Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating.  This week I chose The Submission by Amy Waldman.

The Submission
by Amy Waldman
 Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: August  2011

Goodreads.com description:

Claire Harwell hasn’t settled into grief; events haven’t let her. Cool, eloquent, raising two fatherless children, Claire has emerged as the most visible of the widows who became a potent political force in the aftermath of the catastrophe. She longs for her husband, but she has found her mission: she sits on a jury charged with selecting a fitting memorial for the victims of the attack.
Of the thousands of anonymous submissions that she and her fellow jurors examine, one transfixes Claire: a garden on whose walls the names of the dead are inscribed. But when the winning envelope is opened, they find the designer is Mohammad Khan—Mo—an enigmatic Muslim-American who, it seems, feels no need to represent anyone’s beliefs except his own. When the design and its creator are leaked, a media firestorm erupts, and Claire finds herself trying to balance principles against emotions amid escalating tensions about the place of Islam in America.
A remarkably bold and ambitious debut, The Submission is peopled with journalists, activists, mourners, and bureaucrats who struggle for advantage and fight for their ideals. In this deeply humane novel, the breadth of Amy Waldman’s cast of characters is matched by her startling ability to conjure individual lives from their own points of view. A striking portrait of a city—and a country—fractured by old hatreds and new struggles, The Submission is a major novel by an important new talent.

What are you waiting for?

A husband in the doghouse, literally

                         


 EMILY AND EINSTEIN by Linda Francis Lee

My rating:  4.5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful surprise this book was for me.  I must confess that when I skimmed the flyleaf, I was a little skeptical:  a wife discovering that a dead husband was unfaithful or worse is hardly a unique storyline.  However, Ms. Lee has put a fresh spin on this premise with her new novel, Emily and Einstein in that the husband (Sandy) comes to occupy the body of an old dog(Einstein) whom the wife (Emily) adopts from a shelter.  What could have been a schmaltzy gimmick, instead,  forms the basis for a truly engaging story, largely due to Ms. Lee's uncanny ability to overlay a human's sensibilities on a dog's personna.

When Sandy Portman is killed in a car accident and his spirit slips into the body of a dog, he immediately encounters a mysterious old man who suggests that Sandy can redeem himself by helping his wife Emily to live a happy life.  As the story progresses, Sandy begins to gain insight about himself and his relationships that he never had as a human.  When he occasionally reverts to his old, self-absorbed ways, he feels himself starting to disappear.  Ultimately, he accepts that his road to redemption is tied to Emily and the love he had for her but failed to give during his lifetime.

Emily and Einstein is told in alternating chapters narrated by Emily and Einstein, respectively, and the primary reason that this book was such a hit with me was the incredible voicing of Sandy/Einstein.  Watching the arrogant, selfish and smarmy Sandy struggle to cope with the limitations of his dog reality is pure pleasure.  The "conversations" he has with those around him, though he cannot speak, are hilarious.  But even more to the point, they are so dog-like. In one instance, when Sandy gets mad at Emily's sister, Einstein reacts by eating an entire box of Lucky Charms.  As his world is driven into a darkness he can't understand, causing him to thrash about, the reader realizes he has of course, gotten his head stuck in the box.  Driven by instincts he can't thwart he then eats every pastry in the house.  The feelings Einstein describes as he lays on the floor in severe gastrointestinal distress I am sure are exactly the sentiments  my dog would have expressed last year after he ate an entire plate of cookies.  That is the marvelous thing about this book, the way that Lee has managed to meld the human/canine sensibilites so seamlessly.

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is that I felt the character of Emily was somewhat non-descript.  Unlike Sandy, whose voice and personality shone through, I felt like I never quite got a formed picture of Emily in my mind as I read.  This is a minor point, and did not get in the way of my overall enjoyment of the book.

The more I got caught up in the book, the more afraid I became to reach the end.  Not so much because I wanted the book to go on, but rather because I simply could not see how Ms. Lee could end this book in a way that would not disappoint.  Well, I guess that's why I read books instead of writing them because she found exactly the right way to separate Sandy, Einstein and Emily.  This is really a special book.  I won't go on and on about it anymore --  Einstein would say enough already I'm making him barf.  Just do yourself a favor and read it.

I received a hardcover finished edition of this book from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.  Emily and Einstein was released in March of 2011.

Dewey Decimals behind bars

RUNNING THE BOOKS:  THE ADVENTURES OF AN ACCIDENTAL PRISON LIBRARIAN by Avi Steinberg


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Avi Steinberg is no Marion the librarian.  And his patrons are not your average bookworms. Steinberg was looking to leave his job as an obituary writer at the Boston Globe when he spotted a Craig's list job posting seeking a librarian at a  medium security prison.  Having graduated from Harvard with no clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life, Steinberg accepted the job hoping that it would give his life some new direction and purpose.  In the same way that he had no idea what to expect when he began this job, as a reader, I had no idea what to expect from his story.  For both of us, there were some surprises along the way.

