Papa H

For Christmas Mo bought me several books that connect me to Papa Hemingway and by extension Key West . The first, I Killed Hemingway, is a fine work of fiction by author William McCranor Henderson. Our main man, one Elliot McGuire, is assigned to check out a claim put forward by a man known as 'Pappy' Markham that he not only knew Hemingway but was, in fact, his murderer. Recognizing that this revelation would rock the literary world, McGuire heads to Key West to check out the story for the publisher who is interested in publishing the man's memoir. Ostensibly our man is fact checking, in reality he's doing little more than rubber stamping the project. Roped in to the intrigue, McGuire lends his hand to the telling of the tale, only to find himself readdressing a past he'd thought he buried.

Henderson's story is compelling, keeping readers en rapt with details from Hemingway's life as they are being retold by the irascible Pappy. Character's names are drawn from Hemingway's history- i.e. McGuire's love interest's first name is Lyn- a reference to the biographer Kennith Lynn and the spin on his life (which is all pure fiction according to Pappy) is amusing.  Although the final chapters are rushed and ridiculous, the preceding 250 pages are worth the price of admission and readers may find themselves drawn into the real life drama of Hemingway once the final curtain is drawn.



Next up to bat?  I am in the midst of reading a book called Hemingway's Suitcase- a work of fiction by McDonald Harris. Delving a bit more into the legend's life from a fictional character's perspective, it seems the lost manuscripts that Hadley (Hemingway's first wife) lost have been found. Are they real or are they memorex? I'll let you know...




All this takes me back to the porch I wish I could sit on, tossing about plots and poetic musings. I wouldn't mind reclining here to stir the muse one bit...

 

To Be Human is to be a Conversation

Andrea Rexilius debut's in the world of publishing with an amalgamation of poetry, essay, and memoir as it relates to her sister- twins with the same name who meet after a decade of life. Wading through the deep waters of knowing and not knowing, understanding and misconception, she explores the relationship that develops between the two even as they speak different languages yet sleep in the same bed, learning to read each other's thoughts before foreign words are uttered. Moving from memory to expression, the author tells us, "Our first conversation was performed by the body. An electrical charge, the light of sentences... A streak of light between our edges. It's true I could no longer say the word "I," to bear meaning. I flat-lined into "beyond the body," a darkness spreading, darkness gaining shape and I saw, the pupil of my eye forming, and then I saw her black hair."

Rexilius has presented us with a thought provoking and moving account of her awakening relationship with her (as I understand it) step-sister. Moving between genres with amazing swiftness, the reader is not jarred by the change so deftly is each section crafted. Poetry is inserted into essay and memoir as air is breathed between word. The format is body, swaying and dancing it's way through relationship. Easily read in a sitting, yet more profoundly understood if read over and over so intelligently is the text handled.*

*Disclaimer: Andrea Rexilius is a friend and former co-worker at the library. However, I would never give her a good review simply because she is a friend. If this were a poorly written book, it would behoove me to tell readers this.If, however, I were afraid our friendship would be harmed by a bad review I would simply not review her book.
______________________________________


Corporate Tax Dodgers and Tax protests hosted by MoveOn.org at Meanderings of a Wandering Mind! 

The Place in Flowers where Pollen Rests

When Maurice first introduced me to Paul West, he said, "Paul West can ride a metaphor longer than almost any writer I know of today." Astounding words to be said of any writer but more astonishing when you realize just how many books Paul West has written. The bibliography, were I to post it here would be long (24 by Wikipedia's count!), but even that does nothing to express to you the richness of the content of the books. How does one man have the sheer strength of word to write so richly, so compellingly in book after book, I cannot possibly say. But, I would perhaps like to drink a bit of the water that he is drinking, if it's contagious...

The Place in Flowers Where Pollen Rests

Oswald has reappeared in Palookaville, returned with a secret that's darker than a starless night on the reservation. Was he the one who killed her? He'd had his hand on her throat but they'd all been involved, was it his grip or one of the other actors who had finally caused her to turn blue from being held so tightly for so long? It was on the tape but he wasn't waiting around to find out and who was going to come looking for him on the Reservation? And as his Uncle George The Place in Flowers Where Pollen Rests nears death, Oswald finds a place to hide in caring for his invalid relation. As time passes however and their relationship deepens, Oswald's "care" amounts to little more than fussing while the nurse becomes reliant upon patient. When at last their earthly relationship is severed, Oswald is still haunted by his uncle's presence as he wanders through the swamps of Vietnam where he builds a "gook" from body parts of the dead that lie all about until he's finally sent home and back where he began. Back in his own village he finds the truth of his own narrative and attempts to find his place among the living as story teller in his own right.

