I was apprehensive when I began "A Thousand Splendid Suns." Sure, I hefted praise on the reviews of the book so that my Read For Yourself students would read it without complaint, but I had my own reservations. I read part of "The Kite Runner" this summer, back when I was preparing to teach in Florida. I didn't enjoy the book, and, in fact, I never finished it. Besides that experience, I had just finished "Shantaram", part of which is set in Afghanistan, and I harbored some distaste for the war depicted by the author.
But "A Thousand Splendid Suns" began compellingly and progressed quickly. The female characters are characters in conflict, battling lives that seem or are preordained by man or God. The story has a decidedly morose emotional tone with moments of calm or congeniality-- moments of happiness, as Mariam describes them as she takes her final walk. It is a story fraught with brutal violence against women and, indeed, against humanity. It is raw and strangely picturesque, in so much that the reader can vividly imagine the destruction described by Hosseini. In fact, the destruction was real and may be again; Afghanistan, like its Middle Eastern neighbors, is a country still in turmoil, religious and cultural wars persistently waged beneath (and above) the surface.
I am left longing for peace, as I close the book, its soft cover bearing lovely words about the story contained within. I am left hoping that hope and peace can reign; that violence and hatred can be obliterated; that men, women, and children can embrace the country of Afghanistan with its rich and troubled history. I am left wishing for a permanent solution so that these characters-- their real incarnations and variations thereof-- can have more moments of happiness and love.
Bagels & Books is April 7 at 7am in the LFHS library. Read this fabulous book, and join us for lively conversation.
Happy reading!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Shantaram- the end.
I just finished SHANTARAM. For those of you who've seen any of my status messages on Facebook, you know this is a long time coming. It took me over a month to finish this book, reading at regular intervals, and while I freely admit that I'm a terribly slow reader, that trait really only applies when the story is compelling enough for me to stop, fold down the corner of a page, and write or think for a while before moving on. SHANTARAM did that for me.
I'm left feeling a few things. Firstly, I am devastated at the death of one of the story's central, uplifting characters. His death was important, I guess, but it was not necessary, and I feel a bit betrayed by Gregory David Roberts for taking this man's life too soon.
Secondly, I feel a bit conflicted, and it's because at the heart of this complex story is a long list of dichotomies. Love and Hate are central, as are Guilt and Freedom. Peace and War find their places among the pages, and Truth and Shadow do too. Beauty is contrasted with Squalor and Ugliness and Impurity and, again, Hate. And a sense of God mingles with constant Godlessness. It's truly one existential and philosophic hurdle after another, and the journey upon which the narrator-- known primarily as Linbaba-- embarks is fraught with his pain. He lost his life, his family, his soul, his sense of self and his sense of right. He is a criminal with kindness and love for people. He moves from one emotion to the next, riding this internal roller coaster which manifests itself, at times, in the physical realm, allowing him to do things most people can not imagine, much less plan and implement.
In the end, he has Truth and Freedom and Friendship. In the end, he goes back to the slum that served as his home for much of the book, and he drinks chai with his Indian friends, and jokes and laughs and talks with them in Hindi and Marathi and English. In the end, he returns to the one home he has left. There, in the slum, holding the child of his dead friend, surrounded by the destitute but HOPEFUL, he finds Beauty.
When I am less foggy and more astute, I'll pepper this post with quotes, my attempt to capture some of the Beauty and Truth that touched me. For now, I'll leave you with this one:
"Looking at the people, listening to the breathing, heaving, laughing, struggling music of the slum, all around me, I remembered one of Khaderbhai's favourite phrases. Every human heartbeat, he'd said many times, is a universe of possibilities. And it seemed to me that I finally understood exactly what he'd meant. He'd been trying to tell me that every human will has the power to transform its fate." (932)
I'm left feeling a few things. Firstly, I am devastated at the death of one of the story's central, uplifting characters. His death was important, I guess, but it was not necessary, and I feel a bit betrayed by Gregory David Roberts for taking this man's life too soon.
