m0mmyl00
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
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Added Nov 05, 2021
On Earth We're Briefly GorgeousOn Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, BookA Novel
by Vuong, OceanBook - 2019Book, 2019
Added Nov 05, 2021
Comment:
Oh, the beauty of the language in this book. It is a fictionalized memoir of the author written in the format of a letter to his mother, who emigrated to the US from Vietnam. She never learned to speak much English and doesn’t understand her son’s words, much less his American-becoming behavior. He writes with such tenderness — about the pain of not fitting in himself, of being picked on and bullied, of making and losing a friend, of understanding the pain of his mother and grandmother, of understanding the pain of separateness of all humans.Oh, the beauty of the language in this book. It is a fictionalized memoir of the author written in the format of a letter to his mother, who emigrated to the US from Vietnam. She never learned to speak much English and doesn’t understand her son’s…
Quotations
- “It is not accident, Ma, that the comma resembles a fetus, that curve of continuation. We were all once inside our mothers, saying, with our entire curved and silent selves, more, more, more. I want to insist that our being alive is beautiful enough to be worthy of replication.”“It is not accident, Ma, that the comma resembles a fetus, that curve of continuation. We were all once inside our mothers, saying, with our entire curved and silent selves, more, more, more. I want to insist that our being alive is beautiful enough…
I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Book
by Angelou, MayaBook - 2002Book, 2002
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 05, 2021
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I first heard about this book years ago, and have been meaning to read it ever since Angelou died. Finally, I found it at George Daly’s mountain house when we were there for the weekend. I read the whole thing that weekend. It was wonderful. She described what being a little black girl was like in fascinating detail. Like when someone used Mrs. before a black woman’s name; what unexpected and unimaginable respect that indicated. Like the white dentist who had borrowed money from her grandmother during hard times but refused to treat little Maya’s dental emergency. And like so many everyday incidents of love and hate, belonging and exclusion. I loved this book.I first heard about this book years ago, and have been meaning to read it ever since Angelou died. Finally, I found it at George Daly’s mountain house when we were there for the weekend. I read the whole thing that weekend. It was wonderful. She…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 04, 2021
Comment:
Interesting that I read this in the days of Black Lives Matter protests. It is about a black man, on his way up in a white man’s world, who desperately wants for himself and his bi-racial son to fit into the white man’s world. He is a lawyer, and the only thing standing in the way of success, as he defines it, is his black appearance — skin color and facial features. His son has the additional challenge of dark birthmarks on his face (especially troublesome) and body. The father’s plan is to climb the ladder at his firm and earn enough to pay for a demelanization procedure and plastic surgery for both of them. He goes through a series of humiliating activities to win the success he craves. The son ultimately concludes that his father’s way is not his way; he wants to stay black. The father never seems to learn any lessons. He undergoes the demelanization process himself, ending up losing his son and never finding the happiness he thinks he’ll find in being white. The book started out a bit glib, I thought, which turned me off. Ultimately, though, the father’s travails and desperation overtook the glibness, and I warmed to the book. It is set in the very near future — medical procedures can turn a black person white; blatant racial injustices are accepted as the norm. Overall, it’s written in a risky and arresting mixture of silliness, sadness, and rage.Interesting that I read this in the days of Black Lives Matter protests. It is about a black man, on his way up in a white man’s world, who desperately wants for himself and his bi-racial son to fit into the white man’s world. He is a lawyer, and…
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Added Nov 04, 2021
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Girl, Woman, Other is the — or rather are the — stories of individual women navigating their families and cultures and their own goals and predilections. The primary character is a black lesbian, Amma, whose latest play has just opened to fabulous reviews. Her friends, family, rivals, lovers, and daughter make up the book’s cast of characters. Most of the women are African and many are lesbians. Some are uber-feminists and some long for the love of a man who’ll stick around. Some are ambitious and succeed against enormous odds, some go through hell and count winding up with a normal, modest life as success. Whoever they are, and whatever their circumstances, Evaristo made me care about them and understand them. There are many characters and it was easy to lose track of some of them, as the book didn’t proceed in chronological story form; it told one person’s story, then another’s. I ended up turning back to page 1 as soon as I had finished, and writing down the name of each person and how they related to other characters who had been introduced several chapters previously — there were five pages of characters’ names. Ultimately, it told the stories of six generations of women. I stayed fully engaged with every page of this book. Five stars.Girl, Woman, Other is the — or rather are the — stories of individual women navigating their families and cultures and their own goals and predilections. The primary character is a black lesbian, Amma, whose latest play has just opened to fabulous…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 04, 2021
