I think it's best to read it without knowing anything about it, except that it's Huck Finn from the perspecMasterfully written retelling of Huck Finn.
I think it's best to read it without knowing anything about it, except that it's Huck Finn from the perspective of Jim. And you should definitely read Huck Finn first (it's a classic!).
I was worried coming into this that it would be too hard on Mark Twain or the white characters in Huck Finn. As if the author might have been too eager to dethrone Huck Finn from its great reputation. It's not like that. It has its own perspectives and twists, but nothing that is unfair to the original. The author is clearly a Huck Finn fan.
Some of the reviews I've seen talk about this as if it may be a worthy companion to Huck Finn in the literary canon. I think that goes too far. But it's still very good! And a nice quick, entertaining read. Recommended for fans of Huck Finn. ...more
Pleasant, unchallenging drama. This is a story a family of four girls who grew up in Pilsen in Chicago, and the drama surrounding their decisions abouPleasant, unchallenging drama. This is a story a family of four girls who grew up in Pilsen in Chicago, and the drama surrounding their decisions about love, from about 1980 to 2008.
It is an easy read in almost every way. My "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" book club at work selected it. I don’t think it’s a great choice for that because I didn’t find anything controversial or eye-opening about it. It’s just a well-written story. It’s fine if you’re looking for entertainment, it might be your favorite book of the year if you like this kind of stuff, but I wouldn’t expect it to change your life....more
Competent, but just not good enough for me to recommend in any context. At best, I thought it succeeded at showing how hard it is to live with the speCompetent, but just not good enough for me to recommend in any context. At best, I thought it succeeded at showing how hard it is to live with the specific problem of passing as white when you're African-American. But it's not compelling enough as a book.
The main character is a big part of the problem. I found it easy to sympathize her, but also too easy to criticize her decisions and values (view spoiler)[(examples: her social life in general, her abortion specifically, the way she seems to understand how hard it is to be African-American but does nothing to help other African-Americans, etc.) (hide spoiler)]. The book suffers from the Sex and the City problem where we are asked to share the character's superficial love of glamor and wealth. Worst is that the book is about a librarian, but I can't remember a time when she reads a book. She collects rare books for their value and rarity, in awe of their preciousness as expensive treasures but not as knowledge. She had to sacrifice a lot for her lifestyle. The book wants us to admire her sacrifices (it shows peripheral African-American characters showing a second-hand delight in her success). But the sacrifices don't seem worth the shallow lifestyle.
The historical aspects are just not quite good enough. They're close. But they're thrown in a bit haphazardly, sometimes just to remind us of what is going on in the world and not to advance any themes (did we really need to mention the sinking of the Titanic? And the way that the author notes that she knew people on the boat is unseemly, as if it's done in a name-dropping way "I am important enough to know someone important enough to have been on the Titanic").
A couple other themes: race is handled well, as far as I can tell, except that its comments felt shoehorned in at times, just like the historical events. Her relationships with men are written in a way that is cliched, especially the main relationships (view spoiler)[first, with Berenson; the way they made her a virgin who was confused feels like the result of an unsuccessful brainstorming session on how to make her abortion sympathetic. Second, her relationship with J.P. Morgan read like Stockholm Syndrome (hide spoiler)].
It is hard for me to pick something I really liked. Apparently there is a nonfiction biography about her. Read that! It can't be that much harder to read than this....more
Touching, fast paced, well written popular fiction. It surprised me in some places, going different directions than I expected while still remaining mTouching, fast paced, well written popular fiction. It surprised me in some places, going different directions than I expected while still remaining mostly plausible.
If you’ve read the back book cover and think you’d like this, you’re probably right....more
Yes, if you think you would like this book, you probably would. It is not what I’d normally read, but we chose it for our diversity, equity, and incluYes, if you think you would like this book, you probably would. It is not what I’d normally read, but we chose it for our diversity, equity, and inclusion book club at work (not really a great fit for that either).
The book is a feminist fantasy, with a few unfair hits at men (as expected) and religion (maybe less expected). I think there is a simplistic worldview to books like this: “the problem is men!” It blurs the distinction between “women should be allowed to help solve society’s problems” and “women can solve all society’s problems if men just get out of the way.” This is a minor complaint though. It’s not so extreme in its feminism to think all men are evil and all women are good.