I was interested to learn how the library in a prison is much more than just a place to read or check out books. As described by Steinberg it is used as a place to pray, to have a moment of privacy and aloneness that is so elusive in prison, to engage in adolescent play behaviour, and perhaps most often, to serve as a conduit  between prisoners of hand written messages inserted in the books.

Prison librarians constantly straddle a line between jailer and teacher/social worker.  Steinberg ran creative writing classes, helped inmates perform legal research relative to their appeals, and gathered information to help facilitate re-entry into society.  At the same time, he had to enforce rules stemming from the harsh reality that the library was a security nightmare where hardcovers could be used as weapons or body armor, and the stacks provided ample space for contraband, including weapons, to be exchanged.  The relationships he developed were constantly tested by these necessary procedures; in particular, he struggled with the rule against extending kindness to the inmates in the form of supplying food.  This book deftly animates the theoretical argument about whether tax dollars should be used to support libraries for criminals, an outgrowth of the age old debate of whether the function of prison is retribution or rehabilitation.

By including excerpts of poems, essays and other creative writing turned in by inmates, including one memoir written by a pimp that garnered encouraging letters from publishers, Steinberg humanizes the inmates, and makes the case for rehabilitation.  In doing so, however, Steinberg does not overly romanticize these individuals.  At one point in his story, Steinberg is faced with the ugliness of a former convict whom he meets on the outside, and it causes him to reconsider some of his ongoing relationships with current inmates.

There are several truly haunting portions of this narrative.  Frankly, I did not expect to be as affected by this book as I was. The most compelling story for me was that of Jessica, a woman who had abandoned her infant son in a church because she was an addict, and had never seen him again until she learned that they were incarcerated in the same prison.  Scared to reach out to him, she sits at the library window and watches him in the exercise yard.  In speaking with Jessica Avi discovers that she has read Sylvia Plath's letters twice, and in their discussions she demonstrates a nuanced understanding of her reading. Eventually, with Avi's help, she composes a letter for her son and has an inmate sketch her portrait, but just before her release, she destroys both and leaves without ever making contact.  Unable to forgive herself for the mistakes of her life, Jessica overdoses shortly after leaving prison.  In recounting this story, Steinberg points up a unique conundrum for prison librarians  --  the usual duty to connect patrons with books has special considerations in prison that may make censorship appropriate given the nature of the population, i.e., should the suicide-centered Plath be off-limits to emotionally vulnerable inmates. 

The reason why this book worked for me is that Steinberg never really makes the book about him; rather it is about those library "patrons" and the larger questions relating to incarceration.  There were parts of the book that felt somewhat disjointed, and choppy, perhaps because it was structured in two and three page entries.  This was a book that I picked up and put down, not one that kept me glued to the pages.  Overall, an affecting account of an unusual life experience.

I received an advance reader's edition of this book from the publisher, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.

Weekend Cooking: Book Review

MY KOREAN DELI by Ben Ryder Howe

My rating:  3.5 of 5 stars




Once upon a time I read almost exclusively fiction. Lately, I have found myself reading more non-fiction titles, and for the most part, I have enjoyed them. One of my favorite non-fiction varieties is food-related offerings: memoirs of food critics, explorations of ecological or historical aspects of the current food supply, books on the synergy between culture and cuisine, are just a few of the sort of books I devour (no pun intended, well maybe). When I saw the publicity for My Korean Deli, I thought it would fit in well with my love of all things foodie, and I was right.

For those who live in large urban areas, the “Korean deli” is a ubiquitous fact of life. These stores are notorious for carrying everything from staples such as milk, bread and beer (surely a staple for some), obscure spices, jarred vegetables and tinned meats, to non-edibles such as flowers, toilet paper and crazy glue. The hours are long, the profit margin is small, and the work can sometimes be dangerous. An unlikely career choice for someone who graduated from an elite American university, but it is behind such a counter that the author, Ben Ryder Howe, a former editor at The Paris Review, found himself, as he recounts in this funny, poignant memoir.

Howe and his wife, a former corporate attorney at a prestigious law firm, are living with her parents (the Paks) in Staten Island when the couple agrees to help her mother purchase and run a deli in Brooklyn. This expedition into unfamiliar territory proves to be funny, downright odd, and at times, quite sad. Howe’s descriptions of customers who freak out when he changes the location of the bran muffins and the lottery aficionados who are the bane of his existence, had me laughing out loud. So too, his description of the frat house atmosphere that was the working environment of The Paris Review, as personified in the founder and Big Man on Campus George Plimpton himself, are hilarious. But this book is not a mere collection of amusing anecdotes.

