by Sandra Cisneros
People tend to think that if a book features a youthful protagonist that is meant to be read by children. It is true that teens and kids like to read books with an age-appropriate hero. It is easier to connect to a protagonist when you've lived through that time of life. However, when it comes to books with child protagonists that are not picture books, it often turns out that there is a level that kids just can't access. There is something sad about being a child that children don't perceive. All those things missed through lack of experience. All those fights and all those opportunities. Being afraid of the ghost in the corner that is really a shadow that looks like a ghost or is it a ghost that looks like a shadow. Experience in life both protects us and steals those magical moments.
The House on Mango Street is one of those books that has seeped into the holy "High School Canon of Approved Literature For the Youth of America." It seems to get shoehorned into the American Literature curriculum as an example of Latin-American Literature. If you sense, dear reader, my dripping sarcasm, know that it is not aimed at the novel. Rather it is aimed at the "Administrative Powers-That-Be." If you are a teacher, there are a multitude of rules about what you cannot say and the material you cannot cover. Censorship has won in America, at least as far as the schools are considered. Sex is scary. Drugs don't really exist, at least if you say it loud enough they don't. Nothing truly bad happens to children. Ever. As a teacher, adding new and fresh novels to the curriculum in even them most minor ways (say summer reading lists) opens one up to attack. If there's a bad word in it: attack. If there is sex, even abstractly: attack. Any hint of the realities of life: attack.
Unless, however, the novel introduced fits into the sacrosanct category of multicultural. If that's the case, suddenly all bets are off and it's possible to teach what real literature is good for. Good literature is not safe. Good literature rolls over the rocks in the human soul and examines the dark creepy crawlies. That's not to say there aren't happy endings, triumphs, love won, and sappy endings in real literature. These bright points exist but the trip up to them is challenging and arduous.
The House on Mango Street is one of those real books. There are a lot of dark things hidden behind the perception of young protagonist. There's rape, poverty, violence, and despair. There's also faith, love, and escape. It's a real book and the only reason we can teach it is because its latin origins protect it. Some administrator somewhere read the first 10 pages, absorbed the child POV and approved it. Well here's one in your eye, admin. The teachers won on this one.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
41. The Enormous Crocodile
by Roald Dahl
Of the lesser known Dahl children's books, I think this is my favorite so far. The story is about this gluttonous crocodile who sets out one day to slack his hunger on a passel of children. On his way through the jungle he explains his nefarious plan to a bevy of jungle animals who take it upon themselves to protect the children.
It's a cute little book on the classic lines. There's nothing too extraordinary about it but it's a pleasant little read.
Of the lesser known Dahl children's books, I think this is my favorite so far. The story is about this gluttonous crocodile who sets out one day to slack his hunger on a passel of children. On his way through the jungle he explains his nefarious plan to a bevy of jungle animals who take it upon themselves to protect the children.
It's a cute little book on the classic lines. There's nothing too extraordinary about it but it's a pleasant little read.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
40. By the Sword
by Mercedes Lackey
This is the natural successor to the Vows and Honor duo. Kerowyn is Kethry's granddaughter and an odd duck for her family. When disaster hits and her father's keep is overrun, it's left to Kerowyn to rescue her brother's bride. Being a rather intelligent young woman, she knows she can't take on a band of bandits on her own so she turns to her mysterious grandmother, Kethry. Kethry gifts her a magic sword and sends Kerowyn on her way. Needless to say, Kerowyn is successful but finds that she is no longer accepted by her family which launches her on a new path.
I like By the Sword but it's not my favorite of all Lackey's Valdemar books. Kerowyn as always seemed like this cold character and is hard for me to relate to. She's a perfectly feasible character but seems too ruled by her head for me.
This is the natural successor to the Vows and Honor duo. Kerowyn is Kethry's granddaughter and an odd duck for her family. When disaster hits and her father's keep is overrun, it's left to Kerowyn to rescue her brother's bride. Being a rather intelligent young woman, she knows she can't take on a band of bandits on her own so she turns to her mysterious grandmother, Kethry. Kethry gifts her a magic sword and sends Kerowyn on her way. Needless to say, Kerowyn is successful but finds that she is no longer accepted by her family which launches her on a new path.
I like By the Sword but it's not my favorite of all Lackey's Valdemar books. Kerowyn as always seemed like this cold character and is hard for me to relate to. She's a perfectly feasible character but seems too ruled by her head for me.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
39. Unknown
by Didier Van Caulwelaert
The French have a long literary tradition. I might even tack on the adjective "glorious." I went through a period where I was reading all sorts of french lit in translation. My french is unfortunately not good enough to read them untranslated. It was still good stuff. Dense, but good.
