Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
I'd started this book once before, two years ago if I remember correctly, but couldn't take to it. This time, however I found the story to move very quickly and extremely interesting. The novel is very "African" in nature and follows the story a African tribal leader, who is considered an alpha male due to his obsession with work, removal of emotional-driven actions, and harsh, blunt personality contrasted with his father, whom he despises.
The book follows the digression and his descent from a respected, prominent leader in his tribe to his 7 year exile for manslaughter and reemergence into the tribe only to discover his irrelevance and the lifestyle he put so much faith in being eroded by Christian missionaries.
I think the idea of a "strong man" is especially relevant in African culture, specifically in political leaders. African strong man range from inspiring examples of leadership to those who have plagued their countries with woeful, sometimes oppressive governance. Additionally, there's a part of me that wants to decry the colonialism of Africa, as represented by the Christian missionaries, but I'll resist. But the fact that Achebe includes a character that represents colonialism further shows that it is an ever-present issue in African countries.
I'd recommend this book for sure...
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
I'll be the first to admit that I haven't given much attempt to read plays in the past. I've struggled through some Shakespeare and enjoyed Death of a Salesman, but that's about the extent of it.
I read this book upon the recommendation of a wonderfully pleasant and friendly female co-worker of mine from New Zealand. All I care to say about this is that it's terribly clever and entertaining. I had never read anything written by Wilde before and I was literally laughing out loud reading this book. I thought this play was masterfully written as ironic social commentary, specifically on the institution and practice of marriage. It seems to treat the serious matters as trivial and the trivial matters are treated quite seriously.
One of the things I enjoy about reading plays is that it is strictly dialogue, thus it reads quite quickly. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon reading this, if nothing else for entertainment's sake. Thanks Therese for the recommendation!
Night of January Sixteenth by Ayn Rand
Another play! Rand is better known for her novels The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, and Anthem, but this is a refreshing change and a well-thought out courtroom drama.
Originally produced in 1934, Rand lets the audience play an active role in the plot and direction of the verdict. Members of the audience volunteered to serve as the jurors and then determined the verdict. Equally damning and acquitting evidence is presented on the behalf of Karen Andre, the mistress of Bjorn Faulkner and accused of his murder.
A number of witnesses are called to testify and present conflicting stories, so some of them are lying, although the actors themselves are not aware of what is the "correct" story. The truth and verdict would change each night with a different audience. I found this extremely entertaining and would love to see it performed. In my opinion, Rand's greatest strength is character development, as exemplified through her more famous characters such as Howard Roark in The Fountainhead. She certainly knows her characters inside and out and is unforgiving in her presentation of them. I think this is shown in this play as I constantly changed my personal verdict of Andre with each new witness.
Again, its a quick read and I think you'll find it as intriguing as I did. Also, if you haven't read Rand before, she is an author you should become more familiar with.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sinclair, Martel, Cannon
Oil! by Upton Sinclair
This book got a lot of attention with the release of There Will Be Blood in 2007, which is how I became familiar with it. However, the movie is very loosely based on just the 100 pages or so of Sinclair's novel. I don't think that the makers of the movie had any desire to re-create the story that Sinclair presents, but gathers some inspiration and similar themes.
I'm only familiar with one other book written by Sinclair (The Jungle), but in both he does a marvelous job of framing a story with social commentary, specifically social injustice and economics, which I'm naturally attracted to.
The story follows an oil tycoon rise to prominence and wealth through a number of shrewd land acquisitions sitting on oceans of oil. Motivated by greed and fueled by corruption, Mr. Ross becomes influential in local and national politics to protect his industry. Ross's un-admirable characteristics allow him to succeed in his business and are contrasted by his son (Bunny) idealistic but naive perception of how the world should work. Bunny comes to idolize Paul Watkins, a friend whose attraction stems from his worldly exposure and free thinking. This due to his time spent in the military in Russia and comes to sympathize with the workers of the Bolshevik Revolution--he then attempts to re-create this within the United States and specifically among the oil workers, which threatens Ross's business and livelihood.
