Blinded by the Story

Here's my definition of a gifted writer: he tells a story without letting the words get in the way.

That's especially important when the story is as fantastic as  The Blind Side. Yeh, yeh, it's the new Sandra Bullock movie. You know what I'm going to say: read the book before you see the movie.

Neither is disappointing, but trust me, the book offers a depth that can only make the movie more enjoyable.

Can't read it? At least listen to the in-depth interview (heard on NPR last week) with author Michael Lewis, here.

PS - if you love baseball, pick up a copy of Lewis's Moneyball while you're at the library/bookstore/website.  You'll be glad you did!
PPS - I Beat the Odds is the story Micheal Ohr tells of his own life.

A Thousand Acres of Heartache

A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley - Random House (c) 1991

Do the holidays bring out the squabbles (or worse) in your family? I bet A Thousand Acres will make you feel better, if only in comparison to the Cooks and the Smiths.
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I'll admit I took my time through the pages of Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres. The characters share so little joy (a few jolly games of monopoly, some delightful flirting among adults, and two brief sexual encounters) that I nearly quit.

Now I'm darned glad to say I finished it. Not just because I'm done, and not just because it's one more notch on my reading lipstick case.* I'm glad I read it because it moved me. And frankly, I can be a bit lazy about reading stuff like that.

Novels that touch me, make me squirm, make me think, make me feel - they're too few and far between, I'm afraid.

And in this exercise of reading something I didn't really want to read, I have learned. Don't worry, I'm not going to wax eloquently about delving into the human condition; I'm not that deep. Rather, what I want to say is that it's good for a reader to have friends.

A friend introduced me to Barbara Kingsolver many years ago, and I was hooked. Barbara makes me think, feel, and sometimes squirm, but just a little. She doesn't really make me blanch, shake my beliefs to the core, or even snort in exasperation at her characters and their lives. She's a fabulous writer and a word wrangler I admire, but she doesn't draw blood. Ms. Smiley got her hooks in me, and changed me a bit while she dragged me through those acres on a New York family farm.

Ouch.
Thanks.

For those still-tender marks, I have to thank Kara. Kara recommended the book very highly and in such an enthusiastic but vague way that I (erroneously) assumed the book was full of sunshine and goodness. After all, she piped up with her recommendation as I was ballyhooing two feel-good books, Wesley the Owl and The Guernsey Literary and Sweet Potato Peel Pie Society. So I just assumed A Thousand Acres would make me feel good, too.

About a month after she loaned it to me, Kara asked what I thought. Not very cheerful, is it? I replied. Oh no, she said. But it's a good book. I trust Kara, and felt obligated to finish it. But I complained. "I like happy endings. Does it have a happy ending?"

"Oh no. But it's a good book." There it was again, that nagging sense of obligation - mixed with a little bit of dread. (No happy ending?!)

Well, Kara was right; it's a good book. And I'm very grateful to good friends like that, who will give you a little push into uncomfortable territory.

Yesterday I loaned the book to another friend. At first, I tried Kara's approach. "It's a good book," I said, then felt compelled to add, "but it's not the happiest story."

"That's OK," she said. "As long as it moves me. That's what I like."

Well, humph. Maybe Allison should start a reading blog.





*if you got that reference you too must be a closet Pat Benatar fan :)

Informative & Fun Picture Book

(Holiday shoppers, hear this!)

What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? is one of those rare picture books that features fascinating facts and engaging but realistic pictures - it's both readable and fun, and educational too.

"Instant classic" may be a bit heavy-handed, but well worth the $16 list price.