Author: Daniil Kharms
Genre: fiction, short stories, drama, essays
Publication info: Serpent's Tail, 2006 (first published in 1993)
Pages: 240
I've fallen a little behind again. Three books, to be exact. I would like to blame it on school again, but if I did I would have to ask myself why I've been reading for fun anyway. The semester got pretty hectic toward the end, but still I found myself reading books just for fun. Perhaps it's not the wisest thing to do, but I guess I just can't help myself. And although I'm behind in my reviews for this blog, I intend to catch up with them. I've gotten to the point where I almost feel guilty if I finish a book but don't write about it here. I have my fan to please, after all!
So, Incidences. You've probably never heard of this book. I certainly hadn't until a good friend gave it to me for a wedding gift. He's a fan of Russian literature, and he told me this book blew his mind. Being somewhat of a fan of Russian literature myself (well, at least of Dostoevsky), I was interested. These short pieces by Daniil Kharms (whose real name was Daniil Ivanovich Iuvachov) were never published during his lifetime because such writing was illegal during the Soviet era. In fact, Kharms's writing got him thrown in jail. So you know it must be interesting. And since he uses the short-short story form, you know it must be weird.
And weird it is, much weirder even than I expected it to be. These are some of the most bizarre stories I have ever read. The first, and by far the longest, story of the book, "The Old Woman," tells of a young man struggling to find a way to dispose the body of an old woman that just came into his apartment and died. Most of the stories are much shorter, including the numbered sequence of thirty "incidents." "The Plummeting Old Women" is just what it sounds like—old women plummeting out of an open window one by one. And lest you think all the stories are about old women, consider "Pushkin and Gogol," a story in the form of a play that portrays Pushkin and Gogol repeatedly tripping over each other and expressing their astonishment about it. These are just a taste of the supreme strangeness of this book.
One theme that really stands out in this book is violence. Absurd violence. People suddenly get furious with each other and brutally beat each other up. An argument about whether 7 comes before 8 is interrupted by a boy falling off a bench and breaking both jaw-bones. I don't know what it all means, but Kharms certainly seemed to have a fascination with bizarre death and spontaneous violence. It got a little tiring after a while, to tell you the truth, but I kept reading because a part of me wanted to figure out what was going on in the author's head.
In the end, though, I had to give up on that. I have no idea what point the guy was trying to make, or if he was trying to make a point at all. Even the allegedly non-fictional essays toward the end of the book make Kharms seem like a caricature. I guess you can't fully appreciate what is going on here without some understanding of what life was like in Soviet Russia, of which I have very little.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes and no. Anyone that reads this blog knows that I have something of a penchant for weird literature. Sometimes I enjoy when a story is weird without any apparent reason. But I also wished I could appreciate the meaning better. And, as I mentioned earlier, I did get tired of the outrageous violence. Sometimes it was absurd enough to be funny, but sometimes it was just disgusting. And speaking of disgusting, there is a section of the book titled "Erotica" that I entirely skipped over.
I can't say that I would recommend this book to anyone, unless you also like really weird stuff, or you are really interested in Russia. That said, I'm thankful to my friend for giving me this book. I feel like, if anything, my eyes have been opened a little bit more.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Lord of the Rings
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1993 (first published in three parts in 1954 and 1955)
Pages: 1137 (including extensive appendices)
It has been quite a while since my last post, and I'm sure that all three of you fans are wondering where the heck I've been all this time. My answer is one word: school. I'm barely keeping up with my required reading as it is, so my recreational reading has definitely taken a hit. But don't worry. I'm going to try to find a way to get back into it.
I actually finished reading The Lord of the Rings about two months ago, but it is still pretty fresh on my mind. This has been the Year of the Ring for my wife and me. In the spring we watched the extended films (in about five sessions). Then we started working through all the special features. In the summer we both read the books, watching the special features for the films along the way (there are a lot of them!). Then we finished the books and watched all the films again. And we still have several special features to go.
Even with all of this, we haven't gotten tired of it. The Lord of the Rings is worth being immersed in. I'm not usually interested in high fantasy, but since Tolkien pretty much defined the genre, I find his work fascinating. All along the way while reading the books, I wanted to look up and learn about different aspects of the history and peoples of Middle-earth. It's simply amazing how complete the world is, how dynamic and varied. It's an entire world, with many races and cultures and languages, and with thousands of years of history, all originating from one guy's head.
I'm sure that most of you (in other words, at least two of you) are familiar with the story of The Lord of the Rings, from the films if not from the book, so I'm not going to rehash it for you. But I will say this: the experience of The Lord of the Rings is not complete without the book.
The movies were wonderful. Obviously they were carefully and lovingly done. There were some things I thought the movies did better, such as the scene at the Cracks of Doom. But until you've read the book, you won't know how deeply thought out and intricate the world of the story is. I can't explain exactly why, but the book is just so satisfying to me. The movies are a lot of fun to watch, and some parts get me pretty emotional, but the book brings a satisfaction I can't get with the movies.
One prominent example is the penultimate chapter, "The Scouring of the Shire." I know it wouldn't have been realistic to put this part in the movie, especially since people already complain about how The Return of the King had about five endings before it actually ended. But I loved this story of the final conflict of the war. It shows how the happily-ever-after is hard won (not that the hobbits didn't have a hard enough time already). It shows that the effects of war follow you home, in Frodo's case literally into your home. And I think it makes Saruman's decline all the more tragic and pathetic. It was wise not to tack this chapter onto the end of the movie, but I think it would make a great short film.
