Read 'em and weep

Five Quarters of the Orange

2008-08-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. Family secrets. Harvest. Recipes. Rivers. Monkey's paw. The power of oranges. And stubbornness. Scrawled words. I like when reality blurs in novels. A false reality finding itself subject to the same falseness we try to blink away, shake of a head, did I just...

Five Quarters of the Orange is the story of Framboise, a crêperie owner who grew up in France during the German occupation. It is told in flashbacks from the present where she is fighting her nephew and his wife who wish to exploit both her mother's recipes as well as the family history she has kept quite for so long. She reflects on her childhood, her mother's debilitating migraines and rages, and her complicated relationship with a German soldier, a fellow fisherman.

The novel covers a lot of ground--family secrets, loyalties, drug addiction, sibling rivalries, and mixed feelings that threaten to undo people. Dramatic? Quite at times, but not overdone. While occasionally the narrative seemed a bit languid and wordy (perhaps because it is meant to be from the point of view of a 62 year old woman who has spent a lifetime in near-silence), the story is interesting enough to keep the plot moving along, and there are some moments where the descriptions, whether of perfect crème brûlée, the harvest fair, or the oldest 9-year-old in the world's ardent wishing are beautiful.

The Dark Tower

2007-08-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Warning: Minor Spoilers

Last September, I picked up The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger for the second time. The first time was many, many years ago. I had spent a summer reading It, and better part of the first semester of the Sixth Grade reading the expanded version of The Stand, and now considered myself a Stephen King Fan. Late-night marathons of movies like Maximum Overdrive and Pet Cemetery with my teenage step-sister and her hot friends did much to help that along.

So, when my step-sister lent me her copy of The Gunslinger, promising that it would probably be the favorite of a little geek like me, I immediately popped open a fresh can of Dr. Pepper and opened the book.

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

I then immediately closed the book because I had become so instantly bored, no other words on the page would focus. Instead, I spent the rest of the school year reading about a dozen Xanth novels and not talking to any girls. (Damn you, Piers Anthony. Damn you to hell.)

So, some twenty years later, when my roommates won't stop saying things like "cool as Roland" or "I went all Gilead on his ass," I decided to give it another try. And this time, as "the gunslinger followed," so did I.

Through seven fucking books I followed that son-of-a-bitch, all the way to The Dark Tower, the Axis Of Worlds.

Before I get into the books, because I'm going to go over each one individually, I'd like to take a moment to comment on Stephen King himself, and his writing style, which I now feel I am very familiar with.

King was once quoted as describing his own work as "The literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries"(source) and brother, I couldn't agree more. Not at all an insult or a downplay. A fair, honest assessment of Kings often ad-hoc, largely formulaic, and never very symbolic stories. I, for one, have experience many a burger and fry, both in the literary, cinematic, and culinary sense of the word. Some were better than others, but all filled me up right and left me largely not regretting that I had groked them. But, a burger is a burger. Rarely a grand piece of artistry and certainly not at all mind-bending or surprising in anyway. (Unless you count that criminally poor excuse for a "gourmet burger" they serve at Harvey's Comedy Club in Portland. Somebody needs to be drawn and quartered for that Fucking Disaster with Fries.)

As time went by and I worked my way through the books, also taking time to sideline discuss it and other works by King with my roommates, I began to grow familiar with King's pace, timing, and (dare I say) tricks. I found myself able to pick out moments when it was clear that King was trying to fill pages, or was stuck on how to bridge two or three predetermined plot points. By the time I was halfway through Book 5, I was able to predict them coming.

I admire and envy King for his ability to just spew untold gallons of juvenile crap into a typewriter and somehow have it all magically fall into place on the page as something that just about anybody in the world would enjoy at least one or two times in their life....like a Big Mac and fries.

All that said, let's a take a good hard look at his grand Opus, around which almost all other work he's done has revolved; The Dark Tower.

Book One: The Gunslinger
Our introduction to Roland and what we later come to assume is Mid-World. The whole thing is first given to us as it was conceived by King in the first place, an enigmatic almost-a-fairy-tale with a spaghetti western theme to it.

King mentions in his forward that he had been inspired by the Lord Of The Rings trilogy to create and entirely new world. He accomplishes this quite well, basing his new fantasy land off screwed symbology of American Cinema, in much the same vein that Tolken used old English mythology.

As the first book brings us through many parts of Mid-World, and even In-World (where lies Gilead), that it seems to me that King was more concerned with giving us the as-of-yet incomplete history of Mid-World with Roland as our unknowing tour guide rather than actually concerning himself with Roland's quest that much.

This is more evident when I notice an eleven year separation between the Copyright dates of the first two books.

What's most impressive about the first book, is how much of his fantasy world King fleshes out almost right away. Tiny hints and offhand regards peppered about The Gunslinger that become common themes or major hinges of King Books to come. A single mention of a half-crazed man with a bird's head, wandering the desert, muttering something about "algul siento." Those who have read Black House or Hearts In Atlantis might know something about this. This is also where we first meet the man known as Walter O'Dim, who shows his wicked face in many a King Book; most notably under the name of Randall Flagg in The Stand.

Talks of history, conflicting religions, even political and economic status of different parts of Mid-World. While most of Kings books, you can pretty easily see that most of his stories come almost directly out of his ass, The Gunslinger has an almost obsessive amount of polish to it.

And so, before there is even much concern about Roland's quest for the Dark Tower, The Gunslinger acts as a introductory guidebook to the universe that exists inside King's head, and is a linchpin to just about every story he's written since. I can see why, for fanatics of King's work, this would be considered the Holy Book of Genesis. For just as God had created the heavens and the earth, King created The Man In Black, and the gunslinger followed.

It is, in my opinion, the finest work that Stephen King has ever done. Too bad it was almost thirty years ago. Don't get me wrong, I still think he's a fine Burger and Fries, but the care he put into that first great tale has not been followed up since.

Book Two: The Drawing of The Three
Even though eleven years had gone by between the first two books, it was not as though King was just makin' this shit up as he went along. He knew full well what he wanted to do to Roland as the quest ran on, and even warned him about it with a prophecy or two from a couple of demons in the first book.

So picking up right where he left off, King put Roland back on track and in the path of...well, some seriously weird shit.

