During the Depression in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Moshe and Chonda chose to continue to live in the poor black area of town. I loved all the love in During the Depression in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Moshe and Chonda chose to continue to live in the poor black area of town. I loved all the love in this book - especially amongst the Jews and the blacks. But I especially loved Dodo and Monkeypants. The characters are divine and I will for sure reread this book one day. Chonda was a strong woman who ran the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and looked out for the people who shopped in her store. They, in turn, looked out for her. She even adopted Dodo � and I swooned!
I picked this book because it won the National Book Award and I’m very happy I did. This is a beautifully written book of friendship and loss and loveI picked this book because it won the National Book Award and I’m very happy I did. This is a beautifully written book of friendship and loss and love and writing and how they all tango together with a great big dog on top. Creative. Unforgettable. Just solid. ...more
At times I really liked this book and it made me laugh. Other times it seemed too much. Overall, I’m glad I read it even if I did have to push myself At times I really liked this book and it made me laugh. Other times it seemed too much. Overall, I’m glad I read it even if I did have to push myself through it at times. It’s hard to read about slavery but I appreciated the way the author describes the characters and the way they thought and planned the raid. Also, it was fascinating that Frederick Douglass was not well perceived. ...more
Quoyle and his daughters and all the characters in this book have such a disturbed existence. And yet, the story of their lives is so remarkably beautQuoyle and his daughters and all the characters in this book have such a disturbed existence. And yet, the story of their lives is so remarkably beautiful. ...more
I do love short stories when they are written well and Johnson knows how to write short stories well. Better than well. Johnson descriptions are familI do love short stories when they are written well and Johnson knows how to write short stories well. Better than well. Johnson descriptions are familiar and yet unique and his characters are dark and damaged souls. There are so many emotions and themes to discuss in the various stories. ...more
Punctuation is important. I’m a fan of quotation marks. This author is not.
There may have been the best story ever in this book of conversations (witPunctuation is important. I’m a fan of quotation marks. This author is not.
There may have been the best story ever in this book of conversations (without quotation marks nor a telling of who was speaking) but I just didn’t have it in me to work that hard to read it. So I skimmed the last 400-something pages.
I’m sure there is a door that needs a stop somewhere out there. ...more
I laughed. I cried. I related to some things. I hoped I was a better mother than Alexie had. But most of all, I wished that I had the ability to see tI laughed. I cried. I related to some things. I hoped I was a better mother than Alexie had. But most of all, I wished that I had the ability to see the world the way Alexie does. ...more
Ghosts of the past are a part of this lyrical story that is a mix of history, family, finding your place in the world and understanding what damages uGhosts of the past are a part of this lyrical story that is a mix of history, family, finding your place in the world and understanding what damages us. I couldn't put this book down. ...more
Hard to read at times just because of the cruelty of white people to slaves. Fascinating to hear someone’s story of escaping slavery via the UndergrouHard to read at times just because of the cruelty of white people to slaves. Fascinating to hear someone’s story of escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad. ...more
This book is weird and at times random and disjointed but it is a wonderful anti-war tale that was highly entertaining. I read this book when I was 19This book is weird and at times random and disjointed but it is a wonderful anti-war tale that was highly entertaining. I read this book when I was 19 or 20. It landed differently this time around. ...more
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