1001 Reading Adventures

The Hobbit ~ by J.R.R. Tolkien

2023-01-09T17:59:00.001-06:00

What exactly is a hobbit? I heard this question recently and was amazed. I thought everyone knew about hobbits. I always imagined a hobbit was as famous as any cartoon character. When I was a small child, I remember seeing the cartoon version of The Hobbit at the theater. That of course was many years ago, and since then there have been major motion pictures released on the sagas of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, based on books by beloved high-fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Before answering the question of what a hobbit is (for those who are not aware), I want first to pay homage to John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born on January 3, 1892. Tolkien studied in Oxford and excelled in languages. As a young boy, he would spend hours drinking tea and discussing literature and the arts with several classmates. When World War I broke out, Tolkien and his friends enlisted in the military. After only a few months in France, for the start of the Somme offensive, Tolkien became sick with trench fever, resulting in a lengthy recovery period at a hospital back in England. While hospitalized, Tolkien’s imagination gave birth to beginnings of The Hobbit. Likely, his war memories contributed to the action in his novels, as the elves, dwarfs, and hobbit fight mightily in hand-to-hand combat with orcs and wargs.

So back to the question at hand . . . what is a hobbit? They resemble humans, although about half the average height. In addition, they do not need footwear. Their feet, covered with wooly hair, are tough on the bottom, like the soles of leather shoes. They live in houses carved into the sides of mountains with rooms that tunnel down into burrows, or holes, in the ground. Actually, their homes seem rather cozy and I would not mind living in one myself.

In the story The Hobbit, we meet Biblo Baggins. A band of dwarfs has recruited him to travel with them to Lonely Mountain and take back treasure stolen by Smaug the Dragon. In addition, to slay the dragon. Gandalf, a wizard, is also involved and called upon for wisdom and protection.

Even though I saw the cartoon version of this movie years ago, I never watched the film, starring Martin Freeman as Bilbo (released in 2012), until last week. I had never even read the novel, until this past week. NOW I can really say I know what a hobbit is . . . at least I understand Bilbo a lot better. Bilbo has contradictory character traits, in that he loves the peace and comfort of his hobbit hole and on the other hand, he longs for an adventure. You can see the dilemma he is in as he struggles with these feelings along his journey to help the dwarfs. Throughout the story, Bilbo evolves in wisdom and virtue to become a useful addition to the quest. I found I could relate to this loveable character, as I like a good adventure too, but am cautious about stepping out to quickly . . . if even.

One thing’s for sure, as a reader I can live vicariously through the lives of so many different types of characters. That is why books are so addictive to me. Well, there are worse things one can have for an addiction.

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time ~ Dava Sobel

2022-06-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

June’s literary highlight honors Dava Sobel (b. June 15, 1947), author of Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time (published 1995). This story follows John Harrison through a 40-year process of inventing the marine chronometer which made it possible for calculating longitude, allowing safe and secure passage across the sea.

Readers will go back to the year 1707 with a British Naval disaster that took the lives of 2,000 men, sailing aboard four English warships. The cause of this enormous loss was blamed on not having the means to determine longitude. This problem of faulty navigation had plagued mariners for years. When lost at sea, ships might be delayed up to several months before finding the right course. When provisions ran out, scurvy a disease resulting from lack of vitamin C, brought death and despair to many sailors. These sorrows, motivated British Parliament to offer a reward of £20,000 (equivalent today in US Dollars $24,451.01) for whoever could solve the longitude problem.

As you can imagine, there were others who promoted various methods and devices in an attempt to gain the prize money and solve the problem. The Longitude Board of British Parliament referred to most ideas as coming from ‘longitude lunatics.’ One that really concerned me was a flimflam idea of the ‘Powders of Sympathy.’ This method involved wounding a dog who would sail with the ship. The dog’s wound had to be maintained, not allowed to heal. Everyday someone in London would dip the same knife that had wounded the dog, into a bowl of special powder, at precisely 12:00 noon. This would make the dog howl wherever he was, and then the sailors would know it was 12:00 in London. Knowing this would supposedly help them calculate their position at sea. How absurd!

Enter John Harrison, a carpenter and clockmaker. Through the years John worked alongside his son William to develop several versions of the machine, each one perfecting in accuracy of keeping time. These timepieces were made by delicate, complex craftsmanship, and prototypes had to be tested a sea on voyages to the West Indies. Harrison received incremental payments with each development and had to move his wife and son into London, to fully devote himself to the work. At one point the Longitude Board began to pursue the idea of using astronomy as a means for determining placement at sea. This had drawbacks, since it isn’t always possible to have clear night skies for seeing stars that could direct the path.

My book club, learned a lot of interesting things and felt fairly smart after reading Sobel’s book. It is written with a style that explains the big idea of longitude in an easy manner. And, the human side of this story, told through Harrison’s efforts, highlights remarkable perseverance. Encouragement to overcome obstacles is a subliminal benefit for anyone who consumes this enjoyable and informative book. Dream it. Do it. Achieve it.

Longitude was also made into a film (1999, starring Jeremy Irons) . . . In two parallel stories, the clockmaker John Harrison builds the marine chronometer for safe navigation at sea in the 18th Century and the horologist Rupert Gould becomes obsessed with restoring it in the 20th Century.

Dava Sobel is known for writing scientific stories in page-turner style, even enticing readers who rarely indulge in nonfiction. She grew up in a home where reading was encouraged and under the influence of her mother, who was trained as a chemist. A graduate from the Bronx High School of Science in 1964, and later Binghamton University. She has written about everything from astronomy to veterinary medicine while serving as the staff reporter of The New York Times Science News department.

One other book I’ve read by Sobel was Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love. I will confess that the scientific study of astronomy is not a likely subject of interest for me. But reading this book really pulled me in. The story comes from letters written by Maria Celeste, the daughter of this renowned genius. Maria’s letters where written to her father in his later years while she was living in a convent, and are full of personal detail to accompany the study of Galileo’s astrophysical discoveries.

To Each His Own ~ Leonardo Sciascia

2022-04-13T16:37:00.002-05:00

Leonardo Sciascia, born in Sicily on January 8, 1921 is famous for his crime detective novels, as well as a beloved playwright and poet. Sciascia served in the House of Deputies as a member of Italy’s Radical Party. He has always been a political activist and once published a nonfiction investigation about the mysterious disappearance of Ettore Majorana, an Italian scientist. His novels reflected the corruption of Sicilian politics, under influence of Mafia involvement, and many were made into films. The scenarios are based on actual crimes and police detective work. Sciascia remarks on his inspiration, “I am guided by reason, by the enlightened sense of intelligence, the human and Christian meaning of life, the search for truth and the fight against injustice, fraud and deception.”

In celebration of Sciascia’s birthday, I read his book To Each His Own and watched the film version, titled “We Still Kill the Old Way.” The book was published in 1966 and adapted to film in 1967. They compare fairly well, although parts of the movie were different to enhance the action. The story is about a pharmacist and his friend, found shot in cold blood while out duck hunting. Before this double homicide occurred, the pharmacist received a cryptic note, a threat on his life. After a brief investigation, the assumption is that he deserved to die, a consequence of a justified motive. It was unfortunate that his friend was a victim, a witness to the crime. The Mafia’s preference in taking care of business with violence, death, is a common occurrence in the Sicilian way . . . ‘to each his own.’

Professor Laurana, tries to independently solve the mystery of these murders. There is of course a beautiful widow, wife of the pharmacist, who becomes involved in the case. Once the motive is developed, the professor is now a target. Readers may feel anxious about the final outcome, since typical of Sciascia’s stories, things do not end well.

I thought the story started slow, but after finishing the book and reflecting on it, I think that is how it is meant to be. With the discovery of more and more clues, momentum picks up. I started to piece together reasons for the crimes and soon understood that others involved, not only the killers, were cruel and selfish individuals. It was sad that the value of human life meant so little and frightening to think that there really are people without a conscience.

La Celestina ~ Fernando de Rojas

2022-03-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered a centuries old playwright, Ferdinando de Rojas, who is credited for having written the first Spanish novel (in dialogue). De Rojas began writing La Celestina while studying law at the University of Salamanca in Toledo, Spain. The drama, his only novel, was published in 1499 after his graduation and became an instant success. It was interesting to learn that his novel was written in play format but never staged during his lifetime. La Celestina has been released in over 60 editions, has six sequels, and many translations.

I read a copy of the play, translated by Lesley Byrd Simpson where she stated in its preface, “In every respect, The Celestina deserves a place alongside Cervantes' masterpiece, in originality, depth, handling of dialogue, and sure drawing of character. It is even superior to Don Quixote in its close-knit fabric and sustained tension.” There is an abridged version you can find online as a free download, and a film version starring Penelope Cruz as Melibea. I ‘read the film’ alongside the book . . . it is in Spanish of course, with English subtitles. I thought the print and movie compared quiet accurately, but was caught off guard by the lusty scenes. I think the old European language reads cleaner than it looks when acted out in film.

