Review: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Auto-Biography, book reviews, Existentialism, Genre, Germany, Holocaust, Non-fiction, Uncategorized, World War II

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mansLiving with a chronic illness for most of my adult life has led to Existential questions almost every day: why am I here, why do I continue to suffer, will things ever get better, is there a real reason to keep struggling, and should I compare my situation with that of others? Since it was first published in 1946, millions have turned to Dr. Viktor Frankl’s non-fiction text, Man’s Search for Meaning, in hope of finding an answer to even one of the many mysteries that plague the human race. Viktor Frankl studied psychiatry under Sigmund Freud in Vienna, Austria before he was imprisoned in Auschwitz, among other concentration camps. (p.10)  In the text, he writes about the tortures he and his fellow inmates underwent as a way to describe the escape mechanisms humans use to survive the worst possible situations. After his survival, finding his entire family had perished, Frankl sought deeper meaning in life. He also looked for ways to help patients who struggled to find reasons to live from day-to-day, he called this treatment logotherapy. (p.1)

The text is divided in two portions; and, the first consists of stories from the concentration camp, including ways the doctor and others tolerated days, weeks, months, and years of brutality. There is a vast amount of sadness, which often elicit tears from the reader, in the memories of Dr. Frankl’s time spent in Auschwitz. Still, it is the lessons about the strength of the human condition, and how those who are willing can train their minds to transcend difficulties to see love and beauty in the world that stand out most. Men and women were separated in the camps. Thus, during his time spent in the camp, Frankl never knew what had become of the person he cherished most, his wife.  He recalls one day, in spite of the scent of burning flesh, the dead, and the dying, another man mentioning what their wives would think if they saw them in that moment. (p.56) As memories of Frankl’s own wife, her image, smile, and the joy she brought to his life came flooding back. Frankl invites the reader to share in the intimacy of not only one his most private of recollections, he teaches the reader how to use the highest of human experiences to surpass the cruelest situations. He writes, “A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth- that love is the ultimate and highest goal by which we can aspire.“ (p.57) One thought of love, even in a concentration camp, was able to raise his spirits. Love, which according to Frankl is powerful because it comes from a conscious decision of the inner-self to find meaning, carried him and many others through their deepest travails. In addition to love, Frankl says that recognizing “the beauty of art and nature” aid in the human capacity to rise above agony and sorrow. (p.60) Prisoners, he remembered with sadness, would watch the horizon as they worked in the cold, admiring how beautiful the world could be as they struggled. Depressing a thought though this may be, the reason the author mentions these hurtful parts of his past is to show the way the human mind operates to survive. We constantly strive to find love and beauty, even in the worst of times, because these are the things that mean the most to us.

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Review: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa: A Special Kind of Love

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Adult Contemporary, book reviews, Genre, Japanese Lit

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houseIt is safe to say that very few books will ever satisfy the infinite needs of all the readers who assess their contents. But, within the first pages of The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, I knew I had stumbled upon a rarity. This text was not what I had expected from the title; in fact, I thought it might be a superficial romance. Instead, in this novel, I found a deeply moving love story. Not romantic love; but, the kind which exemplifies human nature in its finest moments. The story combined devastating loss, kindness, and the most profound sacrifices people make in the name of empathy and warmth co to show just how special people can be. This novel is innovative in its storytelling through memory and dialogue, beautiful in its creativity and imagery, heartwarming and heartbreaking through raw emotion. From start to finish it is unlike anything I have read before; it is pure perfection.

This short, touching, and irresistibly sweet text is relayed from the perspective a nameless Japanese housekeeper, who at a time in the past, a held a position caring for a man known only to the reader as the Professor. The author makes the decision to withhold much information about the two main characters, the Professor and housekeeper, from the reader. Still, the most essential details are revealed through the memories of the housekeeper’s days spent working for the Professor. Early on, the narrator tells what she learned when she took on the job caring for the man in his small guest house, “He has difficulties with his memory. He’s not senile, his brain works well, but about seventeen years ago he hit his head in an automobile accident. Since then he has been unable to remember anything new. His memory stops in 1975.He can remember a theorem he developed thirty years ago but he can’t remember what he ate for dinner last night. In the simplest terms it’s as if he has a single eight minute video tape inside his head, and when he records anything new it only lasts eighty minutes, he has to record over the existing memories. His memory lasts precisely eighty minutes. (p. 5)” The revelation is profound and becomes even more so as her job and feelings for the Professor and his frailties grows. The more she learns about him, his life, wants, needs, and goodness, the more she is let down by his inability to retain the memory of her.

