Poet-by-day Kaveh Akbar's debut novel "Martyr!" seems to be one of the buzziest books of 2024 and after reading it, and taking a few days to digest it Poet-by-day Kaveh Akbar's debut novel "Martyr!" seems to be one of the buzziest books of 2024 and after reading it, and taking a few days to digest it (which I don't feel is totally possible), I can certainly see why. I won't even try to describe this one other than say it is the story of bisexual/queer writer / artist / creative Cyrus, an Iranian immigrant to the US ... a recovering drug/alcohol addict... dealing with the death of his parents (by natural and unnatural causes)... who gets intrigued by a fellow Iranian's last act of her own performance art.
This is one of those unusual cases and thrill of reading a book you feel like you have never read before as well as some of Akbar's unique observations. I was particularly smitten with a brief passage about the how odd sleep is and the charade we go through every night in pretending to sleep before actually doing so -- it's a very universal thing, but yet it felt like this was the first time I had someone articulate it in my 50ish years of reading.
There are a lot of moving parts in this one as Akbar keeps filling in the past to help explain the present day and there is a big plot twist unleashed late in the novel. I'm guessing that twist may be a dealbreaker for some folks, but given how invested I was in the book it was easy for me to go with it (and I'm guessing many other readers as well as the book currently has a 4.24 average across 17k+ reviews). But yes, there is crafting going on here that may not be some folks thing. In the acknowledgements, Akbar gives major props to Tommy Orange and Lauren Groff -- so that may provide a clue as well.
I thought for sure this was landing at 5 stars or at least an unofficial round-up to 5 stars, but the ending was a bit too fuzzy for me and in a bit of a contrast to Akbar really hitting all my marks through 90% of this. Even a couple of days later, I can't even remember how it ended -- but certainly still in awe of many parts and aspects of this story. it will be interesting to see what Akbar does next -- this feels very personal and the novel he had to get out, but what next - given Akbar's obvious talents, I'll be there for it. It's a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ 4 stars, but definitely would creep up fractionally if I could... 4.25 or 4.5 stars.
And if Akbar wanted to win me over even further he did so in the final words of the acknowledgments: "Reader, your attention - a measure of time, your most non-replenishable resource - is a gift, one I have done my best to honor. Thank you, thank you." How can you not love that?! ...more
A totally spontaneous read as I just stumbled upon Justinian Huang and his debut novel "The Emperor and the Endless Palace" ... and probably not for t A totally spontaneous read as I just stumbled upon Justinian Huang and his debut novel "The Emperor and the Endless Palace" ... and probably not for the totally right reasons as Huang is pretty sexy and pretty gay and is not shy about posting a thirst trap or two on Instagram... but hey, he sold a book to me! :-)
This one was definitely a bit outside my reading box -- think Huang describes it as a romantasy thriller as there are those three genres in the novel (tho thriller definitely pulls up the last descriptor slot by far)... and told via three storylines taking place in China in 4 BC, the titular emperor and endless palace storyline... 18th Century China of an innkeeper and a mysterious visitor (the most fantasy storyline)... and present day USA and Asia (heavy on gay-sian circuit party life). As the opening quote of the novel suggests, there is a reincarnation and eternal love/lust threat that runs through the alternating plot lines.
It was fun to read an all-Asian book, and particularly an all-gay-Asian novel, which I am pretty sure is a first for me. Huang often signs his book with the friendly warning "Gird your loins!" and calls the novel spicy -- and that is certainly the case. Huang comes out of the gate with man-on-man action in each of three opening chapters/timelines, the 4 BC storyline apparently based on a real-life romance between a Chinese emperor and a "courtier." And it gets pretty explicit, even if I happily snickered at some of euphemisms --take for instance this opening salvo "I flipped him face-first onto the mat in my chambers and pounded his pink plum until it was quivering around my happily depleted influence." So that gives you a taste, so to speak, of what you are in for here.
Landing on 4 stars here as while things got pretty darn cheesy at times (a quality that I think is part of the romance genre), this was still a heck of lot of fun and entertaining -- and again, I really enjoyed Huang's bravado and spirit.