As the story goes, Melibea, daughter of a wealthy family, catches the eye of Calisto, a young nobleman. Calisto is originally shunned by Melibea, so he enlists the help of Celestina in convincing Melibea to give him a chance. Celestina runs a whorehouse and there are a few prostitutes as supporting characters. Other characters are servants of Calisto who assist in the matchmaking. There are spells, love potions, and midnight meetings that help bring these two lovers together. But there is also a feeling of doom that brings the story to a tragic end. Without giving too much detail, in order to prevent spoiling the reading experience for others, I’ll end this summary by saying that La Celestina is often compared to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

I loved how the written version was full of proverbs, folklore, and aphorisms. Some quotes I noted were: The early bird may get the worm, but the one that’s got God on its side does even better, and There’s no road without potholes. The story is certainly melodramatic with descriptions of emotional feelings. Here Melibea describes lovesickness . . . “I’ve got a fatal wound in my heart that stops my speech. It’s not like other sickness. My heart will have to be removed to cure it, for it’s hidden in a most secret part.”

De Rojas studied to be a lawyer and practiced law for over three decades, but as a converted Jew he was often scrutinized by the Catholic Inquisition. His father-in-law was arrested, for suspicion of practicing Judaism (a severe crime and often punishable by death) but as his attorney, de Rojas was able to have him acquitted. During the course of his law career, de Rojas also served as Mayor for over 20 years in the city of Talavera de la Reina, a large municipality with an estimated population of 82,000.

Three Lives ~ Gertrude Stein

2022-02-14T00:43:00.001-06:00

Gertrude Stein, the youngest of five children, was born in Philadelphia on February 3, 1874 and grew up in Oakland, California. Her parents were wealthy German Jews who came to America from Europe, and during her childhood years they often visited Vienna. Gertrude’s parents died while she was in her teen years, and she went to live with extended family in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from Radcliffe College and later studied medicine at John Hopkins University. Though noted to be a most brilliant student, she became bored with medical school and dropped out right before completing the program.

Gertrude moved to France with her brother Leo in 1902 and began collecting art from aspiring artists . . . Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso, among others. We all know these artists became renowned and famous in their time, and still are today. It could be credited to Stein for helping these artists and even writers, such as Hemingway, Forester, and Joyce gain their notoriety. She lived in a Paris apartment and hosted literary salons, inviting the creative crowd to come as they wished. A literary salon was a new concept to me and I discovered that the word “salon” referred back to “sala” originally the large reception hall of an Italian mansion.

Stein was a writer herself and experimented with a ‘stream of consciousness’ style of writing. She had many conversations with Picasso about his abstract painting style in comparison to her own abstract use of words. She even created a “Cubism” type of narrative prose to layer and bring depth to ordinary characters.

In honor of Ms. Stein, I read her novella Three Lives, published in 1909. This is actually three independent stories about different working-class women living in a town called Bridgeport. This fictional town was said to be modeled after the city of Baltimore and even some of the circumstances related to Stein’s own experiences as a young woman in that time. These ‘three lives’ had one thing in common. Each of these women (two white, one black), all had arduous, grueling lives. Stein told of each women’s struggles; one as a bossy maid with three dogs, one a lonely black woman who never could really find happiness, and one of a woman who was neglected in an arranged marriage.

I don’t think her writing style was too off-putting, but I did feel as if the repetitive conversations became arduous in itself. Several book club members weren’t impressed with Stein’s writing and gave up before finishing this book. One even mentioned that the characters seemed to be racist at times and that transferred to feelings about Ms. Stein. Of course just because a character may say disturbing things, doesn’t mean that the author embodies that same sentiment.

As always, I like to complement my readings with a deep dive into the author’s background. And, I found there are other books by Stein recommended as ‘must-reads’ . . . The Making of Americans, and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. I decided to read the autobiography and learned that Alice Toklas became acquainted with Stein when hired as her literary secretary and later became Stein’s lifetime companion. Her autobiography, written by Stein, is really Stein’s biography, written from the perspective of Toklas. I thought this was an ingenious way to tell one’s own story and decided to read this book too.

I have to say that Stein, an early feminist, was a most interesting person. Together, Stein and Toklas helped the men fighting in WWI, by adopting soldiers to write to and send care packages. They learned to drive and would run supplies to the Red Cross during those days. Following the war, in the ‘salon days,’ Stein mentored Hemingway and later was godmother to his son Jack. On a lecture tour to the United States, Stein became friends with Charlie Chaplin who quoted her famously in his film Limelight, “a rose, is a rose, is a rose.” I am still speculating on the meaning behind that statement. When WWII broke out, Stein and Toklas barely escaped capture by the Nazis and went into hiding. Miraculously, her art collection was still intact after the war ended. Ms. Gertrude Stein was one amazing woman and I do admire her for all she accomplished and the connections she made.

G. ~ John Berger

2022-02-11T17:20:00.003-06:00

John Berger, cultural art critic and novelist was born on November 5, 1926. His award-winning book G. was an interesting read, and somewhat controversial among my co-readers. Several members of my book club abandoned the story after reading only a few chapters. Though the title is a single letter – G. - the content cannot be described G-rated. Berger does include some explicit scenes, but that is to be expected when you consider that the main character, Giovanni (known as G.), is a womanizer … a seducer.

The story is set on the eve of WWI and has many historical references to European events, which I noticed were all documented by Berger in crowd scenes. His descriptions are so vivid, I was inspired to dig deeper and look for background information by Googling some of the incidents surrounding his character (G.). Following the story’s timeline, Berger takes readers to Naples, Italy as Garibaldi’s Army makes an entrance in 1860. Then to riots in 1898 on the streets of Milan and again with the mixed crowds of Bosnian nationalists, Italian Irredentists, and Hapsburg soldiers in 1915 on the streets of Trieste.

Berger’s character, G. (said to be a “modern Don Juan”) is rich, privileged and free to travel. A product of an illicit affair, G. is heir to his father’s candied fruit business. His first encounter with sex is rather warped, learning from a widowed aunt how to pleasure a woman. The novel takes off here with meditations about sex and follows G. through relationships with a series of women. The disturbing parts of this novel weren’t so much the graphic intimacies, but the manipulative mindset of this character.

Berger is well-known for his talks on art: Ways of Seeing, which were featured as a BBC television series and in print. His art critiques were published in 1972, the same year his novel G. won a Booker Prize. In accepting this award, Berger made an unforgettable statement that probably caused more controversy then the book itself. At that time, the company who sponsored the Booker Award had a history of exploitive trading in the Caribbean. In a radical show of support for this impoverished territory, John donated half of his prize money (£5,000) to the London Black Panther Party. From Berger’s acceptance speech; “The London-based Black Panther movement has arisen out of the bones of what Bookers and other companies have created in the Caribbean; I want to share this prize with the Black Panther movement because they resist both as black people and workers the further exploitation of the oppressed.” John kept the other half of his prize money to assist with research expenses on a book he was writing about immigrant workers.

Over the past few weeks, I listened to a variety of lectures and interviews to learn more about this author and understand the meaning of his story about G. One idea that is mentioned in both his art lectures and his novel is that men survey women before they relate to them and that women’s actions indicate the way they would like to be observed. I wonder if this theory is true in our world today. I can say that listening to Berger ruminate on what he thinks about and his reflections on how he writes “life on the page” is fascinating. One example of his mind’s wanderings (quoted from G.): “Do you know the legend about cicadas? They say they are the souls of poets who cannot keep quiet because when they were alive, they never wrote the poems they wanted to.”

My favorite image from this novel was the last sentence. I think it is a perfect way to close the novel … a scene, which I cannot describe for you without spoiling the story. “Uninterruptedly receding towards the sun, the transmission of its reflections becoming faster, the sea neither requires nor recognizes any limit. The horizon is the straight bottom edge of a curtain arbitrarily and suddenly lowered upon a performance.”

Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris ~ Paul Gallico

2021-07-27T11:18:00.006-05:00

Paul Gallico was born in New York City on July 26, 1897 to immigrant parents from Austria. I read Gallico’s book Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris in celebration of his birthday. Before sharing thoughts on the book, I will give you a little background on the author.

Gallico attended Columbia University, but took a break from his studies to serve in the French Army as a Master Fencing Trainer, before graduating in 1921. After college he began working as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News. Gallico was an active sportsman who enjoyed playing baseball, football, cricket, and tennis. He really got the readers’ attention after the release of his story “In the Ring with Jack Dempsey,” published in 1923. Like the title says, Gallico went “in the ring.” He felt that the best way to describe Dempsey, and his boxing talent, was to actually spar with the heavyweight champion. Being knocked out by Dempsey, all for a good story, was certainly going above and beyond but it paid off and exploded his readership. Gallico also wrote short stories for The Saturday Evening Post which were expanded into novellas and later made into movies.

I remember years ago, watching one of these movies, a disaster film/cult classic, The Poseidon Adventure (1969) about a capsized ocean liner. Back then, I didn’t realize there was book that inspired the film, much less who Paul Gallico was. My most vivid memory of the film was the scene where Shelly Winters fell through a skylight on the ship’s upper deck. I am curious to go back and read the book now, especially the description of that horror.

Paul Gallico also adored cats and has no less than five published stories about cats. Cats have been like family to me, as far back as I can remember, and learning of Gallico’s love for felines makes him especially endearing to me. One of his stories, Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She Was God, was made into a Disney film, The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963).

What I find most interesting about Gallico is how he quit sports writing in 1938 and moved to England, where he then devoted his talent to full-time fiction writing. His stories are known for their sentimental qualities and explicit detail of character emotions and motives. I discovered that the book Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris (a 1958 bestseller) is followed by three more books about trips that Mrs. ‘Arris makes: to New York, to Parliament, and to Moscow.

Mrs. ‘Ariss (Harris) is a widowed London maid who dreams of owning a Dior gown. She scrimps and saves her money for three years to actually make this dream come true. I personally related to her blunt honesty as a way to get out of trouble . . . came in useful when traveling.

Readers will fall in love with the character Ada Harris and her spunky personality. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris was also made into a delightful film, starring Angela Lansbury and Omar Sharif. There are some notable differences between the film and the book, but both are heartwarming stories. If you are sentimental like me, bring Kleenex with you to the movie. It is intriguing to me . . . wondering how Gallico, who was a big sportsman, could switch themes and writing styles to so accurately portray feelings of his female characters.

Check out the film here on YouTube!

Other noted literary birthdays for July 26 include: Aldous Huxley, Brave New World; C.G.Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections; Henry Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling; and George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion.

The Interpretation of Dreams ~ Sigmund Freud

2020-05-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

I have spent the last several weeks immersed in reading about Sigmund Freud and his most notable work, The Interpretation of Dreams. Known as the founding father of psychoanalysis, Freud was born on May 6, 1856 to Jewish parents. Studying the Torah was important to Freud’s father, although the family didn’t strictly follow Jewish religious traditions. Freud’s view on religion was that God is an illusion, a protector or father figure, to help man restrain violent impulses. Freud had a lot of controversial beliefs, and it was fascinating to learn about his life, work, theories.

When Freud used an example of Joseph interpreting the Pharaoh’s dream in the Old Testament, I was reminded of other dreams in the Bible. There was Jacob who dreamed about a ladder into heaven and in the New Testament Joseph, the carpenter, who dreamed that he should not divorce Mary since her child was the Savior. These are just a few examples ... there are twenty-four dreams mentioned in the Bible.

One major theory of Freud’s was that dreams help to make the unconscious, conscious. The unconscious mind is full of thoughts, memories, and emotions that the conscious mind is not necessarily aware of. While asleep, the mind brings these things to life in dreams. When awakened with a dream memory, usually in partial pieces, the conscious mind becomes aware and often this awareness requires interpretation. We all know that symbolism plays a big part in dreams and sometimes appears obscure or silly when retelling the dream.

Freud experimented with hypnosis and a ‘talking cure’ while analyzing his patients with dream interpretation. His practice was the first to use a therapy couch where patients would recline to talk freely about anything without judgement. Lying down, eliminates eye contact and brings one closer to a dream-like state where the unconscious can more easily reveal itself. Using free association methods helped patients understand the symbolism in their dreams.

When writing his ideas and methods in The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud began analyzing himself and recognized that dreams are often the result of unfulfilled wishes. In other words, dreams are the vehicle that brings desires to life in the unconscious mind. Freud described getting to the bottom of one’s subconscious thoughts and understanding what lies beneath is like cutting though the layers of a Dobos cake with a long thin knife. This is a seven-layer cake, named for the Hungarian chef who invented it. One must be very careful when cutting to the bottom of those layers, easily sliding the knife under the bottom of the cake, in order to not destroy the slice upon extraction. Same goes for psychoanalysis.

Freud’s writing style is engaging and I think this is probably required reading for one studying dream research. This book is a classic read about the history of psychology and provides us with an introduction to ‘Freudian theories’. Today many of those theories haven’t fared well. His ideas are not substantiated by current research. I did find that in many cases Freud over-generalized, lacked scientific evidence, and often over emphasized sex. Despite the contentious nature of his work, it was very intriguing and plied my curiosity.

After reading The Interpretation of Dreams, I wanted to know more about Freud’s influences and life. What I learned was even more intriguing. Freud was highly intelligent and earned his MD from the University of Vienna at the age of twenty-five. He began his career in 1882 at the Vienna General Hospital and while there his research on cocaine became well-known. It was believed to be a cure for mental problems and beneficial in eye surgery as a numbing painkiller. Before long cocaine addiction and overdoses caused Freud to stop using and recommending it.

Marie Bonaparte, the great niece of Napoleon, was Freud’s most prominent patient and her fortune helped fund his research on use of psychoanalysis. When the Nazi Party took control of Germany, Freud’s books were burned along with other books by Jewish intellectuals. He was known for saying; “What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now, they are content with burning my books.” Freud escaped persecution from the Nazis and took his family to Britain. He died there in 1938 at the age of 83, from complications resulting from mouth cancer.

This short review cannot include everything there is to say about Freud and The Interpretation of Dreams, but maybe there is enough here to start your own curiosity. You might find answers to questions you’ve had concerning dreams, or you might be inspired to look for a Dobos Cake recipe like I did, and make a delicious cake to celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of Sigmund Freud.

Death and the Dervish ~ Mesa Selimovic

2020-04-28T09:14:00.003-05:00

In celebration of Mesa Selimovic's birthday (b. April 26, 1910), I chose to read his novel Death and the Dervish (published in 1966). This book isn't included in our library's collection, so my book club planned to gather and watch the film, while reading its subtitles. The book was first made into a movie in 1974, and later remade in 2001. Both versions filmed in Arabic can be viewed free online and include English subtitles. Usually I rent the Blue Ridge Movie Lounge each month as a venue for my book club to meet and watch movies that we compare to our books. When the pandemic closed non-essential businesses, we resorted to a watch-party online and a Zoom meeting for our conversation.

Luckily I was able to secure a book through Amazon, a used copy full of notes and underlined passages made by its previous owner. I can attest that the film follows the written story line fairly close, although viewing Selimovic's story greatly enhanced his book. The scenery in the movie was beautiful and the narrator's memories, when portrayed on screen, helped make connections to his motives easier to understand.

As the story begins, Sheikh Ahmed Nuruddin is trying to find a way to have his brother released from prison. He also doesn't understand why his brother was arrested, and meets unsuccessfully with the judge to make pleas on his brother's behalf. A sheikh ... the dervish (Nuruddin's title) is a religious man belonging to a group whose individuals relinquish themselves to a life of poverty and live peacefully, teaching and following words of the Koran. The dervish becomes a pawn, so to say, in the hands of the judge's daughter. She asks him to speak to her brother Hasan, a friend of his, about giving up rights to the family inheritance before he is disowned by their father. Hasan likes to gamble and drink; he trades cattle and has illicit relationships with various women. Ultimately the dervish thinks that if he convinces Hasan to step down from the family before the judge can disown him, that he can convince the judge to free his brother. This situation is the beginning of the dervish's internal struggle to remain indifferent and have a clean spirit despite the trials of earthly man. As he narrates the story, Nuruddin refers to teachings in the Koran, Arabic holy scriptures, wrestling with his own soul about what to do.

Nuruddin is not only unable to free his brother, but is temporarily locked up himself.

He is eventually freed, but alas his brother is executed. Unlike the dervish's belief in a peaceful life, Nuruddin seeks revenge in the murder of his brother. He learns that accusations against his brother were unjust. That a false interrogation was written before a mock trial and submitted as evidence for justifying an execution. There have also been other past events in Nuruddin's life that left regrets resurfacing in his mind. Choosing the life of a devoted dervish was a conscious effort to deal with his life's disappointments. Now Nuruddin takes another path and comes out on top, presumably through corrupt means, and is elected as a new judge.

And as the story continues, there are a number of twists that bring Nuruddin to find himself in the same position as the previous judge … trying to gain power through deceit. Readers come to realize that Nuruddin is remorseful and feels self-diminished by his actions. Set in the 18^th century and under rule of the Ottoman Empire, Nuruddin knows his end is coming at the hands of authorities. His story is an examination of what his life could have been and becomes an explanation, compared to a suicide note.

Selimovic tells Nuruddin's story with such sincerity and upon studying the author's background I learned that parts of his novel were based on events in his real life. Mesa Selimovic was born in Bosina and raised as a Muslim. During the Second World War he was a prisoner for having been part of an anti-fascist demonstration, as a member of the Yugoslav Partisans. His brother was also arrested and later executed without a trial.

I found a video review on YouTube by Nerses Arslanian, a Lebanese reader, and totally agree with his thoughts; Selimovic's writing style though not exactly chronological was hypnotic and captured my mind … “I was interested in every little paragraph.” I really like how books can connect people from around the world and through the Internet. Although delightful to Zoom and YouTube with other readers, I am looking forward to in-person discussions and experiences again soon.

Mesa Selimovic is a revered, and well-loved author in his country. Death and the Dervish gained national attention, translated in several languages and is recognized as his masterpiece. Many critics consider this story as similar to The Trial, by Kafka. I can relate to that, this is definitely a story about the nightmarish world of an isolated and troubled individual.

In closing my thoughts about this recommended read, I must share a sample of Selimovic's words to illustrate the beautiful imagery he paints with his writing.

In the morning I went out into the fields and climbed a hill that was in full bloom. I stood beside a low fruit tree, with my face next to its cluster of flowers, calyxes, leaves, petals - a thousand living wonders ready for insemination. I felt the intoxicating sweetness of that growth, the rush of juices through innumerable, invisible veins, and like the night before I wished that my arms would grow into branches, that the colorless blood of trees would flow into me, that I would bloom and wilt painlessly. And it was just this repetition of my strange desire that convinced me of the weight of my burden.

The Bluest Eye ~ Toni Morrison

2020-03-30T13:01:00.004-05:00

February is nationally known as Black History Month and coincidentally our selected read, The Bluest Eye was written by Toni Morrison, the first female African American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. Morrison who celebrated her 87^th birthday on February 18 is also recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Morrison recalls a childhood friend's desire for blue eyes as a memory that inspired her novel. The Bluest Eye published in 1970 was, according to the author, written to remind us about the damaging effects of racism. The book has been a subject of controversy and is frequently challenged for reasons concerning language, explicit sex and racism. It was banned from required high school reading twice in North Carolina (Wake and Buncombe counties).

The story is set in Lorain, Ohio (Morrison's hometown) during the early years of WWII. It is about a young black girl named Pecola who believes she is ugly and wishes she had blue eyes. Pecola comes from a poor family and is terribly abused by her alcoholic father. Her mother is no comfort, only reinforcing her low self-worth.

In the story's beginning, readers are immediately aware of secret gossip ... that Pecola is having her father's baby. After revealing this scandal, Morrison uses a flashback technique to tell of events leading up to and following Pecola's loss of innocence. Sisters Claudia and Frieda, Pecola's classmates and friends, direct the story's narration. The idea that blonde hair and blue eyes are standards for beauty is examined by the girls, who are obsessed with Shirley Temple. Their lives are a stark contrast to the unrelatable perfection of Dick and Jane's in their school readers.

When further analyzing racism in The Bluest Eye, there are not only implications of Eurocentric beauty, but there are also discriminations within the same race based on shade of skin color. The Bluest Eye is a caricature of inequity. Though a tragic and hopeless story, Pecola captured my heart. She only wanted to be loved and accepted. In this short passage from the book I am reminded of the universal need for love, even by those who are hard to love.

Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The loved one is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover’s inward eye.

Though I was most sympathetic for all that Pecola endured, I was also saddened and felt sorry for the ones who mistreated her. Love can take many forms, but the kind of love we need most is the unconditional kind.

Not meaning to discourage those who consider reading this story I highly recommend a box of tissues. I am quite sure that reactions to this book are varied depending on each reader's personal background. But I am just as confident that the magic of Morrison’s lyrical writing style compensates for the story's harsh reality.

Marna Napoleon, a fellow ‘reading adventurer,’ sums her experience with reading The Bluest Eye:

This is a difficult book to read because of the oppression and hopelessness that fills it, but the language, and the way the book comes together make it impossible to put down. I finished it on Martin Luther King Day, which was appropriate, in that it reminded me of the ease with which I have been able to live my life, not because I am gifted, nor because I have made stellar choices, and certainly not because I was born into money. Life has been relatively smooth, forgiving, and pretty much always hopeful because I was born white (which apparently also trumps being female, short and left-handed) in America.

A Judgement in Stone ~ Ruth Rendell

2020-03-30T12:46:00.002-05:00

In honor of Ruth Rendell, born on February 17, 1930, my book club selected her novel A Judgment in Stone, to read this month. This book could be considered a Valentine story, but is definitely not a romance. It is a psychological thriller in which the crime happened to take place on Valentine’s Day. Rendell reveals the murderer and victims in the first sentence of her book: “Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.”

Eunice is a housekeeper who has had lived her life with the stigma of illiteracy. Living in social isolation, she snaps one day and smothers her elderly father. This was her first undiscovered murder. She is then forced to find a means of support and begins working as a housekeeper for the Cloverdales. At first this seems like a dream job. Eunice has a nice comfortable room with her own TV in the family's home. She soon realizes that members of this house are well-read and she struggles daily to hide her disability of not knowing how to read. She meets Joan, an eccentric, religious fanatic who convinces her that they must carry out God's judgment on sinners. The Cloverdales become prime candidates for this mad justice after Eunice feels patronized and humiliated.

The film version of A Judgment in Stone is rightly titled The Housekeeper with a tagline: “She cooks, she cleans, she kills.” The book was written in 1977, and the movie produced ten years later. There were many similar scenes in both formats, but as usual, the differences made discussion quite interesting. Overall my book club agreed that the book's ending was much more satisfying than the movie's ending. In a nutshell Eunice in the film gets away with murder, but Eunice in the book gets her just deserts. In the novel, Eunice and her friend Joan go to the kitchen to eat lemon cheesecake after killing the Cloverdales. For our book discussion we followed suit and ate lemon cheesecake. It was delicious and eerie at the same time, and I will never think about lemon cheesecake again without remembering Rendell's story.

We also talked about the shame experienced by those suffering from dyslexia and illiteracy. The Washington Post recently ran a story in 2016 on problems of illiteracy, affecting around 20% of adults in the nation's capital. They reported on statistics from the National Literacy Council stating that unemployment is 2 to 4 times higher for those who have little schooling. Poor health can also be a result of not being able to read and understand relevant information pertaining to symptoms and medications. Low self-esteem leads to isolation and mental health issues as well. Not knowing how to read is common for those living in poverty and also bears a weight on society. Illiteracy lowers the level of community involvement and civic participation.

This book falls under the classification of a 'whydunit.' It is motives that most interest Rendell and she says that character studies are the central focus of her work. She does have a series of mysteries featuring a reoccurring character, Inspector Wexford, who has a lot of the same traits as her father. The Wexford novels have more emphasis on whodunit. But the bulk of her work examines the killer's mind in stand-alone thrillers. In her latest work Rendell published under the pen name of Barbara Vine (chosen for her second Christian name and the last name of a favorite aunt). Her ‘Barbara Vine’ novels include emphasis on political and social matters such as domestic violence, slavery, and even FGM (female genital mutilation). Readers often comment on the morbid and gruesome scenes in her stories, when really she is quite mild in her descriptions. This, Rendell says, is the mystery of how we can get carried away by our imagination. I believe it is the expertise of Rendell’s writing craft that inspires her readers to see and feel things from the criminal’s point-of-view.

For those who like crime mysteries and police stories, you might want to check out Ruth Rendell. There is also a series of Ruth Rendell Mysteries on Amazon Prime.

One Hundred Years of Solitude ~ Gabriel García Márquez

2020-03-26T09:48:00.000-05:00

As you know, it has soon become apparent that a global spread of infection and disease would bring heartache, hardships, and challenges to many this year. Coincidentally my book club's selected random reads by, Gabriel García Márquez (born March 6, 1927) are One Hundred Years of Solitude (awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature) and Love in the Time of Cholera. It seemed appropriate to read and discuss isolation and sickness in a 'magical realism' sort of way. Magical realism is a story-telling style that uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Márquez, affectionately known as Gabo, grew up listening to magical stories from his grandmother. After a short time in law school, he began his writing career as a news journalist. His experiences growing up in Columbia and as a reporter, provided the basis for his writing style which can be described as historical fiction full of fantasy and exaggeration (a.k.a. magical realism).

Netflix is currently developing the Latin American TV Series “Cien Años de Soledad,” produced by Márquez’s sons Rodrigo and Gonzalo. My book club first chose to read One Hundred Years of Solitude, in hopes to view the series and make comparisons between film and text. When we discovered the series wouldn’t be ready until later in the year (maybe much later now due to the pandemic we are experiencing), we met up at the Blue Ridge Movie Lounge to view the film version of Love in the Time of Cholera instead. Both of these books, as well as other books by Márquez (Autumn of the Patriarch and No One Writes to the Colonel), are included in the master list of those one MUST read.

One Hundred Years of Solitude (published in 1967) is a family saga about the Buendía family, living through Civil War, in a fictional town that very closely resembles the town where Márquez grew up. Aureliano Buendía, first generation character in this book, was modeled after his grandfather and his grandfather’s war stories. Márquez’s grandfather, a liberal veteran and highly regarded hero of the Thousand Days War, spoke out strongly about the banana workers massacre, enacted by Columbia’s conservative party.

Following the story line in One Hundred Years of Solitude can be tricky to say the least. Buendía family members share the same names through each generation and Márquez often uses a technique that incorporates past, present, and future simultaneously. Luckily Márquez includes a family tree in the book … something I had to refer to often. The book’s first line is a perfect example of his circular storytelling, and captured my attention right away. “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

I know very little about Latin America and its history, so I was intrigued by the events described. Márquez was a small boy when the United Fruit Workers strike took place. He also recalls his first visit to an ice house with his grandfather.

In a 1981 interview with Peter Stone of the Paris Review, he states, “It always amuses me that the biggest praise for my work comes for the imagination, while the truth is that there's not a single line in all my work that does not have a basis in reality. The problem is that Caribbean reality resembles the wildest imagination.”

This novel is full of cultural superstitions, examples of levitation and reincarnation, and other mystical things … such as a whole town suffering from insomnia.

My Family and Other Animals ~ Gerald Durrell

2020-03-26T09:05:00.001-05:00

January began with reflections from Gerald Durrell (b. Jan. 7, 1925) in his book My Family and Other Animals. During my reading adventure, I discovered “The Durrells in Corfu,” a PBS series available on Amazon Prime Video. If you haven't seen this yet, it is worth checking out. The series is classified a comedy drama, which is also an accurate description of Gerald Durrell's writing style.

Set in 1935, the Durrell family moves from England to the island of Corfu in Greece. Gerald's father had died a few years earlier and his mother, Louise, was struggling to provide for the family. Larry, his older brother convinces everyone that the sunny island will be an affordable fresh start and escape from dreary English weather. Louise and her four children live on the island until danger of war forces them to move back to England in 1939.

