The Good Braider

The Good Braider by Terry Farish (2012)

Growing up in war-torn Sudan, Viola lived in fear for her life and dreamed of going away to someplace safe. Her family had a cousin in Portland, Maine who promised to try and help them come to the US. Viola and her mother and little brother start their difficult and long journey and eventually they do make it to Maine. But now they face difficulties of another kind: fitting in to this new and very different world.

I'm always intrigued by stories of immigrants trying to make a home in a new and different country, though I don't come by them often. I've been wanting to read this for a couple of years, but kept putting it off because it's written in verse. I had imagined it would be like reading a very long, dense poem. But it's not at all. Here's a sample:

Women come to our courtyard for my mother's braids.
When I was young my little fingers
rode on her long narrow ones.
Her fingers danced over my cousins' hair like feathers,
shaping twists and lines with a single tiny bead
slipped on the end.
I learned to braid by feel more than sight.
My mother calls me by two names, Viola, for Jesus,
and Keji, for firstborn girl.
"All men in Sudan will want to marry you," she used to say.
"You are a girl from Juba."

That is much easier and more pleasant to read than I had expected and I now feel more encouraged to read books written in verse. They aren't common, but another I've been putting off despite my interest is A Time To Dance by Padma Venkatraman which I now feel much more likely to read.

Although she uses very spare prose, Farish somehow manages to convey the sights, sounds, and feelings quite intensely in just over 200 pages. I read this book in a day, but the images will most definitely stay with me for much longer.

The reader isn't spared from the violence of war in Sudan, though it's also not described in graphic detail. It's not necessary; we know what happened and it's still upsetting. When the family arrives in the U.S., they face a quite different set of struggles. Viola is relieved to be safe and to have a large apartment and a job and school. But when she tries to make friends with Americans and learn their ways, she comes up against her mother's strict rules and adherence to African traditions. Those traditions even conflict with the law at times. This cultural clash is reflective of many newcomers to this country, though we generally just expect everyone to assimilate immediately. This story illustrates how difficult that can be.

When I learned that the author is a white American woman, I was a little disappointed. On the other hand, she did an impressive job of creating a voice that is surely very different from her own. According to the acknowledgements, she has spent a lot of time with Sudanese refugees in Portland so it's clear this wasn't a project she took on lightly. I don't know of any other books for teens on this topic so I'm definitely glad she wrote it!

Anyone who enjoys teen books and wants to read more about other cultures should definitely give this book a chance.

The Sleepwalker

The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian (2017)

Annalee Ahlberg sleepwalks. One night she was found spray-painting the hydrangea in front of the house. Another time her daughter found her on the precipice of the Gale River bridge. One day, however, she just disappears. Twenty-one-year-old Lianna notifies the police and her father, who is out of town for work. She tries to reassure her young sister Paige, but they both know about the dangers of their mother's night-time wandering.

Lianna is drawn to a detective on the case, both attracted to him and convinced he knows more than he is saying. She stays home from college to take care of her father and sister, and continues trying to learn more about her mother's life and discover what could have happened to her that night.

What Annalee suffered from went beyond the sort of sleepwalking that I remember from my childhood. I would sometimes wake up in some part of my house and not remember how I got there. But Annalee would leave the house, her compulsions driving her to seek something she couldn't get, at least not when he her husband was gone. It was eerie, and a little scary in the way that any loss-of-control is scary. There's much more to Annalee than what her daughters know, of course, and experiencing the uncovering of secrets along with Lianna felt illicit and suspenseful. And sad too, because after all she has lost her mother.

We know there's a lot we don't know, and throughout the story I kept formulating my own theories about what might have happened. There are a couple of threads that turned out to be red herrings, but I enjoyed speculating about them and, in one case, I was very relieved that what I feared wasn't true.

The story takes place in a small town, of course, with the requisite gossip and rumors and I liked how that all played into the story of Annalee's disappearance. I also liked the way Lianna's relationship with the detective, Gavin, developed and what she learned from him. It wasn't a thriller by any means, but it was a mystery that, despite the sadness, was a pleasure to unravel.

Since I've read almost all of Chris Bohjalian's books, I'm trying to decide how this one compares. I don't think it will stick with me the way The Guest Room did, but it's just a very different kind of book, slower paced and with fewer surprises. I think the one it reminds me of most might be Secrets of Eden. If you like Chris Bohjalian, you won't want to miss it.

Hag-Seed

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (2016)

The director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival has been delegating more and more to his assistant until his position is pulled out from under him entirely and his production of The Tempest cancelled. Lost and adrift, Felix flees to a small hovel where he lives alone, accompanied only by the memories of his dead daughter. Eventually he takes a job producing plays at a local prison and it is here that he finally has the opportunity to stage The Tempest. It is years since he was ousted, but he has been planning his revenge ever since, and it's through this play that he'll finally have it.

