Literary Escapes – Page 12 – Creative Meanderings

_I’ll Walk Alone_

Aug 042011

I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

_I’ll Walk Alone_ by Mary Higgins Clark

It may be time for me to give up these books…or maybe I should just be glad I have read almost all Clark’s books and others like it so that I do not feel a need to read them all the time. I think last time I read one of her novels, back in Nov, I wasn’t as enthralled either.

This story is about a woman whose son is kidnapped two years before and she has never given up on trying to find him. As the plot thickens, it seems that someone is trying to set her up by using a look-a-like to make it seem as if she was the one who kidnapped her child. It all comes to a dramatic happy-ending.

It seems these books/stories are becoming too formulaic for me. There is a strong independent woman who is taken advantage of in some way. She has some weaknesses that are played upon. There are two possible antagonists,but one is more suspect than the other to draw your attention away from the real bad-guy. Then, the truth is revealed, but it never really makes sense or is justifiable in any way. In some cases, like this one, it just seems like a contrived and overly dramatic reason to cause such an extreme act against the protagonist.

It took me about a day to read the book. By the time all the possible characters were introduced I knew who had done it. So, until about the last 50 pages, I wasn’t overly engaged. The last pages took me in because there was more action, drama and the reason for the crime was revealed, although it was an unsatisfactory result…..

Hopefully, the next book will be more of a winner!

Until next time,

-T

_Catch-22_

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Aug 022011

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

_Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller

Although I know that many people read this book in high school or early college days, it was never on my reading list. So, over the years I would read or hear references to characters or phrases from the novel along with the title itself being used commonly in literary/academic/colloquial conversations, but I never really appreciated the references.

Now, I have read it.

The World War II setting and the psychological struggles of the characters to get through the war is interesting. I wonder if high schoolers can appreciate the reality that at the end of the day, every man is for himself. Maybe as a teenager that is something we just take for granted? The chain of command wielded power over the others for their own glory, not considering the risk of life to the men who just want to go home and return to their “normal” lives.

Anyway, I am not sure I appreciated the book as much as I might have at a younger age, but using the term “It’s Catch-22” now makes a bit more sense, although it means to make no sense! 😀

I recommend it as a classics read, but am glad to move on to other reads now.

_10th Anniversary_

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Jul 102011

10th Anniversary by James Patterson

_10th Anniversary_ by James Patterson

Vacation traveling means that I read easy-no-brainer books so that I can fall asleep or at least make the time pass quickly while waiting at an airport or on the plane (if I am not asleep by the time the plane takes off!).

So, as I embarked on my summer adventures, I also started the most recent of the Women’s Murder Club series books by Patterson. I had nearly forgotten what was going on with the characters in the 9th Judgement since it has been nearly a year between readings. However, I quickly got caught up again and found that I was more engaged in all of their lives than I had been before. There seems to be a sense of finality in this novel with everyone settling down with someone and having that happily-ever-after family is love fairy tale mushy ending. It is possible that there could be more coming, but I sense that perhaps this storyline is or will-be put to rest shortly.

As always, I do not want to ruin the ending for people by telling what happens in the story. So, I will simply say that if this is indeed the last one of the series, it ends appropriately and entertains as it should for a quick and easy read.

More to come…,

-T

_Someone Knows My Name_

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Jun 242011

_Someone Knows My Name_ by Lawrence Hill

A while back when I wasn’t sure what book to read next, my BFF suggested this title to me. So, I downloaded it and though I took a bit of time (for me anyway) to get through it, it was not from a lack of interest. 🙂

This story is written in a memoir-like style, though it is fiction, and follows the life of Aminata Diallo. Aminata is captured at a young age from her home tribe in Africa and taken to the US south to be a slave. Luckily for Aminata, she was young and smart enough to make herself useful with skills that would allow her to continue to succeed through the various stages of the US independence from Britain and freedom of slaves throughout the East Coast up to Canada. Although she has trials and tribulations, she is able to survive.