Gerald, youngest member of the family, loved exploring the island with his dog, Roger. Corfu is home to a range of animals and living there was for Gerald a naturalist's paradise. In his memoir, My Family and Other Animals (Corfu Trilogy #1) he acquaints reader with the eccentricities of each family member, along with entertaining tales of a menagerie of creatures he accumulates for zoological study. His mother seriously jokes that, “Gerry's first word was zoo.” His collection included all sorts of insects and reptiles, Toby the tortoise, Quasimodo the pigeon, and an owl named Ulysses among others.

Louise, the family matriarch, was an avid gardener and enjoyed cooking exotic foods. She was very supportive of Gerald's obsession with wildlife, even when things got a bit out of control. Her nonchalant parenting technique, allowed her brood to live and learn, and was strengthened by a deep mother's love and concern for her children's happiness.

Larry (age 23) spent most of his time typing … yes, he is the award-winning author, Lawrence Durrell. While working on his manuscript he had several run-ins with Gerald's animals. I don't know which was worse; finding a scorpion housed in a matchbox when trying to light his cigarette, or having Magenpies destroy his room.

Leslie's (age 19) primary interest was with guns and hunting. His belief was “if one can hunt and sail, one can get along in life just fine.” He once built Gerald a boat for a birthday present which led to many good times and adventures at sea. Leslie, too had an awful animal surprise when he was frightened by snakes in the bathtub.

Margo (age 18) took up sunbathing in skimpy attire, attracting a number of admirers. She was always working on her appearance and complexion with new diets and lotions. Quasimodo took a liking to her and spent his nights sleeping in her room.

The family's housekeeper, Lugaretzia and island chauffeur, Spiro also figure prominently in Gerald's memories. But, Dr. Theodore Stephanides, a fresh water biologist, became Gerald's closest friend. He gave Gerald his first microscope, and met with him weekly to study animals and nature.

Despite his lack of formal education, Gerald grew up to author several books as well as start the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1959. He was inducted into the Order of the British Empire for his contributions in the field of animal science and his work to protect endangered species.

I loved reading Gerald's humorous anecdotes, my favorite was the blow-by-blow account of a battle between a gecko named Geronimo and Cecily, a feisty praying mantis. His enchanting way of describing island scenery really brought the story to life for me. Here is an example of his writing style … easily relatable considering the mountain winds that blew outside my window as I lay reading, snug in my warm cozy bed.

For a week or so the wind played with the island, patting it, stroking it, humming to itself among the bare branches. Then there was a lull, a few days' strange calm; suddenly, when you least expected it, the wind would be back. But it was a changed wind, a mad, hooting, bellowing wind that leaped down on the island and tried to blow it into the sea.

Matigari ~ Ngugi wa Thiong'o

2019-01-24T21:36:00.000-06:00

The year 2019 highlights books by an old favorite and a new author. I remembered J.D. Salinger with a reread of Catcher in the Rye, while ringing in the New Year. Salinger would have been one hundred years old, born on January 1, 1919. I also discovered Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a new author with three titles on my reading list “1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.” Ngugi celebrated his 81^st birthday on January 5 (born the same year as my father, 1938).

Ngugi wa Thiong'o, previously known as James Ngugi is a Kenyan author in exile from East Africa, his native country. He grew up in a large peasant family, son of his father's third wife. His father 's polygamist marriage consisted of four wives and Ngugi recalls the familial bond of having twenty-seven siblings along with multiple mothers. During the day, women and children worked the land, but at nightfall they would gather around a fire to hear stories. This was Ngugi's favorite time and he couldn't wait until dark for the stories. When he was old enough to attend school, where Shakespeare was a daily subject of study, Ngugi was glad that stories didn't have to wait until dark. He compares imagination to a time machine, “you can travel through time and space with your imagination.”

During years of the Mau Mau rebellion Ngugi vividly remembers returning home to his village after being away at school for several months and finding everything burned … no one was there. Everyone had fled to safety when fighting broke out. It is this memory that seems to be a part of all his novels. A scene in which one returns to find some unexpected happenings.

In his novel Matigari, Ngugi tells the story of a legendary patriot whose name means, “one who survived the bullets.” This story takes place in Kenya, following liberation from British rule. Matigari has returned from fighting in the mountains and is resolved to reclaim his land peaceably. Instead Matigari finds more resistance and trouble from the children of his oppressors. One phrase repeated throughout the story is “too much fear breeds misery in the land.” People are afraid to speak up for fear of being imprisoned. Police brutality threatens and the rich rule over those in extreme poverty. At one point, Matigari is detained in jail and later mysteriously escapes. His notoriety can be compared to the Messiah and soon he has many followers that view him as their hero. There are several biblical references throughout, camouflaged by historical fiction of African struggles. For example, when Matigari starts out he has buried his weapons under a fig tree and wrapped himself with a belt of fig bark to symbolize peace. Throughout the Bible the fig tree is referred to as a sign of peace and prosperity. When Matigari comes to the defense of Guthera, a prostitute, I was reminded of a Jesus and his protection of prostitutes on whom he had compassion because they were trapped in sin. Comparisons can also be made to ‘fake news’ when the Voice of Truth and His Excellency Ole Excellency, are heard daily on radios and loudspeakers making announcements that discourage listeners from voicing their own opinions. Judiciary members of the government are referred to as parrots. This symbolism illustrates the blind acceptance of leaders and the mechanical mimicking (parroting) of corrupt propaganda. The character Matigari became so famous among Ngugi’s readers that Kenyan officials believed Matigari to be a real person and a threat. The fictional character was on a list of most wanted throughout East Africa, and later when it was learned that Matigari was not a real person, the book was ordered removed from public circulation and banned.

When remembering the history of the Civil Rights Movement I thought about how this movement is global. While Dr. Martin Luther King was leading non-violent demonstrations in America, a violent revolution was going on in Africa. Similarly, though not simultaneously, Ngugi wa Thiong’o was jailed for writing material deemed a threat to the ruling elite. He had decided to write only in Gikuyu, his native tongue, and to drop his European name. This decision was criticized by dictatorial government leaders and contributed to reasons for his incarceration. The readers he wanted to write for did not consider English as a primary language and he began to feel that writing in English was essentially cultural treason. While in jail he wrote his next book on toilet paper, to be smuggled out and prepared for publication. After a year of imprisonment, Amnesty International secured Ngugi’s release and he left Africa to reside in America. He is a professor of English and Comparative Literature at University of California, Irvine and has been a perennial favorite for the Nobel Prize.

My book club enjoyed discussing Ngugi’s book while sampling Kenyan foods. Roast chicken was favored over ugali, a boiled (tasteless) cornmeal mush, and of course black tea was served. Tea is a major cash crop in Kenya. We also listened to authentic Kenyan music, discovered on a Folkways Smithsonian website. The conversation surrounding Ngugi’s book led us in exploring issue-oriented themes related to class and race. It was noted that progress isn’t linear and with every step forward there may seem to be two steps back. Still we must lurch on towards higher callings and higher ground. Matigari is a book that inspires thought for overcoming barriers. Other books by Ngugi wa Thiong’o on the list of books we “must read” include Petals of Blood and The River Between.

Family Matters ~ Rohinton Mistry

2018-07-05T22:01:00.001-05:00

This is Rohinton Mistry's third novel, published in 2001, and deals with domestic crisis amidst a corrupt, poverty-stricken background. On contemplating this novel's title, the word “matters” can be interpreted as either a noun or a verb. I became much attached to the characters and felt they all mattered in the end, both individually and as a whole family unit. When considering the title as a noun, it is easy to explain that the focus of the story is how siblings deal with an aging parent who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. Nariman, the patriarch of the family has become bedridden after a fall that has left him with a broken ankle. Living in cramped quarters with his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons is difficult. Nariman has two other adult step-children who avoid the responsibilities of helping out with care-taking and expenses. There are also painful memories of past mistakes that haunt Nariman, and as the story unfolds each character is transformed by the choices they make.

Mistry highlights Indian culture and religion in his story by including Orthodox Zoroastrian practices and rituals in the routines of his characters. With Indo-nostalgia, Mistry weaves a story full of customs and foods that celebrate daily life as well as special occasions. When meeting to discuss the novel with friends, we watched a documentary on Zoroastrianism, a religion that dates back to the 5^th century. It is amazing that they have kept the same temple fire burning all these years! I will always remember this when lighting a stick of sandalwood incense. Taking inspiration from a quote by Nariman, who refuses to eat his birthday dinner on everyday plates, we enjoyed couscous and curry chicken on the best china. “There's only one way to defeat the sorrow and sadness of life - with laughter and rejoicing. Bring out the good dishes, put on your good clothes, no sense hoarding them. Where is the cut-glass vase and the rose bowl from your wedding? The porcelain shepherdess with her lamb? Bring them all out, Roxana, and enjoy them.”

I was surprised to find that in spite of cultural differences there were some family scenes that struck home, proving that we all have some things in common. There was also reference to the riots of Bombay that took place in December 1992, and the political party Shiv Sena. I find learning enjoyable while immersed in a fictional story, and this can often lead me to search for more information on things I am not sure about. When looking up the Shiv Sena to find out more about their radical ways, I discovered that the founder of this group was Bal Keshav Thackeray! I tried to find out if there was a connection anywhere to William Makepeace Thackeray and I discovered that Bal Keshav was a cartoonist in his early career days. Other than cartooning and the same last name I couldn't find a shared bloodline, but I thought again about the random ways these book selections complemented each other. The atmospheric tone of this story allowed me to imagine what this exotic country is like and to “armchair travel” across the world. Mistry's dialect-filled writing style, full of regional language and slang brings the setting to life. I'd recommend this book to those who like religiously diverse characters, who although may be very different have relatable qualities that will allow readers to identify with their emotions and experiences.

