my revolutions - hari kunzru

hari kunzru || my revolutions || 4.0/5.0

my revolutions is the story of an ex-1960's revolutionary. the novel is told in the first person and set in present day, but features a long series of flashbacks which chronicle the speaker's time as a revolutionary and subsequent assumption of a new identity.

the main character is british, and was involved in a fictional extreme revolutionary organization during the vietnam war. his relationship with revolution grows from a curious student involved with the communist party to a group leader executing terrorist acts. at the height of his involvement, he abandons his group, fleeing the country and eventually reinventing himself as a run-of-the-mill family man.

i really liked this one - lots of drama (drugs, protest, love affairs, mystery) and a really heartfelt tale of self-searching and confused identity. lucky for us, kunzru is a young and rather new author.

this side of paradise - f. scott fitzgerald

f. scott fitzgerald || this side of paradise || 3.5/5.0

this is fitzgerald's first novel. i was inspired to read it after watching the first 50 minutes of the great gatsby five times as an english class substitute teacher.

for the most part, i enjoyed reading this novel as much as i did gatsby in high school. there were several parts that were a bit hard to follow on audio, however - some free verse and lengthy poetry sections. i also have to confess to struggling with the philosophical elements of class theory and human nature. perhaps i was distracted by beltway traffic?

i did love the narrative portions, however, and i particularly loved the names of characters - very 1920's style: amory blaine, beatrice, isabelle, and rosalind.

not a favorite, but enjoyable nonetheless.

little women - louisa may alcott

louisa may alcott || little women || 3.0/5.0

despite my mother's constant urging, i never read little women as a kid. my overall impression? its hefty and dense, but definitely written to a young audience.

its a great story, and i'm looking forward to finally watching the movie version. somehow i've managed to avoid it all these years (i'm definitely a book-before-movie kind of girl), but i'm eager to check out the combined efforts of winona ryder, claire danes, christian bale, and kirsten dunst.

i have to confess i wasn't too crazy about the book. i think there are some novels that you have to have loved as a child to love as an adult. i do like to imagine that life was so hokey back then, even if my better judgement usually prevails.

the white man's burden - william easterly

william easterly || the white man's burden || 3.5/5.0

easterly's view on development is opposite that of well-known voices such as jeffrey sachs, the un, the world bank and IMF, and of course, bono. as those theorists largely represent my understanding of development, i was eager to explore the other side.

overall i really enjoyed the book, and was intrigued by many of his arguments. the overall message presented is that our overarching 'schemes' of development have repeatedly failed and need to be replaced with piecemeal, targeted, locally-driven projects. there were a lot of interesting points, and i'll mention a couple here.

more eye-opening to me was his evaluation of the supply and demand balance of aid. easterly argues that because its the wealthy constituents of the west that are demanding aid, the results are catered to satisfying westerners (meetings and frameworks), rather than to the actual poor of the developing world. in his proposed piecemeal version of aid, the poor become the demanders, and the results become more catered to achieving development success on their behalf.

on nation-building and economic reform, easterly argues that outside forces will never be able to impose new systems on developing countries. rather, he says, the west should focus its aid efforts on alleviating the current sufferings of the poor (hunger, disease, lack of education, lack of infrastructure), and allow government and economic reform to flow naturally from an empowered populace.

some of his statistical arguments felt a bit shaky, but the overwhelming drawback of the book for me was the writing. his syntax is rough and confusing, and really kept me from loving the book.

overall view: if you're not interested in development theory, this would be a rather dull book for you. if you are, definitely pick it up for its different ideas, but beware the writing.

papillon - henri charrière

henri charrière || papillon || 4.0/5.0

papillon is the story of henri charrière's sixteen years on a french penal colony in the early twentieth century. condemned to life in prison and ten years of hard labor in french guiana, charrière made a series of daring escapes before finally achieving lasting freedom in venezuela.

throughout the book, charrière maintains his innocence of his initial crime. the truth of his memoir has been questioned since publication, but regardless makes for a very good story. sometimes haunting, sometimes thrilling, and at times funny, the book is a very engaging read. i liked it far more than i thought i would!

