Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, by Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben’s "economics of environmentalism" book fully covered the community crisis surrounding our world today. From the economics of happiness to environmental stability, his text flowed smoothly from eating local to lack of community aid in our country to our durable future. He gets straight to the heart of many of these issues, down to the fundamental attitudes that effect our decision making. While McKibben addresses so many of the problems we have in our society quite well, there are holes in his logic.

When it comes to eating locally, he spent a year eating only foods that grew within an hour or two of his home. While that was a great decision, McKibben lives in Vermont – probably one of the densest farm states in the nation. In fact, I think they do have the most farms per square mile of any state in the country. Most of America doesn’t have a fully sustainable (meat, cheese, dairy, egg, fruit and vegetable) CSA farm within an hour of their home, like McKibben does. This doesn’t give us an excuse to eat pineapples in January, but one should realize that eating completely local might not be a realistic goal for most of the country. While I have a fabulous farmer’s market minutes from my home, they do not sell meat, cheese or dairy, so if I ate those and wanted them locally, I’d have to go all the way to Foster to get them, if I could even get them there. McKibben also completely ignores the plight of inner-city communities where fresh food is totally unavailable in any form – he doesn’t even acknowledge that living completely locally simply isn’t realistic for a lot of people. That being said, McKibben has a lot of great ideas that, in my opinion, are fairly realistic solutions to our problems.

McKibben also has a distinct bias. I got some pretty Socialist leanings based on his political commentary. He seems to support forcibly driving out “bad” industries or technologies using laws and regulations. It’s still a good book, but take his opinions with a grain of salt. A lot of issues (taxes, national health care, Social Security) are a lot more complex than simply giving all for the good of the community. (Although, to his credit, when covering politicians’ roles in these issues, he seemed to give fair play to both George Bush and Bill Clinton).

He strikes a good balance when it comes to statistics. He isn’t heavy on them but he provides data along with the anecdotes. However, I don’t trust some of them outright. For example, McKibben stated that as more Wal-Marts arrived in a specific community, those communities grew poorer. That may not be totally accurate – the appearance of the Wal-Marts (to me) signifies a demand for cheap goods, implying an inherent community poverty that would motivate Wal-Mart to open multiple stores within a fairly small area. He also cites a statistic in which “security” outranked any form of “being able to help your children” as a benefit of money – where in my mind, money provides security, partially in the ability to help your children.

While McKibben’s points are good, he has a difficult time pulling what we call in literature a “red thread” – a topic or overarching theme that ties all your evidence or reasoning together. While the book was an enjoyable read, I found myself forgetting his overall message – that we, as a society, need to ease back on economic efficiency so intense that it sacrifices community, family time and our happiness. That we must make our economy less traditionally efficient in order to increase the wealth of our communities, happiness of our citizens and increase both our independence and codependence. And that above all, we need to focus more on improving the quality of life for all human beings, including ourselves, rather than the quantity in our bank accounts.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Later printing edition (March 4, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0805087222

ISBN-13: 978-0805087222

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Forgive, this is a copy/paste of my literary analysis for class. I found it suitable.

You’re born, you live, you die; so what? That’s Kurt Vonnegut’s view on life – at least, as far as anyone reading his 1969 groundbreaker, Slaughterhouse-Five can tell. Told by an omniscient narrator, Slaughterhouse-Five is a true-to-life story about the bombing of Dresden during WWII. Vonnegut’s tone is evident throughout the novel, and many believe the narrator is Vonnegut himself.

Slaughterhouse-Five takes place during WWII, following Billy Pilgrim, a rather flat and distant character as he enters the war and is taken prisoner by enemy forces. As Pilgrim experiences stressful and dangerous situations, he “time travels” to his future and distant planets. Events culminate in the Dresden bombing at the end of the book, and we see Pilgrim towards the end of his life, his madness fully developed at this point. Pilgrim is the only major character in this story. While others are fleshed out, they are mainly stock characters that lack development through the story. Even Pilgrim himself does not grow in any way, a great example of Vonnegut’s irony.

