Looking for Alaska (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Since my kids are so enamored of this author, I felt obligated to read yet another of his books.  This one, a story about Miles, a previously nerdy boy who has come to a prep school to seek the “Great Perhaps,” is actually quite good.  Miles’s roommate, “the Colonel” takes him under his wing and introduces him to Alaska, a beautiful, smart, extremely distraught student who lives down the hall.  Together, they create mischief (staging pranks) and share experiences until the “Before” becomes the “After.”  There is a turning point at which the story turns upside-down and it is a matter of finding their “way out of the labyrinth.”  Very philosophical and interesting analysis of exactly what that labyrinth really represents.

This is very well-written and in my opinion, appeals to a wider audience than just the young adult.  Anyone who’s ever been a teenager can relate to the types of problems that these characters encounter, although hopefully they have not had the sort of “before” and “after” that took place here.

Good book!

The Sacrifice of Tamar (migrated from Bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

The Sacrifice of Tamar by Naomi Ragen

I should probably digest this book more before writing this blog entry…  there is so much to it.  The basic story is about Tamar, the good, obedient daughter of an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish family who after marrying a righteous, law-abiding Hassid, is raped by a black man.  She is so terrified to tell anyone for fear that she might be cut off or humiliated in some way, that she proceeds as planned to her mikvah, goes home to her husband, and pretends that nothing has happened.  Of course, about a month later, she notes that her period is late and she is in a panic.  What should she do?  What if this is her husband’s baby?  What if it isn’t?

In her turmoil, she turns to the 2 women who were always there for her, in a sense.  Her friend Hadassah, the rebellious daughter of the highly honored Rebbe, and her friend Jenny, who has chosen her faith along with her value of education and independance.  Each gives a voice to the various sides of the religion debate, and each is articulate and smart.  Hadassah, taken with the colorful choices in the world that are not allowed by the restrictive lifestyle of the ultra-faithful, seems to drift from one distraction to another without a purpose.  On the other hand, Tamar gives voice to the law and closed religious society, which gives structure and purpose, in spite of the choking need to hide anything that isn’t perfect, anything that will ruin a reputation and standing in the community.  Somewhere in between is the voice of Jenny, the voice that questions and seeks knowledge and individuality, but also loves the good teachings of the Torah, the ethics and the humanity that can be found there.

There is a lot of discussion of who is really faithful and good and who just gives the appearance of what is good.  Will Josh, Tamar’s husband come through and do what is good or will he obey the law, as Tamar sees it?  Will Tamar herself ever stop being hypocritical and stop hiding herself and her truth so that she can finally be happy and not criticize everyone else?

Again, Naomi Ragen has written another book that exposes the paradoxes of the religious Jewish community, where there is true beauty and there is also true ugliness.  A lot to think about!

I Still Dream About You (migrated from bookblogger)

Posted on by marjorieseidenfeld

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

Eh.  Not my favorite…  This slightly weird story is about a woman in her 60’s who is planning to kill herself.  She is a former Miss Alabama and has had some disappointments in her life that have brought her to a place where she’s decided that the pro’s of living do not outweigh the cons.  However, her plan keeps getting interrupted by the various goings on in her work life.  Between the possible sale of her dream estate by her arch rival realtor and her best friend possibly having a heart attack, her plans get derailed.  But of course, she learns that things happen for a reason — and a good one at that.

In my opinion, Flagg (remember her?  Hollywood Squares…) is a very mediocre writer and the story is trite.  It’s a light read, though, and somewhat engaging and I guess if you are looking for an easy summer read, this fits the bill.  Better to look elsewhere, though…

The Temple of Gold (migrated from bookblogger)

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The Temple of Gold by William Goldman

This book, written by the author of The Princess Bride, was recommended to me by my daughter, who read it in her English class.  This story is about the coming of age of a young man named Ray Euripides Trevitt in a Chicago suburb in the 1950’s.  We first meet him as he forges a close friendship with his new next door neighbor, Zock.  The 2 of them begin their teens together innocently enough until tragedy befalls them.  The story tells of Ray’s struggle to cope in a family who does not discuss how to do this.

The voice of Ray is extremely effective.  He is blunt, sometimes crude, but always honest to the core.  He is very much a product of his time and circumstance and gives the reader a very interesting glimpse of life in the 1950’s.  Many refer to it as a simpler time, but as we see here, life has never been simple really.  Not for most, anyway.

This book is very engaging, the characters very real and 3-dimensional, and I wish I could’ve read it in a class, because I’m sure the discussions would be great!

Super Sad True Love Story (migrated from bookblogger)

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Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

I just finished this book and I’m still unsure as to whether I liked it or not.  It almost felt like work to read.  The love story between Lenny Abromov and Eunice Park begins with a fling in Italy during time abroad for both of them and continues as they return to a futuristic New York.  This new New York exists in a United States which has been demoted as a world power and is essentially a police state, which Lenny is learning the hard way.  In a very clever way, Shteyngart has taken familiar tidbits of our media-laden culture and driven them forward.  People wear “apparati” around their necks, essentially a cellphone-like device that not only streams broadcasts of individuals ranting and newscasts (much like our Facebook), but also is capable of projecting everything from your current net worth to your cholesterol levels.  There is some sarcasm in this but there is also a very dismal look toward our future, as this story unfolds.

I think the reason this book felt like work to read was that not only was the overall outlook so daunting, but the characters, mainly Lenny and Eunice, were not even very likable.  I was curious to hear what would come of New York City more than what would come of Lenny and Eunice.  I think the so-called love that existed between Lenny and Eunice was the kind of stupid love that existed between Romeo and Juliette (another unexplainable love story) — it just doesn’t make any sense.  Lenny sees her and is infatuated with her and she treats him like dirt and he continues to love her .  And then she begins to love him!

