Crossing the River

A parent shares what she and her family learned after leaving behind the fast-paced culture of America to live in a small village in Brazil for a year

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Overwhelmed with her fast-paced, competitive lifestyle, Amy Ragsdale moved with her husband, writer Peter Stark, and their two teenage children from the US to a small town in northeastern Brazil, where she hoped they would learn the value of a slower life. In this culturally rich and economically poor region, Amy and her family learn to fundamentally connect with their neighbours across language and customs. In the year they spend there, Amy grows close to her new neighbours, from the men who cut sugar cane to the clinical university students, as they became the family's guides to Brazilian life.Elegantly written and vibrant in detail, Crossing the River tells a global story through a personal memoir, examining life without the trappings of modern American culture, and revealing surprising truths about identity, family, and love.