Kurt Vonnegut has a very distinctive tone. His point of view could in fact be best described as “You’re born, you live, you die; so what?” – an expression that fits in very distinctively with his atheism. After every mention of death, dying and destruction, he uses the phrase “so it goes” – as if the death of a character is only as tragic as a bottle of flat champagne. “Major” characters die in ignoble and unexpected ways, representing the eventuality and irony of death – unlike most war novels, in which major characters often die heroically. Sometimes ironic, sometimes satirical and sometimes just sad, Vonnegut’s style evokes a fatalistic version of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Vonnegut experienced a lot of suffering in his life – from his mother’s suicide while he was away during WWII to the schizophrenia and war trauma that plagued him all his life, he was a broken individual. Many modern scholars claim that Vonnegut had post-traumatic stress disorder, another explanation for his use of Billy Pilgrim as a distant projection of himself.

One may question the book’s success as an anti-war novel. Published in 1969, during the height of Vietnam and pacifistic protests, Vonnegut’s novel was explosive almost immediately. Except for the first chapter (told from Vonnegut’s point of view), and the inclusion of a book excerpt lamenting the bombing, Vonnegut never explicitly expresses any anti-war sentiments. Slaughterhouse-Five has enjoyed its success for that very reason. Many scholars have suggested that Billy Pilgrim is, in fact, Kurt Vonnegut – that Pilgrim himself is not a character, but instead is a version of Vonnegut, used so he wouldn’t have to deal with the trauma he suffered during the war. Both show clear symptoms of schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder – Pilgrim’s “time travels” are just hallucinations, brought on by stress and anxiety, and Vonnegut was known to suffer from schizophrenia. Many things he encounters in reality show up later in his delusions (such as the dirty picture of the woman and horse).

This novel can definitely be considered quasi-autobiographical – Pilgrim is only aware of his own thoughts and feelings (of which there are few – a distant relationship between events and emotions is another characteristic of schizophrenics and trauma victims). He not only exhibits the qualities of the same mental illness Vonnegut himself had, but also shares experiences with Vonnegut – after being taken prisoners of war during WWII, both were held captive in a converted slaughterhouse called Slaughterhouse-Five. With Vietnam (and its protestors) raging and the discovery of PTSD, it’s no wonder Slaughterhouse-Five fueled the anger surrounding the war and the mental health of veterans.

Slaughterhouse-Five was a roaring success, and continues to enjoy fame as a modern classic. Depicting horrifying wartime events with his trademark black humor, satire and irony, Vonnegut’s 1969 novel is masterfully subtle, speaking louder than any anti-war diatribe ever did.

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by William McDonough and Michael Braungart

Sorry it's been so long since I posted - I've been busy and this book took 2-3 weeks to come into the library. I'm making my way through my reading list, which contains a lot of nonfiction (Kolbert's climate change novel was also on that list). In a similar thread, Cradle to Cradle is basically about environmentalism, but it absolutely shattered every notion I'd had about being good to the environment. McDonough and Braungart start off talking about the effects the many different products we use on a daily basis have on us. They don't bog down with statistics, chemical or biological terms, but run quickly through some of the hazards of modern chemical living.

One concept I found very interesting was their view on recycling. Braungart, a chemist, explains that to break down soda bottles into rugs or coats, or even more soda bottles, not only are you doing more damage to the environment with chemical processes, risking your own health as these chemicals off-gas into your home and using much more energy than just creating a new bottle, you're "downcycling" the material. An analogy I would like to make is to recycled paper. Compare it to a new piece of virgin paper - recycled paper is grainy, brown, thin and aesthetically very unappealing. This is because turning that used piece of paper into "new" paper, actually downgrades the quality of the material - the same with almost everything we recycle in modern life. They say our products should be designed to be recycled indefinitely, with no effect on quality (which is possible). Braungart and McDonough blow the cover off modern environmentalism, basically stating that we need to redesign the way we live. Being "less bad" by buying recycled paper, "all natural" sheets and using the bus isn't good enough. They want American innovators to design products that are made to be good. Focusing less on what we're taking out of the environment, but how to give back to it. Basically, a version I suppose of their ideal product would be something made of nonharmful, effective and limited "ingredients" that benefits whatever it is meant to be used on, then goes back into the earth and further benefits the ecosystem that lives there. Their design proposition for products basically is this: Think outside the box. Don't work on improving the car - redesign our transportation system so that it eliminates the need for cars entirely.

