Open House Volume 3

Sheridan Voysey, Strand Publishing

Open House Volume 3 is a set of 20 interviews taken the Open House radio program.

Interviewees include story teller Bryce Courtenay, journalists Ray Martin, Caroline Jones and Geraldine Doogue, Karen Pang from Play School and Dr Catherine Hamlin, who started and still works in the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia.

The interviews have the themes of journeys taken, trials survived and lessons learnt and all the interviewees have an interesting story to tell.
Quotes include:

“My husband was driving in Addis one day. The lights went red, he stopped and a woman put her face through the window and gave him a great big kiss on the cheek. He said, ‘What did you do that for?’ She said, ‘Because you cured my fistula. I’ve had two babies and I love you.’” (Dr Catherine Hamlin)

“I discovered that words can be very powerful when your life is in danger. I literally started one day when some huge hulk was about to beat me to a pulp. I put my hands up and said, ‘Don’t hit me and I’ll tell you a story. And it worked!’” (Bryce Courtney)

“I have made so many mistakes. I remember I once had a four-block puzzle of a wombat. And for the life of me, I could not put this wombat together.” (Karen Pang)

I really enjoyed this book. Real people always make the most interesting stories.

Katy Gerner