King's infamous magical doors between the worlds become the centerpiece of this story as Roland collects his travel companions, Eddie and Susanna, from different corners of time and space.

The story of Eddie Dean is like reading an episode of The Sopranos. Junkies, tough guys, weaselly little shits, and self-absorbed crime bosses, and one stupid mistake after another. The only person in the whole story that doesn't piss you off for being a complete dickhead, is Roland.

Next we meet Odetta Holmes in tandem with her split personality, Detta Walker. Both of them infuriating in their own way. Odetta being far too proper, prim, and delicate to ever belong in an adventure or quest of any kind. Detta on the other is, for lack of a better word, the worst kind of Nigger Bitch you could ever come across.

And, for some reason that I can't seem to wrap my head around, the powers of fate alone allow Odetta and Detta to physically become two separate people and duke it out (like Clark Kent vs. Drunk, Pissed Off Superman in Superman III), and eventually fuse back together as the single-minded Susanna. This is one of those moments where I feel King was really, really reaching.

It's a necessary part of the Dark Tower Story, and therefore cannot be skipped over. But it is hard to get through since Eddie and Susanna are first introduced to us as people that will clearly be more detrimental to Roland than helpful. And frankly, quite annoying to read.

However, to offer some leeway to King, it is a good start to the illustration of how much these two change over the course of the quest, as they do (slowly) become quite likable.

Book Three: The Waste Lands
And now that we've spent two whole books jacking-off over character development, we finally get on the damn road to The Tower. We start off by learning a little bit more the largely mysterious history of Mid-World, and our team of "heroes" find the path that will actually lead them directly to the Dark Tower, even though they don't have the first clue as to how long it will take them to get there.

The quest is sidelined as Jake Chambers, an annoying little shit of a kid that was introduced and killed (twice) in the first book, is brought back to life and drawn into Mid-World to join the quest.

Again, the most interesting parts of this book revolve around learning more and more about the fantasy world that King has created. The downside is that we also get heavy doses of what King refers to as ka; which I think is short for ka-nvenience. This is a common theme in all of King's books, where the protagonists of the story are only able to survive or succeed because of extremely conveniently placed items, persons, or psychic abilities. Every single one of King's books lean on this crutch, and most of the Dark Tower Series seems to be written around the goal of making excuses for all of them.

It is one of the faster paced of the books, and even ended on a cliffhanger; which I'm sure did more than just piss off all of the loyal fans that had to wait for the next book to be published all those years ago. Lucky for me, I already had the next book on hand, and after trudging through the first two books, The Waste Lands was the first of the series that actually made me want to pick up the next one as soon as possible.

Book Four: Wizard And Glass
Most of this book was a fantastic waste of time. Very little progress is made in the quest. And while we get a mildly amusing visit from our old nemesis, Randall Flagg, 90 percent of the book tells the story (in excruciatingly painful detail) of Roland's very first mission as an official Gunslinger of Gilead. Granted, it's an important story, telling us of how the war that laid waste to Mid-World began, giving us more history on the life of Roland and his long-dead friends, introducing us to The Crimson King (the big bad villain of the Dark Tower story), and even telling the tale of Roland's first and only love.

But seriously, the story could have been told quite effectively in about a tenth of the pages. I have never been so bored with a book in my life. I would dare say to those of you who have not read this series yet, feel free to skip this book. It's a waste of a tree, and the only important parts of it are reiterated quite effectively in the following books.

Book Five: The Wolves of the Calla
After the painful disappointment of Book Four, Book Five became my favorite of the series. King decided to go back to the real inspiration of his series, The Western, and decided to create his own retelling of The Magnificent Seven. This is a theme I have always loved. Magnificent Seven, Seven Samurai, and A Bug's Life are among my favorite movies.

And so, our heroes find themselves aiding the small town of Calla Bryn Sturgis to defend themselves against the demonic hordes of child-thieves called The Wolves.

This one is even faster paced than The Waste Lands had been, and gives us even more clues into the grand scheme behind Mid-World's history and The Crimson King's evil plan.

Even more interesting is when we meet Pere Callahan, who was once Father Callahan of Jerusalem's Lot. Even more interesting is when a momentary travel through one of the Magic Doors between Calla Bryn Sturgis and New York City, Father Callahan discovers a book called Salem's Lot in which he is a character. (Remember that whole "ka-nvenience" thing I mentioned before? King really starts to tie it together here.)

All together, this was a great book, my favorite of the series as I said before. Fun, fast, and even funny at times. Another cliffhanger ending takes us on to the next installment...

Book Six: Song of Susanna
By now our heroes (I don't put it in quotes this time, because they have finally grown enough to actually be considered heroes) have learned enough about The Crimson King and his minions to know that their quest to find The Dark Tower includes the task of saving The Tower from the disastrous designs of the Mad King's plans. So they now hatch a several pronged plan to rescue the kidnapped Susanna, infiltrate and sabotage the King's operations, and to even make contact with the young author Stephen King. That's right, King writes himself into the story (not in a too self-flattering way, mind you) as a final explanation to all the ka-nveniences of his stories.

He writes himself as a sort of instrument of the forces of fate, who is able to place all of the convinces into the path of his heroes like a benevolent demi-god who doles out the manna like it's Christmas every day in the name of The Greater Good; a.k.a. The Happy Ending.

There's not much more that can be said about this book, other than it now picks up the pace on bringing a close to the journey of our heroes, as it is the second to last book. The events of this book flow so quickly into the next that it is hard to separate the last two books as two books. They read almost like the last few episodes of a long running TV series. It makes it difficult to say much about this book on it's own, because it is written to be a reflection of the entire series as a whole.

Book Seven: The Dark Tower
I didn't actually read this book. It landed on shelves just after I landed in China, and I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy in English. Instead, I downloaded an unabridged audio book and sat back with my iPod for over twenty-six hours. I'm happy to say that I don't feel I lost anything with this method. In fact, it was a perfect method in making sure I wasn't ever tempted to skip over any of the heftier looking paragraphs. I actually the whole and complete story this time.

This book went from fast paced, to excruciatingly slow, to fast paced again, to long stretches of nothing, and back and forth and back and forth. It was a long fucking book.