From the information at the end of the book, it is clear that Hill did a lot of research to ground the story in facts from life stories, historical documents and the Book of Negroes, which I had not really heard about until this book. This is what made the story different from other fictional novels as it was almost easy to forget that it wasn’t a true memoir.

I enjoyed the style and readability of the novel quite a lot. Since I have always been fascinated by the history of slavery, it was also a good refresher of history. I was often reminded of Harriett Beecher Stowe’s _Uncle Tom’s Cabin_ in much of this book and yet it was different, modern enough to be its own.

This is a definite recommended reading, if you are interested in history. Thanks, Jess for the recommendation! 😀

More to come…

-T

_Love In the Time of Cholera_

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May 262011

_Love In the Time of Cholera_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This book has been talked about and put on the top of ‘must-read’ lists since it came out. Marquez has been touted as a beautiful and amazing writer. Due to all this fuss, I have generally avoided reading his works. (Yes, I have some issues….)

However, when I was in the library at work, I saw it and thought since it was free I would give it a try.

The story is a very interesting love story that literally lasts the lifetime of the lovers and yet also has that tension of unsatisfied desires. It is indeed beautifully written as Marquez winds the lovers’ lives into an interwoven pattern that occasionally meet and then unravel again.

Yet, there was something missing for me. Perhaps it was the hype that I am generally skeptical and overcritical of, or perhaps it really wasn’t his best work. For some reason I just had a hard time feeling for Florentino despite his devotion to Ferrmina. Although he did live his life, there was something too pathetic for me about his continual pining for Fermina.

It was much easier to identify with Fermina since she was the one who was more realistic in her intellectual over heart choices in life. Perhaps this is a reflection of myself….

I did like the ending though it was cheesy and I generally dislike sappy happy endings. I am a romantic at heart, so I really did identify with how the story unfolded into a knitted work of art.

Thus, my conclusion is that it was a lovely story and Marquez does have a gift with words and storytelling. It is probably quite beautiful in Spanish. However, I did not particularly think the story was fabulous. Still, I might try to find another novel and give it a comparison.

Until next time,

-T

_Savage Inequalities_

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May 182011

_Savage Inequalities_ by Jonathan Kozol

Back when I was in grad school, I heard a lot of talk about the works for Jonathan Kozol. He had also just come out with another book at that time, but as I didn’t have time to do much pleasure reading at the time, I just kept the author’s name in my head.

Somehow I picked up a used copy of this book, and have had it on my bookshelf for an unknown amount of time. As I start to go through my books and consider going all electronic, I thought I should start reading the books on my shelf that I haven’t yet touched.

The book speaks about the inequalities in education in various large cities such as New York, Chicago, DC, and even Camden, NJ in the late 1980’s and early ’90’s. Basically, although states run funding for public education, it is also distributed by districts. So, poorer districts end up getting less because the taxpayers in those districts are not able to contribute as much. The people with higher incomes tend to move out of these districts and then argue that their taxes should only go to the schools that educate their students and have no sense of responsibility to the greater community to provide equal educational opportunities.

The communities described were truly shocking and disturbing. Children are children whether rich or poor and need to be given a fair chance to a better future no matter their parents’ incomes. It seems rather shocking to me that people actually have a sense of selfishness when it comes to the quality of education for all children of the future of America.

Sure I’m pretty harsh on my beliefs about certain social norms these days, but at the same time, where do people get off having a sense of superiority when it comes to providing quality education to all children….

Back in the day, I got a great public school education. I think it was perhaps better than many people I know who are equally successful. So, my point is that public education can be great if we have faith in what children can truly achieve.

Anyway, I am not a social justice fighter, but it at least opened my eyes to realities that I knew existed, but hadn’t yet understood.

I might consider reading another book by him in the future. 😀

More to come,

-T

_Adopted Territory: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Politics of Belonging_

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Apr 162011

_Adopted Territory: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Politics of Belonging_ by Eleana J Kim

I found this title off of another adoptee’s blog who had written about it and said that it was the best intellectual presentation of the situation for the first few decades of adoptees who have now grown up and are raising their voices about their feelings and experiences of being Korean, but not Korean.

