War Dances by Sherman Alexie

★★★½

Ken saw this book at the library and checked it out for me. It's the first book of Sherman Alexie's that I've read that does not focus entirely on Native American Indians. His other books that I've read tell fanciful tales of colorful characters who are young and unique and conflicted in some way about their American Indian-ness. This book's collection of short stories, however, featured mainly older, more mature characters who might even be considered average. They were regular people dealing with ordinary, or sometimes extraordinary, circumstances. While other Sherman Alexie books put the American Indian heritage and plight front and center, this book either keeps them in the background, or else excludes it entirely; there were a couple stories that didn't feature any American Indian characters at all. Mostly these books were about people, in general, and human nature. And I have to admit, one reason I like Sherman Alexie so much is because of the way he weaves the stories American Indians into other stories.

Still, as usual, Sherman Alexie wrote these pieces with wit, humor, and carefully crafted poetry disguised as prose. It did also include a number of actual poems, some light-hearted, all accessible. There were some pieces formatted like question-and-answer sessions, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from them, but if nothing else, they illustrated the way sometimes, the questions people ask are not the ones worth answering.

Flight by Sherman Alexie

★★★

Another Sherman Alexie book that Ken found on the library shelf. I hadn't even heard about this one, it's so recent. It was published in 2007; I was taken aback by a reference to Kanye West on the first page.

I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. There are certainly some elements of writing that are undeniably characteristic of Sherman Alexie, but this book is very different from the others I've read. I think it's young adult fiction, even though it wasn't in the young adult section of the library. The narrator is a teenage boy, a half-Indian/half-white orphan who uses profanity and disparages others, à la Holden Caulfield. He also travels in time, which was reminiscent of Slaughterhouse-Five. I actually can't remember much about either Catcher in the Rye or Slaughterhouse-Five, so that's where the similarities ended, and now I think maybe I should re-read those books.

Anyway, through his time traveling, the narrator explores questions of war and killing (e.g., Is killing ever justified?), and he learns that all people are imperfect and complex, as is humanity in general. I really liked the ending. I don't want to give it away, but it was nice that it ended with some hope.

Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie

★★★

I picked up Indian Killer at the library because I'm on a Sherman Alexie kick and this was the only book of his available. Being a psychological thriller about murder, it's not exactly the type of book I normally read. I was a bit apprehensive as I started reading, afraid I'd get nightmares or something, but the book quickly drew me in.

Indian Killer explores themes of identity and isolation across whites and Native Americans. There's the Indian man, adopted by white parents, who longs to be a "real" Indian. There's the white man who, as an orphaned child, convinced himself he was a "real" Indian and never let go of the idea. There's the half-white, half-Indian man who self-identifies as an Indian, but whose white father tried to beat the "hostile Indian" out of him as a child. There's the Indian woman, raised on a reservation but now in college, who is fiercely proud of her heritage, yet feels separated from her people because she's become a well-educated urban Indian. There's the white man who romanticizes the idea of Indians and considers himself an expert on Indians. And finally, there's the white man who feels a sense of guilt over the injustices Indians have suffered at the white man's hand.

This book lacked the wit and lyricism of the other Sherman Alexie books I've read, but I guess the genre didn't exactly call for it, either. As in his other books, the dialogue is powerful. It's well-written, and delves into the minds of many more characters than I would have expected, though I'm not sure I understood everyone's motivation. It ties up some loose ends I didn't even think would be tied, yet leaves a gaping hole where I felt sure I would be given answers.

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

★★★★★

I was pleased to find that Reservation Blues delves deeper into the lives of some of my favorite characters from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. The writing style is similar. It is still fantastical, but less so, and that actually makes it more approachable, in my opinion.

I think the big idea of this book can be summarized by this excerpt (from page 217 of my copy):

"They sort of felt like baby turtles left to crawl from birth nest to ocean all by themselves, while predators of all varieties came to be part of the baby turtle beach buffet. They sort of felt like Indian children of Indian parents."

Sherman Alexie writes poignantly about the adventures of an all-Indian rock band from the reservation, inserting his characteristic wry humor in unexpected places. He weaves together the stories and struggles of Indians and whites, traditional Indians and 20th century Indians, reservation Indians and urban Indians, drunk Indians and sober Indians, Indian men and Indian women, Indian children and Indian parents, and even Christian Indians and non-Christian Indians.

Much of the book unfolds with sadness and disappointment, and the lack of redemption given to some characters makes it all that much more heartbreaking. There is, at least, a sense of hope in the lives of two Native Americans doing the best they can, given their circumstances.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

★★★★

Another re-read. I picked up this book a year or two after seeing Smoke Signals in college. The movie was also written by Sherman Alexie and based on this book.

