GENEROSITY An Enhancement

How can someone have suffered horribly and still be amazingly happy? This question drives Richard Powers's story and comes alive with David Pittu's strong characterizations. Russell Stone, a failed writer and insecure writing teacher, feels protective toward one of his students, Thassadit Amzwar, an Algerian refugee. Stone admires her unstoppable joie de vivre even after surviving the traumas of war. Pittou gives Thessa accented, appealing tones of cheerfulness and optimism. But will this positive view of the world change when she engages the curiosity of the American press, and people who want to turn her into an icon that cannot endure their eventual skepticism? S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]