Circling back to this one having read and liked "Boulder," Eva Baltasar's 2nd novel in a "triptych which aims to explore the universes of three differ Circling back to this one having read and liked "Boulder," Eva Baltasar's 2nd novel in a "triptych which aims to explore the universes of three different women in the first person." If I can add to that descriptor, and now given the evidence of now having read this fiction debut "Permafrost" (Baltasar's day job prior to this debut novel was as a poet), I think it is likely going to be about three pretty (pretty!) messed up (aka "complicated") lesbians.
Ultimately, I preferred "Boulder" over this one as it's more of a character study of the nihilistic, suicidal unnamed protagonist, and lacks the strong narrative/plot. I generally don't have issues with this approach, but I needed just a wee bit more of a story to latch on to in this instance. That said, the writing (and translation from Julia Sanches) remains stellar and Baltasar certainly packs a punch and paints a big picture in few pages (both novels come in under 150 pages). And I have the same caveat with "Boulder," that if you are timid about lesbian sex scenes - proceed with caution! So while this is not my favorite Baltasar (out of a sample size of two!), I'm sure I will pick up the final book in this planned series, "Mammoth," due out later this year (August 2024). Unofficial 3.5 stars with a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ round-up to 4 stars for the prose and for "going there." ...more
Bought this one on a super Kindle sale awhile back and since I am still trying to get my reading mojo back and meet my annual Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ book goal, fig Bought this one on a super Kindle sale awhile back and since I am still trying to get my reading mojo back and meet my annual Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ book goal, figured it was time to dig into quick collection of long-winded short stories from Kelly Ripa after owning it for several months.
So first off, stating the obvious and is typically the case with most celebrity books, would only suggest this if you are familiar with and like Kelly Ripa. My history with her is a bit checkered - was aware and a fan since her from her days on "All My Children" (and with hubby Mark Consuelos) and then thanks largely to working from home since 2001 and liking some background noise, a fan when she took over for Kathie Lee Gifford on Live with Regis and xxxxx. My interest in the show fell off during the short-lived pairing when Michael Strahan replaced a retiring Regis and then again when the ubiquitous and annoying (well, to me) Ryan Seacrest took the helm. But I got back into it during the latter stages of the Seacrest era and back as a regular "viewer" (again, mostly background noise w/ my work) with the latest incarnation with husband Mark. But I like Kelly, but still had my reservations that the book would be any good or that I would care ... but as you see, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
It's not a memoir, so you are not going to get this linear history and life of Ripa. It is just random stories about growing up in New Jersey (as I did, but not in Ripa's beloved southern part and there is quite a cultural difference between north and south I have learned), love and marriage, kids, and her professional career. If you are looking for juicy gossip, you'll be disappointed. Regis gets a bit of raking over the proverbial coals -- which is not surprising if you think about it between a host pairing of a 30-year old woman and new mother (with more to come) and a 70-year old television legend. So yeah, nothing about the ill-fated pairing and departure of Strahan -- and really not much about Seacrest other than some nice words in the acknowledgements. But there are a lot of fun stories, some that border on TMI, but still a really fun essay collection -- and quite salty at times too, as Ripa doesn't hesitate to toss some f-bombs (she is from NJ after all!).
So again going into this one liking Ripa, I was still pleasantly surprised that I liked the book. I did feel like I got to know her and her family a bit better and certainly there are some interesting behind-the-scenes of television type stuff as well as life as a celebrity, granted Kelly and Mark are not A-listers, tho they certainly find themselves in the same circles and have friends in high places. Fun, quick read that certainly served its purpose to get me back into my regular reading patterns and frequency. ...more
First off, thanks to ABRAMS Books/The Overlook Press for the copy of this book - won in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Giveaway (my 5th win in 432 attempts -- it's tough t First off, thanks to ABRAMS Books/The Overlook Press for the copy of this book - won in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Giveaway (my 5th win in 432 attempts -- it's tough to win)!
It's been awhile since I've read a WMFUN (White Male F&ck Up Novel) and even more so, a sub-genre of that the JWMFUN (Jewish White Male F&ck Up Novel) -- and I think my tolerance and interest in this type of book has waned over the years. With this debut novel (he has previously published a poetry collection), there is no doubt that Ben Purkert is a talented writer and that is about the only thing that "saved" this novel for me -- it was a quick, occasionally funny, enjoyable enough read -- but filled with miserable characters, particularly protagonist Seth, and just wacky situations that I never found myself fully invested or entertained enough by it. I'm guessing my expectations were even further inflated thanks to generous cover blurbs from Clint Smith and Hanif Abdurraqib, two authors that I like and respect an awful lot. It just felt like there wasn't anything here that I haven't read a dozen times before and in more experienced hands.
