Yes, I Digress: Censored

I listen to Radio West in the car sometimes, when my toddler will let me. I can’t say I love every featured story, but there’ve been more than one that I’ve found interesting as well as entertaining. So, when I heard they’d be discussing a local high school theater controversy, I tuned in. And I have to say, I was yet again disappointed.  It wasn’t a new controversy; it was the same old one. 

Dead Man Walking, 1995

In a nutshell, the high school put on a production of Dead Man Walking.  I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but I’m familiar with the story. It deals with the death penalty (a given) and religion. Fabrizio interviewed a woman representing the conservative group that has taken issue with the play, a professor from the University of Utah, and the head of the Dead Man Walking Project. And, as always, the woman representing the dissenters came off as an unprepared, rambling idiot, who couldn’t even answer simple questions in a straight-forward manner.  All she could do was spout phrases like “family values” and “community standards” and “political/social agendas.” Blah, blah, blah.

But, it’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened. No, more like the 100 gazillionth, right? And the argument is always the same, featuring that pesky word “inappropriate.”  What does that even mean anyway?  Appropriateness is a sliding scale that stuffed shirts use to illustrate some sort of superior “morality” crap. I’m so sick of that, I could die. (Melodramatic, me?)

I’ve got no loyalties to Dead Man Walking. Whether it’s good or bad, I don’t know, I can’t say.  What I can say is that censorship of this kind frustrates me. The point of putting on this sort of production is to help teens explore difficult issues--to make them think, to discuss, to find out what they believe in. That’s what being a teenager is about: learning what it means to be an adult, to experience the world, and to think for yourself. And I truly believe that teenagers do have the ability to accomplish all those things and with success, especially when faced with difficult topics. Impressionable? Yes. Drones? Not so much.

I can’t understand why people tend to get so worked up when teens are exposed to anything resembling real life problems and issues that they ought to be thinking about and puzzling over and figuring out.  And honestly, I think it’s good for them to take an issue like the death penalty, which has no easy answer like so many things in life, and think about it--really think about it.  There’s no better way to fulfill that need than through art.

What those people who make such a fuss will never understand is that by censoring, they simply label that work/piece of art with a big, fat "READ ME!" sign. Any of that student body who didn’t participate in or go see that play when it was performed are all going to rent the movie, or better yet, read the book. Immediately. Because that’s how it works. It’s part of that whole reverse psychology thing. So, why do they never feel the need to take care of their concerns privately? Why does it have to be a witch hunt? The thing that really gets me down is that teachers get fired over this sort of thing, and then those who are left behind get handcuffed and gagged. They get hit with so many new regulations that they can never teach anything again, except for unicorns and rainbows and little girls in pigtails.

But I also understand that there’s got to be censorship when it comes to kids, and even for adults, in my estimation. I censor material for myself sometimes--I take opinions of people I trust for what I think will be “appropriate” for me in my life. Certainly there does exist the passing off of rubbish in the name of art. And I’d be lying if I said there weren’t things in my life I would like to change if it were possible: something I saw or heard too early or just shouldn’t have seen or heard at all. And some of those experiences were a bit scarring, though I consider myself a well-adjusted person (Ha!). We all get that to a degree though, don’t we? No matter how much we bubble wrap ourselves or our children.

In the end, I have to go easy on the naysayers though, because what I think it really boils down to is that some people have artistic brains and some don’t. I’ve written before about how my mom fits in the latter category. And I love my mom, and it’s her prerogative. But it’s just so difficult to know where to draw the line. And before that is definitively determined (if that’s even possible), what will be the book-burning expense we have to pay?

That’s life, I guess. We continue to face questions that have no easy answers.

Buy a Book, Give a Book Virtual Advent 2011

I love to give books as presents. I usually try to give books that I’ve already read, just so I know exactly what I am recommending, but sometimes it’s very tempting to go over to that new release shelf and pick up one of those freshly bound volumes. When the temptation is too much to bear, I turn to these sources to try to get it just right. The perfectly suited gift for my intended recipient. So, have a look at the ones that I found most intriguing!

