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| Angelina Jolie's: Notes from My Travels | 
 enlarge | Author: Angelina Jolie
Publisher: Pocket
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $2.00
You Save: $12.00 (86%)
Buy New/Used from $1.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  (56 reviews)
Sales Rank: 33118
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.3 x 1
ISBN: 0743470230
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.87
EAN: 9780743470230
ASIN: 0743470230
Publication Date: October 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Beauty that transcends May 28, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Notes From My Travels by Angelina Jolie is about her trips to countries like Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Pakistan and Cambodia as a UN ambassador. It is also one of the highly rated and reviewed books on amazon.com.
As I went through the reviews on here I noticed that a lot of people were skeptical of her work with the UN, because let's face it a lot of celebrities just do charity for PR. After reading her book, they realized that it wasn't. The things that she describes, you can't makeup.
Her entries about Cambodia...were very telling. Those who work with the UN, they're not living the glamourous life. They have the bare essentials like limited water for showering and food. There was one entry about how her feet were basically ravaged by bugs and they were so itchy. She wrote how grateful she was to be there and I quote "But damn-my feet are itchy" The next day she met a man who had no feet which is not uncommon there since there are a lot of landmines that haven't been unearthed. At that moment, she realized how petty she had been about her itchy feet. It was a very humbling moment.
There was another entry that stayed with me. She went through an informal museum showing the cruelty and destruction that occured when the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia. There were pictures that just horrified her. She didn't describe them all but there was one where a mother held her child while she was being tortured by a power drill. For the next couple of nights she had nightmares. My parents lived through that, they lost so many loved ones because of the mini holocaust conducted by the Khmer rouge. Those atrocities did happen, my parents can confirm this. I was definitely crying during this entry.
This was written during the later end of her relationship with Billy Bob and around the time she adopted Maddox. She mentions him (Billy Bob) here and there but not in great detail. In her writing you can see that she was growing as a person. She was becoming aware of a world and a life that was outside of everything that she had previously known. It was outside of hollywood and America. It went beyond Billy Bob, and beyond herself. So, now, I understand her when she said that they grew apart. He was into his band and she was focused on motherhood and her UN work.
The critiques that I have are miniscule. This is a collection of her journal entries, so some of the tenses aren't right. As a blogger, I'm used to this informal format, some might not be. Her words are sincere and well written. Also, she uses "grateful" A LOT.
Angelina Jolie- An Angel and Idol May 11, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
When I first picked up this book, I had no expectations for what it would be.
After the first few pages, it made me want to get out in the world and help someone, everyone.
Angelina's words bring inspirtation and hope. To do good in the world, that good is being done and that even though these horrible things are happening, some good is coming from good people.
This is not an autobiography on her life, she barely talks about herself at all. This is a book to learn about what is happening around the world and how refugees have to live and feel.
The things that are happening around the world is a tragedy and if you want to learn about the world, what you can do and what is being done, read this book.
A Must Read May 3, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
What makes this book most interesting is that it is not written by a politician, college professor, or film star with a hidden agenda. If we take away the Hollywood star status (easily done while reading this book), we see Angelina Jolie simply as a human with a mission to educate the world of the atrocities we so easily ignore. It is an eye-opening reminder (1) that people are people no matter their "status" in a society, and (2) of how shamelessly we take things for granted. I found this book, despite its serious topic, to be an uplifting read that teaches through hope and kindness.
AJ is an amazing person April 2, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Angelina is an amazing person. I am only halfway done with this book and was instantly made into a huge fan. Here is an actress who can earn millions by making movies and most in her situation would just chose to make a donation, write a check, etc. She is over there (giving up the comforts we are accustommed to: electricity, a comfy bed, decent food, showers, personal safety) to try to learn and make a difference helping people.
I bought the book to learn what's going on in other parts of the world, and at the same time I find myself crying during many parts of the book. We're so sheltered by the media, some of the material is gut-wrenching and hard to understand/take.
I recommend it to everyone (it's an easy read, but AJ admits to not being a great writer).
 Through Her Eyes March 24, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
What I enjoy most about Angelina Jolie's: Notes from My Travels is that she took the time to write and have published her own personal account of traveling through some of the most impoverished and desperate lands in the world. That she took the time to do such heart-wrenching and dangerous work in the first place is a tribute to her humanness. Rarely do we see the rich and famous as just that, human. She is open and honest and she works to bring readers to the heart of what millions experience; the devastation and sadness yet sheer triumph and hope. I am glad I purchased the book and would recommend it to anyone. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is the book does not read fluidly, given its entry-like nature (as in a child's diary). Overall I applaud Angelina Jolie for positively using her celebrity status. I wish there were more people like her.
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