Thoughts on "Slaughterhouse-Five"

Slaughterhouse-Five
Or the Children's Crusade
by Kurt Vonnegut

My Rating:

This year I promised myself I'd finally start reading Kurt Vonnegut. (Yes, I've never read Vonnegut before and it is definitely clear that this has been a huge oversight.) This book is the epitome of dark humor. It is a anti-war book, I think, not on purpose, but by nature. It is about a man loosing his mind many years after witnessing the bombing of Dresden in the days of February 13 - 15, 1945.

Billy Pilgrim is the main character of the book. (It is interesting to note the use of a little boy's name, hence, The Children's Crusade). He is depicted as a clown who finds himself a prisoner of war in Germany. Or, rather, he is a child caught up in circumstances he barely understands. He is sent to a POW camp in Dresden. He and a few other POWs are in the basement slaughter house #5 when the bombing occurs. It is described as a firestorm that burns the whole city and it's inhabitants to the ground turning Dresden into the "surface of the moon."

Vonnegut uses time travel and science fiction to deal with the hard facts of the story. The main character travels back and forth in time with the aid of aliens, Tralfamadorians. It is his way of dealing with death. So it goes. It is an utterly absurd plot devise that, in the hands of a lesser human, could be perceived as trivializing these important historical events. Instead the insanity of the aliens makes the insanity of the war palatable. Vonnegut had the uncanny ability to create humor at the most horrible times. It's like having a nervous breakdown — the mind can only handle this kind of massive destruction and death by cracking a little, maybe laughing at inappropriate times.

What happened in Dresden is not taught here in the US. Our educational system, in its infinite wisdom, chooses to write the message of WWII as: the Germans did everything wrong, the US were the heroes, and the British were steadfast and brave. The message from this book is that war is hell. All sides have and will do awful, awful things that will haunt both victim and victor long after the act is done.

What happened in Dresden, and our lack of learning the lessons from it, is all around us today. We should have a holy fear of war. The fear of it should haunt every foreign policy decision we make. I think the problem is that what happened at Dresden is not taught and our children grow up seeing the glory of war and not the horror of it. "Slaughterhouse-Five" is a classic that should be read and re-read by school children, politicians, and every proponent of war.

• Diane Rehm's Readers' Review talked about "Slaughterhouse-Five" in 2005.

Thoughts on "The Road"

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy

My Rating:

I read this during my vacation. It wasn't quite a downer, but it wasn't the spirit lifter that I would suggest for leisure vacation reading either. The one thing that I can say about this title is that it is one amazing book and I am really glad that I read it.

I'm not sure that I can add anymore to what has been already said about this book. After all, it has racked up a lot of critical acclaim and even Oprah sings its praises. I guess what I mostly have to say about it is that I wish that more authors would be so daring as to explore a relationship like this. Regardless of the setting, a post apocalyptic America, the author maintains his focus on the relationship between the father and son. He makes it clear that survival, even in the most horrendous situations, is only of value if there is someone to love.

The boy is an innocent and basically the man's conscience. You are never given their names or even where they are explicitly. You don't even know what happened to the world: an accident, alien invasion, a war (most likely the latter), but what is made clear is that the world has come to an end. All is dark and sooty with gray ash and you are left with sense of hopelessness and a fear for the future. But, strangely enough, a deep sense love in its purest form resound as well. In the end, isn't that all we really have? Food, clothes, material wealth, public acclaim, all mean nothing. I suppose that this is essentially true. ... Message sent and received.

Thoughts on "The Eternals"

The Eternals
by Neil Gaiman

My Rating:

I was so excited to get this graphic novel. I can't even tell you how much. Neil Gaiman trying something new is a real treat. But I'm afraid that this title left me cold. I expect more from Neil Gaiman. Or is it, I expect more from this genre. It used to be enough for comics to be about superheros flying around and hitting people, but that simply is not enough anymore. It hasn't been for a really long time. The one person in the whole world who should know this is Neil Gaiman. He practically recreated the genre of graphic novels single-handedly with The Sandman series. There are many who still struggle to reach up to the bar that he set.

I was hoping that he would do more with myth. Illuminate some deep understanding of this new pantheon with a rich story. I'm afraid that it just wasn't there. Maybe Gaiman has too many projects going on at the same time right now. I don't know. I just can't recommend this one, especially as a $29.95 hardcover.

As for Marvel, I give them an "A" for effort. The production of the book was tight. The layout, the illustration, and the colors were masterful. But if you ask me the reason why this thing fell flat is because Marvel is in a time loop that they just can't seem to get out of. The Marvel Universe is tired. Tired and boring. Metahumans struggling against a society that doesn't understand them has been done to death. Move on to a new story line for Gosh's sake. I've been reading this same story with you guys for damn near 20 years and you can't find something new yet? Please. Read a sci-fi novel or something. Think of something else to say. You are boring people.