I would also describe them as "locavores" in that they believe products should be made for individuals, not in a "one size fits all" mentality. They say that laundry soap flakes are made for the hardest job they might have to do, which means they can do anything, but it also means they are too strong for the job they usually have to do. Many people in less developed countries apply these soaps with their hands, in rivers used for bathing and washing. In this situation, these women need gentler soap that will work with the environment they are being used in. They want to design products made to be used in particular situations, suited totally to the needs of one system or group, and that are enjoyable to use. Respect diversity, don't eliminate it.

Another concept they introduce in the book is improving modern manufacturing. They describe the work they did with a Ford factory implementing eco-effective strategies to manage problems from worker happiness to rainwater management. With Braungart and McDonough (and a team of biologists, chemists and toxicologists), Ford cleaned up the dead and polluted soil around the factory using native plants and microrganisms, installed an underground water collection system that would filter water out to local waterways in a safe way. They also installed tons of skylights and windows in their building and implemented new heating and cooling strategies - making the workers much happier and more productive, aesthetically improving their building, and saving thousands on energy costs.

The book was exceptionally well-written, well-organized and easy to read. Their language flowed beautifully and kept the reader interested and in the loop - you won't find dry statistics, charts and technical jargon here. That being said, you must have an interest in environmentalism - it will be boring without one. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone as an essential read - but get it from the library. Although it is made of a durable, waterproof, indefinitely-recyclable and chemically safe synthetic, this technology is new and very expensive.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: North Point Press; 1st edition (April 22, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0865475873
ISBN-13: 978-0865475878

Colleges That Change Lives, by Loren Pope

This is a book I heard about after meeting a professor from Clark (he mentioned that Clark University was included in Pope's list of influential colleges). I bought two copies off Amazon (one for myself and one for my boyfriend), and while I do have some new colleges on my list to tour and consider, I found myself rather underwhelmed.

Pope and I at least agree on something - the racket about the Ivy Leagues. These schools are ridiculously overpriced (unfortunately, setting the standard for tuition rates), and often don't have the quality of education everyone thinks they do. Most often, you are taught by grad students (TAs to professors). Ivy Leagues have great appeal for professors - the promise of research resources without having to teach as much as other schools. Pope endeavored to create a list of the best colleges across the country, based on student satisfaction and graduate paths.

Pope's school listings were wide and varied, but one common theme I found was an abundance of statements like this: "We'd rather have the 2.0 or 3.0 student with mediocre SAT scores and a great character, goals, love of learning and experiences than a straight-A, 4.0 student." Which, to be honest, I would too, were I the dean of admissions at a college. However, I felt myself asking throughout the book, "I AM the straight-A, 4.0 student, who also has great goals and loves learning. What do you have to offer me?" The silence was deafening. This isn't to say these schools have nothing to offer for a student like myself, but they didn't mention too much about it.

My only other complaint about some of these schools is that a great percentage of them are religious schools. Which is fine if you're Methodist or Presbyterian, but I would prefer a nonreligious school. One school I found (Wheaton College) was Christian, but nondenominational (on my list). But for the most part, all religious schools were Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic or evangelical fundamentalist. All in all, I give Pope's collection of schools a mediocre rating. It definitely changed the way I thought about college, but didn't go anywhere with that change in thinking. This is definitely a book to take out from the library, but probably not worth the investment to own.

Overall: 4 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Revised edition (July 25, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143037366
ISBN-13: 978-0143037361

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change, by Elizabeth Kolbert