I'm not even white, and I feel a bit of white man's guilt at the plight of Native Americans. All too often, in history and the media, they are vilified, romanticized, or victimized. The Native Americans were the first people to have been given the short end of the stick by America, and unfortunately, on the whole, generally speaking, they have yet to rise up, yet to overcome their circumstances. (There is no Native American equivalent of Barack Obama or Sonia Sotomayor.) Here, Sherman Alexie gives voice to a people who have so much to tell.

Alexie's writing is sometimes poetic, sometimes fantastical. It's hard to know where the heartbreaking reality ends, and where the fanciful storytelling begins. I have to admit, I didn't always "get" what he was trying to say. Alexie is matter-of-fact while still finding humor in the oddest places. The stories are characterized by nostalgia and an even greater sense of loss: loss of tradition, loss of respect, loss of opportunity. Nevertheless, resilience and pride in the ways of the old tradition leave one with the hope that there's still a fighting chance.

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin

★★★

Jacques Pépin chronicles his life as a chef through a collection of anecdotes, and perhaps the book reads better if you imagine the words are being spoken by an older French gentleman telling you stories. He's had an amazingly broad range of experiences, and I learned a lot about American and French cuisine and culture, and what goes on behind those kitchen doors at restaurants.

His memories of his childhood and his stories about his family are heartwarming. His experiences as an apprentice in a traditional French kitchen are fascinating. He is funny when he describes his exploits foraging and otherwise obtaining fresh and/or local ingredients in America.

Every major life event is defined by what dishes are served and how the food is prepared, which made for very interesting reading at first, but which lost its allure after a dozen or so menus.

Frequently, it sounds as if Jacques Pépin is trying to put on his best face in this writing. While he certainly comes across as charming, playful, and even humble, there's still a hint of arrogance. He makes passing mention at topics that might shed light on a more complex individual (e.g., an addiction to Demerol, an intensive work and travel schedule that must have taken him away from his family for long periods of time), yet he never elaborates. True to its title, this book is about Jacques Pépin's life in the kitchen, not really Jacques Pépin, the person. In one odd passage, he describes a friend's mental and professional decline in much greater detail than he ever attributed to any analysis of his own life.

My Life in France by Julia Child, Alex Prud'Homme

★★★★

Julia Child gives hope to all late bloomers; she didn't even begin to study French cooking until she was 37 years old, and then she managed to learn enough to begin writing Mastering the Art of French Cooking within 5 years! Her dedication to her own self-education, to her own emotional and intellectual growth, is inspiring. Her ebullient personality and positive, practical attitude is contagious. Anyone who uses words like "cookery-bookery" and gives nicknames to so many people and things has got to be an interesting person!

It was fascinating to read about the process by which she co-wrote the first comprehensive French cookbook, about how she herself had to do research to learn about techniques and dishes before including them in her book, and about some of the behind-the-scenes drama.

As indicated in the book's title, Julia Child wrote about her life; she did not limit the book to kitchen-related anecdotes. She opened up about her relationship with her husband Paul (with whom she had a beautiful partnership in every sense of the word), and she wrote candidly about her father (with whom she disagreed vehemently over politics).

And though the title focuses on her time in France, thankfully, Julia Child continued to tell her story through her experiences in the U.S. as the host of the first ever TV cooking show. (What a huge contribution to American culture, considering how popular cooking shows are now!)

I loved the fact that photos were interspersed throughout the book as the people and places in the pictures were referenced in the text. I've always disliked the way most non-fiction books include photos only in one or two middle sections, forcing interested readers to page back and forth between the text and photos.

I didn't, however, like the way many French phrases were untranslated. I might expect some cuisine-related phrases to go untranslated, but sometimes there were phrases or whole sentences completely unrelated to cooking that were left untranslated. With my rudimentary knowledge of French, I had to look up words in a French-English dictionary to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

By the time I finished the book, I was so impressed with how Mastering the Art of French Cooking was such a labor of love for Julia Child that now I'm tempted to buy the cookbook and teach myself some authentic French dishes!

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

★★★★★

The introductory quote alone, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, got me hooked.

These stories are, in many ways, like The Namesake. Jhumpa Lahiri writes with the same graceful style, both matter-of-factly and gently at the same time. A sense of sadness pervades pretty much every story. She has keen insight into family dynamics, articulating ideas that I recognize but would not have been able to express myself.

Each story has Indian-American characters. In some stories, Indian/Indian-American culture plays a large role, while in other stories, the characters could well have been of any ethnicity. Like in The Namesake, the struggle of reconciling two clashing cultures is a theme, as is the sometimes unexpected tendency of finding a bond of comfort and familiarity with those who share your background and history.

Incidentally, Lahiri sets a number of her stories in Massachusetts, and she mentions local towns by name. I got a kick out of imagining her characters in towns with which I am well familiar. Also, her frequent references to elite universities may strike some readers as over-the-top, but from my experience actually being in the Asian-American community, her use of choice schools only increases the credibility of each story, at least for me.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

★★★★★

I love, love, LOVE this book!

