Tibetan Peach Pie

I think if you've read any of Tom Robbins' work, you'll probably really love this book.  I have to admit, I haven't read any of his work and I still enjoyed it. Maybe not to the extent that a die-hard fan would, but it still had some funny moments and hidden life lessons that are applicable to everyone. Someone, whose thought process I really respect, recommended it to me so I gave it a go. The book is a mix of memoir and autobiography. He swears all the tales he tells are true and I believe it.  The bulk of his formative years as a writer were in the 1960s and 1970s and those decades are known for all kinds of craziness. If nothing else, the book provides you with a zany description of a not-so-ordinary life. Towards the end I was ready for it to be over, though.  Again, I think I felt this way because I have never read a lick of his work. Did the book make me want to read any of his work? Not particularly, but that could change. Overall, I think if you are not familiar with his work, you will either press on through the book because the tales are interesting or you will give it up after a few pages because you're not invested in knowing more about the author.  I will leave it up to you.

Black Boy (American Hunger)

Since I live in one of the college sections of my city (within walking distance of both Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania) I'm acutely aware of summer's demise because of the influx of students.  As much as I may internally groan about the increase in foot traffic and longer wait times at local eateries, I've always loved "Back to School" season even when I was a little kid.  New school supplies, new books, new things to learn, new people, and did I mention new books?  So I decided this year that I would take a free online literature course offered by Yale.  I selected the course entitled The American Novel since 1945. Now I can secretly be the English student I've always wanted to be without paying actual tuition. I'm still paying for my Nursing degrees and I refuse to go further into debt for higher education, but this is not a blog about debt. I'll link the site for the classes below. They have a pretty diverse class offering so even if literature is not your thing, you may find something else you like.

The first book on the syllabus was Black Boy by Richard Wright.  I have never read anything by Richard Wright.  I vaguely remember attempting to read Native Son once or twice back when I lived in New Jersey in my early 20s. I don't have a concrete reason why I didn't get into it or finish it. After viewing the Intro class online and hearing about the original publication fight regarding Black Boy, my interest was piqued. Apparently it was chosen as a Book of the Month Club selection, however the president of the club did not want both parts of the book published. She only wanted the first half and there was a significant amount of back-and-forth correspondence between her and Wright.  Eventually, only the first half was published and it was a huge success.

Fast-forward to today when I have a chance to read the book in its entirety as the author intended.  Well, I have to admit; I could see why the BOTMC leadership said ditch the second half.  The first half was very engaging to me.  I vacillated between being incredulous and sympathetic.  The book is about the author's childhood and touches on the themes of racial segregation, child abuse, violence, religion, education, intellectual escape, and self-actualization. Many have conceded that although the book is called an autobiography it's really semi-autobiographical.  There are instances that are somewhat fictionalized or not the memories of the author, but rather those of his friends or acquaintances.  At the end of the first section I was pleased and there was hope.  I would have been completely satisfied with that ending.

The second section has to do with his participation in the Communist Party.  While this was interesting, it did not hold my interest at all.  There is a great deal of infighting (of course) and Wright shuffles around trying to understand his world and his place in it as a young adult.  I can appreciate coming into one's own in a politically volatile atmosphere, but the way he told that portion of the story was dry and unengaging.

So I would definitely recommend the first part and leave the reading of the second part of the book to your discretion. If you are interested in stimulating your mind, click the text to check out the Yale Open Courses.

Enjoy!

Yes, Chef

I heard about Red Rooster a while back, but have never been.  I'll be back up in NYC next weekend taking my mom to see a play so I figured we could check this place out for dinner. I only vaguely knew that the chef who revitalized Red Rooster had written a memoir.  I remember hearing about it, but just putting the book on my 'To Read' list, not racing out to get it. Since my mom is coming up soon, I finally grabbed a copy of the book from the library and read it.

