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Renée's Picks
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Dalrymple, Farel Pop Gun War Graphic Novel |
| Pop Gun War is a perfect blend of gritty urban imagery and fantastic elements. The story focuses on Sinclair, a young boy who finds a pair of wings in a trash can. When he straps them on, they work. The characters include a floating fish and his best friend whose size undergoes sudden drastic changes; a sinister silent monk; Sinclair’s very young rock star sister, Emily; the obligatory bully; and, of course, the original owner of the wings. While that cast could make for a wildly surreal tale, Farel Dalrymple grounds the story in the moving emotional connections among the characters. Sinclair’s longing for his sister and the subtle hints of back story are especially poignant. Solid shapes, sketchy lines, splatters and detail create the perfect texture for the outcast characters’ lonely habitat of alleyways, bars, and sparsely-furnished bedrooms. Recommended November 2009 |
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Hempel, Amy The Dog of the Marriage: Stories Short Stories |
| Amy Hempel’s first-person narrators have the tone of a
recent acquaintance candidly revealing details of her tangled personal
life: they’re a little startling, but somehow very familiar. Hempel’s
prose is poetic and concise. Sentences expertly shift between wry
self-deprecation and poetic observations. “The Uninvited,” the highlight
of the collection, expertly weaves several narratives, including the
narrator’s work as hotline operator, watching the movie The Uninvited,
and seeking paranormal experiences. The character’s quirks are imaginative
and surprising. One woman drives endlessly to clear her mind of a
bad relationship, stopping at rest stops to write cryptic postcards
and listening to the same cassette repeatedly. Another writes a letter
to the parking authority contesting her ticket. These characters love
dogs and get divorces and think more than they say. Recommended October 2009 |
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Grimaud, Hélène Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves Nonfiction Memoir |
| As you might expect from a world-renowned classical pianist
who lives with wolves on the side, Hélène Grimaud’s life makes for
a fascinating book. In her memoir, she recounts the experiences and
music that inspired her on her unique journey. Most of the book focuses
on her childhood as an overly energetic and defiant young woman who
found an outlet and calling in playing piano. She details her passionate
encounters with encouraging (and not-so-encouraging) instructors,
mentors, and institutes, and she writes eloquently about her mystical
experiences discovering and playing the works of her favorite composers.
Interspersed among the brief, loosely-linear chapters are segments
describing folkloric and historical information about wolves. While
Grimaud doesn’t discuss her personal experiences creating a wolf preservation
center until the very end of the book, her account of her first relationship
with a wolf and her zeal for the animal are moving and vivid. Grimaud’s
unapologetic, zealous appetite for her singular experiences comes
through in her forceful, idiosyncratic prose. Recommended September 2009 |
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Lethem, Jonathan Omega: The Unknown Graphic Novel |
| Novelist Jonathan Lethem’s first foray into graphic novels
is an engaging blend of science fiction, mystery, coming-of-age, parody,
and homage to the original 1976 Omega the Unknown comic books.
Storylines intersect and overlap with characters’ mysterious pasts
and motivations, including a silent superhero, his cheesy corporate
foil, an overachieving high school student, and a talking (and singing)
statue. The plot’s dizzying turns keep the reader guessing exactly
from whom and what the world needs saving, but the sincerity of the
characters and their friendships keep it grounded and emotionally-engaging.
Farel Dalrymple’s varied panels direct and manage the pace. His artwork,
strewn with ephemeral details, forms the ideal visual counterpart
for the story’s depth. Paul Hornschemeier’s muted, lush colors conjure
the mood and urban setting perfectly. Omega includes several
silent pages, panning over the cast’s simultaneous actions, a comic-within-a-comic
(complete with contrasting artwork), cleverly foreshadowing dream
sequences, and an array of other tricks that add to the book’s irresistibility.
Recommended August 2009 |
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| Clarkson, Ewan In the Shadow of the Falcon Fiction |
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| Pittsburgh is home to two families of endangered peregrine
falcons, and live video of the nests on the Gulf Tower and the Cathedral
of Learning broadcast online. Watching these feeds and witnessing
the wordless rhythms of the falcons’ daily lives is a moving experience.
The novel In the Shadow of the Falcon imagines the life cycle
of several Welsh peregrine falcons from their perspective. The author
manages to convey the drama, difficulty and elegance of animal life
without overly anthropomorphizing the falcons. Instead, the precise
language of natural descriptions and poetic imagery of the birds flying,
hunting, nesting, feeding and rearing their young characterize them
enough to elicit powerful emotional reactions to the victories and
trials they face. Some of the most compelling passages in the book
relate environmental hazards peregrines and other birds encounter
as a result of poaching, pollution, pesticides and other human-caused
dangers. While the novel was published in 1973, the environmental
cautions and concerns are eerily resonant today. Recommended June 2009 |
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Novgorodoff, Danica Slow Storm Graphic Novel |
| Danica Novgorodoff crafts a darkly haunting story illustrated
with lush watercolor and ink illustrations. As a tornado spirals at
the edges of their Kentucky town, the lives of a troubled firefighter
and an illegal Mexican immigrant intersect. Well-paced panels vary
in size and oscillate from foreboding, stormy grays to flaring oranges
to serene, eerie blues. While the story seems simple at first, subtle
scenes, background characters and frequent silent panels develop enough
subtext to warrant a rich second reading. Supernatural elements weave
into the tale, which contrast with the hard work and rough natures
and jobs of the firefighters and townsfolk. Novgorodoff handles the
various accents in intriguing but natural ways, and her juxtaposition
of the difference between characters’ speech and suggested or illustrated
thoughts create moments that range from contemplative to heartbreaking.
