101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
What are you reading?
The Templars by Dan Joneswww.goodreads.com/review/show/2947768652
This is a thorough history of the Medieval Order of the Knights Templar which lasted for nearly two centuries. Although this ecclesiastical order, for a time, wielded great economic, political and military power, it was its military campaigns in the Crusades for which it was best known. This book focused most of its attention on the bloody details of these battles. I am glad to have learned so much about this chivalric order which has taken on legendary status in popular culture.
The Zenith by Duong Thu Huonghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is one of those situations where the book is smarter than the reader. It is the final weeks of Ho Chi Minh’s life. He is in a secluded mountain top Buddhist monastery under the watchful eye of party officials where he spends his quiet days reflecting on his sacrifices, the times when he did his duty rather than what he believed to be right. His primary regret is abandoning his young mistress and children to serve the party in leadership. In the thoughts of this old man, we find one who is powerless despite his position of power, who has a tender conscience despite the harsh and pragmatic policies that flow from his office, a hollow man manipulated by those behind the scenes despite his title and accolades. Woven around these final days are numerous other stories, a family feud in a nearby mountain village, the marital tension of a lower ranking official loyal to Ho Chi Minh, stories of past sacrifices of a number of characters. I was often confused by the shift in story line and time frame. I never did figure out the point of the family feud which occupied a majority of the center of this novel. Part of the problem is my limited understanding of the cultural expectations and world view of the people of Vietnam. Much of the concerns and regrets and motivations in this novel were lost on me. I want to read more by this leading voice in Vietnamese literature, but I anticipate that those reads, like this one, will be more work than pleasure.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawlshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a sentimental story of the loyalty and affection between a 12 year old boy and his two coon dogs. This is set in an idealized past in a family that is poor, but not in want and which is rich in love. This is a time when encounters with bullies were an opportunity to discover inner strength, not a dangerous pull to contemplate suicide, when a licking was acknowledged as necessary discipline, not the cause of existential angst, when chores prompted pride that one was trusted, not a burden or abuse, when a child could roam for miles accompanied only by his dogs and his wits and return to a family who always provided exactly the perfect balance of protection and freedom. I am sure I would have loved this had I read it as a pre-teen. But I have grown too cynical for its charms.
In The Wake by Per Petersen
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Can a book give a reader whiplash? I have no idea where this book was going. It careened between dreams and memories, and strange behaviors following on black-outs and angst with such speed that I was completely disoriented through the entire ride. I LOVED Out Stealing Horses. Glad I did not read this one first or I would never have picked up this author again.
God Save Texas by Lawrence Wrighthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wright takes the reader on a tour of the political, cultural, historical and geographical landscape of Texas with gentle humor. I think my lack of connection to this state limited my full appreciation of this book.
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriartyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nine people, not all strangers to each other and none of them perfect, book a 10-day retreat at a wellness center. They come carrying the predictable middle-aged suburban baggage: marital tension, professional stumbling blocks, grief over a loved one’s death, the desire to lose weight, etc. As the novel progresses, each issue is explored with clichéd revelations. For the first half of the book, roughly 200 pages, the reader is provided with background material on each character. Each relevant and irrelevant fact is told to the reader, than shown, than told a half dozen more times. This book began so slowly that I fell asleep with my wine glass in hand, waking up only when it shattered on the floor. When the plot finally kicked into gear, the story became ludicrous. If I did not need this for a reading challenge, I probably would not have finished it. For anyone who has read other books by this author, the ending will be predictable. For anyone who has not, I won’t say more except that the ending went on far, far, far too long. Moriarty did not just wrap everything up with a bow, she wrapped it up in so many layers that it could have been dropped by a satellite and nothing would have been nicked.
Palestine Speaks: Narratives of Life Under Occupation by Mateo Hoke and Cate Malekhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am partial to oral history, so I appreciated these 16 personal narratives by Palestinians, the result of interviews conducted between 2011-2014. They represent a wide variety of backgrounds: Muslim, Christian and Jew, fisherman and farmer, physicist and physician, middle-class and destitute.