There are so many wonderful things about Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and, in my opinion, it lacks nothing. The full-page color illustrations are gorgeous. The writing is simple, yet full of imagery. The storytelling is enchanting, and the moral of the story is a valuable one.

I read this book aloud to Isabelle, and at times it was difficult because I was actually choking up with tears! Besides having touching moments, the book also includes adventure, mystery, and laughter. All the many little stories fit together in the end, which makes it a particularly satisfying read.

I wouldn't be surprised if this book were made into a movie one day. The descriptive scenery, the epic journey - everything in this book lends itself to being a fantastic big-screen experience.

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin

★★★★½

It's hard to bring myself to call a children's novel "amazing", so it's not quite 5 stars, but I do think it's even better than The Year of the Dog, which I gave 4 stars.

It's basically more of the same, very much like The Year of the Dog, but many of the issues encountered are more sensitive. The main character, Pacy/Grace, struggles with issues of identity in ways she hadn't before. Plus, a number of passages, including stories told by Pacy's mother, even made me cry, they were so touching.

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

★★★★

I bought this book for Isabelle, knowing she is too young for it now, but figuring I could read it and then put it on her shelf for when she grows older. As it turns out, I read it aloud to her, and we both enjoyed it.

Of course there were many things in the book that Isabelle couldn't really understand. Bits about having a crush on a boy, or what a science fair is. But the chapters are short, and there are many little drawings throughout, and Isabelle loved looking at the pictures. The entire book is strewn with references to Chinese culture, and it was fun to draw connections between the book and her life. "You get red envelopes, too!" "We like to eat rice porridge for breakfast, too!"

Grace Lin says she wrote this book because, "It's the book I wish I had when I was growing up." I feel just that way about this book. At every turn, there was something I could relate to. Things as noteworthy as Thanksgiving dinners with Chinese dishes, and seemingly small things like a circular, compartmentalized Chinese candy tray. I really do wish I could have read this book as a child. Simply by being published, it somehow seems to validate the growing-up experience of Chinese-Americans.

Isabelle, being the second generation Chinese-American born in the U.S., has less in common with the main characters of this book, but it's still worth reading just for the way it introduces readers to Chinese culture. I hope she likes this book when she's older, and maybe it will help her to understand what life was like for me growing up.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

★★½

A quick and easy re-read. "Like" is a strong word in this case, but it was better than "ok".

A delightful little story about finding the innate ability in all of us to discover and continuously learn about that which we were meant to do, and then to teach that lesson to others.

The pictures - which seemed to count for almost as many pages as the text - were a nice addition. The first several pages I read aloud with Isabelle, and alongside the photos, they make for a very nice story for children.

I stopped reading it to Isabelle, however, once it got into the philosophical, supernatural, "master of the space-time continuum" bit. I also could have done without the open disdain for (Christian) religion.

No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman by Richard P. Feynman

★★★★

Imagine watching a documentary about Richard Feynman, with photos and interviews with Feynman's friends, family, and colleagues, as well as Feynman himself. This book was based on a series of Feynman documentaries, so it's basically like reading a documentary.

It's very similar, in style and content, to the Feynman autobiographies (Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?). You get to know Feynman as having the curiosity and honesty of a child, but the intellect - and associated quirks - of a genius. One difference between this book and the others is that Feynman actually comes across as less arrogant in this book because Feynman's own words are interspersed with others' (favorable) opinions of him as well. You get to see that Feynman was really a remarkable person who touched a lot of people's lives in many ways well beyond physics. He was incredibly multifaceted, with interests ranging from bongo drums to Tuva (an erstwhile country at the center of Asia).

This book also includes excerpts of Feynman talking physics, which the other books don't have. Feynman really had a gift for analogies, and he's able to explain even complex concepts in simple, every day terms.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

★★

From my impressions of this book before having read it, I was ready to be disappointed. While the masses loved it, most of the people whose opinions on books generally align with my own didn't like it at all. As it turned out, I didn't find it painful to read, and that was a pleasant surprise. Still, it was annoying to read.

Dan Brown uses French unnecessarily. While a book set in Paris is sure to use some French, especially in dialogue among Parisians, is it really necessary, in a descriptive passage from the perspective of an English-speaking American, to reference "candied amandes" rather than "candied almonds"? The superfluous use of French was pretentious.

Brown also uses italics excessively. Italicizing foreign words and a person's thoughts are common practices, but Brown further italicizes words for pure emphasis. Frequently. A well-written passage should allow the reader to infer the proper emphasis within individual sentences without the author having to blatantly hit the reader on the head with his intent.