Slow Storm is a gorgeously drawn graphic novel whose narrative
incorporates cultural, familial and social themes without departing
from the characters at its focus. Recommended May 2009 |
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Keret, Etgar The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God and Other Stories Short Stories |
| I came across this book because it includes Keret’s novella
“Kneller’s Happy Campers,” which I wanted to read since I loved the
movie adaptation, called Wristcutters,
which I recognized from the graphic novel version, “Pizzeria
Kamikaze.” The rest of the ultra-brief stories in the collection
are full of Keret’s straightforward voice and sometimes harsh irony.
Most employ first person narratives from varied characters who include
an embittered Israeli soldier, a boy emotionally attached to his piggy
bank and, of course, the eponymous bus driver. As different as these
speakers are, they all share an element of Keret’s cynicism and social
criticism. The stories, though often dark, also include whimsical
absurdity that makes them both funny and poignant. A convenience store
clerk serves souls freed from Hell for a day. A man escapes a planned
plane crash. A boy auditions for the circus. Anyone who enjoys equal
touches of magic, salt, and the everyday will enjoy these quick, twisted
tales. Recommended April 2009 |
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Nilsen, Anders. Monologues for the Coming Plague Graphic Novel |
| The simple manner in which Anders Nilsen presents his
comics, using panel-less, scribbled line drawings free of background
detail, and freehand, sometimes scratched-out text, belies the subtle
humor, complex philosophies and pure wickedness behind them. Some
of the most hilarious moments occur in the sardonic exchanges between
a pigeon and a woman feeding it, during one of which the pigeon quips,
“None for me, thanks. I’m on a hunger strike.” In another motif, two
people having a surreal discussion about semiotics and career selection
travel to Pittsburgh. Also, there’s a dinosaur. Recommended March 2009 |
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Simmons, Josh Jessica Farm Graphic Novel |
| Both Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud acknowledged the symbolism
of houses in dreams and ascribed rooms and floors different aspects
of the psyche. Both psychologists would have a field day with Josh
Simmons’ graphic novel Jessica Farm, which navigates a plot
filled with dream logic that darts between dread and joy. Jessica
wanders from room to room, meeting different “house friends” at every
turn. Some are happy, welcoming creatures, while others are nightmarish,
but all fit in perfectly with the strange geography of the whimsically
shifting house. Much has been said about Simmons’ unique writing process.
Beginning in January 2000, he drew a page a month until he had created
96 pages. He plans to continue until 2050, releasing a volume every
eight years. The art and story line stand up to the curiosity of Simmons’
unique method. Simmons combines lines and cross hatching to convey
a wealth of information in each deceptively simple drawing. Panels
range from nearly solid black squares, as when Jessica passes through
a dark hallway, to intricate scenes that reveal new details with every
look, as when she awakens to a phenomenal sunrise and utters “Zowie.”
The images are carefully arranged to fluidly glide between tension,
suspense, humor and relief as Jessica moves through various situations.
By the end of the book, I was shaken, amused and enchanted, and counting
down the days until the next volume comes out in 2016. Recommended February 2009 |
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| Keyes, Ralph The Courage to Write Nonfiction |
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| Keyes separates this highly approachable and entertaining
book into two sections. The first, "The Elements of Courage," examines
the many sources of fear for writers and ways fear can manifest itself
in the writing process. Causes range from the well-known fears of
revealing family secrets, receiving terrible reviews or accidentally
publishing mistakes. Some of these fears and their expressions are
more surprising, though. For instance, the constant procrastination
so many writers experience might not result from a lack of discipline,
but a hesitance to confront the raw emotions and self-examination
that writing demands. Even that dreaded beast, writer’s block, has
some of its roots in fear. These examinations are infinitely helpful
in identifying the ways fear causes a writer to avoid writing or writing
honestly, so she can recognize the cause of her counterproductive
patterns and change them. In the second section, "Coming to Terms
with Fear," Keyes details methods for writing that go beyond the common
(and useless) assurances like “Just start writing and you’ll feel
better” or “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Instead, Keyes acknowledges
the actual importance of fear to the writing process, stating that
fear and courage travel in tandem. He offers helpful suggestions,
such as designing a writing schedule around your most productive,
least defensive time of day, or sharing work at variously public levels.
Most encouraging, Keyes includes myriad anecdotes and quotes from
well-known writers regarding their own negotiations with the fear
to write. Without pep talks or gimmicks, Keyes acknowledges the many
ways fear presents itself in different stages of writing, and ultimately
recognizes it as a tool and an essential element of writing. Recommended January 2009 |
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| Tanaka, Veronique Metronome Graphic Novel |
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| Metronome, watch, fly, telephone, painting, lava lamp,
piano, plant, fan, a man, a woman, and a tribal mask comprise the
bulk of the repeating imagery in this experimental, silent, black
and white graphic novel. Each page features sixteen equally sized
panels, which set a rhythmic pace. Tanaka’s focus shifts from object
to object, frequently switching to circles, abstract shapes or blacked-out
panels. Close-ups and varied scale blend objects together or compare
them to each other, as with the opening scene that switches between
the metronome and the watch’s second hand. Tanaka uses her format
not only to set pace, but to explore the space of the setting, the
mood of the characters, and the possibilities of the panel as a unit
of expression. While the story is not as compelling as the technique,
the many surprising moments and visual tricks make this graphic novel
well worth the read. Recommended December 2008 |
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Lin, Tao Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy : Poetry Poetry |
| Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy might be better
than any $200 per hour session. Tao Lin’s self-deprecating humor,
heartbreaking loneliness and profound insights are quirky and moving.