As the days pass by the Professor and the housekeeper develop a serious relationship through the molding of past and present events. She learns that he was and still is a mathematical genius who must now wear post-it notes covering his suit coat as reminders to complete even the simplest tasks. He depends upon her and her son Root for care, support, friendship, and love. What attaches the reader to the story beyond the mere bond that ensues is the idea that there is a true and unrequited love the Housekeeper feels for the Professor which, tragically, can never be returned. This is because the Professor can never know her feelings nor her sacrifice for him. She sees his plights and cares for him like no one else, and her gifts will never be returned. There is something about her love that is very familiar to the reader and very beautiful.

Even though this is not a romance, and in many ways the incapacity of the characters to experience love in conventional ways can be sad, there are many moments of extreme happiness to hold on to in the book. Whether it comes through walks in the park, the completing of mathematical equations that represent nature or the universe, or taking a trip to a baseball game, the company of another person can provide solace in times of struggle and sorrow. The reader feels joy knowing that despite setbacks and suffering humans bring real happiness, satisfaction, and meaning to each other’s lives.

Final Rating: 4 out 5 Stars

More Information:

Other Books by Yoko Ogawa:

The Diving Pool

Review: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in book reviews, British Lit, Children's, Classic lit, Cross-Over Literature, Fantasy, Genre, International Fiction

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hobbitFor those who have had the pleasure of reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy prior to experiencing the tale of The Hobbit, the latter may lead to disappointment. While reading The Hobbit as a prequel may prove a worthwhile introduction to the Trilogy, as a stand-alone text, despite moments of greatness, the novel lacks the ability to captivate readers through either its characterizations or plot lines. Reading The Hobbit knowing what would follow left me expecting more from the depth of plot to the incorporation of characters and relationships used in the earlier works.

Knowing the backgrounds of adventures to come and the complexity of characters connections including those of Gandalf, the Baggins’, elves and dwarves, left my mind focusing on events occurring in other stories, waiting for bits and pieces to return to be incorporated in The Hobbit. Even the inspired and captivating connections and foreshadowing provided via the relationship of Gandalf and Bilbo in this tale are overshadowed by future endeavors. When the dwarves arrive at Bilbo’s door after learning from Gandalf that Bilbo will be crucial to their success, I immediately became interested in the significance of Bilbo and less concerned with the dwarves who should be the main focus of this story.

Without a doubt Bilbo steals the show. From the start it is clear that Gandalf knows Bilbo is special, as he assures the dwarves that Baggins is essential to their success. What remains unclear and keeps me guessing, in a good way, is what exactly Gandalf knows about Bilbo’s destiny and his abilities to aid not only the dwarves, but also the elves and man against their foes. Does the wizard know Bilbo must journey with the dwarves to seek their treasure in order to stumble upon the ring and Gollum deep within the mountain when he suggests Bilbo should tag along? Whether or not Tolkien was intentionally vague, I couldn’t escape constantly wondering what Gandalf knows in reference to Bilbo’s destiny. My involvement and excitement regarding the text ; however, left me believing the mystery and suspense  I felt could not have existed without knowledge of the later stories involving the ring and Bilbo’s nephew, Frodo I already possessed. What I have not yet concluded is if it mattered why my attention was harnessed throughout the story.

