throughout.
I highly recommend this entertaining travel read, which is also a must for those educators who think about going abroad to teach. Thankfully, not all overseas schools have the same issues, but there are still some out there that you must be aware of.
Thanks, Lisa Kusel, for telling your story.
May 8, 2019
Rash is a memoir by writer Lisa Kusel that details her time spent in Bali whilst her husband worked at a job at a natural, eco-friendly school. The author offered me the chance to read and review her book, and I am very glad that I accepted.
When Lisa initially sees the position posted for a teacher to move to Bali and teach at an international school, she is excited and convinces her family that this is the opportunity for change that they have been waiting for. The three of them move to Bali with grand expectations and positivity, and are unfortunately let down in almost every aspect. It is refreshing to read an honest memoir about travel and opportunity that didn’t work out so well. I’ve often felt pressured to do something new, exciting, and out of the ordinary, so this is a great reminder that different isn’t always better. In Bali, almost none of the promises made to Lisa and her family by the school are kept. They deal with lice, ants, mosquitos, and even scary monkeys. Eventually their unhappiness in Bali puts strain on Lisa’s marriage, and she is very honest about how the family works through this together.
As this book reads like a conversation with a friend, or a journal entry, it took me longer to get through than I had imagined. However, I truly appreciate the honesty and candor in which Lisa shares this experience with the readers, and I would recommend it to anyone considering a life change or move abroad. Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
When Lisa initially sees the position posted for a teacher to move to Bali and teach at an international school, she is excited and convinces her family that this is the opportunity for change that they have been waiting for. The three of them move to Bali with grand expectations and positivity, and are unfortunately let down in almost every aspect. It is refreshing to read an honest memoir about travel and opportunity that didn’t work out so well. I’ve often felt pressured to do something new, exciting, and out of the ordinary, so this is a great reminder that different isn’t always better. In Bali, almost none of the promises made to Lisa and her family by the school are kept. They deal with lice, ants, mosquitos, and even scary monkeys. Eventually their unhappiness in Bali puts strain on Lisa’s marriage, and she is very honest about how the family works through this together.
As this book reads like a conversation with a friend, or a journal entry, it took me longer to get through than I had imagined. However, I truly appreciate the honesty and candor in which Lisa shares this experience with the readers, and I would recommend it to anyone considering a life change or move abroad. Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2022
I wanted to like this memoir - a reversal of Eat, Pray, Love showing a more realistic experience of an American couple going to live in Bali with their six-year-old daughter. He’s a teacher looking to make his mark at a progressive, green school, and the author hopes to find writing inspiration in an exotic foreign country. Their stay in Bali fills the long uninterrupted middle section of a three-part book. The story would have benefited from a clearer narrative arc and individual chapters.
The premise is enticing, but something is missing. Perhaps I needed to know more about the couple (or at least the author) to become more invested in their journey. I felt like she could have given us more background information and told her story with greater confidence. Nonetheless, it’s a good read, and I learned a lot about Bali from her complicated trying experience.
The premise is enticing, but something is missing. Perhaps I needed to know more about the couple (or at least the author) to become more invested in their journey. I felt like she could have given us more background information and told her story with greater confidence. Nonetheless, it’s a good read, and I learned a lot about Bali from her complicated trying experience.
March 28, 2020
Lisa and her husband Victor decide to move to paradise where Victor will teach and work in a new Green School that is being set up in Bali. They are so excited about their new life and move with their young daughter to embark on this adventure. However, their dream of paradise is anything but with housing not completed and the school far from functioning as they were led to believe. Disillusion sets in quickly as they try and cope with the living conditions, the heat, insects both in the air and on the ground plus the fear of tropical diseases. Told in a light-hearted and entertaining way the author describes trying to adjust to her new life, trying to keep positive and keep her marriage together. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 1, 2021
I was totally drawn into the world of Lisa, Victor and Loy, transported away to Bali and embroiled in daily life both good and bad. I could totally identify with the authors slightly neurotic planning and packing for any sort of medical event, be it bugs or disease and over packing `just in case.’ As it happens, every sort of bug spray or cream is required. As the family settle into life at the new school and into their half-finished accommodation, reality is a far cry from what was offered. The marriage begins to crumble and the imagined idea of life in paradise fades away. Lisa writes with total raw honesty, opening up about her own perceived flaws and failings as she clings to the hope of saving her marriage. I found myself willing them on from the side-lines. So did they survive Bali? Have a read, a solid 5 stars from me.