King writes himself into this one as well, and even attributes his survival of being hit by a van back in '99 to last-minute intervention from Roland and Jake.

Like Song of Susanna this book is not as self-contained as the others. It is the wrap-up of the whole series and is, in a sense, the entire series in one book. If you've already made your way through the first five, six and seven are read because you have to, not because they are self-supporting works of literature.

As far as the ending goes, I have not yet come to grips as to my opinion of it. I'm sure that King must have been wrestling with himself for months as to the most appropriate way to close the great epic that he had begun almost thirty years ago. He must have known that no matter what happened, the throngs of fans that had amassed over the years would be angry with him for some reason. He even tries desperately to explain at one point how "it's the journey itself that really matters, isn't it?"

The stress must've been killing him.

I suppose I could give him that credit. How many of us have planned road trips without giving a shit where we end up, so long as there are enough interesting places on the way there?

But as the journey goes, I am glad I took it. It may or may not ever have the cultural impact that Lord Of The Rings had, but that isn't for me to decide.

Down to it, I would think that anyone who has ever enjoyed any of Stephen King's work should definitely partake in this series. If you have any life at all, it may take you the better part of a year to get through it, but you'll be glad you did.

If you've read or plan on reading all of the Lord Of The Rings books, the Harry Potter series, or any number of the Xanth novels, then you should definitely read The Dark Tower series since it won't take you any less time, and carries with it all the same elements of epic adventure and fantastic escape that these books do.

Otherwise, don't. I don't really care either way.

Thomas Mann: Tonio Kröger

2007-01-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

This is a novella written by a German nobel laureate. It precedes his more widely known work- Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig). I found Tonio Kröger to be an almost painfully sensitive account of the youth of an artist. Though it is a translation, one can see that it is beautifully written, full of northern character, awkward moments, and philosophy about art and love. Here is one of my favorite quotes from it:

"I stand between two worlds. I am at home in neither, and I suffer the consequence. You artists call me a bourgeois, and the bourgeois try to arrest me…. I don't know which makes me feel worse. The bourgeois are stupid; but you adorers of the beautiful, who call me phlegmatic and without aspirations, you ought to realize that there is a way of being an artist that goes so deep and is so much a matter of origins and destinies that no longing seems to it sweeter and more worth knowing than longing after the bliss of the commonplace."

I had to read this for school (Nobel Laureates: Studies in Modern World Literature), but it was not so bad. Next up is Death in Venice.

The Violent Bear It Away

2006-12-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away." Matthew 11:12

The Violent Bear It Away is one of the best books I have read in a while. Why is that? Probably because it was written by Flannery O'Connor and she rocks.

This is the story of Francis Marion Tarwater, a young boy destined to be a prophet. He is at once pulled towards that destiny and pushed away, as his Uncle Rayber tries to keep him from fulfilling what his great uncle Mason Tarwater said was his destiny, to baptize Rayber's developmentally disabled child, Bishop (born like this by God's will, he says, to keep Rayber from corrupting Bishop with his secular beliefs), and to "burn clean" Rayber's unbelieving eyes and mind. But it is a long road to destiny, and Tarwater is not about to be pushed into anything.

It is a dark story. Lots of religious imagery. It's masterfully written. One of those books which sets things up quickly and compels you through the rest with beautiful language and a desire to find out... Will Tarwater become a prophet? Will Bishop be baptized? Will Rayber be burned clean by the power and knowledge of God? It's excellent. A dark Southern story with enough humor to keep the story moving forward. It's a driving story. Everyone in it is so frightfully direct and delightfully purposeful. Yum.

"Do roses know their thorns can hurt?" -JBR

2006-09-13T02:21:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last few days reading Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder by Lawrence Schiller. This is unlike many other books relating to the JonBenét Ramsey story in that it tries to provide the reader with a larger, more objective view. It does not take a stance upon who may have killed JonBenét, but tries to bring together all the information available to the public in a chronological way that flows well and is easy to follow. A short list of people involved in the case in the back helps to get through the first couple hundred pages where there are many people being introduced in the story. The book relates, in detail, the progress and setbacks of the local police department and district attorney's office as well as the huge effect of the media on all sides of the story. The story is so strange due to the actions on the part of the police, da, and suspects, like the Ramseys, all of whom at times behaved in what seem to be unconscionable and/or confusing ways. There are a small number of inaccuracies in some parts of the book, but considering the amount of information it contains, it is well-put together overall. I say "put together" in that although it tells a story, it is not simply a storybook. It is a compilation of written statements and stories as well as a narrative of a horrible murder and the situation surrounding its investigation. It is not pulpy as true crime books tend to be. It is more like a non-fiction reference story, giving background, overviews, and conversations and memories that give a clearer idea of just what happened or deteriorated in the investigation in Boulder and many of the emotions, situations, and catalysts that contributed to the story of JonBenét Ramsey becoming the phenomena that it is today.

I would not call this 500 and some pages of light reading. The very idea of a six year old child being murdered in her own home on Christmas is appalling enough to make anything related to it seem heavy. So even though the book is very involved in things that seem simple and factual, evidence, background stories, the investigations that literally took over peoples' lives--no matter what the chapter, there is always that sense of everything being wrong; because so much of this story and this huge injustice to a child are just wrong. There are any number of disappointing choices and mistakes made by people in this story. The book uses so many direct quotes from people (because of the huge basis for providing these with the influence of the media in the story), that there is always a very personal feel to it, and at times the book is a little harrowing. It is realistic and as factual as possible. Not an easy one to get through unless you really do want to know the story, although it offers little in the way of conclusion. It seems very much a case that will almost certainly never be solved due to its peculiarity and no simple straight answer to proving who killed JonBenét, although there are theories and speculations galore.

I think everyone recognizes how truly sad and awful a story like this is. Many are often disgusted by the circus that was made out of the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, and rightly so. This book doesn't just feeds the fire to try to make a circus and bad situation worse. It is honest, clear, and to the point, presenting what is known and what is not known about a child and a murder that changed hundreds of lives, and that continues to be scrutinized even 10 years later. It's an old story, and if you've heard enough, you've heard enough. But if you are interested in the JonBenét Ramsey case and the progression of evidence and the interaction of many different parties (all with uncharacteristically different agendas), this is a good place to start reading about it.

Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window

2006-09-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

The Little Girl at the Window is a book of memories and stories by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. After being expelled from school in the first grade, she attends Tomoe, an innovative and "freer" school set up in railroad cars and run by a man, Kobayashi, who understands children and wishes for them to be individuals, creative, and complete without the fears, complexes, and prejudices many get from traditional schooling. It is an easy read, as it is simple stories being told about a little girl and meant to be enjoyed by children and adults as well. I think it would be an excellent read for anyone with an interest in education (especially the elementary school level). It's heartfelt and innocent in ways only memories of childhood can be. It was very popular in Japan at one time (maybe even now? I don't know), but I do not think very well known here, as I had never heard of it until a week ago. It is sweet and would be great for reading yourself or to children who can better appreciate Totto-chan's excitement, worries, amusing little adventures.

"Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, said the headmaster."

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

I read The Da Vinci Code on Wednesday. This is one of the few books that I think will be better as a movie. Which is not to say that it did not do well in sales as a book. On the contrary, it has sold in numbers that can only be described as perplexing. This is not a well-written book. It is pop fiction. There is little character development. Every single chapter ends with a cliff-hanger sentence, and the chapters themselves are usually no more than 5 pages long (which would be fine if it weren't so goddamn lame). The idea behind the book is quaint. We all like the story of the holy grail, but the idea of a man creating clues to lead you to the resting place of that grail, and to create clues so insanely easy to figure out, now that's a stretch. Too big of a stretch when the book also asks you to believe that this secret sect is protecting the bloodline of Jesus Christ and is willing to die for these mysteries. Given that, I honestly doubt anyone would throw together some clues that are so obvious. What is strange is that the book repeatedly emphasizes the cleverness of the man who made the clues. It's neat that The Da Vinci Code itself has some sort of code in it, no doubt first letters of chapters or something. But overall, the story was disappointing, the characters were shallow and unamusing (I could care less who lived or died), and it was poorly written. Perhaps its huge sales are a testament to the human desire to feel clever and smart and believe in mysteries, even if it means through reading a simple book with simple clues solved by simpletons in the most boring and lackluster of dictions, with little feeling beyond the "Oh shit, not another cliff-hanger only to be resolved four pages later." I waited to read it until it came out in paperback. I can honestly say the wait was worth it because the book is not worth the 18.46 you would pay for the hardback at Borders. Not by a long shot. Read it to experience the cultural phenomenon, but if you read it expecting to be fascinated or titillated, you will probably find yourself disappointed. It's a fast read, which is one of the few things it has going for it. I plan on seeing the movie this weekend. Let's hope Opie, Tom Hanks, Sir Ian McKellen, and that chick from Amelie will make it more interesting.

Addendum: The movie is just as bad as the book. Fortunately, we saw it for free. I wouldn't advise paying to see it though. Ian McKellen and Jean Reno (he's always a badass) were okay, but everything else was pretty bad. Well,the Prodigal Roommate was okay, too. Even covered in blood and scars, Paul Bettany is hotness. Also, Mikey's dad is in it! Just like Spiderman! Wicked. But really. Overall, it is not a good movie. Audrey Tautou was so awful. Very muddled and if people haven't read the book, I daresay horribly confusing. It was a bad movie. Don't see it.

Neil Gaiman's American Gods

2006-03-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

The idea behind American Gods isn't as inventive as we're used to with Gaiman. Gods are real, and they are more dependant on us than we are on them. They exist solely because we believe they do. Their health, well-being, strenght, and influence, are based entirely on how many people believe in them.

This is not a new concept. I Think that's what the new season of Stargate is about.

However, the real Gaiman Touch comes in how the story unfolds over this backdrop.

An ex-con who calls himself "Shadow" is hired to be an everyday thug for a man calling himself "Mr. Wednesday." It's no surprise to the reader that Mr. Wednesday is in fact a god. An old god that nobody beleives in anymore.

Wednesday takes Shadow around the country with him to try and rally the forces of all the old gods. African and Native American animal spirits, Norse Gods, European faeries...basically everybody but Jesus and Bhudda.

Wednesday seems to think that war is at hand. Old forgotten gods versus the new, more powerful gods that wish to solidify their place in the American faith. Not Jehova, or Krishna, or whoever the hell the Latter Day Saints are. No, Wednesday and Shadow are rallying against the new gods of Media, Technology, Highways, Fast Food, Automobiles, etc.

Most of the story is a bit satiracal, such as introducing you to a pair of washed up Egyptian Gods of death as a pair of aging morticians in a small midwestern town, or presenting the God of Technology as a fat teenager.

The climax of the story (the war) is not as one would expect right away. It is not an epic battle that shakes the earth to it's core. In fact, it is little more than a whisper on the wind. But that whisper is what makes the story.

I suggest this book to anyone looking to take a vacation from any heavy literature. It's light, fun, and inventive. It's also fun to try and figure out which gods the little old men are suppose to be before Gaiman let's you in on the secret.

reader2.com

2006-03-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

I joined reader2.com the other day. You can add books to your list wherein you rate them, review them if you want, and categorize them. You can view lists of others and find out what other people who read the same books are reading. If you have lots of time on your hands, it's a fun little distraction. Even if you don't, it's worth a look.

God: A Biography

2006-03-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

I spent an hour sitting and reading God: A Biography today while drinking a tasty little raspberry mocha underneath a bunch of flags. Jack Miles has quite the knack for summarizing parts of The Bible. The book is more speculation on the character of God, but to develop God's character you have to travel through each book, so it requires a bit of summary. It's an interesting mix. He does make for an interesting character, he's talked about as the creator, destroyer, friend of the family, law giver, liberator, liege. It just builds and builds on how God himself changes or is portrayed throught the Hebrew Bible. I'm in the conqueror section right now. Lots of stories I'd forgotten about or rarely think of and only vaguely remember. Sometimes I forget just how violent The Bible is. Interesting though! As is this book. Damn fine summaries indeed. Some people are just good at that I suppose. Kind of disturbing story here, but you see how he manages to cram a couple chapters into about one or two pages of his own book? I like that.

