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Arrival: An Immigrant Story
A young man becomes a research scientist wanting to find cures for diseases, tormented by memories of his teenage years, nightmares, facial scars, fearing his shaking means he will have a short life. His father violently rejected him. His grandfather loved him. This book follows the book Survival, about his childhood and teenage years.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 6, 2018
I really enjoyed the author’s first book Survival, so I was delighted to read his second one, Arrival. It tells the story of his arrival in the United States and what it was like being an immigrant in the time of the Vietnam War. I loved the comparisons between UK life and USA life at that time, and being an immigrant or expat in the Dominican Republic from the UK, I could relate to the similarities of some of his experiences.
The book is well written and the author is obviously highly intelligent, whether from describing chemical experiments in the search for new drugs, or his introspective thinking into the behaviours of those around him and revealing his own personal demons. While I only have an O Level Grade 6 in chemistry (scraped pass), I still found the descriptions of the experiments interesting, recognizing the names of several drugs used today, and found it fascinating to learn about the whole long process to get a drug to market.
Almost as powerful as his first book, educational in more ways than one, and very honest and frank Arrival is also emotional and I found myself tearing up at times, which is not something I do often.
I am eagerly waiting for book 3, as this book just stopped suddenly before I expected it to, leaving me very much wanting more.
The book is well written and the author is obviously highly intelligent, whether from describing chemical experiments in the search for new drugs, or his introspective thinking into the behaviours of those around him and revealing his own personal demons. While I only have an O Level Grade 6 in chemistry (scraped pass), I still found the descriptions of the experiments interesting, recognizing the names of several drugs used today, and found it fascinating to learn about the whole long process to get a drug to market.
Almost as powerful as his first book, educational in more ways than one, and very honest and frank Arrival is also emotional and I found myself tearing up at times, which is not something I do often.
I am eagerly waiting for book 3, as this book just stopped suddenly before I expected it to, leaving me very much wanting more.
March 3, 2020
What an engaging read!
The story engaged me, left me spending hours at a time reading. The subject matter being new and refreshingly different. John Fahey has a way of drawing the reader into his life story, bringing with it a sense of needing to learn more, to discover how it all ends.
The end caught me out, surprising me with its sudden close. A highly recommended read for the deep thinking person who like myself seeks answers about life.
The story engaged me, left me spending hours at a time reading. The subject matter being new and refreshingly different. John Fahey has a way of drawing the reader into his life story, bringing with it a sense of needing to learn more, to discover how it all ends.
The end caught me out, surprising me with its sudden close. A highly recommended read for the deep thinking person who like myself seeks answers about life.
November 30, 2020
The only thing I regret ... is not reading the first book, which I plan on doing very soon.
John Fahey has this way of engaging and drawing the reader into the story. You couldn't just leave it until it is finished. And talking about the finish - I don't mean to give anything out, but the end will catch you by surprise!
Bottom line - if you are looking for a book, that will make you think and think hard, Arrival is the one.
Christian
BooksShelf Reviewer
John Fahey has this way of engaging and drawing the reader into the story. You couldn't just leave it until it is finished. And talking about the finish - I don't mean to give anything out, but the end will catch you by surprise!
Bottom line - if you are looking for a book, that will make you think and think hard, Arrival is the one.
Christian
BooksShelf Reviewer
July 14, 2018
Really enjoyed reading both memoirs.
I read John Fahey's memoirs back to back, one after the other. They were both very good reads and compelled me to go on to find out more.
Book 1 covers his childhood in Stockton-on-Tees and his early working years. From a simple paper round to working for the ICI. Making his own way in the world, and most important, to get away from the hard homelife and the father who didn't treat him right. Book 2 starts where he goes off to pastures new, in America, at the age of 23, having been offered a new job there. Things are looking up both in the job line, and his private life. There will be many more ups and downs though.
I really enjoyed reading both books, what a story he has to tell.
I read John Fahey's memoirs back to back, one after the other. They were both very good reads and compelled me to go on to find out more.
Book 1 covers his childhood in Stockton-on-Tees and his early working years. From a simple paper round to working for the ICI. Making his own way in the world, and most important, to get away from the hard homelife and the father who didn't treat him right. Book 2 starts where he goes off to pastures new, in America, at the age of 23, having been offered a new job there. Things are looking up both in the job line, and his private life. There will be many more ups and downs though.
I really enjoyed reading both books, what a story he has to tell.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews