Setting the Bar

When I initially was told by my mother, of all people, to watch this movie, I was loathe to. First of all, my mother doesn’t usually recommend things that I end up liking.  For someone that has known me for my entire life, she really knows very little about what I like when it comes to books, music and movies.  And it also stars Will Smith, who, while I think is a pretty upstanding family guy, hasn’t generally been on my radar when it comes to movies. All that being said, I’m really glad that I watched this movie because so few movies can truly and touchingly narrate the hardships that groups of people must endure in order to live their daily lives.  This was one of those movies.  This was also one of the few movies where Will and his son Jayden (who places his son in the movie as well), genuinely showed their affection for each other — maybe the beauty of casting a real life father and son duo in these roles was to get that genuine warmth.  And it showed.  I think that I cried during a majority of the movie because of how they obviously loved one another.

Based upon the true life story of Chris Gardner, Smith plays the role of a down and out father trying to better his family, namely his son’s, life. Smith, and Gardner during his life, spent periods of time living on the streets with his son, homeless, while trying to figure out how to find shelter, get a job and get food for his son. Gardner applies for and is admitted into an intensely competitive internship program at the stock brokerage firm of Dean Witter. The internship is unpaid and six months long and at the end of six months only one intern will win the coveted position at the firm. During this period, Gardner and his son sleep in hotels, public restrooms and homeless shelters, while Gardner works at the internship, works at studying for the test that he will be given at the end of the internship (as one of the many ways he’s evaluated by Dean Witter, Gardner must earn top marks on a test) and works at selling medical scanners to doctors and hospitals. Each day brings truly insurmountable problems (problems in areas that you and I take for granted) - how to feed a five year old, how to fulfill the requirements of an internship when all you do is worry about your son, where you and your son are going to sleep that night.

This movie was earnest and filled with conviction - some may say that it is almost naive in a way.  But I disagree.  I think that a film like this is necessary, but not because it presents us with a Horatio Alger type rags to riches story.  It is necessary because it shows the daily struggles of people that are definitely less fortunate than the people that saw this flick in the movies or are watching it on Blue Ray players or DVD players or via their Netflix subscription at home.  It is necessary because it leads to an empathy that may not have already existed and it leads to an eye opening give and take with a person that we don’t often meet.

Definitely get this movie out.

I received a copy of Jack’s Shop: Beyond the Front Porch by James Herndon to review and I was very happy to do so. James Herndon wrote this memoir about his adolescence growing up in a very rural town in Virginia. It is specifically located in Madison County, Virginia, which is in the Piedmont Section of Virginia. The book starts out introducing us to Jimmy (as he prefers to be called!) and his grandparents, who have influenced his life tremendously, it appears. The memoir then continues to Jimmy’s first day of school, complete with a bus ride where the impressions he makes on his fellow riders is so important (he can’t be perceived as a mama’s boy, even though it’s obvious that is what he is!), and endures classic bullying. We learn of his fight with an unruly rooster (perhaps the source of Jimmy’s future hatred of the “fowl”) and the visits from city cousins, who can’t stand the smell that seems to follow the elderly, skunk chasing dog!  Jimmy grew up in this Southern rural community during the 50’s and 60’s, so there was some discussion of integration, J.F.K. and his assisnation and the KKK. There was also discussion of the author’s misdiagnosis at age 12 with a kidney infection, discussion of the surgical procedures used to treat and diagnose what became known as encephalitis.

I found myself wishing for more from this book often and being downright annoyed sometimes.  The editing was horrendous. There were grammatical errors and typos in several chapters. Also, to whoever edited the book : Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941 NOT January 7, 1941.  These were particularly embarassing mistakes that should have been caught and really, really annoyed the living heck out of me.  Also, the writing was very, very choppy and didn’t flow at all.  There didn’t seem to be any fluid connections between paragraphs and stories, which was disappointing because the pictures that so pique the imagination were there.  Mr. Herndon has the material to work with - he had a rich childhood, ripe with stories and influential characters; however, the writing style and editing need to be much improved in order to make the story that much more enjoyable.

All in all, this book was a disappointment because so much more could have been done and the writing and editing were poor.

Book 31/100

This was my first foray into overtly Christian Fiction since reading J.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring and the Left Behind Series and The Chronicles of Narnia. I’ll be really honest here - I tend to stay away from Christian literature (unless they’re classics like Tolkien or Narnia) because the authors and books tend to be really too smarmy and pat and tidy and that’s annoying because life is rarely pat and tidy, even if one believes in Christ and has faith that He will save one at the end of things. So I was very wary going into this novel, skeptical even. But I actually kind of liked it.