In my opinion, the greatest portion of The Hobbit occurred in the chapter, Riddles in the Dark. It is telling of the novel as a whole that this chapter, which contains the seedlings of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy involving the ring, is the single most fascinating facet of The Hobbit. As Bilbo stumbles farther down into the depths of the Mountains, lost and alone, he spots the ring which will determine his fate along with many others. Tolkien writes of Bilbo’s find that, “It was the turning point of his career, though he did not know it yet. (68)” Although The Hobbit will continue and end without much more explanation for the ring, its power, or purpose, this scene is written impeccably well. Presented as a slowly escalating series of moments, riddles, and answers, it is the first encounter between Bilbo and Gollum. It starts with Bilbo having no knowledge of the ring nor Gollum; and, results in the uncovering of secrets, including Gollum’s obsession with the fated object, which will be explained slowly as the novels progressed. That the ring is essential to Gollum’s existence and is magical becomes known to Bilbo as he exchanges riddles with Gollum, but the exact depth of the attachment is never revealed. This chapter left me begging for more like it. Had The Hobbit been more about Bilbo’s personal struggles with the ring, unfolding how his past led to his present in the Trilogy,as opposed to explaining how he aids in redeeming the dwarves’ long lost treasure, I would have valued it more.

While there were moments of greatest in The Hobbit, most of the included Gandalf, Bilbo, or Gollum. As I read the majority of the text I found myself wishing and hoping to stumble upon more scenes with familiar characters. Had the new stories been less repetitive and contained more depth they would have been more welcomed. Regardless of the new stories that may have be less spectacular than Tolkien’s past works, the portions of the text containing characters and story lines from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy made The Hobbit worth reading.

Final Rating 3 out 5 Stars

More Information:

Film:

The Hobbit

When Death Feels Regret: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

01 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Australian Lit, book reviews, Genre, International Fiction, Young Adult

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By the first few paragraphs of The Book Thief I was captivated by its depth and magnetism.  The storyteller providing information, incite, and emotion is Death. While the novel tells of the fascinating and stunning experiences of young orphan, Liesel Meminger, during the tumultuous years of Hitler’s rule in Germany, the delivery of the stories is what makes it a remarkable book. Despite the truly sorrowful and trying occurrences that plague the life of the protagonist, it remains impossible to forget who, or in this case, what is telling the reader about Liesel.

From the start I wanted to know the answers to many questions, but foremost in my mind throughout the text was the anticipation and confusion about why Death is enthralled with this particular human. “I saw the book thief three times,” Death mentions as it describes the scene of the first event, the death of Liesel’s brother. This description not only sets up the reader for the future turmoil the girl will face, it depicts the first incident of book thievery. As the text proceeds, the reader is taken on a journey through the memories and experiences of the protagonist that are paralleled by her acquisition of new books.

Each book serves a meaning and a purpose as the narrator communicates the reason this child plagues his thoughts even though he is able to forget the rest of humanity. Starting with the first book she obtains at her brother’s grave, which she uses later to learn how to read, Liesel grows in both intelligence and spirituality.  The books and how she finds them become part of the explanations for her emotional, economic, political, and ethical struggles. Interwoven into the text are accounts of the books’ meanings and significance. For example, the Duden Dictionary, describes key words like fear, anger, and opportunity, which correspond to events and emotions of the people closest to the girl.

As the story continues, the reader is haunted by the character traits and suffering among Liesel’s family and friends that unfold in conjunction with each stolen book. It is revealed that the resentment Liesel and her best friend Rudy feel towards the mayor’s wife, Ilsa Hermann, may be unfounded. Although she is wealthy and has her own library, she too feels the effects of the war. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Max. A Jewish man hiding in the basement of Liesel’s home, he is fighting for his life. But, the books he writes while in hiding depict larger issues than his own suffering and connect him to the lover of the written word, Liesel. Told in chronological order, the words in the books and personal experiences of several people combine to form the world of the book thief.

From the beginning the presence of Death is strong; but, as the tale develops and complexity of emotion increases for the reader, the narrator fades into the background. Still, knowing the “thing” telling the tale is always present leaves an eerie sense of impending danger. The reader is not wrong to expect Death to return, and by the end of the novel there can be no doubt it is present.