Comment:
Scott and I watched the television series; it was very true to the book. It’s about a rich social outcast high school girl and a working class popular high school boy. The boy’s mother is the girl’s mother’s housekeeper. The boy and girl become involved sexually (keeping it a secret from their classmates) and discover over time that they are sort of soul-mates. In the movie, it’s clear that their relationship must be a secret because he doesn’t want to risk his popularity; in the book the reason for the secrecy is more subtle than that — he wants to preserve it from contamination (as well as avoid risking his popularity). There’s a lot of confessional dialogue, misunderstandings, interior searching, etc. and it all rings very authentic. Sad, though, because they love and understand each other so much but have a hard time fitting comfortably together in everyday life. It’s obvious to me, the reader, how good they are for each other, but they insist on struggling to resist accepting that they love each other and belong together so they can continue being good for each other. I didn’t see it as especially insightful or literary, but I liked it. I wouldn’t recommend against it, but I don’t think I’d recommend it either.Scott and I watched the television series; it was very true to the book. It’s about a rich social outcast high school girl and a working class popular high school boy. The boy’s mother is the girl’s mother’s housekeeper. The boy and girl become…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 04, 2021
Comment:
Did I like this book? Or not? It started out as an awkward teen-age love story between two students at an arts-centered high school. They love and lust after each other but don’t act on it at first, staying casual classmates — except when one of their theater exercises has them crawl around on the floor in a pitch-black room and they find each other, groping and squeezing with anonymous abandon. And except when they encounter each other in their school’s empty hallway, during school hours, and have sex right there where anyone could walk by. The teen years happen, complete with on- and off-again love affairs, betrayals among friends, and misunderstandings and anguished silences in abundance. Then, suddenly, the story starts over, this time revealing that the first part of the book was actually a “book” written by one of the characters about her years at an arts-centered high school, including her friends and their collective experiences. She had changed her friends’ names for the book, of course, but one of the characters in it recognized herself anyway. In the first part, the narrator was the girl who wrote the book (the one who was in love/lust with her classmate). In the second part, the narrator was one of the friends she wrote about, one who she outgrew? left behind? abandoned? I found this twist to be annoying. I had been reading along, getting into the angst and drama of the kids and wondering how it was all going to turn out. Suddenly I didn’t know who anyone was. Then...there was a third part. This one was from the perspective of a brand new character who was looking for her birth mother whom she believed — knew — had been a student at that high school when she became pregnant. I think it was the daughter of the narrator (jilted friend) of the second part. The whole book was just too complicated for me, and not worth the mental gymnastics it took to decipher it. Surprisingly, the Tournament of Books commentariat liked the twist that so confounded me. Ultimately, I would say I didn’t hate this book, but no — I didn’t like it.Did I like this book? Or not? It started out as an awkward teen-age love story between two students at an arts-centered high school. They love and lust after each other but don’t act on it at first, staying casual classmates — except when one of…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 04, 2021
Comment:
I loved this book. Especially the first two-thirds of it. My affection did begin to wane toward the end, but I loved the beginning so much that I give it five out of five stars for its entirety. The author writes it as something of a memoir, describing moments in her life and telling how those moments made her think of pieces of art that were special to her. She went on to describe the art itself and the artist’s circumstances at the time of the painting...and then related it all back to herself and the moment she was in. It was beautifully done. Each chapter was a separate moment in her life, and a separate piece of art.I loved this book. Especially the first two-thirds of it. My affection did begin to wane toward the end, but I loved the beginning so much that I give it five out of five stars for its entirety. The author writes it as something of a memoir,…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 04, 2021