Unofficial 2.5 stars with the 0.5 bump again for Purkert being good on the sentence-level and his pacing - but a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ round-down to 2 stars for the overall experience being just okay. ...more
At a current average rating of 4.59 at this writing, I am glad to see that this book hasn't been subjected to 1-star trolling -- tho probably helps it At a current average rating of 4.59 at this writing, I am glad to see that this book hasn't been subjected to 1-star trolling -- tho probably helps it is from Cody Keenan, head speechwriter for Obama (post Jon Favreau), who I'm guessing a lot of folks don't know -- and shamefully I even have to add my myself to the list! Gladly I can say that has now been corrected and I know his role in what I think will go down as one of the greatest and certainly most memorable presidential speeches - Obama's eulogy for Clementa C. Pinckney, pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston where the pastor and eight of his parishioners were gunned down by a white supremacist. But backtracking that week (or actually the 10 days of the title) also entailed Supreme Court decisions over the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and marriage equality -- so as noted in the book, this short time from was some real-life (NBC series) "The West Wing" material.
Going back to the high average rating for this book, I am guessing it is due to folks having the same reaction as I did reading this book. Multiple times I had goosebumps and mistiness in the eyes and it was very personal for me as a gay man with the Supreme Court decision (tho I did get married about 6 months prior to that thanks to a 9th Circuit Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Arizona where I was living at the time) and also as someone who utilizes the ACA as a self-employed business owner. But even beyond that if you have an ounce of empathy in your soul or if you believe that that proverbial moral arc of the universe bends toward good, I'm guessing this book will move you in the same way. And then on top of that add in the Charleston shooting aspect adding in gun violence and racism -- and this book is a LOT in a very good way, but in a very sad way as well given all that has transpired since Obama left office. (Insert diatribe on the state of politics, the country, the world, etc., etc., etc.).
Keenan has a funny line in the opening pages: "I couldn't, however, say the same about my job. To be a speechwriter for Barack Obama is f&cking terrifying." So it goes without saying (but I will!), that this is a very well-written and extremely informative book about the speechwriting process as well as a fascinating inside look at working in the White House and the personalities (the Obamas, Valerie Jarrett, and Jen Psaki to name a few). For instance, the Charleston eulogy was one that both Obama and Keenan did not want a part of, but again ultimately became one of the great moments in Obama's presidency thanks to the "bones" created by Keenan and the Obama's involvement and spontaneous-ish-ly breaking out in song to "Amazing Grace."
A no-brainer Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ' 5 stars on this one for the pure emotion the book elicited even tho I found myself having to put in down for both good and bad/sad reasons, often occurring within 30 seconds of each other (Oh this aspirational, "hope-y change-y" stuff is what the United States of America is all about! Look at things now (sad trombone)!). But yeah, one of those book that I will highly tout to 80% of my friends and family on Facebook and hide the post from the other 20%! ...more
My 9th read for the 2023 Tournament of Books (ToB) and one that has been on my radar since its publication in mid-2022. Whether it was hints that it w My 9th read for the 2023 Tournament of Books (ToB) and one that has been on my radar since its publication in mid-2022. Whether it was hints that it was overwritten, that it was pretty bleak, or even a killer Kindle sale it never managed to get off my TBR cyber-pile until ToB. Overall, I am glad I finally got to it. While it is pretty darn bleak, it still felt like an authentic portrayal of a young Oakland girl struggling in the face of poverty, racism, and a broken family... and no wonder, since Mottley, now famously and indeed impressively, at age 17. I didn't feel like it was overwritten per se. While appropriately gritty and harsh, the prose was grander and wiser than the story would seem to suggest/allow -- and yes, at times there would be a turn of phrase or paragraph that was indeed beautiful but under some scrutiny I am guessing many/most readers would wonder what the heck it meant.. but still it tended to be lovely, so pretty forgivable (plus Mottley is a poet, so kinda sorta makes sense from that angle).