Lin uses clever devices like incorporating phrases and punctuation
unique to Internet chat, but avoids a gimmicky effect. Instead, the
phrases accumulate subtle weight with each use, like the often repeated
“i’ll be right back.” His use of straightforward declarative sentences
makes the emotional impact of his statements more powerful, even when
he expresses confusion. Seemingly stoic accounts of emotion, behavior
and morality come across as humorous and slightly sarcastic, but they
also increase the impact of lines that reveal loneliness and confusion.
An example of his oscillation between tones is in the opening lines
of “eleven page poem, page three”: “my favorite motions include ‘brief
calmness / in good weather’ and ‘i am the only person alive’ / without
constant reassurance I feel terribly alone and insane.” Recurring
motifs (depressed vegan hamsters, his blog, energy drinks, head butting,
distance and the process by which thought influences emotions and
behavior) illustrates the humor and intelligence of the collection.
At once revealing and distant, the poetry reveals the tension present
in Internet socializing, where it is possible to reveal deeply personal
information to total strangers, or to foster long relationships without
meeting in the flesh. Recommended November 2008 |
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Irvine, Amy Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land Nonfiction |
| As if the intriguing title weren’t enough, the book captured
me immediately with its first line: “My home is a red desert that
trembles with spirits and bones.” Irvine’s arresting prose continues
throughout this unrelenting memoir that chronicles the period of turmoil
in her life following her father’s death and preceding her marriage
to a man she describes as the “lion man.” She structures the book
into sections named for archaeological terms that summon the symbols
and archetypes of the Southwest’s prehistoric inhabitants. These terms
gather increasing weight as Irvine relates them to her own life, continually
adding and peeling back layers, as though excavating an archaeological
site. As she refers to the past to inform her present struggle, she
summons not only the Anasazi and Basketmakers, but her own ancestors,
including her great-great-great grandfather, who was among the founders
of Mormonism. The history and doctrine of Mormonism also add dimension,
as Irvine outlines its place in the history of San Juan County, Utah,
part of the Mormon promised land called Deseret. The most acute source
of conflict in the book stems from Irvine’s opposing desires to both
establish community with her neighbors, and to identify with her belief
in wilderness protection and the land’s sacrality—convictions that
place her at odds with the rest of the population who are largely
religious and culturally conservative ranchers. Trespass
is a narrative infused with tension, as Irvine details the internal
pull she feels from the conflicting lifestyles and beliefs of the
centuries of inhabitants who share only the land in common. Ultimately,
the desert is as much the focus as the author herself, and she conjures
its images with fierce passion and intimacy, unafraid to implicate
herself among those who inhabit it, living imperfectly and seeking
transcendence. Recommended October 2008 |
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Kidd, Sue Monk The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine Nonfiction |
| This compelling memoir documents Sue Monk Kidd's journey
from a successful inspirational writer, devout Baptist and model conservative
woman to her discovery and quest for the feminine side of divinity.
In the process, she jeopardizes her marriage and career, confronts
internalized patriarchy, fosters deep female friendships, analyzes
her personal mythology, studies the history of goddess worship and
its conflict with Judeo-Christian theology, and creates her own rituals.
As she does so, she makes her own path to connecting authentically
with divinity. Rich with vivid anecdotes, dreams and enlightening
passages from theory and research, the book is as emotionally powerful
as it is culturally fascinating. Kidd recounts her awakening in a
voice that is irresistibly honest, casual and bright. Recommended September 2008 |
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| Ferlinghetti, Lawrence Poetry as Insurgent Art Poetry |
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| Part desiderata, part manifesto, this quotable book is
a prose poem about the importance of poetry. In four prose poems and
a brief essay, its quips vary from rebellious: “Strive to change the
world in such a way that there’s no further need to be a dissident”;
to patently Ferlinghetti comparisons to classic art and canonic literature:
“Poetry can be heard at manholes, echoing up Dante’s fire escape";
to koan-like statements. Also, there are lots of birds. For anyone
who needs to be convinced of the vitality of art’s resistance or to
be encouraged to pursue the struggle for vitality in life and expression,
this little book of poetic affirmations will be a joy to read. Recommended August 2008 |
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| Grahn, Judy Blood, Bread, And Roses : How Menstruation Created The World Nonfiction |
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| This book changed my entire worldview. Anyone who’s ever
felt left out of history class by the prevalence of masculine pronouns
has been waiting for Blood, Bread, and Roses. Grahn, celebrated
feminist poet and writer, approaches anthropology from humanity’s
very inception with the perspective that menstruation was the mother
of invention. She argues that menstrual seclusion rituals, widespread
among early societies, established human understanding of separation
and synchronicity, and that they conveyed that understanding through
metaform, behavior that communicates social mores and shared belief.