To me, the brilliance of this book is the dynamic between Bunny and his father (Ross). Bunny, who very impressionable, buys into Paul's "radical" ideas and comes to actively work on behalf of oil workers and to damage his father's business, while at the same time living extravagantly and taking advantage of his inherited wealth. Ross, despite his character flaws, gains the readers sympathy by funding his son's idealistic philosophy and finances bailing Paul out of prison time and time again.
Equally as interesting is the role of religion, played by a preacher (Paul's brother) who takes preys on his congregation to become as wealthy and influential as Ross in the local community. Ross sees through the hypocritical, paper-thin theology of the preacher but continues to involve him in the business and decisions as they affect the local town. It's a fascinating comparison of showing church as a business-- showing religion requiring just as much greed and corruption as Ross's oil industry.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I read this book about three and a half years ago while living in Taiwan based on the recommendation of the two good friends I was living with at the time. I think its one of the most entertaining, thoughtful books I've read. I think I could re-read it several times and take new things away from it every time and have different interpretations of the ending.
The book's prelude starts out with the author describing how he came across the tale, including an ambitious statement saying that this story will make you believe in God. I'm not sure it lived up to that promise (I believe in God most days but for other reasons than this book), but its got interesting things to say about the mysticism and unknown aspects of spirituality.
The basic premise of the story revolves around an Indian boy (Pi) and a Bengal tiger (Richard Parker) end up on a lifeboat following a shipwreck. Pi, the son of a zookeeper, and his family are moving from the India to Canada, which gives you some context of how the story is set up.
The first hundred pages follow Pi's religious experiments with Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam and weighing each of their admirable characteristics and drawbacks. I remember three years ago when I read this being intrigued by this part of the story. I have really grown to appreciate the strengths and appealing parts of other religions. For instance, the social consciousness of Hinduism and the faithfulness and dedication in prayer of Islam are all concepts I admire. In the end, my theology ends up closer to Christianity than the others, but I think its healthy habit to appreciate the strengths of the religions, political views, people that you don't agree with rather than focusing on what you the differences.
I guess I'm really not sure how much more I feel comfortable sharing on this blog about the book because the ending is certainly the crux and I'd hate to remotely hint at it. I've always wanted to participate in a book club that studies this book cause I would love to hear other people's insights and thoughts on it. If you have read this book, I'd really value your take on it.
Revolutionary Cuba by Terence Cannon
The first non-fiction book to make the list! After reading Islands in the Stream and having my interest re-ignited in Cuba, my mother suggested this historical book for me to read. My mother grew up in Cuba and her parents were Methodist missionaries there around the time when Castro was coming into power and I'm beginning to look into PhD programs in economic history looking at the Cuba's economic development history. I mentioned before that I thought Iran was one of the most misunderstood countries and I would include Cuba on that list as well. Of course, part of that is their own fault for creating such closed, restrictive societies.
This book was written in 1980 and Cannon comes across as very sympathetic to Castro and how the Cuban Revolution developed in the late 1950's and throughout the 1960's. I found the economic history of Cuba incredibly interesting--beginning from its colonization by Spain to its dependence on the Soviet Union. Indeed, I think a proper understanding of this is necessary to figure out how the foreign policy of the U.S. is shaped towards Cuba--which I think to be one of the most backward, misconstrued relationships we have with a country.
Cannon suggests that Cuba was exploited through colonization and it become an economy that relied exclusively on sugar and, to a lesser degree, coffee exports. For the rest of its goods and services, Cuba heavily relief on imports from the United States, thus tying the standard of living on trade with the U.S. When the trade embargo was put into place, Cannon implies that Cuba had little alternative but to turn to the Soviet Union to substitute the goods it had previously imported from the United States.