unrelatedly, if you've noticed i've been rather low on book posts lately... let's just say it has to do with a certain movie that premiers july 15. some books are just too good to be reviewed!

interpreter of maladies - jhumpa lahiri

jhumpa lahiri || interpreter of maladies || 5.0/5.0

i really loved the namesake, lahiri's second work, and so have been looking forward to interpreter of maladies for a long while. i wasn't disappointed!

first, i was pleasantly surprised that the book is not a novel, but a collection of nine short stories. i've not read too many short stories, but i really enjoyed the format and look forward to discovering more. i've heard stephen king has really excellent short story collections.

i think i enjoyed interpreter of maladies more than the namesake, though i couldn't put my finger on why. each of the stories is unique, but they share a common threat of raw humanity. some are heartbreakingly sad; others are warm and uplifting. all share a realness that i think is lahiri's true talent - she uses astute details to sculpt incredibly human and relatable characters.

the stories themselves are but well-written vessels through which these characters arc. a must-read, in my book, and the 2000 winner of the pulitzer prize.

the god of small things - arundhati roy

arundhati roy || the god of small things || 2.5/5.0

the god of small things won the booker prize in 1997, and is a very lyric novel. perhaps because i was rushing through it to meet a deadline, i had a hard time loving the book.

the story centers around an indian family (specifically a pair of fraternal twins), and jumps between 1969 and the present day. focusing on the destruction of childhoods through tragedy, the novel paints a unique heartbreak for each character.

the novel owes its title to the small talk and focus on minutiae that often accompany calamity. the elephants in the room are never discussed, and the breeding alienation and malcontent shape the lives of the young twins.

in general reviews are very polarized for the god of small things. its voice is beautiful, but it wasn't my cup of tea - too ethereal, i think. but, a booker prize is a good sign - give it a shot?

animal, vegetable, miracle - barbara kingsolver

barbara kingsolver || animal, vegetable, miracle || 4.0/5.0

animal, vegetable, miracle is a narrative chronicling kingsolver's attempt at eating solely locally for one year. as the author of the bean trees and the poisonwood bible, i know she has many fans through her career as a novelist. this non-fiction piece is as beautifully written, but is co-authored by her husband and daughter.

i really enjoyed this book, but i suspect it will please mostly readers who are interested in food ethics and sustainability issues. i recommend it either way - if you're passionate about such issues, its a fun and informative read; if you're not, she makes some compelling arguments that are worthy of consideration.

it's not for the faint of heart, though. i've been acutely aware of food sources lately - at a brewery tour in milwaukee this weekend, i was dying to ask the origin of their barley. i'm newly haunted by guilt in eating bananas, but am overly pleased to be eating rhubarb from the backyard.

i know the green movement balances on a precipice between guilt and complacency. animal, vegetable, miracle is just the right amount of guilt for me. you?

oh yes, a bonus: set in virginia. :)

the brief wondrous life of oscar wao - junot diaz

junot diaz || the brief wondrous life of oscar wao || 3.0/5.0

the description on the back of the book that hooked me reads:

things have never been easy for oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick dominican ghetto nerd. from his home in new jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, oscar dreams of becoming the dominican j. r. r. tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. but he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fuku-the curse that has haunted the oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.

are you sold yet? i really enjoyed this novel for its originality, its striking voice, and its multiple references to the realm of tolkein. some other big pluses: footnotes throughout, which sprinkled historical reference to the story, and a jumping timeline which created a strong theme across generations.

not entirely my style, but its been very well-reviewed (notably, the 2008 pulitzer for fiction) so definitely worth a read if you're intrigued!

in cold blood - truman capote

truman capote || in cold blood || 4.5/5.0

i'm not usually a true crime reader, so i'm glad that in cold blood generally escapes that genre and somehow makes it into fiction. perhaps its because of the liberties taken by capote in the details, or perhaps because its verging on being a classic, but i'm glad it was there for me to find.

in cold blood actually reminded me strongly of richard russo's empire falls in the description of small-town life. the writing is really beautiful, and capote succeeds in humanizing the players in this incredible story. as you likely know, the book is based on the real-life slayings of a family in kansas. capote's research is remarkable, and the end result is a gripping, novel fraught with emotion, and which i absolutely recommend.

