The Story Teller takes place around the baking of fine, hotly buttered, mouth watering, scrumptious, multi-flavored, recognizable bread! Brioche, challah, "babka, poppy seed cake and mazurek."
Jodi Picoult pulls the reader into a struggle with life and death, and with the human effort to understand how we end. She takes this human and personal path to lead us into the painful puzzle of good and evil, of man and woman's inhumanity to others. And, yet in the midst of the readers own horror at our inhumane possibilities one finds oneself one of those "humans" as the senses react - as the reader's visual memories are activated and the smell of good hot bread ignites that hunger in the midst of the same memory that smells of spilt human blood.
The reader is jarred into seeing his or her own possibilities. The reader is made to contemplate the temptation to feel superior, the temptation to belong, and the temptation to use pain to inflict pain. Juxtaposed against these human conditions one sees, feels, and smells the horrific consequences of following the status quo, and the animal that emerges when one falls into that trap.
Picoult uses the main character to take the reader on an emotional human ride. It is a ride full of pain, friendship, and understanding. Just as the reader comes to believe that Sage, the main character, will always feel the pain of her scars, she finds love.
The Story Teller is about crime and punishment; it is about soul searching; it asks ancient, present, and future questions. It asks us to ask ourselves what lies ahead!
It is about the Holocaust.
Picoult is a sensitive and artful writer. She uses metaphors and similes to help the reader digest horror. As you read, you understand, that the bread metaphor works like a mother's hot soup on a day heavy with storms.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
BUCK by Asanti
The hot beat of rap poetry stills the reader. It weaves its way through your senses as the beat is caught in the fleshy sadness of a perpetual family and social story that should not be.
It simply should not be a story in the midst of a "progressive" and "civilized" society.
Ashante brings the voice of the urban black youth to the forefront. His lyrics curl themselves around your heart and squeeze. He is asking the reader, how could you not care! He is demanding the reader to look and look again, recognize [my] humanity; take note of [my] anger. Respect [my] possibilities.
BUCK is defiant; it is unapologetic.
BUCK is a son's love for his mother.
BUCK is a testimony for his brother.
BUCK is a demand for respect.
BUCK is a time to pause, to stop, to reflect.
BUCK is a time for change.
Ashante is a young man who takes us on an important journey into American life in what is called the "ghetto." He calls attention to every mother's dream and every mother's sorrow. He makes us bleed for lost fath.er's and fatherhood.
The music in his poetry keeps the reader high enough to withstand the pain that he exposes.
"Later on, at dinner, Uncle Howard tells me about the war inside. "There's a war between two wolves inside everybody. One is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other's good. It's love, peace, beauty, happiness, truth, hope, joy, humility, kindness, and empathy."....... I give long, deep hugs to Uncle Howard and Aunt Georgia, then hop in the car with Ryan. I start the engine, then jump out, forgetting something. I walk up to my uncle. "In the story," I ask, "who wins.... between the wolves? The one you feed." (pg 187-8)
It simply should not be a story in the midst of a "progressive" and "civilized" society.
Ashante brings the voice of the urban black youth to the forefront. His lyrics curl themselves around your heart and squeeze. He is asking the reader, how could you not care! He is demanding the reader to look and look again, recognize [my] humanity; take note of [my] anger. Respect [my] possibilities.
BUCK is defiant; it is unapologetic.
BUCK is a son's love for his mother.
BUCK is a testimony for his brother.
BUCK is a demand for respect.
BUCK is a time to pause, to stop, to reflect.
BUCK is a time for change.
Ashante is a young man who takes us on an important journey into American life in what is called the "ghetto." He calls attention to every mother's dream and every mother's sorrow. He makes us bleed for lost fath.er's and fatherhood.
The music in his poetry keeps the reader high enough to withstand the pain that he exposes.
"Later on, at dinner, Uncle Howard tells me about the war inside. "There's a war between two wolves inside everybody. One is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other's good. It's love, peace, beauty, happiness, truth, hope, joy, humility, kindness, and empathy."....... I give long, deep hugs to Uncle Howard and Aunt Georgia, then hop in the car with Ryan. I start the engine, then jump out, forgetting something. I walk up to my uncle. "In the story," I ask, "who wins.... between the wolves? The one you feed." (pg 187-8)
Friday, December 14, 2012
No Matter ... Bill Bailey Ain't Never.... by Edgardo Vega Yunque
I read! 638 pages! And I read it twice.
