Look at Me, by Jennifer Egan

I enjoyed Egan's Manhattan Beach, but I was disappointed by this book.  The main protagonist, Charlotte, is a successful model who has a car accident that ruins her face.  Although surgeons patch her up pretty well, we're told, she is not recognizable by her colleagues from her previous life.  I found this alone difficult to believe, as people are more than just their face.  Like I can often recognize a person by watching them move,  just seeing them walk down the street. 

So anyway, we follow Charlotte post-wreck to see what direction her life will take now that she can no longer model, and we also follow a few other characters of varying interest.  My problem was that I was not captivated by any of these other people.  One guy, Moose, has some kind of mental breakdown and the parts about him go on and on about his thoughts and ideas... but I couldn't tell where this was supposed to be going.  I couldn't understand him either as a person who is suffering from, say, bipolar disorder (his actual condition was not explained), or as an academic who feels he has made a major discovery. 

Another character has a secret past, and once you figure out what that is you understand his previously rather odd behavior, though he still fails to be convincing.  He doesn't seem to progress.

There were some interesting ideas and pithy statements, but not enough to offset the boredom and confusion created by other parts of the book.  I think it's funny that some of our patrons didn't like Manhattan Beach, but I did, yet I don't like this book.

Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth

I love when books surprise me.  I ordered Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth by Sheila O'Connor, mostly because it was a juvenile fiction book about the Vietnam War.  When it arrived, I was intrigued and set out to read it right away. 

Written in the form of letters between 11 year old Reenie Kelly and Mr. Marsworth, the town recluse, this book is full of the innocence of childhood summers, and the loss of that innocence set against the back drop of the Vietnam War.

We come to learn that Mr. Marsworth is a pacifist, and his opposition to the draft have left him ostracized by the community.  Reenie is looking for ways to prevent her 18 year old brother from being drafted.

It's rare that books make me cry, but this one had me crying multiple times, as we are drawn in to Reenie's adventures and her devotion to family. 

It is a wonderful book I recommend to a reader of any age. 

But I also realized I haven't read much about the Vietnam War, nor do I know much about it.  In school and even in college we learned the Revolution, Civil War, and World Wars, but never seemed to get to Vietnam.

I have read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, Fallen Angelsby Walter Dean Myers, and ...And a Hard Rain Fell by John Ketwig.  But this was the first book that I have read from the point of view of the families left behind and those opposing the war at home.

This has inspired me to learn more about this era, and seek out related books. And to me, that is the mark of a truly remarkable book- one that leads you to learn more, that you won't soon forget, and leaves you moved.

Sing, Unburied, Sing

This novel by Jesmyn Ward is a wonderful blend of reality and Lincoln-in-the-Bardo-ish spirituality.  The story is about families: the daughter of a black family is involved with the son of a white family in modern day Mississippi, and between the two of them they make a third family.  The language is beautiful, "...life-giving flowers, ushering forth sweetness from fruit," and evocative, "He's been orbiting her [his dying wife] like a moon, sleeping on the sofa with his back to the door, searching the yard and woods for pens and bins and machines to fix so he can repair in the face of what he cannot."

There is a lot of sorrow and ugliness in the story, but the end is so unexpected, so full of imagery, that I ended up feeling a lightness (as well as thinking, so THAT'S what the title means).

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

This nonfiction account by journalist Kim Barker takes place in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2004-09.  Some nonfiction can be pretty dry; this is anything but.  I listened to the audiobook and it was a hoot!  Between the reader's expert inflections and the author's dry wit, I found myself laughing as I wended my way to Wegman's on Saturday.  Barker is a serious student of the absurd.

Aside from deftly explaining the often utterly confusing politics of the region, Barker gives the reader a sense of what it's like to live in a war zone, something most of us Americans know nothing about.  She describes how she and her fellow journalists got a high from the danger, some of them deliberately seeking seriously unstable situations and barely making it out alive. 

If you ever wondered where the Taliban came from, and why Afghanistan has been at war for so long, this book helps you to understand the country's history and why, incidentally, our attempts to "fix" things over there are not working. 

Graphic Novels...for adults?

When I suggest graphic novels, most adult think of the superheroes created by Marvel and DC Comics.  They imagine young boys reading graphic novels and their parents complaining, "Why can't they read real books?!"  But graphic novels are real books.  There are many articles that document how graphic novels are great for kids, improving language, vocabulary, reinforcing text with images for greater comprehension. 

But there are great graphic novels for adults, too! Especially if you are short on time.

Recently, Americus by MK Reed was recommended to us.  Here is the synopsis from Amazon: "Neal Barton just wants to read in peace. Unluckily for him, some local Christian activists are trying to get his favorite fantasy series banned from the Americus public library on grounds of immoral content and heresy. Something has to be done, and it looks like quiet, shy Neal is going to have to do it. With youth services librarian Charlotte Murphy at his back, Neal finds himself leading the charge to defend the mega-bestselling fantasy series that makes his life worth living."