Although the story seems straight forward and clear as described on the book jacket (and as I have described it), there is nothing linear or clean about Paul West's writing. From the first sentence you are on a wild ride of metaphor and description that forces you to pause and look back or wonder and reread and digest. It is as though you were eating the best meal you could possibly imagine and couldn't get enough, yet sometimes you just get full and need some time to let the food settle before you can sit back at the table to eat again. In one particular spot a single sentence flows through three pages! In another, a simple paragraph that concerns Oswald giving back his phone... "He phoned the phone company and handed back the shiny set. Now he had no number in his life" Here is a craftsman, whose intention is not to describe the phone but everything about loneliness and a man who was going to miss the half-life his character has built for himself as he moves on to think of his uncle who "shuttled back and forth between uncle and apparition... more like a cloud with a voice, a mesa in his own right." Poetry in motion, the story moves without the reader realizing they are being taken on an adventure. Oscar's time in Vietnam, begins midway and lasts a third of the book, is a cacophonous event that keeps the reader riveted even as the colors deepen and darken, twist and deviate. Characters flow in and out of focus showing us West's impeccably chosen dialogue. Each person has it's own lilt and sway as though you can see them walking down the street, smell their perfume. A masterpiece written by a master story teller, this has "Written for Hollywood" no where on it. It is simply too complex and lyrical to be on the big screen. I highly recommend this book to all who are ready to face the Mount Everest of fiction.

The Lady in the Tower

With the release of 'The Tudors' Showtime has reignited a long held fascination with one of Britain's most significant monarchs Henry the Eighth. While the show is not intended to be a historical reenactment by any means, it nevertheless attracts viewers who enjoy high drama in any time period, others who may have a passive interest in history but love nicely put together TV mini-series or even the actual history buff who simply loves historical reenactments and are willing to forgive it's transgresses into the less-than-historical. (For my part, the show is a combination- but the sexual tension- and sex scenes- of Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn was by far the best part of the show).

Capitalizing on this renewed interest, Alison Weir puts a more intense spotlight on one of the women in Henry the Eighth's life who held perhaps the most controversial role of any woman in Britain's history. That woman is, of course, Anne Boleyn.

Coming to the topic with a great deal of study and expertise (she's written two other books on the Tudor era), the author comes to her subject as no plebe. Her sources are often primary- at least as primary as one can get on a woman who was highly politicized and motivation is generally suspect- and where secondary sources are used, they are generally scholarly studies of the period. At times her scholarship takes leave and allows a chuckle, for example her query into whether one woman who had suffered under the same malaise as Anne Boleyn had been beheaded because she actually was a witch! Otherwise her seriousness and attendance to detail befit the academic world she appears to be addressing. And sometimes addressing directly (and with the same dryness, I might add). Midway (in the book, not the island) she hits her stride and the reader is compelled by the final days of the queen and the five men who met their death alongside her to continue turning pages.

Having, perhaps, nothing new (what is there really "new" to say about a woman who has been dead over 400 years?) to say concerning the life and times of the second wife of the Eighth Henry in general, she telescopes the final days of Miladies life between the accusations of adultery and treason mid April to the detaching of head from neck May the nineteenth. A busy and tumultuous time for the Queen one doesn't doubt, yet the inconclusivity in any direction makes one wonder why she spotlights this particular period in the queen's life when there are other questions that remain unanswered. For example, in discussing the motivations and intrigues of the accusations and eventual demise of the woman, her relationship to her husband is frequently referred to, yet never described with enough detail to be convincing. The same would be true of her relationship to Cromwell. To analyze this small passage of the lady's life means neglecting history which leads directly to motive which leaves the reader feeling as though they have walked into a film in the final moments of it's conclusion. If the author's sole intent was to assume a scholarly argument for the academic world alone, then she has succeeded splendidly. But if she is writing for the laypersons edification, then she has left readers with a sketchy sketching at best.