Scholarly, but readable and stimulating, Grahn draws from prehistoric
and modern cultural comparison, etymology, and poetic inference to
detail the roots of religion, law, mythology, mathematics, science,
clothing and eating. While readers may not agree with all her theories,
the book is indispensable for anyone who has wondered about the other
half of historical gender bias, and longed for more balanced alternate
theories. Recommended July 2008 |
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Nowak, Naomi House of Clay Graphic Novel |
| Naomi Novak weaves a dreamlike narrative with clear mythological
influences in this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel. The story,
loosely linear and highly symbolic in a manner reminiscent of a Catherynne
M. Valente novel, follows Josephine, a hemophobic woman who takes
a job in a factory to save money for nursing school, as she confronts
a shadowy past conflict with a member of her distanced family. Nowak
arranges panels with wild artfulness, combining manga-influenced layout
with the distinctly European flavor of the story. The dusty, muted
colors and sprawling tangles of hair and amorphous plant life depict
a sensual mix between imagination, reality and subconscious reverie.
Stunning full-page dream sequences drive the plot and motivate Josephine’s
actions. House of Clay’s delicious visual and literary appeal
will stimulate any reader’s imagination. Recommended June 2008 |
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| Siegel, Lee Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob Nonfiction |
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| Despite its compelling title and slew of vehement arguments,
Against the Machine doesn’t really deliver. Lee Siegel, a
prolific author and cultural critic, adopts the premise that all Internet
interactions, whether via online marketplaces or social networking
sites, equate to commercial transactions. He argues that the Internet
extends capitalism into our most intimate moments, reducing all participants
to “prosumers” whose leisure time is dominated by the continuous urge
to create and consume further product. Also, user-generated material
and its multi-media offspring blur the distinction between fact and
fiction, truth and lies, art and self-expression. These combined factors,
Siegel argues, compel us to “perform our privacy” in a culture increasingly
homogenized by conflicting impulses to both express our individuality
and market that uniqueness. Against the Machine makes an
interesting and seldom-argued case, even if it is one that requires
a healthy dose of skepticism, since Siegel is too dismissive of opposing
views to present a balanced argument. He does an excellent job of
contextualizing the Internet in pre-Internet economic, social and
psychological philosophies, and of warning against the Web’s commercial
agenda and tendency for commodification. Recommended May 2008 |
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Michelle Tea, Editor Baby Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing GLBT |
| Whether their essays, stories and comics depict a poor
trailer park resident's birthday, an acid trip in San Francisco, or
a gender-bending six-year-old on a bike, the contributors to Baby
Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing seethe
with exuberance. The collection's numerous highlights particularly
include the bookends. (Both of whom have Pittsburgh connections.)
In Paige McBee's "Keep Your Goals Abstract," poetic interludes of
photographs transition between the character's setting and reflections
on a cross-country road trip. In Beth Steidle's "Stay," body parts
voice disparate opinions, narration slides from a painful breakup
to an aquarium scene, and style alternates between confrontational
and hallucinatory statements. Michelle Tea's own writing celebrates
honesty and wildness, and her skills as a selecting editor are equally
vivacious. Each piece segues gracefully to the next through common
style or subject matter, and the pace rarely drags or stutters. (For
further proof of Tea's editing prowess, read Without
a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class.)
Recommended April 2008 |
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Bender, Aimee Willful Creatures Short Stories |
| For a collection of allegorical stories whose characters
rarely even have names, Willful Creatures is powerfully emotional.
Bender writes the whimsical tales so fluidly that their fantastic
inhabitants-like a boy with keys for fingers, a woman with potato
children, and a pumpkin family-seem natural and immediate. Her language
consists of stark imagery rendered into gorgeous, clever prose infused
with humor and wonder. Bender groups the stories into three sections
with loosely correlated themes. Part One features unlikable villains,
Part Two, characters who make mistakes in surreal situations. In Part
Three, protagonists confront impossible, absurdist challenges with
noble resignation. Robert Coover fans will appreciate Willful Creatures,
as will anyone in search of a heart-piercing bit of magical realism.
"Job's Jobs," in which God systematically denies a man his every source
of creative pleasure, and the closing "Hymn" are the collection's
most moving highlights. Recommended March 2008 |
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| Lat Kampung Boy Graphic Novels |
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| Renowned Malaysian comics creator Lat depicts his youth
in a small kampung, or village, with elegantly simple sentences and
sketchy ink drawings. While he has earned numerous awards in Southeast
Asia for his works, Kampung Boy is Lat’s first major US release.
It follows Lat from his birth, through traditional Muslim rites of
passage, to his departure for school in a nearby city. He tenderly
and beautifully renders poignant memories in full or double-page unpanelled
illustrations, such as a gorgeous scene when he and his friends swim
in a rippling pond surrounded by plants and trees. While Kampung
Boy is free of any political commentary, Lat vividly depicts
social customs and changing economic factors that characterize his
culture, like the tin mine near his family’s house, gender roles,
and government aid programs. The first book in a series, Kampung
Boy’s end implies continuation, so be sure to check out the next
one, Town Boy as well. Recommended February 2008 |
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Nilsen, Anders Dogs and Water Graphic Novels |
| On one family vacation, we ended up in the emergency
room, waiting for doctors to remove a large bead from my three-year-old
sister’s ear. When she emerged, hearing clearly again, she had only
one explanation: “The bear did it.” We never met the imaginary bear,
but we never figured out how the bead got in her ear, either. Anders
Nilsen’s Dogs and Water is a little like that. Nilsen renders
his landscape in sparse black and white drawings that limit details
to the most suggestive elements, wildly shifting perspectives when
it suits the surreal mood. Emphasizing the tone of uncertainty, he
doesn’t frame his panels, so scenes blend into each other via common
walls, ground, and clouds. Dogs and Water’s plot is sporadic
and symbolic rather than linear. (After I finished it, I looked up
“dog” and “water” in dream interpretation guides.) The hoodie-clad
main character walks along a deserted road into a desert. But does
he stumble into a war zone? Or is he actually drifting far from land
in a boat? Or is he underwater? Wherever he is, the character has
only his teddy bear—with whom he’s apparently very angry— strapped
to his back pack to talk to. Apparently, the bear put him up to all
this. Recommended January 2008 |
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July, Miranda No One Belongs Here More Than You Short Stories |
| Careful. Miranda July will disarm you into feeling as
attentive, sensitive and lonely as her characters. Their honest observations
of daily interactions are full of humor and heart-wrenching loneliness.