I read The Tempest pretty recently and then attended a performance, so it was pretty fresh in my mind as I began this retelling. This novel is about a man producing The Tempest, sure, but it's also the story itself. It's like two Tempests in one. And it works, brilliantly.

Just as Prospero was exiled with his daughter after being usurped by Antonio (or is it Alonso? I always confuse the two), Felix goes off by himself after losing his job and his memories of his daughter Miranda (of course) become so strong it's as though he imagines she's actually with him. He knows she's not really there, but he still talks to her and pretends she's real. He's been working at the prison for a while now, spending a few months of every year organizing inmates to perform a Shakespeare play. Circumstances come about that bring a group, including his former assistant Tony, to the prison to see the production and Felix knows this is his opportunity to exact revenge.

One of the things I loved is that the prisoners aren't allowed to swear, except for Shakespearean swear words from the play. So before they even start rehearsals they go through the text and compile a list of swear words. Then characters such as Leggs and 8Handz and VaMoose can be heard saying such things as "Right on, dude. Beetles light on them! Blister them all o'er!" and "Moon-calfs won't know what hit them!" and "Shove it, freckled whelp."

If you're not familiar with the original, there's a summary at the end which should help. It's definitely better if you can see how this story mirrors the original, but it could be enjoyed on its own especially since you get the whole story through reading about the performance staged by the characters. I found it a pretty quick read, clever and thorough enjoyable.

The Painter

The Painter by Peter Heller (2014)

Jim Stegner's life has been filled with pain and turmoil. He once shot a man in a bar. He lost his only child. His relationships have fallen apart. But he's been limping along, and he's a successful artist despite the past he can't quite recover from. One day he sees two men mistreating a horse and something snaps, and he is once again on a destructive downward trajectory.

Jim's violent impulses are at odds with his reclusive nature. He wants to continue just painting and fly-fishing, but suddenly the law is on his back, as are some angry men looking for retribution. This novel is filled with interesting moral questions to ponder, and a revolves around an intense character study of a complicated man who is basically a good decent person but has on occasion done very bad things.

I've read few books that take place in the Southwest, and it's an area that I'm not especially drawn to, but Heller brought it alive beautifully and vividly. His descriptions of fishing and nature were breathtaking. Here's a paragraph that I loved:

"I walked up the hill. The long grass brushed my legs. The elk had spread out, and once in a while one of the calves lifted its head and cried. It cracked me in two. It was a birdlike cry, something between a chirp and the keen of a hawk. And one of the moms answered, tilting up her chin, louder, hollower, more resonant, a call that must have carried miles down the valley. They were close enough to see each other clearly, I was sure. They were conversing, a kind of call and response, an affirmation that rang against the hill."

Indeed it's the beautiful language that makes this book truly stand out. I had forgotten that Heller's style was such an integral part of The Dog Stars. I'm only sorry that it's taken me so long to read The Painter, and I only made it a priority recently because a coworker who read it urged me to read it too. I think The Dog Stars remains my favorite because of my deep love for dystopias, but this book is just as good.

Top Ten Books That Inspire Hope

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic is a freebie and I began working on this on inauguration day so I was thinking about the future and trying to retain hope in what is, for many of us, a dark and uncertain time. So I give you my list of top ten books that inspire hope.

1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Although it's set in a harsh post-apocalyptic world, people are rebuilding society and keeping art alive. I find it the most hopeful and inspiring book I've read in this genre. We can survive anything!

2. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Every time I think about this book I want to read it again. It's wonderful in many ways, but it's on this list because A.J. Fikry is a curmudgeon who is determined to be unhappy and drink himself to death, but finds himself in a situation that suddenly makes him care about living again. Because "once a person gives a shit about one thing, he finds he has to give a shit about everything."

3. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Strayed used to write an advice column and they are collected here in a stunning array of beautiful, exquisite essays about many different kinds of life problems. The way she responds is compassionate but true, illuminating beauty of humanity in such a way that it makes me feel like everything is going to be ok. You can get a similar effect from the Dear Sugar podcast, in which she and Steve Almond answer letters wisely in very soothing voices.

4. Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
The key to peace is understanding and having compassion for one another, and I have no doubt that would be achieved if everyone in the world read this book. I don't know how to make that happen, but I'll keep doing my part to recommend it at every opportunity.

5. The Arrival by Shaun Tan

I only posted a little about this with short blurbs about various graphic novels I had read at the time. It's a wordless book that must be experienced to be appreciated. It's all about finding oneself in a very unfamiliar, confusing place and making it your new home.

6. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Satirical and unapologetically feminist, the young women in this novel struggle against a controlling corporation and battle an oppressive government as they discard the societal constructs that have been thrust upon them. Plus it's hilarious.

7. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

This story about a teenage boy planning a violent act was full of pain and anger, but also goodness and humanity. We affect one another in unexpected ways, and this novel illustrated that well. It also did a great job of portraying a caring adult helping a young person who was desperate, something we don't see often in teen fiction.

8. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
A friendship between two Mexican-American teenagers is highlighted in this teen novel, which I think is the first one I read that normalizes being gay. It shows what is possible when parents are supportive and people take the time to understand people they care about, and that gives me hope.

9. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Lawson (aka, The Bloggess) talks about mental illness a lot, constantly reminding us that depression lies and that you're not alone. Those messages shine through here as well in her second memoir, plus it's full of stories that will make you laugh.

10. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
What inspires hope more than a story about an unprepared young boy growing up while battling evil? Of course he couldn't do it alone, and the messages about friendship and joining together with others to be stronger are always relevant and important ones.

When I thought about this topic, I assumed my list would be populated with lots of books very clearly about people overcoming terrible situations and many of them would, of course, be true stories. Then I remembered how little nonfiction I read and, honestly, how dark my reading tastes are. I don't read very many books that are hopeful in the way I was looking for. But I think all of these showcases the basic goodness of people and the importance of understanding others, being our best selves, and not just knowing what is right, but taking action.

Sunday Knitting

Just some socks.

I haven't been knitting much lately, as evidenced by these socks I began eleven months ago. Partly that's because of the dog, who enjoys grabbing at my projects as I'm knitting and will only settle for, at the very least, closely inspecting it. It's hard to work under those circumstances. The other extenuating factor is that in the last few months I've had a lot of wrist pain and gave up on both knitting and yoga. But I've started knitting again because I want to take advantage of the fact that the dog is away at boarding while we have renovations being done on our house. It's going ok and I don't think it's bothering my wrists. I think yoga was the real culprit. (Those instructors really love having you remain in some variation of downward-facing dog for half the class, and I don't know why. Plenty of other poses to choose from.)

Anyhow, I have a new pair of socks. The days have been very gray so I wasn't able to get a very well lit photo. But they feel quite nice, which is what's important. I used some Regia yarn I had hanging around and the Garter Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.

Now I'm hoping to focus on my East Neuk Hoodie which has also been in progress for many months.

You Can't Touch My Hair

You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have To Explain by Phoebe Robinson (2016)

I hadn't heard of Phoebe Robinson before learning about this book, because I'm hopelessly out of touch with pop culture (more on that later.) What got my attention was that it's a book of essays about feminism and race. As you might know, I'm always up for a good feminist rant, but I've also been trying to read more about race issues recently.

The first two essays are about black hair, her own and as it is presented in film, TV, and the media. Later essays cover a variety of topics, such as the loaded term "uppity," being the token black friend, the myth of the angry black woman, and racist casting calls. Her essay "Dear Future Female President: My List of Demands" gave me a pang, given the current state of things and what could have been. Her final essay, "Letters to Olivia," is a poignant and hopeful series of letters of advice written to her young niece.

As a white lady, I have a lot to learn about what it's like to be black in this country and these essays were pretty enlightening. At the same time, there's a lot I can relate to as a woman. So for me it was a mix of the familiar and the new. And of course much of it was hilarious. She will talk about something pretty serious, but use very comical language and imagery. She manages to strongly call out racism and sexism while still seeming super-friendly, like she's your good friend who cares about you but needs to tell you that you have to do better.

I kept waiting for her to call out some horrid, racist behavior from well-meaning white people and recognize it as something I had done (I am a product of my culture, after all) but fortunately for me that didn't happen. (Which doesn't mean I don't need to do better, because surely I do!) But man, some of the stories she relayed! She once took a writing class in which a white woman wrote a story about a slave who fell in love with her owner's daughter and, when an opportunity arises to escape, she chose to remain a slave so she could remain with her lady love. Which, omg, why would you even think this is a heartwarming ending to this story? Anyhow, Robinson is full of stories like this, proving that the world has not changed quite as much as some of us think it has.

Phoebe Robinson is at least a decade younger than I am and more hip than I've ever been. Some of her words are hashtagged or made into URLs and it was a bit jarring at first. Like mentioning those who aren't "#Blessed to be Oprah" or remembering when she was younger and thought awards shows were "the bomb.tumblr.com." But soon I got used to her unique style, though it took me most of the book to realize that BTdubs is her way of saying BTW. She also made a LOT of pop culture references. Some I didn't get, and some I was surprised that she got (I wouldn't think 30-year-olds would be familiar with Home Improvement.) Her love and admiration for Lisa Bonet made me want to go back and watch everything with her in it.

In summary, this book was both illuminating and a lot of fun to read. I might check out the podcast Phoebe Robinson does with her friend Jessica Williams (who wrote the forward to the book), 2 Dope Queens. I have a feeling it will just make me feel out and very un-hip, but I definitely want to hear more from this talented, witty young woman.