Regardless of what I should have known would be the end result of the book, I concluded feeling shocked, saddened, and a bit numb. It was impeccable the way all aspects of the text flowed and led to the final result. The colorful and empathetic descriptions captivated my thoughts and further reflections. Now I know why Death remembered every detail of Liesel’s existence. In fact, I might go on remembering too.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Books to Read for Halloween

22 Monday Oct 2012

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In the Woods by Tana French

 

 

 

 

Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Misery, The Stand, The Tommyknockers by Stephen King

 

 

 

 

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

 

 

 

 

 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

 

 

 

 

Dr.Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

 

 

 

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 

 

 

 

 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

 

 

 

 

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

 

 

 

 

Pride and Predjudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame Smith

 

 

 

Nocturnes by John Connolly

 

 

 

 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

 

 

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

 

 

 

 

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

 

 

 

The Master and Margerita by Mikail Bulgakov

 

 

 

 

The Tell Tale Heart and other Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

 

 

 

 

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

 

 

 

 

The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith

 

 

 

 

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

 

 

 

 

The Walking Dead by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony More

 

 

 

 

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

 

 

 

 

The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike

 

 

 

 

The Witches by Roald Dahl

 

 

 

 

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

A New Interpretation of The Jungle Book: A Review of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book

16 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in book reviews, British Lit, Children's, Fantasy, Honors and Acclaim, International Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult

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 The Graveyard Book provides an eccentric interpretation of Kipling’s classic book of short stories, The Jungle Book.  At first the award winning young adult novel, penned by Neil Gaiman, seems an odd reinterpretation; it is the story of a boy who lives in a graveyard after the loss of his family. While many parallels can be drawn from the old version to the new, Gaiman’s text employs innovative and creative ways to convey characters, plots and themes. The reader is immediately drawn to the portrayals of characters and the techniques used to describe the plethora of traits belonging to each one.

Since the majority of story takes place in a graveyard, supernatural beings are essential components.  From the start the reader learns that Nobody Owens or Bod, the protagonist, is brought to the spirits of the graveyard as an infant by his mother, a ghost, after his parents and sister are murdered. The boy has no memory of his old life, thus ghosts, werewolves, witches, and ghouls become his family and teach him a variety of lessons about life, death, and the supernatural world. Gaiman makes the details of what life would be like in a cemetery come alive with special abilities and ideas Bod learns because he has a connection to the lifeless, such as fading and dream walking.  These special powers allow him to navigate the world of the living as he struggles to discover the murderer of his family.

Bod is grateful for his unique way of life and new family in the graveyard, but a few important pieces in his life remain missing. Bod needs to find the man who murdered his parents, or he can never safely leave the protected grounds of the graveyard to lead a normal life. The longer Bod stays away from the living world, forced to learn about it from a distance, the more he craves a place in it. Like any growing boy, he develops a curiosity and need to experience everything the world has to offer. Perhaps, more importantly, he craves human contact. He longs to hear humans breathing. Despite the love he feels for his caretakers, the dead cannot provide the stimulation he desires. Gaiman writes to express Bod’s thoughts and emotions, “In the graveyard, no one ever changed.“(p. 229) Both a blessing and a curse, this concept was helpful to a younger Bod who required stability, but as he grows into young adulthood, he realizes that he needs humans in his life too. The dead will remain stuck in the time period in which they lived and keep only the knowledge they had when they died. But is safe to leave? What will he discover on the outside?

As Bod is given more autonomy, he finds answers to his questions, but he also runs into trouble along the way. His story becomes a thought provoking and multifaceted journey as the worlds of the living and supernatural collide. Like all young people, Bod must come to understand the importance of those older and wiser than he is.  In a fashion difficult to predict, danger ensues and the secrets of his past including the reason he requires the protection of the undead come to light.

The combination of age old themes juxtaposed with new actions and abilities of ghosts, werewolves, and sleers, make for a fascinating reading experience. The older version of the tale paved the way for this new story.  Of course both have merit, and The Jungle Book is a classic, but The Graveyard Book does an exceptional job of conveying the message of alienation a person feels in an unfamiliar environment. Readers, both young and old, will appreciate and enjoy this novel.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

More information:

Other Gaiman books: The Sandman, Stardust, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), Neverwhere, American Gods, and Coraline

Films:

Stardust (2007)

Coraline (2009)

The Graveyard Book (pre-release)

TV Series:

American Gods (2013)

Review: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

07 Sunday Oct 2012

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It’s October, and Halloween is right around the corner.  As I pass by the seasonal  Zombie Bash billboard on the highway, I ask myself, what better time is there to read about zombies? Each time I make my way to the bookstore, I notice Max Brooks’s popular zombie apocalypse novel, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. I am finally going to read it. As I read about the author’s background, I find that he is the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, and I hope that these obscenely famous parents are not the reason the book was published and well-accepted. As I begin reading, I get a disconcerting feeling from the author’s means of communicating the story to the reader; the lack of organization in the text makes me question the writer’s intentions. While I enjoy many aspects of the plot-line, which are conveyed by the narrator who is an interviewer conducting a series of discussions with survivors of World War Z, the delivery of topics in the text makes me want to stop reading. On page 191, short of finishing by over 100 pages, I do stop reading. I am still left wondering if I am expecting the text to be something it’s not, or if I am right not to like its presentation.

Since the text is presented to the reader as a series of interviews, I reason there are a couple ways to approach its interpretation. Wanting to give Brooks the benefit of the doubt, I consider that he chose to write in a journalistic style as opposed to prose intentionally. With this choice of style comes the inevitable inability on behalf of readers to decipher character traits such as personality, looks, or emotion, which would be included in a chapter novel.  But, did he want the reader and characters to remain at a distance? My eventual answer to my own question is, no. The second of the two options for interpretation I spoke of earlier is to decide that the format and presentation are ways to take the easy way out for a writer who is inexperienced, not a great talent, and has trouble organizing his story into a logical sequence.  The result is a story of the apocalypse that lacks creativity and is largely based on military incidents and other stories from history. These subjects make this story seem as if it has already been told.  For instance the Holocaust is echoed as people are placed in camps to be certain they are not infected with the zombie virus.  Even if I can get past the hauntingly familiar historical aspects, the more “accounts” of witnesses that are presented leave me pondering where the stories are leading.

There are too many ideas that the writer fails to connect for the reader. In the 191 pages I read of the text, I did not hear from any person the narrator interviewed more than once. As a reader, I don’t get the sense that pieces of interviews are eventually going to come together as a whole.  When my interest peaks in a character or story, I am left wondering when the character will reappear. Instead, more and more characters enter the picture. I enjoy some of the details provided about how the virus was spread, politics, and survival techniques, but even though I know each character shares the same overall experience as a survivor, I am left thinking the stories need to be connected in some way by the author. However, some of the stories held my interest, so I struggle to continue reading a text, which should flow due to its simplicity and subject matter.

I can’t deny that frequently seeing the book at the bookstore and knowing it is being made into a film starring Brad Pitt influenced my decision to keep reading as long as I did. Still, in the end the idea of zombies destroying the human race and hope for better structure, was not enough to hold my interest. I am certain that those who didn’t have this issue would fare better while reading the book. I will wait until the film comes out and hope for good screenwriters to bring the missing pieces together.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The Most Beautiful Book: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

21 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in book reviews, Graphic Novel

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I first learned of the graphic novel, The Arrival, through the choked-up and teary-eyed recommendation of a very wise professor of literature whom I would describe, for the most part, as unemotional, Dr. Leila Christenbury. Seeing the reaction that the text elicited from a woman I had conversed with about so many significant issues not only imprinted an image of that moment in my mind, I knew in that instant that I would go home and purchase the book.  As soon as the novel arrived, I was able to share in the knowledge Dr. Christenbury and those ranked among the greatest graphic novelists such as Art Spiegelman and Marjane Satrapi already realized. The novel has no words; it is an impeccably illustrated piece of magic which is separated into six segments and it takes less than an hour to read. The book is a piece of art, but not only because of the aesthetics; the combination of astounding pictures that mold the story of the immigrant experience create imagery and sensation that is the definition of beauty. When I read this book, I knew why Dr. Christenbury cried.