And, yes, Brown constantly underestimates his reader. He leaves nothing to intellect, and generally assumes his reader has none. Passing descriptions of well-known Parisian landmarks read like blurbs from a tourist's guide book. Even after he draws a particular connection - never leaving anything unsaid for fear the reader won't pick up on implicit references - he explains the point ad nauseum. If that wasn't bad enough, I read a crazy "Special Illustrated Edition" (the only copy available in the library), which further included photos and diagrams, just to make sure I really understood what was going on. (To be fair, at times the photos were a pleasant addition, especially when they showed works of art, but some of the diagrams came across more insulting than educational.)

And finally, Brown's writing style is more suited to television than reading. He ends almost every chapter or section with a cliffhanger akin to a commercial break. What happened next wasn't always shocking or unexpected, but it always answered whatever question was previously posed.

Despite these shortcomings, I have to admit that not only did I not lose interest, but I was even anxious to get to the end, to see how everything tied together. I was a bit confused for a few chapters, but being now familiar with Brown's writing style, I had no doubt he would lay it all out for me in the end - and he did.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox

★★★★

A really easy and satisfying read. Always Looking Up picks up where Lucky Man leaves off, both in content and time. Once again, I am struck by Michael J. Fox's writing abilities. He writes with grace and wit, even humor (especially when he writes about being a father). As in Lucky Man, he jumps around chronologically, so you really want to read the date at the beginning of each passage, if you want to put events into context.

This book focuses primarily on Fox's experiences with Parkinson's Disease, and he does a remarkable job describing the symptoms and helping the reader to understand what a PD patient goes through. For Fox, it's not so much a "battle" with PD; the way he explains it, it's more like a journey.

Through his chapters on work and politics, Fox illustrates why celebrities are so uniquely positioned for philanthropy: besides bringing attention to whatever particular cause they support, they also have the money and means to fundraise and simply "get things done."

Having known nothing in advance about Fox's ideas on religion, the chapter on faith was particularly interesting. I was impressed with his self-awareness and insight. The kind of acceptance and inclusion he writes about spoke to me in terms of my own religious outlook.

Overall, an uplifting book. In his late 40's, Fox is younger than the age at which most patients are diagnosed with Parkinson's, yet, having Young Onset PD, he's lived with it for 18 years already. Still, he seems genuinely appreciative of every piece of good fortune in his life.

Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo

★★★★

What a fascinating story!

As a Bostonian, I always knew there had once been a "big molasses flood" in the North End, but it's generally talked about as a whimsical piece of Boston trivia. Any reference to it rarely goes beyond the fact that it happened, and usually the reference ends with something like, "...and on hot summer days in the North End, you can still detect the faint smell of molasses."

This book tells the whole story with the respect and gravity it deserves. People suffered and died, big business failed, but justice prevailed. Puleo gives names and faces to the victims, and he fully illustrates the human toll of this tragedy.

Moreover, Puleo places the event within the greater context of history and society. Not only did I learn about the central role of molasses in slave trade, the American Revolution, and World War I, but I also learned about an anarchist movement that terrorized the nation around the time of World War I. (Even though Boston was the home of a number of radical anarchists, I never even knew such a movement existed.)

The book is well-written, very easy to read, and held my interest throughout. My only complaint - apparently a pet peeve of mine - is that the author uses italics excessively and unnecessarily.

One by Richard Bach

★

I bought this book many years ago, after reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions. I tried several times to read the book, but never got past a few pages. Finally, I vowed to read it: If I liked it, it would stay on my shelf; if I didn't like it, I'd donate it.

I'll be donating this book to the library tomorrow.

If I were a teenager, with most of life's major choices ahead of me, this book would probably offer some lessons worth learning. If I were not a thinking, self-aware person, the ideas in this book might be eye-opening. Both cases not being true, I found this book more like science-fiction masquerading as philosophy.

I imagine the author re-living all his late-night dorm-room conversations and early adult cocktail/dinner parties, and never having been able to get a word in edgewise, he constructs this venue through which to express all his varied philosophies. His ideas are not without merit, but the presentation is lacking.

The writing style leaves a lot to be desired. It is completely devoid of wit or subtlety. It is black-and-white reading, laying out the characters and scenes like a young adult fiction. Reading the dialogue is like watching over-actors struggling with a poor script. Occasionally, reading the book was downright painful; several times, I actually put down the book, rolling my eyes, unable to continue.

I plan to re-read Illusions and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, just to be sure. :P

1776 by David McCullough

★★★★★

If history textbooks were written by David McCullough, I think I would have had a much greater interest in U.S. history in high school. I truly remember my history classes as mostly a series of names and dates and events, but - as cliche as it sounds - McCullough brings it all to life. In this book, I actually got a real sense for who George Washington was - his personality, his weaknesses, and his motivation - things I never even thought about when "studying" history in the classroom.

Being from New England, I started learning about the American Revolution in elementary school. That, combined with how I consider myself a Bostonian, is probably why I found the parts of the book about Boston the most interesting; when the war moved on to New York, I wasn't as enthralled. Still, I was thoroughly engaged and curious throughout the book.

