Everything Is Illuminated is ostensibly the story of a character named Jonathan Safran Foer who travels from his home in America to the Ukraine to try and trace back the roots of his family and find Augustine, the woman who rescued his grandfather from the Nazis. However, it is mostly told through the eyes of Alex, a young Ukrainian whom Jonathan hires to be his translator for his trip. Alex writes up a description of their journey together (along with Alex's blind grandfather who is their driver and the "Seeing-Eye Bitch" Sammy Davis Jr. Jr) through the Ukrainian countryside. Alex's portions are written in the style of a person for whom English is a second language and the thesaurus is a dear friend--they are stylistically hilarious, and (particularly in the beginning when he first starts writing) I laughed aloud at some of his descriptions. Intermingled with Alex's travelogue are snippets from the novel Jonathan is writing about his Ukrainian ancestors and their lives in the village of Trachimbrod (which is all very whimsical and fantastical, rather than historical), and Alex's letters to Jonathan, discussing Jonathan's critiques of his sections and Alex's ideas about Jonathan's.
I loved this book despite myself. When I first started reading it, I found myself thinking "I know this is going to get sad and profound and whatever at some point, but it is SO HILARIOUS that I just don't care!" And I enjoyed it, not noticing at first when the tone started to change. However, it did start to get darker and sadder toward the end, and by the ending it completely broke my heart.
From reading comments on GoodReads, I suspect that this is a book one either loves or hates. If you are a person who wants things to be literal and linear and realistic, you should probably avoid this. However, if you like books that are a little more whimsical and weird and funny and sad, I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Cannonball Read 2 #37: The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
In 1889, the small steel town of Johnstown Pennsylvania was nearly wiped off the map by a flood. This was only partly a natural disaster--the breaking of the South Forks dam was not entirely due to an unprecedented rainstorm--the selfish behavior of rich industrialists was also to blame.
High in the hills of Pennsylvania, the rich elite of Pittsburgh--people like the Fricks and the Carnegies, for example--purchased a piece of land to create a summer club. They built a hotel and cabins. They also liked the built-in lake, but decided the old earthen dam could use some improvements...they made it lower and flatter (so they could take carriage rides across) and put in some mesh "fish-gates" so the expensive fish they stocked couldn't escape. These "improvements" would weaken the dam, so when the record-setting rainstorm came along, there was almost no chance the dam would stay intact.
In the middle of the day on May 31, 1889, the South Forks dam collapsed and sent the approximately 20 million tons of water which had been Lake Conemaugh cascading down the valley, wiping out numerous small towns before turning a corner, picking up speed, and hitting Johnstown with a 60 foot tall wall of water, moving at about 40 miles an hour. The town was almost totally destroyed and many lives were lost. The wall of water picked up train cars, houses, trees, and other debris, and through it against a railroad bridge at the bottom of town. This giant pile of detritus stuck against the bridge, and as the waters were still receding caught fire, sending several people trapped in the debris to their deaths.
Of course, none of the wealthy industrialists whose selfish lack of attention created the deadly circumstances were ever held responsible.
David McCullough does an excellent job explaining the historical context of the flood, as well as the events that occurred. He also explains in an easily understandable manner the engineering failures that led to this disaster.
The book is both entertaining and informative, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in turn-of-the century Pennsylvania history.
High in the hills of Pennsylvania, the rich elite of Pittsburgh--people like the Fricks and the Carnegies, for example--purchased a piece of land to create a summer club. They built a hotel and cabins. They also liked the built-in lake, but decided the old earthen dam could use some improvements...they made it lower and flatter (so they could take carriage rides across) and put in some mesh "fish-gates" so the expensive fish they stocked couldn't escape. These "improvements" would weaken the dam, so when the record-setting rainstorm came along, there was almost no chance the dam would stay intact.
In the middle of the day on May 31, 1889, the South Forks dam collapsed and sent the approximately 20 million tons of water which had been Lake Conemaugh cascading down the valley, wiping out numerous small towns before turning a corner, picking up speed, and hitting Johnstown with a 60 foot tall wall of water, moving at about 40 miles an hour. The town was almost totally destroyed and many lives were lost. The wall of water picked up train cars, houses, trees, and other debris, and through it against a railroad bridge at the bottom of town. This giant pile of detritus stuck against the bridge, and as the waters were still receding caught fire, sending several people trapped in the debris to their deaths.
Of course, none of the wealthy industrialists whose selfish lack of attention created the deadly circumstances were ever held responsible.
David McCullough does an excellent job explaining the historical context of the flood, as well as the events that occurred. He also explains in an easily understandable manner the engineering failures that led to this disaster.
The book is both entertaining and informative, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in turn-of-the century Pennsylvania history.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Cannonball Read 2 #36: Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec
I had seen the film Defiance and greatly enjoyed it, so when I watched the extra features, I made a note about the book it was based on. Nechama Tec's work is a well-researched and even-handed explanation of a piece of history I'd never heard of.
During the early 1940s, the Jewish people of Belorussia had few choices--many were either slaughtered outright or relocated to ghettos where they lived in constant terror of the Germans. However, a few managed to avoid those unpleasant options, fleeing into the heavy forests. Danger was around every corner--the Germans were often on the hunt and local peasants were likely to be Nazi collaborators. The Soviet partisans who also roamed the forest were not always friendly toward Jews, particularly unarmed women and children. All that aside, there were the obvious pitfalls of living in a forest with very little food during the Eastern European winter. However, many groups of Jewish refugees managed to survive, and a few armed themselves and fought back. One of these groups was the Bielski partisan group, or the Bielski Otriad. This group was started by three brothers, local peasants--Tuvia Bielski and his younger brothers Asael and Zus--and made it their mission not just to survive but to rescue as many Jews as possible. In the end, they survived in the woods for three years and saved approximately 1200 people, the descendants of whom now number in the tens of thousands.