If you are looking for a well written story with dramatic ups and downs and likable characters, this is good. I was surprised by how invested I was in how the story would end. ...more
I thought this book had some nice colorful imagery in it, but I didn't think there was enough depth to it to justify the heavy subject matter.I thought this book had some nice colorful imagery in it, but I didn't think there was enough depth to it to justify the heavy subject matter....more
Adequate description of the miseries faced by refugees. I thought it was so cliched and predictable that it might offend people who have experienced sAdequate description of the miseries faced by refugees. I thought it was so cliched and predictable that it might offend people who have experienced some of the traumas faced by the people in the book. ...more
A portrait of poverty, well written. It's too bad that I can’t say I "enjoyed" this book. It is no fault of the author; I just think it’s impossible tA portrait of poverty, well written. It's too bad that I can’t say I "enjoyed" this book. It is no fault of the author; I just think it’s impossible to write something compelling about the drudgery and frustrations of poverty. The book is a series of humiliations for the author, which she eventually (and miraculously) overcomes. To summarize the book briefly: a young woman with dreadful parents gets pregnant, puts her dreams on hold, and tries to support herself and her daughter by joining a crew of house cleaners. We see the homes that she cleans through her eyes: she's a snoop, and we see her values appear as she reacts to how other people live. Outside of her job, we also see what it's like to be a single mother and domestic abuse survivor. As she tries to escape poverty, we witness the failure of many institutions: most obviously her family, but also a frustrating government and an absent church. There is a brief aside where the author says that church is mostly stopping people on the street and asking them to commit to Jesus. I would have hoped the church could have given her more support than that. There is a political message here. Some people are hostile to the author’s poverty (e.g., when the author pays for groceries with food stamps, she sometimes hears an unsolicited "you're welcome" from people who seem self-righteous about paying taxes). The author shows what it’s like to work within the system of getting government relief to help escape poverty. It doesn’t look easy. She never says it directly, but all those interactions are because of her choice to bring her daughter into this world. People who are "pro-life" should take notice....more
Grief described as a rite of passage for a millennial rockstar. This is the story of how the lead singer of Japanese Breakfast coped with the disease Grief described as a rite of passage for a millennial rockstar. This is the story of how the lead singer of Japanese Breakfast coped with the disease and death of her mother. We join the author in her grief and how it takes her deeper into her Korean heritage. I enjoyed it even though I'm not a Korean-American, and I'm not a person who dealt with the early death of a parent. But I can relate as an aging millennial who regrets that the time I spend with my parents is shrinking. The author's writing is friendly to non-Koreans. Although she uses specific words for Korean dishes, I could still follow it since she describes each dish (both in terms of its recipe and its importance to the author and her family). The book is also a story about what life was life for a (semi-?)famous musician shortly before she achieves success. It makes Zauner feel very down-to-earn since we see that her music is secondary in importance to her than her family, just like almost every other person on this planet who works for a living....more
This is a Holocaust survivor's story, told to his artist son. Except for the difficult subject matter, it is a pretty quick and easy read.
I think it'This is a Holocaust survivor's story, told to his artist son. Except for the difficult subject matter, it is a pretty quick and easy read.
I think it's a fine introduction for people who don't read a lot. The graphic novel style is interesting: it makes the peacetime / wartime contrast stronger. I am not enthusiastic about the mouse / cat / pig splits among the Jews, Nazis, and others. I think the Holocaust is a story about humans on all sides and how humans mistreated humans. It was also distracting at parts of the story, like how the author was compared to Walt Disney (also famous for drawing mice), and how the father encountered rats in one of the hiding places in Europe but told his wife that they were only mice. I don't think there is anything too deep in those comparisons, but maybe I am wrong. I found myself overthinking that part.
Those are minor complaints though; this is an accessible, good read. At its best, it feels like you are reading another history of Judaism that would fit into the Old Testament histories. You shouldn't have trouble finding this at a library, and it won't take you long to get through it. It's worth checking out....more
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