The book reads very easily, like McCullough is simply tying together a bunch of quotes from first-person sources, which I guess is what he did, in an artful way.

I found myself wanting to know more about the beginnings of the American Revolution - from McCullough's view - and more about how the war actually ended, but I can hardly blame the book for being true to its title: the primary focus is on events in 1776. Anyway, the book was written as a "companion" to McCullough's John Adams, and I suspect (having seen the HBO movie version) that that book does provide a broader view of the revolution.

Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by Don Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup

★★★

I have a disappointing tendency to read books (or see movies) and eventually forget everything about them - even if I actually liked the book or movie. This is what happened with Wine and War, so I just re-read it.

It's good! Very approachable; you don't need to know much about WWII to follow along, and wine terminology is explained in context. At times it reads like a high school history paper, and at other times, I think, "This would make a great movie!" There's a cast of recurring characters that I had a hard time keeping straight (e.g., Is this the guy from Burgundy? Or Champagne? Is he young, or married with kids?), but that's okay. Fascinating stories. Makes me want to visit France and drink some wine.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

★★★

Obama actually made me feel sympathy towards politicians!

Anyone who criticized Obama during the presidential campaign for being "all rhetoric" should have simply read this book. He explains his politics clearly and eloquently, including his personal motivations and sometimes his perspectives on opposing views. For someone who was already a big Obama fan, this book only cemented my support for him; I whole-heartedly agree with him on almost all issues.

Admittedly, it was not a fast read for me. Much of the book discusses the politics of issues, and call me a lightweight, but despite my interest in the content, I found some portions to be a bit dry. Personal reflections and anecdotes are interspersed throughout the book (including Obama's testimony as a Christian), and those passages were my favorites, holding my interest and giving me incentive to keep reading.

Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

★★★★★

Full Disclosure: Yes, I am an Obama supporter, so my opinion is probably biased.

Barack Obama chronicles his life in terms of what it meant for him to grow up black, but not quite. Despite having been raised by a white mother and white grandparents, the color of his skin automatically defined him as a "black man". To further complicate his search for self-identity, he had met his absent African father only once as a child.

For the most part well-written, the book sometimes reads like a novel (which makes for easy reading), and sometimes like an essay (which makes for somewhat dryer, slower, but still interesting, reading). Obama poses questions that all Americans, regardless of race, should consider. He spends the greater part of his young adulthood trying to figure out the meaning of race, for himself and for America. It's not until Obama visits Kenya for the first time that a flood of truth, history, and family helps him to come to terms with his father and himself. Reading the last third of the book felt like a rush, as by then, I felt vested in the protagonist's personal struggle (never mind that he's a prominent public figure).

On a trivial note, I wish the book had photos of family members, as many memoirs do, as I found myself wondering what they look like. (Turns out, photos are easily found online.) Also, I wish a family tree had been included.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

★★★

It seems a bit crass to review a person's dying words - his childhood dreams, his life experiences, the philosophies he learned from his mentors and his father. As an endeavor, it's something many of us might also find ourselves doing - even if not invited to speak in front of a packed audience - if we were faced with a terminal illness and had children so young that they would likely only know us by what others tell them and what we leave behind for them.

Randy Pausch's actual last lecture is available on YouTube in its entirety (just search for "Randy Pausch Last Lecture"), and the book picks up where the lecture leaves off. Almost every point made in the lecture is described in greater detail and with additional context and commentary in the book. Being a computer science professor and giving his lecture at Carnegie Mellon, Pausch mostly told stories that centered around his career; he made a point not to discuss his cancer, his wife, or his kids. In the book, however, he opens up and talks candidly and with emotion about his personal life.

As a book of "lessons learned" from his life, it is clear that his writings are meant to be read by his children, as a way for them to know their father and benefit from what he had to offer, even if he couldn't be there to raise them. Indeed, it's a book *I* want my children to read when they are older, as it does offer valuable advice.

Pausch writes like he talks, so the book reads easily. In its use of matter-of-fact anecdotal storytelling, the book actually reminded me quite a bit of Richard Feynman's "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" and "What Do YOU Care What Other People Think?" - though, as one would imagine, more poignant and less witty/humorous. (Perhaps it's the way both authors were brilliant and quirky academics.) And yes, I did cry.

Lucky Man: A Memoir by Michael J. Fox

★★★

Surprisingly well-written, especially considering Michael J. Fox did not use a ghost writer. The non-linear writing style makes reading the date at the beginning of each section a necessity. He clearly bared his soul as he detailed the ups and downs of his life and career. The book focuses on Fox's personal life - his family, his ascent to stardom in Hollywood, and his struggle with Parkinson's. He's come a long way, and he sure earned my admiration.