I love The Lord of the Rings. It's not without its flaws, but its good qualities make up for them. It's one of the best stories of good triumphing over evil that I know of. And one thing I especially like is that every character makes an important contribution, even the "comic relief" characters.
Give this book a chance if you haven't already. If you have given it a chance, give it another one. It's long and sometimes slow, yes, but I think it's worth it. It's just so satisfying.
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1993 (first published in three parts in 1954 and 1955)
Pages: 1137 (including extensive appendices)
It has been quite a while since my last post, and I'm sure that all three of you fans are wondering where the heck I've been all this time. My answer is one word: school. I'm barely keeping up with my required reading as it is, so my recreational reading has definitely taken a hit. But don't worry. I'm going to try to find a way to get back into it.
I actually finished reading The Lord of the Rings about two months ago, but it is still pretty fresh on my mind. This has been the Year of the Ring for my wife and me. In the spring we watched the extended films (in about five sessions). Then we started working through all the special features. In the summer we both read the books, watching the special features for the films along the way (there are a lot of them!). Then we finished the books and watched all the films again. And we still have several special features to go.
Even with all of this, we haven't gotten tired of it. The Lord of the Rings is worth being immersed in. I'm not usually interested in high fantasy, but since Tolkien pretty much defined the genre, I find his work fascinating. All along the way while reading the books, I wanted to look up and learn about different aspects of the history and peoples of Middle-earth. It's simply amazing how complete the world is, how dynamic and varied. It's an entire world, with many races and cultures and languages, and with thousands of years of history, all originating from one guy's head.
I'm sure that most of you (in other words, at least two of you) are familiar with the story of The Lord of the Rings, from the films if not from the book, so I'm not going to rehash it for you. But I will say this: the experience of The Lord of the Rings is not complete without the book.
The movies were wonderful. Obviously they were carefully and lovingly done. There were some things I thought the movies did better, such as the scene at the Cracks of Doom. But until you've read the book, you won't know how deeply thought out and intricate the world of the story is. I can't explain exactly why, but the book is just so satisfying to me. The movies are a lot of fun to watch, and some parts get me pretty emotional, but the book brings a satisfaction I can't get with the movies.
One prominent example is the penultimate chapter, "The Scouring of the Shire." I know it wouldn't have been realistic to put this part in the movie, especially since people already complain about how The Return of the King had about five endings before it actually ended. But I loved this story of the final conflict of the war. It shows how the happily-ever-after is hard won (not that the hobbits didn't have a hard enough time already). It shows that the effects of war follow you home, in Frodo's case literally into your home. And I think it makes Saruman's decline all the more tragic and pathetic. It was wise not to tack this chapter onto the end of the movie, but I think it would make a great short film.
I love The Lord of the Rings. It's not without its flaws, but its good qualities make up for them. It's one of the best stories of good triumphing over evil that I know of. And one thing I especially like is that every character makes an important contribution, even the "comic relief" characters.
Give this book a chance if you haven't already. If you have given it a chance, give it another one. It's long and sometimes slow, yes, but I think it's worth it. It's just so satisfying.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Born to Run
A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Author: Christopher McDougall
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
Pages: 287
I've known about this book for a while, but I never thought I would get around to reading it. In fact, I may even have been avoiding it for a while. Being a runner myself (or at least having been one—my running hasn't been so great lately), books like this frequently catch my eye, but I was hesitant to pick this one up because of what I'd heard about its connection to the barefoot craze. This isn't to say I'm against barefoot running, but the fanaticism that I often see along with it is pretty off-putting.
Well, if just so happens that I came across this book on a vacation recently, so I decided to give it a shot. And guess what. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Christopher McDougall, it turns out, is a very engaging storyteller. Yes, Born to Run is, more than anything else, a story. It's not just an extended piece of argumentation like I expected.
What is the story? It all starts with the author asking himself, "How come my foot hurts?" He's a casual runner who is really trying to enjoy the sport, but a surging pain in his foot has made that goal a tad difficult to achieve. So he goes to doctor after doctor who all tell him that running is bad for you. Of course, that answer isn't good enough for him.
With his connections as a magazine writer, McDougall finds out about the Tarahumara, a tribe of native Mexicans who live in a place called Copper Canyons, near the U.S. border. Apart from the extreme hostility of the place they live in, what sets these people apart is that they're runners. All of them—young and old, male and female. And they're not just runners; they're dang good ones, regularly going on 60-plus-mile trail races with each other. Above all, they like doing it.
McDougall wants to learn everything he can from them, but to do so, he needs to find a mysterious man known only as Caballo Blanco, an American living among the Tarahumara. Caballo seems to be the only person that really "gets" the Tarahumara. Unfortunately, he is also just as distrustful of outsiders as they are. But he has a plan. A plan to organize the greatest ultramarathon ever, right on the Tarahumara's own turf. And he needs McDougall's help to do it.
That's the basis of the story. Along the way McDougall tells the stories of famous ultrarunners who end up getting involved. And he delves into topics such as barefoot running and the apparent fact that we humans are built to run long distances. But what I enjoyed most about this book was the story. What's really cool about it is that it all really happened (although I'm sure there is some embellishment). If you search around you can find some photos of the first-ever Copper Canyons race.
The characters are quirky and endearing, the story is suspenseful and engaging, the writing style is funny and clever—this book would make a pretty good novel. But I learned some things too. For one, there are a lot of points worth considering when it comes to barefoot running (including the fact that nobody likes a barefoot fanatic). Apparently the classic running shoe has conditioned us to run improperly, and that is why we get injured so often. You can tell that running shoe companies are starting to take these ideas seriously by their more recent products. I also learned that running should, above all, be a joyful experience. That may sound strange to you, and sometimes it does to me, but I think it would be a worthy goal to shoot for: to run just for the pure enjoyment of running.