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I thought I would struggle to get through this book, but it turned out to be something of a page turner. At the beginning, there were so many characters I got mixed up about who was who, and what one’s relationship was to the others. I had to make a list of names and relationships, which helped. An unarmed African-American teenager was shot and killed by a Korean convenience store worker who thought she was being robbed. The Korean woman got off with a slap on the wrist. Years later, the Korean woman was gunned down by an African-American man (boy?). The book is about how the two families dealt with the senseless — on both counts — deaths of their loved ones: with secrecy, distrust, compassion, denial, resentment, and distorted ideas of integrity, justice, and morality. Sadly, the book was based on a real event which took place around the time of the race riots in Los Angeles.I thought I would struggle to get through this book, but it turned out to be something of a page turner. At the beginning, there were so many characters I got mixed up about who was who, and what one’s relationship was to the others. I had to make a…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 04, 2021
Comment:
I was rapturous in my recommendations of this book to my friends. “It’s poetry.” When I finished, I read the comments on the Tournament of Books website — both those of the judge and of the commentariat — and I wondered how my assessment could be so different from everyone else’s. Here’s how: his language is beautiful; it is poetry. He writes about the lives of slaves in Virginia. He tells of children being sold apart from their mothers, husbands and and wives separated, “low” whites and even other black people hunting down escapees, wealthy white men raping women. But he doesn’t use the language of rage, or pity. He writes with a tenderness and compassion that makes the injustices and cruelties all the more horrible. That, to me, makes up for any shortcomings in the story. And there are some. I became easily distracted about half-way through, a sure sign that I wasn’t totally engaged. And the fantasy of Hiram Walker’s being able to “conduct” people to freedom, using his memories and water, didn’t matter so much to me as his on-going inner dialogue and struggle with himself and others, and his growth in understanding of those feelings and struggles. I continue to be rapturous.I was rapturous in my recommendations of this book to my friends. “It’s poetry.” When I finished, I read the comments on the Tournament of Books website — both those of the judge and of the commentariat — and I wondered how my assessment could be so…
Fleishman Is in TroubleFleishman Is in Trouble, BookA Novel
by Brodesser-Akner, TaffyBook - 2019Book, 2019
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Added Nov 16, 2020
Comment:
This book packs a wallop. It’s the story of the Fleishmans, a couple who have grown apart dramatically and are in the dying stage of their marriage. Toby is a doctor, one who loves doctoring and has no interest in advancing his career (and income) toward administration. Rachel is a talent scout with a stellar client list and unlimited ambition. She makes more money; he does more of the daily care for their two children. The narrator is a woman who doesn’t really figure into the story; most of the time, I actually forgot about her and thought the narration came from Toby and/or Rachel. The first part of the book is from Toby’s point of view — his resentments of Rachel for being an absentee parent, for always putting her career first, for hungering so desperately after the trappings and status of extreme wealth. I agreed with him on everything! She’s selfish and shallow and unappreciative of his contributions to their lives. But then the second part of the book is from Rachel’s point of view. She does the research to identify the best educational and enrichment opportunities for their children, handles the scheduling and logistics of their lives, and befriends prominent and influential people; leaving just the leg-work and custodial tasks for Toby to do. She tries mightily to ensure that her children feel they “belong,” something she never felt as a child. There is an utter lack of understanding between Toby and Rachel, and this book shows how easily understanding another person — even one we love and live with — can elude us.This book packs a wallop. It’s the story of the Fleishmans, a couple who have grown apart dramatically and are in the dying stage of their marriage. Toby is a doctor, one who loves doctoring and has no interest in advancing his career (and income)…
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Added Nov 16, 2020