The book explains how the otriad formed and was operated. It's a very interesting history book, though anyone who reads it thinking it's going to be a "novelization" of the film is going to be very disappointed--although the movie is based closely on facts, it is a highly dramatized version of events. Tec's work is somewhat dry, frankly. However, I found it fascinating look at a facet of the Holocaust period I was unfamiliar with.
As I mentioned, I also enjoyed the movie for what it's worth. I thought the performances by Daniel Craig, Liev Shreiber, and Jamie Bell were excellent. Yes, it's emotionally manipulative, but movies of this type are that way by nature. And without it, I probably would never have known about the Jewish partisan movement which is tremendously interesting. (Also, Daniel, Liev, and Jamie are fun to look at, which is a bonus of course.)
During the early 1940s, the Jewish people of Belorussia had few choices--many were either slaughtered outright or relocated to ghettos where they lived in constant terror of the Germans. However, a few managed to avoid those unpleasant options, fleeing into the heavy forests. Danger was around every corner--the Germans were often on the hunt and local peasants were likely to be Nazi collaborators. The Soviet partisans who also roamed the forest were not always friendly toward Jews, particularly unarmed women and children. All that aside, there were the obvious pitfalls of living in a forest with very little food during the Eastern European winter. However, many groups of Jewish refugees managed to survive, and a few armed themselves and fought back. One of these groups was the Bielski partisan group, or the Bielski Otriad. This group was started by three brothers, local peasants--Tuvia Bielski and his younger brothers Asael and Zus--and made it their mission not just to survive but to rescue as many Jews as possible. In the end, they survived in the woods for three years and saved approximately 1200 people, the descendants of whom now number in the tens of thousands.
The book explains how the otriad formed and was operated. It's a very interesting history book, though anyone who reads it thinking it's going to be a "novelization" of the film is going to be very disappointed--although the movie is based closely on facts, it is a highly dramatized version of events. Tec's work is somewhat dry, frankly. However, I found it fascinating look at a facet of the Holocaust period I was unfamiliar with.
As I mentioned, I also enjoyed the movie for what it's worth. I thought the performances by Daniel Craig, Liev Shreiber, and Jamie Bell were excellent. Yes, it's emotionally manipulative, but movies of this type are that way by nature. And without it, I probably would never have known about the Jewish partisan movement which is tremendously interesting. (Also, Daniel, Liev, and Jamie are fun to look at, which is a bonus of course.)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Cannonball Read 2 #35: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse is back, still recovering from the bloody battle at the end of her previous adventure. In her latest outing, there are vampire politics, fairy intrigue, werewolf betrayal, and another psychic. Not to mention the usual small-town interactions. When Erik's maker shows up with a special guest in tow, things go from crazy to downright insane!
I loved this book, though I did feel that occasionally the plot was in danger of flying off the rails, and there were a few moments when I wondered exactly what had happened. Luckily, I'm not nearly as sensitive about plot holes or logic issues as some people are, and was able to enjoy Sookie's drama-filled life. I'm also a big fan of Erik, and he was prominent in book #10.
On the whole, another great entry in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Now...how long will I have to wait for book 11 to come out?
I loved this book, though I did feel that occasionally the plot was in danger of flying off the rails, and there were a few moments when I wondered exactly what had happened. Luckily, I'm not nearly as sensitive about plot holes or logic issues as some people are, and was able to enjoy Sookie's drama-filled life. I'm also a big fan of Erik, and he was prominent in book #10.
On the whole, another great entry in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Now...how long will I have to wait for book 11 to come out?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Cannonball Read 2 #34: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Invisible Monsters is the story of Shannon McFarland, a model who was in a terrible car accident and had her jaw eaten by birds. After her disfiguring injury, she throws in with Queen Brandy Alexander and they hit the road, criss-crossing the country in search of drugs, make-up, and entertainment. Along the way, Shannon tries to figure out who she is and what her life means.
The story, as is the case with all Palahniuk's books, starts out reasonable enough. However, the chronology starts leaping back and forth through time, and soon things begin to spiral out and become more and more bizarre. Shannon's first person narration is wholly unreliable, and her circumstances are often utterly ridiculous. Just like an old mystery novel, everyone somehow manages to turn up again in the end, and who they are and what they want will be surprising.
I feel like this is Palahniuk's version of a coming-of-age story. It's about identity--where does it come from? Who creates it? Are you what you look like? Are you more? Less? Do you create yourself, or are you created by those around you? By your circumstances? Do you have a choice? It seems as thought the message is that you are whomever you decide to be--the only thing stopping you is you. It's an interesting concept to ponder.
As usual, if you don't like Chuck Palahniuk, you aren't going to like this one. If you do like him, I recommend you check it out.
The story, as is the case with all Palahniuk's books, starts out reasonable enough. However, the chronology starts leaping back and forth through time, and soon things begin to spiral out and become more and more bizarre. Shannon's first person narration is wholly unreliable, and her circumstances are often utterly ridiculous. Just like an old mystery novel, everyone somehow manages to turn up again in the end, and who they are and what they want will be surprising.
I feel like this is Palahniuk's version of a coming-of-age story. It's about identity--where does it come from? Who creates it? Are you what you look like? Are you more? Less? Do you create yourself, or are you created by those around you? By your circumstances? Do you have a choice? It seems as thought the message is that you are whomever you decide to be--the only thing stopping you is you. It's an interesting concept to ponder.
As usual, if you don't like Chuck Palahniuk, you aren't going to like this one. If you do like him, I recommend you check it out.
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