Yungue's genius writing style took me on a journey of twists and turns that always came together at the right moments and, those connections served to propel me into extended sections of his novel.
The size of the book is daunting but, immediately, upon entrance, it grabs you. At first, the long explanations and tangents into other minds and histories scare the reader with the fear of boredom to come. Yet, that doesn't happen. After a while the words open you up and release a sort of patience. You are reassured that the writer expects that you will return, to reread, to think, to cross bridges, and to form opinions. There is promise in his style; there is confidence in his style; he expects you to revisit. And, you do.
The foundation he builds on is his love of music - of jazz music. And, what is jazz? Jazz, an orchestrated symphony of instruments talking of love, of pain, of life, of love. He takes the opportunity to share the emotional calms and upheavals that come with this creativity and, in doing so, he understand that his writing had to call to life this symphony of stories.
more to come.......
Yungue's genius writing style took me on a journey of twists and turns that always came together at the right moments and, those connections served to propel me into extended sections of his novel.
The size of the book is daunting but, immediately, upon entrance, it grabs you. At first, the long explanations and tangents into other minds and histories scare the reader with the fear of boredom to come. Yet, that doesn't happen. After a while the words open you up and release a sort of patience. You are reassured that the writer expects that you will return, to reread, to think, to cross bridges, and to form opinions. There is promise in his style; there is confidence in his style; he expects you to revisit. And, you do.
The foundation he builds on is his love of music - of jazz music. And, what is jazz? Jazz, an orchestrated symphony of instruments talking of love, of pain, of life, of love. He takes the opportunity to share the emotional calms and upheavals that come with this creativity and, in doing so, he understand that his writing had to call to life this symphony of stories.
more to come.......
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Kindred! A word that dips in and stirs expectations. It stirs the blood.
Butler takes the reader on a harrowing emotional ride through American's history of African-American experiences. The reader takes this ride in the shoes of a young black female identity and, to some extent, the identity of a young white male.
Octavia Butler, in her written art piece, Kindred, does what she does with such unequivocal brilliance, she transform you the reader into the character. You are no longer in control of who you think you are when you encounter Butler's words. Her genius is the ability to take you there; her genius is in her power to make you a part of the other psyche.
What stands out in Kindred is the lack of logic harnessed in the willingness of humans to cave into sadism while expecting love and loyalty from their victims. She highlights the inhumanity seemingly existing right under the surface of the human.
Butler takes you inside of yourself to quiver with your own insecurity, your own knowledge of that self reflected in all of her characters. Her approach in this novel unsettles the reader. The main character, Dana, is dragged into her past to save a member of her family. Positioned as this savior, Dana has to learn to love and forgive in the midst of
more to come.....
Butler takes the reader on a harrowing emotional ride through American's history of African-American experiences. The reader takes this ride in the shoes of a young black female identity and, to some extent, the identity of a young white male.
Octavia Butler, in her written art piece, Kindred, does what she does with such unequivocal brilliance, she transform you the reader into the character. You are no longer in control of who you think you are when you encounter Butler's words. Her genius is the ability to take you there; her genius is in her power to make you a part of the other psyche.
What stands out in Kindred is the lack of logic harnessed in the willingness of humans to cave into sadism while expecting love and loyalty from their victims. She highlights the inhumanity seemingly existing right under the surface of the human.
Butler takes you inside of yourself to quiver with your own insecurity, your own knowledge of that self reflected in all of her characters. Her approach in this novel unsettles the reader. The main character, Dana, is dragged into her past to save a member of her family. Positioned as this savior, Dana has to learn to love and forgive in the midst of
more to come.....
Saturday, October 27, 2012
I,Tituba, the black witch of Salem by Maryse Conde
Respect! absolute honor and recognition is reflected in Maryse Conde's novel - I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem.
more to come.....
more to come.....
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke
Stunning! This is the word that comes to mind whenever I think of this novel, The Polished Hoe. Even more pleasing was the laugh that came to me at the end when my understanding of the title blossomed.
I am not sure I've ever read a book written by a man who managed so well to capture the grit of a woman as she repelled the degradation of racism. What astonished me was that he did not follow the taken for granted path that this disease normally takes in novels. Instead, he revealed the diseased minds and actions of those who practiced racism and benefited from it. Unapologetically, he exposed the mental illness routed in perpetrators of the disease.