A quick warning to readers: This book has a fair share of foul language. It's a shame, really. Everything else about the book is a lot of fun. Normally I wouldn't keep reading a book with this much offensive language, but for some reason I did. I hesitate to recommend this book because of the language, but on every other count it's great. Just consider yourself warned.
Author: Christopher McDougall
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
Pages: 287
I've known about this book for a while, but I never thought I would get around to reading it. In fact, I may even have been avoiding it for a while. Being a runner myself (or at least having been one—my running hasn't been so great lately), books like this frequently catch my eye, but I was hesitant to pick this one up because of what I'd heard about its connection to the barefoot craze. This isn't to say I'm against barefoot running, but the fanaticism that I often see along with it is pretty off-putting.
Well, if just so happens that I came across this book on a vacation recently, so I decided to give it a shot. And guess what. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Christopher McDougall, it turns out, is a very engaging storyteller. Yes, Born to Run is, more than anything else, a story. It's not just an extended piece of argumentation like I expected.
What is the story? It all starts with the author asking himself, "How come my foot hurts?" He's a casual runner who is really trying to enjoy the sport, but a surging pain in his foot has made that goal a tad difficult to achieve. So he goes to doctor after doctor who all tell him that running is bad for you. Of course, that answer isn't good enough for him.
With his connections as a magazine writer, McDougall finds out about the Tarahumara, a tribe of native Mexicans who live in a place called Copper Canyons, near the U.S. border. Apart from the extreme hostility of the place they live in, what sets these people apart is that they're runners. All of them—young and old, male and female. And they're not just runners; they're dang good ones, regularly going on 60-plus-mile trail races with each other. Above all, they like doing it.
McDougall wants to learn everything he can from them, but to do so, he needs to find a mysterious man known only as Caballo Blanco, an American living among the Tarahumara. Caballo seems to be the only person that really "gets" the Tarahumara. Unfortunately, he is also just as distrustful of outsiders as they are. But he has a plan. A plan to organize the greatest ultramarathon ever, right on the Tarahumara's own turf. And he needs McDougall's help to do it.
That's the basis of the story. Along the way McDougall tells the stories of famous ultrarunners who end up getting involved. And he delves into topics such as barefoot running and the apparent fact that we humans are built to run long distances. But what I enjoyed most about this book was the story. What's really cool about it is that it all really happened (although I'm sure there is some embellishment). If you search around you can find some photos of the first-ever Copper Canyons race.
The characters are quirky and endearing, the story is suspenseful and engaging, the writing style is funny and clever—this book would make a pretty good novel. But I learned some things too. For one, there are a lot of points worth considering when it comes to barefoot running (including the fact that nobody likes a barefoot fanatic). Apparently the classic running shoe has conditioned us to run improperly, and that is why we get injured so often. You can tell that running shoe companies are starting to take these ideas seriously by their more recent products. I also learned that running should, above all, be a joyful experience. That may sound strange to you, and sometimes it does to me, but I think it would be a worthy goal to shoot for: to run just for the pure enjoyment of running.
A quick warning to readers: This book has a fair share of foul language. It's a shame, really. Everything else about the book is a lot of fun. Normally I wouldn't keep reading a book with this much offensive language, but for some reason I did. I hesitate to recommend this book because of the language, but on every other count it's great. Just consider yourself warned.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Everfound
Book 3 of the Skinjacker Trilogy
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: fiction, fantasy, young adult
Publication info: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Pages: 500
Young adult fiction is a strange genre. I don't get why some mediocre or downright awful books, such as The Hunger Games or the Twilight saga (respectively), get all the attention, while well-written, gripping, stunningly creative books are forced to fly under the radar.
I am, of course, referring to Neal Shusterman's Skinjacker trilogy. It's no secret that I love these books. But I'd like to believe my love isn't misplaced. Maybe there's something out there that this trilogy resembles, but I haven't heard about it.
I was excited to see that Everfound, the final installment, was coming out much sooner than I expected. I ordered it pretty soon after it was released, and I'm glad it did. This book did not disappoint me, and if you have enjoyed both Everlost and Everwild, I'm sure you will enjoy this one too.
It picks up shortly after Everwild left off (if you haven't read that one, I wouldn't recommend reading my description here—it might spoil some things for you). Both of our heroes are in pretty bad situations. Nick "the Chocolate Ogre" has been turned entirely into chocolate and doesn't remember anything about who he really is. Allie "the Outcast" is a prisoner tied to the front of a train that carries the sleeping body of Mary Hightower. It is still months before Mary is supposed to wake up from her second death, and meanwhile her group is being led by the ruthless Milos, who is fiercely devoted to Mary and will do anything—to anyone—to win her love.
So the conflict begins right away, but there is also a new piece to the puzzle: Jix, a "furjacker" who can possess animals' bodies, has come from a mysterious kingdom in the south to find out what Mary is up to. Milos welcomes him aboard the train, but Jix has his own objectives and allegiances, so it's unclear whether he will be a help or a hindrance to Mary's (and Milos's) fanatical ambitions.
And the stakes have once again been upped. For one, the characters encounter a "scar wraith," a man who has some body parts that exist in Everlost. A single touch from a scar wraith will cause an Afterlight to vanish from existence. And Mary, of course, has become even crazier than ever (in her cool, collected way). Her goal is to bring the entire living world over into Everlost. The scary thing is, she might actually have the means to do it.