The Egyptian book of life

I picked up a book yesterday that I thought was interesting but didn't finish it because I immediately realized that there were problems with it. The title sounded good "The Egyptian book of life". I look at the author's credentials and am a little leary but the fact that she has not had any official degrees in egyptology or ancient religions can be deceiving. So giving her the benefit of the doubt, I open the book, "The ancient Egyptians' concept of neteroo was similar to our own in that they, too, recognized primordial forces that govern all matter and can be unified as One." That is quite a statement on her part- she only has a few sketchy endnotes citing sources. Hmmm...

But she goes on... In the next paragraph, the author claims that ancient egyptians had stories the correlated to what scientists have since found evidence of: that life first evolved from primordial sludge. And how the Egyptians came to this scientific find? Well, they just knew, I guess. Or they had some innate knowledge that they carried within them... who knows?

And that was when I closed the book.

It is easy to spot an imposter. Her "credentials" were related to meditation and mantras-- spiritual exercises not religious studies. Never mind that her postulations have no basis in any archeological findings. She has one short paraphrased segment which she attributes to Zahi Hawass, (a story he tells of finding a tomb) Yet he is one of the foremost Egyptologists of our time! Ignoring him as a source for some of her more historic claims, she leaps to conclusions that are highly suspect because they have more to do with the "wisdom" she claims to dispense than it does with anything we really know.

Folks! Beware those that say what you want to hear in order to make money. They are like fortune tellers- they know how to say what people want to hear with the hopes that pocket books will also open. (Some time groovygrrl should tell us about her experience as a fortune teller. It's very entertaining!)

Superstition

Book reviewing might be subtitled "the good, the bad and the ugly"

On the other side of the spectrum from the one that Mr. Crossley-Holland has set forth (below), comes Robert L. Park's...

I have just begun it and am not reading it exclusively but at the beginning of the book he discusses the current movement among religious sects to try and unite science with religion.

In the first few pages (after revealing the mounds of money available to scientists who support and argue for intelligent design) he goes on to address the "Anthropic Principle", the principle which claims that "The fundamental parameters of the universe are such as to permit the creation of observers within it." or as he paraphrases so well... "If things were different, things would not be the way things are."

He addresses more directly a 2001 analysis of the anthropic principle "Probabilities and the Fine-Tuning Argument: a Skeptical View" by Timothy McGrew, Lydia McGrew, and Eric Vestrup. They wrote, "The Principle of Indifference: it is unreasonable to suggest that any one range of values for the constants is more probable a priori than any other similar range." Taking the author's claim on from a slightly different angle than is generally heard, Park brilliantly responds, "If the universe is designed for life, it must be said that it is a shockingly inefficient design. There are vast reaches of the universe in which life as we know it is clearly impossible: gravitational forces would be crushing, or radiation levels are too high for complex molecules to exist, or temperatures would make the formation of stable chemical bonds impossible. Even in our own solar system it seems increasingly likely that Earth is the only outpost of life. The search for life to which we are not related-- exterrestrial life-- is perhaps the greatest quest of science, but so far it has been disappointing. Fine-tuned for life? It would make more sense to ask why God designed a universe so inhospitable to life."

Crossing two pair-a-dice?

Crossing to Paradise
By: Kevin Crossley-Holland

Lengthening his stay at the shores of the middle ages, Crossley-Holland recycles a supporting character from his Arthur Trilogy for his most recent adventures. Conscripted into a local lady’s service, Gatty is rounded up with seven other loosely bound individuals to aid the Lady Gwenyth in a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Gatty quickly finds herself in a whorl of excitement from the first moment they set off- getting lost on the dark and dodgy streets of London, rescuing a compatriot when he nearly tumbles to his death and hitting the high seas on the final leg into Jerusalem- all setting Gatty on the adventure of a lifetime.

Crossley-Holland’s humdrum, yet action-packed (really there is almost too much action) adventure is fairly common in the marketplace of children’s books – or perhaps it might be better said to be too common and indistinct from the multitudes of children’s book on the shelves today. The adventure itself may keep a young reader's attention long enough to hit the streets of Jerusalem- and they won’t suffer greatly from the lack of prose but it's not a peanut-butter story. Unfortunately the author has chosen to use his middle England to Jerusalem setting as a backdrop for an introduction to modern Christianity. Third person narrative is used to put forth an ideology as in one particular scene where Gatty is lost in London. The third person narrative chimes in, "God took pity on Gatty" using the omniscient perspective to explain how it was that Gatty suddenly remembered where the group was going to stay. In other spots this same "voice" refers to “Jesus” as though he were a character in the book. In addition to this, the character's faith is often littered with a modern theology that would have been unfamiliar to people of the time. Prayers offered by the characters of the book are answered—an easy way to include a god personage into the story without preaching.