Despite one image of the librarian reading at the desk reinforcing the stereotype that librarians do nothing but read, this book was fantastic! This is the fight for intellectual freedom and normal teenage life in a graphic novel.  

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a coming-of-age story set in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.  Similar to Americus, this book sets normal adolescent trials against a larger political landscape. 

Derf Backderf has two great graphic novels, My Friend Dahmer, about his experience as a classmate of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and Trashed.  (My Friend Dahmer was recently made into a movie to be released later this year.)  But, I want to talk about Trashed.  Fresh out of high school with few prospects, Derf takes a job as a trash collector.  Not only does this give a first hand account of a job few would love, but a necessary one, but it also takes a look at the amount of trash American's create and what happens to our trash after we set it out on the curb. You will learn about the history of the garbage truck, how landfills are created, and what happens once landfills are full.  It will definitely give you an appreciation for our trash collectors and will make you think about how your own lifestyle contributes to the incredible amount of trash that we must deal with each year.

These are excellent books, that just might change your mind about graphic novels. 

Me Before You

I decided to read this book because I've seen the author's name a lot (Jojo Moyes) and readers like her stories.  I was not disappointed!  This book is the first in a series about a young woman, so if you like her after this first book you can continue to follow her adventures.  I haven't done that, but only because I have so many other books to read by authors who are new-to-me. 

For example, Elizabeth George.  We just got a big fat book written by her and I said to Mel, have you ever read anything by this author?  And she said nope.  Turns out EG's characters are Inspector Lynley and Barbara Havers!  Who knew?  I watched the Inspector Lynley series of murder mysteries (we have the whole collection of DVDs here at the BoB) from Masterpiece Theatre, AGES ago.

And speaking of movies, a movie was made from this book Me Before You. 

Anyway, the story is about a young woman who has good people skills and is happy with her waitressing job, but she loses the job when the restaurant closes.  Her family is poor so she really needs to get another job, any job!  She ends up caring for a quadriplegic.  She knows nothing about this type of work but the "quad's" mother hires Lu because of her happy upbeat nature.

I enjoyed the book in part because Lu often said or did things I would not have said or done in her place.  Also there was a little bit of a mystery about her past to keep you guessing, which affects her behavior and choices in her current situation (happens to all of us right?).  It also increases one's awareness (as my sister might say) of what people in wheelchairs have to confront when in public.

So.  Lively characters, good story, sequels!

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah has a new book out, The Great Alone.  After we received it from the publishers I realized I hadn't read any of her books, so I checked out The Nightingale.  What a great story!  If you read and liked All the Light We Cannot See you'll like this book too.  It takes place in occupied France during World War II, and follows a family whose members are, each in his or her own way, members of the French Resistance.  As with so much historical fiction, this book brings the reader into a world that is unlike anything she or he has ever encountered (hopefully!).  We all know the basics about WW2, but I at least knew very little about all the things the Resistance did, especially the women.

Actually, I'd be interested in reading a novel about the French collaborators, but it's harder to see them in any sort of heroic light so I'll probably be waiting for a while before I encounter such a story.  Have you ever noticed that you can rarely find stories about the "bad" people of the world (unless it's a thriller)?  For example, we have quite a few children's books about kids who are bullied, and how they cope, but it's hard to find anything written from the bully's point of view.  Particularly an unrepentant bully. 

One of the images I especially liked in The Nightingale was that of an apple tree in the farm yard.  In the beginning of the story it is healthy and bears sweet red apples, but as the story (the war) progresses the tree dies.  One of the heroines uses its branches to hang pieces of fabric in remembrance of her loved ones and, as time goes by, the tree carries more and more of this new and sorrowful kind of fruit.  Cool idea.

Beau Death, by Peter Lovesey

Rima:
This is a detective story that caught my eye because 1) it takes place in Bath, England, which I have visited; and 2) one of the "characters" (the possible murderee) is Beau Nash , whose name I recognized.  A Beau, my dear, is the term given to a handsome fashionable young man in late 17th century England. Ever heard of Beau Brummel?  Since you are currently online you can look him up! 

This is a good mystery so I can recommend it for that reason alone, but if you are an Anglophile, or a Bathphile, or a Beauphile, or even a Peter Diamondphile, you'll enjoy it even more!

Radium Girls

Rima:
Written by Kate Moore, this fascinating work of nonfiction tells the story of the girls and young women who worked as watch dial painters in the early part of the 20th century.  The paint they used was luminous, and what made it glow in the dark was... radium. 