Everfound is an exciting and totally satisfying conclusion to the series. One thing I love about this book is how many obstacles and conflicts the author keeps throwing at the characters. Every time, it seems like they're not going to get out of it. Every time, it feels like a genuine danger. And the solutions sometimes come at a high price. I call that good writing.
If you've read the first two books of this trilogy, don't hesitate to pick up this concluding installment. You won't be disappointed.
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: fiction, fantasy, young adult
Publication info: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Pages: 500
Young adult fiction is a strange genre. I don't get why some mediocre or downright awful books, such as The Hunger Games or the Twilight saga (respectively), get all the attention, while well-written, gripping, stunningly creative books are forced to fly under the radar.
I am, of course, referring to Neal Shusterman's Skinjacker trilogy. It's no secret that I love these books. But I'd like to believe my love isn't misplaced. Maybe there's something out there that this trilogy resembles, but I haven't heard about it.
I was excited to see that Everfound, the final installment, was coming out much sooner than I expected. I ordered it pretty soon after it was released, and I'm glad it did. This book did not disappoint me, and if you have enjoyed both Everlost and Everwild, I'm sure you will enjoy this one too.
It picks up shortly after Everwild left off (if you haven't read that one, I wouldn't recommend reading my description here—it might spoil some things for you). Both of our heroes are in pretty bad situations. Nick "the Chocolate Ogre" has been turned entirely into chocolate and doesn't remember anything about who he really is. Allie "the Outcast" is a prisoner tied to the front of a train that carries the sleeping body of Mary Hightower. It is still months before Mary is supposed to wake up from her second death, and meanwhile her group is being led by the ruthless Milos, who is fiercely devoted to Mary and will do anything—to anyone—to win her love.
So the conflict begins right away, but there is also a new piece to the puzzle: Jix, a "furjacker" who can possess animals' bodies, has come from a mysterious kingdom in the south to find out what Mary is up to. Milos welcomes him aboard the train, but Jix has his own objectives and allegiances, so it's unclear whether he will be a help or a hindrance to Mary's (and Milos's) fanatical ambitions.
And the stakes have once again been upped. For one, the characters encounter a "scar wraith," a man who has some body parts that exist in Everlost. A single touch from a scar wraith will cause an Afterlight to vanish from existence. And Mary, of course, has become even crazier than ever (in her cool, collected way). Her goal is to bring the entire living world over into Everlost. The scary thing is, she might actually have the means to do it.
Everfound is an exciting and totally satisfying conclusion to the series. One thing I love about this book is how many obstacles and conflicts the author keeps throwing at the characters. Every time, it seems like they're not going to get out of it. Every time, it feels like a genuine danger. And the solutions sometimes come at a high price. I call that good writing.
If you've read the first two books of this trilogy, don't hesitate to pick up this concluding installment. You won't be disappointed.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Hobbit
or There and Back Again
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1997 (originally published in 1937)
Pages: 272
Once upon a time, when I was a young boy, my dad would read to me before I went to sleep. I don't know how many books he read to me in all, but one that really stood out was J. R. R. Tolkien's famous novel The Hobbit. I could tell that this book, along with The Lord of the Rings, was something my dad loved, and he instilled that same love in me.
The problem was that, as a kid, I often fell asleep while he read aloud, and even while I was awake I didn't always understand everything. So after recently watching Peter Jackson's excellent film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, I decided to go back and read the books again, beginning with the book that started it all, The Hobbit (which, you've probably heard, Peter Jackson is making into a film to be released next year).
What a fun little fantasy! I say "little" because, as I understand it, Tolkien wrote this book before developing the massively complex world of Middle-earth, the setting for his novels. This isn't to say that the world of The Hobbit isn't well developed, but it definitely feels simpler in comparison to the subsequent saga.
The tone is also quite a bit different. The narrator of this story is almost a character himself, interjecting his own thoughts here and there. My dad tells me it's meant to sound as if a hobbit were telling this story to younger hobbits around the hearth. All in all, the book feels aimed more at children than its sibling does.
That said, The Hobbit should appeal to children and adults alike. If you've read or seen The Lord of the Rings but have never experienced this story, you really ought to give it a shot. If nothing else, it is an important setup for the grand story to follow.
Bilbo Baggins, a quiet hobbit living contentedly in his home in Hobbiton, is unexpectedly visited by the wizard Gandalf along with twelve dwarves. Before he knows it he is recruited for a daring adventure to recover the dwarves' treasure in the Lonely Mountain, guarded by the evil and selfish dragon Smaug. Bilbo isn't the traveling type (no hobbit is), but he comes to be as great an adventurer as anyone in the group.
The most important part of the story, though, is probably in the middle when Bilbo encounters a creature named Gollum and a magical ring that turns its wearer invisible. Sound familiar? It should.
Tolkien was the master of fantasy, I believe. And I also believe that no encounter with his masterful Lord of the Rings would be complete without a reading of this wonderful little story.
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1997 (originally published in 1937)
Pages: 272
Once upon a time, when I was a young boy, my dad would read to me before I went to sleep. I don't know how many books he read to me in all, but one that really stood out was J. R. R. Tolkien's famous novel The Hobbit. I could tell that this book, along with The Lord of the Rings, was something my dad loved, and he instilled that same love in me.
The problem was that, as a kid, I often fell asleep while he read aloud, and even while I was awake I didn't always understand everything. So after recently watching Peter Jackson's excellent film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, I decided to go back and read the books again, beginning with the book that started it all, The Hobbit (which, you've probably heard, Peter Jackson is making into a film to be released next year).