In historical fiction, the author walks a tightrope of reality and make-believe and when an author takes license with the historical realities of the period, they risk losing the story. In this case, the historical inaccuracies by and large seem directly aimed at propagating an ideology as opposed to a lack of research on the part of the author.

As a former member of said religious affiliation, I can testify to the intention of Christian believers to spread the good news in just such a way. It was a widely taught method-- living the gospel rather than preaching it (which sounds inoccuous enough). Unfortunately in LIFE, living out perfection is much more complicated and the technique is generally not a successful method of proselytizing. In fiction it is a much more effective tool because the author can make sure god does the things that Christians believe god does or want him to do. And, as a former Christian, I considered these matters myself in my own writings-- In fact, the author's example may set a standard for just how a christian author can include christianity in as subtle and seemingly harmless way in their writing as possible. By using the third person to include jesus and god in the narrative, a Christian worldview is presupposed. Christians believe that god answers prayer-- a fiction writer can make god answer the prayer. Christians believe that jesus hears their prayers-- a fiction writer can say "jesus heard her prayers." Using this authoritative voice, the author then presents his or her religious ideology without a sermon. Using their imagination, they create the world they want to have, the one where christians have peace that others don't have or have god's guidance in the dark of night or are better than other people are because god changed them.

They, in essence, create their own reality.

Holland’s stories, while not a sampling for a Billy Graham revival, are firmly rooted in Christian theology and utilize a technique for proselytizing that is just as insidious as the 'Left Behind' series. Avoid them!

A must read!!!

Having scored a high five on an opinion piece he wrote for the Wall Street Journal I decided it was time to include a review of his latest and greatest "The Wrecking Crew". Frank is a progressive, not a liberal-- in other words, he stays away- far away- from the social (or "value") agenda of the liberals and looks at what the political machine is producing and HOW it has been produced. He scrutinizes the right but does not stray away from criticizing the left-- at all. And sounding a bell that is rarely rung (and definitely not rung by even the most "liberal" media outlets on television), he joins Naomi Klein ("The Shock Doctrine") and Susan Jacoby ("The age of American Unreason") in a bell trio that simply rings.

And the scenario is clear: We're in big trouble.

Frank gets that camel right through the eye of a needle as he points out that we don't have a Bush problem we have a system failure. The system no longer works-- well, it works for the corporations. In fact, it is a government for the corporations, of the corporations, by the corporations. Socialism -- the idea that the government should regulate industry and watch out for the best interest of the people is no longer part of the equation-- at least in the DC math-- the "new math". And this is where Frank hits the point so brilliantly. He weaves together the policies of the past with the consequences of today-- When Reagan said famously "government is the problem" he really set wheels in motion that resonate- even guide- today. And paradoxically He started something that he was then able to control (inept government officials then create an inept government)-- so proving his statement.

And it worked! If you take a look at the common attitude of the average American toward government today it's interesting that the mythology that government workers are lazy and incompetent is now so pervasive-- as opposed to corporate workers who are assumed to be so much more efficient and hard working. HA! But with that as a fundamental knee jerk reaction, the right then gives more and more money to corporations in order to privatize- privatize- privatize--. After all why hire government workers when you can pay corporations to do the "same" work (although as we have seen the last 8 years, the private companies do NOT do the same or better work). Thus, the left has allowed the right to control the argument -which is what Frank then hits on in his opinion piece when he lambastes the Obama administration for their dangerous mindset of centrism. We need change in ideology not modification to get us by!

But when Reagan set the tone, he cemented the argument. There is now no real "left" there is only less right-- and most of what is "liberal" about the left is concerned with "values": gay rights, civil rights, etc... And they (the politicos) are happy to keep the "little people" distracted with those "issues"... meanwhile the true agenda of the right is completely ignored (and, frankly, democrats have bought into it too): looting the public treasury.And that is what Frank shows over and over again.

With Nostradamic insight, Frank's omniscience is almost frightening! He point us directly to the "whys" and "hows" of not only the new administration but the actions of the entire Washington infrastructure. Listening to Obama yesterday I was struck by his continuation of a Bush theme-- this "volunteerism will save us" mantra. No! Sorry!! Government has gotten us where we are and government needs to get us out. The government has to watch out for the people. By refusing to address the core values of the corporate world where government is the problem and the free market will save us... and fundamentally change the way government itself operates, the disastrous road we're currently on will barrel us pellmell toward more crisis like-- well, you name it, the terrible "recovery" (or lack thereof) in Louisiana... Iraq... Afghanistan... and on and on.