Catherine the Great: Portait of a Woman by Robert Massie

I don’t read a ton of nonfiction, but when I do, these are the type I like to read: really well done historical biographies. This one sounds good enough to devour.

“The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history. 

Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into Empress of Russia by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant mind and an insatiable curiosity as a young woman, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers and, when she reached the throne, attempted to use their principles to guide her rule of the vast and backward Russian empire. She knew or corresponded with the preeminent historical figures of her time: Voltaire, Diderot, Frederick the Great, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette, and, surprisingly, the American naval hero, John Paul Jones. 

Reaching the throne fired by Enlightenment philosophy and determined to become the embodiment of the “benevolent despot” idealized by Montesquieu, she found herself always contending with the deeply ingrained realities of Russian life, including serfdom. Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly described. The story is superbly told. All the special qualities that Robert K. Massie brought to Nicholas and Alexandra and Peter the Great are present here: historical accuracy, depth of understanding, felicity of style, mastery of detail, ability to shatter myth, and a rare genius for finding and expressing the human drama in extraordinary lives.

History offers few stories richer in drama than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, this eternally fascinating woman is returned to life.”

Also check out an interview with the author on NPR here.

The Sense of an Ending 
by Julian Barnes

This one sounds like the absolutely not-to-miss pick of the year. It won the Man Booker Prize this year. As they were discussing it, it reminded me a little of Paul Auster’s The Book of Illusions, where a main theme, as alluded to in the title, deals with reality vs. illusion: what we think we understand as truth vs. what is really true, and how those may not always line up. Here’s a quote from The Sense of an Ending that made me thirsty for more: “History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfection of memory meets the inadequacies of documentation.”

“By an acclaimed writer at the height of his powers, The Sense of an Ending extends a streak of extraordinary books that began with the best-selling Arthur & George and continued with Nothing to Be Frightened Of and, most recently, Pulse.

This intense new novel follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he has never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance, one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. Tony Webster thought he’d left all this behind as he built a life for himself, and by now his marriage and family and career have fallen into an amicable divorce and retirement. But he is then presented with a mysterious legacy that obliges him to reconsider a variety of things he thought he’d understood all along, and to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single sitting, with stunning psychological and emotional depth and sophistication, The Sense of an Ending is a brilliant new chapter in Julian Barnes’s oeuvre.”

There’s an interview with the author available through NPR for this book as well. Check it out here.

The Art of Fielding 
by Chad Harbach

Although seemingly a baseball book, this novel actually uses the sport more as a backdrop. The book really delves into that quest for self-identity. It was also one of the New York Times Book Review's Top 10 Books of 2011.

"At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. 

Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. 

As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment—to oneself and to others."

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

This novel sounds fascinating. It’s George Orwell’s 1984 meets Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. If that doesn’t sound promising, I don’t know what does. =)

“The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.”

The Voice of the River 
by Melanie Rae Thon

I picked this one out of the list because it just sounded so sweeping and ethereal, yet grounded in mother earth. It jumped out to me, and I just have a feeling that if I read this one, it would become an easy comfort read.

“Missing: seventeen-year-old Kai Dionne and his dog Talia.
The search for these two spans a single day, morning twilight to late evening, from the time Kai leaps in a half-frozen river to save the dog to the hour he and Talia are recovered. Each person who comes to the river brings his or her secret needs and desires; each has known loss, and all are survivors: a homeless boy tries to find himself, his lost twin, his double; a childless mother grieves for her son and daughter; a man who shot his father recalls a tender, intimate night “when the father was kind, and not afraid, and not angry.” Kai and Talia belong to, and are loved by, a whole community. As strangers work together toward a single cause, they become family—bound by love not only to the ones lost, but to all who gather.

The perceiving consciousness is oceanic and atmospheric, embracing all living beings, swirling around a person, a bird, a bear, trillium blooming in dark woods, snow, stones, pines singing—moving closer and closer, loving, finally merging, sensing and knowing as one, before lightly whirling out again to embrace and love another. This powerful current of shared memory and experience, this ceaseless prayer, is a celebration of life, all life, mystery and miracle within an immense animate landscape, a song of praise, the voice of the river.