i've never seen the film capote, but after reading this, i'm interested in learning more about the author's life. doesn't hurt that the film was so critically acclaimed!

the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay - michael chabon

michael chabon || the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay || 4.0/5.0

i'm always excited to learn about young and fresh writers. michael chabon definitely falls into this group - his body of work is still comparatively small, but all of his novels have been well-received and are together very promising.

the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay is incredibly creative, reaches to broad themes, and was a fun read. kavalier and clay are cousin comic book writers, jews in the period leading up to the onset of world war II. clay is a native new yorker, and is joined by his escape artist cousin kavalier, a refugee from prague.

their comic book adventures are just the start of their story, and the plot reaches through several decades. chabon covers so many distinct forms of loss that the book is heart-wrenching, but the cleverness of the writing balances the novel nicely. definitely recommend.

the accidental tourist - anne tyler

anne tyler || the accidental tourist || 2.5/5.0

thanks to an nine-hour stay in the lovely nashville airport this past weekend, i was able to finally (and speedily) read this book, recommended by a very good friend.

in fairness, i think the fact that reading this book was the only source of entertainment available may have made me a little angry or frustrated at it, and hurt my score a bit. i can certainly attest to it being a quick read though!

the story was certainly good, and the book is well-reviewed. its a bit out of my usual style, however. in reviewing books here, i've started to better understand my own tastes in reading. accidental tourist is too... realistic for my tastes. maybe too mundane.

that said, the ended surprised me, and i haven't quite decided whether or not i'm glad at how the ending turned out. apparently its been made into a movie - anyone seen it?

the vanishing point - mary sharratt

mary sharratt || the vanishing point || 2.5/5.0

while searching for a historical fiction to read, one of my book clubs chose this novel last month. we were hoping for a bit of mystery, and a bit of being taken back in time.

sharratt certainly succeeded in painting a picture of tough colonial life, but i was disappointed when the novel took a definite turn toward the romance angle. maybe i'm just turned away by romance novels, but i think her descriptions of passion on home-made bearskin rugs were a bit over the top.

with that exception, i enjoyed the novel. the historic nature kept things interesting, and the mystery kept me guessing. the main characters were strong women, and sharratt succeeds in impressing the complexity of each person. discussion in book club helped round some of the more flat individuals out, as we all related differently to each life.

yarn harlot - stephanie pearl-mcphee

stephanie pearl-mcphee || yarn harlot || 4.0/5.0

if you're a knitter, you should read this book. its pretty hilarious - just observations on the craft (she won't have you call it a hobby) and of the knitting world in general.

i particularly appreciated the short story-like setup. the book is about 200 pages and close to 40 "chapters," making for great bedtime reading or waiting-in-line reading. plus the writing is light and engaging, which ups the readability factor.

if you don't knit, it would probably still be a funny read, but probably to a much lesser effect. as someone who likes to pretend to knit (two finished projects a year doesn't really count, i don't think), i got a little bit of satisfaction simply knowing what the terms meant.

stephanie pearl-mcphee has a pretty awesome blog, too, if you'd like a taste.

the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde - robert louis stevenson

robert louis stevenson || the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde || 3.5/5.0

i finished this one up a while ago and have been dragging my feet posting about it. i'm not too sure why, but it may be that it didn't strike me with much inspiration. perhaps that's because the story of jekyll and hyde is so well known that its become a colloquialism - i imagine reading the book with shock value intact would be a completely different experience.

i enjoyed it, surely, and the writing was quite good. (could it be otherwise? it is a classic, after all). having finished, there are two things that i'm struck by:

1) i wish there was a listing of incredibly short classics (this one included). there's such satisfaction in having read a classic, and i'd love to knock the easy ones out quickly and increase my read count.