December 11, 2021
It was interesting to read about the Green School. I appreciated the author's honest accounts, even when they didn't put herself in the best light. I would be interested to read a follow up story, maybe written by Kumar, that lets readers know what happened to the Green School. I may have to spend some time with Google and see what I can find!
October 23, 2021
I believe Charles Swindoll when he says, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it,” but is this always the case? Could I move to a seemingly tropical paradise and face the reality of what living in a jungle entails? I couldn’t wait to see if Lisa Kusel would overcome one obstacle after another and finally find the happiness she so desperately wanted. But what would it cost her? Even though I am a slow reader, I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. If you are one of those people who dream of selling everything you own and moving to an island, then you don’t want to miss reading Rash.
March 11, 2022
Even though there was a happy ending, the author was insufferable with her complaining.
August 28, 2019
This was a really excellent memoir. I know I've never wanted to live in another country and reading this just cements that notion. Read my full review at Girl Who Reads.
October 30, 2025
Ok I am busy with this book, but, because I want something to carry on writing my continuing thoughts down on, I am just using this app and the review part.
So many of you know Lisa from GR.
So the memoir is about her and her husband.
They live in California which, as far as I know and this book also tells me, is a sort of very relaxed, artistic, unique kind of state.
Lisa seems to definitely probably be quite a very free spirit and alternative thinker.
She is a writer.
For the most part she believes in natural wholistic health instead of always needing pharmaceutical medications.
You can tell by the book and her other beliefs, she is what I think of and call Good America.
Another proof of this, and here I am doing a detour in my review, is that Lisa bothered to get a Masters in Cultural Anthropology, so this shows her deep wish to understand and interact with the world and its peoples and to learn about and respect different cultures and different ways of doing things.
This the opposite of Bad America, the people are very inward-looking and have brains that have been programmed from young into very one-dimensional thinking.
Any young person who might be reading this review, I will tell you some secrets.
I first say this.
If you are going to university, try do at least one module of Cultural Anthropology.
I did and it was one of the most enjoyable and interesting courses ever.
I wanted to go further, but they who pay the university asked me the question I could not answer: ‘And what are you going to do with that?’
Now I believe that a myth was probably started by Conservative America and it spread to universities in South Africa.
Not only is there the question of what jobs can be done by people with Anthropology, but, often in student circles you would hear even other BA students discouraging each other from studying Anthropology, because it is apparently a really easy subject only studied by people who are not bright, especially those who major in it.
I believe that this lie is spread by people who want to control the thinking of other people as much as possible and do not want them to fraternise and make friends and learn about peoples with other cultures or from other countries.
For example, Americans maybe were scared of Communism so they wanted their children to know nothing good about or interact with people fromRussia, China or other countries. Even rather study journalism and you can still be controlled because you are squished in the indoctrinated bubble because you have been indoctrinated your whole life. I mean look at Fox News.
Even today, instead of getting to know one another, I know children from Orthodox Jewish schools and Madrassas who know nothing about each other except for the brainwashing their schools do. They come to university full of hate, refuse to even try communicate, extremists on both sides and the hate even carries on, even into middle-aged unpleasant brats who are apologists for this and that and who are most unpleasant and I hate being with them.
Take the Jews and Muslims for example.