The Hothouse ~ Wolfgang Koeppen

2018-06-01T16:39:00.001-05:00

When reading the book's introduction, I fell in love with this writer before even starting a word of the story to follow. It was his responses to several interview questions that had me. When asked what the crucial event of his life was, his reply was “learning to read.” Another time he was asked how he'd like to die ... a morbid question I thought. Yet when reading his answer was “in bed with a book,” I thought exactly! Koeppen also was noted as saying “It is perhaps my only boast, not to have served in Hitler's armies for a single hour.”

The Hothouse is set in the capital of postwar Germany, the city of Bonn and takes place over a period of two days. Readers will follow thoughts and actions of Keentenheuve, a member of parliament. He has recently returned to his homeland, having been away in England for several years to avoid Nazism. Keentenheuve is a brooding character and wants to work at restoring his beloved county, but isn't sure he can trust his colleagues who each represent different factions. Haunted by their country's involvement in WWII, and the atrocities served by German government, everyone seems to have mistrust, guilt, and a jaded sense of reality.

In the book’s opening chapter Keentenheuve is introduced as a grieving widower. His much younger wife, Elke, has tragically succumbed to an alcohol / drug overdose. This sets a sad tone that stays with the story, as emotions can't improve greatly in just two days. Keentenheuve feels responsible; for neglecting his wife. He has spent too many nights at his government apartment, leaving Elke alone to find company with the wrong crowd.

The writing style of Koeppen is very descriptive, lyrical, and somewhat complex, with sometimes paragraph-long sentences. I also discovered new (sometimes forgotten) words that increased my range of vocabulary. For instance, another way of saying something is odd … can be referred to as something “droll.” Lexicons would love this book, and because of its poetic style, it is very beautiful when read aloud.

Here’s an example of Koeppen’s style and also marks his character's feeling of despair quite well … “He had attended committee meetings, he had spoken in parliament, he had revised legislation, he didn’t understand it, he could have stayed at Elke’s side, stayed on the side of youth, and perhaps, if he hadn’t done everything wrong, it might have been on the side of life as well. One human being was enough to give meaning to life. Work wasn’t enough. Politics weren’t enough. Those things didn’t protect him from the colossal futility of existence. It was a mild futility. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t stretch out long ghost arms to catch at the MP. It didn’t throttle him. It was just there. And it remained. Futility had shown itself to him, it had introduced itself to him, and now his eyes were open, now he could see it everywhere, and it would never disappear, it would never become invisible to him.”

I shared this book with Gerhardt and Johanna from Ashe County’s German Club to get their take on the story. They both agreed that the rambling, and yes sometimes repetetive wording, can be a bit much at times. Maybe something was lost in translation and reading it in its original language would have been more enjoyable for them. Although, others in our book group savored the lyrical phrasing, which often took on stream of consciousness, roll-and-flow-like thoughts. Koeppen lets readers ‘become’ his character with this technique. As always book club fare highlights food mentioned in the story. With this book there were sugared almonds, potato cakes, fizzy lemonade, and Cheryl's delicious version of Beef Steak Esterhazy. I discovered when researching the name Esterhazy, (belonging to a German political family), that it is often descriptive of foods including scorched onions. Karin, another member of the German club, introduced us to stollen, a German fruit bread often served at Christmas … perfect since this story takes place during the holiday season! Reading this book was a cultural experience for me that increased my knowledge in so many areas. If you decide to read this book I recommend digesting it slowly so as not to “choke” on unfamiliar words or miss out on Koeppen's descriptive detail.

Waterland ~ Graham Swift

2018-05-01T15:01:00.001-05:00

Born on May 4, 1949, Swift published his semi-autobiographical novel Waterland in 1983, winning the Guardian Fiction Prize. The story's main part takes place in the Fens, the lowest land in the United Kingdom. This coastal area, consisting of fresh- or salt-water wetlands, is a major agricultural source for grains and vegetables. The land here is particularly fertile with its nutrient-rich shallow water, mineral-based silt deposits, clay and peat. Reading this book triggered interest about the landscape and history of its civilizations. It makes sense why early settlements took to this soggy environment, considering the natural barrier it provided against foreign invasion. The Fens were a place of refuge for monasteries, now cathedrals, and are referred to as “The Holy Land of the English.”

In the past, windmill pumps assisted in the job of building drainage banks, but in the 1940s when this story begins, diesel-powered pumps and electric stations are employed for continuous reclamation of the land. With this setting in mind, imagine how teenagers, living in this isolated region, might have spent their free time. And imagine what purpose an abandoned windmill might play when sexual curiosities develop. Tom Crick, a high school history teacher, is the central character and narrator of Waterland. He describes the Fens as a magical place; like a fairy tale. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't say this story begins during post-war times. In fact, to tell it properly Tom goes back several generations, tying in historical references from the French Revolution to Heraclitus of Ephesus.

This book would appeal to those who like literary fiction. For readers not inclined to digest a saga spanning decades, there is a film based on this novel, starring Ethan Hawke, Sinéad Cusak, and Jeremy Irons. When we gathered to watch the film, my book club friends had mixed feelings, but everyone agreed Waterland is a strange story. It was also noted, that this story covers a number of depressing topics, beginning with murder, followed by suicide, incest, abortion, and kidnapping. That's a lot of fear and guilt! Refreshments served to enhance our discussion included: fried eel, pickled herring, salt and vinegar chips, crackers, and 'ale.' The reference to ale comes from the family's history in the ale-making business. There is also mention of various ways to cook and eat eel, and even a whole chapter about the biology of eels. Some of us loved the eel, while among others, I politely declined this delicacy.

Another major character is Tom's mentally challenged brother who spends a good amount of time riding or working on his Velocette motorcycle. This bike probably has some sort of symbolic meaning, since motorcycle is the last word in this book. Also near the end of the story, Tom's wife Mary is unraveling and becoming hyper-religious. But most magical of all, (totally unplanned) when meeting my friend Cheryl for coffee (at A's Backstreet Café) to share thoughts about Swift's book … this is what we saw sitting next to us, as a table ornament!

Fugitive Pieces ~ Anne Michaels

2018-03-27T22:24:00.001-05:00

When reading Fugitive Pieces, I was mesmerized by its lyrical style ... the beautiful ways Michaels expressed the narrator's thoughts. It is clear that she deeply researched the historical side of her story, which made me hungry to know more about this period in time.

Fugitive Pieces is written in two parts. The first part follows the life of Jakob, a holocaust survivor, and the second part is about Ben, a Canadian born son of two Holocaust survivors.

When Jakob's story begins, he is seven years old and has survived a Nazi invasion of his Polish city. Crouched in a hidden space behind the kitchen wall, he sees the murder of his parents and sees Bella, his older sister, being dragged away. When he thinks it is safe to come out, Jakob runs through woods, fields, and swamps by night, digging holes to cover himself with dirt and leaves during the day. He escapes his fate and begins a new life when discovered by Athos, a Greek archeologist, who is working at an excavation site for the prehistoric settlement of Biskupin. Athos protects Jakob and keeps him hidden at his home on the island of Zakynthos in Greece. There Jakob learns to read and write in Greek, while secluded in Athos's library. Despite his new beginning, memories of his family haunt and follow him through life as he tries to live with his sadness. His sister was an accomplished pianist who studied Beethoven, and her music plays in his head at night.

After the war is over Athos takes a university job in Canada where the two relocate, and again without warning, something will trigger a thought … transporting Jakob back in time to painful memories. As years pass, Jakob begins writing poetry while Athos is documenting distorted truths and exposing what victims of the Holocaust really endured in his own book, Bearing False Witness. Eventually, Jakob finds his soulmate late in life, and she helps him put the “fugitive pieces” of his memories to rest, but still their love finds a bittersweet end.

In the second part of the story, Ben talks about knowing Jakob and deals with the loss of his parents. He has grown up trying to understand why his parent’s memories are so hard to leave behind. Eventually Ben travels to Jakob's Greek island to find out more about his poetic idol and realizes what he needs to do is “give what he most needs.”

As mentioned the author's lyrical prose is breathtaking, and choosing a few select lines to serve as examples is difficult. The whole book is that good! My friend Cheryl read this book too and together we watched a movie based on the novel. The movie did have a few differences … combining the two parts into one. We found that some of the emotional lines in the story matched the movie dialogue exactly, and stayed true to Michaels’ work. In an attempt to highlight pieces of this beautiful book, Cheryl and I picked out a few of our favorite parts to pass on our own impressions before they become “fugitive thoughts.”

I especially like Jakob's description of how he felt when immersed in learning “Hold a book in your hand and you're a pilgrim at the gates of a new city.” And this too, “Inside the cave of my skull oceans swayed with monstrous ice-floes, navigated by skin boats.”

Cheryl pointed out this line, “Find a way to make beauty necessary; find a way to make necessity beautiful.” This was advice from Athos that helped Jakob learn to express his feelings when writing and gave him strength to step out of the past and live in the present.

We both were at a loss of words and heart when reading details about the Holocaust memories. Cheryl pointed out the passage, “that there’s nothing a man will not do to another, nothing a man will not do for another,” reminding us that even with vile and horrific acts of man during this time, there were many heroes doing great things to protect and help others.