Melanie Rae Thon opens a new genre: call it Eco Avant-Garde, a confession of faith, and a love song to the world.”

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

I love an anthology, and that’s what this is, of sorts. There’s a long list of awesome authors who contributed to this book: Sherman Alexie, Lois Lowry, Kate DiCamillo, just to name a few. And the illustrations are, of course, amazing. See inside the book here. This is a great one to get if you just can't seem to find the right fit in the bookstore.  I imagine there are few who wouldn't be drawn in by this book and still fewer who wouldn't be delighted to receive it as a gift.

"For more than twenty-five years, readers have been puzzling over the illustrations by this enigmatic artist. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with his intriguingly titled pictures. And now, some of our most imaginative storytellers attempt to solve the perplexing mysteries of Harris Burdick.

Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to read this incredible compendium of stories: magical, funny, creepy, poignant, inscrutable, these are tales you won’t soon forget.

Filling in for Harris Burdick here is an esteemed collection of highly decorated authors. Among the many accolades bestowed upon this illustrious group include one Pulitzer Prize, five Newbery Medals, three Newbery Honor awards, two Caldecott Medals, one Caldecott Honor award, three National Book Awards, eight National Book Award nominations, one Printz Award, five Boston Globe—Horn Book Awards, eight Bram Stoker Awards, five Coretta Scott King Awards, two Hugo Awards, and two O. Henry Awards. They have had an untold number of New York Times bestsellers."

Death Comes to Pemberley 
by P.D. James

So, I haven’t had a lot of luck with P&P sequels, and I’ve even tried an Austen “mystery” before and it did not work. At all. However, this one comes highly recommended, and I’m really interested to see if I can finally chance on one that does the original justice. And, let’s be honest, I’ll probably keep trying just because I’ve always got hope . . . just a little hope. =)

“A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.”

You can also listen to NPR’s review here.

And lastly, the clothbound classic penguins that have been out for awhile always make for beautiful gifts! I have yet to start collecting them, although I always gawk at them and touch their covers at Barnes and Noble. Just beautiful. =) Check them all out here.

And here are the wonderful resources! You can listen to Radio West’s full Holiday Book Show here. And also see Ann and Michael’s Holiday Book Buying Guide here.

Yes, I Digress: Banned Books Week

I recently finished Looking for Alaska by John Green, and I really enjoyed it. (You'll see . . . in forthcoming review.) I went looking at his website afterwards to get an idea of what John Green is all about. Interesting fellow. I ran across, in his archives, a post he wrote two years ago about a school in New York that was planning on teaching his book, but had an outcry from the community. The school was going to send home permission slips, detailing controversial content, to parents and have them decide whether they would have their kids read the book. If the parents didn't want their kids reading the book, an alternative book would be given. But this wasn't what the "public" wanted; they insisted that it be banned. He does a pretty stellar job explaining it.



An interesting idea, banning. Honestly, I don't understand how these people even hear about these sorts of things. How they even know what's going on with a particular book. I mean, I consider myself a bookish person, and I'd never even heard of this one until about 6 months ago. In most cases, I would suspect they don't know firsthand, but instead heard from a friend who heard from a friend (etc, etc) that such and such a book was filth. Secondly, don't they know that banning a book is pretty much a sure fire way to make its popularity SOAR!? These are teenagers we're talking about here! What happens when you say: "You can't do that, I forbid it!"

Which brings me to another story. In high school, my class was reading Catcher in the Rye like every other 17 year old in the nation. I tried to hide it from my mom, being one of those kids who didn't like to stick out too much, but she was ready for this. I was the third child. She had A Separate Peace all dusted off and ready for me. I didn't relish in being the only kid "not allowed" to read Catcher in the Rye, but I went along with it. Unfortunately, the alternate had changed in the five years it took for me to get to 11th grade, and it was now Grapes of Wrath. My teacher handed me the tome much to my great displeasure.