Secondly, I feel a bit conflicted, and it's because at the heart of this complex story is a long list of dichotomies. Love and Hate are central, as are Guilt and Freedom. Peace and War find their places among the pages, and Truth and Shadow do too. Beauty is contrasted with Squalor and Ugliness and Impurity and, again, Hate. And a sense of God mingles with constant Godlessness. It's truly one existential and philosophic hurdle after another, and the journey upon which the narrator-- known primarily as Linbaba-- embarks is fraught with his pain. He lost his life, his family, his soul, his sense of self and his sense of right. He is a criminal with kindness and love for people. He moves from one emotion to the next, riding this internal roller coaster which manifests itself, at times, in the physical realm, allowing him to do things most people can not imagine, much less plan and implement.
In the end, he has Truth and Freedom and Friendship. In the end, he goes back to the slum that served as his home for much of the book, and he drinks chai with his Indian friends, and jokes and laughs and talks with them in Hindi and Marathi and English. In the end, he returns to the one home he has left. There, in the slum, holding the child of his dead friend, surrounded by the destitute but HOPEFUL, he finds Beauty.
When I am less foggy and more astute, I'll pepper this post with quotes, my attempt to capture some of the Beauty and Truth that touched me. For now, I'll leave you with this one:
"Looking at the people, listening to the breathing, heaving, laughing, struggling music of the slum, all around me, I remembered one of Khaderbhai's favourite phrases. Every human heartbeat, he'd said many times, is a universe of possibilities. And it seemed to me that I finally understood exactly what he'd meant. He'd been trying to tell me that every human will has the power to transform its fate." (932)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Shantaram
I have not posted for a couple of weeks, though I have certainly been reading. I am deep in the thick of "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. It is a semi-autobiographical novel about a man who escapes from an Australian jail and lives in exile in India (though, at the moment, he has joined in the war in Afghanistan).
The book is packed with philosophies about freedom and friendship and hatred and love. It is completely fascinating to me (I am on an India kick at the moment), and I have become emotionally connected to the characters and the places described in almost overwhelmingly honest detail. For those of you who have seen "Slumdog Millionaire", the novel would explain some of the idiosyncrasies of Bombay (now Mumbai) culture and society.
I will write more when I finish the book. I will also share some of the quotes I found particularly thought-provoking.
Until then, happy reading! And please post with information about your most recent reads.
The book is packed with philosophies about freedom and friendship and hatred and love. It is completely fascinating to me (I am on an India kick at the moment), and I have become emotionally connected to the characters and the places described in almost overwhelmingly honest detail. For those of you who have seen "Slumdog Millionaire", the novel would explain some of the idiosyncrasies of Bombay (now Mumbai) culture and society.
I will write more when I finish the book. I will also share some of the quotes I found particularly thought-provoking.
Until then, happy reading! And please post with information about your most recent reads.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Gadsby
This was news to me:
A writer by the name of Ernest Vincent Wright penned Gadsby. Not newsworthy? How about the fact that he wrote this book with no words that contain the letter "E"?
Try to write a paragraph without the letter "E", and you will see how decidedly difficult the task is. Yet, Mr. Wright managed to write an entire novel devoid of our most ubiquitous vowel. It's really a fascinating concept.
If you need to see how this is possible (I just used five "E"s in that one clause!), you can read the book at http://www.spinelessbooks.com/gadsby/.
'Njoy!
A writer by the name of Ernest Vincent Wright penned Gadsby. Not newsworthy? How about the fact that he wrote this book with no words that contain the letter "E"?
Try to write a paragraph without the letter "E", and you will see how decidedly difficult the task is. Yet, Mr. Wright managed to write an entire novel devoid of our most ubiquitous vowel. It's really a fascinating concept.
If you need to see how this is possible (I just used five "E"s in that one clause!), you can read the book at http://www.spinelessbooks.com/gadsby/.
'Njoy!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Clay Pots & Kayaks
Hello, all!
I finished "Thief of Time" a couple weeks ago, I suppose. It was a quick, painless read. The next Bagels & Books is February 24th, so you still have plenty of time to read it and make an appearance.
The next Bagels and Books book? It's a surprise! You will have to show up to find out (unless you happen to stop by the Library Media Center to ask Mrs. Howell).
Happy reading, readers!