Cannon's presentation of the Cuban Revolution, Castro, and his motives for replacing Batista is quite gracious and I think he makes several good points. Writing in 1980, Cannon seems very optimistic about Cuba and Castro's leadership and the direction of the economy. Of course, thirty years later with the benefit of hindsight, the reader can't help but feel like Cannon is driving blind towards a cliff. Clearly, Cannon misdiagnosed the scenario but this serves a useful commentary the economy, history, and Revolution.
This book got a lot of attention with the release of There Will Be Blood in 2007, which is how I became familiar with it. However, the movie is very loosely based on just the 100 pages or so of Sinclair's novel. I don't think that the makers of the movie had any desire to re-create the story that Sinclair presents, but gathers some inspiration and similar themes.
I'm only familiar with one other book written by Sinclair (The Jungle), but in both he does a marvelous job of framing a story with social commentary, specifically social injustice and economics, which I'm naturally attracted to.
The story follows an oil tycoon rise to prominence and wealth through a number of shrewd land acquisitions sitting on oceans of oil. Motivated by greed and fueled by corruption, Mr. Ross becomes influential in local and national politics to protect his industry. Ross's un-admirable characteristics allow him to succeed in his business and are contrasted by his son (Bunny) idealistic but naive perception of how the world should work. Bunny comes to idolize Paul Watkins, a friend whose attraction stems from his worldly exposure and free thinking. This due to his time spent in the military in Russia and comes to sympathize with the workers of the Bolshevik Revolution--he then attempts to re-create this within the United States and specifically among the oil workers, which threatens Ross's business and livelihood.
To me, the brilliance of this book is the dynamic between Bunny and his father (Ross). Bunny, who very impressionable, buys into Paul's "radical" ideas and comes to actively work on behalf of oil workers and to damage his father's business, while at the same time living extravagantly and taking advantage of his inherited wealth. Ross, despite his character flaws, gains the readers sympathy by funding his son's idealistic philosophy and finances bailing Paul out of prison time and time again.
Equally as interesting is the role of religion, played by a preacher (Paul's brother) who takes preys on his congregation to become as wealthy and influential as Ross in the local community. Ross sees through the hypocritical, paper-thin theology of the preacher but continues to involve him in the business and decisions as they affect the local town. It's a fascinating comparison of showing church as a business-- showing religion requiring just as much greed and corruption as Ross's oil industry.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I read this book about three and a half years ago while living in Taiwan based on the recommendation of the two good friends I was living with at the time. I think its one of the most entertaining, thoughtful books I've read. I think I could re-read it several times and take new things away from it every time and have different interpretations of the ending.
The book's prelude starts out with the author describing how he came across the tale, including an ambitious statement saying that this story will make you believe in God. I'm not sure it lived up to that promise (I believe in God most days but for other reasons than this book), but its got interesting things to say about the mysticism and unknown aspects of spirituality.
The basic premise of the story revolves around an Indian boy (Pi) and a Bengal tiger (Richard Parker) end up on a lifeboat following a shipwreck. Pi, the son of a zookeeper, and his family are moving from the India to Canada, which gives you some context of how the story is set up.
The first hundred pages follow Pi's religious experiments with Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam and weighing each of their admirable characteristics and drawbacks. I remember three years ago when I read this being intrigued by this part of the story. I have really grown to appreciate the strengths and appealing parts of other religions. For instance, the social consciousness of Hinduism and the faithfulness and dedication in prayer of Islam are all concepts I admire. In the end, my theology ends up closer to Christianity than the others, but I think its healthy habit to appreciate the strengths of the religions, political views, people that you don't agree with rather than focusing on what you the differences.
I guess I'm really not sure how much more I feel comfortable sharing on this blog about the book because the ending is certainly the crux and I'd hate to remotely hint at it. I've always wanted to participate in a book club that studies this book cause I would love to hear other people's insights and thoughts on it. If you have read this book, I'd really value your take on it.