I have a highly educated Jewish person I know who literally believes all the Muslims in the world secretly want to kill all Christians and Jews. This person believes the world is evil because there are so many Islamic states, and the world would be heaven if there would have been that number of Jewish states instead.
When you try tell this person that you have very brilliant kind Muslim friends, this person says they will slit my throat when they would get in power.
By reading what Jewish Extremists say about Islam, this person believes they know Islam more than most Muslims and what they really want to do to us.
On the other hand I know a Muslim person who believes in a secret society of Jews who control the world.
And both of these people are so unpleasant, they even hate the children of the other group.
The point of that story is why the world really needs more Cultural Anthropology and more Lisa people.
And go listen to talks or, if you are lucky to have a branch at your uni, investigate things like Common Purpose and their amazing founder Julia Middleton.Anyway so Lisa’s husband Victor is a restless teacher.
He wants to go somewhere where he can make a difference.
Lisa reads in a Uni mag about a guy opening up a school in Bali.
Llcal and foreign children. Expensive for foreign children and scholarships for local ones.
Lisa keeps on using the word ‘green school,’ I am not sure what that means?
Wish they had experienced Africa instead.
Anyway Lisa pushes John to fly to Bali.
He goes and tells her how amazing it is.
Signs contract.
Then Lisa sort of gets coldish feet about going.
Oh yes, they have a six-year-old daughter called Loy.
Lisa is worried about her obviously, but she also likes the idea of her learning another language.
Anyway she starts reading up on Bali and off they go.
The school and even houses are not ready.
There are the normal first-to-third-world phenomena where it is easy for some of the foreigners there to employ maids, cooks, drivers etc.
So far the book is very easy, relaxingly written and to read.
I will carry on reading and edit this as I go.
I am not sure exactly what years all this is happening.
I am also sure of course her daughter is much older now than 2018 when the book was published.
Maybe she is now a teenager or even older and studying in college or doing something else interesting with her life.
I haven’t read that far yet, but the description and Lisa’s writing hints at the people setting up the school are not doing it properly or doing something shady and that daily life in developing countries is not your tourist thinking they’ve experienced the country by staying in luxury resorts and just going to tourist sites.
As to what exactly happens, I will update while I carry on, but it looks like a millionaire announcing and starting a project for publicity for himself.
They hardly have a school that is constructed, no curriculum and no support for the teachers they mostly treat like shit, not to mention the locals.
And I am at the bits where Lisa and her husband are going through bad living conditions and emotional stress, and the toll her husband’s difficulties with wanting to get the school to work and off the ground are having on their relationship, arguing with each other. A lot of the book then focusses on the question should Lisa go back to California. I am right in thinking she wanted to go back home while he wanted to try make a success of it. But I agree in a way with her, you can’t make the world a better place when other people do not want to help. For example, a social worker in Child Welfare resigned with sickness and anxiety because she saw the steeling of resources that were meant to help the most vulnerable children by most awful uncaring people who only cared about enriching themselves. In child welfare! So they aren’t in their jobs for the right reasons and nothing gets done about them and their corruption because it is so endemic and widespread.
Anyway, to save their sanity and because of the mismanagement of the school, Lisa and her husband eventually leave and move back to America.
Lisa learnt a lot from this experience, but, and this is just me assuming about the person Lisa I read about, she has not been put off travelling and wanting to see the world.
Anyway you should still find it a very interesting read.
Oh yeah, the book has really nice scene descriptions and word paintings.
Just me, but don’t like the voice of the narrator.
This review didn’t have this ending originally, but I thought to add it on.
The only parts of law that really interested me quite a bit were families and kids.
Even though I could never find a job related to it, I still read books on things like child and animal protection and rights.
At this time, 2025, we all know what has happened to USAID and all the awful things that are carrying on.
But I put this because sometimes I hope the future would be better.
Lisa’s husband wanted to teach, to do something for children, and then she also had a little daughter.
So it is actually this that I suddenly thought would really fit the book.
https://youtu.be/s3wNuru4U0I?si=cn1Fi...