The work was considered skilled labor and paid top dollar.  Painters felt they were lucky to have the jobs, especially after the stock market crash.  They went out dancing together after work, bought stylish clothing, tried to get jobs at their factories for family members and friends, and were generally admired and envied. 

The girls were taught to stick the paint brushes in their mouths to make a fine "point" for number painting.  They were told that the radium was "good" for them, a common misconception of the element in those days. The fine powder hanging in the air and the paint splashed on their clothes got all over their bodies, making them look especially alluring in the dark clubs.

But then of course, as the years went by, the women began to get dreadfully ill.  Radium poisoning was unknown until more and more dial painters visited the same doctors and dentists, and a few clever medical people began to see the pattern.  The company managers, of course, denied that any illnesses were related to dial painting.

Eventually those companies were sued by some of the women, and there was a huge battle for workers' rights and compensation for industrial poisoning.  Over the years, radium girls even helped researchers learn more about radium and its long-term effects on the human body.

This is a fascinating story with elements that are still relevant to today's world.  You'd be amazed and maybe a bit horrified by how much.

From Trinity to Trinity

I was approached by a library patron about the possibility of hosting a book discussion on a work that was translated by Eiko Otake and I was immediately intrigued.  Eiko will be visiting Alfred University and holding dance performances next month.  From Trinity to Trinity is by Kyoko Hayashi.  Hayashi is a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.  This piece, translated by Eiko, is Hayashi's journey to the Trinity Site in New Mexico.  Trinity Site is where the atomic bomb was tested in July of 1945.

Hayashi's story is only about 50 pages, with an introduction of nearly equal length by Eiko.  This tiny book is powerful. While I was reading this book with the intention of being able to ask discussion questions (and have my own ideas to contribute), this book raised many questions and gives me plenty to think about.  It promises to encourage a great book discussion.

"I was deeply moved to see how after six decades, the horrible human experiences of the atomic bombing have brought about such beautiful and artful objects." Eiko Otake

We will be meeting Friday March 2, March 16 and March 23 at 12:00pm at the library.  We will discuss the book, learn about Eiko and dance from Chase Angier and on March 23, Eiko will meet with the group.

If you want more information on these discussion groups, please check our website at www.alfredboxofbookslibrary.org.

Irish Girls About Town

Rima:
This older book (2002) caught my eye as it came across the circulation desk as a return.  It's a series of short stories by Irish authors, including one of my favorites, Maeve Binchy, whose name is prominently displayed on the front cover.  OK, I know MB's stories can flirt with fluffiness, but I love her!!  She is a great story teller, really makes you care about her characters, plus you get to learn what it was like to live in Ireland (as a woman, mostly) in the 50s and also more recently.  Some of these short stories were pretty fine, a few not so memorable.  The editor should not have put two of them with similar plots right next to each other, but other than that I found I could not stop reading them.  What more can the devoted reader ask for?

Only Child

Some people have said that reading is an escape from reality.  And to some degree, I think that's true.  For a while you can immerse yourself in a different world, with different characters and a new setting.  Often, reading can be a comfort in hard times.

But sometimes our reading intersects with reality in profound ways.  I picked up Only Child by Rhiannon Navin just hours after the Parkland school shooting this past week. 

This book is told by Zach, a first grade student who survived a school shooting.  His brother, Andy did not.  Young Zach must confront huge emotions, and navigate a new way of life.  His parents handle the tragedy very differently, often leaving Zach to work through his own feelings alone. 

This book reminded me that after these tragedies that seem to happen all too often, there are real people left behind. There are communities and families that are broken, long after the media coverage ends. 

It is not an easy book to read, especially when the trying to "escape" the endless news coverage or our social media feeds filled with debates.  But it is relevant.  And I think it gives a voice to those families who are broken by these senseless shootings.  Regardless of politics, this book reminded me that we're all human.  And despite what politicians, lobbyists, or our conspiracy-believing friends on Facebook have to say, at the end of the day we all feel, and hurt, and grieve. 

Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders

Rima:
There has been a lot of hype about this book.  Everyone seems to love it... including me!  I listened to it on audiobook, a format to which the book is especially suited.  There are many different voices, so once I got used to who was whom it was just like following a conversation in a very weird place with references that I didn't understand at first.  For example, when I heard "I was in my sick box..." I thought, "what's a sick box?" 

Saunders has created a whole different sort of world for us, one that is similar to our own but different enough to make it a puzzle for the reader/listener.  Once you figure out what's going on it all makes sense.  He includes a lot of historical fact also, so if you are interested in the American Civil War you would get a kick out of this book just for that aspect of it.  The book is unusual in that it IS loaded with factual content while also being incredibly creative.  I've never read anything like it.

As for the title... once you read or listen to this book, do you think "Lincoln" refers to the President, or his son, or both?