Woodward is very organized, cogent and always clear in his recounting, but he is in this case not a natural story teller: in Rage, he does not spin a Woodward is very organized, cogent and always clear in his recounting, but he is in this case not a natural story teller: in Rage, he does not spin a strong narrative. He is sparing with conjecture and weaves little of his own experiences or opinions in his reporting. He leaves a lot to the reader, which is appropriate for a reporter.
The majority of his narrative construction is found in the prologue, where he starts with a very detailed vignette of the oval office meeting where Trump was first given the head's up on the corona virus and meetings that followed. Woodward then switches to cover several public speeches Trump made soon after in order to contrast what he knew versus what Trump told to the public. Woodward then jumps forward in time to the "I wanted to always play it down" interview (p. xviii) to set up a fairly damning statement—but with no commentary from Woodward. He lets the facts speak for themselves. That part of the prologue is the most constructed to illustrate Trump's essential duplicity.
Although Woodward did not, I believe, set out to show Trump in a bad light, he's a reporter and he holds little back, such as when Trump accuses him of writing 'shit' about him. But Woodward did not have to skew the record to make Trump look inadequate. Given the opportunity, Trump blithely wove his own rope, tied the noose and laid it around his own neck. If anything, the takeaway from this book is Woodward's own amazement at how eagerly Trump indicted himself.
Scope Ullrich starts with Hitler's grandparents, using them to frame the humble beginnings of Hitler's immediate antecedents (and busting the grandpareScope Ullrich starts with Hitler's grandparents, using them to frame the humble beginnings of Hitler's immediate antecedents (and busting the grandparent as a Jew myth, FWIW). We learn that, like Trump, Hitler's father (likely illegitimate) had a name-change in his past, from Schicklgruber to Hitler. The elder Hitler was married twice, Adolf coming in the second marriage. A fourth child in a family where the first three died early, Hitler was spoiled by his mom, to his step-siblings detriment apparently. Maybe that primed his maniacal feelings of entitlement later on? Those are the kind of interesting details Ullrich uncovers.
Another aspect of Hitler's personality that remained consistent -- his penchant for dilettantism (p. 390) and just hanging out. It is odd to read about Adolf Hitler kicking around Bavarian coffee houses and art galleries, even after becoming leader of the Third Reich, but he liked to do so. Odd. He had a distrust of experts and a trust in his 'gut' which served him well politically in the early days. The reach for Alsace and the Sudetenland were against the objections of the experts. Those successes emboldened him -- to his later detriment. But this book takes him only to the cusp of WWII, to early 1939, when Hitler was riding on a wave of unparalleled success politically and, to an extent, diplomatically. He had achieved goals beyond his dreams, although by then Britain was awakened to the threat from the increasingly belligerent Germany.
How does it read I found the book surprising and very engaging to have so much detail from primary source material in the text. I expected a rather dry tome but Hitler: Ascent is undeniably a good read because of such detail.
What do we learn of the man? During his Vienna period, Ullrich lays out the first real blow to Hitler's ambitions: failure to enter the art academy. Interestingly, they thought his drawing was fine, he could have studied architecture -- but as a secondary-school dropout, Hitler was not qualified. He still had talent, but without the Academy, fine art was out of his reach. He could only aspire to commercial art.
Too bad the kid did not stay in school...perhaps Hitler the architect would not have carried the grudges he did as a journeyman artist. We often hear about Hitler the failed artist but in fact, he was making a modest income in Vienna drawing and painting. Until this book I never had much of a vision as to what Hitler was doing in this period. He hustled, scratched out a living, and was homeless for a while.
Despite the horrific lengths to which the Nazis went to destroy the Jewish people, there is no document nor witness who could testify as to whether this antipathy of Hitler's was personal or professional. That is probably the biggest shortcoming of the book but I don't think we can blame Ullrich -- the primary sources are either nonexistent or were affected by later events.