Thoughts on "All That is Gone"

All That is Gone: Stories
by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

My Rating:

One of the joys of bookselling is that occasionally you are privileged to read a rare special gem of a book and get to introduce it to a new group of readers. This is definitely such a book. Pramoedya Ananta Toer is an author whose name I've never heard of before but this is one Indonesian writer's name that I think should be on the lips of many more readers in the West. All That is Gone is a wonderful collection of short stories written with such a clear, simple elegance, that you can almost hear the morning rain dripping from the bamboo eaves.

In these stories of Indonesia, we see the confusion in the struggle to reclaim independence from the Dutch, and then the Communists, and then the Republicans, and then the Dutch again. We bear witness to the struggle of a people to survive against wave after wave of forces beyond their control who try to colonize their minds as well as their country. You find yourself in awe of the hope, the fear, and the courage of a people who attempt to maintain the sanity of an ordinary existence in the midst of political turmoil.

But these are also stories of tradition: you will be haunted by the story of Inem, the child bride; you will ache for the boys during their circumcision; cry for Sri as she tries to hold her family together when the "Reds" come; and laugh at Soleiman as he makes war with himself as a writer and husband.

Someone somewhere lovingly championed this book. Given that Americans don't read as much literature as they should, it must have been a challenge to get this book translated and produced for the reading public here. You can see the care that was taken in the typeset and the detail of delicate leaf widgets for the story breaks — such a lovely touch.

If you read nothing of literature this year, read this book. It's just wonderful.

Thoughts on "The Children of Hurin"

The Children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkien

My Rating:

First let me say that the illustrations by Alan Lee in this book are simply beautiful. They really set the mood for the book. The packaging of this book was truly a the act of love. As for the story, it was a complete downer. I was so excited to read this new Tolkien title. When I first got it, I just stared at it for a few days before I cracked it open. Then as I read it, I just felt so sad. It was like watching a storm destroy some one's home on television, you feel sad and helpless to stop the tragedy from happening.

The beginning was like reading Numbers from the Old Testament. Listed were a litany of names and places that had no connection to anything I know about (or care to know about.) The writing was in the typical "Fantasy Ancient Lore" style that Tolkien basically invented. Fortunately Tolkien is a master writer, otherwise this book would be unreadable. I usually avoid Fantasy titles for just this reason.

The Children of Hurin is not like The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in that, the characters are not such that you can really relate to them. They all feel far way and untouchable. I guess I was looking for that same warm feeling that I had for Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam. It wasn't there. I don't think that that was ever meant to be.

Tolkien got lost in his back story. In a way we should all be grateful because, it is because of the back story that The Lord of the Rings is so rich. The Children of Hurin is set 6,000 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. The setting is the end of an era and the story follows a curse on a family. It is their suffering and sacrifice that guarantees the safety of an important line of elves and men. Look at the genealogy in the back of the book and it can be seen that without Hurin's enduring the pain of his travails the line that produced Elron of Rivendell would not have been saved.

Was this worth reading? I don't know. It made me sad and didn't really illuminate more about the world of Middle-earth for me. It was beautiful to look at and it may very well be the last time we get a new book from the great J. R. R. Tolkien himself, it is for these reasons it may be worth picking up.

Thoughts on "Midnight Days"

Midnight Days by Neil Gaiman

My Rating:

I've been fascinated by Neil Gaiman's work ever since I was introduced to The Sandman Series in the early 90's. I once saw him referred to as "the most famous author you've never heard of." It may be true that some readers of literature have avoided his graphic novel work and characterize it as mere cartoons. If you are doing this, you are making a very large mistake. This is literature without question.

Having read all of The Sandman Series and almost every book Gaiman has written, I'm always in search of a "fix" of something of his that I haven't read yet. Midnight Days gave me that much needed "new Gaiman read" high. It is a collection of his earlier works from before The Sandman Series when Gaiman had a fixation on plant life. He was doing some Swamp Thing issues and also did the often forgotten Black Orchid graphic novel, a beautiful ethereal book.

Midnight Days demonstrates much of the genius to come later in Sandman. Along with Swamp Thing it contains an old Hellraiser story that I've read before but was well worth the re-read. It's such a moving story of the human need to be touched and how the quest for a simple, willing embrace can spans through the boundaries of life and death. The last story deftly combines the original Sandman with Gaiman's revised version. The illustrations in this one are especially beautiful.

Neil Gaiman's work is not for the faint of heart -- mature readers only. This means that if you don't have the stomach for the grim and sometimes grotesque, his work may not be for you. But for those who can take the occasional walk down Horror Lane you will find that it's worth the trip. I highly recommend this title for new Gaiman readers and fans alike.

Thoughts on "The Icarus Girl"

The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

My Rating:

As I was reading this novel I kept thinking, "I can't believe that a 19 year old wrote this." Now that I've finished and put it down a for a few days I realize that it would take a 19 year old to write this, a very talented 19 year old. She is close to the age of the protagonist and old enough to write sensitively about it. The detail of the life of a young girl in this novel is dazzling. She helped me recall so vividly what it was like to be a little girl and how hard it was. How strange and awkward it felt and how, on occasion, you needed to let the popular girl know that she should think twice about messing with you just because you were quiet and bookish. As Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, once said, "it's tough out there on the playground."