Overall, it was a hard novel to love and even more so knowing much of the plot was inspired by real-life events (which I will leave out as I was unspoiled going in). Mottley is certainly worth keeping an eye out for in the future and it will be interesting to see where she goes after this critical, award-nominee, and Oprah-blessed debut.
I recently signed up over at Storygraph where they allow .25/fractional ratings -- as you know, I've down "unofficial" .5/fractional ratings here and then do a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ whole-number round-up or -down. I've thought .5 was a good enough split, but really find myself landing on a 3.75 here and thus a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ round-up to 4 stars. ...more
Well, this may be a short review if I follow that age-old advice of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" (or is it now, Well, this may be a short review if I follow that age-old advice of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" (or is it now, "...come sit next to me" - ha!) -- but alas, if you are interested in reading this novel please proceed as this is a very (very!) minority opinion of this debut novel currently at a stratospheric 4.16 rating and over 28k ratings. Trite, flat, and predictable are three words that increasing jumped to mind as I proceeded through this novel. It's tagged as a mystery thriller, but as many of my fellow reviewers have noted it was a "mystery" that wasn't very difficult to figure out despite the many cartoon-ish villains/red herrings along the way.
This autobiographical novel of a young black man breaking into the world of classical music also felt like a bit of Racism 101. At first the racist incidents in this book felt a bit anachronistic in their grandness/obviousness, but then I have to remind myself of the world and political climate we are currently in where increasingly the proverbial 'quiet parts are being said aloud' (and proudly). And yes, I do have some (white) guilt as in the afterward, Slocumb notes that many of these incidents are based on his own personal experiences. These are very important and valuable experiences to share, but as with other aspects of the book this also felt a bit ... ummm... spoon-fed. (Tho again, not a bad thing these days... so don't @ me, ha!)
Ending on a more positive note, the book was quick and easy to read and entertaining (enough) for me. Being snobby, it definitely has mass audience appeal and thus, one that I am a bit surprised was selected for Tournament of Books. But overall, just a "it was okay" 2 stars for me. ...more
I went back and forth about reading this one. I am thoroughly fascinated with the Royal family - a big fan of Netflix's "The Crown" (well, maybe not s I went back and forth about reading this one. I am thoroughly fascinated with the Royal family - a big fan of Netflix's "The Crown" (well, maybe not so much Season 5), read many books and watched countless documentaries about them, including Harry and Meghan's own Netflix docuseries. So I feel like I know a lot already, particularly about this duo, plus there was the deluge of press with all the "good" parts leading up to and upon the release of this memoir.
The good news, and honestly a bit surprising, is that there is still plenty here that feels fresh and new information and even the more well-known tawdry parts when put into context and not presented as a headline or sound bite is interesting (tho Harry's frostbitten penis did get more of a word count than I was expecting). But there are a lot of recounting of quieter, behind-the-scenes stuff and conversations that will surely satisfy my fellow readers interested in this complicated family in truly extraordinary and impossible circumstances. Sure other members of the Royal family don't end up looking too well... but then again, I'm guessing many of us can relate to a distant and hapless father, an antagonistic and competitive relationship with a sibling, and challenges with a step-parent and/or in-laws ... or the tragic death of a young parent. But you can have all these familial issues and still love your family and want things to better -- and that's something that's communicated and evident here.
Is this airing the proverbial dirty laundry? Perhaps. Well, yes. But, if you choose to believe Harry and I do, (though also good to stay aware that this is his story/perspective and am sure others have their own versions, with truth somewhere in the middle), there seems to be no other choice in dealing with machinations of "the firm" and British press (and let's throw in some good old-fashioned misogyny and racism too).
Criticism-wise, I found the lengthy parts of Harry's military service a bit dry and repetitive (and really don't understand the hubbub about him killing people while in combat) - tho these sections are also very sincere as he has obviously has a deep care, reverence, and compassion for soldiers and veterans. And his privilege does get a bit eye-roll-y between jetting off to African safari when things get tough or casually ringing up Elton John -- but again, in this extraordinary bubble it's not surprising or shocking and again, certainly comes with a price.