So many of you know Lisa from GR.
So the memoir is about her and her husband.
They live in California which, as far as I know and this book also tells me, is a sort of very relaxed, artistic, unique kind of state.
Lisa seems to definitely probably be quite a very free spirit and alternative thinker.
She is a writer.
For the most part she believes in natural wholistic health instead of always needing pharmaceutical medications.
You can tell by the book and her other beliefs, she is what I think of and call Good America.
Another proof of this, and here I am doing a detour in my review, is that Lisa bothered to get a Masters in Cultural Anthropology, so this shows her deep wish to understand and interact with the world and its peoples and to learn about and respect different cultures and different ways of doing things.
This the opposite of Bad America, the people are very inward-looking and have brains that have been programmed from young into very one-dimensional thinking.
Any young person who might be reading this review, I will tell you some secrets.
I first say this.
If you are going to university, try do at least one module of Cultural Anthropology.
I did and it was one of the most enjoyable and interesting courses ever.
I wanted to go further, but they who pay the university asked me the question I could not answer: ‘And what are you going to do with that?’
Now I believe that a myth was probably started by Conservative America and it spread to universities in South Africa.
Not only is there the question of what jobs can be done by people with Anthropology, but, often in student circles you would hear even other BA students discouraging each other from studying Anthropology, because it is apparently a really easy subject only studied by people who are not bright, especially those who major in it.
I believe that this lie is spread by people who want to control the thinking of other people as much as possible and do not want them to fraternise and make friends and learn about peoples with other cultures or from other countries.
For example, Americans maybe were scared of Communism so they wanted their children to know nothing good about or interact with people fromRussia, China or other countries. Even rather study journalism and you can still be controlled because you are squished in the indoctrinated bubble because you have been indoctrinated your whole life. I mean look at Fox News.
Even today, instead of getting to know one another, I know children from Orthodox Jewish schools and Madrassas who know nothing about each other except for the brainwashing their schools do. They come to university full of hate, refuse to even try communicate, extremists on both sides and the hate even carries on, even into middle-aged unpleasant brats who are apologists for this and that and who are most unpleasant and I hate being with them.
Take the Jews and Muslims for example.
I have a highly educated Jewish person I know who literally believes all the Muslims in the world secretly want to kill all Christians and Jews. This person believes the world is evil because there are so many Islamic states, and the world would be heaven if there would have been that number of Jewish states instead.
When you try tell this person that you have very brilliant kind Muslim friends, this person says they will slit my throat when they would get in power.
By reading what Jewish Extremists say about Islam, this person believes they know Islam more than most Muslims and what they really want to do to us.
On the other hand I know a Muslim person who believes in a secret society of Jews who control the world.
And both of these people are so unpleasant, they even hate the children of the other group.
The point of that story is why the world really needs more Cultural Anthropology and more Lisa people.
And go listen to talks or, if you are lucky to have a branch at your uni, investigate things like Common Purpose and their amazing founder Julia Middleton.Anyway so Lisa’s husband Victor is a restless teacher.
He wants to go somewhere where he can make a difference.
Lisa reads in a Uni mag about a guy opening up a school in Bali.
Llcal and foreign children. Expensive for foreign children and scholarships for local ones.
Lisa keeps on using the word ‘green school,’ I am not sure what that means?
Wish they had experienced Africa instead.
Anyway Lisa pushes John to fly to Bali.
He goes and tells her how amazing it is.
Signs contract.
Then Lisa sort of gets coldish feet about going.
Oh yes, they have a six-year-old daughter called Loy.
Lisa is worried about her obviously, but she also likes the idea of her learning another language.
Anyway she starts reading up on Bali and off they go.
The school and even houses are not ready.
There are the normal first-to-third-world phenomena where it is easy for some of the foreigners there to employ maids, cooks, drivers etc.
So far the book is very easy, relaxingly written and to read.
