What do you think?
Rate this book
Unnatural Rescources
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 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.
- GenresFiction
204 pages, Hardcover
Published November 17, 2020
4 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Mindy Uhrlaub
2 books22 followersI have traveled twice with Human Rights Watch and Eve Ensler’s V-Day to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has taken testimony of rape survivors and child soldiers. My interest in preventing the pillage of resources in Congo has also led meto visit Virunga National Park and to sit on the committee for Human Rights Watch’s Voices for Justice Dinner.
Prior to writing Unnatural Resources, I wrote and produced STALLED, a feature-length film (distributed by Concorde New Horizons). I was also a music reviewer and copy editor for Denver’s PULP magazine.
I was a contributing author in the anthologies Mamas Write and She’s Got This (named 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist, Kindle Book Awards Reader’s Choice, and Best Book Awards Finalist).
Prior to writing Unnatural Resources, I wrote and produced STALLED, a feature-length film (distributed by Concorde New Horizons). I was also a music reviewer and copy editor for Denver’s PULP magazine.
I was a contributing author in the anthologies Mamas Write and She’s Got This (named 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist, Kindle Book Awards Reader’s Choice, and Best Book Awards Finalist).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 9, 2020
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 the people, to hold the hand of a frightened child and see my own world and fears reflected in hers.
Author Mindy Uhrlaub has created a deeply believable “village” of characters in this novel, some Congolese, some aid-givers, some wounded women and some wounded men, both old and young together. She builds plausible hope out of total hopelessness. And she convinces the reader, at least some of the lost can be found. Some small steps can truly grow into something huge. And somewhere, somehow, some coincidences become almost inevitable simply because it’s a small world—a wounded, pillaged, beautiful small world.
The exploitation of place and exploitations of women and children combine to make this story sing with the beauty of lake and trees, ache with the effort of climbing mountains, and cry with the pain of lost lives. The singing continues to echo through the tears. Hope, a gift we mere Westerners would so quickly lose, proves as huge and strong as a young girl’s heart. And tiny steps leads ever on.
In the end, the unnatural resources of wrong give way to natural good. The world is still broken and wounded, but the people prove to have hidden resources and depths, and a nature for more than mere survival. I couldn’t stop reading. I ached for the lost children. And I loved this book!
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition. I’m so lucky! And I offer my honest review.
Author Mindy Uhrlaub has created a deeply believable “village” of characters in this novel, some Congolese, some aid-givers, some wounded women and some wounded men, both old and young together. She builds plausible hope out of total hopelessness. And she convinces the reader, at least some of the lost can be found. Some small steps can truly grow into something huge. And somewhere, somehow, some coincidences become almost inevitable simply because it’s a small world—a wounded, pillaged, beautiful small world.
The exploitation of place and exploitations of women and children combine to make this story sing with the beauty of lake and trees, ache with the effort of climbing mountains, and cry with the pain of lost lives. The singing continues to echo through the tears. Hope, a gift we mere Westerners would so quickly lose, proves as huge and strong as a young girl’s heart. And tiny steps leads ever on.
In the end, the unnatural resources of wrong give way to natural good. The world is still broken and wounded, but the people prove to have hidden resources and depths, and a nature for more than mere survival. I couldn’t stop reading. I ached for the lost children. And I loved this book!
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition. I’m so lucky! And I offer my honest review.
June 26, 2021
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 bludgeoned to death.
Therese is eventually reunited with her mother and younger brother, but also meets a philanthropic woman who pays for her schooling and helps her to become a successful human rights lawyer. The book ends with her mother, Luna, telling her own story of her capture and getting her life and community together.
Unnatural Resources is a story of brutality and heartache that can still be found in parts of the world where lawlessness prevails.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC.
Therese is eventually reunited with her mother and younger brother, but also meets a philanthropic woman who pays for her schooling and helps her to become a successful human rights lawyer. The book ends with her mother, Luna, telling her own story of her capture and getting her life and community together.
Unnatural Resources is a story of brutality and heartache that can still be found in parts of the world where lawlessness prevails.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC.
July 28, 2021
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 Date: November 17, 2020
Publisher: The Permanant Press
Pages: 200
Recommended Age: 17+ (war, violence, death, gore, sexual content, mentions of Sexual Abuse/Rape TW, slavery TW)
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.
Review: I really loved this book. I loved the message behind the book and I loved seeing the world outside of my bubble here in the USA. I thought the characters were well developed as was the world building. The book is wonderfully well written and poetic at times as well.