I started to notice that modern french lit often has a particular "frenchness." I figured out that Unknown was french lit by reading the first chapter. The copy I have is a reprint to coincide with the release of the movie adaptation and the translator's credit is not obvious. However, one chapter in and I went looking for it.
Unknown is about a guy, Martin Harris, who wakes up after being in a coma for three days. When he gets home, he finds a stranger living with his wife, taking over his job and calling himself by Martin's name. No one believes except for the cabbie who took Martin to the hospital originally. It is unclear whether it's a hallucination or an insane hoax. That sort of unclear reality seems to be a common element in french literature and is what clued me in.
This was a fun read but started to drag a bit in the middle. The end came as a bit of a surprise and seemed at least somewhat jarring. While it was a perfectly reasonable explanation of events, I didn't feel like it was even a possibility until we were suddenly there in the last 10 pages.
The French have a long literary tradition. I might even tack on the adjective "glorious." I went through a period where I was reading all sorts of french lit in translation. My french is unfortunately not good enough to read them untranslated. It was still good stuff. Dense, but good.
I started to notice that modern french lit often has a particular "frenchness." I figured out that Unknown was french lit by reading the first chapter. The copy I have is a reprint to coincide with the release of the movie adaptation and the translator's credit is not obvious. However, one chapter in and I went looking for it.
Unknown is about a guy, Martin Harris, who wakes up after being in a coma for three days. When he gets home, he finds a stranger living with his wife, taking over his job and calling himself by Martin's name. No one believes except for the cabbie who took Martin to the hospital originally. It is unclear whether it's a hallucination or an insane hoax. That sort of unclear reality seems to be a common element in french literature and is what clued me in.
This was a fun read but started to drag a bit in the middle. The end came as a bit of a surprise and seemed at least somewhat jarring. While it was a perfectly reasonable explanation of events, I didn't feel like it was even a possibility until we were suddenly there in the last 10 pages.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
38. The Wolves in the Walls
by Neil Gaiman & illustrated by Dave McKean
Much like The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish, this is a collaboration of Neil Gaiman's story writing and Dave McKean's art. It's another kid's book, but The Wolves in the Walls is much better executed.
Lucy is a precocious little girl with a pig puppet (don't ask). When she starts hearing noises in the walls of their old house, she knows it's the wolves in the walls and if the wolves in the walls come out then it's all over. Everyone knows that apparently. Of course the wolves do come out of the walls and Lucy must lead and protect her somewhat vague and inept parents.
It's a fun little book and if I ever have kids I will be sure to read it to them.
Much like The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish, this is a collaboration of Neil Gaiman's story writing and Dave McKean's art. It's another kid's book, but The Wolves in the Walls is much better executed.
Lucy is a precocious little girl with a pig puppet (don't ask). When she starts hearing noises in the walls of their old house, she knows it's the wolves in the walls and if the wolves in the walls come out then it's all over. Everyone knows that apparently. Of course the wolves do come out of the walls and Lucy must lead and protect her somewhat vague and inept parents.
It's a fun little book and if I ever have kids I will be sure to read it to them.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
36-37. Vows and Honor (duo)
by Mercedes Lackey
36. The Oathbound
37.Oathbreakers
Another set of those nostalgic rereads for me. Even though these books follow two of Lackey's earliest created characters, I didn't discover them until I was in college. Lackey has said that she created her two heroines because she was sick of fantasy stereotypes.
I believe it. While Kethry and Tarma are no longer all that unique, they don't fit those classic stereotypes for fantasy women. They are not:
Dragon Fodder: This is your classic woman tied to a post waiting to be a dragon snack. These characters tend to be objects in a literal way. They are something to be attained or rescued but they never ever act on their own behalf.
Man with Boobs: Some of the early female fantasy protagonists were basically male characters with a thin veneer of female pronouns. They acted like men, they responded to things in a masculine way, and more often than not they just happened to be lesbians. Not that lesbians in the real world are any less feminine, but in the general make-up of this character type, this particular sexual preference was just another 'acts like a man' point.
Incompetent Wannabe Hero: These chicks are a half step up from Dragon Fodder. They act on their own behalfs but they are so incompetent that they always have to be rescued by much more competent men types. They mainly exist in stories to get into trouble. Plot devices aren't really characters.
Sass-mobile: I actually enjoy this one in moderation. A Sass-mobile is often one of the previous types with a bit of witty dialogue tacked on. They tend to talk a big game and then get in over their heads. They are never solo operators for long because someone eventually has to come in and rescue them.
They are, in fact, highly competent in their own ways. While they aren't perfect, they consider their choices and usually make pretty good ones. They are intelligent, and not observably over hormonal. It is refreshing to have female characters in a fantasy book who aren't crosses between adolescent male wank material and a stereotype.
While I like these books and they are quite satisfying to read, they aren't my favorites in the series.