I will carry on reading and edit this as I go.
I am not sure exactly what years all this is happening.
I am also sure of course her daughter is much older now than 2018 when the book was published.
Maybe she is now a teenager or even older and studying in college or doing something else interesting with her life.
I haven’t read that far yet, but the description and Lisa’s writing hints at the people setting up the school are not doing it properly or doing something shady and that daily life in developing countries is not your tourist thinking they’ve experienced the country by staying in luxury resorts and just going to tourist sites.
As to what exactly happens, I will update while I carry on, but it looks like a millionaire announcing and starting a project for publicity for himself.
They hardly have a school that is constructed, no curriculum and no support for the teachers they mostly treat like shit, not to mention the locals.
And I am at the bits where Lisa and her husband are going through bad living conditions and emotional stress, and the toll her husband’s difficulties with wanting to get the school to work and off the ground are having on their relationship, arguing with each other. A lot of the book then focusses on the question should Lisa go back to California. I am right in thinking she wanted to go back home while he wanted to try make a success of it. But I agree in a way with her, you can’t make the world a better place when other people do not want to help. For example, a social worker in Child Welfare resigned with sickness and anxiety because she saw the steeling of resources that were meant to help the most vulnerable children by most awful uncaring people who only cared about enriching themselves. In child welfare! So they aren’t in their jobs for the right reasons and nothing gets done about them and their corruption because it is so endemic and widespread.
Anyway, to save their sanity and because of the mismanagement of the school, Lisa and her husband eventually leave and move back to America.
Lisa learnt a lot from this experience, but, and this is just me assuming about the person Lisa I read about, she has not been put off travelling and wanting to see the world.
Anyway you should still find it a very interesting read.
Oh yeah, the book has really nice scene descriptions and word paintings.
Just me, but don’t like the voice of the narrator.
This review didn’t have this ending originally, but I thought to add it on.
The only parts of law that really interested me quite a bit were families and kids.
Even though I could never find a job related to it, I still read books on things like child and animal protection and rights.
At this time, 2025, we all know what has happened to USAID and all the awful things that are carrying on.
But I put this because sometimes I hope the future would be better.
Lisa’s husband wanted to teach, to do something for children, and then she also had a little daughter.
So it is actually this that I suddenly thought would really fit the book.
https://youtu.be/s3wNuru4U0I?si=cn1Fi...
July 5, 2018
How do I begin? This book resonated with me on so many levels. I, too, have found myself on the Island of the Gods but I am far from the jungle and the inherent problems it unleashed on this dear lady and her family. I'm not sure I could have survived as long as she did in her neck of the woods. The manner with which she presented each new challenge kept me turning pages and wanting more. Can we please throw Lisa into another daunting situation for another memoir? I couldn't put it down.
September 11, 2017
I loved reading this book right from the get-go. There is a very good opening line, saying, in part, “...Sweetie, I think I need to do something different.” Now remember, a terrific hook (opening line or paragraph) is often crucial to the reader. This is a great one. Lisa Kusel does not disappoint. I started to highlight all the wonderful lines throughout, but gave up in the first five pages. They are everywhere. She is a poet with the talent to use prose in that free style that makes you want to read regardless of the theme. But this theme is compelling: go to an exotic locale with your husband and daughter and experience the culture and the very different world there. Work hard and have fun in paradise. Kusel immediately imagines what she will find: “I'd get keener; be able to smell the purple in Loy's (daughter) paintings; see the perfume wafting off the skin of beautiful women; hear the fish swim.” Now, that's poetry, in a travelogue sense. And I loved all of it.
Early on, she thinks: “You don't think maybe we're being a little rash?” Her spouse Victor responds “Are you * kidding me?” He wants to do the Bali trip. A rash decision, no doubt, but exciting to try. Now, you either hate (or are bored by) this kind of memoir, or you love it. I very much liked it (hence my top 5-star rating). Perhaps Kusel was so bored by her urban life in California that anything would be an exotic and exciting adventure fir her family.