What a fun little fantasy! I say "little" because, as I understand it, Tolkien wrote this book before developing the massively complex world of Middle-earth, the setting for his novels. This isn't to say that the world of The Hobbit isn't well developed, but it definitely feels simpler in comparison to the subsequent saga.
The tone is also quite a bit different. The narrator of this story is almost a character himself, interjecting his own thoughts here and there. My dad tells me it's meant to sound as if a hobbit were telling this story to younger hobbits around the hearth. All in all, the book feels aimed more at children than its sibling does.
That said, The Hobbit should appeal to children and adults alike. If you've read or seen The Lord of the Rings but have never experienced this story, you really ought to give it a shot. If nothing else, it is an important setup for the grand story to follow.
Bilbo Baggins, a quiet hobbit living contentedly in his home in Hobbiton, is unexpectedly visited by the wizard Gandalf along with twelve dwarves. Before he knows it he is recruited for a daring adventure to recover the dwarves' treasure in the Lonely Mountain, guarded by the evil and selfish dragon Smaug. Bilbo isn't the traveling type (no hobbit is), but he comes to be as great an adventurer as anyone in the group.
The most important part of the story, though, is probably in the middle when Bilbo encounters a creature named Gollum and a magical ring that turns its wearer invisible. Sound familiar? It should.
Tolkien was the master of fantasy, I believe. And I also believe that no encounter with his masterful Lord of the Rings would be complete without a reading of this wonderful little story.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Riverhead, 2003
Pages: 371
It's been said that you can tell the quality of a book by how long it stays with you, by how much you think about it well after you've turned the last page. The Kite Runner was recommended to me as such a book, and I have to say I agree with the judgment.
This is not your usual coming-of-age story. For one thing, it's set mostly in Afghanistan (apparently the first book by an Afghan author to be written in English). On top of the profound story, you get to learn about what life is like in this country far from the United States. You learn about kite fighting and kite running, Afghan codes of honor, and the devastation of war. For this reason alone it's an eye-opening book.
But what impressed me even more was that even though it is set in a different culture, many of the themes dealt with were quite familiar to me. They are themes that go deeper than our separate cultures and into our common humanity: friendship, the father-and-son relationship, betrayal, guilt, fear, love, redemption. If anything, this book shows that all across the world, we are more alike than we sometimes think.
The narrator of the story is Amir, the son of an affluent man known as Baba. His best friend, although he won't always admit it, is Hassan, the son of Baba's servant. The reason Amir doesn't always admit to being friends with Hassan is that Hassan is a Hazara, a member of an ethnic group considered lower-class in Afghanistan. Although they grow up basically as brothers, it becomes clear early on in the book that Hassan is much more devoted to Amir than vice versa.
Then one day, something happens that alters their relationship forever. In this terrible moment, Amir's brotherly love for Hassan is tested, and it fails. After that they drift apart, not because Hassan feels betrayed, but rather because Amir is overwhelmed with guilt. Although this pivotal moment in their friendship (I won't say exactly what happens) is painful enough by itself, it is really the guilt tearing them apart that is the most saddening.
But where there is guilt, there is also the possibility for redemption. Years later, Amir receives a phone call from an old friend who tells him what I believe is the main message of the story: "There is a way to be good again." Amir does find a way, but once again he will be tested, even more deeply than before.
It's a profound story, one that I definitely will be thinking about for a long time. I should warn you, though, that it is not exactly a pleasant story. Some of the central story elements (such as the pivotal moment I vaguely described above) are very disturbing, and at times they even caused me almost tangible pain to imagine. There is also a bit of offensive language that usually I would not tolerate, but for some reason I was able to get through it this time.
A lot of good stories have disturbing and painful aspects to them. What's important, I think, is what the story does with them. In The Kite Runner, it's not the pain that's the focus, but the redemption. There is a way to be good again. Even when you feel you've done something horrible, even when you feel beyond hope, there is a way to be good again. That message rings true with me. I hope it does with you too.
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Riverhead, 2003
Pages: 371
It's been said that you can tell the quality of a book by how long it stays with you, by how much you think about it well after you've turned the last page. The Kite Runner was recommended to me as such a book, and I have to say I agree with the judgment.
This is not your usual coming-of-age story. For one thing, it's set mostly in Afghanistan (apparently the first book by an Afghan author to be written in English). On top of the profound story, you get to learn about what life is like in this country far from the United States. You learn about kite fighting and kite running, Afghan codes of honor, and the devastation of war. For this reason alone it's an eye-opening book.
But what impressed me even more was that even though it is set in a different culture, many of the themes dealt with were quite familiar to me. They are themes that go deeper than our separate cultures and into our common humanity: friendship, the father-and-son relationship, betrayal, guilt, fear, love, redemption. If anything, this book shows that all across the world, we are more alike than we sometimes think.
The narrator of the story is Amir, the son of an affluent man known as Baba. His best friend, although he won't always admit it, is Hassan, the son of Baba's servant. The reason Amir doesn't always admit to being friends with Hassan is that Hassan is a Hazara, a member of an ethnic group considered lower-class in Afghanistan. Although they grow up basically as brothers, it becomes clear early on in the book that Hassan is much more devoted to Amir than vice versa.
Then one day, something happens that alters their relationship forever. In this terrible moment, Amir's brotherly love for Hassan is tested, and it fails. After that they drift apart, not because Hassan feels betrayed, but rather because Amir is overwhelmed with guilt. Although this pivotal moment in their friendship (I won't say exactly what happens) is painful enough by itself, it is really the guilt tearing them apart that is the most saddening.
But where there is guilt, there is also the possibility for redemption. Years later, Amir receives a phone call from an old friend who tells him what I believe is the main message of the story: "There is a way to be good again." Amir does find a way, but once again he will be tested, even more deeply than before.
It's a profound story, one that I definitely will be thinking about for a long time. I should warn you, though, that it is not exactly a pleasant story. Some of the central story elements (such as the pivotal moment I vaguely described above) are very disturbing, and at times they even caused me almost tangible pain to imagine. There is also a bit of offensive language that usually I would not tolerate, but for some reason I was able to get through it this time.
A lot of good stories have disturbing and painful aspects to them. What's important, I think, is what the story does with them. In The Kite Runner, it's not the pain that's the focus, but the redemption. There is a way to be good again. Even when you feel you've done something horrible, even when you feel beyond hope, there is a way to be good again. That message rings true with me. I hope it does with you too.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Author: Lewis Carroll
Genre: fiction, fantasy, nonsense
Publication info: Penguin, 1998 (originally published in 1865 and 1871, respectively)
Pages: 357 (including both novels and lots of supplementary material)
This is another one of those books that falls into the why-didn't-I-read-this-a-long-time-ago category. I guess I just assumed that, having seen the 1951 Disney movie and the more recent film directed by Tim Burton, I was familiar enough with Wonderland and its strangeness.
But let me tell you something: Those movies do not come close to how weird the Alice stories truly are. You think Tim Burton is weird? Lewis Carroll makes Burton's work look as imaginative as the tax code.
You'll just have to read these books to know what I'm talking about. But let me also warn you that I really mean what I say when I categorize them as nonsense literature. If you try to dig any meaning out of them, you're going to have a heck of a time. Lots of scholars have tried to do that, and I honestly think they were wasting their time.
I don't really know how to begin describing these books. In Wonderland, Alice chases a white rabbit down a hole and ends up in a bizarre dream world. You probably know that much already. But as I said before, it is unbelievably bizarre. So many things go unexplained, like the Duchess's cook who periodically hurls dishes at the Duchess's head, and the baby that Alice rescues from the Duchess's apparently cruel treatment but that eventually turns into a pig. Many of the more familiar elements are there: the Cheshire Cat, the croquet game with the Queen of Hearts, the mad tea party. It's funny how I continued to expect to find out why these characters were doing all the weird things they were doing. It took a long time for me to figure out that nothing is going to be explained.
In Through the Looking-Glass, much to my surprise, Alice travels to a completely different world with an entirely new cast of characters. In this story she finds herself participating in a giant (and barely recognizable) game of chess. She meets the Red and White Queens, Kings, and Knights, and all sorts of other interesting people. It is in this story that you see most of Carroll's famed wordplay (including that fantastic poem, "Jabberwocky"). But at the end, once again, you're left scratching your head with wonder.
You have to wonder what kind of mind could create such stories. I did, and that's why I appreciated the biographical introduction in this edition. After reading about Carroll's (or rather, C. L. Dodgson's) life, I'm convinced that if he were alive today, he would be in prison. His relationships with young girls, particularly the girl from whom he got the name of his main character, were more than a little disturbing.
Still, these books are well worth reading. It was nice to escape to such a strange world after being immersed in textbooks for so long. I also really liked the pictures, drawn by John Tenniel. I've never seen a story interact so well with the illustrations before. At some points the narrator even says something to the effect of "If you don't know what I'm talking about, just look at the illustration." These illustrations are anything but superfluous.
If you want to read something a little different—okay, really, really different—give the Alice books a try.
Genre: fiction, fantasy, nonsense
Publication info: Penguin, 1998 (originally published in 1865 and 1871, respectively)
Pages: 357 (including both novels and lots of supplementary material)
This is another one of those books that falls into the why-didn't-I-read-this-a-long-time-ago category. I guess I just assumed that, having seen the 1951 Disney movie and the more recent film directed by Tim Burton, I was familiar enough with Wonderland and its strangeness.
But let me tell you something: Those movies do not come close to how weird the Alice stories truly are. You think Tim Burton is weird? Lewis Carroll makes Burton's work look as imaginative as the tax code.
You'll just have to read these books to know what I'm talking about. But let me also warn you that I really mean what I say when I categorize them as nonsense literature. If you try to dig any meaning out of them, you're going to have a heck of a time. Lots of scholars have tried to do that, and I honestly think they were wasting their time.
I don't really know how to begin describing these books. In Wonderland, Alice chases a white rabbit down a hole and ends up in a bizarre dream world. You probably know that much already. But as I said before, it is unbelievably bizarre. So many things go unexplained, like the Duchess's cook who periodically hurls dishes at the Duchess's head, and the baby that Alice rescues from the Duchess's apparently cruel treatment but that eventually turns into a pig. Many of the more familiar elements are there: the Cheshire Cat, the croquet game with the Queen of Hearts, the mad tea party. It's funny how I continued to expect to find out why these characters were doing all the weird things they were doing. It took a long time for me to figure out that nothing is going to be explained.
In Through the Looking-Glass, much to my surprise, Alice travels to a completely different world with an entirely new cast of characters. In this story she finds herself participating in a giant (and barely recognizable) game of chess. She meets the Red and White Queens, Kings, and Knights, and all sorts of other interesting people. It is in this story that you see most of Carroll's famed wordplay (including that fantastic poem, "Jabberwocky"). But at the end, once again, you're left scratching your head with wonder.
You have to wonder what kind of mind could create such stories. I did, and that's why I appreciated the biographical introduction in this edition. After reading about Carroll's (or rather, C. L. Dodgson's) life, I'm convinced that if he were alive today, he would be in prison. His relationships with young girls, particularly the girl from whom he got the name of his main character, were more than a little disturbing.