Like Michaelangelo with a paintbrush Frank adds depth and detail to how the Bush administration was happy to have people think they were just bungling things because G.W. was/IS an idiot when the truth is that they don't want government to be a part of the solution- they, again, want to BE the problem so that the American public won't object to the use of public money to pay private companies to "fix" things: an attitude that has been prevalent since the Reagan administration (and was actually germinated at the birth of this country and furthered by the Nixon Administration) but which now reaches, oh so accommodatingly, across the isle to the democrats.

The real problem with political discourse today is that too many people don't understand that there is a real ideology that has carried us this far and it is the ideology that needs to be fought. The social agendas of the common folk are meaningless drivel for both parties- ways to keep us voting for them. They are like magicians-- watch what the left hand is doing so the right hand can do the magic of putting money in their pockets. And it's really easy when the media is pointing to the left hand too! (More regulation problems as the media outlets are controlled by so few and those few are corporately owned! And yes, the corporations DO influence what we see on television. Watch 'Madmen' on AMC!)

And Obama? Sure the public face on it will change. We'll sound much more compassionate! We'll appear to be "changing" things. We'll all sound smarter by having him as our Pres.! But the reality that government is still looking out for big business's best interests will still be at the center of how our government operates. That is what Frank is concerned about-- he does not see a new mindset about government's role coming with Obama- he sees more of the same based on what he knows about how Washington operates.

Proof of what Frank says lies in Obama's first response to the banking industry's failure-- he supported bailout rather than actively beginning dialogue about meaningful regulation over the banking industry (yes, I know there is some talk about regulation but all reports since the monies were released reveal that there is nothing binding and certainly no will for follow through). That reveals the ideology influencing the backbone of his policies--. Looking back at it, the banking industry clearly used the crisis to get government money-- they aren't using the money to help people make their payments or save their homes. They are not changing their business practices. They are paying their CEOs their bonuses and handing out more questionable credit to the American people (a superficial prop that allows us, the people, to spend, spend, spend making us all slaves to our mortgages and credit cards) so they, the CEOs and corporate heads, can continue on their way of corruption and greed. What resonates with me from his speech was his distinct lack of vision for what the government really should be doing-- his laying down the gauntlet, so to speak, on the people of this country to fix things, help the neighbor, etc. Compassion and helping a neighbor is not going to fix things! At least not that kind of compassion!

But the kind of compassion that requires real change is something we should all be focused on. We, as a people, can and should be pressuring the government to find solutions that are in the best interest of ALL people. We can and should be aware of how the corporations are taking over our government and we should be pressuring our congressmen and senators to drop the hand of the industries they support. We can and should be educated enough to understand the ideologies that drive our nation's leaders. But we can't and we shouldn't fix things in a superficial way that are really only intended to keep us from looking at the real solutions that are viable...

The solutions which make government accountable.

A must read for those interested in seeing true change come to America.

The patron saint of butterflies

Agnus and Honey are best friends but really more like sisters. Raised in a Christian commune from birth, the story unfolds in alternating points of view, as one girl strives for acceptance by following the rules to try and reach perfection-- sainthood, while the other struggles for control of her own destiny. When Agnes’ grandmother arrives unexpectedly during a high holiday, her little brother is seriously injured and fate steps in, offering a new life to both girls. Taut drama erupts with their escape as the girls react differently to their freedom, the truths that are revealed, and each girl struggles to find the courage to make their own life.