The main character is Abigail Bennett. Abby is a thirty-something accountant at a mid-sized firm in Florida, where she has a reputation of being smart and hard-working. She is so well liked by her co-workers and superiors, and is such a rainmaker that she quickly becomes a partner. And there is no doubt that she loves her work and thrives in this environment. Her life absolutely detonates when tragedy strikes Hailey, her younger sister - the younger sister that Abby has dedicated her life to protecting and raising. In order to seek closure, Abby travels to rural British Columbia to confront Hailey’s boyfriend, Tyler, who has become the object of her obsession. Abby finds that Tyler is working in a winery owned by his uncle, Eli, and finds herself forming genuine friendships with him and her co-workers. Even though Abby is there, with Tyler, she finds herself unable to gain closure until she turns to God.

There are two rotating subplots apparent in this novel that keep the reader hooked throughout the novel. Without them, I doubt I would have remained interested enough to finish - we catch glimpses of Abby’s life growing up with Hailey (who is mentally ill), her present life at the winery and her narration of the moments when her life implodes. These bits and pieces are skillfully woven together in a tight knit fabric that is wrought with tension at almost every turn. What I also enjoyed about this novel is that it gave me a picture of a family that could really exist outside of the pages of a novel. The characters were realistic, faced challenges that are faced by normal, everyday people (mental health, death, inadequate mental health treatment) and struggle through their challenges. The author acknowledges her character’s  struggles and deals with them with dignity.

Generally, this was a pretty decent novel.  Definitely worth a shot.

Book 30/100

Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt couldn’t get any worse than this stereotypical 80’s movie.  Sarah Jessica Parker plays Janey, the main character who arrives at her current Catholic school and announces to her new classmates that all she really wants to do is dance on television. This announcement immediately garners her a friend - ADHD suffering Lynne (played by Helen Hunt), the stereotypical class rebel who pulls her skirt off on the bus and lets the baby she’s sitting play in the pizza that she wasn’t supposed to order. The girls have one goal in mind: to win the competition that would enable them to gain entrance to the regulars on the Dance show. Naturally, Janey’s army dad would never approve (even though his mousey wife and youngest son would think it totally cool). The rich girl Natalie (of course, in every eighties movie, there is ALWAYS a snotty rich girl) seeks to stand in her way by using her father’s money and his influence.  Somehow, Janey makes it through by being paired up with the local hunk (of course, couldn’t you see it coming?!). Natalie sees a further opportunity to win by seducing the local hunk, which she very nearly does.  The show culminates with a dance-off between Natalie and her partner and Janey and the stud. I bet you can’t guess how it ends.

While the costumes and the dance routines seemed tragically authentic (whoever thought that the clothing and THOSE hairstyles ever looked good must have been high), the music was not.  The music was perhaps the best thing that came out of the eighties (scary right?!) and none of it was in the movie. At least I wouldn’t have gone totally insane if the music had been better (I would probably have not had to be institutionalized). The screenplay was boring (for a while, I didn’t think one existed and that the actors were ad-libbing because it was that bad) and the characters really, really annoying. This movie wasn’t even endearing, in the way that movies like 16 Candles was or challenging like St. Elmo’s Fire was.  There was no camera work at all - the camera people seemingly only pointed the camera at whoever was talking.  This was a pain to watch - like pulling teeth - and I wouldn’t ever deign to watch it again OR to wish it on my worst enemies.

The year 1954 was very different from today in many ways but in some ways, it is still very similar. Secret Daughter by June Cross really made that message clear. June Cross narrates the story of her life as a biracial daughter of a white mother (Norma) and a well-known Black vaudevillian (Jimmy Cross). June was turned over to her black aunt and uncle to be raised by her white mother for some very painful reasons.  At various times, June is told by her mother to call her “Aunt Norma” instead of mother in public and parties, because she (Norma) and Larry (June’s stepfather) were trying to break into show business and having a child that was mixed race would pretty much lead to them being shunned.  At other times, June’s mother and Larry make up a fictional tale about adopting a black girl, June, from the drug addict across the hallway because they wanted to give her a better life.  This memoir is dedicated, for the most part, to June’s childhood, teenage years and college years.  While in college, she tells of her times at Radcliffe and her drive to become a reporter on the Crimson, but how she was unsuccessful because of the racism of the editorial board at the time.  She often had to be two to three times more qualified then her male and/or white counterparts in order to be successful, even though she was really smart, very creative and very beautiful. In spite of it all, June learned to love and come to terms with, her white family as well as her black family, though I imagine that she still struggles with her own identity and the politics of race, especially since it was placed in the forefront in the most recent American Presidential election.

