Do You Know WHAT You're Reading?

The lines are blurrier and blurrier, my reading friends. See this article about two new "independent" magazines on books and authors: Defending the Porous Wall, from January Magazine.

A Moveable Feast -> The Paris Wife

I've tried to like Ernest Hemingway's writing at least once per decade for the last three. I'm 0-3 now, but at least this time I feel a sense of accomplishment.

I read A Moveable Feast to provide a backdrop for the highly recommended A Paris Wife; now I'm looking forward to hearing what Hadley might have had to say, according to Paula McLain. When she wrote A Paris Wife, McLain (who lives in Cleveland) re-imagined the Hemingways' 1920s-era summer in Paris. For what it's worth, McLain was honest enough to label her account "fiction."

Hemingway was coy about just what and how much of A Moveable Feast was real and how much imagined, but he put a nice spin on it:

For reasons sufficient to the writer, many places, people, observations and impressions have been left out of this book. Some were secrets and some were known by everyone... . ... If the reader prefers, this book may be regarded as fiction. But there is always the chance that such a book of fiction may throw some light on what has been written as fact. 

 ----- from the preface of A Moveable Feast

Ernest Hemingway (c) 1964

Unfortunately, the preface was my favorite part of this work of probably-mostly- nonfiction. I'm hoping I enjoy what McLain's 'feast' offers... 

Have you read The Paris Wife and/or A Moveable Feast? If so, please dish! (Groan)

Tales of Two Women Too Different

I had just finished reading Iran Awakening, by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, when I picked up Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Both women, both mothers, have something to say.  Fortunately and unfortunately, that's about where the similarities end.

At first glance, it's easy to guess which book is the bigger $eller. Tiger Mother's cover practically screams TAKE ME SERIOUSLY while the cover of Iran Awakening is almost serene; a delicate pink flower fades into a creamy background.* In both cases, you can judge the books by their covers (at least a little).

Chua's severe parenting style and staunch conviction that her way, even if it's not exactly the right way, is a better than any namby-pamby (Western) parenting made her an ideal talk-show guest. That and a few choice sound bites (She made her kids practice violin and piano on vacation! Even the dog disappointed her!) sent her book straight to the best-sellers lists.

Yet, if you read it,** you know it's a paginated frozen dinner - there's very little inside, and it won't fill you up. Chua's writing is zippy and easy to read, but readers are left asking, where's the beef? Even if you ignore the lack of substance in light of her, um, engaging style, what about the book's deeper flaws? Like some other readers, my cognitive dissonance alarm went off, loud.

Did I expect too much? I don't think so. Chua's book doesn't sound like it was written by a Yale professor, or anyone who claims to have high standards regarding reading, writing, or thinking. Rather than being insightful or truly thought-provoking, Chua just provokes, mostly by taking cheap shots at a very general notion of Western culture. I was very interested - I'm still interested - in the topic Chua broaches (vast cultural differences in parenting styles) but her disingenuous handling of it disappointed me so much, I probably won't go there again. Certainly, not with Chua as my guide.

I'd leap at the chance to hear more from Shirin Ebadi. Admittedly, her writing is far less engaging than Chua's; also, I can't package Iran Awakening in a sentence, let alone in six words.

Ebadi has much to say. So - I can only assume - does Chua. Sadly, Ebadi says it, but we're unlikely to pay attention. Meanwhile Chua demands our attention, but says little that deserves it.

As a reader, I'm thoroughly annoyed. As a woman and a mother, I feel cheated.

And yet.

Ebadi's story is rich. So what if it's not as easy to swallow as Chua's barb-laced creampuff? Like a good meal, a good book requires some work on the part of the writer and the reader. Look, convenience food exists for a reason, but there's nothing like a really nourishing, well-crafted plateful of food - for thought.

Here's the rub: BOTH books could have offered a great deal of food for thought. Ebadi's did, but it was served without sizzle. Tiger Mother sizzled plenty but left us hungry and desperate to ditch the bad aftertaste.

The prologue to Shirin Ebadi's Iran Awakening kept me reading. The Nobel Peace Prize winner starts her memoir with a little ditty about doing legal research for a particular case, when she was reading government documents and came across the one that ordered her execution.

In the writing business, that's called a "page turner."

Except it wasn't presented at the bottom of a page or at the end of a chapter where zingers like that are so often planted.

Ebadi's story, almost unbelievable from a westerner's perspective, was full of stunning understatement. It suffered from the author's almost clinically detached delivery. Even when the events she describes are gripping - and they often are - the author's voice is nearly emotionless. About mid-way through the book, I imagined that it might be the only way she could tell her story.

Because Ebadi grew up in Iran, the country, customs, and politics she describes - while nonsensical to me and my Western sensibilities  - are familiar to, and clearly better understood by, the author. Iran was, and is, her home.

Also, as the well-educated, hard-working, thoughtful mother of two suggests in the text, she knew the country's leaders weren't exactly.... making sense. If Ebadi had let her emotions rule her head, she probably wouldn't have been able to work (defending political protestors) or survive (prison, among other things). Or write about it, and raise her daughters.

