Week 10: Let me explain…

I tried to give myself a break last week and I still only read one book. This blogging endeavour is based on my experience in university, wherein I read three books a week for various classes and so, in the spirit of university, I’m taking a March Break. I’m going to be quite busy this week with a few appointments as well as a day or two at a gaming convention, plus I’m going to need some recovery time, so I think a two-week break is in order.

I’m not sure if I’ll read much during my March Break (god knows I waited until the last day of the week to pick up a book when I was in school) but if I do, I’ll write a review.

During my break I intend to work on some crafty projects. My mother, who pays for crochet classes at our local craft store, continues to harass me for help, so I must spend some time learning a new pattern so I can teach it to her. I suggested we go to the class so I wouldn’t have to teach her. Now I have to teach her and I’m out 75 bucks!

Anyway, in the absence of a new review, I leave you with this, a picture of my darling Phoenix, who either likes to read or hates that I do.

Week 9: The Clothesline Swing, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race

I’ve decided to give myself a break. I have been struggling to keep up with my goal of three books a week so instead, I’m going to make my goal a bit more achievable and go with only two books. If I’m able to get to a third, it will be a surprise review. If not, oh well. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week.

The Clothesline Swing, Ahmad Danny Ramadan: I’ve read the first chapter of this book and so far I’m quite enjoying the writing style.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge: I saw this book on a “books to read in 2018” list and I immediately added it to my TBR pile. It is so critical that people of all marginalized groups have space to speak of their own experience and not have those who do not belong to that group speak for them. I’m looking forward to listening to what this book has to say.

Today, in southern Ontario, we are having beautiful weather! It is 13º Celsius and sunny so I am going to take a blanket and my book onto the balcony and enjoy this little bit of sun before the environment remembers it’s still winter and returns to freezing temperatures!

Review: The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King

This review is going to be short but please do not correlate lack of comments with quality of book. The Inconvenient Indian was great, and you should definitely read it.

TL; DR, spoiler-free review: a brief history of Native peoples and how they have been treated by Canadian and American governments, bracketed by a bit of social commentary. Thomas King’s humour makes you laugh, even when you’re really angry.

You’re-verbose-and-I-like-it review: I find it difficult to review a book about history because it’s about relaying information and I’m not going to dispute the facts. What I can say is that I had a very broad understanding of Native history in North America and now I am much more well-informed.

King writes with a sense of humour that is sarcastic and dry which made me laugh many times. Not an out loud belly laugh but a smirking, knowing sort of snicker, as if you are part of an inside joke. For example, in the first chapter, he says, “So, am I suggesting that race is a criterion in the creation of North American history? No, it wasn’t a suggestion at all.” Not something you’d find on stage at a comedy show but this sort of dry wit always works for me.

The Inconvenient Indian also made me angry. I knew Native relations with North American governments were still fraught with tension but I did not know how bad it really was. It’s also pretty astounding to read some of the harmful things our politicians have said. For example, Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, said at the G20 Summit in Philadelphia, “We [Canada] have no history of colonialism.” This must be proof that alternate dimensions exist because I would love to know what wonky history Harper has studied.

I thought this book would be essential reading, and it is. Joseph Boyden says it best, in a quote on the back of the book: “For those who wish to better understand Native peoples, it is a must-read. For those who don’t wish to understand, it is even more so.”

Review: American War, Omar El Akkad

I have been meaning to post this review for a couple days but I have struggled with how to write about American War. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the book (it took me a little while to really get into it). Having decided in the affirmative, I had to organize how I felt about it, which was easier said than done.

From the back cover copy: Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family moves into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during the war and now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past — his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others.

TL;DR, spoiler-free review: An unsettling look at the victims of war, how some individuals internalize hatred, and how they can transform into something just as bad as their oppressors. A good read and also an uncomfortable one.

You’re-verbose-and-I-like-it review: Usually I don’t like to look at a book in terms of “if this single event never happened, then everyone would be better off” because that means the story would never have happened and we wouldn’t have a book. Basically, it’s too flimsy an argument. American War, however, is almost haunted by its own past, commenting on events as they happen so that the reader knows that the decisions the characters make are mistakes. For example, Sarat’s mother, Martina, is tense and worried about her husband going into town, as if she knew ahead of time that he was about to die. Later, as Martina packs up her family to move to the refugee camp, the narrator tells the reader that the war, though close, never actually arrives on the Chestnut doorstep, meaning they would have been safer if they stayed in their home. Even Sarat’s name is a mistake: her name is Sara T. Chestnut, but when a teacher calls her “Sarat”, she accepts it as her name. The narrator constantly points to these moments where a decision must be made and the reader has to watch the characters make the wrong one, while also knowing that, if they were in the same situation, they would likely do the same thing.