They narrate self-absorbed fears and longings with strangers and partners,
and put themselves in beautiful, painful, absurd situations. A secretary
takes a sewing class with an ulterior motive. A woman in love with
Prince William cheers on Potato, a runaway dog. July's voice is so
clear, natural and clever, it becomes a second internal voice. You
may never recover your former defenses. Recommended January 2008 |
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Lightman, Alan Einstein's Dreams Fiction |
| Einstein's renowned E=mc2, which expresses mass energy
equivalence, is arguably the most famous physics equation. But it
is only part of Einstein's theory of special relativity, whose other
consequences include factors that seem more like science fiction than
science. Alan Lightman's brief novel Einstein's Dreams plays with
the potentially wild behavior of time, and reflects on its effect
on our lives. Each short chapter describes one of Einsteins's dreams,
different worlds in which time behaves differently (it moves backwards,
it doesn't move, it is qualitative instead of quantitative), and explores
the way that behavior impacts the people in that world. Lightman describes
both setting and characters (most of whom exist for only a sentence)
with painterly poeticism to craft moving meditations on the nature
of our life and our role in shaping it-with or without time's help.
Recommended by Renée, December 2007 |
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Gaiman, Neil; illustrated by Dave McKean The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch: A Romance Graphic Novel |
| Read this book somewhere well-lit. Shady characters,
dark images, and the subconscious' shadows meld into a story that
alternates between reality and nightmare. The narrator recalls a summer
of his youth spent with his grandparents at his grandfather's failing
seaside arcade, where he meets a mysterious Punch and Judy professor.
Gaiman expertly weaves the narrator's evasion with the child's uncertainty
about the strange characters around him. Combined with the sinister
nature of the Punch and Judy show, the frightening setting of the
dilapidated amusement park, and the rainy environment, this book evokes
an uneasy but mesmerizing response. Dave McKean's surreal illustrations
are reminiscent of Quay Brothers films and lend to the story's distorted
atmosphere with eerie warped images of rusty, carved and textured
sculptures and darkly colored drawings overlaid with illegible text.
Recommended by Renée, November 2007 |
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Calvino, Italo If on a Winter's Night a Traveler Fiction |
| If on a Winter's Night a Traveler is clever
metafiction sure to thrill anyone who loves to read. The premise is
that you (the Reader) buy a copy of Italo Calvino's new novel, If
on a Winter's Night a Traveler, only to discover that the copy
has a binding error, forcing you back to the bookstore and into a
chain of absurd events. Calvino weaves multiple stories with self-referential
wit, satire and philosophizing punctuated with humor. William Weaver
seamlessly translates Calvino's effortless, vibrant prose. This book,
which makes the experience of reading its central theme, is definitely
a must-read. Recommended by Renée, October 2007 |
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Yang, Gene Luen American Born Chinese Graphic Novel |
| A graphic novel that's earning awards and critical acclaim
visits the theme of self-acceptance through three stories that intertwine
in a surprising twist. Irresistible clean line drawings with vivid
colors tell the tales of the Monkey King of Chinese fable, Jin Wang,
a Chinese-American student in a new school, and Chin-Kee, the archetype
of Chinese stereotypes whose antics embarrass his cousin Danny. Typical
adolescent trials compose the plot; friendship, teasing, self-consciousness,
and infatuation with the opposite sex all play a role as the characters
navigate the terrain of bullies, friends, and girlfriends. (Or, in
the Monkey King's case, issues of immortality and omnipotence arise
in encounters with demons, deities, and a legendary monk.) Gene Luen
Yang expertly interweaves conflicts that arise from racism and stereotypes,
subtly poking fun at American ignorance, in both humorous and heart-splitting
story elements. American Born Chinese boasts appealing frame
layout whose simplicity includes key details that enliven the setting.
(Notice the Yang family station wagon's very 1980's roof-mounted carrier
and Yang's teacher's enormous jewelry.) With charm that's compelling
readers to cross the graphic novel/traditional novel divide, American
Born Chinese approaches a classic coming-of-age theme in a style
that is all at once gentle, humorous and honest, magical and endearing.