I was put off a little by the way certain aspects of Parkinson's were presented. Fox tells of his own experience very eloquently, but he makes it sound like any elderly person walking slowly might be afflicted, or any young person with tremors might have Young Onset Parkinson's. In reality, there are a myriad of other reasons why people might walk slowly or have tremors. Fox also courageously tells of his battle with depression, and how he ultimately pulled through, but he neglected to mention that depression itself is frequently a symptom of Parkinson's, not just a parallel issue to confront separately.

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine by Benjamin Wallace

★★★★½

A very enjoyable read. The author writes with wit! Surprisingly, a real page-turner.

The book may have been more interesting to me than it might have been because I read it on the heals of Wine and War, so some wine-related names and places and terminology were recently familiar. Also, I was coincidentally in the middle of watching the HBO mini-series John Adams, which was giving me my first impressions of Thomas Jefferson in France.

A fascinating window into the world of wine; downright edifying. The book digs into the questionable history of a handful of bottles of rare wines, some of which were supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson. My only disappointment - and this may be a bit of a spoiler - is that there is no real closure. But I don't think that's the author's fault; he follows the story to 2007, the book was published in 2008, and some of the final scenes are probably still being played out.

Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile

★★★½

I saw the movie about 1/3 of the way through the book, and even by then I knew that the movie doesn't even come close to portraying the extent of shock and scandal that makes up this true story. The movie is like the tip of the iceberg that is this book, which tells of how Congressman Charlie Wilson miraculously funded a secret CIA war in Afghanistan.

It's a jaw-dropping page-turner, though I have to admit it took me a long time to read because of its huge cast of characters. At first I tried to keep track of who was who, and some of it wasn't easy, as the book assumes you know a thing or two about various domestic and international politicians going back to the 1980's, not to mention a bit about foreign relations at the time. (I didn't know enough and kept having to infer from the book or ask Ken questions.) Once I decided not to get caught up in the details, the book went much faster.

I don't think I'm naive when it comes to politics, but this book really opened my eyes as to how business can be conducted in Washington. Every few pages I would look up and say to Ken, "I can't believe this!" and read him an excerpt. Knowing what we know now about how the very mujahideen we funded, trained, and armed became the same ones to attack us on 9/11, the whole series of events just seems all that much more unbelievable. I kept wondering if anyone involved in the Afghan war would feel in any way responsible for the unintended consequences of their actions, and that question is briefly addressed in the epilogue, aptly titled, "Unintended Consequences."

A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind

★★★★½

A biography that spans a couple years in the life of Cedric Jennings, an inner-city black boy from one of the worst schools in Washington, D.C. Struggling against peers and school administrators who try to bring him down, he finds strength from his mother, his faith in God, and his own intelligence. He earns a place first at an MIT summer program for minorities, and then at Brown University. It's an against-all-odds type story, and it's amazing.

Even though the book screams "affirmative action", it does so silently. Only a few times is affirmative action brought up explicitly, and I myself only gave it an occasional, fleeting thought. The book is written so well, I think, that it gives the reader some understanding of Cedric's life, but it doesn't paint a picture of his kind of success being possible for every minority, or of his kind of success being the exception. It's just one boy's story. You read it, and you get invested in Cedric's future.

One of the things that struck me most about Cedric Jennings is the fact that he's just about my age. I think he's one year younger than me. The idea that we lived parallel lives is sobering. Sure, we were both finishing high school and starting college around the same time, but mine was a middle-class Asian-American experience, and his was a poor black American experience. Both Americans, but we might as well have been living in different countries. The fact that he's done as much as he has in his lifetime, it's inspiring.

A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers by Hsiao Li-Hung

★★★★

I feel I have read a good number of Asian-American authors, but I had never read any works by Chinese or Taiwanese writers. I was thrilled when I received this book from Ken's dad for Christmas.

At the most general level, the story is about a girl's "coming of age." She grows up in the 1970's with a large extended family in a small, rural sea-side village. The writing is casual and easy to read, though the subject matter is deeply personal and sometimes philosophical. At times, the writing reads like poetry. The main character learns to define herself in ways that are significantly influenced by her reverence for Chinese customs and traditions, her sense of filial piety, age-old adages passed down from family elders, and simple Buddhist maxims. As new experiences shape her, she finds she always turns in mind and body to her ancestral home, the place where she belongs. There is also a love story that, and without wanting to give anything away, I will say that I was a bit perplexed by the outcome of this relationship, but I'd like to imagine that the unwritten future - after the point at which the book ends - would unfold the way I hope it to.

While my personal growing-up experience has fleeting similarities with the main character's, there's not a lot that is outrightly the same. Still, the book evoked from me feelings of nostalgia, and even though the story is about a generation between me and my parents, I found myself wondering how much my parents would relate to the story. I wonder if they'll find the book true-to-life and meaningful, or melodramatic and dismissible (as I find some Asian-American works to be, having personal experiences by which to judge them).