2) i love exploring the many different covers of classic books. the lack of copyright means lots of publishers, and lots of publishers means plenty of choices for a cover-shot. can't go wrong with a classic design.

three cups of tea - greg mortenson and david oliver relin

greg mortenson and david oliver relin || three cups of tea || 4.5/5.0

i know i'm pretty late to this party, but it was worth the wait! three cups of tea is a current affairs/biography, detailing the efforts of greg mortenson in building schools in central asia. most of his work described in the book is in pakistan, though the book ends with an introduction to his recent (2004) efforts in afghanistan.

really well written, the book is a page-turner, and sheds a very human light on a region of the world largely portrayed as a wild and dangerous unknown. individuals, geography, and cultures are painted beautifully, and i felt i was receiving a lesson from an insider.

the biography side of the work is a testament to the power of incredible people. mortenson's drive is truly remarkable, and reminds me of my public health hero paul farmer.

this is a definite read for anyone. if you haven't, i implore you to check it out. as an added incentive, i'd be happy to give you my copy of the audio version - a great recording of a great book.

never let me go - kazuo ishiguro

kazuo ishiguro || never let me go || 4.5/5.0

i enjoy starting a book with no concept at all about its content. it keeps me from having preconceptions, and adds a bit of surprise to the story development.

this was a great surprise book! set in an alternate future, never let me go creates a world very similar to our own, with the simple addition of a class of human clones. this subset of the population, which includes our narrator and main characters, is a group contentedly destined for organ harvesting.

the narrator expresses no anger about their situation in life, and though she describes some ethical discontent in others, its not the focus of the work. i loved the perspective the author gives us and the fact that we never hear from the "human" point of view. clearly there's an ethical crisis here, but the book breezes past it - adding greatly to the novel's realism for me.

the writing is engaging and page-turning, and the descriptions of her childhood enjoyable to read. i'm eager to try another of his books. definitely recommend this one!

the murder of roger ackroyd - agatha christie

agatha christie || the murder of roger ackroyd || 3.5/5.0

i'm not normally much of a mystery person. in fact, i think this book brings my total of mystery books read up to two. but, such is the beauty of book clubs! they give that extra motivation to step outside of one's normal authors and genres.

christie is a quick read, which is a fun bonus, and i did enjoy the story quite a bit. unfortunately, i decided to read the back of the book mid-way through, and learned that the novel is considered "one of the most controversial" detective novels of all time. this of course made me start considering what kinds of wild endings might be in store, and i guessed the conclusion.

now that i've spoiled it the same for you (its not a real spoiler if its on the cover, right?), i'll give it a thumbs-up. if you're a mystery fan, check it out. if you'd like to try out a mystery, its a good pick. but if you're an apathetic mystery reader such as myself, this one won't change your mind.

moby dick - herman melville

herman melville || moby dick || 4.0/5.0

its been a while since i've posted a book review, and here's my excuse... moby dick is a freaking long book. i can't believe people read this in high school! we read a melville poem once (i had to do a presentation on it), but that was 20 lines. major points to anyone who made it through this tome as a high school student.

that said, i really enjoyed it! melville is amazing with words, and i'll add him to my shortlist of favorite classic authors. i actually found myself mid-read remarking on his use of alliteration, and that's saying something.

its pretty tough to get through, though, and i can definitely see why people skip the long didactic sections on whale phylogeny. i absolutely recommend it (if nothing, you'll get a strong sense of accomplishment!), but give yourself some time to slog through the dry parts.

god's politics - jim wallis

jim wallis || god's politics || 4.0/5.0

this book comes to us from my "bought a long time ago and never actually read" list, a list that is tragically overpopulated.

i really enjoy jim wallis and his work in sojourners, a progressive christian magazine. this book was no different - lots of really great theological points on our political system.

unfortunately, the book was written in 2004 and so lots of his arguments are terribly out of date. i definitely should have read it when i bought it!

his main points are that the religious right is off-base in focusing efforts on individual morality and ignoring societal issues, and that the secular left is foolishly neglecting the value of spirituality. viva progressive community building!

lots of margin notes for me, which is always a good sign. i'm hopeful that he'll consider a new version, though its more likely we'll see a new book entirely.

my favorite line:
"...until all the children who died from hunger on september 11 are as important to us as those who died in the terrorist attacks, we will not be safe or secure." (198)