My response to the book is that it is well-written and definitely representative of the diverse perspectives of adoptees. It was strange for me to see names of people I know quoted. Of course, it shouldn’t be surprising since the adoptee community is relatively small considering all things. However, as the author herself admits, there is a tone that she cannot understand of the adoptee point of view because she is a Korean-American and not adopted. While she had been accepted into the community of adoptees, there will always be an invisible wall that will separate her/others from those of us who are adopted.

Our experiences vary across the spectrum of perfect placements to too-much-to-bear life-ending ones. Yet, we are commonly bound in our struggles to belong and knowing deep down inside we will never belong. We will never be like our white families and friends or even other minority groups who have their own cultures blended with being American or European. We will never be like Korean natives despite our shared bloodlines and appearances. Although we might make our voices heard or organizations may be created to try to make some difference, the reality is that we only belong when we are with each other.

Kim does a nice job of expressing this reality and though it reads more like an academic paper (perhaps her dissertation work?), it is a good read even for those who are not adopted to get a sense of our mindset.

I hope to find more literature like this. I also find this more motivating for me to understand the different adoptee circles more. 🙂

-T

_Genie: A Scientific Tragedy_

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Mar 202011

_Genie: A Scientific Tragedy_ by Russ Rymer

Back in my graduate school days, the story of Genie was often talked about in relation to language acquisition. There are different theories as to the ability to learn language properly according to inherit skills, age of development and other outside factors. The debate on this topic continues today as examples for all theories continue to arise and be discussed.

This book does not discuss the debate so much as question when science/scientists go too far and lose sight of the object of study as being a human being in need of a stable environment in which to grow and heal.

Genie’s story came to light when she and her mother escaped the abuse of her father. Until the age of 12 or 13, Genie was kept locked up in a room, sometimes tied to a potty chair, sometimes tied to her crib, and never communicated with others, outside of scare tactics or fearful reprimands. Every aspect of her development was stunted except for the unstoppable natural growth of her body. Her mother was mostly blind and complacent in the behavior of the man of the house. Though Genie has a brother, he is not spoken of much throughout the book.

When Genie was taken into state custody, she suddenly became an ideal specimen for scientists who were interested in various areas of sociological, psychological and linguistic studies. Having found a person who was isolated (like a control group in a research project), was a lucky chance for those in the picture. Unfortunately, competition, egos, arrogance and loss of perspective eventually got in the way of producing expected results and, ultimately, had a greater negative effect on the subject herself.

I’m glad that I finally had a chance to read this story. It was very interesting and makes me curious how Genie is today after so many years of being free of her difficult past. However, knowing how the past stays with you no matter what you try to do, I wonder what she has become able to do.

Anyway, it’s not too technical of a story and it’s very interesting, I think.

More to come…

-T

_Where Men Win Glory_

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Mar 022011

_Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman_ by Jon Krakauer

I have realized that it is possible that I am reading to avoid the myriad of other tasks that I should be doing to be more productive towards completing research and professional goals. However, I also consider reading a useful and productive endeavor even if it’s not directly impacting what I should technically be doing. 🙂

In any case, after seeing Jon Krakauer on The Daily Show many months ago promoting his latest book, I thought I’d go ahead and round off my Krakauer series of readings. This book follows the story of Pat Tillman, his life and death, and the government’s role in the media and cover-up of the truth.

I remember when I first heard Pat Tillman’s name because the news was so shocked that an NFL player had decided to enlist in the Army to fight during the Iraq war. Most men of our age look for ways to avoid having to go into the military and so it was a surprise to hear that someone making NFL money would give that up to fight a war that I think our generation were not sure was worth fighting despite the 9/11 attacks and aftermath. However, despite the media hype, I just took the man to be someone who felt an obligation to protect and serve for his country, which is something I’m in awe of and respect since I’m not sure where my position on that stands.

