Zeitoun and The Lacuna

If Dave Eggers wrote the original Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, he's followed it up as an adult with even more heartbreaking works: What is the What a few years ago and Zeitoun in the past year or so.  It might be too soon for some to read a non-fiction account of a family's post-Katrina life in New Orleans.  If that family is Muslim, it might put anyone over the edge.  After sitting on my shelf for a year, I picked it up only because it's the current book club pick. I didn't know if I was ready to cry through the entire story.
The cover is an illustration, but could be any number of photographs that came out the days following the hurricane and levee breaks...a man in a canoe, gliding through the streets.  The man is Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian immigrant who owns a contracting business along with his wife, Kathy.  Eggers writes about their lives in a journalistic fashion.  He fills in the day-to-day life of a hard working father of five with brief backgrounds of Zeitoun's life in Syria and Kathy's life as a younger woman in New Orleans (including her decision to convert to Islam).  Kathy and Zeitoun watched the weather reports leading up to Katrina's attack on the gulf coast much as we all did, but most of us didn't have to decide weather or not to evacuate and most of us didn't have to come home to houses completely inundated.  Even fewer of us chose to stay in New Orleans, as Zeitoun did, witnessing trapped neighbors, looting, interrogations by the law and the lawless.
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver is a different account of so called law in the guise of public safety but 50 years earlier.  It's a fictional account of William Harrison, an American who grew up in Mexico and ended up working for Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera as a kind of jack of all trades-- sometimes plaster mixer, sometimes cook, sometimes confidante to Mrs. Kahlo.  Frida has become such an iconoclast that it was hard to believe her conversations with Harrison.  I had trouble seeing where Kingsolver was going at times-- why so much background on Harrison's mother? It was a 600+ page book and at times I felt like I wouldn't make it through.  But then there was a turning point.  When Kingsolver devoted the second half of the book to Harrison as popular author and quiet bachelor in a small Southern town, the story became compelling.  Kahlo and and Rivera are too big to compete with and Harrison deserves to stand on his own, and he does.  In a short time we learn that he is targeted as a Communist, quotes from his fiction are attributed to him, out of context, and no matter what, the US government will bring him down.  Kingsolver is a bit heavy handed in her allusions to current government control and persecution (read Zeitoun) but Harrison is a complete and sympathetic character. I felt the same helplessness with Harrison as I did with Zeitoun.
These may not be the best reads for conspiracy theorists...or maybe they're the best reads for all of us. 5 and 4 stars respectively.

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

A certain Evil Twin is contributing this post on The Know-it-All by AJ Jacobs. I'm thankful for this because a) I have been too busy to read, b) too busy to post anything I have read and c) I like Evil Twin #1 (and #2).  To bring home the point that we do not share the same taste in books, I have subsituted the normal cover shot of a book with a pie chart.  --And

 

For the most part, my taste in books is the exact opposite from Steph's and Andrea's. So it should have been no surprise, when I wrote to Andrea about enjoying the Know-it-All, that her reaction was less than favorable. Normally, biographies are my favorite. Seldom do I get to laugh out loud on a plane packed with people, while reading one of my non fiction dry biographies. But then again this book is not meant to be a serious read.
AJ Jacobs starts a quest to finish the entire Encyclopaedia Brittanica from cover to cover. Maybe that is where he won me over, as I spent many an hour with our Encyclopaedia Brittanicas as a young child. In this absurd endeavor, we see the root of his insecurities, a brilliant father, who is quirky and fun, his nemesis/brother-in-law, who is more successful than him, and the number one failure, his inability to sire a child with his ever patient wife. Most of the encyclopaedia facts that pepper the pages are simply a device to illustrate all these insecurities in detail.
The Know-it-All won't change your life, it won't make you cry, and it may fill your head with random factoids. It is fun read meant for the beach or a plane, a place where you can giggle without making a huge ass of yourself.

A DOG'S PURPOSE- by w. bruce cameron

I picked this book up without knowing much about it. As is always the case, the "new york times bestseller" label drew me in, but the fact that my sister recently adopted my first "dog nephew" Rupert, also piqued my interest.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Bailey (a dog), and despite my initial cynicism towards this approach, I found that it worked quite well. Bailey tells the readers about events from a dog's perspective, and as humans, we can make inferences as to what may be happening "in real life". The story begins with Bailey and his family surviving on scraps as strays. They're soon caught and brought to live among other ex-strays at some sort of pseudo-shelter run by a loving woman until it's shut down by the state. The story then progresses through Bailey's multiple reincarnations as he realizes his ultimate purpose.
This book was well written from a unique perspective, and despite my stringent "anti-cry" attitude, I found myself tearing up regularly. Reading this book made me think differently about dogs and made me appreciate them much more. If my schedule would allow it, Rupert would already have a cousin.
Netflix rating? 5/5 stars.

SARAH'S KEY- by tatiana de rosnay

I was craving a good read and a friend suggested this one. When I stopped at Borders after jury duty to pick it up, the cashier said "this is supposed to be fantastic!". Though she hadn't read it, I was encouraged by her strong response, and started it on the T ride home.
The story switches between the perspectives of Sarah, a ten year old Jewish girl living in Paris in 1942 and Julia, a 45 year old American journalist living in Paris in 2002 with her French husband of 15 years and their eleven year old daughter, Zoe. Sarah and her family are rounded up in the Vel' d'Hiv- the Nazi driven effort carried out by French police that sent thousands of Jewish families living in France to extermination camps. We follow her story from the initial arrest to transport between holding locations, separation from family, and arrival at a camp in Beaune-la-Rolande.
As the sixtieth anniversary approaches, Julia is given the assignment of writing an commemorative article about the Vel' d'Hiv. She realizes how little people know about the roundup, and how little French citizens are willing to discuss what they do know. As she digs into the past, she learns things that change her current relationships and outlook on what is important in life.
I loved this book. I found myself reading late into the night without falling asleep (something that's almost unheard of for me), and itching to read anytime I could. The emotional connection I felt to the characters and outcome was stronger than I usually find. The author's progression between characters and periods was smooth and well thought out, and the ending tied up appropriately without being too idealistic.
Netflix rating? 5/5 stars.