Looks like I never hit "post" yesterday when I was posting my Sunday read which I absolutely loved."Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut
Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellowhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I don’t know where to begin to summarize this novel. It appears to want to be about everything. It is the relationship between a commercially successful writer and his literary mentor, now dead, who chose artistic integrity over money. It is about the capers between a once very wealthy writer and a ridiculously irritating low level mobster. It is about the midlife crisis of a famous writer as his life and loves seem to spin away from him. Through the conversations and internal monologues, numerous philosophical topics are explored: death, materialism, artistic truth, sex, success, etc. The infusion of snarky remarks in all of these musings made me suspicious of taking any of it too seriously. I know that this is regarded as a masterpiece and that many reviews praise its brilliance. I suppose it takes a brilliant reader to recognize the brilliance in this novel, something I am not and something I was unable to do.
Sula by Toni Morrisonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Toni Morrison’s prose have a melody and rhythm uniquely their own and uniquely stunning. Even when I do not fully understand the depth of meaning in her stories (and that is more often than not), I love the feel of her words. This short novel revolves around two girls, best friends coming of age in a small segregated community in the 1920s & 1930s. Through these two young women and the females that mold and surround them, Morrison explores what it means to be a Black woman, a strong, passionate, self-determining, woman in a time that devalued both their skin color and their gender.
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quarteyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a fairly traditional detective novel in the style of Agatha Christi. The case is solved by observation and witness interviews, not by the use of any police forensics. The characterization and the prose are rather clichéd. It was a quick read that did not require too much concentration. But, the setting is what hooked me and has me considering more books in this series. I can’t think of another book I have read that is set in Ghana with the insider eye of an author who is a native.
The Private Memoir and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Even though I find most 18th century novels to be rather wordy and a bit heavy-handed with the moral lesson, I did not dislike this one. This is a parable of the danger of self-righteousness and the doctrine of predestination as understood by most Calvinists of that era. A young man is raised in a strict Calvinist home in Scotland, taught to trust in his own election and to despise the sinful world. He is befriended by a mysterious )demonic) lad who is able to use the rhetoric of his own religious tradition to convince him to commit various violent and clearly immoral acts by arguing that he has a divine duty to punish evil and that his election justifies him in every situation.
Flights by Olga Tokarczukwww.goodreads.com/review/show/2980619936
I understand why this author is loved by the literary elites. But, had I not known that she held multiple literary awards, I am not sure I would have recognized the quality of this collection of short stories, sketches and vignettes. None of them truly engaged me, although several I did appreciate more than most.
Joan of Arc by Helen Castorhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was an interesting look at the figure of Joan of Arc through the lens of the political forces of her era. I knew virtually nothing about the 100 Year War prior to reading this.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jacksonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Brilliant! I know this is supposed to be a classic haunted house story, but I never found the “haunted house” phenomenon scary. It was the psychological development of the characters, particularly the focal character that was incredibly fascinating. In so few pages, Jackson reveals so much. Best of all, Jackson knows how to trust her reader, inviting the reader into the scene and trusting that reader to understand. 4.5 stars
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Despite being very well written, this classic true crime novel failed to convert me to becoming a fan of the genre.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjaminhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Four young siblings, ages 13 to 7, sneak off to see a fortune teller who is reported to be able to predict the date of one’s death. The story jumps to the final period of each character’s life, starting with the youngest to die. The novel revolves around themes concerning this potential knowledge such as the power of suggestion verses fate, the impact of guilt on a life story, sibling bonds across time and space. This best seller did not captivate me. Rather than exploring various themes, it felt as if the author was demonstrating her thesis with a very contrived plot. The characters never came alive for me. This may be largely because I did not know them prior to their crisis moment. I also found the writing rather clichéd. 2.5 stars
The Good Neighbor by Maxwell Kinghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This biography of Fred Rogers is unconditionally laudatory. The focus is on his ground-breaking work in children’s television. Although we learn a bit of the personal life of Rogers as a child, we learn almost nothing of him as a husband and father. I would have liked more insight into the private face of this man. I also wish the editor had eliminated the relentless repetition of details about Rogers.
