Cait’s Comments (group member since Jan 31, 2017)

Cait’s comments from the Around the World in 80 Books group.

Sorry I’ve been AWOL ☹️☹️☹️ I do want to keep going with the book club this year, but I think that 1 book every 2 months would be easier for me to handle? Is that doable? And maybe first one could be Other Russias once I read it 🙇🏻‍♀️ otherwise what are you all thinking for a theme? If we want books that are going to be easier for Claire to find we’ll probably have to shift our focus a little, some last year’s were pretty tough (although wonderful!)

What are you thinking as you read?

Friends, I finally finished this one! I've been really really bad at reading lately, but book was amazing. Rarely do I so thoroughly agree with book blurbs, but Viet Thanh Nguyen's statement "this book will break your heart and heal it" was a pretty perfect synopsis for me.

I thought Bui did an amazing job conveying "the best we could do" - she was so frank but also thoughtful in how she portrayed the story of her family and the continuing impact of trauma.

I also loved the art so much - her color choices and style, the motif with her swimming at the beginning and her son at the end.

All in all, amazing, beautiful book, I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it!

Also I've definitely thought about doing the traditional book club cheat and just watching the movie :D

Thoughts as you read The Best We Could Do?

I am having sooooo much trouble with this book, I can't even get past the beginning and the bestiality. I don't think it says anything good about me that I'm more bothered by that than some of the really horrible war stuff we've read? Perhaps it's just as some of you said above that it seems more braggy than anything else. Also I don't think the disconnected style of the narration (at least in the beginning) helps, even though it makes sense based on how he had to write it.

I might return to this later, because from what you've said it's better in the last half, but for now I'm going to return my interlibrary loan :( :( :( I feel bad that I can't get through this one yet! But I am glad to hear your thoughts on the book, gives me hope that I can get through it at some other time, plus your reviews are interesting in general :)

So FYI, there is a LOT of sex in this, including incest, bestiality, and (consenting?) sex with minors.

Reminder: if your library doesn't have this book you can still probably find it through interlibrary loan!

For Minnesota folks, if you have a library card you can go directly to https://mnlink.org/ and put in a request, then pick it up at your local library.

As usual, what are we thinking as we read Before Night Falls?

Also: I really loved the tatreez patterning used throughout! Nothing like combining my love for needle arts and books <3

Finally got a chance to sit down and read this one! I also really enjoyed it - I thought it was a really good, approachable starting point to a a complicated (awful) situation. One of the things I really like about this club is that these books generally make me want to read a million more books about the same country, and that was definitely the case with this one.

I enjoyed her style of art, with the side-by-side narratives that for me really showed what Sylvia said, about the specter of war and violence always lurking. A few of the parts that stood out to me were the 'made in the USA' bomb, like you all said, but also the scene where he's out getting groceries, there's a bomb, and he just brushes himself off and brings his groceries back to his mom. That one was just... wow.

Also, similar to Persepolis, I was struck by the (forced) independence of Ahmad. Yes, he had family and friends looking out for him in Baddawi when he was away from his parents, unlike how Satrapi was isolated in Europe, but the story of staying where you could, working where you could (and getting abused by employers, etc.) still echoed some of that isolation, I thought? I don't know, not sure I made sense there!

Like Claire, I also thought about the impact of being stateless. It reminded me of my undocumented friend, who lived in America for almost all of his life, but if he had left the U.S. would not have been allowed in - but what if in addition to that he wouldn't have been allowed back in Mexico either? An impossible situation, and one SO MANY people have to deal with!

I also just really appreciated hearing some of the timelines she included to ground the narrative - I knew only a couple of the 'big' events, but there are 75 years of really big events spread everywhere.

Looks like I've got Russia!

Doña Bárbara is on PBS's 'The Great American Read' list that they're doing this summer/fall, I think I'm going to try that one out.

Just post which country you want to do in this thread and I'll add you to the schedule :)

I'm ok with skipping August - I've updated the relevant dates above, if that's what you both were thinking? Or did you want to fit in 5 books instead of 4 before the end of the year? I think 4 might be more doable, but I'm up for 5 if you all prefer.

Otherwise, people can post which country they want for their poll! People who haven't posted a poll yet get first consideration (Claire, Becki, Sylvia, and myself posted last time). Like last time, I'll wait until ~May 29 or 30 to see if there are any polls left.

Maybe the author should have read How Europe Underdeveloped Africa!

I figured you were probably on the list!

First thought - I requested that Hennepin County Library buy this and they bought two copies, but then I didn't put it on hold right away and now I'm #4 on the list. I'm glad that non-book club people are also into this book, though!

What are you thinking about our book on Palestine?

I would say that she starts to think slightly different in terms of gender, but never thinks 'hey I was wrong to enslave black people'. So no reckoning or redemption there.