Where is the monster? That is the question I wondered and, again, the lack of his personal papers makes it hard to see except through his actions and public speeches. Ullrich recounts a case of SA men kicking to death a man in front of his family. When the special court sentenced some of the perpetrators to death for the murder, Hitler, as leader of the National Socialists, sent the men a telegram saying their "freedom is a matter of honor for us." And, of course, in the Night of the Long Knives Hitler did more than discard his political rivals, he had them killed.
This book starts really well, with Leech's induction into navy life as a lad, his misadventures, and battles. The gives an amazingly intimate view of This book starts really well, with Leech's induction into navy life as a lad, his misadventures, and battles. The gives an amazingly intimate view of much of naval life, though you feel some is glossed over. He goes from British service to American, gets in some tough scrapes and lean times. In the latter part of hte book he concentrate smore on his reckoning with religion. THat's not nearly as interesting and gets a bit repetitious, but overall, the book is a rare first-hand view into the days of wooden ships and iron men....more
I don't usually recount plots but in this case, it's interesting to see how thin (and frankly hackneyed) a plot CM can hang a book on. And yes it's stI don't usually recount plots but in this case, it's interesting to see how thin (and frankly hackneyed) a plot CM can hang a book on. And yes it's still often beautiful reading.
Plot: Kid (again, See Blood Meridian) that loves horses goes off to Mexico (Cormac pattern here…). Hooks up w/buddy and one bad 'un. Gets in some trouble. Gets work, falls in love with rich girl (of course) who (of course) loves him back (why we never know…no romantic development). Lovely descriptions, not so bad run-ons (see Blood Meridian if you want horrific use of run-ons). Kid gets in serious trouble, almost dies, gets paid off to leave girl alone. Goes after his horses, which nearly gets him killed. Deus Ex machina several instances. At the end, he rides off into sunset. Really. It's a lot of reading to set an atmosphere and I think that's what McCarthy is after (as his plotting is minimal and characterizations unchanging): setting a longing for a time that never was (for most of us). Some notable quotes (CM likes to go deep):
"it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all."
Also, he is REALLY into horses: "The horse had a good natural gait and as he rode he talked to it and told it things about the world that were true in his experience and he told it things he thought could be true to see how they would sound if they were said. He told the horse why he liked it and why he’d chosen it to be his horse and he said that he would allow no harm to come to it." CM could have called this the Horse Whisperer.
All in all, it kept me interested, though at times frustrated at dearth of character development. His style does not delve extensively into their self-reflection. Their motivations speak through their actions and in the dialogue (which is minimal, in truth). In this book, McCarthy does lay foundations, such as the protagonist's relationship with his father, his family's ranch (which he loses), his way of life and even the ranch hands he grew up with. But I really do not see him tie them together into a coherent whole that motivate the character. Sometimes the protagonist seems to do things because the plot requires them and I don't buy it. Also Deus Ex Machina raises it's head again, several times. And there is some Mary Sue here as well. I really do not see how a sixteen year old would have amassed the life wisdom to pull himself out of all those scrapes. These issues keep this book out of my 5-star camp. Still, it's a good book and worth reading. More here: https://wp.me/p4S3cq-HY...more
This is a bit tongue in cheek, but really...Blood meridian - summary: tedious and pretentious if sometimes gorgeous Western horror. Guy hooks up w/ baThis is a bit tongue in cheek, but really...Blood meridian - summary: tedious and pretentious if sometimes gorgeous Western horror. Guy hooks up w/ bad people, rides into Mexico, Apache slaughter people, so they slaughter people. Get to town, promise to kill bad guys, go out & kill the people they are meant to protect. Rinse & repeat, and...repeat. At the end he runs into someone he once rode with who was odd, is still odd, who kills him in an outhouse. Nice. No discernible character development. Super detailed descriptions of the Southwest but brutal run-ons for days. Thesaurus-itis. Should have been a short story! Would have been great.
Some really obscure word choices: pyrolatrous, spanceled, preterite, holothurians.