I felt a surge of happiness for Jakob when he recalls two lines from a poem after he meets his true love, “You're many years late, /how happy I am to see you.”

I think when a book makes the reader feel the joy or sadness its characters are experiencing then that is a book worth reading and even rereading from time to time. Fugitive Pieces does just that and will be added to my personal list of favorites.

1984 ~ George Orwell

2017-12-29T09:42:00.003-06:00

George Orwell wrote 1984 in 1948, two years before he died. Many who have read his book believe the ideas of this fictional story seem all too real today. With closer examination, Orwell’s book, set in the future, at the time of its birth, can be thought of as somewhat prophetic when considering today’s political arena. Even outside that arena, society seems to reflect the mantras of Orwell’s Oceania, the fictional country where “war is peace,” “freedom is slavery,” and “ignorance is strength.” This confusing concept of doublethink puts me into deep thought, and makes me wonder about how easy it is to manipulate the masses. What do we think preemptive wars really are? War can’t be started to prevent war without being WAR. I find it hard to relate to that paradox. Freedom … we are all basically slaves to currency. With or without work, taxes are a part of life. Paying them is something everyone must do, or so we’re told. In other words, with this example, there are penalties for exercising freedom. Strength coming from ignorance … blind acceptance. Don’t even think about questioning authority! There are many frightening aspects in 1984, such as the constant monitoring of every move, action, and thought by Big Brother, the perpetual wars, and two-minute hates. I certainly can see a similarity between the fictional two-way telescreens and today’s electronic devices: computers, iPads, smartphones, etc. Today’s technology has capabilities to track our whereabouts and social media provides the avenue for exploitation of individual privacy. We are even guilty of policing each other. In retrospect, while reading this book, I remember the rush to interpret our newly appointed first lady’s facial expressions at her husband’s inauguration. Facecrime? Suppose that smile turning quickly into a frown was a glimpse at trouble behind closed doors. I am cautious not to jump to conclusions, yet that look naturally concerned me. There are other things about our current political leader that bother and concern me, from disregard for minority groups to blatant disrespect for women, immigrants, and people with disabilities.

Video SparkNotes: Orwell's 1984 Summary

Since our leadership changed hands, I have been troubled by “alternative facts,” exaggerations and even lies coming from Capitol Hill. I am seeing what Orwell meant when he stated, “political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind.” Winston Smith, protagonist in 1984 reflects in his diary at the end of this novel, hope lies with the people. “The only way change will occur is if Proles (regular members of the population), openly choose to revolt.”

It was in opposition to the direction our country is headed under its new administration, that my good friend Karen Gross and I chose to join millions of people across our nation, even around the world, in a March for Women. Karen traveled with me to Atlanta for American Library Association’s Mid-Winter Conference on January 21. On the way there we spent time talking about the recent election and our shared worries over its outcome. Our travels to the conference prevented us being able to join our hometown’s March for Women, but we had heard that many “sister marches” were being planned to coincide with the march on our nation’s capital. So as Karen drove, I crocheted pink “pussy-hats” just in case we ran into a “sister” march. Across the country women were planning to wear these hats in solidarity for their rights and to take back control of a word so lewdly and notoriously used by Donald Trump when bragging about taking advantage of women. Upon arriving in Atlanta and checking into our hotel, we set off on foot and headed for ALA’s conference a few blocks away. Sporting our warm, pink “pussycat” hats (I had stitched eyes, nose, and whiskers on them) we soon fell into step with throngs of activists (estimated 60,000 participants) of all ages, nationalities, and gender. Among young and old, black and white, male and female, there were signs of protest and messages promoting civil rights for all, restoration of dignity and integrity, and environmental awareness. “Real News? Fake News? Ask a Librarian!” … “Read, Resist, Librarians are Pissed!” were two of our favorites. We both felt a sense of love and unity for everyone there. US Representative John Lewis spoke at the march reminding us all that “when we see something not right or not fair, we have a moral obligation to do something … we cannot afford to remain silent!” It was an amazing day, and lifted our spirits to be part of this historic event.

After our experience in Atlanta, Karen and I reread Orwell’s grim classic which made news of top sales following the inauguration. I also spent the next month reading Orwell biographies, essays, diaries, and letters. Another Orwell quote, from his essay “Politics and the English Language” inspired us to participate in A Read-in for 21st Century Literacies, held at Watauga Public Library and organized by a local group, Small and Mighty Acts (SAMA). “One ought to recognize,” he wrote, “that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting at the verbal end.” Discussions throughout the week addressed various kinds of literacies and thoughts about books. I firmly believe that the power of collective knowledge and shared stories will unite us … but they need to be heard. Though we all may not agree on everything, we should never stop learning. Staying informed helps to cultivate tolerance and leads us to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China ~ Jung Chang

2017-12-29T09:38:00.004-06:00

When you read about other places, other times, and other people's lives it is easy to “take a trip and never leave the farm.” You can become absorbed in the experiences of historical times and gain a new understanding of what life was like for people in a world totally different from your own. My most recent time-traveling trip took me back to 1909 and through to 1978 in China while reading Jung Chang's memoir Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China. My friend Cheryl picked up this book on a bargain hunting shopping spree after the title caught her eye. She has a thirst for knowledge about exotic places around the world and having lived in Japan as a child, China has always been a curiosity of hers. Since this book has been on my endless reading bucket list for years I wanted to read it too, so over the next several weeks Cheryl became my "traveling companion" as we read and discussed Wild Swans together.

In the book, Chang shares stories of her years growing up in China during The Great Leap Forward and The Chinese Cultural Revolution, as well as memories of her mother and grandmother in terrible times with The Long March and life under Japanese rule. These stories took me through unbelievable living conditions and deplorable human treatment. It took tremendous courage and strength of endurance to live during those times. I was truly amazed by the bravery and love these women had for not just their family, but their country despite the extreme hardships that were faced.

Wild Swans Author Jung Chang: 2013 Hong Kong Book Fair Writers Series

Jung Chang tells that her lifelong dream of being a writer took years to achieve, because growing up in China during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s was a time when writers were persecuted, even executed. It was not until after the death of China's dictator, Mao Zedong in 1976 that an opportunity to study in London gave her the freedom to write. Even so, the memories of her past, of her mother's and her grandmother's lives were so painful that it wasn't until years later, after spending time with her mother and sharing family stories, that Chang was inspired to compile her family's history and her own experiences in the book Wild Swans. This book has sold over thirteen million copies worldwide and hailed as one of the most accurately detailed accounts of China's history during the reign of Mao. Chang's honest portrayal of her painful upbringing and the struggles of her country consequently led to the banning of Wild Swans in China. Her criticisms of China's government both past and present have put her on their blacklist.

Cheryl and I looked for a way to actually experience Chang's story as we read, and of course neither of us wanted to relive the days of communist rule. There really wasn't much to choose from when looking for ways to physically immerse ourselves in the book. Although we did recognize the descriptions of those years could be directly paralleled to Orwell's book, 1984. This surprised me, knowing that Orwell's book was a fictional story published before the height of the communist party takeover. The Chinese communist party was organized in 1949, only one year after 1984 was published. This makes me wonder if Mao and party leaders of China at that time read Orwell's book, and considered a regime similar to Big Brother's as the perfect way to maintain absolute power forever. For instance, you could not speak out against the party without being denounced, children were brought up as spies and encouraged to tell tales on their parents, and there were ( and still are) big posters of Mao, as there was of Big Brother, everywhere. One example that really disturbed me was when Mao encouraged criticism of government and when concerns where voiced, those in opposition were killed.

Despite the hard labor, starvation as a result of China's Great Famine … self-imposed by ludicrous agricultural practices, and brainwashing of an entire country, there were interesting customs and descriptions of magnificent scenery that intrigued us and offered some ways to relate and compare our lives with Jung Chang's. Cheryl's mother had memories of visiting Hong Kong with her husband during the 60s, although as Westerners they were shielded from the extremes mentioned in Wild Swans. We of course saw the correlation between “three daughters of China” and ourselves “three daughters of the Appalachian Mountains” as merely a generational comparison, but Chang's written visual of rural China's mountains and beautiful landscapes makes us want to sometime visit the country ourselves. During the Great Leap Forward, there was a movement to gather steel and make China industrially superior to other countries. Doorknobs, tools, cooking woks, any scrap of metal to be found were melted down in backyard steel furnaces. Although this in reality can now be referred to as a “great leap backward” and was another catalyst toward the Great Famine of China. Still I was reminded of scrap metal drives on the home front during World War II. Our own country did promote Victory Gardens during war times, but under a democracy rather than a dictatorship, and life in Western Civilization at that time was considerably more advanced than China's.

During the Cultural Revolution, Madame Mao was the honorary artistic director of the Bejing Dance Academy and she enforced that all ballets perform dances that project political party values. Chang gave reference to Li Cunxin, Mao's “last dancer,” who defected to America to join the Houston Ballet and became a renowned success. Cheryl and I watched a movie about Li Cunxin's life and this of course highlighted many of the hardships we read about in Chang's book. It is another story of incredible courage and strength. One I highly recommend.