Granted, I should have taken it as an opportunity to read a great Steinbeck novel, but instead I borrowed my best friend's copy of Catcher and read it on the sly. I was even brazen enough to take it out and read it in the middle of English class one day (since I was not participating in any class time involving the "banned" book), and I was found out. The coveted novel was taken away, and I got me and my friend in trouble. So, I've never actually read any of the three books, but this year, I'm going to do it--I'm going to read Catcher in the Rye. Every last banned word. (Sorry, mom!) It's going to feel so wicked!

Anyway, point being, banning a book produces the direct opposite effect of what people are going for! If they'd never banned it in the first place, people might not be itching to get their hands on a copy. That book might just become another unacknowledged gem that few find. But then, I guess we should be thanking those banners--for pointing out what we've been missing. Aladdin in the desert: a diamond in the rough.

So, this year I'm gearing up! I'm going to recognize that week in the fall. Mark your calendars for September 25 to October 2, and do something crazy and rebellious. Like reading a book. Read more about it here.

Yes, I Digress: Classics

I recently joined a Classics Challenge that's running through the end of October. I thought Trisha, the challenge owner, did something really cool with this challenge. She asked for everyone participating to post two things in the comments: first, a book they would consider a "future" classic (this list will go toward bonus points in the challenge), and second, a book they would recommend for beginners to classic reading. What a great way to spice up classics! Let's face it, they are sometimes daunting and not always very entertaining. It's been really interesting to look through these lists. She posted the picks from the last two years: 2008 and 2009. I've been scanning through them and furiously adding to my TBR stack.

I also loved the "beginner" classics list. It was fun to revisit books I've already read and loved and then think about which ones I could squeeze in this year that I've never read. And it's nice to know that the people who recommended these reads regard them as "easy." It makes the prospect of tackling them seem a little less painful, no? So, I thought I'd share some with you from the list. If you haven't had a chance to read these, you really ought to make some room in your reading repertoire for one or two this year! I know I am! +/-

Here are some that I have read and can vouch for:


Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Who doesn't love this book?! By all accounts, one of the best-loved classics ever. And easy-peasy to boot.


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - I loved this book in high school. Really a true classic. The black and white film with Gregory Peck based on the book is also top notch. Read, then watch. You'll love it.


The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Another high school English class pick. Hauntingly fantastic. I also love the movie made of this book with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Again, I would recommend reading the book first.


Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Love Louisa! This book is probably the easiest of the bunch. Wonderful story about family and love. Give it a go!


A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I read this book over a very hot summer at a job I despised. It really lifted my spirits. It's a sweet story of hardship and love.


Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I've never met a Bronte I didn't like, and this classic is no exception. Adore a Gothic love story, you will too!


And here are some I'm adding to my list:


Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
1984 by George Orwell
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell


Here are some others:

Jude the Obsure by Thomas Hardy
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Great list, right? So, get on those classics people! And join the challenge if you'd like. =)

Yes, I Digress: A Day in SLC

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! To kick off my return to blogging, I thought I'd do a little day-in-the-life post. So, this is not exactly what my daily life is like (I wish), but it was an excuse to spend the day reading, so I thought I'd share.

It all started with a perfectly gray morning--the perfect way to begin a bookish day. I started it off right by not missing out on breakfast. I devoured a cinnamon roll roughly the size of my head at this charming cafe.

Then it was time to scope out a good spot to settle down to a few good page-turning hours. So, I found a stately cushioned chair (er, "throne," rather--I was crowned Lord of the Reading for one day), right next to this most-perfect of Christmas trees. +/-

Although this chair looked like a good pick from afar, after about 20 minutes, I had to scope out a new spot. It was not made for short people--my feet kept falling asleep because they barely reached the floor. But, I was in luck because there were chairs for the short-legged nearby. There I spent many blissful hours.


Then, it was time to hit the city for some lunch. So, out I went among the buildings . . . and along several outdoor "hallways" made to detour the public from the construction going on everywhere right now. I love how they've put up these plastic banners with little fake picture windows in them. Each window lets you spy on a cute little holiday scene: a pengiun ice skating, for example, or a little family snuggled around a fireplace. When I was a kid, I used to love cheesey stuff like that. I'd always imagine how cool it would be if the window was real and there was some way I could open it up and step through the portal to a magical cartoon world. Anyway . . . back to lunch.