Recommended by Renée, October 2007 |
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Antoon, Sinan I’jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody Fiction |
| Don’t skip the preface to this one. In it, Sinan Antoon
explains the meaning of the word i’jaam, diacritical marks
that distinguish similar Arabic letters from each other. Without them,
a word can have numerous meanings, discernible only by context, so
i’jaam also means “elucidating” or “clarifying.” The novel
is so named because it is a state translator’s disambiguation of a
fictional political prisoner’s diary, written without diacritical
dots and found in a Baghdad prison during Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The novel plays with the concept of i'jaam, emphasizing the
disparity between appearance and reality at several levels. Furat,
the prisoner, employs the lack of diacritical marks to make lewd puns
that mock state maxims. The tyrannical Leader publicly encourages
free expression while he clandestinely arrests those, like Furat,
who display dissent. Undercover guards posing as students monitor
mandatory patriotic rallies and enforce myriad regulations meant to
create the facade of a unified populace. Furat’s many linguistic musings
will intrigue those with an understanding or interest in the Arabic
language and script, while his knowledge of literature and Iraqi poets
will entice others. His vignettes include flashbacks, visions and
jarring accounts of prison life whose descriptions range from mundane
to surreal. Essentially, I’jaam boasts a compelling premise,
but one executed in sometimes stilted language and a slightly rushed
plot. The timely political relevance and the novel's brevity, however,
still make it worth the read. Recommended by Renée, September 2007 |
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Lynch, David Catching the Big Fish: Meditation Consciousness, and Creativity Nonfiction |
| David Lynch's sheer passion lures the reader irresistibly
along brief chapters of Catching the Big Fish: Meditation Consciousness,
and Creativity, describing his method of channeling ideas into
creative endeavors. Lynch touts digital video as the future of film
and regards director's commentaries as sacrilegious. He also reveals
his love for diners, flickering lights, Los Angeles, rotting bodies
and other things that drive him "crazy, in a good way." He writes
of the three years he spent making Eraserhead, O.J. Simpson's
influence on Lost Highway, the inception of Twin Peaks'
red room, and details of filming his current release INLAND EMPIRE.
Epigraphs from the Upanishads introduce many chapters, and Lynch spends
most of the book crediting Transcendental Mediation with his success
in converting inspiration into successful creations. Lynch's love
for both watching and making film is clear; he refers continually
to his awe upon entering the "world of a film" and the thrill of "falling
in love with ideas." At times, Catching the Big Fish conveys
a bit of an agenda (all proceeds for the book go towards the David
Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace),
but the simple, sincere and often poetic tone maintain his believability.
Lynch has been practicing Transcendental Mediation for over 30 years,
and few could argue with his success as a surrealist, envelope-pushing
filmmaker-however he does it. Lynch's fans will delight in amusing
behind-the-scenes anecdotes of synchronicity with actors, musicians
and admired directors. Those seeking advice on creativity, meditation,
or simply seeking a good read from a creative, quirky mind will also
enjoy this book. Recommended by Renée, August 2007 |
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Compiled and produced by Rebekah Presson Mosby Poetry on record: 98 poets read their work, 1888-2006 [sound recording] Poetry |
| On disc one of the anthology, William Butler Yeats prefaces
his lyrical delivery with the disclaimer, "I am going to read my poem
with great emphasis upon the rhythm, and that may seem strange if
you are not used to it…It gave me a devil of a lot of trouble to get
into verse the poems that I am going to read, and that is why I will
not read them as if they are prose." By disc four, Joy Harjo croons
"Grace" over acoustic guitar, and Carl Hancock Rux chants "Eleven
More Days" along with backup singers, drums, electric guitar, keyboards
and his own delayed vocals. In between, renowned poets from myriad
styles, movements and eras speak their poetry in voices that ring
with their specific brands of honest expression. Poetry on Record
includes a staggeringly impressive range of poets famous for an equally
impressive range of poetic contributions. The anthology is not only
a tour of the evolution of written verse-classicism, modernism, post-modernism,
beat, confessional, experimental, performance poetry, etc. It is also
an audible timeline of the changing ways we capture sound, from the
garbled recordings of the booming Alfred Lord Tennyson to the crisp
digital immediacy of contemporary poets. Poetry lovers of all genres
will be thrilled by the power with which these voices convey the stirring
facets of human experience that remain constant throughout the decades
of transforming technology and technique. Poetry on Record
will leave you wishing a CD of a poet reading their work accompanied
every book of poetry. Recommended by Renée, August 2007 |
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| Tea, Michelle, illustrated by Laurenn McCubbin Rent Girl Nonfiction |
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| Tea candidly recounts her years as a young, broke lesbian
in the sex trade in this absorbing, compellingly illustrated memoir.
Intrigued by the large amounts of money and glam lifestyle of her
wild girlfriend, Steph, Michelle decides to give prostitution a try.
This is no exposé of the evils of the sex trade. Rather, Tea explores
the range of emotions and experiences as a prostitute, from the allure
of her first $700 trick, to her repulsion with the johns, to her struggle
to establish boundaries both within and outside her profession. Her
tone expertly describes the characters at their most self-indulgent,
cruel, narcissistic and deluded with stark honesty and self-deprecating
humor. She details the falling-outs, falling-in-love and realizations
of a young woman seeking to define herself. For example, Tea details
her many "no future tattoos," mapping the path she took to reclaim
her body (and self) from the aesthetic of prostitution while still
denying the standards of mainstream culture. Like Lauren McCubbin's
tough, mysterious, scantily-clad women who stare unrelentingly from
the page, Tea makes no attempt to translate her lifestyle, full of
sex, drugs and astrology, into a digestible foray into subculture.