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My review of this book: Meh. Siblings Danny and Maeve grew up in an old mansion their father bought as a surprise for their mother. Their mother hated the house with a quiet, resigned hate. Perhaps hate is too passionate a word; more like she never belonged there. In fact, it felt like she never belonged in either the marriage or the family. Eventually, she left without notice and was not heard from again for decades. The household help, one of which “came with the house,” served as mother figures. The father was absent to his children, even when he was home. To solve the problem of bringing up children without a mother, he married Andrea, who had two daughters of her own. She loved her two daughters and tolerated, barely, Danny and Maeve. When the father died, he left everything to Andrea except funds for as much education as Danny and Maeve wanted to enroll in. For Danny, that included medical school although he didn’t want to be a doctor — and never did practice medicine. Instead, he bought and sold property — like his father had done — and was very successful at it. They do end up reconnecting with their mother; she found them thanks to the help who had brought them up. It turns out she had felt called to help the poor, and that’s what she had been doing while her children grew up motherless. Writing this synopsis, I see that I’m recounting the main story line, but I can’t draw any insight or depth from the book. Meh.My review of this book: Meh. Siblings Danny and Maeve grew up in an old mansion their father bought as a surprise for their mother. Their mother hated the house with a quiet, resigned hate. Perhaps hate is too passionate a word; more like she never…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 16, 2020
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A blended family — a man plus his 10-year-old son and woman plus her 5-year-old daughter — set out on a cross-country road trip: he, to record the sounds of “Apacheria,” the Apache Indians’ historical land, and she to record the sounds of undocumented immigrant children being deported. They are documentarians/documentarists. Along the way, they also record the sounds of their own journey: him sharing his thoughts with the children about the futile honor and courage of Geronimo and Cochise; she expressing her sorrow and rage about children being rounded up and flown back into the danger they are so desperate to escape. Sounds take on an almost mystical quality; she talks about “ghost sounds” — sounds they hear and record that are also sounds that the Apaches heard when the land was theirs. This book was a joy to read because Luiselli writes beautiful passages (except for the one multi-page sentence near the end; there was no reason nor excuse for that). It is surprising that she writes so insightfully about being a parent, because she looks too young to have much experience in that department. It’s when she switches to the voice of the boy that reality must be suspended more than I am able to suspend it. His words and thoughts sound nothing like those of a 10-year-old boy. It’s okay, though. I liked this book for the writing more than for the story.A blended family — a man plus his 10-year-old son and woman plus her 5-year-old daughter — set out on a cross-country road trip: he, to record the sounds of “Apacheria,” the Apache Indians’ historical land, and she to record the sounds of…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Nov 16, 2020
Comment:
I was turned off by the title but, much to my surprise, really liked the book. I read it in three days, and found myself wanting to grab moments to read one more section. The family’s patriarch, Victor, is a bad man. Cold, cruel, criminal — and rich; being frequently absent from his family was probably the kindest thing he could have done for them. Ultimately, though, his wife Barbra and their two grown children Alex and Gary all bear the scars of having lived with him. Attenberg writes very economically; she conveys her characters’ deeply painful thoughts with few words and utter honesty. I have never had to experience such thoughts, but I could relate to them and understand the pain and damage that generated them.I was turned off by the title but, much to my surprise, really liked the book. I read it in three days, and found myself wanting to grab moments to read one more section. The family’s patriarch, Victor, is a bad man. Cold, cruel, criminal — and…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Aug 09, 2019
Comment:
This was not a particularly easy read. It began with a series of disconnected chapters each about a person or a family; disconnected except by the importance of trees — or a tree — in each of their lives. Once one person’s story had ended, you didn’t hear about that person again for quite awhile; I had to review those first chapters and make notes in order to follow the rest of the book. It was so worth it. The story was about the lives of trees — how they help each other, how they help people, how people can assign emotional importance to them (understanding that the trees will come through for them?), how people can misunderstand and misuse trees’ contribution to human life and the life of the planet. It was science seen on an emotional level. Parts of the book harkened back to the time when activists lived atop trees to prevent them from being cut down. One of the most memorable and poignant passages in the book was when one of the activists lay down on the stump of a massive and ancient tree and described the position of his body using the tree’s rings as a time line; his feet matched up with the most recent ring, (I must get the book back from my friend in order to find the passage.)This was not a particularly easy read. It began with a series of disconnected chapters each about a person or a family; disconnected except by the importance of trees — or a tree — in each of their lives. Once one person’s story had ended, you…
Quotations
- Page 7 of the hardback: “Life is a battle between the Maker and His creation.”