Example run-on: They saw the governor himself erect and formal within his silk mullioned sulky clatter forth from the double doors of the palace courtyard and they saw one day a pack of vicious looking humans mounted on unshod indian ponies riding half drunk through the streets, bearded, barbarous, clad in the skins of animals stitched up with thews and armed with weapons of every description, revolvers of enormous weight and bowieknives the size of claymores and short twobarreled rifles with bores you could stick your thumbs in and the trappings of their horses fashioned out of human skin and their bridles woven up from human hair and decorated with human teeth and the riders wearing scapulars or necklaces of dried and blackened human ears and the horses rawlooking and wild in the eye and their teeth bared like feral dogs and riding also in the company a number of halfnaked savages reeling in the saddle, dangerous, filthy, brutal, the whole like a visitation from some heathen land where they and others like them fed on human flesh."
I noted that though descriptions are his high point, McCarthy's descriptions are mostly horrible: "The mummied corpse hung from the crosstree with its mouth gaped in a raw hole, a thing of leather and bone scoured by the pumice winds off the lake and the pale tree of the ribs showing through the scraps of hide that hung from the breast."...more
I am reading history lately. This is so I can better foresee if my country is heading towards political dissolution. That's all I'll say about my motiI am reading history lately. This is so I can better foresee if my country is heading towards political dissolution. That's all I'll say about my motivations.
TL;DR: The book succeeds due to Churchill's strong narrative, accessible style and intense focus on political development.
This is not a new book, of course. Originally written in the mid-1950s, after Churchill's time in politics, his four volumes represented a well-researched, comprehensive review of history from pre-Christian Roman times to the eve of the First World War. This version is a single-volume abridgment by Christopher Lee, originally released in 1958.
Given this history was written by a man who was a Anlgo chauvinist and full-throttle behind Britain's ambition on the world stage, the tale stops short of any self-criticism regarding Britain's colonial ambitions. Thus, this book's narrative needs to be taken in context with other works. For instance, there is no reflection on the rightness of what Great Britain's leaders did to grasp control in South Africa and India, for instance. He includes brief histories of Canada and Australia as well, and his glossing over the treatment of both lands' original inhabitants is callous to the extreme.
Churchill almost never reflects upon whether exercises of blatant military or political power were 'right'. He does, of course, discuss the political imperatives driving the decisions of the men (mostly) and women who controlled the state at the time. That is his major contribution.
I'm a long-time Anglophile and have read many accounts covering periods of British history. But given how confusing and convoluted was the genesis of Modern Britain from the small kingdoms of rude warriors to a democratic world power, I never had a clear vision of how Britain got from point A to point Z. Churchill gives us that. His mastery of political evolution finally clarifies how a country lurched from 'off with their heads!' religion-dominated tyranny to a more civilized state; he explains how the powers of the kings and queens grew and waned. He puts the great personalities of British politics in context, from their rise, struggle, mastery and fall....more
This was one of those books the library had on display. It is newly out and popular, so I was lucky to get a copy to check out. Being a student of hisThis was one of those books the library had on display. It is newly out and popular, so I was lucky to get a copy to check out. Being a student of history, I've been familiar with the general activities that led up to the British evacuation at Dunkirk, but I've always been starved for details. How did the British manage to get all those men out? How many made it? What about the French? Why wasn't the German army able to stop them? Did the small boats really help all that much? This book is well-researched and does a great job of answering those questions. It also, importantly, introduces the politics--domestic and military--that maneuvered Britain into the situation in the first place. Along the way, Michael Korda weaves a compelling narrative with a information-rich but eminently readable style.
