In the Country

In the Country

by Mia Alvar

Yet another book focused on a non-American culture, which continues to reflect the composition of the RA staff at NYU.  This book, In the Country, by Mia Alvar, is a collection of short stories which discuss the social issues that arose around the time of government turmoil in the mid-1970s through late 1980s in the Philippines.  Each story reveals different aspects of the culture: political issues, poverty, hardships on women, and government intervention in people’s daily lives.  My favorite aspect of the stories is that, in each one, there is a pivotal “plot twist” that comes as a surprise to the reader.  One of my favorites was The Virgin of Monte Ramon.  In the story, a little boy is born with no feet and lives in his wheelchair, told by his mother that he inherited the deformity from his grandfather who was injured in the army and died a hero with the same physical condition.  For years, the boy and his mother received financial support from many men in town, who appeared to have a “relationship” with his mother.  One man in particular, Dr. Delacruz, visited frequently to provide food, clothes and other amenities.  The boy was picked on by classmates because of his condition and the fact his mother was a recipient of numerous “gifts” from mature men. This left him to be ridiculed as the son of a whore. The twist to the story is that Dr. Delacruz is actually the boy’s biological father….Alvar is a young author on the rise.  Her ability to capture the realities of her culture and the horrors that occurred during the dictatorship of the country illustrate the atrocities on so many levels.  This is a book worth picking up!

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

by Marie Kondo

Went home to clean the apartment and picked up one of the RA Favorite books: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.  This ‘self-help’ book provides the reader with the steps to getting your house in order, which, in turn, will get your life in order as well.  The author explains why people have such a hard time keeping the home organized, suggesting that a little-by-little approach NEVER works.  You need to go full-out to accomplish the task, and the author extends this process to cleaning all aspects of your life (your relationships, your career, your priorities, etc.).  Some helpful hints include: NO storage units; sort by category, not by location; make tidying a special event, not a daily chore; and discard all things you need to get rid of before organizing.  She suggests keeping family away from this process as they usually serve as enablers for a messy life!  Here is the order in which to organize:

1.)    Clothing!  With a sub-order as follows:

a.       Tops (shirts, sweaters)

b.       Bottoms (pants, etc.)

c.       Clothes to be hung

d.       Socks

e.       Underwear

f.        Bags

g.       Accessories

h.       Shoes

2.)    Loungewear

3.)    Books (unread books means you’ll never read it!)

4.)    Sorting papers (get rid of old checkbooks and throw away those old electrical appliance manuals)

5.)    Miscellaneous items

Designate a place for each one.  And once you have this all taken care of, then you will be doing the daily work/maintenance!  She then shares how the ‘magic’ of a new life will appear.  Sound easy?  We will see how well the work I did last night based on the book turns out.  Pretty common-sense ideas done in a fairly quick read, one hour tops!  Excellent reading opportunity when waiting at the DMV…

Cereus Blooms at Night

Cereus Blooms at Night

by Shani Mootoo

Mystery, intrigue, rape, desperation, hidden secrets….. this book has it and is written in beautiful prose.  The book, Cereus Blooms at Night, by Shani Mootoo, begins with the end and the author brings us to the sordid past – it reminds me of the technique used in Fried Green Tomatoes. Mala Ramchandin, viewed as a crazy elderly woman, is brought to a nursing home by the local authorities after she is found innocent of a murder in her own home.  What we don’t know is what actually happened.  The story-teller, Tyler, is a recently hired nurse at the paradise Alms House.  He is given no real work projects, but, when Mala arrives, he has the opportunity to be her private nurse.  The rest of the book gives Mala’s history and how the dead body ended in her home.  Mala was raised by her abusive father (Chandin) after her mother (Sarah) ran off with her friend and lover (Lavina), who happened to be the woman her father loved.  When her mother escaped the home, she tried taking her two daughters, but they were stopped when her father returned home from work early that day.  Chandin was raised by Lavina’s parents, and grew up as her brother.  The story unfolds with great detail and in a chronological flow, piece by piece.  Mala’s love interest as a young girl is also revealed and the role he plays in all that has unfolded. The mystery is revealed as to whom the dead body is and how it got there.  Love, friendship, homosexuality, incest, rape and guilt are all entwined in the story.  It’s a relatively quick read and also shows that people are complicated as is jealousy.  Add in the annual bloom of the cereus plant and you have a “tight” story that fits very nicely together.