As a memoir, the book is really good.  It's well written and Samuelsson does a good job describing memories through food.  His recollections of food are often vivid and colorful. His recollection of his adopted family and his struggles as a black chef are heartfelt.  He really tries to dissect what makes him tick and why he has the drive he has. I found myself really enjoying the story.  Then he gets to the part in his life where he has a one-night stand and the woman gets pregnant. She keeps the baby and Samuelsson pays child support.  However, he voluntarily does not meet his daughter until she is fourteen years old.  I couldn't wrap my head around that.  He gives a couple of reasons for this, but honestly I couldn't see it. I mean damn, really dude? Not even for, like, one holiday? Or right after she was born? Or one birthday in fourteen years?  Or hell even just her first birthday?  For fourteen years?  I found myself feeling quite sad for his daughter and the pain she went through growing up. When he finally does meet her, it's bittersweet for both of them. He put in thousands and thousands of hours towards cooking, and that helped him contribute financially to his daughter, but my wish for him is that he mends that personal relationship because the part that money can't buy is damaged.

That didn't make me enjoy the book any less; it just made me kind of sad for him.  If you consider yourself a foodie and love vivid descriptions of falling in love with food, pick this up.  Just realize that he really does put it all in this memoir and it's not just about food. It's also about sacrifice, personal relationships, family, food security, travel, and a little bit of politics. Even though I felt a bit saddened by his absence in his daughter's life, it does not diminish the good writing and the flow of the story.  It just goes to show that no matter how successful one becomes, there is always a struggle.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me

I waited a long time for this book to come to the library.  In the meantime, during the wait, I was able to read half of it for free in Barnes & Noble one day on my Nook.  So when the book came today I was able to finish it in about 3 hours. It's okay.  Not as funny as Bossypants, but a quick enjoyable read. There were a few dry moments when she is describing certain ideas, people, and places related to comedic writing that bored me.  Other than that, you could easily breeze through this book in a day.  If you have to make a choice and can only read *one*, I'd go with Bossypants every time.

Blankets

So this book is not on my 2012 list, but I saw a beautifully bound book entitled Habibi and had to stop myself from impulse-buying it. I would not normally place myself in a category of "avid graphic novel reader" (I've only read Persepolis), but if a story is good I will read it, no matter the form.  So instead of buying Habibi, I went home and did some research on the author.  I saw that Blankets was an earlier work by him and it was available at the library. I thought I should probably give him a try before spending $35.  The illustrations are beautiful and emotive. The story has moments of joy, pain, sorrow, laughter, and wonder.  It's an autobiographical account of the author's childhood and it is full of difficult situations that kids/teens face. Divorce, strict parents, first loves, sibling rivalry, bullies, spiritual crises, existentialism, family dynamics, child abuse, and more.  The story is easy to follow and has many insightful observations.  A warning though....if you are not a religious person, this book may not be for you. Many of the author's observations and conversations in the book are in relation to Jesus and Christianity. I know the topic of religion is not for everyone so that's why I mention it. There is also a small amount of adult content/nudity if you're wary of that. I fully enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading Habibi in the near future.

Bossypants

I literally did laugh out loud while reading this.  I am already a fan of hers anyway.  Perfect light summer reading.  She actually makes some really good points about life in between the laughs and among the laughs.  If you can laugh *and* learn a little something at the same time, it's a win-win.  I really enjoyed this.

Orange is the New Black

This is yet another book I've been trying to finish for over a month.  School gets in the way!  Ugh! Anyway, I enjoyed this book because of the unique perspective given about our prison system and the women in it.  There were times when it dragged (much like I'm assuming the time in prison drags), but there were also moments of insightfulness that the author experienced that made it a pretty solid read.

The Ditchdigger's Daughters

This dude was strict with his daughters.  I think since he had 5 biological kids and 1 adopted one, it's a good look at how discipline really depends on the CHILD'S personality. He didn't really tailor the discipline to fit the individual.  Sometimes I thought the dad was a jerk and sometimes I thought he had some good points.  Either way, it was a pretty inspiring story told from the middle child's perspective.  If you ever think you can't do something in life, read this book.  You will realize you can. I enjoyed it.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

Really funny in the beginning.  It also continues to have funny moments throughout the rest of the book, but the backstory of the author's horrible marriage start to bring you back down to earth.

Infidel

Any book that incites someone to put a death threat out on you must be good right?  The answer is YES.  Of course you have to keep an open mind when you read this book, but it is extremely well written and tells the story of one women's oppression under the religion of Islam. The author, of course, was denounced as...you guessed it....an INFIDEL.  Anyone wishing to have a better understanding of a different culture should read this.  However, as always, I caution people to remember that there are always multiple stories in any one story.  So don't take this ONE singular book and try to start a war on Islam.  Just let this be, perhaps, the stepping stone to continued enlightenment about others.