He manages this by interweaving personal points of view into the story, with his parents and extended family doing their best British best to get on with their business in the midst of warfare. In fact they were almost caught by the battle on the continent (like most well-off families, they were vacationing in France that spring). Another aspect of Korda's success is his storytelling. Every chapter tells a story, and each story hangs on a salient, unexpected fact--for example, the indomitable control Chamberlain had over his party. Whereas we Americans often see him painted as weak, a sop to Hitler, Korda paints the picture of a man so in control he perhaps missed the bigger picture. He also fills in the blanks of what Chamberlain did after he fell from the prime minister's position. more detail here https://wp.me/p4S3cq-qm...more
It's a good tale, entertaining. I found the hook at the beginning drew me in quickly and I enjoyed the main character right off. There is a little espIt's a good tale, entertaining. I found the hook at the beginning drew me in quickly and I enjoyed the main character right off. There is a little espionage-ey setup, well done, so the reader is hooked and then he throws you into the curveball land of Alissa. Things get odder there and not everything goes as planned. The various adventures come off pretty smoothly to the reader, if not to the characters (e.g., things go wrong, there are costs to doing certain things). I found the plot bogged a little when the MC gets to the island (there's always an island isn't there) and there's a bit of suspension of disbelief that must go on, but all in all I found the main characterizations and interactions between characters ( there is a brief romantic interest) well handled. The ending is crisp, there is some good action, and though the very end requires one such as myself (Army trained) to forget all one has learned of antiaircraft operations, it's solid. Not everyone is aware of the difficulty of hitting a target moving in three dimensions, nor of the physics of ballistics, so I bet a lot if readers fly right though that :-)...more
Reviewing as an imagined (and long ago) grade-schooler. Although Alvin is entirely devoid of tech, this story had little enough even for the time, 196Reviewing as an imagined (and long ago) grade-schooler. Although Alvin is entirely devoid of tech, this story had little enough even for the time, 1960, when it was written. NO mention of TV at the Fernald house, for example. Yet, as a story, it holds together well. We don't get much understory here, very little is addressed WRT social equity for example, but there is a nice undercurrent about Alvin's relationship to his little sister, Daphne. AS for the gender roles etc. it is vanilla 1960s, of course, but at least Daphne is a girl of action (tomboy she's described) and able to run into and out of trouble. There is one paragraph about Alvin complaining of 'girl's work' that sticks out like a sore thumb in today's conventions. Apart from that, it is a solid adventure story appropriate for 3 - 5th graders. I remember liking it a lot when I read it....more
This is the TL;DR version, for a full review see my fullreview This longish novel by Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing is known as an important feminist worThis is the TL;DR version, for a full review see my fullreview This longish novel by Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing is known as an important feminist work, and that's why I decided to read it. However, Lessing's intent was to approach a number of other important subjects, primarily fragmentation of the mind and of society. She certainly swung for the fences; the number of subjects she touches on are too many to mention without driving readers away. The scope of the novel is wide-ranging; so are the settings and characters: Wikipedia notes 31 characters, all of whom are fully described, fully animated. The two focal points are the protagonist's early life in Africa during the War (WWII) to her post-war life as a single mother (and Free Woman) in London.
So, how is it to read? I found it odd and intensely detailed, often for reasons which are obscure to the reader until much later. The characterizations are superb, as are descriptions.
The reader realizes by the end that most of these intense passages have purpose. For example, in the early part of the book Lessing presents in excruciating detail characters and descriptions that, so well presented, become imprinted on the reader's memory. The depth to which she impresses these memories on the reader serves to reflect the protagonist's remembering of them 450 pages later, when Lessing flits across certain images from those early days as Anna's mind becomes unmoored. That later passage would never have been so powerful if Lessing had skimped on the Africa section early in the book.
The writing is often odd. Lessing latches on to certain mechanics and runs with them for a time, then discards and seems to forget them. Examples are a focus on comic books (pages 273 and 310) when writing of certain children, never to mention it again, the use of 'I I I I' --"I, I, I, I, like a machinegun ejaculating regularly" (p. 537) in the description of Anna's relationship with Saul and nowhere else. There is a lot of narrative 'telling' especially around page 150, that strikes me as odd, accompanied by passive voice. That technique gets ten pages of treatment and does not return.
The structure of the story, which switches from third-person Anna-and-her friends to first person 'notebooks'--diaries, really, and there are 4 of them--is not so radical any more. It would have been in 1962, when the book was published, and she did an amazing job with the structure. She also, via the diary presentation, switches up how the diaries are used, what is written in them from narrative to short fictions (pp 455 - 463) which serve both to highlight the essential conflicts concerning Lessing (love, relationships, male privilege, and dysfunction) and also show the reader Lessing's incredible breadth as a writer.