I really wanted to go to Schlotzsky's, which has been a family favorite (my mother lovingly refers to the sandwich as a "slot-ski"), but because of the construction, I was unsuccessful and had to content myself with a cheeseburger and some chicken nuggets. Not as satisfying, but hey, I didn't go hungry.


Then, it was time to hop the Trax! And head out for the main event: the city library! I got really excited when I saw this picture, and I was not at all disappointed! I'm a lucky girl to be living so close to this beauty!


They have little shops on the bottom floor of the library, and in front of one, they sell used books that have been retired from the library shelves for dirt cheap. Proceeds go to buying more books of course. And, I found an entire Jane Austen shelf. I had visions of collecting as many versions of each novel as possible, and then quickly dismissed it. But it was still a joy to see them all lined up, waiting to be discovered.

The inside was a dream. They have an entire section of graphic novels! I could hardly get my hands on any at our old public library. They also had several displays up to help you find books you would be interesting in: there's a space dedicated to "browsing" only, with different books prominently featured; there's a section of books lined up which have been picked by the librarians who work there, with printed lists you can take with you; they also had little displays for certain authors, and one was, you guessed it, Jane Austen. So fun! I had a great time looking around, and adding more titles to my tbr list, of course.


So, then I picked out some books I've been meaning to read and found a comfortable chair, yet again, to dig in. I read one chapter of each book, round robin, and then over again. And then, I promptly fell asleep, as the afternoon was wearing on and that cheeseburger was sitting heavy in my stomach. =) But after a little cat nap, I was again ready for action. I read until it was time to meet my better half for dinner.

It was sad to leave that beauty of a building, but I took a little of it home with me, on loan of course!


Then, I concluded this day of reading with a little one-on-one time with my husband. A little dinner and a Christmas concert, and we were on our way home. Sigh. Someday I'll do it again. =)

Yes, I Digress: Memories

I’ve always enjoyed a good book. But there are times in my life where I enjoyed them more than others. There are times when books are my saving grace. Sometimes, they are what gets me through the day. One of those times was the summer after I graduated college.

My husband was still in school—madly trying to finish his undergrad so he could study for and take the LSAT that fall and apply for graduate school. And I got a job. I’d graduated with a degree in English and an editing minor, but there just weren’t a lot of editing jobs to go around in our area.

And, before long, I found myself behind a big receptionist’s desk, connecting phone calls, writing up emails, and tracking spreadsheets. It was my temporary fix until my big break came along, and it eventually did, about six months later when I applied for an editing job with an education company off of monster. But, until then, I was stuck. I never felt a deep-seated hatred for my job, but it was monotony on steroids, and some days, I could hardly take the drudgery. +/-

So, I relished that hour-long lunch break every day, and looked forward to it like a kid looks forward to the last day of school. I would drive over to a park a few block away, sit on a shaded bench, and unload my lunchbox. Once I was all set up, I’d pull out my book and read the hour away. It was as if my soul relaxed right into the story—even when it was a sad story. And when that inevitable moment came, as I’d look at my watch and know it was time to pack it in, I felt renewed and able to face the rest of the afternoon with a secret smile in my heart.

I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith that summer. It became one of my favorite books, and Francie became one of my favorite characters, the girl who wanted to read the whole library from A to Z. When I think about her, I still can feel the sun on my face, the hot summer wind, the courage she gave me to go on. A lot of characters have joined Francie, and they each bring to my life a certain something—something I can’t quite explain but can’t live without.

As life gets more hectic and I feel the pressure to succeed more acutely than ever before, I sometimes wish I could have that time back, when I would get an hour out of the day to enjoy the brilliant summer sun and a good book and no one could bother me. Nothing could touch me or scare me or make me wish I was anything more.

Now those times have morphed into late-night flashlight affairs, keeping my poor husband from a comfortable sleep, or a weekend at home where I lock myself away and watch my pile dwindle as I devour each book. It’s making me a faster reader, that’s for sure. I’ll take those “lunch hours” wherever I can get them. I can’t afford to lose them now. And like I said, I’ve always enjoyed a good book.