Elizabeth Kolbert's nonfiction book, Field Notes from a Catastrophe provides an honest, factual and comprehensive look at climate change in today's world. From Alaskan villages to South American jungles, Kolbert details the devastating effects of pollution on today's world - in places where it's already happening. While the book is quite dry for anyone not interested in climate change, it is a crucial and encompassing work that will leave any reader better informed. Kolbert cites a lot of facts and figures in her book, but don't be alarmed if they aren't true - it is five or six years old, so I wouldn't take any of her numbers as fact before checking them yourself. Kolbert interviews many experts on the subject of climate change. She is also very factual when addressing the causes and solutions to many problems, but doesn't shy away from politics either. While many would say that climate change is a "leftist" issue, purported only by fear-mongering Democrats (and yes, Kolbert was a writer for the New York Times), she gives fair recognition to politicians of all stripes. She expresses disappointment at the Bush administration's handle on climate issues, but also praises Senator John McCain for supporting and introducing strong climate legislation in the Senate. She also addresses the arguments of global warming disbelievers, and explains the faults in a respectful but comprehensive way. Among all Kolbert's warnings of future devastation, hope is present. She spends an entire chapter detailing the efforts of Burlington, Vermont to make their town more eco-friendly. This rather large town has worked hard to reduce their carbon emissions by over 175,000 tons in 16 years. Their electricity use has dropped by 1%, while the rest of Vermont has risen by 15% (so a total 16% savings). Her book provides a clear, focused and wide-sweeping look at the effects of climate change (from melting ice sheets to extinct Costa Rican toads), to our future losses, to solutions to the problems facing the next generation. While not quite as passionate as other climate-related books, Field Notes from a Catastrophe is a hard look at our energy future, and the changes that need to be made for our planet, our children and future.

Happy birthday!

Happy late birthday to your favorite (or at least my favorite....) literary blog! We turned 1 in July, but I missed it, so here's a belated birthday message! To another great year. :)

The Resurrection Casket, by Justin Richards

The Resurrection Casket is a Dr. Who novel that my dad passed on to me. I have my reservations about these "fanfictions that knew someone", and this book was definitely not the one to try and prove me wrong. The premise started out interesting enough - a futuristic UK that has developed through time without using electricity and modern technology because of a mysterious interference field surrounding this area (aptly named Starfall). Steam-operated robots and spaceships, the whole nine yards. Sort of a steampunk geek's futuristic dreamworld. Starfall was once terrorized by a space pirate named Hamlek Glint and his crew of merciless pirate robots. Pirates, robots, time travel, planets, treasure and spaceships? Yeah. If a 12-year-old nerd could have thrown up any more all over this book, please, let me know how in the comments. Honestly, this book started out tolerable - the Doctor and Rose get stuck in Starfall because of the "zeg" (mysterious technology-slaughtering interference field), and have to find a way to get out. After hearing tales at the local pub (of course) about Hamlek Glint's lost treasure, several men are mysteriously murdered after selling fake artifacts to local collectors. The Doctor and Rose meet a few interesting yet stereotypical characters in their search for the killer:

Jimm: The precocious, mysterious ten-year-old who likes to hang around the pub with his half-robot friend Silver Sally.

Silver Sally: A half-robot barkeep.

Bobb: Jimm's protective yet aging uncle with a strong interest and expertise in Glint's treasure.

Drel McCavity: A local wealthy man with a strong interest in Glint's treasure but no expertise. Is a tad off his rocker after his wife, Larissa, left him for someone else.

So long story short, leaving the murders wide open, the Doctor and Rose commission a ship with Sally, Bobb, McCavity, and some of Sally's robot friends to hunt down Glint's ship and treasure (including the famed Resurrection Casket - if you can't figure that one out on your own I'm not explaining it). The Doctor and Rose intend to get out of the zeg so they can get the TARDIS working again. Before leaving, the Doctor meets the commissioned killer of the con artists, who tries to kill the Doctor, but is extremely apologetic. This "monster" is by far the most ridiculous creature I have ever heard of. He is an multidimensional hitman who hates his job and is being tagged into killing several Starfall residents. His mysteriously unknown master has "Kevin" at his beck and call. He often defies "monster" stereotypes by talking about his "hobbies", like sudoku and crossword puzzles. I can't make this stuff up.

After hiding in a cupboard aboard the steam spaceship, Rose finds out *gasp* that Sally and her pals are former Glint pirates, and that they have smuggled Jimm aboard. After a dumb mistake that alerts Sally to her eavesdropping, the pirates come after the crew, chasing them all around the ship in a game of cat and mouse. They find the casket, and (another SURPRISE), McCavity's wife Larissa is the one left in it, not Glint. She's dead of course (McCavity killed her) because according to the Doctor, the "Resurrection Casket" evidently doesn't resurrect you at all. FAIL. Leaving it totally open-ended as to how she got into the casket, Richards continues with his story. Eventually it is revealed that the casket uses living tissue to turn its contents back into a baby. So Glint was released from his casket as a baby by his mate Robbie. Robbie is Bobb and Jimm is baby Glint (clearly explaining his precocious intellect and ability to comprehend completely adult concepts like philosophy and relationships). More surprising explanations and eventually hugs are exchanged and the Doctor and Rose sail off into the sunset in the TARDIS.