Still, these books are well worth reading. It was nice to escape to such a strange world after being immersed in textbooks for so long. I also really liked the pictures, drawn by John Tenniel. I've never seen a story interact so well with the illustrations before. At some points the narrator even says something to the effect of "If you don't know what I'm talking about, just look at the illustration." These illustrations are anything but superfluous.
If you want to read something a little different—okay, really, really different—give the Alice books a try.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Writer's Journey
Mythic Structure for Writers
Author: Christopher Vogler
Genre: nonfiction, writing instruction
Publication info: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007 (3rd edition)
Pages: 406
It's been a good long while since I last posted to this blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading. Sometimes when life gets crazy, you just can't read as much, or at least as fast. I know that sounds like a contradiction to what I said at the beginning of this blog. I guess I just haven't always been good at following through with my intentions.
I've still been reading a bit, though. The Writer's Journey is one of those books I was always eyeing at the bookstore. I read about it online and always looked out for sales and other excuses to buy it. But I never did—until a dear friend made it possible by giving me a gift card to a bookstore (probably one of the best gifts someone could give me). So I felt like it was finally time to buy this book, and of course read it.
What this book basically does is take myths from many cultures and distill them into a pattern that writers can use for their stories. Referring frequently to the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, the author describes several of the most important character archetypes—the hero, the mentor, the shadow, the threshold guardian and more. And then he describes the major segments of the Hero's Journey. All along the way he explains how a writer might apply these principles to a story, and he demonstrates them with examples from major films. Questions at the end of each chapter also help apply the principles that are explained.
I liked this book. It was fun to think about stories I've read or movies I've seen and see how they fit into the patterns described in the book (I couldn't help but think of Tron: Legacy most of the time). Now, I must confess I haven't been doing a lot of writing of my own lately. But I haven't completely given up on writing, and when I finally bring myself back to it, I think I will find this book quite useful. Now that I know the structure of the book, it will now be helpful as a handbook when I design and build my own stories.
I especially like the essays at the end of the book, which were added in the third edition. In them Vogler explores some new topics in light of the Hero's Journey: polarity, physicality, catharsis. It's pretty interesting stuff. And finally, he takes the journey, applies it to the life of the writer (whence we get the title of the book), and gives the encouraging advice: "Trust the journey."
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to create stories. As Vogler says in the introduction, this isn't about formula but rather about structure and direction. The stories you want to create probably won't fit completely into these patterns, but you probably will find some helpful ideas in this book.
Author: Christopher Vogler
Genre: nonfiction, writing instruction
Publication info: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007 (3rd edition)
Pages: 406
It's been a good long while since I last posted to this blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading. Sometimes when life gets crazy, you just can't read as much, or at least as fast. I know that sounds like a contradiction to what I said at the beginning of this blog. I guess I just haven't always been good at following through with my intentions.
I've still been reading a bit, though. The Writer's Journey is one of those books I was always eyeing at the bookstore. I read about it online and always looked out for sales and other excuses to buy it. But I never did—until a dear friend made it possible by giving me a gift card to a bookstore (probably one of the best gifts someone could give me). So I felt like it was finally time to buy this book, and of course read it.
What this book basically does is take myths from many cultures and distill them into a pattern that writers can use for their stories. Referring frequently to the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, the author describes several of the most important character archetypes—the hero, the mentor, the shadow, the threshold guardian and more. And then he describes the major segments of the Hero's Journey. All along the way he explains how a writer might apply these principles to a story, and he demonstrates them with examples from major films. Questions at the end of each chapter also help apply the principles that are explained.
I liked this book. It was fun to think about stories I've read or movies I've seen and see how they fit into the patterns described in the book (I couldn't help but think of Tron: Legacy most of the time). Now, I must confess I haven't been doing a lot of writing of my own lately. But I haven't completely given up on writing, and when I finally bring myself back to it, I think I will find this book quite useful. Now that I know the structure of the book, it will now be helpful as a handbook when I design and build my own stories.
I especially like the essays at the end of the book, which were added in the third edition. In them Vogler explores some new topics in light of the Hero's Journey: polarity, physicality, catharsis. It's pretty interesting stuff. And finally, he takes the journey, applies it to the life of the writer (whence we get the title of the book), and gives the encouraging advice: "Trust the journey."
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to create stories. As Vogler says in the introduction, this isn't about formula but rather about structure and direction. The stories you want to create probably won't fit completely into these patterns, but you probably will find some helpful ideas in this book.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Good Omens
The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Genre: fiction, fantasy, apocalyptic
Publication info: Workman Publishing, 1990
Pages: 296
Neil Gaiman is an incredibly creative writer. Terry Pratchett is an incredibly funny writer. Good Omens is what you get when you combine the writing powers of both of them. The creativity and hilarity is almost too much to take.
I may have mentioned before that it takes a lot for something that I read to make me laugh out loud. Well, I laughed quite a bit while reading this book. I think that's the book's greatest strength: its little moments of hilarity. The story as a whole is well put together, but it's not necessarily amazing. Individual scenes, though, are quite enjoyable.
Good Omens features an enormous cast of characters, making it hard to follow sometimes, but definitely never dull. Two of the main characters are Aziraphale the angel and Crowley the demon, who have somehow been friends through the millennia of Earth's existence. They both highly enjoy life on Earth and would hate to see it end, so when Crowley is tasked with placing the Antichrist into an English family, they are worried that the end is coming and decide to work together to keep that from happening.