"During the book of Judges, what was once a disciplined, unified,invading army has degenerated into guerrilla bands or, at best, militias. Though the successive chieftains who control the militias rule nominally over all Israel, they come from different tribes, and the actions reported of them are invariably localized. None of the chieftains speaks for the Lord. thus, in Judges 18, near the end of the book, the tribe of Dan is quite clearly only in search of territorial aggrandizement when it leaves the area allotted to it and attacks Laish in the far north, "a people tranquil and unsuspecting, and they put them to the sword and burned down the town. There was none to come to the rescue, for it was distant from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone" (Judg. 18:27). The Danites single out Laish for conquest on purely strategic grounds.

By far the worst incident of brutality reported in the Book of Judges comes in chapter 19 and pits the Israelites against one another. In this incident, a Levite (a religious functionary) from the tribe and territory of Ephraim, traveling through the adjacent territority of the tribe of Benjamin with his concubine, is received as a guest in the house of an Ephraimite living in the area. That night, the Benjaminites, repeating the offense of Sodom, demanded sexual access to the visitor: "Bring out the man who has come into your house,so that we can be intimate with him." As on that previous occasion, the host offers the aggressors his daughter and his own concubine. The Benjaminites refuse the offer. The visitor then gives them his concubine, and the Benjaminites spend the night abusing her--raping her, in fact, to death:

...and they raped her and abused her all night long until morning; and they let her go when dawn broke.

Toward morning the woman came back; and as it was growing light, she collapsed at the entrance of the man's house where her husband was. When her husband arose in the morning, he opened the doors of the house and went out to continue his journey, and there was the woman, his concubine, lying at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 'Get up,' he said to her, 'let us go.' But there was no
reply (19:25-28)

It is a brilliant move by the narrator to place the single most brutal line in the incident in the mouth of the woman's owner rather than in that of her attackers. But if the Levite is without pity, he is not beyond rage. His response to the murder is to cut his concubine's corpse into pieces and send one piece to each of the tribes of Israel except Benjamin. The tribes then muster and march against Benjamin, killing all the tribe's men, women, children, and animals and burning down all its towns. The only Benjaminite survivors are a remnant of the soldiers. Afterward, the other Israelites realize with regreat that their vow--a part of their repiral against Benjamin--not to permit any of their daughters to marry Benjaminites means that this tribe must now die out unless they compe up with a solution. And they do: They notice that one Israelite town, Jabesh, has not mustered for the common action against Benjamin, and they send an army to kill all its inhabitants, including women and boys, sparing only virgin girls. These virgins they bring to the shrine at Shiloh, and the Benjaminite survivors are told that during the merrymaking at an upcoming religious feast, they may capture and rape the girls with impunity, thus preserving their tribe as one of the twelve." -God: A Biography by Jack Miles

Side story: I was sitting at a little round table outside the coffee shop in the MU and the guy at the table in front of mine was drinking coffee and seemed to be having conversations with himself. He looked rather like a crazy old professor might, with a bright brownish-yellow courderoy jacket over a white sweater and dark brown pants. He had wild, stringy gray hair and he would smile at intervals just like you might when having a conversation with a real person. Occasionally he would silently toast someone or something with a large grin. He made a few sweeping arm gestures as well, as though he were presenting someone with a surprise or announcing to everyone that this was his kingdom. Behold! After about fifteen minutes, he moved to a different table and mumbled quietly to himself for a few more before leaving.

Side note: There's a fellow who sits outside the Nuclear reactor building and plays a guitar when it's sunny outside. Whenever I see him, I imagine him singing merry songs about radiation. Sometime I shall have to take a closer listen and find out what he really sings about out there.

Haunted

2006-02-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

I finished reading "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk the other day. I have to say it was one of the best horror stories I've read in that it was truly horrific. It was fairly good at making me horrified. Did I think it was scary, no, but it was truly horrific. I kept asking myself, "Do I really want to know the next thing these people are going to do? It's going to be really bad. It's not like I'm going to die if I don't finish this book. But then that little prompting that tells me that I 'need' to know what is going to happen would make me turn the page and continue on. I really had this debate with myself at twenty times during the book. And at about the 3/4 to 4/5 point in the book the debate ended because I knew that Chuck couldn't top what he'd finally had his twisted characters do.

This book is set up with a chapter of the present story, followed by a poem about one of the characters, and then a story by that character. I really liked that aspect of the book, although it made things a little bit confusing for the first couple of chapters. There are also a lot of different characters to keep track of (I almost wanted to have a pen and paper but then I realized that this wasn't a who-done-it, it was a what-are-these-people-willing-to-do-to-be-famous type story) so you as a reader don't really care when people start killing each other.

Actually, though, I really liked the book. The strongest parts were the stories told by the individual characters about themselves. My personal favorite was one where a couple of upper-class socialites find out that the newest coolest trend this season is to masquerade as transients. Good old Chucky reminds us why it is NOT that cool to be one of the nation's many homeless people.

All in all I'm gonna give this one a 3/5. If you've read some Palahniuk before (Fight Club, Survivor, Diary, etc..) and liked it then you should pick up this book and read it. If you like the horror genre then you'll really enjoy the author's take on such a tale. If you're not exactly wanting to see to what depths people are willing to sink for there chance at being the consultant to the movie that documents the very horrors that they caused then you will want to pass on this one.

Hello Clarice

2005-12-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

I read Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal by Thomas Harris a week or so ago. I have not read Red Dragon as of yet. They really were quite good. If you like the movies even a little bit (Silence of the Lambs is in my top 5), you would probably enjoy the books. Silence of the Lizzambs is a very quick read. Hannibal is less so, as it is much longer and seems to have had a great deal of research put into it. The good thing about Hannibal though is that it has a lot more than the movie could show. I am not particularly fond of that movie. It's all right, but it doesn't have the same ambiance (or ending!) that the book has. I much prefer the ending in the book to the one in the movie. Gives you more background on Hannibal, Starling, and the very amusing Mason Verger. And you hate Krendler twice as much. One of Hannibal's problems is that it switches voices at times, which in some instances is effective, but distracting in others. On the whole though they both are absolutely worth reading and very enjoyable.

Happiness

2005-11-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

I read Happiness by Will Ferguson last week. I picked it up at Powell's before a They Might Be Giants show I attended with my brother. Good times.

