Review: Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

I belong to a group on Library Thing called 'Reading Globally'. Each month they read a book based in a certain country, or by an author from that country. July's choice is Nigeria, which I was thinking of passing on -- because I'm so busy and I've already read Half of a Yellow Sun, which is the quintessential Nigerian read. But then....there was an article in our paper about a new book out by a Nigerian author...Say You're One of Them. So I changed my mind and read.

This book is a collection of short stories - 5 of them. From the slums of Kenya to the massacres in Rwanda to a treacherous bus ride through Nigeria, these stories are hair-raising one and all. I wish the world was such that no one could even imagine things horrible enough to write a book like this. But alas, this stuff didn't come out of thin air...I'm sure that these stories are thinly veiled fictional accounts of the truth. The worst part is, most of the stories are about the struggles of children in horrible circumstances like this. It's true that they highlight the resilience of children and the bond between siblings -- but I can't imagine my kids ever having to face such tragedy. I don't want to be naive, but really - it's a truth I wish I didn't know. The writing is great, but the content is highly disturbing.

Review: Loose Girl by Kerry Cohen

I requested this book from the Early Reviewers program at Library Thing because I'm a psychotherapist. Women who use sex and love to feel worthy are abundant, and the residue of these experiences can be hard to work through. I thought this might be a good book to have in my library for clients.

Well, I really liked the book, but I don't know that I would give it to clients. This is a fascinating look at promiscuity - what it's roots are and the internal damage it can do. I could barely put it down, which is unusual for me since I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction.

But, like other reviewers, I wanted more at the end. I wanted to hear her conclusions about what happened to her and how she makes sense of it now, especially since she's now a psychotherapist herself. I wanted to know what the journey was like between then and now. To give it to a client, I'd want some kind of a diary about how to get out of the pattern, not just a diary of the pattern.

Ahem...a sequel, maybe?

I also had difficulty with the present tense, first person style. Here's an example:

Once, Susan calls me to the window to see a fox in their backyard.

I'm sure this is grammatically fine, but she is saying "once" as in, in the past, and then the rest of the sentence is present tense...? This style tripped me up, and several times, like with this sentence, I found myself re-reading the sentence and saying "huh?" to myself. As I say, I'm sure it's defendable grammatically, but I just didn't like it much.

Review: The Interloper by Antoine Wilson

I read some of the other reviews of this book, trying to figure out what people liked about it. I did read it all the way through, something I doubt I would have done if it wasn't an Early Reviewer book from Library Thing. The main character just gets crazier and crazier, more and more bizarre, as the book carries on. As I read other reviewers comments, I realized I had to admit that this was certainly the author's intent. The discomfiture I felt watching him lose his mind was carefully crafted by the author, and I'm sure that I felt just as he wanted me to feel!

Still, as a psychotherapist, I was really stuck in the idea that "There's medication for this, ya know??" It really is a very good piece if you want to see in action what delusional disorder is really all about. But a warning: YOU might go crazy reading about it!

What a dud!

Wow. I only read one book in May. I bet that is a record for me for LEAST books read in a month, in my entire life. Usually I'm never seen without a book in hand. But starting this yoga studio was just WAY busier than I anticipated. (Duh. I don't know what I anticipated!) Part of the problem too is that I'm slogging through The Interloper, a free book I got from Library Thing Early Reviewers. I'm not enjoying it, and haven't yet figured out if it's the book, or if I'm just too busy to enjoy reading. Hopefully I'll figure it out shortly. I'm running an "enlightened" book club for the yoga studio, so I know I'll at least be reading one book a month!! Our first pick is "Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change My Life?" by Stephen Cope. I love him and highly recommend ALL his books.

Anyway, this blog might be a little dull for awhile, but soon I hope to be back to my regular reading self!!

Tuesday Thingers (on Wednesday; getting better!)

This week's topic: Discussion groups. Do you belong to any (besides Early Reviewers)? Approximately how many? Are there any in particular that you participate in more avidly? How often do you check?

Answer: I used to belong to a book discussion group (I can't even remember the name of it) and I found it pretty unsatisfying. Plus it's hard to follow, remember to check, and all that.

I belong to several list-serv type discussions for psychotherapists -- one for therapists in the East Bay Area (California) and one for those practicing Emotionally Focused Therapy. Every once in awhile we have a pretty divisive discussion, and I've actually decided to pretty much stop participating. It's amazing how mean therapists can be to each other!! (I know, that's not what you want to hear, is it?)

I am also a member of a yoga forum in which I keep a blog and we have various discussions. However, since I decided to open a yoga studio, I don't have much time for talking (or doing yoga for that matter!)

I follow about 100 blogs using Bloglines, and comment often, but that's not really a discussion group.

So not too many, maybe none by strict definition.

Book Review: House of Meetings by Martin Amis

I swear I got smarter while I was reading this book. Seriously, though, this is some intense fiction. I revisited a common complaint of mine, which is that the author makes the assumption that one knows something about his subject; in this case modern Russian history. Half the time I had no idea what he was talking about! I know relatively nothing about Stalin, post WWII Russia, the Gulag and all that. I know about relationships, though - oppression, lust, hatred - this book has it all.

I never even considered putting this book down; it almost makes me want to go check out a book on Russia and learn more. That's the impact of the book. Add to that Martin Amis' beautiful, stunning writing and you've really got a winner. Here's a brief quote from the book that doesn't give anything away:

Let me tell you what I loved about August 4, 1953, when we stood arm in arm. When we stood and faced the state and its whirlwind of iron. I had reached the end of philosophy: I knew how to die. And men don't know how to do that. It might even be that all the really staggering male exertions, both great and base, are brought on by this single incapacity. No other animal is asked to form an attitude to its own extinction. This is horribly difficult for us, and may be thought to mitigate our general notoriety...You need mass emotion - to know how to die.

Tuesday Thing (on Saturday)

Ok, ok, so I'm a little late; you'll understand shortly.

I'm in a group of Early Reviewers on Library Thing and we are going to have a blogring on Tuesdays where we talk about what's new with us. Last Tuesday being the first time, we were supposed to introduce ourselves.

My name is Lisa and I'll be turning 40 this year. I spent 11 years as an Air Traffic Controller before I had kids and had to quit because of the schedule. Then I went back to school and am now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, counseling about 12-15 couples a week. Recently I decided to open a yoga studio with my yoga instructor and we open ONE WEEK from today!!! (now you know why I'm doing this so late!)

I have an angel of a husband, and two kids - 7 and 3, both boys.

I'm totally exhausted.

But I simply cannot live without books, nor can I stop reading, no matter how busy I get.