The only thing I had issue with is that the pacing was a little wonky at times and sometimes I got lost as to what was going on, but I got to the point soon after.
Verdict: It was good!
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 Date: November 17, 2020
Publisher: The Permanant Press
Pages: 200
Recommended Age: 17+ (war, violence, death, gore, sexual content, mentions of Sexual Abuse/Rape TW, slavery TW)
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.
Review: I really loved this book. I loved the message behind the book and I loved seeing the world outside of my bubble here in the USA. I thought the characters were well developed as was the world building. The book is wonderfully well written and poetic at times as well.
The only thing I had issue with is that the pacing was a little wonky at times and sometimes I got lost as to what was going on, but I got to the point soon after.
Verdict: It was good!
May 31, 2022
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 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, Luna, and beloved nine-year-old brother Felix, she uses her greatest gift, her knowledge of English taught to her by her mother, to navigate the vast web of humanitarian aid groups.
As a woman and a mother, to say I empathise with the characters in this book is a vast understatement.
At the forefront of my mind as I delve deeper into the story is the children—what they and their families are forced to endure and bear witness to—is gut-wrenching.
UNNATURAL RESOURCES centers around female empowerment and a resurgence of hope at a time when everything—including one's innocence—has been taken away.
Highly Recommend!
Thank you, Mindy Uhrlaub and The Permanent Press, for providing me with an eBook of UNNATURAL RESOURCES at the request of an honest review.
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 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, Luna, and beloved nine-year-old brother Felix, she uses her greatest gift, her knowledge of English taught to her by her mother, to navigate the vast web of humanitarian aid groups.
As a woman and a mother, to say I empathise with the characters in this book is a vast understatement.
At the forefront of my mind as I delve deeper into the story is the children—what they and their families are forced to endure and bear witness to—is gut-wrenching.
UNNATURAL RESOURCES centers around female empowerment and a resurgence of hope at a time when everything—including one's innocence—has been taken away.
Highly Recommend!
Thank you, Mindy Uhrlaub and The Permanent Press, for providing me with an eBook of UNNATURAL RESOURCES at the request of an honest review.
January 7, 2024
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 the strength, bravery and intelligence of the main character are so beautifully and believably characterized that I couldn't put it down. Mindy Uhrlaub's research is clear on every page, but never interferes with the story. This is a love story, a story of survival, a story of growing up and growing wise. Settings are drawn with stunning detail. You will learn a great deal about the brutality and corruption of dictatorship, the subjugation of women and girls, the workings of international aid organizations and more without ever feeling preached to, and more than anything you will remember the bravery and intelligence of the main character Therese. Don't miss it!
July 21, 2022
Unnatural Resources by Mindy Uhrlaub is the gripping story of an eleven-year-old girl, Therese, and her family caught in the crushing violence of militia gangs in The Congo as they burn villages to the ground, kill and rape helpless residents, and enslave them to work in the mines. Through all of the brutality, the resiliency of these people is truly inspiring. Therese is one of those characters who jump off the page and into your heart. Mindy Urhlaub is a master storyteller who knows her characters well. The writing is brilliant with vivid details and a story that ramps up the tension as the story plays out, then ends with a riveting and satisfying climax. Nicely done, Mindy Uhrlaub.
Read
May 9, 2023Uhrlaub construye la novela sobre una familia superviviente a las violencias paramilitares en el Congo. Su protagonista, Therese, es una adolescente, aunque la construcción del personaje llega a ser inverosímil, sobre todo por su voz —siendo la narradora, su narración en muchos momentos se percibe impostada—. En ciertos puntos de la novela, en el regodeo casi pornográfico de la narración de las desgracias que padecen los personajes, se percibe una intención aleccionadora por parte de la autora.
October 17, 2023
Loved this book! Simple, precise language conveys an evocative story that's by turns beautiful and horrifying. Some of the imagery seems burned into my mind. It's clearly meticulously researched and written with heart and tenderness, which makes me feel like I'm in good hands as a reader. So looking forward to Uhrlaub's next book!
August 5, 2025
I deeply appreciate what Mindy Uhrlaub has written here. The story is one that is difficult to take in from our privileged place in the world yet so essential to engage with in the broadest place of humanity. Mindy’s writing is beautiful and poetic and captures a place with the horrors and triumphs of it’s people in a way that brings you right there.
I highly recommend reading this book.
I highly recommend reading this book.
April 13, 2021
This is an important story that starts out compelling and becomes a bit of a procedural slog with a touch of white man's burden.
Read
July 28, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Slavery
Rape mentioned
War themes
Slavery
Rape mentioned
War themes
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews