Posts Tagged ‘books’

As a kid, I read about the Japanese Internment camps during World War II.  Although I knew about them, it always felt as though textbooks tended to gloss over that segment of American history. It felt like the books tended to note it as an afterthought, something like “during World War II there was a lot of anger after Pearl Harbor and Japanese citizens were rounded up and sent to camps where they lived in squalor…terrible, terrible thing…moving on!”

As a result, I didn’t really get a feeling of how…well…REALLY SAD and difficult it must have been for people back then until I read the short novel When The Emperor Was Divine.  It’s written in a very simple prose from the perspective of a family, and it provides very rich details.  I really appreciated the book and the subtle conveyance of how the events unfolded. The author helped me better understand the feelings of shame, confusion, loneliness and sadness that the Japanese American citizens felt.

What made it even more interesting to me was the fact that the family lived in the Bay Area.  I walk up and down the streets each day not thinking that less than 100 years ago, people lived very different lives.  It’s hard to imagine how to deal with the rampant racism that went on back then.  Although there are times where I roll my eyes at ignorance, it’s a very different thing to be surrounded by it every day. I think it is even more difficult to imagine being punished for something you did not do…but merely because of who other people THINK and perceive you to be: a monster. Something to put away, out of sight. A mere scapegoat.

Is it one of my favorite books so far?  Well, no. But it’s a simple read and I’m glad I read it.  I think this would be a very good book for teachers to put on the classroom reading list in middle school or high school.  More than anything, it gives a new, deeper perspective on events that happened in our own backyard…thing that Americans felt were “righteous” but were clearly wrong.

I feel like this is the type of book I would usually write about in a book report and analyze all the nuances and imagery.  But, luckily I’m in the real world now…so I won’t. If anybody else has read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Whew.

It’s late. I know it’s late. But, on the other hand, I’m quite pleased that I managed to finish my third book, Snow Crash, just earlier tonight. I’ve heard of this book before from people who made vague references to the Internet, avatars and the like, but I never really understood what all the fuss was about. First of all, I have to say that it was quite the departure from my first two books.

It was a little tougher for me to get into, mostly because Neil Stephenson’s writing is…for the lack of a better word…dense. It’s jam packed and full of imagery and Japanese-inspired mutant English slang. Kouriers, Burbclaves, Nipponese…it’s a very interesting dystopia that sometimes doesn’t feel too far from an actual possible future.

Basically, Hiro Protagonist (apt naming, to be sure) is a hacker in the Metaverse (Internet). He was one of the first to program the infrastructure, knows how to wield a sword and is an overall badass that delivers pizzas. Yes, you read that right. Pizzas.

As the world slowly globalizes and the United States starts forgoing tasks to other countries and sharing intelligence (leading to an economic collapse), the only bragging rights we really have left are entertainment and pizza delivery. The pizza delivery is only the very tip of the iceberg, and are quickly thrown down a digital rabbit hole where a strange drug/virus emerges and threatens to wreck havoc on things. The characters are colorful, the scenes and explanations very detailed. Add in a few maniacs, a badass, a spunky 15-year-old female courier and thoughts on religion, politics, philosophy, and some programming and you have yourself quite a ride.

Word of advice for some less-technologically inclined people that are similar to me: though some of the lengthy discussions on mythology and the like might be dull, it really is quite interesting and worth trudging through.

This is the type of book where you don’t want to ruin the plot for anybody, and you sure as heck will have a good time talking over a glass of wine (or two). For me, I found it even more fascinating to read now, especially when it was written over 10 years ago. Mad props to Mr. Stephenson. I want an avatar now, thanks.

I love the public library.  Each time I visit, I am still blown away by the fact that you can waltz in, show them a card and then take a book home for two weeks (or more, if you renew it).  For those two weeks, that book is mine, mine, all mine!

I digress. In my latest visit to the SF library, I decided to pick up a no brainer book by Terry Pratchett, Going Postal.

I’ll be honest here: this was my first Terry Pratchett book.  I know, I know.  I can’t believe it either.  For a person who is a self-proclaimed avid reader, it is almost shameful.  Oh, there was that time that I read Good Omens with Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman…but that hardly counts (mostly because I half-read it on a crowded train in China, and the creepy person across my bunk was distracting me from focusing).  But that’s a whole other story.

So, without giving away a ton of spoilers - the main protagonist Moist von Lipwig is a con-artist turned postmaster…because it’s either that or, you know, death.  The problem is, he finds himself the newly appointed overseer of the post office that is absolutely run down to the ground and it must compete with the shiny, new, more technologically advanced Clacks system.  Throw in a few villains, vampires, golems, and mob mentality and you have yourself a pretty fun story.