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

★★★★

"The" book about King Arthur, his Knights of the Round Table, his wife Guenever, his best friend and wife's lover Lancelot, the Quest for the Holy Grail, etc.

I thoroughly enjoyed it! The book is full of characters who are gentle, noble, beautiful, ugly, revengeful, humorous -- and the book made me feel like I could relate to any of them. In the end, it was a thinking book, illustrating how themes of war and human nature are applicable throughout time. The book made me feel half-frustrated and disappointed in the idea that humankind is doomed to repeat its mistakes in war and strife, but also half-hopeful that if humankind continues to strive towards it, we can reach a way of life that is peaceful and just without having to resort to war.

I won't say much about what the book says about war, in case you want to read the book yourself, but it's a bit of a discourse regarding the purpose of war, when a war might be justified (if at all), why do humans fight wars while most other animal species do not, etc. In fact, the discussions on war are so applicable to current events that I think this book is relevant now more than ever.

How to Travel with a Salmon & Other Essays by Umberto Eco

★★½

I just re-read this book, which I first read maybe 10 years ago. I'm not sure why, but before re-reading it, I had it in my head that it was a really great book, and I gave it 4 stars from memory. Maybe because I was younger and less well-read when I first read it, so it made a bigger impression on me? I don't know, but anyway, after reading it again, I'm downgrading it to 2 1/2 stars. :P

There were a handful of essays, mostly towards the beginning and end, that I thought were clever. He uses various types of humor, drawing on wit as well as absurdity. A few essays could probably be qualified as "intellectual", but others might as well have been written by Dave Barry or Douglas Adams - not a dig, as I actually do enjoy both of those writers - but just not as ingenious or hilarious as I previously thought. I thought a couple of essays belabored the point, and were a few pages too long.

Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Confrontational Times by Geoffrey Nunberg

★★★

It's a fascinating collection of short articles about how words are used in the English language, particularly how the connotations of words develop and change as Americans use them within specific contexts. Nunberg covers the gamut from politics (discussing the use of words like "freedom," "fascist," and "compromise") to business (contemplating the rise of "vision statements" and jargon like "best of breed" and "thought-leading research") to popular culture (defending the validity of "like" and the concept of blogs as an altogether new entity, not just an online version of a journal). Anyway, it's a really interesting and fun book.

The Patient by Michael Palmer

★★★

It's a page-turner that read like a movie. A quick read that got me into the groove of reading again.

Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving

★★

It's a collection of John Irving's memoirs and short stories.

I enjoyed reading about how he came to be a writer, and his experiences with books, critics, and other writers. It also sheds some light on why prep schools, Vienna, and wrestling play such a large part in many of his novels. (He went to prep school, he spent time in Vienna, and he's an avid wrestler.) Wrestling, actually, has been such a large part of his life that much of his memoirs read like a Who's Who History of Amateur Wrestling. He gives names and dates and weight classes, scores and play-by-plays of matches. I didn't find those parts so interesting.

The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

★★

It's kind of a weird book. It's filled with just the sort of characters that only John Irving could dream up. It's about a family who lives and runs a hotel. Their life, which might be anything but ordinary to you or me, is all that these characters know, and so, despite the fact that their lives are dotted with tragedies, it's just what life is to them. The book is really about how each character deals with the events surrounding the family, each person dealing in his or her own way. It's written as a memoir by one of the children, now grown up, and so the entire narrative has a sense of nostalgia and sadness to it, even though parts of it are pretty chuckle-worthy.

Anyway, like I said, it's kind of weird, the stories that are weaved together in the book.

The World According to Garp by John Irving

★★

I'm not sure I understand Garp.

This book seems to me to be about lust, the tragic and completely avoidable consequences of misdirected lust, feminism, or the label of feminism, and individuality.

For the first part of the book, I was thinking, "Hm, I'm not sure where this book is going." And then just as I was beginning to feel like I was getting to know the characters, the entire middle of the book had me feeling disgusted with, rather than sympathetic towards, the main players. By the end I felt that some of the characters had redeemed themselves, and it seemed to close with some messages of human kindness, tolerance, and maturity. So I did at least leave the book with a positive attitude towards it.

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

★★★

I think to fully appreciate this book, you should approach it like you would a book of poetry: flip through the pages, and read only the passages that catch your mood.

Unfortunately, I approached it like a novel... It has an interesting premise, and starts out well enough, but I admit that I got bored of it by the end. The book is basically a collection of one or two page descriptions of imaginary cities, the idea being that Marco Polo is describing the cities to Kublai Khan. Really, the book seems to be somewhat of a poetry / novel hybrid. One after another, fantastic and bizarre cities are described. Some of the cities are really quite inventive. But after around the 30th city (the book has more than 50!), I just got kind of tired of it.