While examining the extremities of religious thought- this story does not move beyond relevance for the mainstream evangelical or catholic. Although the author clearly has no intention of taking any hard hits at the garden variety belief in god or mainstream religions, the fundamental questions that believers have are still evident and faith is revealed to be as fleeting and mobile as the latest religious leader. In The Patron Saint of Butterlies, Emmanuel, leader of the commune, is the maker of the rules and it is he who emphasizes just which of the commands are the most important and reveals how they should be interpreted. The small community of believers follow him as though he were Christ himself but with no less zealotry than Billy Graham fans, Benny Hinn audience, or the Papal devotees. His hypocrisy is blatant and crystalline but no less pharisaic than the religious leaders that stand behind the pulpit of Smalltown Community Church USA. God in all these cases is being defined by a person or people (a brief look back at church history will make that clear)- the radicalness or randomness of the belief system has more to do with how accustomed to the belief we are then it's relevance or reasonableness. The abuse in the story is physical and brutal making the rebellion of Honey believable and understandable. But not all abuse is that overt- guilt and threats of hell having as devastating an effect on the psyche as any cat o'nine tailed beating, and the church in all it's stripes has mastered the office of emotional blackmail. Agnes's struggle and her reluctance to leave the community is most keenly understood from that perspective- she has been brainwashed into believing that the leader has the very ear of god. Her soul's destiny after death rests on god's grace which is defined by Emmanuel as well as her parents. She trusts them with the childlike faith that every child offers to their parents, and they, in return, give her half (quarter, one-eighth??) truths, press on her their own unwitting, unquestioning belief in lies and outright lies they themselves tell. She only begins to question her faith when the truth is unfurled before her like a tapestry. Although occasionally tripping up on the toes of how to describe the newness of life as they travel away from the only life they ever knew, this is an intriguing insider look at a hidden world as well as a provocative challenge that real life happens beyond the borders of religious structures.

Tall and Proud

Written in 1973 by children's author, Vian Smith, the author gave horse lovers a treat with this wonderful story about a girl and her horse. When the main character contracts polio in a nearby stream, she struggles to learn to walk again. Her mother, overcome with guilt and pity for her child, does not have the heart to push her daughter the way the doctors and nurses urge her to. When it is obvious that the girl is losing what strides she had made (polio cases were often met with nearly full recovery if caught in time...), her father decides to buy an old race horse as motivation for his daughter's recovery.

Deftly and beautifully written with an eye toward the problem with pity and the need to challenge ourselves. Easily recommended for kids who are facing physical or emotional handicaps as well as young equestrians... and not bad for parents and teachers either!

Calvino

New to the world of Italo Calvino, I was taken aback by his direct and colorful style. He begins this literary journey by speaking directly to his readers, and in fact pulling you into the novel by including you and what you are experiencing. He guides you to a comfortable place to open your book then takes you to your discovery of a book. Unfortunately the book is incomplete so you begin to search for the rest of the book, thirsting to know the rest of the story. Another Reader is introduced with the same problem only her journey is driven from a different motivation and the two of you head out, intrigued and perplexed. You think you found it and alas! it is not the same book but quite a different one. What a disappointment!! You scan the pages of this new book, quickly getting caught up only to find it ends without a conclusion-- so beginning another search for yet another book. By the end of the novel, you have wound your way, not through one story but approximately 10 different stories and the conclusion is... Well, I don't want to spoil it.

His style is, hmmm..., you could almost say he doesn't have A Style. Each story is written with a decidedly different flavor that gives the reader the feeling that they have actually had the experience. It's an witful adventure that will keep you turning pages into the wee. Translator William Weaver has skillfully managed the author's intent without diluting the author's lyrical tone. A masterfully written book... difficult to find in bookstores but a real and more than satisfying treasure hunt. If you're looking for a journey of the mind (what with travel prohibitively expensive these days), Calvino will take you down a path that ever winds and always twists and, you hope, never ends.


WARNING: Calvino is one of those "literature" writers whom readers now disdain for pop stuff but his work is far from the rocky shores of the literati that college students have as a "must-read" and is out on the high seas.

So you want to hear more?

Glancing around the bookstore today, I considered my negative remarks concerning the junk that is considered fiction writing that is available on the shelves of bookstores today... and I wished I had included names like Madeleine Wickham/Sophie Kinsella, Jane Green, Emily Griffin, Meg Cabot, Ann Brashares... well, just about anyone who can write a book in a year is NOT writing literature. I also considered my probably unpopular remarks concerning these writers and thought, "tough sh--" these women are making money writing the piffle that is left in the bottom of the sink after you've washed dishes. And as a feminist, nay, as a thinking human it is my responsibility to call them to task for the dreck they cloak in terms like "writing" or "authoring". No, they are harming us all by feeding us the same fish that caused the seamen to spasm in agony. We would be better off to tell them to find another profession that does honor to our gender rather than debase us publicly. Meanwhile, women who are putting their hearts and minds into the offering, are often looked over or completely rejected in the publishing world! It is time for this to stop!