Oddest of all is the ending. I found it a false ending, that Lessing signaled with an almost throwaway air to it, like she parodied the 'happy ending' of popular fiction. It is a repeat of the previous section in which Lessing takes 150 pages to illuminate the struggle and disorientation of two people, both on the verge of insanity, in love and in conflict.
BOTTOM LINE: This was an important book to finish. I cannot say I enjoyed it all the time, but I appreciated it, and met the end with a feeling of clarity which escaped me most of the way through. The depictions were superb, the writing usually superb, with some odd passages where things got wonky. Lessing achieved the communication of 'her experience.' That is the essence of art....more
I know this has had something like 70 printings etc., hugely popular but...at this point, badly dated and remarkably two-dimensional. Writing is oddlyI know this has had something like 70 printings etc., hugely popular but...at this point, badly dated and remarkably two-dimensional. Writing is oddly stilted, even the dialogue...no one ever uses a contraction, for example. Sometimes the writer comes across as internally inconsistent in the early chapters and never really explains why she does what she does...as if it's perfectly natural to become a prostitute, like taking a job at the post office or something. No mention of social stigma, or any internal reflection (outside of the practical -- have to buy off cops). That was a huge miss IMO. Other claims about avoiding STDs etc. laughable, and again inconsistent ('careful' yet outlines many cases she wasn't...so, careful or not? I think not...) An odd book, for certain....more
Rating as an imagined 8 to 11-year-old. I remember reading books of this complexity & theme in 3rd & 4th grade but I was ahead of most kids. A comp ofRating as an imagined 8 to 11-year-old. I remember reading books of this complexity & theme in 3rd & 4th grade but I was ahead of most kids. A comp of that era would be the Amazing Adventures of Alvin Fernald. This is a *lot* cooler and edgier than books of Alvin's era though, thoroughly modern...imagine the spirit of Alvin and his inventiveness crossed with the misanthropy, high tech and super-intelligence of Artemis Fowl, throw in a handful of goth standards (all-black outfit, cats, lots of cats) a healthy dose of horror memes (golems, spirits) and of of course, swap the gender -- Emily is a girl, of course, and the story is told via her journal. It's a fun mix, and the authors use the format to pull a twist on you halfway though.
Pluses - Emily is engaging, she's got a lot of spirit, but also depth. Although she's a Fowl-like super-genius (the DoD pays her NOT to productize her stupendous inventions) things do go wrong, she freaks out sometimes, but she always thinks her way out of various scrapes. The book carries an undercurrent of empowerment...no deus ex machina, and certainly she doesn't need her (one) parent to help her out of scrapes. Other interesting themes I think work for the age bracket The story really looks at her evil side -- Emily loves to play pranks, she's a bit of a misanthrope, and we see her come to terms with it. We also see her define her foundation of humanity -- Emily doesn't hurt people, cares a lot for animals, has a definite moral code. Another theme - finding your people. Like the first book, Emily finds people she gets along with, but it isn't the popular kids, and not the vanilla adults. It's probably a good book for kids feeling like misfits, helping them see the world has a place for everyone. That the authors get that all done without a hint of preachiness, with a solid story most of the way, is worthy of mention.
Minuses are few - the book took a bit to get going on the main story. There is a lot of dithering about (literally) as Emily executes a master class of procrastination as they are supposed to move house. There is some setup there but IMO it took a while to get going. Use of 'retarded' (rare, but it is there) and highlighting 'loonies' in the 'loony bin' work with the spirit of this story but considering how militant my kids are against stigmatizing the mentally ill, I could see some parents objecting. ...more
Grudging, the prequel, gives Hauck a lot of momentum, and she takes the story forward from the beginning. You meet the same characters while the authoGrudging, the prequel, gives Hauck a lot of momentum, and she takes the story forward from the beginning. You meet the same characters while the author expands on their relationships (interpersonal and social) -- and they drive the book as much as the big-picture plot, which I like. The true conflict underlying the first book's contest get unearthed here, and it's enough to scare the most seasoned warrior. WE also see a nicely done romance grow, and like her approach to the fantastic, Hauck plays her hand with subtlety. No uncomfortable moments. Which is odd when you reflect on her handling of action, as noted in the Grudging review, which is exciting, crisp, but starkly brutal. There's a lot of blood. I mean, a LOT. That's an interesting dichotomy and I have to think there is a reason she structured the story that way.