Starcrossed

Starcrossed
by Josephine Angelini

Creativity in using the past to tell a story is pretty impressive, especially a story using historical characters from Greek mythology.  You have entered the world of Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and the story of Helen (yes, based on Helen of Troy). She is a seventeen-year-old high school senior who wants to be average but has the skills and smarts to be above average.  She lives with her father, after her mother died when she was an infant.  The story is set on the beautiful island of Nantucket, where my wife and I had our honeymoon.  Helen has some strange dreams and later has a sudden hallucination of two young girls trying to strangle a classmate.  She goes into action to try and save him, but, in reality, there are no girls there and, instead, Helen attacks her classmate, Lucas, who has just moved into town.  Helen isn’t having hallucinations, as she later learns.  She has entered the world of the ancient ‘reincarnated’ Greek Gods.  Her journey will include falling in love with Lucas, who is unable to share his emotions with her because he thinks he is in her family lineage, discovering who she really is, and that her mother isn’t really dead!  Throw in the arrival of the furies and the warring family factions, the dividing family in Greek times and you have a sinister fantasy novel.  Downsides to this: it’s a trilogy (ugh!), you need to know your Greek Gods, the slow pace of ensuring they get the Greek Gods all in, and it's a “like it if you know the background” story – if you don't, this may not fit the bill.  Still, it is a well-written and fun read.  It’s one of the “adult-book type” reads.  Good for a rainy day in the summer.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora
by Scott Lynch

I’m rarely a fan of serial books, so you can probably tell I won’t give this a full 5-star rating.  Combine that with a lengthy storyline with two simultaneous narratives and you have a “ho-hum” from me.  So goes the fantasy tale The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.  Written in 2006, Lynch presents a “Robin Hood”-type story with robbers trying to do some good for themselves and their clan, but also a repeated story of disguise, escape, and violence.  The main story focuses on Locke and his associates’ fight with the ‘Grey King’ for leadership of the underground world while the secondary story provides context through detailing the history of the town Camorr and the gang called the “Gentleman Bastards”.  The author’s approach in writing this way kept me confused at times and losing interest at others.  I will say there were moments of action that really enlivened the plot, especially the closing sequence.  But then I realized there is a part two, three, etc.  If you like fantasy books, you may enjoy this one – unfortunately, I did not.  

Family Under the Bridge

The Family Under the Bridge

by Natalie Savage Carlson

The diversity of books on this year’s RA Favorite Book list continues to amaze me.  Finished Natalie Savage Carlson’s book Family Under the Bridge, a short children’s story describing a family that loses financial resources and is forced to live on the streets, under a bridge.  The family, comprised of a single mother, three children and a dog, is left to find a place to live within the city of Paris.  Luckily, they meet an old, humble “homeless man,” referred to as a ‘hobo’ in the book, who resembles Santa Claus.  Armand, the hobo, is immediately drawn to the three children and takes them through the city to address their hunger, lack of clothes, and homelessness.  The story takes place during the Christmas season, and in the end, Armand is able to deliver the family the best holiday present ever.  This is a heart-warming tale that illustrates to youth the importance of caring for those who have limited resources and how good fortune can strike when you open your heart.  Great for young children to read.

Me Before You

Me Before You

by Jojo Moyes

I finished one of the best reads of this year’s RA Favorite books in Jojo Moyes’ acclaimed book, Me Before You.  Down on her luck, Luisa Clark, a late-twenties waitress, loses her job when her café closes. She needs to find a new job to assist her parents and sister with finances as her father is on the verge of losing his own job.  Luisa is sent to the job retraining agency, and they suggest she assists a paraplegic for a six-month contract.  Luisa interviews with a stoic older woman, whom Luisa thinks is the wife of the invalid.  She is excited by the pay, more than minimum wage, and is surprised when offered the job since she has no prior experience in the field.  Luisa’s family is overjoyed by the news but also concerned she will be taking care of an old man.  Luisa learns that her patient is Will Traynor, a thirty-five-year-old who was permanently crippled in an auto accident.  On her first visit she realizes why the pay was so high for the position – Will is a very angry man who, at the height of his life in business and as a lady’s man, would never be able to take care of himself again.  She initially plans on quitting after her first days but is convinced by her sister that the family needs her income.  Luisa continues, even when her boyfriend, a top-level athletic trainer and triathlete, suggests this job is more than she can handle.  Luisa is thrown a twist when she overhears a conversation between Will’s mother and sister that he is planning on an assisted suicide in Switzerland. This was after a six-month agreement with his parents to hold off on this decision.  The rest of the book turns into “a love story” as Luisa works to change Will’s mind. Without even knowing him, she tries to convince him to stay alive and engages Will’s parents in the effort.  In the process, Luisa realizes that she loves Will and leaves her boyfriend.  The journey with Will is rocky, but he comes to see Luisa as a blessing – but will he change his mind regarding the assisted suicide?  This book has it all: ethical/moral decisions, poor/rich connection, and a love story for the ages.  Beautifully written with great character development.  This is a tear jerker and I certainly shed a few.  Hope you get a chance to read this one.  