You might say, "Well, what can I do? I am just one person. My choosing this other, lesser known writer is not going to change anything." Yet, what happens when you find something so beautiful that it silences the soul and causes you to pause in the everydayness to savor beauty? You tell others and soon the sky is illuminated like the sky at sunrise. All around benefit from the light. Great writing can do that...

You might also think to yourself, embarrassed to say it out loud "They're too hard!" Like Samantha on John Stewart, "Ow, ow, ow, you're hurting my girl brain." I would challenge you, dear reader, that if reading beauty and word filled melodies causes you to think harder than you might want to, that it is necessary, perhaps even dire, for to put your ill-at-ease aside and take up the most challenging novel you can find (and by challenging I do not mean BORING- there is plenty of "literature" out there that is just plain wordy and boring. Don't bother with that!) and take it in and find your way through it. You may find yourself along the way...

P.S. And if you are a writer who aspires to more than pop fadness, then you owe it to your craft to read what you want to write. Reading the best can only cause you to write your best.

P.S.S. And I might add... for those who like to think of themselves as "different" or "radical" or an "individual", the stream is against your finding great literature. Publishers are not really interested in developing great writers, they are merely interested in the bottom line. They market the writers that will produce a book a year because that is how they make money. They SELL them to you on a silver platter and it requires a bit of searching to find the great books. And though it's not popular to say this either-- there truly is a conspiracy to keep you from reading wonderful literature, (though it might not be with the intention of keeping the public from thinking -although it has that affect also), it is with the intention of separating you from your money. In the paraphrased words of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, "They're selling [you] a dream..." will you see through the disguise? (Full lyrics are at the bottom of my blog)

Touchy subject

What not to read:

I read great books all the time and am always astonished by how many people do not. Having spoken to people in Barnes and Noble (and believe me I am glad people even still BUY books-- let alone read them!) all the time about their favorite authors or what they consider a great book, I am really astonished to see so many of them reading...-- well, I'll just put it right out there-- they read crap. One popular author is Jodi Picoult. Women often ask me about her books- some for book clubs, others simply because she is soup de jour and they want something new. Her stories may grab readers the way a train wreck or an accident on the highway slows rush hour, but the poetry of language and the just-dropped-me-off-on-the-moon feel are absent. She is not the worst of the lot-- try some of the chick lit that is so insanely popular (and I would classify the Twilight series in this category) and you'll wonder. At least I hope you will.

There was a time when it was difficult for women to get published and the most they could hope to write was little more than romance smut. Today, women have the opportunity and are among the majority of writers, but seemingly not the will to write anything more challenging than a self-imposed pablum. One might guess as to why this is... The meat and potatoes of bookstores is the self-improvement section. Reading is on the decline and what is read seems to be escapist material. Best selling authors are rare and making money in the book industry is nearly impossible. If you want to sell books you have to pander to the collective taste it seems.

But perhaps this says more about the reader than the writer. For with the decline of great fiction comes a decline in our collective ability to recognize art from craft, symphony from band, pirouette from spin. If we continue to tell ourselves we need the mental escapism that popular fiction offers, we will soon find that we are unable to enjoy the poetry of the word, the music of the tallest of tales, the word beyond time. When you are at the bookstore next, pick up Jeanette Winterson's 'Written on the Body' (if you can find it!) or take a glimpse into Rikki Ducornet's new book 'The One Marvelous Thing.' Robert Chatain of the Chicago Tribune says of Ducornet, "[she] writes like a stunned time-traveler, testifying in breathless fragments to exotic ages that have gone or never were. . . . It's startling and refreshing to encounter a writer whose work insists so relentlessly upon the magic of making tales."

Today I will leave you with a taste of 'The Leper's Companions' by Julia Blackburn,
"The old fisherman stopped mending his nets. His hands were stiff and painful and he laid them side by side on his lap, the fingers bunched together like the feet of dead birds...
... [and] as long as he kept singing he was cocooned in images: he was out at sea among the rolling waves of a storm, the backs of whales and silver fishes breaking through the surface of the water all around him. A catch of living things was thrashing at his feet in the boat, struggling for breath. But then as soon as his voice was silent, he was only here, frail in the sunshine..."

My Bonny Light Horseman

Looking for some suspense and adventure in your life? Don't look to far abroad... with the same light, droll touch that characterizes the first five books in his series, Meyer once again heads onto the high seas with the cast of characters now familiar to Bloody Jack fans. When tumultuous heroine Jacky is captured (again!) and sure to face the noose, she avoids her fate by facing her most dire circumstances to date: a date with Napoleon! Rollicking and raucous, bordering on the bawdy, Meyer brings adventure back to the reading room with a flare that grabs hold of readers and keeps them to the final utterance. Although written for youth, the tale does not talk down and will capture young and old alike matey!