I finished "Thief of Time" a couple weeks ago, I suppose. It was a quick, painless read. The next Bagels & Books is February 24th, so you still have plenty of time to read it and make an appearance.
The next Bagels and Books book? It's a surprise! You will have to show up to find out (unless you happen to stop by the Library Media Center to ask Mrs. Howell).
Happy reading, readers!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bagels & Books: Thief of Time
I started the next Bagels & Books book, Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman. So far, so good. I started this book (i.e. read a few pages) a couple years ago, but I am on track to finish it this time. No, really!
It takes place in the southwest, which is a beautiful and culturally rich location. I have never been to Arizona or New Mexico, but reading about it makes me yearn a little for the dry desert air and the plume of red dust that billows behind cars on old dirt roads. (I might have idealized it just a little.) Thief of Time is a mystery cloaked in Anasazi culture and the allure of cliff-side dwellings. I have actually visited cliff-side dwellings in Manitou Springs, CO. They were legit Anasazi, too, so that draws me to the story even more. Dwellings are fascinating; it is mind-boggling to imagine their construction without modern tools or technology. But their construction is impeccable, and the spaces are beautifully sparse. I will upload some photos when I find them (they are on CD somewhere).
At any rate, one other book, also "set" in the southwest is among my favorites: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. This memoir chronicles Aron Ralston's survival after being trapped, incidentally, between a rock and a hard place (i.e. another rock). The memoir is a reminder of the harsh realities of adventure in such a barren environment, but it also reminds the reader and adventurer to maintain reverence for the place.
If you have not picked up a copy of Thief of Time, consider grabbing one. As always, see Mrs. Howell for more information. The next Bagels & Books meeting is February 24, so you have plenty of time to read this casual, fun story.
Take care, bundle up, and happy reading!
-- Fo
It takes place in the southwest, which is a beautiful and culturally rich location. I have never been to Arizona or New Mexico, but reading about it makes me yearn a little for the dry desert air and the plume of red dust that billows behind cars on old dirt roads. (I might have idealized it just a little.) Thief of Time is a mystery cloaked in Anasazi culture and the allure of cliff-side dwellings. I have actually visited cliff-side dwellings in Manitou Springs, CO. They were legit Anasazi, too, so that draws me to the story even more. Dwellings are fascinating; it is mind-boggling to imagine their construction without modern tools or technology. But their construction is impeccable, and the spaces are beautifully sparse. I will upload some photos when I find them (they are on CD somewhere).
At any rate, one other book, also "set" in the southwest is among my favorites: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. This memoir chronicles Aron Ralston's survival after being trapped, incidentally, between a rock and a hard place (i.e. another rock). The memoir is a reminder of the harsh realities of adventure in such a barren environment, but it also reminds the reader and adventurer to maintain reverence for the place.
If you have not picked up a copy of Thief of Time, consider grabbing one. As always, see Mrs. Howell for more information. The next Bagels & Books meeting is February 24, so you have plenty of time to read this casual, fun story.
Take care, bundle up, and happy reading!
-- Fo
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Twilight Series
I am exceedingly happy my sister, my good friend, and a gaggle of my students "forced" me to read all four books in the Twilight series. I can say that I do not regret it.
Breaking Dawn was pretty fantastic. It is a long book-- over seven hundred pages!-- but the pace is quick, and it read faster than I expected. I found myself trying to imagine the scenes described so well by Stephenie Meyer, trying to imagine how these scenes would manifest in the movie version of the series' finale (which I am told is not necessarily going to happen!). Of all the books, this one was, I think, the most imaginative and, thus, interesting.
However, I still prefer New Moon. There is something real about the series' second installment that I connect to more emotionally, and an emotionally powerful story always makes a bigger impact on me than one that is action-packed or fantastic.
All that said, the Twilight series is one not only to enjoy, but also one to re-read and re-imagine. I just hope they decide to butcher the series and squeeze into two hours of movie-watching.
Below is my preference of the novels. I have yet to meet anyone who can agree on the order of greatness. Post a comment with your own order. Let's see if we can reach a consensus (or just have a light-hearted debate).
1. New Moon
2. Breaking Dawn
3. Eclipse
4. Twilight
Happy reading!
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