- Page 84 of the hardback: “...the greatest flaw of the species is its overwhelming tendency to mistake agreement for truth.”
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Aug 05, 2019
Comment:
A teen aged brother and sister are left by their parents in the care of some pretty shady characters. More than a year later, the children (now young adults) discover their had been working on secret missions for the British government. It was a bit dense and convoluted for pleasurable reading in my opinion, and did not inspire me to read it attentively enough to do it justice.A teen aged brother and sister are left by their parents in the care of some pretty shady characters. More than a year later, the children (now young adults) discover their had been working on secret missions for the British government. It was a bit…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added May 29, 2019
Comment:
I loved this dear book. The story and characters seemed quite simple, but they lived with all the tangled complications we all do. Stevens is an aging butler, deeply committed to striving for perfection in his duties. He was in charge of a large staff at a distinguished house, serving an important and distinguished gentleman. The housekeeper, Miss Kent, and he developed a professional friendship which turned a bit more personal. Never, however, personal enough to overshadow his duties as a dignified manservant in a distinguished house. She left, the important gentleman fell into some disrepute, and an American bought the house. Also, Stevens himself began faltering. He went on a road trip to visit Mss Kent, and met some deeper aspects of himself, and developed some ideas he had earlier pooh-poohed or ignored. In my mind, he’s a cousin of Major Pettigrew and the gentleman in Moscow — earnest, authentic, and kind.I loved this dear book. The story and characters seemed quite simple, but they lived with all the tangled complications we all do. Stevens is an aging butler, deeply committed to striving for perfection in his duties. He was in charge of a large…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added May 21, 2019
Death Comes for the ArchbishopDeath Comes for the Archbishop, Book
by Cather, WillaBook - 1955Book, 1955
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Feb 20, 2019
Comment:
Fathers Latour and Vaillant are called to minister to the Indians and Mexicans in New Mexico, recently annexed to the US. They enter a wholly different landscape, language (they are French and must learn Spanish and English), and culture, trusting that God will show them the way to serve the people and their God. Cather describes the landscape with breathtakingly beautiful clarity. In fact the landscape is as much a character in this book as anyone. Latour and Vaillant are kind and patient; they accept and respect that the Indians have their own beliefs and superstitions. They simply introduce Catholicism as well. We are able to peer into their minds as they strive constantly to be good and to do good, and it would be hard not to admire their faith and willingness to do the work that has been given to them. Death Comes for the Archbishop was a fascinating look at the hard life of the early inhabitants of New Mexico; even more, it was an uplifting look at how kind a person can be even in such inhospitable circumstances.Fathers Latour and Vaillant are called to minister to the Indians and Mexicans in New Mexico, recently annexed to the US. They enter a wholly different landscape, language (they are French and must learn Spanish and English), and culture, trusting…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Feb 20, 2019
Comment:
Michelle Obama has written a very personal, candid book about her life. She had a modest upbringing, but was expected to conduct herself at the highest levels of behavior and achievement. She did. If anything, she was too driven, aiming at and achieving a successful law career without really ever asking herself if that is what she wanted. Turns out it wasn’t. But it did bring her together with Obama, who seems to adore and respect her. I was especially interested in her experience as First Lady, had no idea how sequestered she had to be all the time. She had to get permission — and set off a long chain of security events involving numerous people — to step out onto the balcony of her house. She’s a strong, compassionate, intelligent woman. Full disclosure: I thought that before the book, too.Michelle Obama has written a very personal, candid book about her life. She had a modest upbringing, but was expected to conduct herself at the highest levels of behavior and achievement. She did. If anything, she was too driven, aiming at and…
The Last Painting of Sara De VosThe Last Painting of Sara De Vos, BookA Novel
by Smith, DominicBook - 2016Book, 2016
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Added Nov 16, 2018
The Cruelest MonthThe Cruelest Month, BookA Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
by Penny, LouiseBook - 2011Book, 2011
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Added Oct 07, 2018
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Sep 14, 2018
Comment:
The Lives of Others is a poem about the wealthy, influential Ghosh family and their conflicts with each other, the demands and restriction of their culture, and the corrupt government they live (and die) under. Three generations live under one roof, with sharp divisions of privileges between the favored and unflavored families. They connive, support, envy, love, and betray one other; all that, plus the family business faces a sharp decline which threatens their lifestyle, security, and standing in the community.