I found myself applauding. And, this time, I applauded without the guilt that comes with a taste for blood.
Using the voice of this remarkable character, Mary-Mathilda, Austin Clarke takes his words and slashes at any semblance of a benevolent racism. At the same time, he highlights the strength of women that is often ignored.
Immediately, as you enter the novel you are made aware that something unexpected and welcomed has happened and that the something that is hinted at is a natural response to the circumstances. Any other response would have meant psychological death.
If I could, I would make this book required reading for all. Austin Clarke's work is genius. The Polished Hoe is a keeper and it is a novel that I will read again and again.
by Bacchus
I am not sure I've ever read a book written by a man who managed so well to capture the grit of a woman as she repelled the degradation of racism. What astonished me was that he did not follow the taken for granted path that this disease normally takes in novels. Instead, he revealed the diseased minds and actions of those who practiced racism and benefited from it. Unapologetically, he exposed the mental illness routed in perpetrators of the disease.
I found myself applauding. And, this time, I applauded without the guilt that comes with a taste for blood.
Using the voice of this remarkable character, Mary-Mathilda, Austin Clarke takes his words and slashes at any semblance of a benevolent racism. At the same time, he highlights the strength of women that is often ignored.
Immediately, as you enter the novel you are made aware that something unexpected and welcomed has happened and that the something that is hinted at is a natural response to the circumstances. Any other response would have meant psychological death.
If I could, I would make this book required reading for all. Austin Clarke's work is genius. The Polished Hoe is a keeper and it is a novel that I will read again and again.
by Bacchus
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
I picked up this novel at Borders. It was on the sale shelf; I usually browse sale shelves looking for books written by women. I am especially happy when I find books written by women of different countries and cultures.
Min Jin Lee's book Free Food for Millionaires captured my attention because I realized, as I read the back cover, that I had not read any book by someone Korean. Immediately my curiosity was peeked; I wanted to take the trip with Min Jin and the cover of her book promised me a story about women. I wanted to see where our borders crossed. How did our womanhood(s) connect?
I was pleasantly surprised by Min Jin's ability to capture a broad spectrum of personalities in her novel. Lee's writing grabbed me and pulled me in. She created atmospheres with her words; she carved dialogue into me that made the conversations between characters feel as if they were happening in my head; they echoed of prior experiences. Her ability to make multiple characters come alive gave me access to the stories buried in her novel. Into one head I went to find myself and through those eyes the other characters came alive.
In her novel, Free Food for Millionaires, Lee confronts what seems to be a universal barrier for women and that is the perpetual feeling of guilt. The characters in her novel show resilience as they struggle with family expectations, professional dreams, and risks as they confront tradition, break boundaries and create new paths.
Free Food for Millionaires will comfort women and it will give them the strength to make change and design their own individualities.
The only question I had of this author was something that struck me as odd. How does one create a fictional story in Manhattan and other diverse areas of New York and still manage to make various groups of people invisible?
by Bacchus
Min Jin Lee's book Free Food for Millionaires captured my attention because I realized, as I read the back cover, that I had not read any book by someone Korean. Immediately my curiosity was peeked; I wanted to take the trip with Min Jin and the cover of her book promised me a story about women. I wanted to see where our borders crossed. How did our womanhood(s) connect?
I was pleasantly surprised by Min Jin's ability to capture a broad spectrum of personalities in her novel. Lee's writing grabbed me and pulled me in. She created atmospheres with her words; she carved dialogue into me that made the conversations between characters feel as if they were happening in my head; they echoed of prior experiences. Her ability to make multiple characters come alive gave me access to the stories buried in her novel. Into one head I went to find myself and through those eyes the other characters came alive.
In her novel, Free Food for Millionaires, Lee confronts what seems to be a universal barrier for women and that is the perpetual feeling of guilt. The characters in her novel show resilience as they struggle with family expectations, professional dreams, and risks as they confront tradition, break boundaries and create new paths.
Free Food for Millionaires will comfort women and it will give them the strength to make change and design their own individualities.
The only question I had of this author was something that struck me as odd. How does one create a fictional story in Manhattan and other diverse areas of New York and still manage to make various groups of people invisible?
by Bacchus
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