 June described her reactions to these incidents, and other racially charged and just as hurtful incidents, with poignant simplicity.  There were times that I was moved to tears by the prose and the difficulties that Ms. Cross had to endure as she was a child, came of age and entered into young adulthood. She faced many, many challenges and came out on top, and should be commended for that. However, I didn’t get the feeling that Ms. Cross was in a place where she was thinking “Woe is me.” And she didn’t seem to expect that feeling from readers either. In fact, the sense that I got was that she was telling her story straight and the reader could either take it all or leave it all or some combination of those things - whatever worked or didn’t work for them - and it was what it was.  I truly appreciated that because a book like this could very easily have become a woe is me sort of narrative and those really grate on my nerves.

All in all, this was a wonderful book, with an interesting, varied and colored backdrop. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Book 29/100

I saw this graphic novel reviewed on a blog that I regularly read. The blog author was trying to read young adult novels that had also won awards and this novel by Gene Yang fit the bill because it won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2006.

This graphic novel is made of three distinct story sets. The first story set is the tale of the Monkey King, which is a legend that is well known and very popular in China. The second story follows second generation Chinese-American Jin, a young boy who is still heavily influenced by his heritage, through his challenges in his high school making friends, having relationships with girls and dealing with the other trials and tribulations that comprise the high school experience. The third tale follows the story of a white boy named Danny whose Chinese cousin, Chink-Kee, comes to visit each and every year, often following him around school. Chin-Kee is the ultimate Chinese stereotype when it comes to dress, accent, the whole nine yards.

This was my second foray into the realm of graphic novels (the first was with Persepolis and Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi) and it was just as wonderful as the first.  Maybe I’ve just been lucky with the books that I’ve chosen - they’ve all been phenomenal and powerful in their own ways and not as shoddy as I (incorrectly) believed.  I LOVED how Gene Luen Yang was able to start with three distinct story lines, but, in the span of about 100 pages or thereabouts, was able to weave them so skillfully together that it was obviously all meant to be one story that taught us many different things. The stories focus on trying to be something that you’re absolutely not and how that impacts the main characters, whether it’s the Monkey King or the white boy in middle class suburbia.

The art is very simple, but the simplicity makes it all the more worthwhile.  Definitely a must read.

Book 28/100

Peter Gadol wrote The Mystery Roast in 1993  - actually, I take that back, it was published in 1993 - and I cannot believe that I haven’t heard of this book at anytime during its 15 year mainstream existence until really recently (thanks to Books on the Nightstand again!). The Mystery Roast is the name of a coffee shop in the West Village that begins its life as an eclectic hole in the wall.  Too bad it couldn’t stay that way - I actually prefer coffee shops like this (kind of like what The Curious Liquids Cafe in Boston used to be like before it closed - gosh how i miss those days, but that’s another post for another time) - but it ends up hitting its stride when Eric Audin appears. Eric has become estranged from his ambitious wife, Margot, and, in the weeks following their estrangement, he opts to go to the New York Museum of Art (I think it’s a facade for the Met) and, while there, walks away with a piece of art. He lifts a Cycladic statue called the Goddess of Desire. As his relationship with the Goddess grows, so, seemingly, does his success. Eric begins a successful business marketing and selling knockoffs of the idol (which become an insanely popular fad as the theft from the museum hits the news), he moves into a beautiful flat in the West Village and meets and falls in love with a beautiful, older woman who loves him back (and of course, they have insanely good sex!). He becomes obsessed with the idol and it becomes almost like crack or heroin - he’ll do anything to keep the real idol in his life (even though it’s illegal to be in possession of it and the means that he gets it is illegal) at the expense of his own life and the relationships that he has.

This was my first book by Peter Gadol and I loved it.  The writing engages the reader immediately and it’s as if you can smell the whiffs of coffee and taste the foods offered by the cafe.  The characters are astoundingly well-developed and they developed immensely throughout the book. The plot line moved along wonderfully.  It was a book that I took my time reading because I wanted to savor every single word and every single plot device and moment. I didn’t want to miss anything by missing a single word, which, to me, means that Gadol thought out every single word.  Every single word was selected with care and with a purpose. This is a book that I will definitely pick up again, just to make sure that I can peel back another level.

Book 27/100

The blogosphere has been hopping about this book. This novel is a Young Adult novel and a debut novel by Cecilia Galante. And foiund that I was happy that I got it out of the library and didn’t purchase it.

Agnes and Honey are the two main characters of the novel - the chapters alternate between their viewpoints.  They are 14 year old girls who have grown up together in a religious commune in Connecticut called Mount Blessing. Mount Blessing is led by a man and a woman - Emmanuel and Veronica - who maintain control over their followers through the use of brainwashing and, mainly, through the use of physical abuse in the “Regulation Room.” Emmanuel is worshipped and held to be only a step below Jesus in everything he does. Every child, including Agnes and Honey, are taken from their families at the age of 6 months and moved to the nursery where they live until they are 7 years old, when they are allowed to return to the familial home. Except for Honey - Honey doesn’t know who her father is and her mother left the commune three weeks after giving birth. The Bible of The Believers is a book called The Saint’s Way, which Agnes follows to the word, sometimes starving herself. Agnes loves the commune and its way of life. But Honey despises it and wants to leave. When Agnes’ grandmother comes to visit, Honey sees it as a way out.  When Agnes’ little  brother, Benny, suffers a serious accident causes Emmanuel’s “miracles” to nearly kill the young boy, Agnes’ grandmother whisks them away.  As the quartet travels away from the commune, secrets are shared and discovered and they all learn things about themselves.