I didn’t fully appreciate or conceptualize the why she cried at first or the complexities of the text until after reading it and re-reading it.  The novel is outstanding, there is no question about that, but the very thing that makes it exceptional is its ability to confound the reader.  In depicting the immigrant experience, Tan sets out to show in a series of pictures the infinite number of ways a person feels alienated, withdrawn, isolated, segregated, and alone. The authenticity of the experience is so real that I admit to having felt incredibly frustrated, unintelligent, uninformed, and puzzled while trying to read the story.  I found myself turning back the pages and feeling like a beginning reader in the process. Somewhere along the way, it dawned on me that I was literally being subjected to the sentiments of the protagonist.  His confusion, frustration, and sadness had become mine. Amazingly, I was able to piece together the concept of the story at the same time the man began to acclimate himself to life in a new place. Now, I understood the brilliance of the illustrations, the story, and Tan’s ability to interweave the sensibilities of character and reader.

The Arrival is one of the best books I have ever read.  This is a novel everyone should keep on their coffee table -it is that stunning. There is more to the text than artistry: it is sad, interesting, heartwarming, challenging, and rewarding. But, all of this a person should see for his or herself.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Three Weissmann’s of Westport by Cathleen Schine: A Modern Jane Austen or Just Overrated?

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Adult Contemporary, book reviews, Genre, Honors and Acclaim, New York Times Book Review Best Books, Women's Fiction

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image from good reads.com

Cathleen Schine recreates Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Sense and Sensibility, with a modern touch in The Three Weissmann’s of Westport. While Schine’s adaptation of the Austen classic was named a New York Times Book Review Book of the Year, altering the story, characters, time and place of a beloved tale is no easy task.  While some readers appreciate a fresh voice and somewhat different ideas introduced in a new version, others are tied down to their love and appreciation for the formatting, style, and characterization of Austen’s original material.  Although some of Schine’s modernizations of the old text work for today’s audiences, there are limitations to her ability to convey the story, setting, relationships, and satire in a manner comparable to Jane Austen.

Although the story of the Weissmann women, Betty, and her daughters Miranda and Annie, is comparable in many ways to that of Austen’s Dashwood ladies, there are also stark contrasts dividing the two texts. While a reader of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility finds himself or herself absorbed in the personalities, emotions, and experiences of the family, the same cannot be said for the reader of Schine’s version.  The author creates a setting that goes from New York City to a cottage on a beach in Westport Connecticut, where the Weissmann women must live to get by. Yet, despite the potentially interesting background, little action occurs, and the interactions between and among the women and the people they meet don’t leave the pages, leaving the reader disinterested in the outcome of the story. What makes the lack of character development more disconcerting is that a reader who has already experienced the impeccable Austen version of the story: a) expects more from the characters and writing style and b) already knows what is going to happen in the end.

In a lecture famed director, screenwriter, and producer J.J. Abrams gave at TED, he discussed the concept of the “mystery box,” which he considers essential to keeping an audience enthralled in any great piece of film or writing. Some famous examples he gave were the audience never seeing the shark in Jaws or the alien in the Alien series; when the mystery is gone, so is the excitement and the wonder.  When I read The Three Weissmann’s of Westport, I thought of the “magic box,” because one of the most essential components of the original story Schine altered was the role of the father figure in the lives of the women. In Sense and Sensibility, Mr. Dashwood passes away, leaving the women in his life with no inheritance. But, in The Three Weissmann’s, Joseph Weissmann has not died; he has decided to divorce Betty. There is always a lingering sense that he will restore their relationship and financial status; therefore, there is no mystery as to how the women’s crisis will be resolved. Altering this piece of the story makes it unnecessary for the daughters to develop any significant relationships of their own to help solve the major family concern.