It doesn't end up that way, of course. Hence, this memoir of hers. She had no idea, she tells us, why she chose to run away 'from all that was good and familiar'. But Victor, you see, was a workaholic dedicated teacher. So off they go to Indonesia, where the weather can melt you, the dogs 'yark' all the time, and everything is made from bamboo. “When,” wondered Lisa, “did home become so unfamiliar and terrifying?” Unfamiliar indeed. She describes hordes of insects which were “a swarm of something out of an entomologist's wet dream.” But the wet dream nightmares were a testing ground for her character and her troubled (over there) relationship with her husband. I'm glad she shared it with us. Delicious...
Early on, she thinks: “You don't think maybe we're being a little rash?” Her spouse Victor responds “Are you * kidding me?” He wants to do the Bali trip. A rash decision, no doubt, but exciting to try. Now, you either hate (or are bored by) this kind of memoir, or you love it. I very much liked it (hence my top 5-star rating). Perhaps Kusel was so bored by her urban life in California that anything would be an exotic and exciting adventure fir her family.
It doesn't end up that way, of course. Hence, this memoir of hers. She had no idea, she tells us, why she chose to run away 'from all that was good and familiar'. But Victor, you see, was a workaholic dedicated teacher. So off they go to Indonesia, where the weather can melt you, the dogs 'yark' all the time, and everything is made from bamboo. “When,” wondered Lisa, “did home become so unfamiliar and terrifying?” Unfamiliar indeed. She describes hordes of insects which were “a swarm of something out of an entomologist's wet dream.” But the wet dream nightmares were a testing ground for her character and her troubled (over there) relationship with her husband. I'm glad she shared it with us. Delicious...
March 8, 2022
Lisa Kusel brings her heroically authentic voice to this story of what it feels like to have a big dream and then make the rash decision to go live it with her husband and young daughter. Her initial vision of her family spending blissful days learning and doing purposeful work in a picture-perfect tropical paradise is quickly shattered and replaced by a reality that is infinitely more interesting. They realize that they have left most creature comforts behind and that the supposedly utopian school community they have entered is riddled with dysfunction. Lisa expertly shares her inner world with us, bringing us along the path of her most private thoughts and the emotions they evoke as her marriage suffers and her concern for her daughter's health and safety mount. Her disappointment extends beyond the walls of the school as she explores a Bali that is definitely NOT like the glittery picture presented in the travel brochures. We see what life in Bali is really like for the local people and creatures — and we end up caring for them as Lisa does with her great big heart.
June 20, 2023
This was an excellent travelog and memoir of living in Bali, a place I have never been but always wanted to go. Sitting down to read this was like connecting with an old friend you haven't seen in years who had quite a story to tell. As a woman who has spent the majority of her life in one place, this book took me halfway around the world to the mysterious and elusive tropical island of Bali, (the Eat Pray Love Bali) on a journey to build a sustainable "green school" in the middle of the jungle. Page turner for sure and was instantly sad when the book to came to the end. Lisa Kusel's descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Bali were incomparable. Highly recommend for anyone who loves Non-fiction and traveling from the comforts of their sofa.
July 14, 2021
I was hoping that there would be some deep insight at the end of this book, but it never really happened. Depressing and disappointing.
We moved to Bali, attended the Green School 9 years after this book was written. I totally get how difficult it is to live in Bali, how challenging it was to start the school. I did not love Bali, but, I did learn so much about myself and the culture and came out a better person because of it. I guess I was hoping I would get this from the book, but that didnt happen.
We moved to Bali, attended the Green School 9 years after this book was written. I totally get how difficult it is to live in Bali, how challenging it was to start the school. I did not love Bali, but, I did learn so much about myself and the culture and came out a better person because of it. I guess I was hoping I would get this from the book, but that didnt happen.
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