Happiness was a wonderful read. A story about what happens when people fianlly find a self-help book that works. A comedy for the lover of books for it's constant need to poke fun at the world of publishing. For you see our protagonist, Edwin Vincent de Valu, is a publisher in New York City and he is the one who has to deal with what it is that he has unleashed upon the world.

I have to say that what i enjoyed the most was reading about the world as it fell into a state of chaos, the most literate communities going first. Seeing again why it is that some people decide to live away from the city, so that they can stay away from it's influence.

The one aspect I didn't like was the way that Ferguson was constantly poking fun at the various generational gaps, but maybe that's just because in his work their really seemed to be no place for my generation. But I just didn't find the comedy of those areas to work as well as in the rest of the novel. I wouldn't say that this is a great work, but it was good enough for me to read in two days and it made me late for Thanksgiving dinner.

Where's Papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast

2005-11-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

Coffey79: well now where are all the other posters on that there book blog?
Coffey79: why dont they write posts?
demagogue42: they're being lazy probably.
Coffey79: are they reading and not sharing? little piggies!

The Portrait of a Lady

2005-11-27T12:26:00.001-08:00

This is the best novel I have read all year. Henry James is chiefly concerned with the characters he creates, and he prefers to allow them to live in the reader's mind rather than form for them a destiny that we would simply watch unfold. I am not entirely in agreement with this notion of what fiction should be, because I like too much the satisfaction of knowing a definitive ending to the entanglements and hardships of the characters I've grown to love. This particular work is a message to the American girl and it comes down hard on the old world ideology of Europe, and its shallow values, and for that alone I love it. I had read some Edith Wharton a couple months ago, and in the preface someone had written that she one of the most excellent American novelists, second only to Henry James, and I didn't believe it. But his language and characterization completely captured me, and now I whole-heartedly agree.

Here's my favorite section of the book:

For herself, she lingered in the soundless drawing-room long after the fire had gone out. There was not danger of her feeling the cold; she was in a fever. She heard the small hours strike, and then the great ones, but her vigil took no heed of time. Her mind, assailed by visions, was in a state of extraordinary activity, and her visions might as well come to her there, where she sat up to meet them, as on her pillow, to make a mockery of rest.

I love this character:

Then she rose and moved about the room, and from one room to another, preferring the places where the vague lamplight expired. She was restless, and even excited; at moments she trembled a little. She felt that something had happened to her of which the importance was out of proportion to its appearance; there had really been a change in her life. What it would bring with it was as yet extremely indefinite; but Isabel was in a situation which gave a value to any change. She had a desire to leave the past behind her, and, as she said to herself, to begin afresh. This desire, indeed, was not a birth of the present occasion; it was as familiar as the sound of the rain upon the window, and it had led to her beginning afresh a great many times. She closed her eyes as she sat in one of the dusky corners of the quiet parlour; but it was not with a desire to take a nap. On the contrary, it was because she felt too wide awake, and wished to check the sense of seeing too many things at once. Her imagination was by habit ridiculously active; if the door were not opened to it, it jumped out of the window. She was not accustomed, indeed, to keep it behind bolts; and, at important moments, when she would have been thankful to make use of her judgement alone, she paid the penalty of having given undue encouragement to the faculty of seeing without judging.

A sample of the dialogue between the main character and her cousin:

"I have no wish to argue with you at all. I only wish to leave you alone. I am simply greatly interested in your own sentiments."

"I am greatly obliged to you!" cried Isabel, with a laugh.

"Of course you mean that I am meddling in what doesn't concern me. But why shouldn't I speak to you of this matter without annoying you or embarrassing myself? What's the use of being your cousin, if I can't have a few privileges? What is the use of adoring you without the hope of a reward, if I can't have a few compensations? What is the use of being ill and disabled, and restricted to the mere spectatorship at the game of life, if I really can't see the show when I have paid so much for my ticket? Tell me this," Ralph went on, while Isabel listened to him with quickened attention: "What had you in mind when you refused Lord Warburton?"

"What had I in my mind?"

"What was the logic- the view of your situation- that dictated so remarkable an act?"

"I didn't wish to marry him- if that is logic."

Another one of my favorite parts:

"I had a sort of vision of your future," Ralph said, without answering this; "I amused myself with planning out a kind of destiny for you. There was to be nothing of this sort in it. You were not to come down so easily, so soon."

"To come down? What strange expressions you use! Is that your description of my marriage?"

"It expresses my idea of it. You seemed to me to be soaring far up in the blue- to be sailing in the bright light, over the heads of men. Suddenly some one tosses up a faded rosebud- a missile that should never have reached you- and down you drop to the ground. It hurts me," said Ralph, audaciously, "as if I had fallen myself!"

And the last two quoted segments are some of the hefty stones he throws at the old world:

Ralph was a clever man; but Ralph had never - to his own sense- been so clever as when he observed, in petto, that under the guise of caring only for intrinsic values, Osmond lived exclusively for the world. Far from being its master, as he pretended to be, he was its very humble servant, and the degree of its attention was his only measure of success. He lived with his eye on it, from morning till night, and the world was so stupid it never suspected the trick. Everything he did was pose- pose so deeply calculated that if one were not on the look-out one mistook it for impulse.

and another...

She was to think of him as he thought of himself- as the first gentleman in Europe. So it was that she had thought of him at first, and that indeed was the reason she had married him. But when she began to see what it implied, she drew back; there was more in the bond than she had meant to put her name to. It implied a sovereign contempt for every one but some three or four very exalted people whom he envied, and for everything in the world but half a dozen ideas of his own.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :o)

Assassination Vacation

2005-11-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

Sarah Vowell (We've all seen The Incredibles, right?) has written a gem! It is a wildly entertaining and amusing book. She travels around to historical landmarks related to the assassinations of three presidents (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley). There are so many interesting facts in here, as it is true, that none of us really know anything about Garfield. Try to think of something besides him getting shot. You really can't. He's like a nonentity to most. The slightly morbid nature of the death and the mix of wry humor makes it a fun read. Are we all as fascinated by death as me? Probably not. But that doesn't mean you don't need to know about fragments of Lincoln's skull or pieces of brain or the Oneida Community (creepy communal love, baby :P )! Chock-full of facts and funnies.