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman

★★★★

Basically, the book is about globalization. Thomas Friedman keeps the tone light and conversational, including a lot of fascinating anecdotes. Friedman discusses the causes and effects of globalization, not just for companies, but more importantly, for individuals. He approaches the topic from a non-political view, and presents it as something that every person needs to consider if they are to keep up with the increasingly fast pace of changing technology and economics.

The book does include a lot of technical jargon, and I'm finding that it's all particularly interesting to me because my previous jobs have made me familiar with a lot of the technologies and companies he writes about. Still, I think it would be a comfortable read even for those who aren't the most computer savvy, because of the way Friedman writes. He'll explain a particular point, then he'll give a very understandable analogy. Then he'll follow it up with, "To put it another way..." and explain it in different words. Then at the end of the chapter, he'll summarize and recap

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

★★★★

I really enjoyed it!

It seems to have been extensively researched, so that the story, which takes place during the "Golden Age" of comic books during World War II, appears to be historically accurate. It follows the lives of 2 Jewish cousins - one born and raised in NYC, the other a refugee from Nazi-occupied Prague - who create a series of superhero comic books. It's an exciting read, though I did have one or two issues with it.

The book spans a number of years and phases of the boys' lives, and at one point, when Kavalier embarks on a new phase (I won't say any more so as not to give anything away), his adventures are so bizarre that it made the story suddenly unbelieveable, and it was almost as if I had started reading a separate book. This was a little disappointing to me because the book actually starts off with Kavalier in a pretty fantastic situation, but Chabon was still able to make that part of the book believeable. Anyway, the book eventually returned to less forced situations, and by the time I finished the book, I was sad to leave Kavalier and Clay behind me.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

★★★★

A slower-paced read, but it still held my interest. Not in a gotta-turn-the-page-to-find-out-what-happens! way, but in a this-is-like-watching-characters-in-a-film-and-how-will-it-all-end? kind of way. It made me nostalgic about my own childhood, and made me wonder what my parents' life was like, from their point of view, in the U.S. when I was young and before I was born.

Management (2008)

★★★

Light-hearted, a bit quirky, kind of slow. About what you'd expect from a boy-meets-girl romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston. Ultimately, though, it's probably more about the boy's ability to grow, mature, and positively influence others than it is about the romance.

Son of Rambow (2007)

★★★★½

A quirky film with a great soundtrack. Illustrates the old saying, "People aren't always what they seem" - in a good way.

Julie & Julia (2009)

★★★

I wasn't as annoyed with the Julie parts as I thought I would be; some of her writing - as portrayed in the movie - was even witty. Meryl Streep's Julia was fun to watch, though the Julia portions seemed to stray from the book. I wonder if it was poetic license, or if the movie used other sources besides the book (which, by the way, I thought was great).

Angels & Demons (2009)

★★½

Surprisingly, given my rating for it, Ken said the movie was actually better than the book. The pace at which events unfolded made the timing in "24" seem reasonable. Lots of predictability, but I admit I was surprised by a major twist.

Body of Lies (2008)

★★★

Reminded me of "Charlie Wilson's War" - not the movie (which I thought was sub-par), but the book (which I found fascinating). Unlike "Charlie Wilson's War", this movie is not based on true events, but it's only because I had read "Charlie Wilson's War" - in which fact is stranger than fiction when it comes to the CIA - that I didn't find the events in this movie over-the-top unbelievable.

Away We Go (2009)

★★★★

Most characters other than Maya Rudolph's were caricatures, and they got the point across. A touching story about what it really means to start a family.

In the Valley of Elah (2007)

★★★★

Very slow and deliberate. Shines a sad, serious light on post-traumatic stress disorder.

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control (2008)

★★★


Chuckle-worthy, geek-centered entertainment. Being just about an hour long, it's not much of an investment, so you don't have much to lose by watching it. Plus, it's fun to see Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak in another context!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

★★★★

Entertaining! Though it left me with more questions than it answered. A sequel to this X-Men prequel (as Ken put it) looks promising!

Dirty Dancing (1987)

★★★★★

Just watched this for the first time in YEARS with two friends from high school. What a great movie! The songs really take me back in time. My rating is probably based more on nostalgia than the actual merits of the movie, but what's not to like!?

Shag (1989)

★★★

I saw this on TV. The video quality was so bad and the acting, period clothing, cars, and setting were so good that I thought it was made in the 1970's. Come to find, it was made in 1989! Ha! Anyway, I totally got sucked in and found this was a really fun, coming-of-age girls-only movie. It has the kind of cast that is perfect for a "Which Shag girl are you?" type quiz. Something to rent for a "girls night in" get together.

Gran Torino (2008)

★★★

Ken thinks I should give this movie 2 stars based on how poor the acting was by pretty much everyone except for Clint Eastwood. It was really distracting. But I like the message of the film, and I think I would've given it 4 stars if the acting was acceptable. Anyway, I was also a bit disappointed at the end, which didn't provide for complete closure.