Improvement by Joan Silberhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This collection of interlocking stories traces the proverbial butterfly wing’s far reaching impact. When an ex-convict convinces his buddy and girlfriend to join him in smuggling cigarettes from Virginia to New York, avoiding sales tax in an easy money scheme, the lives of people they don’t know will be altered forever. The book was engaging, well-written without being pretentious. I was surprised by the note of sentimentality which is so rarely found in contemporary winners of major literary awards.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardsonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Once again, I am the odd one out with this novel. Although I enjoyed learning about this very rare genetic condition that causes skin to have a blue hue and about the mobile libraries on mule back bringing old books and magazines to rural Appalachia, I thought the story was overly sweet and predictable, the writing clichéd and the characters insufficiently complex. I foresaw the ending about 10% into the book. Characters were either good and strong, or cruel, prejudiced and religious. The reader was reminded and reminded and reminded again of the narrator’s blue coloring, of people’s prejudices, of the brutal conditions in the mines and similar facts. These were not shown to us but told to us. And, of course, all the good people, including the children, loved to read, preferred it to play, or food, or parental approval or hunting and fishing. I am glad to see books so appreciated and can understand why the rare thing would have heightened appeal, but wouldn’t there be some people, some kids who just did not take to reading? The scene with the dying boy was just so over the top.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevensonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I generally do not like 19th century novels because I find them extremely wordy. But this was concise, the characters and plot well developed in a short space. It remains a classic, not simply because the writing is strong, but because the anthropology presented continues to make the reader grapple with fundamental questions.
The Stranger by Albert Camushttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I think a better understanding of existentialist philosophy would have enabled me to appreciate this novella. The plot is simple. A young Algerian man, having recently buried his mother, shoots a stranger he suspects of harassing a friend, a crime for which he receives a death sentence. The young man narrates his story in a detached voice which gives as much attention to observing a stranger in a restaurant as to his mother’s funeral or his act of violence. In short, it appears that life and human existence has no meaning apart from that assigned to it by the one observing the event. Kill a stranger or embrace a lover, be held in esteem or condemned, die under the executioner’s blade or of old age, it is all the same.
Treasure In Clay by Fulton J. Sheenhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This autobiography has become a Catholic classic. Bishop Sheen inspired many in his lifetime and many will continue to be inspired by his reflections in this book. But, despite his claim of humility, this is permeated with clerical elitism which detracted from this account of his life and ministry.
I, Rigoberta Menchu by rigoberta Menchuhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a raw and powerful memoir of life as a member of the impoverished and exploited class. In 1983, a young indigenous Guatemalan woman narrated her story to an anthropologist. She tells of growing up in an isolated mountain community, so isolated that none spoke Spanish or another indigenous language. Illiterate, shoeless, often hungry, she tells of working from dawn to dusk to eke out a small crop, of working on coffee and cotton plantations under slave conditions, and of the gradual radicalization of her entire family who became leaders in the peasant uprising that threw the country into a civil war. She speaks beautifully of her people’s culture, of the love of her family and support in the community, and she speaks with deep sorrow of the arrest, torture and death of parents and a sibling, the degradation she experienced whenever she interacted with non-Indians in Guatemala and the powerlessness felt by most of Guatemala’s indigenous poor. This was a moving insight into a life and a world view so different than mine. Rigoberta Menchu has become an international activist for human rights, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 and has continued to be involved in Guatemalan politics.
Binodini by Rabindranath Tagorehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
According to the introduction, this is often considered the first modern Indian novel. Having read a bit of Tagore in the past, I was expecting to be moved by his spiritual images and his lyrical language. But, this was not the case with this novel. The problem might have been with the translation. My lack of familiarity with social expectations between relatives in traditional Indian families may have also hindered my appreciation of this story.
Tree of Hate by Philip Wayne Powellhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was asked to read this book. I had not heard of “the black legend” prior to beginning this text, nor would this have been a book I would have picked up on my own. This was written nearly 50 years ago. The author argues that Spain has been the victim of malicious stereotyping, historical distortions and cultural denigration since the 15th century. The author claims that anti-Spanish prejudice continues into the 20th century. Spanish cultural contributions are not accorded the recognition they deserve. Spain is unfairly blamed for the Inquisition, for anti-Semitic pogroms and for the harsh treatment of native populations in the Americas. I find it impossible to evaluate this thesis. I have never encountered negativity toward Spain. I did not find his arguments sufficiently developed to persuade me that this prejudice exists. For example, the author gives a smattering of examples from western and northern European countries that depict Spain negatively. But, the author acknowledges that these sprang up at a time when that country was engaged in military or economic conflict with Spain. The propaganda was an attempt to rally citizens around their country’s cause. But, he does not prove that propaganda was avoided when similar conflicts arose with other European countries or that Spain refrained from acts of propaganda against their rivals. Nor was I provided convincing evidence that Spain treated native peoples of the Americas with the utmost of justice, the Jews with integrity and that the Inquisition was not the travesty it is portrayed to be. Further, the argument that other European countries burned witches or stole native lands and did not get in trouble struck a ridiculous note. I am not saying that this author’s thesis is incorrect; I am only saying that this text, filled with loaded language and sounding much like propaganda, did not convince me.