36. The Oathbound
37.Oathbreakers
Another set of those nostalgic rereads for me. Even though these books follow two of Lackey's earliest created characters, I didn't discover them until I was in college. Lackey has said that she created her two heroines because she was sick of fantasy stereotypes.
I believe it. While Kethry and Tarma are no longer all that unique, they don't fit those classic stereotypes for fantasy women. They are not:
Dragon Fodder: This is your classic woman tied to a post waiting to be a dragon snack. These characters tend to be objects in a literal way. They are something to be attained or rescued but they never ever act on their own behalf.
Man with Boobs: Some of the early female fantasy protagonists were basically male characters with a thin veneer of female pronouns. They acted like men, they responded to things in a masculine way, and more often than not they just happened to be lesbians. Not that lesbians in the real world are any less feminine, but in the general make-up of this character type, this particular sexual preference was just another 'acts like a man' point.
Incompetent Wannabe Hero: These chicks are a half step up from Dragon Fodder. They act on their own behalfs but they are so incompetent that they always have to be rescued by much more competent men types. They mainly exist in stories to get into trouble. Plot devices aren't really characters.
Sass-mobile: I actually enjoy this one in moderation. A Sass-mobile is often one of the previous types with a bit of witty dialogue tacked on. They tend to talk a big game and then get in over their heads. They are never solo operators for long because someone eventually has to come in and rescue them.
They are, in fact, highly competent in their own ways. While they aren't perfect, they consider their choices and usually make pretty good ones. They are intelligent, and not observably over hormonal. It is refreshing to have female characters in a fantasy book who aren't crosses between adolescent male wank material and a stereotype.
While I like these books and they are quite satisfying to read, they aren't my favorites in the series.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
35. Genesis
by Bernard Beckett
I like old science fiction. I spent my early twenties reading Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Alfred Bester, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. LeGuin, and the list continues. I really liked that older material for its frank look at human nature. Really good science fiction is more than just a story, it's an exploration in search for some deeper truth.
Newer science fiction, while it has much to offer, seems to have lost sight of its origins. Most of the time it seems to be a perfectly ordinary story that just happens to be in space. There isn't all that much difference between boy meets girl and boy meets alien after all. So while there isn't really anything wrong with most of the new science fiction, it just doesn't call to me.
Genesis, however, definitely qualifies as new science fiction (pub 2010) yet manages to recapture some of that old sci fi spirit that I love so much. Beckett gives us a world in transition where the worst has already happened. War, famine, and isolation provide a backdrop for a culture oddly influenced by the ancient greeks. Society is monitored and controlled by the intellectual elite. Anaximander is a student going through something akin to a doctoral defense in order to entire this elite society. The entire story is in the format of an interview between Anaxamander and some sort of professorial panel. Anaxamander's thesis is on the history of one man, Adam Forde, who is a enigmatic and controversial figure responsible for the last enduring secret in an almost ideal society.
While the premise seems to invite a dry read, the story really drew me in. The sense that something wasn't quite right builds from the very beginning until it hits a surprising yet absolutely satisfying conclusion. I often find myself figuring out the twists in books like these well in advance of the reveal, but in this case I only figured it out about five pages before Beckett revealed it. Beckett is an excellent writer and thinker and I look forward to reading more of his books.
I like old science fiction. I spent my early twenties reading Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Alfred Bester, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. LeGuin, and the list continues. I really liked that older material for its frank look at human nature. Really good science fiction is more than just a story, it's an exploration in search for some deeper truth.
Newer science fiction, while it has much to offer, seems to have lost sight of its origins. Most of the time it seems to be a perfectly ordinary story that just happens to be in space. There isn't all that much difference between boy meets girl and boy meets alien after all. So while there isn't really anything wrong with most of the new science fiction, it just doesn't call to me.
Genesis, however, definitely qualifies as new science fiction (pub 2010) yet manages to recapture some of that old sci fi spirit that I love so much. Beckett gives us a world in transition where the worst has already happened. War, famine, and isolation provide a backdrop for a culture oddly influenced by the ancient greeks. Society is monitored and controlled by the intellectual elite. Anaximander is a student going through something akin to a doctoral defense in order to entire this elite society. The entire story is in the format of an interview between Anaxamander and some sort of professorial panel. Anaxamander's thesis is on the history of one man, Adam Forde, who is a enigmatic and controversial figure responsible for the last enduring secret in an almost ideal society.
While the premise seems to invite a dry read, the story really drew me in. The sense that something wasn't quite right builds from the very beginning until it hits a surprising yet absolutely satisfying conclusion. I often find myself figuring out the twists in books like these well in advance of the reveal, but in this case I only figured it out about five pages before Beckett revealed it. Beckett is an excellent writer and thinker and I look forward to reading more of his books.
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