To put it simply, everyone should read this book. It's an eye-opener to what we were not taught as students in elementary school, high school, and in To put it simply, everyone should read this book. It's an eye-opener to what we were not taught as students in elementary school, high school, and in some cases, college. It takes the entire idea of "My country right or wrong" and turns it on its head since the "wrong" part of that statement is rarely exposed in our history classes. From Christopher Columbus, through the advent of the Pilgrims to the landmass of America to the Vietnam War the writer explains not only what really happened but also what the history books tell--or much more importantly--what they don't tell about what happened. He also takes a look at the result of making a fairy tale out of American history. He exposes the death of critical thought through the rote memorization of facts and dates whose significance is contained only in their usefulness when it comes to passing multiple choice tests. Text book publishers ought to be ashamed of how they're approaching American history. But like everything else in a society where speed and the accumulation of money are of foremost interest, those publishers most likely will never change. ...more
I'm going to gush. I adored this book. It is everything a memoir needs to be and more. To say it's about the author's 18-year relationship with a SibeI'm going to gush. I adored this book. It is everything a memoir needs to be and more. To say it's about the author's 18-year relationship with a Siberian forest cat comes nowhere near describing the delights that this story holds for the reader. For anyone who thinks they know cats and what cats are all about, you probably don't. The author has lived with cats since his earliest childhood--a childhood scarred by alcoholism and violence--and his ability to explain not only a cat's body but a cat's mind is incredible and possibly unmatched. The cat in question is Masha, who serves as companion, protector, soulmate, and spirit familiar in the life of the author. She is a force to be reckoned with, a survivor of abuse and abandonment, who chooses the author as her rescuer. Indeed, no one else will take her on, so uncontrollably wild does she appear to be. But the author gets to the root cause of her wild nature and instead of trying to tame her, he honors it and her, and he becomes our instructor as he leads us through the story of his relationship with this magnificent animal. I like virtually all animals, but I'm mostly a dog person. However, this book makes it crystal clear that when a cat accepts you into his or her life, you will be richer for the experience. Read this book and you will never ever say "It's only a cat" again. Believe me. Bravo, Mr. Caleb Carr....more
Wow. It's difficult to imagine a book of over 700 pages being impossible to put down, but this book is nothing short of sensational. It completely livWow. It's difficult to imagine a book of over 700 pages being impossible to put down, but this book is nothing short of sensational. It completely lives up to the hype on its back cover. I can't say enough good things about it. The author brings alive India of the 1900s and takes the reader from that point in time up to 1977. He writes about one particular family, the connections they have with other people, the caste system that holds some down while lifting others up, a fascinating inherited "condition" that--for reasons unknown--has afflicted the family over the generations with death-by-drowning, terrorizing some of them to the point that they will walk miles upon miles rather than venture onto a boat. It's about the growth of love, the death of love, grief, sorry, and one heartbreaking family secret. The sense of place is so authentic that the reader can feel the heat, endure the monsoons, taste the food, smell the spices. It is a complete immersion into a culture, done in such a way that the characters feel like members of one's own family by the time the story concludes...with a single gesture made on a window pane. Amazing. ...more
While I normally say, ignore the stars and read the review instead, this is one of those times when I would give a novel ten stars if I could. I know While I normally say, ignore the stars and read the review instead, this is one of those times when I would give a novel ten stars if I could. I know there was some controversy swirling around it, with charges of "cultural appropriation" flung at the author. I realize that some people believe that unless you have experienced it yourself or are from the culture in which it occurred, you do noto have the privilege of writing it. But to that I say, "Bah! Humbug!" Nonsense. Rubbish. And all the rest. I do not believe that anyone has a vice-like hold upon their own culture or anyone else's.
Having said that, I must say that this book is wonderful in every way a novel can be wonderful. Cummins has done an incredible amount of research--including location research--and what had emerged from that is a novel of characters, of place, of theme, and of plot. If someone had told me that I would be experiencing anxiety in a scene in which a Band-aid is being applied to the heel of a child, I wouldn't have believed it. But from the first moment of this novel--from the first sentence of this novel--Cummins has created a passionate and unforgettable book that I could not put down. I, for one, will never again think of migrants without thinking of these characters and their flight from a cartel in Acapulco determined to kill them.
It's Jane Austen at her acerbic best in Northanger Abbey. During this period in her life, the reading public was devouring gothic novels. You know theIt's Jane Austen at her acerbic best in Northanger Abbey. During this period in her life, the reading public was devouring gothic novels. You know the type: young lovely girls ends up in a creepy mansion as guest/governess/nursery maid/ladies' maid/whatever and discovers that there is a Dark Mystery about the place. She begins to get the creepy crawlies and sets out to investigate. There a secrets aplenty and usually a locked room/cellar/barn/stable into which she must break in order to discover what the Truth is. The fact that these novels were doing so well and that artistry was of secondary importance to the people who were devouring them provoked Jane Austen to the extreme of creating her own. However, being Jane Austen, she could not do it with the social commentary for which she is known. The characters are broadly but nonetheless hilariously drawn, including her heroine whom, at times, the author scorns or celebrates. There are, of course, Love and Marriage involved, but there is also greed of the basest kind. This is my third Jane Austen of the year (2020) during which I am reading all of her books. I'm saving the best for last and in between I'm reading something modern. Great fun, I must say. ...more
Having watched Masterpiece Classic's production of Sanditon, I turned back to this 1975 completion of the novel, which I hadn't read since 1975 when iHaving watched Masterpiece Classic's production of Sanditon, I turned back to this 1975 completion of the novel, which I hadn't read since 1975 when it first came out. Although it doesn't at all follow the story that Andrew Davies wrote for the production, it it nonetheless completely charming and utterly diverting. It was, for me, the perfect antidote to these trying times through which we're living. It's my intention in this year 2020 to re-read all of Jane Austen's work (with Mansfield Park coming up next). I'll be doing that on an every-other-book-I-read fashion. For Austen fans, this book is a must because the point at which Another Lady takes over and completes the narrative is completely indistinguishable from the rest of the text. It's a masterful accomplishment. I adored the experience of once again diving into Regency England. ...more
There aren't enough superlatives to describe this enchanting novel. Let me try: Magnificent, enthralling, delightful, funny, moving....and on and on. There aren't enough superlatives to describe this enchanting novel. Let me try: Magnificent, enthralling, delightful, funny, moving....and on and on. The author writes like a dream. I can't recommend this highly enough. ...more
I loved this book the first time I read it, and I loved it having just finished it for the second time. I could easily go back to the beginning and reI loved this book the first time I read it, and I loved it having just finished it for the second time. I could easily go back to the beginning and read it for a third time right now. This book is not for the faint at heart, nor is it for people who have to have things tied up in bows. It's a book that demonstrates the shattering of a psyche that was fragile to begin with. It's a book about a man who doesn't know himself and thus seeks a definition of self through others and their reactions to him. The vehicle that Tim O'Brien uses is the Vietnam War, which he knows well from first hand experience. Within that vehicle lies the horror of the My Lai massacre If the reader is a "my country right or wrong" sort of person, then this book is going to shatter a lot of illusions about war and country. If the reader is someone who likes the exploration of relationships, psyches, souls and the forces that damage those areas of life, then this is the book. I'd give it six stars if I could. I love it that much. . ...more
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