A History of Cambodia by David Chandlerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Other than the genocide of the era of Poh Pot, I know little of Cambodia’s history. So, this survey of 2,000 years of Cambodia was interesting for me.
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
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This exhaustive account of the ill-fated Scott party’s exploration of the Antarctic was too long and too detailed for my taste.
A River In Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa,
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The author of this memoir moved to North Korea at the age of 13, his family hoping to escape the prejudice and hardship of being an ethnic minority in japan. Rather than the promised utopia, they found crushing poverty and rule by terror in rural North Korea. Facing certain starvation, he risked execution and fled to China in 1996. This is a tragic story told clearly and concisely. It is an important glimpse into a country that is extremely secretive.
Ship Fever by Andrea Barretthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Solid collection of short stories, most featuring a connection to the natural or biological sciences and a familial or other close relationship.
Furious Hours by Casey Cephttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Half a century ago, 5 Alabamians die under suspicious circumstances. The only connecting thread is that all are related to the same revival camp preacher who had taken out multiple lucrative life insurance policies on each. Investigations by both police and the life insurance companies were unable to uncover evidence to convict him of a single death. At the funeral of the final victim, a man executes vigilante justice and fatally shoots the preacher at close range. With the guilt of the shooter never in question, the defense attorney uses an insanity claim to prevent him from serving any jail time. Two decades after her astronomical success with “To Kill a Mocking Bird” Harper Lee was under pressure to publish another book. She turned to this case with the intension of producing a true crime novel similar to the wildly popular “In Cold Blood”. It is no spoiler to say that this dream never happened. In short, this is a microhistory of a non-event. Knowing that authors rarely select non-events as the focus of a history, I was anticipating some interesting revelation. Instead, I got endless digressions about Tibbets of trivia tangentially related to this non-story: the creation of Lake Martin, the Great Fire of London and the history of life insurance, Alabama politics in the mid-20th century, and a complete biography of Harper Lee. To give this 2 stars is an act of generosity.
Syria’s Secret Library by Mike Thomsonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Daraya is one of the many communities devastated by Syria’s long civil war. Considered a rebel stronghold, it was put under siege by government forces and relentlessly bombed. With no food, no medicines, no safe shelter, no reliable electricity, every day was a struggle for survival as civilians dodged sniper bullets, scavenged for the next meal and hid from falling bombs. It was in this environment that several young people, convinced of the power of ideas to sustain and rebuild a nation, began to collect books from bombed out and abandoned buildings. At great risk, they ferried these books to an underground room to create a hidden library. Soon this became a cultural center. But this is not only about a library, but about many acts of hope, a hope which became the people’s greatest act of resistance. We meet a young teacher who gathers children in unlit basements without books to give them a basic education, a dental student who scavenges tools of the trade to offer what he can in the way of dental care, a graffiti artist who risks his life to paint murals on destroyed buildings that depict hope, and many people who read in trenches, in their grief and fear, to remind themselves that anger and terror and hopelessness can never have the final word. Although the writing was far from outstanding, this is a story that should be read by everyone.
The Ice at the End of the World by Jon Gertner
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a survey of the scientific exploration and research of Greenland’s glaciers over the past century and a half. Through courageous explorers and dedicated scientists, this research has helped humans understand how polar ice impacts global meteorology and geology. As the survey moves to the present, this research is revealing alarming facts about climate change and devastating predictions about the melting of these vast fields of ice in the near future.
Falconer by John Cheeverhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the story of a middle-aged, middle-class, well-educated man sentenced for the murder of his brother. In prison, he is slowly incorporated into a community of broken, angry, desperate, men. As the protagonist struggles to hold on to his humanity, Cheever invites the reader to recognize the humanity in each of these men who have been rejected by society. Cheever has an ear for dialogue and great facility with character development. This deserves 4 stars for the writing. Unfortunately, despite the quality of the writing, I never connected with the characters or the story.