Gang Leader for a Day

Gang Leader for a Day

by Sudhir Venkatesh

As a first-year doctoral student studying in the sociology program at University of Chicago, Sudhir Venkatesh is asked to look into the issue of poverty among low income people living in the housing projects.  Sudhir takes his survey to the streets and meets a man, J.T., who helps him learn about the inner working of the street gangs and all that is wrong in the poverty stricken Chicago area.  The story is an amazing inside look into poverty, gangs, money, sex, drugs, and all things that keep low income citizens from getting the support they need.  It is unbelievable that the author was given so much information from both the people who lived in the housing projects and the local police who have a tendency to suppress these people.  The hierarchy of “who is in charge” is complicated and exists as much in the projects as one sees in other areas of society.  The insertion of Sudhir, an Indian American, into an African American community also adds another dimension to the issue of race.  If you ever thought about a career as a sociologist, this one is for you.  The author spent six years in the most incredible “behind the scenes” locations within the gang world and has the details to prove it!  I listened to this one on tape, which included an interview with the author sharing his experience a few years after the book was written.  The author is now a faculty member at Columbia University.  

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

by Haruki Murakami

A personal favorite author of mine is once again represented in an RA book pick, and I’m glad to say I haven’t read it - until today.  Haruki Murakami’s memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, is a really fun read.  The author describes how he improved as an author through his commitment to running starting at age 33.  Between the time he started running and the book’s publishing date, he had run 23 marathons and averaged over 30+ miles a week!  After the marathons, he started focusing on triathlons. In one of the book's chapters, he discusses how he overcame his inability to swim through a personal trainer.  Like all skills, Murakami suggests that it is practice and talent that gets one to be good. He first perfected his skills as an author, and now we learn he’s a great runner as well!  He provides helpful hints and even a training regime in the book.  He doesn’t suggest that everyone should become a runner but that it has to be something you are internally motivated to do.  He shares stories from races, how to get through that last mile, and his 2005 journey to run his first NYC Marathon.  While he is not a pro, he has talent and believes he has vastly improved through his daily ritual of running.  This is a “tell-all” book about his rise as an athlete and his realization that, today, he couldn’t live without running.  I always enjoy reading books from novelists who show a new side to themselves, and surely Murakami has done so in this short book.  This is a great read for anyone who wants to excel at something and knows that physical exertion can bring calm, good health and clarity of mind.  I admire him more and more just thinking about his commitment to push himself to a new level.  Good book!

On Love

On Love

by Alain de Botton

I really enjoyed today’s book by Alain de Botton, which I finished while sitting on a beach in upstate NY. The book is titled On Love in the US (and Essays in Love in the UK).  The brilliance of the book is the ease with which the reader moves through the storyline and how the character evolves over time.  The author writes in a way that speaks to the emotions of anyone who has ever been in love.  The story moves chronologically and captures the phases of love through introduction, getting to know one another (an awkward stage), falling in love, staying in love, and then the crazy way love ends.  A twenty-something man and woman meet on an air flight from Paris to London, by chance sitting next to each other.  After pleasantries and realizing how different they are, a pseudo-comfort emerges, and here begins a journey of love!  De Botton captures every phase of the process, naming each chapter: Romantic Fatalism, Idealization, Subtext of the Seduction, Authenticity, Mind and Body, False Notes, Speaking Love, What Do You See in Her?, Intimacy….you get the idea.  De Botton’s male character is an architect and falls for Chloe, a hard-working business woman, who has been in love many times before.  Each phase is tested by both characters, with one taking the lead in the relationship at one point and the other at another point until a sudden action changes it all (I’ll save the heartbreak for you as this is quite a good read and don’t want to spoil it).  I loved the stories and the intricacies of the relationship that is shared.  It really does speak to anyone who has have fallen in love, been dumped or is in love now.  You will understand all of the phases, the guidance that he provides, and have a chance to reflect on a central question: what do you really want in a relationship?  Great read.