A book that isn't set aside just because the review is written!

Keep Watching

The short story is a work in progress... keep reading for updates!

Found a new book that looks interesting and is going on my christmas wish list: 'Eve, the history of an idea' by John A. Phillips. In this book Phillips looks at the myths of the ancient's Great Mother goddess and reveals how the biblical authors were rejecting and renouncing the goddess image in order to assert the godhead of the male figure yahweh (and thus a male centric culture). It looks to be a terrific source for further writing projects.

Also, when I googled the book, this website popped up and I thought it was worth further discussion: http://www.womenpriests.org/body/baring3.asp If you go there, tell me what you think. I don't think their biblical interpretations are going to hold water with the catholic church since most of what the church follows is tradition, not actual scholarship, but they have certainly pulled together some interesting information.

Book review

Book reviews will often be included on my blog (because reading is as important as writing!)

About a year ago, I picked up a book by Naomi Klein, having heard some buzz about how good it was. I read several paragraphs and decided it was a "must have" for the library I am in the process of cultivating. Little did I know what an awakening I would have as a result of Klein's work.

Opening with an interview Klein had with a woman who had been subjected to electric shock therapy, Klein explains the psychological damage that had been wrought upon the woman as a result of a specific branch of extreme psychological treatment that was being developed by a Dr. Ewan Cameron. Initially, it seems that Klein's book is a critique on electric shock therapy and a study on the psychiatric community... it is not.

She introduces Cameron as way to explain the tactics of the CIA and other investigative organisms in using torture even while all indicators show that torture in fact does not work. She reveals that there is no real intent on the part of the torturers to gain information or cooperation-- and ultimately it does not matter if the person that is being tortured is actually connected to the revolutionary or terrorist organization. These methods are used to break the opposition and shock them into submission.

Eventually these methods came to be used, not only as counterrevolutionary/ counterterrorism tactics in military operations, but applied to economics: and would be used in the ongoing war against socialism and those who oppose a free trade (or trade with the US) society. What follows is a brief albeit extensive and comprehensive look at the ideology of shock therapy directed toward the economies in Chile, Argentina, Poland, China, Russia and ... where else? Iraq. But not excluded from such harsh therapeutic treatments is the US (collapse of the housing market and banking systems). The Chicago school ideology tends to be less harsh toward the American economy which is why bailouts and government handouts are encouraged by these Friedman followers. Preparing us for the future-- or really today, Naomi Klein shows a keen understanding on the economic philosophy that is driving the foreign policy of the U.S.-- not just a critique of the current administration, but a connect-the-dots look at our relationships to other countries for the past fifty years.

Highly recommended to all who are preparing to vote!

Book of the year!

In response to the post of yesterday, I think it is even more important for all intelligent human beings to read 'The Age of America Unreason'. In this book, Susan Jacoby addresses the anti-intellectualism that is a part of the history of, and is still rampant in, this country. She points out periods of brief respite from these attitudes, when America led the way in intellectual thought and challenging ideas. But the all too brief modern renaissance was stifled and nearly quashed in the 70s when television began offering news in a much simpler and dumbed down format. Books and newspapers became passe- with newspapers capitulating to the forces at hand and dumbing down the more detailed information they offered- shortening articles and adding a sound bite quality to the articles. Couple this with deregulation of the media, allowing one corporation to own (and more importantly control!) the sources for news, public information became more and more limited. The internet has opened up some of these channels, but the anti-intellectual sentiment is strong on this venue as well. Anyone can say anything on the internet and since most have developed a lassez fair attitude toward research (which was encouraged by the influx of quick news on televison) what results is a mass of misinformation rather than a mass of information as some would claim. Anti-intellectualism also results in allowing anyone to be a so-called "expert" simply because they had an experience, read a few articles or decided to say they are. There is often no standard for showing any expertise. It is as though we have become a nation of snake oil salesmen- and for some reason we are okay with that.

It is this attitude that Jacoby reveals, analyzes brilliantly, dismantles and then moves the reader on, challenging them to pick up the gauntlet of reason and go out into the world armed with intelligence. This, she challenges, is the only way we will find our way out of this morass!