In conclusion, the book is predictable and uneventful. For those who have not read Austen’s work first, the reaction might be different.  However, if one had read Sense and Sensibility, there should be no reason to choose The Three Weissmann’s of Westport as a first choice.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

For more information:

Watch J.J. Abrams “The Mystery Box” Lecture it is AMAZING!

Bossypants by Tina Fey is Must-Read Comedy for Everybody!

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Adult Contemporary, Audiobook, Auto-Biography, book reviews, Comedy, Genre, Non-fiction

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My husband loves comedy in all forms and for this reason I have been exposed to Tina Fey, 30 Rock, and her films. Although comedy hasn’t been my favorite in the past, I have to admit that this woman is brilliant. As we prepared for yet another road trip where I would be forced to listen to Matt’s aweful podcasts the entire way, the opposite of my idea of a good time in the car, when he purchased the Bossypants audiobook, I was excited.  Last time we tried an audio book in the car was this past Christmas; I chose Stephen King’s 11/22/63. It was a dismal failure, and we turned it off after the first few sentences.  The narrator was monotone and the subject matter made it hard to focus.  I had hopes that the talented Ms. Fey could hold the attention of a person accustomed to the tangible comfort of holding and viewing a book. Everyone knows this woman is beautiful, intelligent, assertive, hilarious, and successful. Obviously these qualities sell books, but does that mean the texts have merit or are worth reading? Within the first few minutes of listening to this text, which is narrated by Fey herself, I knew the answer to the questions was a resounding yes!

In Bossypants, Fey recalls memories from her past that are laugh-out-loud funny, because they are realistic, relatable, sarcastic, and contain multi-layered levels of meaning.  As she begins the book talking about her an experiences as she entered puberty, which included a box her mother handed her that contained a pamphlet intended for her mother, entitled “What to Tell Your Daughter About Menstruation,” Fey tells the story of the day she got her first period and the look her mother gave her that implied her daughter had obviously not read to pamphlet.  The story and the way it is communicated may seem like something only a girl could relate to; but, I looked over and saw my husband, Matt, laughing too. This was when I realized the book is written like a comedy sketch, and the stories contained within it are funny, because even if a person didn’t have that exact experience, we have all known a time when we just knew our parents didn’t come through for us.  In this same way, Fey knows how to connect with every person in society as she discusses her body image issues as they relate to women and society as a whole.

In making jokes about beauty and body image, Fey creates humor that touches readers on several different levels beginning more broadly and ending more narrowly by focusing on the individual. After discussing that she had only blonde, flat-butted, thin-lipped, long-legged role models growing up, Fey mentions that back then, a girl had two options: be the blonde Barbie or be ugly and unaccepted. Today, she says, now that multiculturalism is beautiful, a woman needs every feature of every beautiful woman to perfect- e.g., J Lo ass and Beyonce thighs.  The entire discussion is great, because every observation, although ridiculous and awful, is somehow true of our society’s expectations. Fey mentions that the culture of beauty has evolved to such extremes that now the only thing for a woman to do is fix herself until she exemplifies everything she should be; it is so sad, the readers must laugh. But, she says, none of this applies to her. Fey makes a list of all the attributes she loves about herself, for example, back fat and a stomach that are slowly sliding together until they permanently meet and she officially becomes her mother. The more characteristics Fey lists under the guise of things she would never give up, I thought about who she is and how I view her. This is a woman who writes for and stars in an Emmy-winning TV show, she is presumably paid millions of dollars to represent a hair coloring company as their spokeswoman, and there is no debate here, people look up to her and consider her attractive. Still, even she ruminates, obsesses, and finds herself unsatisfied about the smallest details the rest of us will never notice. The idea is to use one joke to make the reader think about a variety of issues and ways he or she can relate, and Fey is completely successful.

Although we all have different experiences, friends, and moments that stand out to us, many themes resonate that a comedian can use as material.  The teenage years, friendship, love, heartbreak, anger, bitterness, work, and many others are universal sources of inspiration Fey uses to create her unique recollections and form this piece of magic. This book is a great choice for anyone looking to lighten their mood. You’ll be happy you read it; this is not mindless comedy.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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