"The egomania required to be president or a presidential assassin makes the two types brothers of sorts. Presidents and presidential assassins are like Las Vegas and Salt Lake City that way. Even though one city is all about sin and the other is all about salvation, they are identical, one-dimensional company towns built up out of the desert by the sheer will of true believers. The assassins and the presidents invite the same basic question: Just who do you think you are?" -Assassination Vacation

Mansfield Park

2005-11-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

I recently finished Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. I do not recommend it to anyone. The main character is supposed to be virtuous, but she ends up sounding sanctimonious and irritating all the time. I like to like the main character and have a very difficult time getting into the story if I don't at least respect the main character by the end of the first couple chapters or so. It wasn't until about 200 pages into this story that I could even care much about what happens to the characters. Pride and Prejudice may be excellent, but Mansfield Park is drudgery to get through.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

2005-11-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful book. It is the story of many things dear to my heart, and many things I do not fully understand. I was fascinated reading about such a different culture, as Azar Nafisi relates her story of teaching and living in Iran. By taking works of literature and interweaving them with her own life and those of her students, she shows the power and importance of literature and our own imagination. In a world where immorality is constantly held over people's heads and fear is a regular part of life, here is the story of courageous women with a passion for literature and for understanding. It is the story of their educations, their beliefs, and a country torn by opposing religious and political forces. I was constantly caught off guard, thinking about things in terms I had never considered before. Courage. Religion. And fiction--one of my greatest loves. This book shows fiction as a place of solace and as a conduit for learning about one's self. It is eloquently written and above all, honest.

I always feel a sort of affinity towards those whom I recognize as sharing the same love of books and reading and the freedom that comes from books. I spent many hours and days in my youth (and now, of course) with my nosed tucked in a book, sometimes stopping to smile and bask in the warm feeling you get when you know that this is a good book, an important book, something to treasure and enjoy... Through reading, I found many people and experiences to be not less difficult, but at least more understandable. Good books make life easier to understand. They teach us about humanity and make us view people and their desires and fears in a different light. (More to come in the future on Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.) The men and women in Reading Lolita in Tehran understand this better than most (and most certainly better than I). They are extraordingary people in extraordinary times. Even with all the sad recountings of war, lost friends, and fear, I felt comforted by this book--as though amongst friends brought together by the same joys and delight that only fiction can bring. I've often seen people who seem so ambivalent to everything. It is a great thing to know who you are and what you love, and to live in a way which reflects that. And at times, it is very difficult. I like how much gray is shown in the book. Nothing is ever as black and white as it may appear. No people always how we think of them.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who has ever felt that excited feeling... that protective happiness that comes from great works of fiction and that gives us a feeling that there is hope and beauty to be found--not only in this world, but in those in which we immerse ourselves through reading, and all those we choose to create when we write. It was a book about many things, but one I like most: embracing the freedoms which we are given or can find, especially in books. Azar Nafisi is one of the most articulate writers I have read in a while. I very much enjoyed Reading Lolita in Tehran. I haven't enough accolades. You should just go read it. (If you haven't already, of course. :) )

"I would like to believe that all this eagerness meant something, that there was in the air, in Tehran, something not quite like spring but a breeze, an aura that promised spring was on its way. This is what I cling to, the faint whiff of a stustained and restrained excitement, reminding me of reading a book like Lolita in Tehran. I still find it in my former students' letters when, despite all their fears and anxieties for a future without jobs or security and a fragile and disloyal present, they write about their search for beauty." -Reading Lolita in Tehran

Country Girls Trilogy

2005-11-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

I recently read Country Girls by Edna O'Brien, and have now moved on to Lonely Girl. It is a trilogy, you see. They are rather quaint stories published in the 1960's. They tell of two friends. Their lives are filled with a few triumphs and any number of tragedies coupled with romantic disappointments. Baba, the sparkling, vicious and beautiful girl, and Cait, her best friend who is literary and as we are reminded repeatedly--fat. Or thought so by everyone else. (Why must girls who love books always be "fat" or "odd" or "dull"? Why aren't we beautiful, desirable, or vivific?) The girls grow up in the country together and are sent off to a convent for school, but end up living in Dublin. Ireland has banned a few of O'Brien's books. Perhaps the subject matter of growing girls and their experiences with love (which usually end badly) and many other unfortunate, but understandable, situations are too scandalous! They do things that proper young ladies are not encouraged to do-- skipping mass, drinking, dating married men, etc. The girls are precious though, and despite Cait's honest and good heart, she always seems to get the fuzzy end of the lollipop. They're easy and quick reads with that poor, but virtuous feel to the characters. Sprinkled with delightful descriptions of life in the country and the difficult and exciting lives of young girls in the city crashing parties and going to the hop. I found the books entertaining and the characters sympathetic. I wouldn't really suggest everyone read them, but if you just want to drink a cup of tea some afternoon and read a nice book which will stir feelings of righteous indignation, then here is a an enjoyable trilogy.

"They used to ban my books, but now when I go there, people are courteous to my face, though rather slanderous behind my back. Then again, Ireland has changed. There are a lot of young people who are irreligious, or less religious. Ironically, they wouldn't be interested in my early books - they would think them gauche. They are aping English and American mores. If I went to a dance hall in Dublin now I would feel as alien as in a disco in Oklahoma." (O'Brien in Writers at Work, ed. by George Plimpton, 1986)

Crime and Punishment

2005-10-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

I recently finished Crime and Punishment by you know who. ;o) I almost don't want to admit that this was my first time, since I know I'm like the last person on earth to read it. In case you haven't read it, I don't want to say that you should, because you could very well live without it. However, it is suspenseful and intense, if you like that sort of thing. I found myself consistantly amused by the characters and their Russian behaviors. Russians crack me up, even the ones I've known personally have always made me laugh- unintentionally, of course. Relax, man. That's all I really want to say to them. But oh the fun of seeing them get all heated up in an arguement!