The book is extremely imaginative and interesting for its foresight and criticisms of our current culture.  It makes a strong statement about our current lack of value for education and reading and our constant need for media of any type.  However, it would have been more engaging if the characters had more charm and if their super sad love story was just a little more true.

Wedding Night (migrated from bookblogger)

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Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

I love Sophie Kinsella!  She can always be counted on to supply a light-hearted, fun read with a convoluted plot line that gradually untwists into an utterly happy ending.  And Wedding Night does not disappoint!

Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, cannot sit by and watch Lottie commit yet another “Unfortunate Choice,” Fliss’s name for the extreme reactions Lottie’s had after previous bad break-ups.  Unfortunately, Fliss seems to be having her own severe reaction, to the point where she’s orchestrating disaster on Lottie’s honeymoon in order to protect her.

There’s a lot of wincing and “oh, no’s” while you are reading this, but a lot of giggling as well.  It’s not Shakespeare, but it is great fun.  Perfect for the beach this summer!

All the Pretty Horses (migrated from bookblogger)

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All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

This book was recommended by a colleague at work as a very “masculine book,” and that is quite accurate.  It is the coming of age story of John Grady and his friend Rawlins, two teenage boys from Texas who ride their horses into Mexico in order to escape their family situations, and who find themselves in even stickier ones.  The story is gritty and rough, with harsh descriptions of the varying conditions they endured.  But there are many very tender moments full of strong emotions.

The writing style is what stands out in this book.  McCarthy is king of the run-on sentence, but it works in the context of this story, somehow.  It is a rambling, prose, perhaps reminiscent of the ambling of the horses as they carry the characters over mile after mile.  And the lengthy descriptions contrast with the minimalist dialogue between the characters.  When John Grady speaks, his words are pointed and the reader almost craves his words as keys to unlock what he must be thinking about all that he endures.

The other interesting aspect of this book is the inside view of life in Mexico, of which I have personally not read a lot about.  There is a bit of the culture and the history that squeaks through and it gives the story that much more context.  Unfortunately, since I never studied Spanish, I found myself frequently frustrated that many lines of dialogue were written in Spanish with no English translation.  Thank goodness for Google Translator is all I can say!

I think that while I did like this book and found it meaningful, I think this is the kind of book that would be great to read in a class, where we might analyze the plot further and learn about the symbolism of the characters.  I am sure there is more to it than I could even imagine.

Loving Frank (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

This dramatic work of historical fiction is about the love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and one of his clients, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Both married with children, they were drawn together as they planned the house that he build for Mamah and her husband, and in spite of efforts to avoid an affair, they could not deny that they had fallen in love. The resultant relationship between the two was both poetic and tragic, as they both had to sacrifice most of what they treasured in order to have each other. As they strived for honesty in love, they had to endure the anger and the judgement of others.

Admittedly, I judged them/her too. I confess that as I sympathized with her yearning for true love and for the freedom she craved to be with the man she loved, I was angry with her too for leaving her children for months at a time. And when she missed them, I couldn’t help but think, “Well, what did you expect??” But she was also searching for her own identity, in order to see herself as an individual and not just a wife or a mother (or a mistress). For this, I respected her.

And of course there is the fun of learning more about the life of the most controversial and admired architect in the U.S. His struggle between his life and his art is apparent and is thread through the story as well.

The many layers and the many controversies make this book a solid read. Definitely a thumbs up!

Me Talk Pretty One Day (migrated from Bookblogger)

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Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Fun book!  When my family asked me what this book was about, I had to answer, “Nothing, really.”  It is sort of the Seinfeld of books…  David Sedaris, in his sardonic, laugh-out-loud style, describes vignettes from his childhood, his experiences living in Paris, and his various work experiences.  While he is sometimes outrageous in his tone, he describes some scenarios that any reader can relate to and in that he draws the reader in and thoroughly entertains.

In short, it’s hard not to have a great time reading this book!

 

Brain on Fire (migrated from bookblogger)

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Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

This is an autobiography of a young woman who had a psychotic episode that was caused by an extremely rare disorder of the brain.  Susannah Cahalan was a young, dynamic, outgoing and talkative journalist for the New York Post who suddenly started experiencing hallucinations, seizures and disordered movements.  She deteriorated to the point of catatonia, and was then fortunate enough to have been referred to a neurologist who was essentially her savior.

What is fascinating about this autobiography is that since the author was unable to think in any logical or functional way during the acute period of her illness, she pieced together her experience through interviews with and journals by her family, boyfriend and physicians.  She creates a smooth story from this research and tells the story as if she did remember it herself, always reminding the reader that this is what she was told occurred.  Some of her hallucinations are told first hand, however, because in her mind, these images were what was real.

Of course being a physician, this case is extremely interesting, but I think anyone could appreciate how interesting her course was.  In addition, it gives the reader an insight into how rare medical conditions can masquerade as usual ones and that diagnosis and treatment of medical problems can sometimes be extremely challenging.  While physicians are trained to recognize and treat the more common medical conditions, they are also trained to recognize that when symptoms and signs don’t add up, one has to delve deeper into the medical literature and look for what we refer to as the “zebras” of medicine.  (The saying is that when you hear hooves you should think horses not zebras.  Unfortunately, there are zebras out there as well.)

As Cahalan says, also, she was uniquely fortunate to have both the emotional support of her family and boyfriend (who stayed true to her through the whole ordeal and after) as well as financial support.  This enabled her to not only get through this very difficult time but also to access the medical treatment she required.  It is touching to read about how each of the family members dealt with her illness and stood by her side even while she was unrecognizable, both physically and emotionally.

It’s a tough book to read but very interesting…