Overall, glad that I read it. Will be interesting to see how things all shake out. It's sad to think things didn't work out with this new generation of Royal family -- but just like Charles and Diana, you realize how much of it is an illusion or aspirational. As the famous opening line of 'Anna Karenina" goes: All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. And that's certainly the case here. ...more
This one had been on my radar since its publication in January 2022 and I even snagged it on a killer Kindle sale a bit ago, but it took its inclusion This one had been on my radar since its publication in January 2022 and I even snagged it on a killer Kindle sale a bit ago, but it took its inclusion in the 2023 Tournament of Books (ToB) for me to finally get around to this one. Even after all that time, I knew very little about what it was about and was a bit surprised how "light" it felt. It has/had a "My Big Fat Puerto Rican Wedding" vibe --a big, messy, ethnic family romantic comedy(-ish) not really about a wedding, tho there is one, just not Olga's and she is a wedding planner (tho not for that wedding... it's not as confusing as I am making it sound, ha)!
Anyhow... it ends up being a bit of a "kitchen sink" book - dysfunctional family, Puerto Rican history, sexism, racism, some umm.... "interesting" gay sub-plots (not "bad".. but just wee bit questionable for this middle-aged white gay man) , and some serious subject matter twists and turns... and the Russian mafia... and 2017's Hurricane Maria, so some unnamed references and takedowns of everyone's favorite ex-President (coming to the slow realization that this man is going to have a place in literary fiction for a loooooong time).
Ultimately, it was all a bit too messy/much for my tastes and one of those paradoxical reads where I felt like it was a quick and easy read but that it took me a long time to finish. I'll go with an unofficial mixed bag 3.5 stars with a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ round-down to 3 "liked it" stars. ...more
Unpopular review alert! Feel free to ignore and perhaps trust the previous reviews/raters who currently have this book at an average of 4.52 stars, buUnpopular review alert! Feel free to ignore and perhaps trust the previous reviews/raters who currently have this book at an average of 4.52 stars, but it just did not work for me despite really looking forward to reading it. This is the memoir of a 9-year old Javier Zamora's seven-week journey migrating ("illegally") into the United States from El Salvador back in the summer of 1999.
So thus my initial issues with it as it told through the eyes of a 9-year (and kind of has a YA feel to it, tho not knocking it for that reason) and recounting the experience from over 20 years ago. I am pretty certain I would have preferred this to be an autobiographical novel or an adult memoir reflecting on this childhood journey. I just could not suspend my skepticism that all the extended dialogue and journey details could be capture so accurately 20+ years later. It's not like I don't believe the story, it's just that I couldn't believe it in the way it was told (which sounds kind of horrible of me, but hopefully you can get the point I'm getting at). Also, there is a *TON* of untranslated Spanish here. I've taken some Spanish and usually can typically get by with a sprinkling of it or at least get the context of what is going on, but I found myself lost here a lot of the time. Again, I know it's an authentic way to tell the story, but not super non-bilingual reader friendly. Finally, it could have used some editing and work on the pacing, while I know that traveling on foot/van/etc. over the course of 7 weeks is not an action-packed activity 24-7, I often found myself losing interest or attention along the way.
I feel kind of bad for such a low rating. I am sympathetic/empathic to those who make the dangerous journey with hopes of finding a new and better and safer life here in the United States (those these days, I am starting to wonder why anyone would want to come here -- but that's a testament to how bad things truly are elsewhere), but I just could not find a way to connect with this book despite all the ingredients feeling like they were there. ...more
Given my actual (and virtual) TBR pile is always full, I very rarely get to an author's back catalog. But after the 2022 Santa Fe Literary Festival I Given my actual (and virtual) TBR pile is always full, I very rarely get to an author's back catalog. But after the 2022 Santa Fe Literary Festival I decided to give it a shot for two of my favorite authors who we saw there, Emily St. John Mandel and Colson Whitehead (and have manageable backlist, I wouldn't even try to read all of Atwood!)). Now Whitehead hasn't worked out so well for me so far (that's books pre-Underground Railroad), so I was a bit trepidatious giving Mandel a spin -- but as you can see by the star rating, this worked out pretty well.