So, yes, there are battles big and small and they are nasty, as they should be. Repercussions are serious, and drive character development. Excellent stuff, this is fantasy grown up.
This is a middle-of-the-trilogy book but it's got a solid climax and is a satisfying read. And yet, it sure makes you winder, what's next....
No work is perfect, and this is a review, but there is not much to say to the downside. Haucks writing is delightfully straightforward, her vision clear, the depth of the culture delivered without overwhelming the reader. there is a bit of navel-gazing going on, perhaps a tad heavy now and then, but none of it stopped me from reading a chapter father than I'd planned each night....more
Grudging sucked me in immediately. I really appreciated Michelle's ability to sketch a scene with just the right amount of detail, color, and smell, aGrudging sucked me in immediately. I really appreciated Michelle's ability to sketch a scene with just the right amount of detail, color, and smell, and enable my imagination to fill the rest. Not overdone but the bones are good and they evoke the world clearly in my head. The characters similarly are neatly done, and the plot, perhaps is her greatest strength. The tension is built right off the bat and she keeps the tension going throughout the book. Also, Hauk takes care to build a world around her characters that provides depth, in culture, setting, language, custom -- and the fantastic element, which is delightfully understated. No over-the-top magic wielding, magic is hard, and it has a cost to the wielder, as it should.
That said, I did have trouble about a third of the way in, when character motivation, to me, did not jive with what I felt would be 'right.' I put the book down for a week before coming back to it and then raced through to the end. I recognize that the scene Hauk write had to have a certain structure, and perhaps the build-up could have been different nonetheless, the book kept me seeing the world, and her characters continued to build on me.
The last major strength I think bearing mention is the action scenes. From the very first assault on the young protagonist, Hauk shows an expert hand at depicting action. This is often graphic and brutal, which might catch some readers off guard. The book veers slightly towards horror in that regard, and it works. In this book battles are marked by violence and bloodletting. Violence is not the focus of the story -- that is where it differs say from a horror tome -- but it is built into the book in an integral way. On to the sequel, which I purchased immediately on finishing this novel. Well done....more
I was not going to do the star rating as I'm not an 11-year-old kid and truly I think you have to be 11 to put a rating on this book. But then the wifI was not going to do the star rating as I'm not an 11-year-old kid and truly I think you have to be 11 to put a rating on this book. But then the wife explained, you idiot, that'll show up as a zero-star rating!
As an adult, I enjoyed it.
When one picks up a book purporting to be 'strange' one hopes the author achieves a truly oddball bent, and avoids common traps of childrens' books, such as telling lessons, princes saving princesses and magic wardrobes. The author succeeded at that, and the book was comfortably oddball and quirky. However, you've got to have some mechanisms, and the mechanisms are suitably odd.
I liked that the plot was completely unpredictable. Although to an adult, some of the conflicts were solved with just a touch of grit, tension and threat, I remember well enough reading books as a lad that had my blood going, which upon later inspection proved tame to an adult reader. I think this is such a book. For the right audience, I suspect it'll be baffling, fun and weird. ...more
This is the collection of the pseudonymous Charlotte Shane's blog as a sex worker (her term is prostitute). It's unique in how raw and immediate it isThis is the collection of the pseudonymous Charlotte Shane's blog as a sex worker (her term is prostitute). It's unique in how raw and immediate it is.
In the first two thirds of the book, Shane presents her early and middle years doing sex work and it is a harrowing tale that would give any father nightmares. She depicts extreme sexual positions, pain, discomfort, and sexual torture with an air of sometimes wounded but defiant bravado. In the last third, she is in more control, yet still occasionally takes johns she shouldn't -- just to prove she can control them. Control is a big theme in this work; for example, she doesn't like pain, but takes on as a sub in order to test herself.