I call it a poem because it is so beautifully written that each paragraph can be enjoyed on its own; no need to know what’s going on, just relish the telling. There’s a shadow poem, too, advancing on its own after every chapter. One of the sons becomes involved with a revolutionary group committed to fighting the prevalent corruption. His story I didn’t love so much.The Lives of Others is a poem about the wealthy, influential Ghosh family and their conflicts with each other, the demands and restriction of their culture, and the corrupt government they live (and die) under. Three generations live under one roof,…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Aug 28, 2018
Comment:
This is the second book in Louise Penny’s series, though not the second of hers I have read. As usual, she chose an interesting tidbit to weave throughout the story. This time, it was the art of painting the inside of a glass ball to create a luminously beautiful Christmas ornament. The villain of the story, CC de Poitiers, named her “philosophy” after this technique; she advocated repressing and denying all emotions, keeping them “inside.” CC herself was particularly suited to this practice, as she was universally disliked by all, including her husband and child, her lover, all the inhabitants of Three Pines, and the reader. She was electrocuted during a curling match (really!) and Gamache sprang into action, ascertaining that it was a homicide rather than an accident as was initially believed. He schooled the smart-ass young upstarts who disrespected his thoughtful approach to investigating the event, figured out the killer, handled the case compassionately toward all, and won everyone over in the end, of course.This is the second book in Louise Penny’s series, though not the second of hers I have read. As usual, she chose an interesting tidbit to weave throughout the story. This time, it was the art of painting the inside of a glass ball to create a…
m0mmyl00's rating:
Added Aug 21, 2018
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Still another survivalist/prepper/off-the-grid story, this one a memoir. It’s hard to believe there have been no comments on this book yet, as much of a stir as it’s created. The author grew up in a Fundamentalist Mormon family who didn’t believe in things like school and doctors. They were self-sufficient, and fully prepared to resist government (Satanic) efforts at intervention and/or takeover. There was much, much, much to object to as far as the parents’ child-rearing tactics. There was much deliberate abuse by one of the brothers, which the parents chose to ignore, as well as collateral abuse because of being deprived of even urgent medical care, i.e., third degree burns, concussions, etc. The author explains that some of her memories conflict with the memories of her siblings, and at least one of her siblings chimed in on Amazon to contest her recounting of her childhood. For example, the author claims to have had virtually no education yet she and several of her siblings not only were admitted to and graduated from college, but went on to get their PhDs. Hers was from Cambridge!
Regardless, it was a fascinating look into a foreign-to-me approach to life. I couldn’t help but admire the family’s resourcefulness, as well as the human species’ ability to adapt to and withstand and recover from and even triumph over (maybe because of?) so many tremendous physical and emotional wounds.Still another survivalist/prepper/off-the-grid story, this one a memoir. It’s hard to believe there have been no comments on this book yet, as much of a stir as it’s created. The author grew up in a Fundamentalist Mormon family who didn’t believe in…
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