Ebadi's cool head allowed her to not only survive, but to change the world. In Iran, she produced change one family at a time. In the US, she had to sue the Treasury department and change the law to have this book published. Too bad she didn't change her delivery and her volume, just a bit, at the same time. More people should hear what she has to say.
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Attention book clubs that focus on parenting, motherhood, or culture clashes: Iran Awakening alone, or both of these books together, will fuel your discussions way past the appointed "end" of your meetings.

*The art is from a Persian miniature created for the Qajar dynasty in the nineteenth century. This refers to the Random House Trade Paperback. Other covers are similarly subdued. **Don't read it; it's not worth your time. If you want to learn more, see The Wall Street Journal review and excerpt published here.

Reluctant Readers Will Read

As long as they have good books! For a good look at what makes a book hook a reluctant reader, please see this post from Notes from Room 145.

A Valentine from Tomie, 1967

Tomie de Paola's work seems to sneak up on me, and Things to Make and Do for Valentine's Day was no exception.


The 48-page (Scholastic, for Franklin Watts) paperback speaks directly to the pre-K to early-elementary set. de Paola leads with a two-page comic explaining how we celebrate Valentine's Day, then proceeds to pack the book with simple projects and easy-to-follow directions for making cards, desserts, and gifts, a couple of games to play, and even a card trick to perform at a Valentine's Day party. It's simply perfect - which is no surprise.

I know Tomie's work well enough to expect it to be sweet, concise, and full of fun. So what surprised me? The slim how-to-have-fun-on-Valentine's Day manual remains perfectly relevant in spite of the fact it was published in 1967.

It's also available at the ridiculous bargain price of about a buck at Half.com, which means you can pick it up and deliver a lovely surprise to your favorite little Valentine, mom, or preschool teacher. They'll love ya for it!


Learn more about the author: www.tomie.com

Brett Borrows Well

In Regina Brett's God Never Blinks, The Plain Dealer columnist borrows heavily, unapologetically, and wisely from her friends, the Bible, and real and imaginary icons (including the very-human George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life).

She's a journalist,* so she cites her sources and uses the material well. So God Never Blinks isn't the most original material and doesn't contain The Answer to Life's Problems; it is a worthwhile book. The 50  essays between its covers comprise an easy-to-read, get-going (in the right direction) or get-going-again guide that is ideal for folks who've hit one of life's speed bumps or who are wending their way through one of its "little detours."

What I'd like to see next from Brett: more, with the spotlight on her reporting/storytelling skills. Her best columns in The Plain Dealer feature both. Meanwhile, no need to wait for the next book; pick up her first and enjoy... your life a little more.

  * And two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist! 
In addition to writing a PD column and hosting a weekly radio show, Brett posts to her blog regularly. You can read it at www.reginabrett.com 

Dear Kindle, I Love My Paper

I didn't want and didn't get a Kindle for Christmas. My former mother-in-law wasn't so lucky.

She didn't want one, but she got one.

My ex-hubby, who gave her Amazon's wonder product, is still laughing. He thinks it's all about age and says he's enjoyed "watching her struggle" to master the third-generation electronic reader. I defended the woman, as I always will a fellow reader and book lover. Notice how that's no longer redundant. (Before I continue, said ex-MIL is no luddite. If she wants to read an LCD screen, she'll manage.)

And that distinction - that you can love to read and have no affinity for the printed word - may save newspapers, the (possibly-in-need-of-a-new-name) publishing industry, and life as we (who cut our teeth on board books) know it.

My daughter, and too many of her Facebook peers, professes to "hate" reading. I hope that's a miscommunication, that they really loathe the form - OMG! my mother reads books - and not the function. That is, the reading.

Once again, I'm a tweener. While I'm tech-savvy enough to conduct my own Facebook research, thank you, my life-long love of books won't easily translate to the pixelated page. Paper feels good. Smells. Not always good, but it's a smell. It's real. Ink can smudge. In short, reading hints at being alive. It's really, really, really personal. Sure you can make notes in the margin of a Kindle. But you can't dog-ear the pages. And what about the bookmark, like a steady hand guiding me through the rough passages, patiently holding my place while I'm away?

I'm realistic enough to accept/smart enough to be thrilled by digital accessibility. Libraries are jumping on Kindle (and competitors) as well they should.

But reading the Sunday paper at the breakfast table, its form changing as it follows me throughout the day, is a joy I won't abandon anytime soon. I don't need batteries or a protective case for The Plain Dealer. In fact, those as-yet-unread sections I carry can protect me from a sudden shower, dirty dog, or unwanted conversation. As opposed to Kindle, which at that cute toddler stage only invites chitchat.

Yesterday, I lingered over coffee while marveling at the optimism of building a $33 million aquarium downtown, read Terry Pluto's wonderful column on Jesus's messed-up family in the car, and toted the Arts Section (with its book reviews!!) to the evening's soccer game. Sure, I could have taken Kindle along. But the paper is so much...softer. Sweeter. Pulpier.

But pulp free progress marches on. Perhaps some of us will acquiesce and turn to the shiny reader as early as this month. Thanks to the International Consumer Electronics Show, which starts Thursday, the price is sure to drop on Kindles and all electronic readers (as well as the uber-cool iPad).

Til then - at least - the books are piling up on my nightstand. Which is exactly how I like it. Thank you, dear friends and fellow readers, for not giving me a Kindle. Just yet.

Please support libraries and your local booksellers in 2011.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~