Revolutionary Cuba by Terence Cannon
The first non-fiction book to make the list! After reading Islands in the Stream and having my interest re-ignited in Cuba, my mother suggested this historical book for me to read. My mother grew up in Cuba and her parents were Methodist missionaries there around the time when Castro was coming into power and I'm beginning to look into PhD programs in economic history looking at the Cuba's economic development history. I mentioned before that I thought Iran was one of the most misunderstood countries and I would include Cuba on that list as well. Of course, part of that is their own fault for creating such closed, restrictive societies.
This book was written in 1980 and Cannon comes across as very sympathetic to Castro and how the Cuban Revolution developed in the late 1950's and throughout the 1960's. I found the economic history of Cuba incredibly interesting--beginning from its colonization by Spain to its dependence on the Soviet Union. Indeed, I think a proper understanding of this is necessary to figure out how the foreign policy of the U.S. is shaped towards Cuba--which I think to be one of the most backward, misconstrued relationships we have with a country.
Cannon suggests that Cuba was exploited through colonization and it become an economy that relied exclusively on sugar and, to a lesser degree, coffee exports. For the rest of its goods and services, Cuba heavily relief on imports from the United States, thus tying the standard of living on trade with the U.S. When the trade embargo was put into place, Cannon implies that Cuba had little alternative but to turn to the Soviet Union to substitute the goods it had previously imported from the United States.
Cannon's presentation of the Cuban Revolution, Castro, and his motives for replacing Batista is quite gracious and I think he makes several good points. Writing in 1980, Cannon seems very optimistic about Cuba and Castro's leadership and the direction of the economy. Of course, thirty years later with the benefit of hindsight, the reader can't help but feel like Cannon is driving blind towards a cliff. Clearly, Cannon misdiagnosed the scenario but this serves a useful commentary the economy, history, and Revolution.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Dostoyevsky, Satrapi, Hemingway
Islands in the Stream - Ernest Hemingway
I love Hemingway - his short, terse prose, masterful storytelling, tragically flawed characters, and the locations of his stories I find fascinating. The book, published posthumously, is broken up into 3 stories that follows Thomas Hudson through different stages of his life on Cuba. The first of the three short stories was by far my favorite. It's classic Hemingway in every sense. A strong protagonist but noticeably flawed - although the two aren't disconnected. It is his flaws that make him a strong character. I think I liked this first short story the best because the presence of Hudson's sons and the noticeable transfer of qualities--good and bad--from Hudson to his four sons. The section ends tragically leaving me with a feeling reminiscent of A Farewell to Arms, my favorite book--Hemingway or otherwise.
I felt like I liked each section less and less as I progressed throughout the book, but the book concluded with a sad, but satisfied ending--one that I felt was consistent with the character. I think that these are Hemingway's greatest strengths - character development and consistency. Maybe that's why readers (me, at least) connect so well with his characters and get invested in their personalities. Hemingway's writing lives in the thoughts of his characters and the reader is able to follow the protagonist's thought process and rationale. I would recommend (several) other Hemingway books before this one and actually I think this actually works better after reading other Hemingway writings and more familiar with his process and other characters.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
This graphic novel follows the progression of a young girl growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. I wasn't familiar with this book until a professor at Patterson recommended and I had never read a graphic novel before. I was, and still am, I admit, quite ignorant about the history of Iran and I think it is probably one of the most misunderstood countries and that people are quick to make judgments without properly understanding its rich history and culture and the Persian pride that accompanies it.
Anyways, back to the book. I think that the comic drawings included in the book bring a lighter mood and sense of humor to an otherwise scary, repressive historical time. The book recounts Satrapi's childhood growing up in post-Shah Iran and a secular family adjusting to the harsh social restrictions placed on the Iranian people. The book chronicles social, religious, and political changes and happenings in Iran during the Revolution. It is a brief, but effective introduction in capturing the mood of an important historical event.
There is a sequel to Persepolis, which I haven't read, although I did see the highly acclaimed movie 2007 movie that follows the story Persepolis and Persepolis 2: The Story of Return. Although the movie follows closely to the book, story and graphically, I didn't really care for it. I thought the book and its comics were much more effective. Definitely check this one out... you can read it in an afternoon.