Richards clearly has no grasp on humor, plots or good story-telling period. The dialogue was stilted and the humor was forced, cheesy and terrible. Plot holes were completely left wide open and the story itself was shaky to begin with. I love the steampunk universe concept and think Richards could have run with it in so many different directions, but honestly I don't think he could have intentionally written it worse.

Overall: 2 out of 10.

Details:

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Random House UK; hardcover edition (June 13, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0563486422
ISBN-13: 978-0563486428

Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet

Born on a Blue Day is the extraordinary true story of a young man who experiences many setbacks in life - besides having Asperger's syndrome, as a young child Daniel suffered from epilepsy. Some scientists have suggested his seizures caused his savant syndrome (think Rain Man), a condition linked to his synethesia (a condition in which numbers, letters and words are perceived as shapes, emotions and colors). Tammet relied heavily on his parents growing up. He was sensitive to loud noises, certain textures, and had a difficult time learning. They helped him in whatever way they could to make his life more comfortable. He had a difficult time brushing his teeth, hating the sound and sensation. As a teenager and adult, shaving was incredibly difficult. Daniel socialized mainly with his many brothers and sisters. They aided in his care, and he learned how to work in groups, compromise, and problem-solve. However, he still could not make friends at school. He sat by himself at recess time, and played with his imaginary friend, an older woman named Anne. When he did make friends, he lost them quickly with annoying behaviors, such as standing very close to them, not making conversation or even feigning interest in their hobbies. He was different from the other children in many ways, and knew their experience of life was vastly different from his own. Interestingly, he suggests this helped him as a young adolescent, discovering he was gay. It did not bother him as much as other children - he already knew he was different, and had come to terms with it. After graduating high school, Daniel really didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. Instead of going to college, he travelled abroad to Lithuania as a volunteer English teacher. There, he discovered his speed language-learning abilities, and got in touch with other gay couples to learn more about himself as a person. Upon returning to the U.S., Daniel met his current partner online, which taught him more about himself and depending upon another person. After meeting and eventually moving in with Neil, he had a difficult time finding a job - something apparently not unique among individuals with autism. Using Neil's skills as a software developer, Daniel developed a language-learning software online. Today, he still operates the software, but has written several books and been involved with the production of a documentary. He describes how he learns and views language, and includes information on different studies and scientific discoveries regarding how people learn language. He also talks about his own language, the one he invented. Daniel describes the process he went through learning the digits of pi - to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation, he learned and recited over 22,500 numbers. After this amazing feat, a documentary crew contacted him, looking to make a documentary (Brainman) about savant syndrome. Daniel travelled all over the world, met scientists and researchers, and Kim Peek - the inspiration for Dustin Hoffman's character Rain Man. This led to his book and an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He also describes briefly his journey to Christianity, before ending the autobiography with, "Everyone is said to have a perfect moment once in a while.... I imagine these moments as fragments or splinters scattered across a lifetime. If a person could somehow collect them all up and stick them together he would have a perfect hour or even a perfect day....he would be closer to the mystery of what it is to be human. It would be like having a glimpse of heaven."

Tammet's memoir is profound, touching, moving and thought-provoking. It provides a glimpse into one of today's most extraordinary minds and a unique perspective on a life most of us take for granted.

Details and resources:

http://www.optimnem.co.uk/

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Free Press (October 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416549013
ISBN-13: 978-1416549017

Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Their Self-Respect and Find it's Not Bad to be Good, by Wendy Shalit

I received this book recently in the mail, but it took me a while to finish it. Basically the premise of Wendy Shalit's book is new feminism. She believes that a new generation of girls are reclaiming the self-respect that has gradually been lost since women's sexual liberation was first introduced. While Shalit never denounces female sexual liberation, she points out that basically now, we have reverted back to what original feminism fought to change - the image of women as sex objects. However, she argues, the solution to men sexualizing women is not to sexualize yourself. Instead, it is to respect yourself, dress modestly, and behave modestly. I was somewhat surprised, however, to realize Shalit was not advocating going back to the buttoned-up cardigans and docile housewives of the 1950s. From everything she said, she was in full support of women's complete liberation. However, today's sexy bad girl is less of a feminist than her predecessors - by dressing sexy and offering sexual favors, girls are really only pleasing men. Statistics show that many of these girls are not being fulfilled themselves. The real road to sexual liberation and control, Wendy Shalit says, is to attract the right kind of guy. Basically the tried and true motto: If you dress like trash, what do you think you'll attract? By dressing modestly and respecting yourself, Shalit thinks most guys will focus more on what's coming out of your mouth than what's spilling out of your clothes.