I felt like this was a really good introduction into the Discworld series.  I don’t know if other readers feel this way, but I definitely felt a difference in the style of writing that seems distintly…British. And I mean this only because his description of scenes and nuances of comedy, were, in short: wacky and as random as losing your right sock right after you put it on.

A big plus for me was how nicely he wraps up the conflict/resolution in a tidy little bow.  The other interesting thing about the book is how easy it is to put yourself in that odd little world. Oh, and the moral of the story: you never know what you’re cut out for until you try.

Anyway, I’m already through with my second book and more than halfway through my third - Snow Crash. It’s quite interesting to read things side by side at a faster pace than I’m used to, mostly because the writing style and storylines are so starkly different. I’m curious to see how my current book turns out.

As some of my friends know, I borrowed the books from the Twilight series because I decided that it was too much of a cultural phenomenon for me to ignore. It’s hard to resist figuring out what exactly moves an entire group of people spanning from teeny-boppers to cougars. With many people warning me that it would not be a pleasant ride (I tend to have a streak of cynicism when it comes to teeny-bopper angst drama) I decided to dive right in anyway.

I wanted to reserve all of my thoughts until I completed the series. I nearly did complete the series, except I decided to lapse in my marathon reading due to my excursion for Asia. Last night, after settling down a little early due to a cold, I thought I’d complete my Twilight Series Experiment and finish the whole thing.

And for some reason, I could not finish it. And here is why: I picked up the last book, Breaking Dawn, read a few pages, and came across this sentence:

He was both dazzling and dazzled.

When I read that, I just closed the book.

For those of you who didn’t read the books and just watch the movie, I won’t spoil it for you…even though I really want to. Actually, you know what…if you love this series and have never FULLY read it, don’t. Because I will add spoilers, so you know what you are in for. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Basically, the sentence is the narrator (Bella) talking about how Edward is just SOOO beautiful and WAIT! He’s soooo enamored with her.  Gawsh.  How cute.  Barf.

First of all, I just want to preface this by saying that I tried my hardest to give these books a shot. In fact, many friends and colleagues whom I adore and respect absolutely swear by this series. Fine, okay. I can see its appeal. But then, the whole appeal of it is exactly why I can’t stand it.

In a nutshell, I believe most (not all) Twilight fans love the series because:

1. Almost any reader who has ever felt awkward, out of place, unattractive, mediocre and plain can place themselves in the narrator’s shoes. Helloooooooo, teenage years!

2. Almost any reader who has ever had a crush on the attractive, amazing, unattainable blah blah blah guy in junior high/high school/college/life will swoon because Edward is *sew hawt* … we know he is hot because S. Meyer loves to tell us so.

3. Who wouldn’t want to have a kid and still maintain that rockin’ teenage body that transforms into an even MORE amazin’ rockin’ teenage body. Yes, people, moronic spineless whiny-baby (aka the main character) gets knocked up and turns into a vampire.

The reason why I really just can’t wrap my head around his book? All of those reasons above. I’m all for escapism, or traveling to another world through books. But this book basically panders to the worst type of longings — that a strong, hot, RICH guy will swoop in and take care of everything for you. That yes, you are plain and klutzy but it’s cool because when you find that guy, you’ll be validated in your existence.  Gosh, he may hurt you, but he loves you just SOOOO much.

Oh, and vampires are teh hawtness and super nice and not going to eats you dead. And the kicker is..these books are targeting YOUNG GIRLS. Young girls who don’t know any better. Young girls who, subconsciously or not, may think that defining your life by a guy is A-OKAY and pretty super.  As for the adult women who swoon over this…I don’t get it.

And the writing? Okay, I do not claim to be any sort of professional, nor to even claim that I possess more talent than S. Meyer. Truthfully, I hate to judge any writer’s work, especially given that she did, indeed, create an empire on her stories (props to you, S. Meyer, for that).

That said, I simply vomit and die a little inside each time I encounter the word “smolder” or “dazzle.”

Sample sentences? Don’t mind if I do:

“He smiled the kind of smile that would have stopped my heart if it were still beating.”

“I felt as cold as snow - there was no fire in me.”

I won’t even go into how these sentences make me want to bang my head against a hard object. A lot. Of course, despite my grumblings about the poor choice in words (Smolder? Really? C’mon, at least try to break a LITTLE further away from the trashy-novel cliche words, please! You might as well talk about his “hulking manliness” or something if you’re going to use words like that) and my problems with the weak sauce main heroine and one-dimensional hero…some things that were neat were how the families worked and were organized. The werewolf pack for instance. But, yeah. That’s pretty much all I got.

Anybody care to agree or disagree? Please don’t hate. Appreciate.