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is one of the most sensitive, insightful, beautifully written novel of family pain I have read in a long time. Norm is a 40 year-old barrister, in the throes of a drug induced psychosis. As the oldest son of an immigrant family of Orthodox Jews, a child prodigy, he carried the weight of the family’s ambition and burdens. This is a tightly knit family whose love is born from equal parts selfish need and selfless concern, wraps so tightly around each child that it tragically stunts them. Rubens conveys the anguish, the guilt, the desperation of each character, the complicated dance between wanting to protect the broken family member and wanting to get help. Why have I never heard of this author before? I want to read everything she has written. 5 stars
Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Centerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was predictable from the opening page, predictable story line, predictable character development, predictable language to narrate the story. It was a challenge for me to stay interested with such predictability. If you enjoy contemporary romance, sweet stories about reconciliation or a novel in which the strong female is certain to triumph, a book that is not particularly intellectually or emotionally demanding, you will probably like this book. The one aspect of this novel that I did find interesting was the gender reversal from the last generation of romance books. I suspect this is fairly common in current romances, but I rarely read them. The male lead was attractive, sensitive, a good cook, a gentle helpmate, physically weaker and the one who was facing social pressure to be in a relationship. The female lead was remarkable for her physical strength and athleticism, professionally successful, emotionally withdrawn, independent, a confirmed bachelor, the sexual aggressor, the one whose looks is of no significance. The depiction of their first sexual encounter has him saying “no” and her insisting; had the genders been reversed the scene would have bordered on assault. 2.5 stars
The Clown by Heinrich Bollhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Set in Germany about 15 years after the end of WWII, this novel is narrated by a 27 year old man who has made his living as a clown performing one man shows which appear to be pantomimes of daily life and social interactions. As the novel opens, he has lost his live-in girlfriend of 5 years to another man, his career is in free fall, he is penniless, all his social connections are tenuous at best and he seems to be on shaky mental ground. I picked this book up because I am trying to become familiar with literary luminaries, those who have won major literary acclaim, in this case, the Nobel Prize for Literature. In the narrator’s predicament and running commentary on the faults of everything from liberal Catholics to traditional Church structure, from Communists to capitalists, from the traditional family to social disintegration, from wealth to poverty, etc., is found a criticism of German society during and immediately after the war. However, I was unable to clue into the cultural message imbedded in this novel. Instead, I found a winey, self-centered youth who appeared to feel entitled and generally resentful.
The Poorhouse Fair by John Updike.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is one of Updike’s earlier novels, a short book set on a single day at a county home for indigent elderly. The primary tension is between a retired teacher who articulates a value system based on traditional social structures and accepts human suffering as normal with a religious hope in eternal happiness and the young director of the home who passionately believes in an egalitarian world where no one suffers from want or injustice and who rejects a religious hope in eternity as a distraction that undermines human progress here. The characters are very well drawn. The philosophical debate is well woven into the fabric of the story.
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Wintersonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a short coming of age novel, probably intended for a teen reader. The narrator grows up in a female dominated Pentecostal community. From a young age, she is believed to be destined for great things as a missionary for Christ. As a teen, she is empowered with leadership, teaching and preaching responsibilities. But tension arise when, as a young adolescent, she has her first same sex encounter. Although fornication in any form would be contrary to the moral code of this community, they focus on the same sex aspect of her act. The community initially offers her an easy path to reconciliation with the group, prayer and a commitment to cease the behavior, an offer she accepts. But it turns out that this community has a number of closeted lesbians and more than ample temptation. Soon the ultimate choice confronts both the narrator and the religious group, will either the young narrator or the Pentecostal community change to accommodate the other, or will the youth need to find a future away from the family and church that has been her home? This book had potential which was never realized for me. The humor came across as snarky, a ridicule of Pentecostal practices and beliefs. The true believers were odd to the point of crazy, benign in the beginning, hypocritical by the end. Although told in the past tense, the voice was not that of a mature narrator with the perspective of wisdom, but the voice of a young teen. I felt as if I was reading a book intended for a 6th or 7th grade reader, not what I was wanting or expecting. For me, the interesting element of this story was the tension between the pull of “home” and the push of “home”. But in less than 200 pages, this could not be adequately explored. Rather than an insightful exploration of the social or emotional themes implied by the story line, this was simply a shout out to any adolescent whose sexual orientation is in conflict with the moral code of their family or local community.