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Any Dostoyevsky is a tough read, but rewarding when you complete. This is the third book of his that I've read (Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov being the first two) and this is my least favorite of the three. The first 50-100 of most Dostoyevsky books are a dense but necessary character development and I always have trouble keeping the Russian character names straight, as nicknames are often used.
The story follows Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin as he returns from living in Switzerland where he was being treated for epilepsy and his love and relationship towards two women, Nastasya Filipovna and Aglaya. I'll let you read the book or the synopsis of the story somewhere else, mostly because I don't feel like I adequately remember or followed it accurately enough.
I found it a dense, tough book to get through and struggled with it for a couple weeks. The last two hundred pages read much faster that the previous several hundred. I don't think this is a must read, by any means. I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment/satisfaction when I finished, but I think it was mostly pride that I'd survived the 700+ pages. I'm not sure that I had a complete resolution to the story that I was hoping, but again, I didn't follow the plot as well as I would've liked. Read Dostoyevsky - just maybe not this one.
I love Hemingway - his short, terse prose, masterful storytelling, tragically flawed characters, and the locations of his stories I find fascinating. The book, published posthumously, is broken up into 3 stories that follows Thomas Hudson through different stages of his life on Cuba. The first of the three short stories was by far my favorite. It's classic Hemingway in every sense. A strong protagonist but noticeably flawed - although the two aren't disconnected. It is his flaws that make him a strong character. I think I liked this first short story the best because the presence of Hudson's sons and the noticeable transfer of qualities--good and bad--from Hudson to his four sons. The section ends tragically leaving me with a feeling reminiscent of A Farewell to Arms, my favorite book--Hemingway or otherwise.
I felt like I liked each section less and less as I progressed throughout the book, but the book concluded with a sad, but satisfied ending--one that I felt was consistent with the character. I think that these are Hemingway's greatest strengths - character development and consistency. Maybe that's why readers (me, at least) connect so well with his characters and get invested in their personalities. Hemingway's writing lives in the thoughts of his characters and the reader is able to follow the protagonist's thought process and rationale. I would recommend (several) other Hemingway books before this one and actually I think this actually works better after reading other Hemingway writings and more familiar with his process and other characters.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
This graphic novel follows the progression of a young girl growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. I wasn't familiar with this book until a professor at Patterson recommended and I had never read a graphic novel before. I was, and still am, I admit, quite ignorant about the history of Iran and I think it is probably one of the most misunderstood countries and that people are quick to make judgments without properly understanding its rich history and culture and the Persian pride that accompanies it.
Anyways, back to the book. I think that the comic drawings included in the book bring a lighter mood and sense of humor to an otherwise scary, repressive historical time. The book recounts Satrapi's childhood growing up in post-Shah Iran and a secular family adjusting to the harsh social restrictions placed on the Iranian people. The book chronicles social, religious, and political changes and happenings in Iran during the Revolution. It is a brief, but effective introduction in capturing the mood of an important historical event.
There is a sequel to Persepolis, which I haven't read, although I did see the highly acclaimed movie 2007 movie that follows the story Persepolis and Persepolis 2: The Story of Return. Although the movie follows closely to the book, story and graphically, I didn't really care for it. I thought the book and its comics were much more effective. Definitely check this one out... you can read it in an afternoon.
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Any Dostoyevsky is a tough read, but rewarding when you complete. This is the third book of his that I've read (Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov being the first two) and this is my least favorite of the three. The first 50-100 of most Dostoyevsky books are a dense but necessary character development and I always have trouble keeping the Russian character names straight, as nicknames are often used.
The story follows Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin as he returns from living in Switzerland where he was being treated for epilepsy and his love and relationship towards two women, Nastasya Filipovna and Aglaya. I'll let you read the book or the synopsis of the story somewhere else, mostly because I don't feel like I adequately remember or followed it accurately enough.