And she does not apologize, either. Explicitly herself, she informs
her reader, "I tell you this, like I tell you everything, not to excuse
my behavior but to explain it." Recommended by Renée, July 2007 |
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Gottlieb, Daphne Final Girl Poetry |
| The final girl is the last man standing in a slasher
flick: "Even during that final struggle she is now weak and now strong,
now flees the killer and now charges him, now stabs and is stabbed,
now cries out in fear and now shouts in anger," according to Carol
J. Clover in her essay "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film."
(Available in the collection The
Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film.) Inspired by
this dynamic character, Daphne Gottlieb uses the final girl to inform
her poetry in this sharp, witty and moving collection. In these poems,
Gottlieb challenges sexism, hate crimes and gender bias. She defies
social mores that define masculinity and femininity. And, most startling
of all, she conveys the fear that haunts the reality of someone who
lives and acts outside the realm of gender normalcy. Also a performance
poet and, recently, graphic novelist, Gottlieb writes verse that both
screams and whispers, shatters clichés with sizzling wordplay, and
grounds her theories with solid, vivid details. She employs experimental
techniques that emphasize both the immediacy and wide range of gender
bias by rearranging phrases from everyday and historical sources,
sampling Sojourner Truth's speeches, the captivity narrative of Mary
Rowlandson, a newspaper article about a hate crime. Plenty more material
draws from the language and imagery of horror films, including the
"Final Girl" cycle, a sequence of ten poems that form the thematic
core, where she even reminds us of our implicit participation: "We
control the horizontal. / We control the vertical. / We control the
abduction." Gottlieb gives voice to the characters whose side we don't
hear: transvestite, victim's mother, exile. In "The Other Woman,"
she states her case with staggering emotional force in punched-out
lines: "Have you ever seen flood damage? / Your husband came over
/ and burst over in my lap … There is nothing / going on. I took nothing
/ you wanted. You can't / have it back." Recommended by Renée, June 2007 |
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Armstrong, Karen A Short History of Myth Nonfiction |
| A Short History of Myth is the perfect read
for anyone fascinated by ancient mythology, archetypes and comparative
religion, but intimidated by the plethora of books on the subjects.
Armstrong condenses the evolution of mythology and religion into six
chapters describing humanity's conception of divinity from 20,000
BC to 2000 CE. As human society progressed through hunting, agricultural
and urban stages, its mythology developed symbiotically to help humans
deal with the unique problems accompanying each phase. Armstrong continues
to follow mythology through the "Great Western Transformation," when
the West rejected myth in favor of logic, and she reflects upon the
impact this had on Western society and thought. Her footnotes demonstrate
the impressive scope of this brief book. She discusses the Bible,
ancient Mesopotamian poetry, Enuma Elish, The Epic of Gilgamesh,
Dao De Jing, Analects of Confucius, Kabbalah, Anguttara Nikaya, Jataka,
Vinaya, Plato's The Republic, Aristotle's Metaphysics,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Isaac Newton and
Charles Darwin. Also, she frequently references scholars Mircea Eliade
and Joseph Campbell. A Short History of Myth consists of
concise and accessible history and theory peppered with fascinating
cross-cultural examples and comparisons. It serves as an excellent
starting point for anyone intrigued by mythology, as a background
for those who have already read about it, or as a reflection for those
looking to explore the aspects of humanity that unite all of us. Recommended by Renée, May 2007 |
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McCarthy, Cormac The Road Fiction |
| McCarthy's prose alternates between terse and utterly
poetic. He describes the desolation of nuclear winter, despair, and
violence with language that is almost paradoxically beautiful. As
the man and the boy (as we know them) wander through an America all
but destroyed by an undefined catastrophe, they confront starvation,
freezing, and cannibals. McCarthy envelops us in the characters' boredom,
hunger, cold, loneliness, heart-pounding fear, and shadowy hope. Their
dialogue is brief and simple, but buried in these short lines are
layers of meaning that imply their relationship and opinions. One
of The Road's most compelling themes is the difference between
the man's and his son's perspectives of their surroundings. The man
regards the world as charred ruins of the vibrant planet that used
to be; the boy sees the only world he has ever known. The tension
that results from these subtly stated views becomes the subtext which
colors their behavior and beliefs, and which offers two opposing avenues
of approaching the novel's philosophical questions. What is the difference
between a primal society and a society that emerges from destruction?
How do people behave in anarchic conditions? How do we know what is
right? Why live? Yes, the plot is dark, but McCarthy is a master,
and The Road is a masterpiece - one with imagery and argument
powerful enough to linger in the minds of those who read it long after
they've finished. Recommended by Renée, May 2007 |
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Valente, Catherynne M. Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams Fiction |
| A story with no definite plot unfolds and refolds like
origami as the narrator describes her dream-visions which may actually
be her life, memory or imagination. The narrator might be Ayako, an
ancient hermit living on a mountain, or she may be "The I-that-is-Ayako,"
"a hinge which opens and shuts strange windows, who dreams she is
more than her flesh." Several forces propel this book. First, Ayako's
visions cross cultures and time with the vast range of mythology she
encounters. In one dream, her dream-sister is Pele, the Hawaiian volcano
goddess. In another, she births the Egyptian god Horus. Others involve
quantum physics, circuses, Oedipus, medieval Japanese culture, and
a host of dream-guide animals. All deal with themes of change, transience
and uncertainty. The second force behind the book is its lush, adjective-laden
language, which fluidly draws comparisons and metaphors that employ
even more images. Chapters are named after months from the Japanese
Heian period calendar, and they detail changes in animals and nature
that signal seasonal cycles, like "Grasses Wither" and "Earthworms
Come Out." While the storyline is sparse and buried in surrealism,
glimpses of plot emerge from Ayoko's interactions with River, Mountain
and Gate-beings who teach her Zen koan-like lessons. With its poetic
style, abundance of symbols and ambiguous plotline and characters,
the book can be overwhelming, despite its short length. Too many symbols,
after all, can become meaningless. But Valente may have intended this
shadowy environment to immerse us in the same confusion Ayoko experiences,
as she tries to navigate and interpret her visions and distinguish
her thoughts from her Self. Recommended by Renée, April 2007 |
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Tomine, Adrian 32 Stories: the Complete Optic Nerve Mini-comics Graphic Novels |
| 32 Stories collects the first several issues
of Adrian Tomine's long-running comic strip Optic Nerve.