That said, there has been an improvement and evolution in Mandel's prose and storytelling but the "bones" were clearly there at the start. As I had heard, early Mandel (aka, pre-Station Eleven) was more mystery oriented vs. the "light" dystopia and sci-fi of her later works - it's not a who-done-it, but just a slow, non-linear unraveling story of young girl 'abducted' by her birth father, her childhood on the road/run, her present-day abandonment of her birthday, and the story of a detective (and his family) tasked with finding her. It's a bit bloated at times as Mandel juggles all these threads and goes off on some tangents, but it's still fascinating to where she goes with things (even if it stretches credibility at times). So again, not the taut/tight/economic qualities that I have come to admire in Mandel, but still very good and certainly enough desire to continue on reading my remaining two Mandel missing links, 'The Singer's Gun' and 'The Lola Quartet.' ...more
Decided to pick this one up awhile back when it was at the center of a high school library "banning" in the El Paso, TX metro area (I'm just across t Decided to pick this one up awhile back when it was at the center of a high school library "banning" in the El Paso, TX metro area (I'm just across the border in NM) but since have seen that this is at/near the top of the list in getting banned across the country as LGBTQ (and most especially T) rights are under assault. Obviously, I know the concept of sexual orientation and identity beyond cis hetero is a bit too much for far too many folks (who I'm guessing would even quiver at the terms "cis" and "hetero"), but I was still curious to see what all the fuss was about... but more on that later.
This was certainly a interesting and enlightening book. While I know the title of this graphic memoir was "Gender Queer," I was still expecting it be a story of being trans ... but as is the case in many things in life, that's way too simple. Maia's story is one of being on this spectrum of gender identity that is not so easy classifiable. I think even folks who read this who are open-minded and ally-oriented may still be confused and challenged by Maia's story ... and I include myself in this, as a (cis) gay male... but that's the beauty of what e is doing here. Structurally the memoir is a bit messy ... abrupt jumps and scene changes (with a very "what?!?!" ending ... which suggests a sequel (??), but I am not aware of), but again it encapsulates the struggle of figuring out who you are and the trying to live an authentic life when it neatly does not fit into one of society's often restrictive boxes. And Maia also nicely captures that once you figure things out for yourself, the struggles of communicating that to the world and sticking up for yourself against daily microaggressions (or worse). This was particularly evident near the end when Maia discussed er pronouns (e/er/eir - ones that I certainly wasn't aware of before reading this) and the balance of trying to be yourself and stick up for yourself but end up being silent and "polite" as not to make people feel comfortable -- which again, is something I could relate to as a gay man.
So back to the "banning" issue -- no surprise, I don't think any book should be banned or not available to whoever wants to read it. That said, I can see why there is a controversy about this at least in school libraries. While I know a LOT of it is about the queerness of the story, there are explicit images (nudity, dildo, etc.) -- granted not many, but still enough to give me pause. That said, I was recently on a jury re: a case of alleged sexual abuse of a minor -- and it was shocking to hear from fellow jurors who were either parents of young children and/or work in elementary schools about how young kids are exposed to sex and violence and in a graphic nature. So maybe my now seemingly Pollyanna childhood is not a comparison basis of what kids can handle -- not that I'm equating porn to this piece of work, tho I know its detractors certainly think otherwise... and not that this book would be in an elementary school library anyhow, but again just given some of the explicitness of the images and language (again, minimal) it did give me some pause.