I found it a dense, tough book to get through and struggled with it for a couple weeks. The last two hundred pages read much faster that the previous several hundred. I don't think this is a must read, by any means. I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment/satisfaction when I finished, but I think it was mostly pride that I'd survived the 700+ pages. I'm not sure that I had a complete resolution to the story that I was hoping, but again, I didn't follow the plot as well as I would've liked. Read Dostoyevsky - just maybe not this one.
Sallinger, London, McCarthy
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
A bleak tale that was portrayed well in the 2009 movie with Viggo Mortensen. The book seemed much more depressing than the movie because the movie was able to capture the father-son relationship on screen in a redeeming way. McCarthy uses the language and diction quite well to capture the desperateness of the scenario, allowing the reader to vividly believe the emptiness of the post-apocalyptic environment. I realize that maybe this description doesn't inspire much desire to read this book, especially as spring is upon us, but I really enjoyed it. I think that the book and movie compliment each other quite nicely and think that both mediums present a unique perspective--I wouldn't pass on either one.
The Assassination Bureau - Jack London
This has been my favorite book that I've read this year to date (April 26, 2010). London is an absolute splendid storyteller, of course, although this one is different from his other "Yukon tales" of adventure and wilderness that I've read in Call of the Wild, White Fang, and his short stories. The story centers around a group obsessed with ethical behavior who, ironically, hire themselves out as assassins. Before they agree to the hit, they must be convinced that the target has done something deserving of being killed for. The rest of the story plays out intriguingly as the characters become more and more intertwined.
Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Sallinger
I read this book about once a year and it happened to be the first one I picked this year. It turned out to be interesting timing since Sallinger passed later that month. I've always loved Caulfield's dialogue, especially with his professor at the beginning of the book and with "Ackley-kid". Although not my favorite Sallinger book, I'll always come back to this book for a quick, interesting read.
A bleak tale that was portrayed well in the 2009 movie with Viggo Mortensen. The book seemed much more depressing than the movie because the movie was able to capture the father-son relationship on screen in a redeeming way. McCarthy uses the language and diction quite well to capture the desperateness of the scenario, allowing the reader to vividly believe the emptiness of the post-apocalyptic environment. I realize that maybe this description doesn't inspire much desire to read this book, especially as spring is upon us, but I really enjoyed it. I think that the book and movie compliment each other quite nicely and think that both mediums present a unique perspective--I wouldn't pass on either one.
The Assassination Bureau - Jack London
This has been my favorite book that I've read this year to date (April 26, 2010). London is an absolute splendid storyteller, of course, although this one is different from his other "Yukon tales" of adventure and wilderness that I've read in Call of the Wild, White Fang, and his short stories. The story centers around a group obsessed with ethical behavior who, ironically, hire themselves out as assassins. Before they agree to the hit, they must be convinced that the target has done something deserving of being killed for. The rest of the story plays out intriguingly as the characters become more and more intertwined.
Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Sallinger
I read this book about once a year and it happened to be the first one I picked this year. It turned out to be interesting timing since Sallinger passed later that month. I've always loved Caulfield's dialogue, especially with his professor at the beginning of the book and with "Ackley-kid". Although not my favorite Sallinger book, I'll always come back to this book for a quick, interesting read.
2010 Book Reviews
Finishing up graduate school has allowed me the time and flexibility to renew reading for pleasure on a wide variety of subjects. I'll use this blog to share with you what I have recently finished reading. I don't really intend to "review" the books but rather provide my brief initial thoughts on the book. but I hope you find this useful or, at least, interesting and welcome your feedback on it!
For clarity's sake, I've listed the books in the order that I read them--starting with Catcher in the Rye. I'll be posting the reviews three at a time until I catch up with what I've already read this year.
For clarity's sake, I've listed the books in the order that I read them--starting with Catcher in the Rye. I'll be posting the reviews three at a time until I catch up with what I've already read this year.
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