false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173364965m/277272.jpg 277272 2 Flan Parker is floundering: her sweet but hapless husband, Shae, is procrastinating on finishing his dissertation, their young children are running wild, and the beloved yard sales she holds in their University of California-Riverside student housing cul-de-sac are under fire from the housing office. Then Flan becomes fascinated with her Afghani neighbors, particularly the wife, Sodaba, hidden beneath a burqa. When Sodaba, pulling into her driveway, accidentally runs over Flan's daughter, racial tension in the community is heightened. The unlikely friendship that develops between Sodaba and Flan in the accident's aftermath sparks its share of trouble as the FBI begins investigating Sodaba's husband for suspected ties to terrorism. Flan is an endearing, juicy character: well-intentioned, less than perfect, with a love of the old and faded (the ancient copy of Leaves of Grass she totes around and frequently quotes, for instance). Unfortunately, the inevitable political discussions (the book is set in the summer of 2002, and fears of another 9/11-style attack run rampant) are unsatisfying and banal. Brandeis, a winner of Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize for Fiction (described as "in support of a literature of social change), clearly wants to provoke social reflection. The book is most powerful when focusing on small, intimate moments. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 268900 2007 Self Storage: A Novel total:129|5:15|4:47|3:44|2:19|1:4| 129 437 212 40 5 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 16:01:31 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 10:17:13 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 17:26:19 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 17:34:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 13 20:15:20 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 13 20:17:32 -0700 2007 2 0 false false Thu Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 03 12:48:49 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 12:49:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 27 19:30:47 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 27 19:31:27 -0700 2007 Gayle Brandeis’ Brilliant Study on Self

I just finished reading Brandeis’ newest novel Self-Storage, and I’m on fire like I haven’t been for words in a while. Maybe it’s that I read the book in two days because it was that interesting; or maybe it’s that Brandeis keeps t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 08 14:00:45 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 08 14:08:24 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu May 03 13:30:18 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 06 10:32:25 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Nov 09 18:15:45 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 09 18:22:38 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 03 22:59:22 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 23:00:42 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 13:38:46 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 13:45:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Mar 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jan 14 11:03:29 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 11:06:01 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Dec 02 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 11:25:29 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 11:26:41 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Thu Dec 04 09:57:22 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 09:58:15 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 21 14:58:49 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 14:29:02 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 13:16:18 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 13:17:09 -0700 2009 1 0 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 24 17:21:07 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 17:21:29 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Apr 04 15:23:15 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 04 15:26:52 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 20 20:38:18 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 20 20:41:21 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu May 01 13:27:38 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 13:29:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jun 17 07:45:25 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 07:47:08 -0700 2008
It's set very shortly after 9/11 and is, I think, supposed to be partly observation/meditation on hate and b...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=277272