That said, of course it still should be available in a public library as I think it would super valuable and so important for anyone who finds themselves on this sexual orientation and/or gender journey, particularly one that is not so easily classifiable. ...more
Despite these fairly typical debut novel quibbles, this was still a quite good and enjoyable read. No quibbles about more queer stories and more queer stories of color (says the middle-aged white gay guy). I will definitely keep any eye out for Varela's next novel due to be published last year (and how can I resist the title: "The People Who Report More Stress"?). Unofficial 3.5 stars, but a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ round down to 3 "like it" stars. ...more
There are a boatload of fascinating things going on in Julia May Jonas' breezy debut novel 'Vladimir' exploring gender, gender roles, motherhood, marr There are a boatload of fascinating things going on in Julia May Jonas' breezy debut novel 'Vladimir' exploring gender, gender roles, motherhood, marriage, academia, age/aging, the "Me Too" movement ... the provocative cover image, why it's titled 'Vladimir'... and then why the novel goes a bit bonkers/off-the-rails in the end. Jonas had me intrigued for much of the book particularly its incisiveness and smart, cracklin' prose. But despite feeling Jonas *must* must have had her (good) reasons for the highly implausible and inexplicable out-of-character plot points in the latter portion of the novel, it was still something that could I could not reconcile/recover from to land this one beyond a 3-star/"liked it" rating (tho I could be talked into an unofficial 3.5 stars, maybe once I can get over my WTF?-ness aftertaste). ...more
Yet another puzzle piece in my "re-education" of American history. I hesitate to use that word, as it is exactly what a too high of a percentage of thYet another puzzle piece in my "re-education" of American history. I hesitate to use that word, as it is exactly what a too high of a percentage of this country (and certain media giants) weaponize when presented with whenever there is a critical (there I go again!) look at this country that was built on the literal backs of slavery and went to war against each other to maintain. A war, that I recall my Mom saying on a family car trip from NJ to Disney World back in the 1970s, that the South are "still fighting." (And spoiler alert: still true.)
Most of my recent-ish history awakening has come via books by African American authors and historians, so I have to admit it was a bit odd to start one written by a Southern white military man - but this "fresh" perspective (go figure!) ended up being as eye-opening as any other book of this sort that I have read over the past few years. While I was not nearly as entrenched in Southern heritage and the Confederacy and deification of Robert E. Lee as Seidule was growing up in the South, it is safe to say growing up that I held a "there were good people on both sides" view of the Civil War and most certainly a fondness for both the book and film versions of "Gone With the Wind" (in fact, I bought a Kindle copy of GWTW just a few years back with the intention of re-reading it... but like many a book I buy, I never did).
Again, forgive a politically correct/awkward moment, but it was fascinating to read about this journey -- which the book blurb above quite accurate calls "part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir" -- in continued silliness, I kept wondering (hoping! praying!) that maybe this book coming from a straight white Southern military man would fall on less deaf ears for those with nostalgia for the Confederacy and its symbols. But with the continuing fights over the Confederate flag and monuments and the current "Stolen Election"- a "Lost Cause" myth on social media and 24-hour "news" steroids - I think it is, for lack of a better phrase - a lost cause. So yeah, nice try Seidule - but there is still an iota in me who think this book could be impactful/persuasive if put into the right hands -- to again, these days I am losing hope and faith of how many and who those people would be.
Minor nags: the book is a bit repetitive (tho again, with this type of book it's more forgivable as reinforcement is totally necessary/welcome), it is strung along by notes/citations (the Kindle version ends in the mid-70%s, the rest is bibliography), and written in a very straightforward, matter-of-fact, lecture-y manner. But again, none of this detracting at all from the overall intent/message of the book - which again, explains so much of our country's past and present (and sadly, probably future)....more
Overall a bit of a disappointment or, perhaps more accurately, a victim of hype/high expectations. In broken record fashion, I will state yet again th Overall a bit of a disappointment or, perhaps more accurately, a victim of hype/high expectations. In broken record fashion, I will state yet again that short story collections tend to be problematic for me -- just 'your mileage may vary' and while there were highlights for me in the 5 short stories and most certainly with the titular novella (worth the price of admission alone), it was just not consistent enough for me and there were stories that left me with little more than a shoulder shrug. It was one of those book that took me longer to read than I felt it should have and that never is a good sign either.
But back to the positives! Loved the satire (or is it?) and boldness of the opening story 'Control Negro' and while I may not have totally "got" 'Virginia Is Not Your Home - it was a thrilling story of a lifetime in about a dozen pages. And again, 'My Monticello' (which takes up 70%+ of the book) was a brilliant and frightening concept of slave ancestors of Thomas Jefferson taking refuge as the world is going through a great 'unraveling.' And even while I "enjoyed" this part of the book the most, it was still a very difficult read as I feel like we are currently going through an 'unraveling' and to have Johnson present a scenario where it can get worse and it does... by a lot... well, it's just some tough reading.