The Icarus Girl is one damn scary book. At first, I wasn't sure if what was going on was just in this very strange child's mind. I feared for the child's sanity. I felt under her skin and in her skull. I don't know that I liked it there. The child seemed so unbalanced. The way she would have a panic attack and scream when she felt misunderstood. It was unnervingly real.

Oyeyemi skillfully dealt with the theme of "doubles" which is so important in Yoruba culture. Talk to a Yoruba diviner and it is the binary nature of the cowrie shells that will determine your reading. On/Off, Up/Down, Good/Bad, TillyTilly, etc, etc ...

Helen Oyeyemi is a new talent. I met her briefly here in NYC at a reading at the KGB Bar. She has big, wide, innocent eyes. But don't let that fool you. She's a seer and in possession of a rare skill and a very precious gift.

Thoughts on "Oryx and Crake"

Oryx and Crake
by Margaret Atwood

My Rating:

Margaret Atwood is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Oryx and Crake is one of those books that take you by surprise. Just when you think you have an author figured out, you read something like this and it totally blows away your misconceptions. Atwood isn't a spinner of tales, she is an intellectual author. Her work has layers of understanding. It isn't until the end of the novel that the full depth of the story is revealed. Oryx and Crake is both a story of the Creation and the Apocalypse. It is a story of Moses decreeing God's tenets from on high and the innocence of Eden being corrupted.

At times the novel is grotesque and terrifying. It's Atwood's terrific mastery of language that keeps you reading. She never overpowers you with her immense skill even though she easily could. Instead she draws you in and tickles your imagination with a taste here and there of a scrumptious word or allusion. She holds you firmly in her sculptor hands as she carves out the details of the events that have made "Snowman", the main character. The terrible truth is revealed like the slow opening of a pungent flower emitting a sweet awful scent. It enraptures you. It horrifies you. It intrigues you.

This book should be read for its outrageous imagery of the unreal. It should be read as a warning of how easily that unreal imagery can become actuality. It should just be read.

Thoughts on "The Handmaid's Tale"

The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood

My Rating:

I will never look at my credit cards the same way again. It was so easy to cut women off from their freedom: shut off their credit cards and disable their bank accounts. That's it, you are trapped. This was a sharp warning to women to protect their own well-being and to remain vigilant about protecting their rights and freedoms. I heard Atwood say on "Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason" that there is nothing in this book that has not actually happened somewhere in the world.

The story is about a woman whose world slowly closes in on her as a Bible reading religious group takes over America. She never calls them the religious right but it is very easy to jump to that conclusion. One day she is a educated middle class woman with a job and family and the next she is running to get out of the country to Canada. She is caught and sent to a re-education center where she is trained to be a Handmaid, a woman who breeds children for childless wives.

About half way through the book, to my horror, I began to recognize the setting of the book. It was my hometown of Cambridge, MA! The area where the main character shops is Harvard Square, the re-education center is Memorial Hall, the yard where the executions occur is Harvard yard, and the wall where traitors are hung is right outside Harvard yard where I used to wait for the bus to go home after school. These places are not abstract to me; these are places that I've been to, and touched, and sat down in.

Another thing that I noticed was the isolation of the men. Even though this setup was clearly to their benefit, the men seemed so lonely and in deep need of female companionship. They have lulled themselves into believing that sex and food is all that women can provide. But in this situation they find that it is a woman's mind that they miss the most. In this context it is not surprising that "the commander" calls the main character down to meet him secretly, not for sex — he is already getting that — but to play scrabble with her.

Margaret Atwood is so astute to remind us that men need from us is our intellect as well as our bodies. That without us this is a very cold uncertain world. They need the way we get to them in just "that way." They way we smile at them willingly and with joy. The way we hold them and make them laugh. It is hard for some men to admit that it is these intangibles that they desire from women. It is a crass society that reduces us to mere flesh.

Other "Handmaid's Tale" material:

Diane Rehm's Reader's Review on "A Handmaid's Tale"

The Film — It was a disappointment. The cast of the film included many talented actors yet the film lack the sense of trapped terror that the book instilled. The scenes of in the bedroom was striking. It is worth watching but I recommend reading the book first.

Margaret Atwood on Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason

On Reading: Stars of the New Curfew

Stars of the New Curfew by Ben Okri

I'm trying to catch up on my reading so I picked up this book. I found in Shakespeare & Co in town. It is out of print in the US now. I think it has been on their shelf for a while since the barcode price sticker was worn to the point of being almost gone! (I tried to carry it in Indigo as an import but the increase in the exchange rate made it prohibitively expensive.)

I thought that I haven't read any Ben Okri but the first few stories seemed eerily familiar. It is a short book of short stories but it began to freak me out. The story where the main character is seeing people with writing on their faces that appear then disappear gave me the creeps. I guess I'm too sensitive right now to read stories like this. So I put this book down for now.

As for the writing, Mr. Okri is wonderful. Clean, crisp prose, just the way I like it. He manages to describe a lot without flourish. You are right there in the story. I suppose that is why it freaked me out so. I'll return to it later.