The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin
Troubling Freedom by Natasha Lightfoothttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a detailed and scholarly account of the experience of freed slaves on Antigua in the decades following emancipation in 1834. Lightfoot describes the ways freed slaves used familial networks, religious institutions, economic opportunities, legal codes and even violence to maximize their limited newly granted autonomy and the ways the minority white land owners used these same systems to deny autonomy to their former slaves. With its copious footnotes, this was clearly intended for an academic reader. But, Lightfoot’s prose is so clear and the story so compelling that I was fascinated by this piece of history.
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
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A missing child story forms the scaffolding for an exploration of grief and guilt. I found the character development and the mystery equally engaging. The novel is divided into three sections, each narrated by a different character. Although this allowed the reader to see the emotional implications of the events from multiple perspectives, making the reader believe in or doubt each depending on the reader’s inclination, I did not find these voices sufficiently distinct to give them life off the page. I was also a bit disappointed in the ending. That said, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it.
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maughamhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The older I get the more I am convinced that less is more. I will show my ignorance by this admission, but I have no idea why this should be considered a classic. Apparently semi-autobiographical, this was a very long account of a young man’s life from the time he is orphaned at the age of nine until he decides to settle down two decades later. Too long and drawn out for my taste, my interest flagged a third of the way into the book.
The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brienhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I should not have tried to read this book while traveling. It required more attention than I was able to give it. Had I read it with greater focus, I might have appreciated it more. This book took on some large themes: evil in society, trauma, memory and healing. By the end, it felt like an essay decked out in the outfit of a story. O’Brien is certainly a gifted writer who is willing to grapple with significant social issues. Her voice deserves to be heard. Unfortunately, for several reasons, most of them belonging to me, this book did not work for me.
Foreign Affairs by Alison Luriehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the mid-1980s, two English profs from a N.Y. liberal arts college are on sabbatical in London where they embark on unlikely affairs. This is supposed to be a comedy. Humor requires a set of shared assumptions or experiences in order for the ridicule to be perceived as funny. I lacked this shared world view, its stereotypes of insecure academics, American perceptions of British culture in the late 20th century, middle aged neurosis, etc. There were a few places where I understood that humor was intended, but for the most part, I did not even identify what was supposed to be funny. 2.5 stars
Red At The Bone by Jacqueline Woodsonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Woodsen is a poet at heart. The prose here is lyrical. But, I struggled with the narrative. That is not surprising since I usually struggle with stories that are told from alternating perspectives and that jump around in time. But, I also struggled to know and understand the characters. The choices that two 15 year olds make when faced with an unexpected pregnancy are nested in the stories of their parents’ choices in the face of pervasive racism and this daughter, now a teenager, in the face of her own familial dynamics. With all these stories told non-sequentially, these moments felt episodic and I was unable to connect the dots to produce vibrant pictures of each person.
Say Nothing by Patrick Keefehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Keefe juxtaposes two story lines in a very powerful way. As he tells the story of prominent players in the IRA during the height of the Troubles, helping the reader to understand the unjust social and political conditions that brought these people to embrace political violence, he follows 10 orphaned siblings, victims of IRA violent terrorism. At the same time he reveals the organized violence perpetrated by individuals in the IRA, several of whom subsequently denied their past to embrace political roles after the Good Friday Peace Accord, Keefe helps the reader to connect to the humanity, the legitimate aspirations of people whose acts are objectively seen as horrific acts of terrorism. By weaving in the story of a single poor Belfast family, Keefe highlights the moral ambiguity, forcing the reader to question any claim that these were simply acts of war. Keefe gives us a great deal of information told in a clear and engaging fashion.
Say Nothing by Patrick Keefehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Keefe juxtaposes two story lines in a very powerful way. As he tells the story of prominent players in the IRA during the height of the Troubles, helping the reader to understand the unjust social and political conditions that brought these people to embrace political violence, he follows 10 orphaned siblings, victims of IRA violent terrorism. At the same time he reveals the organized violence perpetrated by individuals in the IRA, several of whom subsequently denied their past to embrace political roles after the Good Friday Peace Accord, Keefe helps the reader to connect to the humanity, the legitimate aspirations of people whose acts are objectively seen as horrific acts of terrorism. By weaving in the story of a single poor Belfast family, Keefe highlights the moral ambiguity, forcing the reader to question any claim that these were simply acts of war. Keefe gives us a great deal of information told in a clear and engaging fashion.