I thought that the dual voice narrative was very effectively used here.  Galante did a masterful job in conveying the story through the different viewpoints.  However, those viewpoints are often stereotypes, so much so that I could almost predict what each character was going to do and say, pretty much through the end of the book.  While the characters were developed, the changes that they encountered and the growth they experienced where very much predictable and that was disappointing to me. 

I appreciated that the novel was touching and seemingly heartfelt. There wasn’t any preaching or proselytizing or in your face conversion tactics, which was much appreciated. I also appreciated that Ms. Galante was trying to tackle a few topics that are pretty weighty - child abuse, religion, family - but I felt like she only grazed the surface of each of the themes.  I would have preferred that she focus on one or two of the topics, instead of four or five, and flesh them out more thoroughly.

I would read this book, but I wouldn’t purchase it. 

Book 26/100 

Mikael Blomqvist is a middle aged publisher of a financial magazine in Stockholm. After losing a libel suit that lands him in prison, Blomqvist is hired by Henrik Vanger for two tasks: to ghostwrite his autobiography and to investigate the death of his niece Harriet (of course, the autobiography is a barely concealed cover for the investigation of the murder!). Lisbeth Salandar is the other main character and she is an asocial twentysomething that helps Mikael to investigate Harriet’s death. She is tattoo’ed and pierced and has been victimized by men and the Swedish legal system for her entire life for having something akin to Asperger’s Syndrome - I loved her character actually - and she meets Mikael, whom she befriends and falls in love with. She is the survivor of the pair and is a scrappy, brilliant, smart woman.

This whodunit is hardly formulaic - it’s not your run of the mill Sue Grafton novel. I read this novel while my son was in the hospital and read it whenever he was napping etc. I couldn’t put it down at all. The main theme of this book, and perhaps why it appealed to me, is its searing criticism of sexual and physical violence against women in Swedish society. Both main characters experience the violence - Salandar in her own personal life (she herself is subjected to horrendous sexual violence) and Blomqvist (he is also physically abused, but in the course of his investigation he learns of the horrendous victimization of the women that his culprit inflicts).

I don’t know if I could read this book over and over again. I generally read books over and over again that I know that I can learn something from and this book wasn’t one of those books. However, I thought it was fascinating all the same - it was a fascinating case study of a woman that has obviously been traumatized and it was also a fascinating case study of a severely psychotic person. In that regards, it was a wonderful mystery novel. It is very richly detailed - you can almost see yourself in ther various locales, experiencing the events as they unfold - and moves really fast. I think that I finished this book in about 5 days, if that. Get this book out of the library but don’t rush to buy it.

Book 24/100

I picked up this book by Colson Whitehead because I’ve been going to Sag Harbor since I was in the womb and the fact that it was about a young, black man in the mid eighties going there absolutely fascinated me because, quite frankly, I am obsessed with learning about the subcultures that exist there in that small town. So I requested it from the library and read it in about 4 days, it was that engrossing.

Colson Whitehead wrote this fourth novel as autobiographical fiction - he grew up in the eighties in Manhattan and spent his summers in Sag Harbor and his intent was to give us a portrait of what life was like in Sag Harbor in the eighties. The year is 1985 and the main character is Benji Cooper, who insists on being called Ben. Benji is a 15 year old black boy who leaves the city to spend three largely unsupervised months with his 14 year old brother in sag Harbor. His parents spent Monday through Friday in the city and then spent weekends with their children in Sag Harbor. Benji loves Star Wars and Dungeons n Dragons and reading, so he doesn’t get into a whole lot of trouble in this book - he’s somewhat of a nerd. The book’s eight chapters include first kisses, removal of braces, figuring out who is “out” for the summer and securing beer.

Sag Harbor is well written, beautiful in fact, and enjoyable. It really transports you to the time and place experienced by the characters in the novel - I lived in Sag Harbor during the time in question, which may be why it was so easy to picture.  I got a kick out of seeing places mentioned in the novel that I had actually been to many times while living there. I wouldn’t say that there was a whole lot of plot - but Mr. Whitehead has indicated that the goal wasn’t necessarily to have characters who learned a whole lot but the goal of his novel was to catch a slice of culture and context. If that’s the goal, then he accomplished that magnificently. It was charming and enjoyable and just plain fun.

Go out and read this book!

Book Number 24/100