As it turns out, the Antichrist (non-coincidentally named Adam) becomes a rather normal boy. At eleven years old, when most of the book takes place, he does the sorts of things that any boy his age would do. But when he starts to come into his demonic powers, things spin quickly out of control.
I recall one reviewer labeling this book as "irreverent," and I would have to agree. This is not a story for someone whose religious convictions are easily offended. If however, you are confident in your convictions and can see this book for what it is—a farce—I think you will heartily enjoy it, as I did. Don't put too much stock in the story or its philosophical implications (I think Terry Pratchett generally tries too hard in that respect). Just sit back and enjoy.
I should warn you that there is a bit of strong language and some innuendo. It's disappointing in that regard. Definitely not appropriate for children. Overall, though, Good Omens is a hilariously fun romp.
Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Genre: fiction, fantasy, apocalyptic
Publication info: Workman Publishing, 1990
Pages: 296
Neil Gaiman is an incredibly creative writer. Terry Pratchett is an incredibly funny writer. Good Omens is what you get when you combine the writing powers of both of them. The creativity and hilarity is almost too much to take.
I may have mentioned before that it takes a lot for something that I read to make me laugh out loud. Well, I laughed quite a bit while reading this book. I think that's the book's greatest strength: its little moments of hilarity. The story as a whole is well put together, but it's not necessarily amazing. Individual scenes, though, are quite enjoyable.
Good Omens features an enormous cast of characters, making it hard to follow sometimes, but definitely never dull. Two of the main characters are Aziraphale the angel and Crowley the demon, who have somehow been friends through the millennia of Earth's existence. They both highly enjoy life on Earth and would hate to see it end, so when Crowley is tasked with placing the Antichrist into an English family, they are worried that the end is coming and decide to work together to keep that from happening.
As it turns out, the Antichrist (non-coincidentally named Adam) becomes a rather normal boy. At eleven years old, when most of the book takes place, he does the sorts of things that any boy his age would do. But when he starts to come into his demonic powers, things spin quickly out of control.
I recall one reviewer labeling this book as "irreverent," and I would have to agree. This is not a story for someone whose religious convictions are easily offended. If however, you are confident in your convictions and can see this book for what it is—a farce—I think you will heartily enjoy it, as I did. Don't put too much stock in the story or its philosophical implications (I think Terry Pratchett generally tries too hard in that respect). Just sit back and enjoy.
I should warn you that there is a bit of strong language and some innuendo. It's disappointing in that regard. Definitely not appropriate for children. Overall, though, Good Omens is a hilariously fun romp.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Scholastic, 1962 (originally published in 1843)
Pages: 122
You are familiar with this story. I'm sure of it. You've definitely seen an adaptation of it, probably more than one. And there's a good chance you imagine Bob Cratchit as a frog. Okay, maybe not that last one, but my point is that A Christmas Carol is deeply entrenched in our Christmas traditions.
I think that's a good thing. A Christmas Carol is a great story. But I never got around to reading the actual story until just now.
As I've said with many books before, I'd been missing out. Although the story held few surprises for me in written form, I learned that Charles Dickens is a very clever and funny writer. That might seem obvious, but this is the first Dickens work I have read, so it was a delightful introduction for me.
As an example, you are probably familiar with the opening line: "Marley was dead, to begin with." The narrator goes on to really drive the point home that Marley was dead (otherwise his appearance as a ghost would have no significance). A few paragraphs down, he says that Marley was "dead as a doornail." Have you ever wondered what is so dead about a doornail? Well, this narrator wonders that for a while. The tangent he goes on has very little to do with the story, but it made me chuckle. I can tell that Dickens really knew his language.
It was also nice to read the original story so I can know how accurate the many adaptations are. I found that the Hallmark version with Patrick Stewart is very, very close (they even work in the rambling about the doornail). But other versions that you wouldn't think to be very accurate are closer than I thought. Even Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol uses a lot of lines verbatim from the story. Who would have thought?
A Christmas Carol is a delightful story. It teaches some great lessons that are especially important around Christmastime. I'm glad it's so prevalent in our culture, and I recommend the story to anyone who enjoys the movie adaptations.
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Scholastic, 1962 (originally published in 1843)
Pages: 122
You are familiar with this story. I'm sure of it. You've definitely seen an adaptation of it, probably more than one. And there's a good chance you imagine Bob Cratchit as a frog. Okay, maybe not that last one, but my point is that A Christmas Carol is deeply entrenched in our Christmas traditions.
I think that's a good thing. A Christmas Carol is a great story. But I never got around to reading the actual story until just now.
As I've said with many books before, I'd been missing out. Although the story held few surprises for me in written form, I learned that Charles Dickens is a very clever and funny writer. That might seem obvious, but this is the first Dickens work I have read, so it was a delightful introduction for me.
As an example, you are probably familiar with the opening line: "Marley was dead, to begin with." The narrator goes on to really drive the point home that Marley was dead (otherwise his appearance as a ghost would have no significance). A few paragraphs down, he says that Marley was "dead as a doornail." Have you ever wondered what is so dead about a doornail? Well, this narrator wonders that for a while. The tangent he goes on has very little to do with the story, but it made me chuckle. I can tell that Dickens really knew his language.
It was also nice to read the original story so I can know how accurate the many adaptations are. I found that the Hallmark version with Patrick Stewart is very, very close (they even work in the rambling about the doornail). But other versions that you wouldn't think to be very accurate are closer than I thought. Even Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol uses a lot of lines verbatim from the story. Who would have thought?
A Christmas Carol is a delightful story. It teaches some great lessons that are especially important around Christmastime. I'm glad it's so prevalent in our culture, and I recommend the story to anyone who enjoys the movie adaptations.
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