The writing is episodic and, early on, often very disjointed with few clues as to setting and participants. Later, it is still episodic, but more context is given and becomes more reflective, though there is no overall theme to pull the book together. It does, however, depict in brutal honesty the trade of high-priced escort. Money, sex, saps who fall for her, kindness, degradation, philosophy, glamour and adventure. It does get a bit repetitious with certain themes (men calling her beautiful, for example). The last bit (Volume II) is a series of vignettes, with more attention to setting, each with a mini theme -- but all over the map as far as time....more
I continue my reading of women writers with Erica Jong. I picked Jong for a couple reasons. One, I knew she wrote about the human condition from a womI continue my reading of women writers with Erica Jong. I picked Jong for a couple reasons. One, I knew she wrote about the human condition from a woman's point of view. She'd be helpful to me in depicting realistic female characters -- especially ones who are in conflict with their society. Also, I'd picked up this book years back when I was working and, reading part of it, found it accessible and fun. I always wanted to read the whole thing. Coming after Nin, Jong was in many ways a continuum: very psychological, presents a character who is steeped in psychoanalysis and surrounded by psychoanalysts, facing an essential duality, and who is preoccupied with sexual fulfillment. D. H. Lawrence is a major figure in both works as well, oddly enough.
Compared to Anais Nin, I found Jong an easier read. In contrast to Nin, this is not a journal, but a fictional memoir, a vehicle for Jong to explore her own passage into fully-realized adulthood. Whereas Nin was a predator, like a tiger-cum-tasmanian devil rampaging through the jungle (well, France) like a trucker at an all-you-can-eat buffet, Jong's protagonist Isadora is more of a furry little woodland animal that, knowing where her burrow is, and how cozy it might be, is driven to search out new climes. Isadora's is a circular story: she starts with husband Bennett, goes on an excursion with another man, exploring her past along the way, is dropped off and abandoned, hits rock bottom and climbs out, finding completion as a fully actualized adult, back with her husband. Nin's Diary is by definition a slice of life, with growth along the way, for sure, but no closure.
Another difference is that Nin had as many quotable lines on a page as John has in a chapter. That's not a slight on Jong, she has some trenchant quotes, such as "Never fuck a psychoanalyst is my advice to all you young things out there" and, regarding her husband's silent approach to sex: "How did I know that a few years later, I'd feel like I was fucking Helen Keller?" (p. 30). And, of course, it was in this book she introduced the 'zipless fuck,' a classic Jong-ism which entered the mainstream in the seventies. But Jong's book is a narrative, she tells a tale, more so than Nin, who analyzed every moment of her life in her journals.
In addition to her disarming frankness, Jong has a wonderful sense of pathos, and weaves it with black humor. Entranced by the ashing Adrian, who grabs her butt, the lonely, unfulfilled and Jewish Isadora writes "All I wanted was for him to press my ass again. I would have followed him anywhere. Dachau, Auschwitz, anywhere" (p. 24).
And there is the lyrical Jong. Like her protagonist, Isadora, Jong was a poet, and now and then she really lets loose, often delivering sensitive subjects with both resounding frankness and lyricism, often mixing the raw and the delicate in the same passage. She introduces the essence of Isadora's disaffection thus:
"But what about all those other longings which after a while marriage did nothing to appease? The restlessness, the hunger, the thump in the gut, the thump in the cunt, the longing to be filled up, to be fucked through every hole, the yearning for dry champagne and wet kisses, for the smell of peonies in a penthouse on a June night, for the light at the end of the pier in Gatsby..."
This is a good, not great, survey of the experiences of Muslim women in the US. There are a wide variety of experiences, and some common themes. HowevThis is a good, not great, survey of the experiences of Muslim women in the US. There are a wide variety of experiences, and some common themes. However I found many of the stories a bit distant, not really engaging the reader. Academic in tone, I guess is a good description. Not all of them are that way - there are a couple which are electric and engaging and you get a feeling for the woman behind the story. It is surprising to read how common polygamy is, even in the US. ...more
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