But overall, I have to land the collection at 3 stars. There were stories I just did not connect with, one was a series of bullet points (Yes, I "got" what Johnson was doing -- but again, in "get off my lawn" fashion, I've lost patience for what feels like twitter lit), and honestly there was one when I looked back at the Table of Contents just now I can't even remember what it was about. So figure on some averaging going on here, 2 stars at times for me but 4 stars for others. There are plenty of big names (Roxane Gay, Colson Whitehead) touting Johnson, so just don't totally take it from me (tho I'm not even taking it totally from me)! ...more
Lately it seems I am quoting some publication or blurb to help jumpstart my "reviews" ("thoughts" is a probably far more accurate), so here I start wi Lately it seems I am quoting some publication or blurb to help jumpstart my "reviews" ("thoughts" is a probably far more accurate), so here I start with the closing line from above of the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ blurb...
"With a steely, unfaltering gaze, Natasha Brown dismantles the mythology of whiteness, lining up the debris in a neat row and walking away."
Totally accurate, as there was a "Wait? What? Huh?" quality to finishing this literary debut -- and by the way, a very quick one. I'm guessing many finish it's 100ish pages in one sitting, I chose to slow it down across a few sittings over the course of three days. But sly boldness here as Brown tells the story of a young black woman of Jamaican heritage living in London, by all means a "success" -- risings in the ranks of the banking industry and finding herself at schmancy garden party in the English countryside with her (white) boyfriend but with the collateral and continuing damage of a life of micro- and macroaggressions surrounding her race, ancestry, class, and gender. Knee-jerk, I want to say it's provocative, but I find when that word is used, especially in describing literature, it typically means "the truth/reality presented here makes me -- and probably a lot of other people -- very uncomfortable." So yeah, a bit provocative for me (and I'm guessing others), but bring it on... and more.
Knocking off a star, as this is told in a very fragmented, stream of consciousness style that I am a bit challenged with of late (not great for me, as it appears to be a trend - thanks Twitter!). It's very breezy, fast-reading. While I felt like I saw/knew what Brown was doing in the big scale, but at times it felt disjointed and I was unable to put all the puzzle pieces together. Even in the end and presented with the final picture (or, as noted above, Brown lining things up and walking away)-- it still felt like I did not have all the pieces in all the right places (which as a middle-aged white (tho gay!) male may have been the point) or the whole novella just flew by too quickly to "get" it. But still an fascinating read that will surely put Brown on the literary map.
My 6th read off the 2021 Booker Prize longlist, tho this debut was well on my radar prior to that being picked by Oprah - so have to admit the hype goMy 6th read off the 2021 Booker Prize longlist, tho this debut was well on my radar prior to that being picked by Oprah - so have to admit the hype got to me and as is often-ish the case end up a bit disappointed despite this being pretty good and Harris a competent writer (I know, not exactly a ringing endorsement).
I found myself reading this in tandem with Clint Smith's excellent non-fiction work, "How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" and that also proved a bit problematic in my reading of this tale of two formerly enslaved brothers just at the close of the Civil War. Or at least that's what I *thought* it was going to be about as the two brothers really end up being supporting characters and plot point twists for what the novel actually is the story of a white family in Georgia. So while reading this non-fiction work by Smith of how slave history has been marginalized and for lack of a better phrase white-washed, it was odd to be reading this novel -- by a young African American male author -- that kind of felt like it was doing the same thing. Very odd experience that lead me fighting my own uber-political correctness or what feels like is an increasing stereotype of liberal "elite" white guilt. And not that the novel doesn't include brutality and racism and hate, but ultimately it ends up feeling like an almost pleasant and quaint novel -- especially when compared to more recent African American-authored slavery novels like Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The Water Dancer" or Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad."
It got to the point where I felt maybe I was missing something? Maybe Harris is playing with the idea or who can write about what? But then there are the caricatures and tropes - like the racist and corrupt Southern sheriff or the hooker with the... you guessed it... a heart of gold that makes me think otherwise.
That said, there as some fine, well-rounded characters here that you care about (George, Isabelle, and Prentiss) and it's a good story, tho one that doesn't necessarily free fresh or gives a new perspective, sheds new light or understanding on its subjects - but still has that crowd-pleaser, feel-good-ish quality to it. I assume it will get some big or small screen adaptation. Great title too, tho again the metaphor never fully explored or realized.
Tough call, but will land this one in at a reluctant 3 stars. Got me thinking a lot, tho not in the expected ways....more
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