The selections are from the first strips Tomine initially photocopied
and distributed himself, beginning at age 15. His artistic evolution
serves as a subtext to the plots of the stories, as his clean-line
style and poignant storytelling emerge. He depicts these characters
with a delicate care to preserve the spirit of the muses who appeared
to him in laundromats, coffee shops and dirty apartments. The strongest
stories are vignettes about the small triumphs and failures of everyday
characters' lives. A young insomniac describes the diners and bike
rides that occupy her nights. A couple interrupts their anniversary
with a conversation they'd rather not have. A woman mails a letter
to her boyfriend, then regrets it. Several characters rebel against
the frustrating conditions and coworkers of their minimum-wage jobs.
Tomine finds these men and women at their least heroic, lying in bed
rehearsing the witty comebacks they should have said, or recollecting
anticlimactic, yet significant memories. His characters shoe-gaze
and sport awkward haircuts and ill-fitting clothes. They smoke too
much, think a lot, feel even more and say very little. The magic of
Optic Nerve is that we're included into their surreal dreams
and absurd moments with an intimacy that allows us to smile in recognition
as they laugh at themselves. Recommended by Renée, April 2007 |
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Cixous, Hélène Dream I Tell You Nonfiction |
| Bound to be a favorite of poets, voyeurs and shrinks
alike, Dream I Tell You is a selection of fifty dreams from
prolific French writer Hélène Cixous' ten years of dream journals.
Themes explore familiar dream topics like death, birth, love, intrusion,
unpreparedness and war. Babies, pets, colleagues, crowds, wild animals,
Cixous' family (dead and living) and strange dream beings populate
her visions. Her unedited, half-awake accounts of her unconscious
maintain the poetic and emotive logic of dreams. Such an approach
creates some confusion-readers enter so openly into Cixous' mind that
characters are never introduced or explained beyond their names-leaving
unclear whether Thessie is a child, dog or cat. But it also suspends
enough objectivity to enjoy Cixous' visceral experiences vicariously.
The reader shares in her terror and suspense as she navigates a violent
world under Nazi control and in her perplexity as she deciphers mysterious
markings on abandoned babies in the underworld. Cixous' poetic writing
resonates with humor, irritation, wonder and fear. She conjures fantastic
dreamscapes, like a bed in a glass room in a snowstorm, and eerie
nightmarish scenes, like an overpopulated cemetery city built of worm-eaten
stairs. But the real joy of the book comes from relishing Cixous'
passionate, flamboyant writing in its rawest form, which offers gems
like "For the moment I felt him nearby, in the left part of the house,
a marvelous guest, as if in the left side of my chest." Recommended by Renée, March 2007 |
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Bechdel, Alison Fun Home Graphic Novels |
| Reading Fun Home feels like a scavenger hunt through
someone else's diary. In Alison Bechdel's memoir in graphic novel
form, she skillfully illustrates setting through both text and image.
Myriad cultural and literary allusions assist movement and characterization
"not only as descriptive devices, but because my parents are most
real to me in fictional terms." Detailed drawings include myriad literary
and cultural references, and abound with ephemera: newspaper front
pages, handwritten margin notes in dog-eared books, phone messages,
dictionary definitions, field guides, maps, product labels, photographs,
and letters. Fun Home rings with honesty as Bechdel vividly
recounts childhood experiences with wry humor and perspective, but
never nostalgia. Witty, telling dialogue between Alison, her family
and friends punctuates her often poetic narration. Both expertly depict
the complicated relationship between Alison and her father, a high
school English teacher with a passion for heavy literature and gothic
interior design and restoration. Alison discovers he is a closeted
homosexual when she comes out to her parents during college, an event
that both clarifies and confuses their distant connection. The combination
of Bechdel's frank and likeable tone and expert illustration lead
the reader irresistibly from one frame to the next as she pieces together
the memories and people that influenced her identity. Recommended by Renée, February 2007 |
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Coover, Robert A Child Again Fiction |
| Robert Coover populates this collection of short stories
with characters from myths, fairy tales and folklore who display surprising
twists of modern sensibility. Prince Charming suffers an existential
crisis at his wicked stepmother-in-law's funeral. Jackie Paper, now
an aging equestrian, returns to Honah-Lee to find Puff the Magic Dragon
listless and depressed. The Invisible Man abandons his superhero lifestyle
for a lonely path of perfect crime. Alice goes through menopause among
her ageless, insane Wonderland companions. While he infuses the stories
with humor, Coover also uses the familiar icons of our cultural narrative
to access serious themes. "Playing House," a parable, questions the
difference between light and darkness, and human response to both.
"The Return of the Dark Children" visits post-Piper Hamelin to explore
the roots of hysteria. Coover electrifies his stories with his characteristic
sarcasm and witty wordplay. Vocabulary ranging in topic from elocution
to royal court titles to architecture should satisfy any logophile.
Each tale flows into the next via common theme or tone, creating a
compelling narrative thread through different settings and voices.
These stories transform formerly two-dimensional, moralistic caricatures
into complex beings enhanced with sexuality, anxiety, memory, fears
and hopes. Coover affords us the chance to reevaluate our culture
by seeing its foundations anew, giving us the freedom to question
it from the same fresh perspective we did as children. Recommended by Renée, January 2007 |
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