The Duel by Anton Chekhovhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A diverse group of people form an unlikely little community while on summer holiday. Their varied backgrounds leads to vigorous verbal sparring which heats up into a culminating duel. This was a morality tale with the characters serving as stand-ins for different social perspectives.
Devil In the Grove by Gilbert Kinghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This deserved its Pulitzer. King brings together, in a clear narrative, a large cast of characters, the social and political climate of an era, the appalling institutional racism and violence perpetrated against African Americans, and the heroic work for civil rights. This account of four Black men falsely accused of raping a white girl in rural Florida is an example of microhistory that illuminated the history of a nation. I can’t imagine trying to survive in a culture of such brutality, injustice and powerlessness. And, I can’t imagine acting with such blatant disregard for decency, the truth, justice and even the most basic respect for another human being. The Whites in this story would not have treated a dog as horribly as they treated their Black neighbors. 4.5 stars
Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I loved the detail about pre-colonial life in rural Nigeria and the perceptive way the author portrays the impact of British presence on a particular community and a few specific leaders in that community.
Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Parishttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A young wife is held captive by her charismatic, extremely rich, psychotic husband. Can she save herself and the family member that is being threatened? The way this story unfolded, in duel timelines, revealed the answer to this question before the events were narrated, thus minimizing any edge-of-the-seat tension. I also found the events around the climax quite implausible.
The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brownhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book uses a figure from an Icelandic saga as an organizing principal. As the author tries to reconstruct the historic life behind the legendary figure, she explores what is known of Viking culture. I enjoyed learning about the daily lives of Vikings: their diet, clothing, farming techniques, naval practices, response to Christianity and more.
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrichhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In 1911, 2 young Native Americans were lynched by a mob; they were falsely accused of the murder of a white family on their North Dakota homestead. Like a French Braid, this novel weaves in the stories of 3 generations of family members connected to that act of brutal racial injustice. Erdrich is a masterful story-teller. I will follow her anywhere she wants to lead me. These characters were so real, that their stories felt familiar, as if I was hearing old family tales that had just slipped beyond memory.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tess is an extraordinarily pretty, kind, loyal, humble, hardworking and all around good young woman who is preyed upon by the son of her employer, a thorough cad who gets her pregnant. She seems to have more shame about the unwed pregnancy than others attribute to it. This is a Hardy novel, so expect a tragedy by the end. I appreciate the social issues that Hardy is willing to tackle, a bold move for the 1890s. But, the wordiness of the prose bogged down the story for me.
Don Casmurro by Machado de Assishttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
From the intro, I gather that this is a classic of Brazilian literature. Despite being published in 1899, I was shocked by how modern a feel it had. The narrator recalls his first love, the next door neighbor he grew up with. By addressing the reader directly, the author casually discusses seemingly tangential topics which both deepen our understanding of the narrator’s psychie and gives this tale of love and betrayal the subtle feel of a larger commentary on society.
The Overstory by Richard Powershttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a novel about trees, ancient, old-growth forests, trees that have been on this planet, living, thriving, communicating for centuries with one another and with the rest of the living creatures, and that are being wiped out by industrialized society’s heedless pursuit of wealth and possessions. Into this story of trees is inserted 9 humans who learn to value their arboreal neighbors and are awakened to the need to protect them. Some of their stories will become intimately intertwined, others will have only a glancing connection. This is a book about a contemporary social issue, a literary attempt to shift cultural attitudes and behaviors. I spent much of the novel struggling to feel connected to the human characters, to understand how they made the leap to some of their more radical actions. By the end, I came to understand their profound concern for the clear cutting of the land, but I never felt as if I knew them, I cared about the forests, but I never cared about the humans. And, maybe this is exactly what the author wanted. 3.5 stars
101 Books to Read Before You Die
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary was a mammoth undertaking. It required a small army of volunteer researchers and decades and decades to complete this definitive study of the etymological development and definition of every word in the English language in the late 19th century. Curiously, among those volunteers was one man, remarkable for both the amount of scholarly research into archaic texts he contributed and for his personal circumstances, the inmate of an asylum for the criminally insane where he was confined after he killed a man he did not know. This was an interesting piece of history, but maybe not interesting enough for me since I think I would have preferred less detail.