Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Books

I've done a ton of reading lately (a lot of non-fiction right now) and wanted to pass along some recommendations.

Strange Piece of Paradise  by Terri Jentz.  In 1977, Terri Jentz and her college friend set out to bicycle across the country.  Just a few days into it while camping in Central Oregon, they were assaulted.  A stranger ran them over while they slept,  got out of his truck and attacked them with an axe, then left them for dead.  They both survived and this is Terri's story of recovery and healing.  She returns to the scene decades later to try and find out what happened and who her attacker was.  Unlike a lot of "true crime" books which only focus on finding a suspect,this book lets us share in the journey of the victim and the way she struggles to make sense of this random attack and the impact it had on her entire life. 

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who
Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade by Ann Fessler.  I first heard about this book in the latest issue of Brain, Child.  It's mainly comprised of personal narratives from teenagers and young women who became pregnant out of wedlock in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.   Despite many of them having boyfriends who were willing to marry them, these women were systematically broken down by parents, social workers, physicians, and religious leaders until they agreed to give their babies up for adoption.  The commonality of experience that these women shared is mind-boggling.  It is impossible not to be touched by the pervasive grief that has followed these women since they surrendered their babies.  Besides serving as a forum for these women to share their stories (many of them kept these pregnancies a secret for their entire adult life), Ann Fessler does a great job placing it into the sociological context of the time. 

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott.  I first discovered Anne Lamott when Juliana was a newborn.  I read Operating Instructions and, on some level, it saved me.  The honesty with which she wrote about her entry into motherhood affected me so deeply.  Her writing made me feel less alone and it took away a lot of my post-partum guilt which freed me up to actually enjoy my baby.  I'd heard that she'd gotten all Jesusy after awhile and had steered clear of her nonficition.  Then my friend recomended Traveling Mercies and my book club decided to read it.  Honestly, I don't think I would've been as receptive to it even five years ago, but now that I'm where I am in life, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I've never read another author who can have me brimming with tears and then laughing out loud on successive pages.   Her ability to couple faith with utter irreverance is the only way I would ever find myself reading about spirituality.  I haven't yet gotten her newest book, but after I read Traveling Mercies, I burned right through Bird by Bird and Plan B: Further Thoughts On Faith.  (which contains my new favorite quote: "On the day I die, I want to  have had dessert.")

And here's a work of fiction tossed in for you....

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.
  Ths book takes place in China in the 19th century.  Those two things generally cause me to break into a prolonged yawning fit while shoving the book right back onto the shelf.  Someone I barely know recommended it to me, then brought me her copy.  It's always iffy to take a book recommendation from a near-stranger, but this one paid off big time.  The writing is so lovely and I found myself simply transported by the narrative.  It focuses on the lifelong relationship between two young girls in rural China, following them through their footbinding  and subsequent marriages.  It's the kind of book that makes you want to invite all the important women in your life out for hot fudge sundaes.  It's also the best piece of fiction I've read in a good long time. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

EXCELLENT recommendations.  I didn't get all the way through the Jentz opus, but I'll look for the others.  Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Your booklist depresses me.  Go read something funny, girl.  but I'm amused b/c I was JUST about to post one myself b/c I'm suddenly reading again after a long dry spell.

Anonymous said...

I agree with mazeway.  Read something fun (Murray Saves Christmas....quick, fun and well.....just up your alley). Not a novel, but, unfortunately,  you sound just like you did in  highschool..recall the book Eric (Lund)?  Give "A Girl Named Zippy" a try. :)S