Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton

For my literary book club this month, I read Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country. While his apparent aversion to quotation marks borders on irritating at best and infuriating at worst, Paton paints a very complete picture of South Africa in the late 40s. The story concerns an older pastor, named Stephen Kumalo, from the country who travels to Johannesburg to find his sister and his son - and what he discovers about his family is quite an eye-opener. When his son is accused of the murder of a white man, Kumalo is forced to take another look at his life, his faith, and his family. Paton also focuses on the victim's father, drawing parallels between each fathers' journey. While it dragged at times, it also relates very well to the time period. Alan Paton's life fascinated me - he was a huge anti-apartheid activist and was very involved in South Africa's political scene. He drew on a lot of his own experiences to write the novel, and the amount of personality he put into the story astounded me. I would definitely recommend it, but be aware it deals with a lot of heavy issues, including apartheid, violence, racial tensions, immorality, urbanization, and Christianity.

Overall: 8 out of 10.

Details:

Turtleback: 316 pages
Publisher: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (October 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0606326464
ISBN-13: 978-0606326469

I'm a Stranger Here Myself, by Bill Bryson

I found myself lacking things to read this past week, so I picked up this book that I bought a few months ago. I read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods about two years ago and loved it. This story is a collection of the column Bryson got suckered into writing by a friend of his about moving back to America from a different country (namely, Britain). However, the America he knew as a child was gone. In its place was an America that held frozen breakfast pizza and 24/7 floss hotlines. While he sings the praises of certain parts of American culture (antique diners, baseball, etc), he sheds his own personal brand of hilarious light on others. His columns are mostly funny - I remember a specific one making fun of the vast and complex U.S. tax form - but he does tackle serious issues. For example, he writes a column about parting with his first child as his son goes to college, and others regarding political issues. His simple observations about life are hilarious and all-too-true. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh or an outsiders look in at our own country.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Broadway (June 6, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 076790382X
ISBN-13: 978-0767903820

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

Betty Smith's classic novel tells the story of a young girl growing up in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. Her heroine, Francie Nolan, survives a childhood of extreme poverty and successfully transitions from adolescence to a working, collegebound adult. This coming-of-age story is replete with symbolism - from Francie's loss of innocence to her growing up and maturing into an individual. Smith uses beautiful language to describe the neighborhood Francie grows up in, and paints a beautiful picture of what it was like to grow up in troubled times - as the big cities exploded with progress and moved from the steam engine age to the industrial age, as WWI erupted, as Francie's poor Brooklyn neighborhood filled with immigrants, intertwined with classic growing-up themes - puberty, first heartbreak, rebellion and a little girl too young to absorb the grown-up world around her. Although Smith's book was long, there were no unnecessary scenes, and she insinuates plenty to ensure you are aware of the adult world Francie Nolan is forced to grow up in - from her Aunt Sissy, a "bad girl", to the stoning of a neighborhood woman who "got in trouble". Francie's life is also filled with strong female role models like her aunt Sissy - her mother, grandmother and two aunts are described as being made of "invisible steel" and often overshadow the men in their lives. Francie grows into one of these woman as she gradually gains her mother's respect and equality as a woman, and revisits her childhood as an adult. Great novel, I wasn't bored for a minute.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (May 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061120073
ISBN-13: 978-0061120077