The ultimate experience surrounding our discussions about Wild Swans, took place on June 9, 2017, Cheryl's mother's eighty-ninth birthday. Her birthday happened to fall on the rise of the “strawberry moon,” and we had read about how in China a full moon was a cause of celebration, a time when special round foods were eaten. With this in mind, we planned a full moon birthday celebration for Cheryl's mom. We cooked potstickers, egg rolls, jasmine rice and Mapo, a dish meaning “pockmarked grandma,” named for the texture and look of its prime ingredient, tofu. Of course we had round melons, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Coincidentally, a magazine arrived in the mail that day with a cover story featuring watermelons, entitled “Melon Mania.” This delicious meal was accompanied with hot tea, fortune cookies, and 7 Moon red wine. On uncorking this serendipitous wine, so complimentary to the state of our moon, we discovered that it had a fortune cork! “Take stock of your accomplishments, have pride in them too.” Another fortune from one of the cookies, “A clever crow always paints its feathers black,” unknown to us at the time, foreshadowed a visit from Revonda Crow, a local storyteller! Since all birthday parties need a cake and candles, we ended our meal with a round raspberry fudge brownie and a special musical lotus candle, made in China of course.

As mentioned Revonda Crow, happened to connect with us after sharing our full moon party adventure with her in casual conversation the following week. Revonda is a wonderful storyteller and as it turns out had spent time in China studying abroad during her college years. Since Cheryl and I had planned a final discussion to further debrief on our experiences related to Wild Swans, we invited Revonda to join us and share stories of her time in China. She enlightened us further with stories of modern China and brought along show-and-tell photo albums, Chinese money, and a peasant wedding dress. Adding to our hands-on education, Cheryl shared a Chinese fireman's coat, and a special bamboo hat worn by rice paddy workers. And I brought a silk embroidered Chinese jacket, found while on my own bargain hunting expedition. I wondered if Cheryl's fireman's coat was ever worn to a book burning event by a proletarian. We all agreed that China is a country we would have to plan on for a future visit.

Above all the persecution experienced by Jung Chang and her family, Cheryl noted that love for family and the indestructible capacity to survive in pursuit of happiness was a primary importance to the Chinese. I feel this to be a universal motivation for us too and reinforces the value of freedom we cherish in our country. Freedom should be a birthright to all human beings, no matter where they live, and it is so unfortunate that in some countries today this is not the case.

Tropic of Cancer ~ Henry Miller

2016-10-16T07:49:00.003-05:00

Henry Miller - Thoughts on Women

This formerly banned book is now celebrated as genius. Miller may have rubbed some folks wrong with his use of vulgarities and obscenities. The tale told here takes one to the streets of Paris through the eyes and actions of a starving writer. Said to be biographical fiction, Miller has topped the poetic meter in a raw, revealing way. Though parts were shocking, I loved the imagery of his words as he described the sights, sounds, tastes and most of all his emotional reactions to all he experienced.

Wise Children ~ Angela Carter

2016-04-10T18:16:00.000-05:00

You will need a family tree diagram to keep Dora and Nora's relatives straight when following this story. As you may have guessed by their names, Dora and Nora are twins. In fact one set in a family of several (including triplets). Dora tells of past exploits with her sister, as they begin to celebrate their 75th birthday. It is also the 100th birthday of her father. These sassy ladies grew up as child stars, into adult years, in and on the stage. They were products of an affair, raised by "chance" ... by an adopted grandmother named Grandma Chance. This seems appropriate since it would have been hazardous to have been raised by their father, Melchior Hazard, a famous Shakespearean actor who never acknowledges them as his own daughters. Though they didn't know their father personally while growing up, they knew of him. There are plenty of stories about him that they hear from his twin brother, Uncle Peregrine. Their uncle visited often, bringing gifts and drama. And there is a lot of drama! Things happen when twins trade places, if you know what I mean. I think the most hilarious and tragic part of the story was when they are reunited with Melchior and other relatives in a reproduction of a Midsummer's Night Dream. It is a chaotic reunion to say the least and when the girls see Melchior they immediately have a crush on him, as they have never had a proper daughter-father relationship. Throughout the story loose morals are prevalent and in the end the motto "What a joy it is to dance and sing!" remind me of the saying ... "eat, drink. and be merry, for tomorrow we die." And yes, these characters will die soon ... I'm sure, considering their ages. Although I do think age isn't stopping them from living. Sometimes, the party never ends ...

Log into Spotify and listen to this playlist of songs mentioned in Wise Children

The Thirty-nine Steps ~ John Buchan

2015-02-23T13:35:00.004-06:00

This spy novella, originally published in 1915, was chosen for our town's first centennial read. I presume the author was influenced by the impending WWI as he crafted this adventure story. Richard Hannay the main character has to take to the run when a stranger (Scudder) he offers shelter to ends up stabbed to death in his apartment. Before Scudder meets his demise, he shares a political secret ... planned assassination of a Greek ambassador ... that could trigger a world war. Richard realizes that he could be arrested for the murder of Scudder, but he also realizes that he is probably now going to be tracked by "bad guys" for the secrets he carries. Scudder left behind a code of some sort that Richard has to decipher in order to clear his name and stop the political assassination from taking place. The book follows his escape through the hills of Scotland and had me deciphering dialect while Richard worked on the puzzle of Scudder's code. While Richard is being pursued, he becomes a master of disguise beginning with his initial escape as a milkman. I liked the quote where in the end when he begins to uncover the mystery of Scudder's murder ... "A fool tries to look different: a clever man looks the same and is different."

The 39 Steps (1935) - Theater Finale

Also "the 39 steps" is part of the code ... pretty good sleuthing in the end. Although things wrapped up rather abruptly ... justice was served.

The White Tiger ~ Aravind Adiga

2014-04-22T12:49:00.004-05:00

This book carries its reader into the world of lower class India, the lowest of the low, through the eyes and actions of Balram Halwai. Balram, servant/chauffeur to a wealthy businessman, tells his story in a series of letters. Throughout he makes comparisons between the affluent and misfortunate classes of society, while elaborating on the desire to climb out of “the darkness” (slums) and become a rich entrepreneur. The letters are addressed to a Chinese Premier who is going to be visiting Bangalore. It is obvious he admires China's industrialized success when he asks the Premier how to beat poverty and corruption. Maybe his admiration of the Premier played into the reason for his confession and need to unload his conscience.

Balram is caught in a trap where he can never earn enough to run his own chauffeur company and will always be a subservient driver for the rich. I think he compares himself to a “white tiger” because they are so rare and despite of the rat race and societal caste he and his peers belong to, he knows he will rise above his raising … so to speak. He contemplates the violence he must resort to in order break free of his confining life. Balram's story is to explain his motive while justifying the deadly deed of killing his master and stealing money he needs to begin a new life.

When Balram's mistress insists on driving after a night on the town and his master indulges her against Balram's better judgment (which he knows he cannot voice). I was reminded of the hit and run scene in The Great Gatsby. Knowing he would take the blame if the boy was discovered dead, and seeing how light-minded his master was about the victim's fate was probably the turning point in Balram's mind, turning the idea of murderous fantasy into reality. Critics have also compared The White Tiger to Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment as well as Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.

When considering the Invisible Man comparison I remember how Balram described Indians as being honest … that everyday servants were trusted with large sums of money, or to care for children of their masters. Yet those who had power were so corrupt and full of greed. Two extremes and the question of why so honest … possibly survival instincts fueled by fear as with the protagonist in Ellison's novel. And like Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, Balram remains haunted by his own transgression.

Online chat about The White Tiger with Ranjana Khanna, Margaret Taylor Smith, Professor Women's Studies and Professor of English, and Frank Stasio, Freelance Producer/Reporter NPR

Elizabeth Costello ~ J.M. Coetzee

2014-04-19T10:10:00.002-05:00

Reading Elizabeth Costello was like listening to lectures in my college philosophy class. Elizabeth's writing career is winding down and she is on tour to discuss her work at a university forum. In fact she has been given a prestigious award for her contribution to the literary world, based on a previous novel about a minor character from James Joyce's Ulysses. Her current work appeals to high brow thinkers in the audience while causing some to take umbrage. Traveling from her home base in Australia to America, Elizabeth has enlisted her son as an escort. The narrative he supplies is more entertaining to me than listening to Elizabeth philosophize.

Despite the tendency to get lost in the text, I was drawn to her beliefs about the concept of evil. Elizabeth defends her opinions on animal cruelty at a dinner, after the lecture, to guests who have accompanied her for a more intimate discussion. Apparently this is manifest daily with the industrialization of livestock and gives Elizabeth a case for promoting vegetarianism. These factory-fed farms are compared to the Nazis in WWII with the way Jews were led to slaughter.

“No consciousness that we would recognize as consciousness. Not awareness, as far as we can make out, of a self with a history. What I mind is what tends to come next. They have no consciousness therefore. Therefore what? Therefore we are free to use them for our own ends Therefore we are free to kill them? Why? What is so special about the form of consciousness that we recognize that makes killing a bearer of it a crime while killing an animal goes unpunished?”

Of course this analogy didn't sit well with a Jewish professor from the university. He argues that comparing Jews to animals demoralizes their worth and insults the memory of Holocaust victims. I agree that her comparison was extreme, but so is the mantra PETA endorses; Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.

Cruelty and abuse of animals is horrifying and deserves punishment when enacted maliciously ... but when used for consumption and survival, humane treatment should be priority.

Overall this book was one that required deep thought and mostly likely would be digested better when read in small doses and discussed with other readers at periodic intervals. I'd recommend it to intellectuals who enjoy dissecting the hidden meanings and how those nuggets apply to their own personal beliefs.

"Kindness to animals means that humans and animals are of one kind"