So here is a quote from the book that made me laugh out loud. The author is describing what Raskalnikoff thinks of Svidrigailoff: "The man was objectionable to him; he was evidently a thorough rake, decidedly crafty and knavish, probably utterly depraved. Evil reports were in circulation about him." The part that made me laugh was how "probably utterly depraved" is just tacked on there at the end like an afterthought. So dramatic. Gotta love them Russians! :o)

Mason & Dixon

2005-10-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

Thomas Pychon's novel, Mason & Dixon, is a reimagined telling of the history of this famous duo's partnership. From first chronicling their observation of the Transit of Venus in a distant Dutch colony to their years in America surveying and mapping out the line separating the North and South, and finally their descent into old age and ultimately death, Pychon creates a combination of scenes and tales of adventure that come together to form a huge fictional account of the lives of these two men. The actual history of the existence of Mason & Dixon and the historical facts of what they accomplished are used as a skeletal framework upon which Pychon creates his fantasy.

Much of Mason & Dixon reads like the recounting of an old adventure by an old man who observed events and felt compelled to turn them into a series of tale tales. We read of dogs who can talk, mechanical ducks capable of supersonic flight, ghosts, gigantic vegetation, a golem and even the hidden realm all around us inhabited by the tribe that took the eleven days that the British Calender Act of 1751 "removed" in order to fall in line with the Gregorian calendar. There is a grain of truth in all of it, but only just so. One is reminded of the absurd Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

If all of this seems quite strange one need only consider the source. Pychon is known for his extremely intricate plots and attention to tapestry-like detail. This is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination. For starters, Pychon adopts a sort of pseudo-Old English form or writing and spelling that can be downright annoying at times. There is liberal use of archaic words and terms and a good dictionary barely begins to address the issue. On top of this Pychon seems to have an obsessive need to write in the present tense. Often he appears to be deliberately obscure and part of the process of reading Mason & Dixon is trying to decipher just what is happening. In this sense Mason & Dixon is a difficult if not nearly impossible book to romp through on a weekend read.

I'd like to point out that Mason & Dixon can be easily enjoyed on many other levels. If one takes the book as a series of tales and doesn't try too hard to follow how they're all tied together then the going can be somewhat easier. There is plenty of accessible humor throughout the book and many passages are as elegant and beautiful as anything you'll find in the whole of English literature. I found the last section of the book, where Pychon imagines Mason & Dixon now in old age seeing each other only rarely but still lifetime friends, to be some of the most touching writing I've read in a while.

You're not going to want to pick up Mason & Dixon if you're looking for something quick and easy. You're not going to want to pick it up if you're looking for something that merely entertains and requires no effort on the part of the reader. If, however, you're willing to put in the time and the effort and can bare Pychon's rather eccentric style then Mason & Dixon will yield many rewards.

Hodgepodge

2005-10-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Books I read this month:
Tricked by Alex Robinson
Country Girls by Edna O'Brien
How We Are Hungry by David Eggers
You Shall Know Our Velocity! by David Eggers
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Books I read last month:
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Song of Susannah by Stephen King
Dark Tower by Stephen King
Harry Potter 4-6 (yet again) by JK Rowling

The past few months I've been reading books like crazy. It feels that way anyway. I am not sure if my mind has suddenly come to life again from school, or if it is more of a desire to read anything that doesn't relate to school. Distraction. Either way, I've read a number of good books lately. The most enjoyable to read of those listed were Lamb, Dracula, and You Shall Know Our Velocity!. I consider the Dark Tower absolutely wonderful, but in an entirely different class from these other books. It is more of a staple (although Dracula would earn that title too). I just started Crash by JG Ballard. I've seen the Cronenberg movie which is totally messed up. If you haven't seen it, it is the story of a man who becomes a part of a group formed by people with car crash fetishes. I am wondering if the book will be quite as disturbing as the movie. Probably more so. But then again, it was Cronenberg (who I am a big fan of) making the movie. I also have Kite Runner and Reading Lolita in Tehran on order from the library. I feel my time being taken away by homework and somewhat useless assignments, and I want to read all the more to compensate for the boredom inflicted there.

Watching the English

2005-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

I bought this book during an eight hour layover in Amsterdam, however, I have been slowly wading through it as it isn't a very gripping read. While it is a humor book geared at a British reader, I bought it because it looked like it might help me to better understand British culture, which has stumped me since I started working as the lone American in a British company about 6 months ago.

The author is the daughter of some renowned antropologist who, due to my relative ignorance of anthropology, I have never heard of. It's a tongue-in-cheek anthropological study of British culture meant half as a joke, as in, "Haha, we're the chimps!" and half as a genuine analysis.

Good news: It is incredibly insightful in explaning British culture and perspective. British idiosyncracies that I formerly thought of as rude (stand-offish behavior, fear of foreigners, etc)made perfect sense once laid out in context. It also helped me to better understand American culture, which is (arguably) rooted in British culture. A must-read if you find yourself headed to England or if you anticipate being surrounded by Brits, or if you are interested in behavior studies. The humor smooths over the heavy analysis.

Bad news: The presumed "God-view" of the world that I find so irritating about British culture sometimes emerges in the book where a sincere self-evaluation (the author is a Brit) would have been better. However, that is a strong aspect of their culture and maybe adds to the book's bona fides.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

2005-10-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I suppose I will first to blog in our little group, does that make me special?

If you have read my blog, which I am sure you all have by now, ahem. Then you already have small review of the last book I finished, The Kite Runner, so I won't waste your time telling you again what a WONDERFUL book it was.

Instead, I will go onto another book I thoroughly enjoyed, see title as title of blog, I figured you would catch on. This book is written from the perspective of a young child suffering from autism and is truly a wonderful rendition of this disorder. My mother has taught these children for years and I have spent countless hours observing them. I would say he is an antihero because it is difficult to like or feel sympathy for him because he comes off as simply being selfish throughout the book. But that is not the case at all, it is merely there disorder that makes their thought process resemble that of a color blind horse with blinders, things are this way or that, it does not matter what or who is effected by it.

I must admit that at times, it can become difficult to read. A lot of the book seems like one long run-on sentence, but it is not due to the poor grammar skills of the author. Instead it is a stream of consciousness of someone who deals with this mental disorder.

Whether or not it is difficult and sometimes cumbersome to read, I thoroughly reccomend it as insight into someone's mind that suffers from autism.