The Rent Collector

I recently read The Rent Collector by Camron Wright.  The story is set in the largest municipal dump in Cambodia, where the family of Sang Ly, Ki Lim, and their infant son, Nisay,  survive by picking through the trash, selling what they find to the junk collectors. Life is complicated further by the fact that the child, although seen by several doctors and healers, continues to suffer from an unknown illness. Amid this hardship, Sang Ly decides that she must do something to get out of the dump and save her son. Her answer comes in the unlikely character of Sopeap Sin, the ill-tempered rent collector most people refer to as “The Cow.”  But Sopeap, it turns out, has quite a backstory. Being a teacher in her earlier life, Sopeap knows how to read and think about literature. When Sang Ly learns of The Cow’s talents, she asks her to teach her to read.

This story, although maybe not a piece of great literature, uncovers for the reader the importance of teaching and learning, the need to think deeply about the books we read and stories we hear, and the power of story to bring hope and to develop community, even in the most destitute environments. This book is filled with beautiful quotes about reading and about words.  Here are a few just to whet your appetite:

“Words provide a voice to our deepest feelings. I tell you, words have started and stopped wars. Words have built and lost fortunes. Words have saved and taken lives. Words have won and lost great kingdoms. Even Buddha said, ‘Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care, for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”

“Just when we think we have our own stories figured out, heroes arise in the most unexpected places.”

“Stories that touch your soul, stories that change your nature, stories that cause you to become a better person from their telling-these stories always contain truth.”

If you are a teacher or a learner or a person who loves stories, you might want to read The Rent Collector by Camron Wright.  It will give you renewed hope about the power and importance of these endeavors.