Some months later, I also recall the media making a big fuss over the announcement that this same Pat Tillman had been killed in battle. It seemed like a shame, but to someone who was no longer interested and desensitized to all the BS going on about the war, I just pushed it aside as another meaningless loss in a war that we shouldn’t have continued forth with to the level that it went. Still, I was overseas and it was easy to ignore everything.

For me, that was the end of my knowledge and interest in the Pat Tillman story and a bulk of any thoughts I put towards the war; sad but true. 🙁 However, this book really started to bring my attention to just how crazy the whole shenanigans were. The military tried to cover up the truth that Tillman had unfortunately been killed by friendly fire due to poor communications and leadership. It’s amazing to me that people still have not learned that lying and cover ups never ever are successful when it comes to the life of another person and on a scale such as a WAR!

Anyway, as I read, I felt both anger and annoyance at the military and people in leadership positions who think only about saving their own asses rather than what is morally and ethically right. It continued to push me on the side of thinking war is truly a pointless endeavor when the target and goals are not clear or are about something more than the basic protection of our country. I felt sadness for the Tillman family in not only losing a special member of their family, but also for the inability to mourn peacefully as they struggled to find out the truth because of conflicting stories and information.

So, now part of me is interested in reading more about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but part of me can’t bear the thought of finding out more lies and truths about decisions and actions made that I probably disagree with. I’ve been watching the TV series of The Band of Brothers and The Pacific on the two fronts of World War II. In these shows I can see both the need to fight for the country and the senselessness of killing other men. Still, it seems that there is honor and pride in these battles despite the horrors and trauma. I’m not getting that sense from our more recent wars, but then again the enemy is different and the world has changed…..

Anyway, I think I need to stop reading for a while to focus on more academic pursuits and to give my head a wee break. Though, I may have to return to some mindless fiction eventually! 😀

More to come later,

-T

_Into the Wild_

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Feb 112011

_Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer

After reading Jon Krakauer’s _Under the Banner of Heaven_, I thought I’d try another one of his recommended novels. This 2007 novel, _Into the Wild_ follows the story of Chris McCandless who walks away from his family, possessions, and way of life in hopes of finding his ideal future. With natural parallels made to Jack London’s _Call of the Wild_, Krakauer retraces McCandless’s journey once he has walked away from everything he’s known.

McCandless’s journey takes him across the United States, leaving behind lasting impressions with those who crossed his path. He seemed to be well-liked, charismatic and intelligent. While he is often described as lacking in street smarts, he presents himself as a hard-worker and realistic despite his propelling search for a utopic world. These contradictions within him make the story compelling to follow.

Of course, when McCandless is found dead in the wilderness of Alaska, it’s no surprise and the varied critics of his lack of preparedness to expect a different ending are unsympathetic. As Krakauer explores the area around where McCandless finally starved to death or died from toxic plants he had eaten, it is ironic to learn that just a few miles down river he could have gotten back to civilization or found better shelter with the chance of finding food.

In some ways, though it is a tragic ending to a young man’s life who clearly was searching for something more fulfilling in his life, it is somehow fitting and almost romantic that he did die this way. Krakauer suggests that McCandless had started to realize a way of making his ideal world and the real one work together, but it will forever remain a mystery as to whether or not such a character would really have been able to find a way to be satisfied or not.

Of course, readers/critics must feel for his family that he left behind and though some might make him out to be some sort of hero, the reality is that he was a troubled soul looking for a way to reconcile the realities of life and his dreams of one he aspired to make true.

Perhaps from this in-depth explanation of the novel, you can guess how I felt about the book. I found it engaging and a very easy read. Again, I like Krakauer’s style of mixing different lines of stories that all connect back to the main one. I hear there is a Sean Penn movie out about this book, so I may take a look at that. All-in-all, I recommend reading it as it also brings out philosophical questions, which are always of interest to me. 🙂

More to come…

-T

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