I don't agree with Shalit on everything. She thinks there is a very large modesty movement afoot in the United States, which I think is not the case. She supplies great examples of average teenagers making good choices and standing up for themselves (like Ella Gunderson, the eleven-year-old girl who sent a letter to Nordstrom, asking for more modest clothing, and the Girlcotters that started a nationwide boycott of Abercrombie and Fitch, after the well-known retailer printed T-shirts with messages like, "Who needs brains when you have these?"). However, the vast majority of the teenage population does not subscribe to modesty theory, and as a teenager I don't really feel any less put-upon by society to be sexy and sleep around. She also thinks abstinence-only education is the only "responsible" education choice, with which I disagree. Morals start at home - honestly, I don't think most teenagers pay much attention to their sex education classes, except for the information they want to know. I think abstinence education would fall on deaf ears, and leave us with a less-educated teen populace than we have now. A populace that would still be going out and having sex - but less safely. Morality education starts at home, with good family role models that have open and frank discussions with their children. Ignorance is not the same as morality.

Overall, Shalit's book was alright. Sometimes it felt like it was preaching to the choir, sometimes it dragged and sometimes it just didn't make sense.

Overall: 5 out of 10.

Details:

Hardcover
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE (2007)
ASIN: B00136USH0

Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton

Wharton's classic novel centers around a wealthy society man, Newland Archer, in 1870s New York. Archer is engaged to be married, but when he meets a European woman fleeing from her abusive husband, his eyes are opened and he discovers that there is more to life than society.

Edith Wharton's novel is definitely sending a bold message. It closely mirrors her own life and experiences - Wharton married a society man that she had little in common with. Wharton found her husband spending their money on younger women. Devastated by this betrayal, she fled to Paris and began an extramarital affair with journalist Morton Fullerton. In her journal, she describes her romantic and intellectual involvement with Fullerton as fulfilling everything that had been missing in “the greatest mistake of her life” (her marriage). After divorcing her husband, she moved permanently to Europe.

Unfortunately, Wharton's novel dragged on at times. She went into great detail describing architecture and other unnecessary material details. However, her thought is appreciated - writing this novel in the 1920s, she needed to go into detail to recreate a world that no longer existed. Age of Innocence ended on a somewhat depressing, yet, somehow fulfilling note. I praise her for her ability to leave the reader fully closed as to the love story without going into all sorts of unnecessary details and dialogue.

While Wharton's book dragged on in spots, and I felt an accomplishment at finishing it, her writing has definitely placed a new perspective for me on certain contemporary issues.

Overall: 6 out of 10.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics; illustrated edition edition (January 16, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593080743
ISBN-13: 978-1593080747

If I'd Known Then...., edited by Ellyn Spragins

This book is a collection of letters from famous and successful women to themselves in their teens and early 20s. Featuring women like Magali Amadei (an actress/model who struggled with bulimia as a teen), Vida Khadem (a film-maker/artist) and artist Tara McPherson, If I'd Known Then is a great collection of advice for a huge range of problems - from following one's dreams to stories of escaping physical abuse, to dealing with the traumatizing death of a friend. I found the book inspiring, yet occasionally cliche. Several women I knew by name interested me greatly, but some of the letters were repetitive and dispensed only "run-of-the-mill advice": "Don't let anyone tell you your dreams are wrong", "Follow your dreams at all costs", etc. Some of the advice, however, felt touching and close to the truth, from women who had gone through adolescence and college.

I would definitely recommend it - it's a great idea and a great book.