There is a real culture study in this pages. Howe classifies himself as a Boston Brahmin, the product of the uptight childhood that image implies. As someone who admits to living his life by the rules embodied in Strunk and White, Howe is bemused by the experience of living in a multi-generational house where extended family constantly comes and goes, no one knocks before entering bedrooms, and people speak in decibels slightly below rock concert levels. The additional dichotomy between the life Howe leads as part of the highbrow literary world in the rarefied world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and that of the Staten Island working world of the immigrant community, is a revealing tale of two cities. In that regard, Plimpton is as much a part of this story as the Pak family; Howe paints a portrait of a man who never quite grew up, and the Peter Pan phenomenon that is Plimpton is brought into even further relief when juxtaposed with the hardworking ethos of Howe’s Korean in-laws.

When the family decides to sell the deli because of his mother-in-law’s declining health, Howe is surprised to find he actually misses the business. In reflecting on his journey, Howe begins to appreciate how owning the deli changed him in fundamental ways. Once socially awkward, he is forced to learn how to relate to strangers more easily. His need to control his environment must give way in the face of a daily existence where he never knows who will walk in the store (there are days of naked customers), or what will happen next. As a result, he emerges more confident and accepting of who he is, idiosyncrasies and all.  This book is beautifully written, not surprisingly, given the author’s literary background.

My Korean Deli was a satisfying read, with more substance than I expected.  It will make you laugh, and make you think.  Not a bad combination.

I received an advance reader's edition of My Korean Deli from the publisher, Henry Holt and Company.  My Korean Deli was released in March of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads in which you can link up and share any type of food-related post.  Stop by and take a look!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating.  This week I chose:


Catfish Alley
by Lynne Bryant
Penguin Group USA
Release Date:  April 2011





Goodreads.com description:

Roxanne Reeves defines her life by the committees she heads and the social status she cultivates. But she is keeping secrets that make her an outsider in her own town, always in search of acceptance. And when she is given a job none of the other white women want-researching the town's African-American history for a tour of local sites-she feels she can't say no.
Elderly Grace Clark, a retired black schoolteacher, reluctantly agrees to become Roxanne's guide. Grace takes Roxanne to Catfish Alley, whose undistinguished structures are nonetheless sacred places to the black community because of what happened there. As Roxanne listens to Grace's stories, and meets her friends, she begins to see differently. She is transported back to the past, especially to 1931, when a racist's hatred for Grace's brother leads to events that continue to change lives decades later. And as Roxanne gains an appreciation of the dreams, courage, and endurance of those she had so easily dismissed, her own life opens up in new and unexpected ways.


What are you waiting for?

A diet book with a surprise

21 - DAY WEIGHT LOSS KICKSTART by Neal D. Barnard, MD

Dr. Barnard began his career as a psychiatrist, treating people whose medical ills were exacerbated by depression and anxiety. It was during these years that he became focused on the idea of preventing disease and the role that nutrition can play in that regard. Grounded in his medical expertise, 21 - Day Weight Loss Kickstart advocates a vegan lifestyle that incorporates many elements of other "fire up your metabolism" plans.  Put simply, Dr. Barnard stresses  a high fiber, very low fat regimen with emphasis on low glycemic index carbohydrates.  The strategy requires no calorie counting, and exercise is optional, although encouraged.  In rating this book as a pure diet tool, I offer one caution:  if you are the type of person that likes to be given explicit lists of what to eat and what not to eat, then this book might not be for you.

Having read my fair share of diet and nutrition books, I begin a new one with limited expectations of discovering something new and exciting; it is a "been there, done that" mentality.  However, the behavioral aspect of this book, focusing on the motivational aspects of how and why we eat, nicely distinguishes it from other offerings in this category.  For each of the 21 days, Dr. Barnard highlights a "tip" for success, such as suggestions for beating back cravings or adhering to the regimen in social situations, kitchen advice, breakfast ideas and motivational "words of inspiration."  The tone of the book is uniformly positive and upbeat, and the information is presented in an accessible format.  Even if you do not want to adopt the strict vegan regimen advocated for the 21 day program, there is enough here to allow you to improve your eating habits substantially by adopting one or more of the recommendations.
 
What sold me on this book, is the "surprise" alluded to in my post title -- the extensive recipe section in the back; this alone makes the book worth owning.  I have a number of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, and yet I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the recipes in this book were new to me.  Virtually all of the recipes sound wonderful, and there is a large variety of ethnic offerings from Asian to Italian to Middle Eastern , Mexican and Southern.  There are even a fair number of sophisticated dessert recipes.  Each of the recipes is easy to follow, and most contain variations labeled  "Making it Simple" (when you have limited time) and "The Gourmet Touch" (when you want to jazz it up a bit).  This week, I intend to try a recipe for "Caldo Verde" which is touted as "a Portuguese extravaganza of pureed potatoes with simmered kale, spiked with garlic and made hearty with a touch of spicy sausage"(veggie of course)(p. 256).

In addition to the recipes, there are two valuable appendices:  an ingredient/substitution bible, and a tutorial on cooking methods which I believe would be quite helpful to someone who has not previously cooked extensively with the foods advocated in the diet plan.

Based on the "surprise" material alone, 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart will be a keeper on my shelves.


I received a finished hardcover edition of this book from the publisher, Hachette Book Group, Inc.