SOMETHING BORROWED- by emily giffin

After a two year hiatus during which I began and finished grad school, I have again found time to read for my own enjoyment! I borrowed this book from a friend after finishing another one earlier than expected. Though it wouldn't typically be at the top of my list, I was primed for an easy read- something entertaining, but not too thought provoking. The fact that this book has been made into a movie featuring Kate Hudson, John Krasinski, and Ginnifer Goodwin (to be released in 2011) made it slightly more appealing.
The story follows Rachel and Darcy, best friends since childhood now in their late 20's living in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the "good girl"- smart, hard working, loyal- while Darcy is the beautiful, popular, and lucky one. The story starts out in a Manhattan bar for Rachel's 30th birthday. Darcy has planned the party, and though all are having a good time, the attention is as usual, focused on Darcy. After dancing on the bar and realizing she's had too much to drink, Darcy is dropped home by her fiance, Dex, who returns to the bar to help celebrate. At the end of the night, Dex takes a drunk Rachel home and they end up in bed together. The next morning, a horrified Rachel decides to put the one night stand behind her, wanting to preserve her lifelong friendship with Darcy and feeling that Dex would never chose plain Rachel over gorgeous Darcy. However, Rachel realizes that things are not always so straightforward, and struggles to do what she knows is right.
This book was a fairly predictable and mindless read, but I found it entertaining regardless. Definitely worth a read if you're in the mood for some chick lit.
Netflix rating? 3/5 stars.

The Lonely Polygamist

The absolute worst job I ever had was the summer after my sophomore year of college, the summer I turned 21.  I lived with my family in suburban Seattle, and made minimum wage working in the school age "classroom" of a daycare.  There were more than 20 kids who ranged in age from 7-12 and the other provider who worked with me had just as much experience working with kids as I did, which is to say, none.  Not only did we have no curriculum, but these were the worst behaved kids I had ever interacted with.  Their moods ranged from ennui to rage and of course the best ones never got our attention.  It takes a lot for me to lose my temper with kids, but they tried me and more than once I had to leave the room and cry in the kitchen.  And for two days that summer I lost my voice completely, although I had no other physical signs that would lead to that; I simply could not talk, scream, reason, beg anymore.

Russell was one of the worst kids.  Although it amazes me that by age 8 a kid can be branded as "bad", Russell was just that.  He would yell, destroy the classroom and fight with other kids.  Only once did my heart warm to him; he was looking for a lunch box he'd brought and was frantic.  I asked him what was in it that was so important and he looked at me with tearful eyes and replied, "treats!"  It reminded me that he was just a kid and really did have simple desires.
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall is the story of Golden, his four wives and two dozen children and the landscape of Nevada.  Rusty is one of the children, a 12 year old who is branded a terror by his own family.  Of course he terrorizes his brothers and sisters for attention and wishes for nothing more than a hug from his mom-- his own version of a lunchbox filled with treats.  He meets and befriends June, a loner who makes firecrackers and is building a bomb shelter.  June recognizes Rusty as a younger version of himself and as such, realizes there's really no place for him in this offshoot of the Mormon church.  The reader recognizes that those who do fit in are those fled from previous lives with even fewer options.
Mr. Udall crafts this story (and reading it, you realize he is a master storyteller) through the eyes of Golden, who is pulled in so many directions he just cannot make any decisions, Rusty, who is doomed from conception and Trish, the 4th wife whose grief over a stillborn baby never lets her integrate with the other wives.  I was amazed I could empathize with a man with 4 wives and dozens of children, or a plural wife or a 12 year old boy.  But they were all just looking for connections, which ironically couldn't be found.  I hadn't thought about Russell in years, but realize that he must be around 18 now.  I wonder if he turned out okay.  I kind of doubt it.
I have to look through what I've read this year, but I think this the best book of the year.  5/5 netflix stars.

A Visit from the Goon Squad

It's unusual for a book to get the same kind of pre-release press that a movie does.  Books don't have a limited theatre engagement and they rarely, if ever, spawn a merchendising frenzy (unless they are Twilight and/or books made into movies).  But every year there's a couple that stand out, usually because they are big name authors or because the author has taken so long to write something new. Because a book takes more time to read than it takes to watch a movie, I usually feel pretty smug after reading the current "it" book (like Netherland, or, A Gate At The Stairs). Since Freedom hadn't been released yet, I was stuck reading A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan.

Reading the reviews I knew that Egan had taken her time to deliver a near multi-media event-- layers of time, voices and even a penultimate chapter in PowerPoint (surprisingly effective).  Sure, the book was just challenging enough, but it also read really quickly, not unlike the power punk songs Benny and his friends played at the beginning of the book.  Egan took stock stereotypes (drug addled wannabe musicians and the groupies that follow them) and turned them inside out, revealing parents, children and even countries making them become real people.  If we can't identify with Sasha as a messed up runaway, maybe we empathize with her as a mother of two kids who lost her best friend in college and never got over it.

I hope A Visit from the Goon Squad is more than a flash in the pan--it, and Ms. Egan- -deserve to be read and respected. 5/5 netflix stars.