Details:

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 21, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0738211206
ASIN: B001L5T2DY

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

I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

I recently read "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak for a teen book group (which is now, unfortunately, no longer going on). The premise is rather interesting, but somewhat cliched - an antihero of an underage cab driver finds a way to make his life meaningful. He receives several playing cards in the mail with clues for him to use to help people. This young man then puzzles out all the clues and goes through a journey of self-growth to provide the individuals on the cards with the assistance they need. However, Zusak did not deliver on the origin of the cards. While ordinarily I would have said Zusak should have followed up on where the cards came from, I felt it was not the point of the book. Intentionally or not, the story was more about Ed and his vigilante ways - not where or whom the playing cards came from. While it provided a convenient delivery mechanism for the cards, trying to throw in the "Big Brother" agents felt like a cop-out and an unnecessary one at that. It was completely unnecessary and cheapened the purpose of the book.

Overall: 6/7 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 9, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375836675
ISBN-13: 978-0375836671

Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, by Jimmy Carter

I originally picked up this book on a whim at the library, but it was actually pretty good. While I don't really agree with Jimmy Carter on a few things politically, I think it is important to understand other people's opinions. He tackles a lot of hot-button issues, such as women's rights, gay marriage, abortion, the death penalty, the environment, and foreign policy. While I don't like how Carter blames Republicans far too much (and doesn't blame Democrats for really anything), I think he has a lot of good points and ideas, and approaches problems with a realistic point of view. Now, it should be noted that Carter talks quite a bit about his faith - both about his past as a Southern Baptist and his separation from the sect as they became more radical. So if you're offended by those sorts of things, don't read this book. He also talks quite a bit about the Carter Center's humanitarian efforts in Africa. This was very interesting to me to learn about the different challenges faced in Africa - from AIDS, hunger, poverty, sanitation and disease. It inspired my African History term paper, which I guess is another bonus!

Details:

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 26, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743285018
ISBN-13: 978-0743285018

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison

I read this book for my teen book group, although it had been recommended to me beforehand. I hate to steal words out of another reviewer's mouth, but I have found after reading this book that how I look at the world has changed (in a good way). Robison (brother of Augusten Burroughs, of Running with Scissors fame) relives his childhood, adolescence, and journey into adulthood - living both with a dysfunctional family, and Asperger's - a form of autism for which there simply was no diagnosis. Before I continue, I should expand a little on Asperger's itself. Asperger's syndrome is a form of high-functioning autism. Children with Asperger's usually demonstrate intense concentration and interests (for Robison, this was electronics), and generally have a difficult time socializing and making friends. Robison talks a lot about his struggles in the book - from making friends as a child, to escaping his family as an adolescent, to being accepted in society and finding his place in the working world as an adult. Robison adds a fresh point of view on subjects many people experience in their own lives - married life, fatherhood, finding one's place in the world and being accepted. He also explains experiences unique to him - living with an abusive father and mentally unstable mother, living on his own as a teenager and being diagnosed at the age of forty. His persistent wit and unique perspective on life add humor to a very serious subject. One thing I like about Robison is that he tells his story like it is - he does not milk his experiences for emotional heartwrench. Instead, he lets his story speak for itself (and I do distinctly remember crying at different points throughout the book). I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone (although there is a lot of swearing, so maybe not for everyone). Definitely one of my favorite reads.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition (September 9, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307396185
ISBN-13: 978-0307396181

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie has definitely become one of my favorite authors. Her most well-known book is arguably Murder on the Orient Express, but for my book club, I tried Ackroyd for that very reason. Christie is a fabulous writer, weaving her tale so expertly, she is a rarity in the mystery genre. Never once did I feel "cheated" by her like with some authors - withholding a vital piece of information or not introducing a crucial character until later. I was extremely satisfied with her ending, revelation and explanation. Christie gives you and Hercule Poirot, her famous detective, every single piece of information necessary to solve the crime, but the murderer (while I will not reveal his or her identity) is absolutely the last person you would suspect of the crime. Her clever use of narration, lies and red herrings is masterful, enthralling her reader in her story and taking them exactly where she wants them to be. I love mystery books, but I have not yet found an author who doesn't trick me into being unable to solve the crime. I would recommend her to anyone hooked on such mystery books - the comparison is like recommending fresh, seasonal fruit to someone who only eats those crappy Jello-with-fruit chunks things. Christie is a master at her craft and I will definitely be reading more of her in the future.

Overall grade: 10 out of 10. Fabulous.

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (September 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1579126278
ISBN-13: 978-1579126278