I wish the book’s world-building had been a bit better. While all the events the characters experience make sense and function well, I would have liked a better understanding of the beginning of the war. For example, a few of the southwestern states become Mexican territory and it’s never really explained how that happened. This is especially frustrating since Benjamin, Sarat’s nephew, is telling the story, and he’s supposed to be an historian! Also, race is barely mentioned in the book, outside of the main character being black and Hispanic. Maybe racism has been solved in this future, maybe there aren’t any people of colour in this part of the country, but isn’t it a bit strange that the story takes place in the American South and race is never mentioned? My best guess would be that Omar El Akkad had to keep his story pretty streamlined as it’s already over 400 pages. Still. Strange.

American War can very easily be seen as a commentary on historical conflicts as it parallels the (first? actual?) Civil War and the War on Terror but this book is more about the effects of war on the victims. Thanks to the narrator, we know exactly what Sarat’s life should be like, had different choices been made, but instead, we see how the war effectively turns her into a terrorist. Perhaps that is why I find the book unsettling: it’s not that readers like or empathize with Sarat, it’s that they see how she grew from a child into a terrorist and they understand exactly how it happened.

Week 8: American War, The Inconvenient Indian, The Clothesline Swing

Excuse for why I didn’t read three books last week: I’m being pulled in several directions by my other hobbies, most notably, Magic: The Gathering. After going to the Grand Prix last weekend, I’m quite keen to get back into the game, which involves sorting through boxes and boxes of cards and debating on buying more (which I totally need… YES I DO!). The good news is that once my decks are built, the bulk of the work will be done so I can just enjoy playing and, hopefully, reading!

American War, Omar El Akkad: I’m about halfway through so far but I’ll save my thoughts for the review.

The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King: I considered moving this book to a later week to pair it, like I said before, with Seven Fallen Feathers; however, I kept it in this week because I think it’s going to be an important book for me, as a Canadian.

The Clothesline Swing, Ahmad Danny Ramadan: This book was on the Canada Reads longlist. I’m not reading the whole list but I wanted to check out a few that caught my attention, if only to see if I agree with the judges (especially since I haven’t really liked the books I’ve finished from the shortlist).

Today is supposed to have a high of 14° Celsius with persistent rain so I think I’m going to open the balcony door, push my lazy boy right up against it, get my comfy blanket, and wait for Phoenix to take over my lap. Hmm… that sounds too comfortable. I think I should forgo the blanket, otherwise I will definitely fall asleep. Wish me luck!

Review: Precious Cargo, Craig Davidson

It pains me to give a book a bad review. Disliking a book goes against what I know to be good and right with the world. I was so excited to jump into the Canada Reads shortlist but this will be the second book that has left me wondering what the judges are thinking. I’ll be interested to hear the debates for this book because I can’t imagine that this is representative of Canada’s best (non-fiction) writing.

About this book: I find the back cover copy to be overly flowery and misleading now that I’ve read the book. Precious Cargo‘s basic premise is that Craig Davidson, a failed writer, is desperate for a job. A flyer in his mailbox declares “Bus Drivers Wanted” so he applies. When training is complete, he is assigned bus 3077, on which will ride five special needs children. The story is about the year he spent driving these kids to and from school.

TL;DR, spoiler-free review: I thought this book would be about the children and their disabilities. Instead it’s a self-congratulatory retelling of how the bus driver deals with the kids’ disabilities. If you’re looking for literature about disability, look for work written by a disabled person or someone who works in the helping professions, not a writer that moonlighted in the field for five whole minutes.

You’re-verbose-and-I-like-it review: Precious Cargo was more about Craig Davidson than it was about the children on his bus. I figured it would be about him to an extent, but I thought the book would deal more with the kids and their disabilities. Instead, it’s about Craig and how he discovers, as the back of the book tells us, “unexpected reserves of empathy” for the children in his care. This phrasing is so weird to me. Unexpected? What, did you think you wouldn’t like disabled children? Were you going to bully them? Of course I don’t believe that’s how he thought but do you not generally have empathy for those different than you? Or, more likely, did he just never think about their experiences and thus, when he finally did, he found he had empathy for them. And now, what, you want me to congratulate you? Umm.. no.

The Acknowledgements mention that he spoke to various doctors while writing the book and I wish he had included some of that information. Apparently those chapters were removed because they “might take readers out of the on-the-bus narrative”. Strange then, that there was plenty of space to include random chapters from an unpublished novel he wrote where he named his characters after the children on the bus. These chapters are distracting, unnecessary, and they take the reader out of the on-the-bus narrative. *eye roll* Without more information, I find his explanations of the children’s disabilities superficial. To illustrate my point, I don’t even remember what disabilities two of the five children had. Furthermore, he barely mentions the only girl on the bus, and when he does, he just repeats the same anecdote. He seems to tell stories about them so that he can then tell readers how he reacted, rather than recognizing them as individuals and making sure the readers get to know them as well as he apparently did.

Toward the end of the book, Davidson talks about the best day on the job. With all five kids on the bus, everyone is telling stories, making jokes, and laughing. He says, “all noticeable differences melted away and they became kids, same as any other kids.” I find this disingenuous and frankly, ableist. The children are not the same, and they don’t need to be the same as other kids to experience joy. He goes on to say that the children’s disabilities “never should have defined those kids in the first place”, which is true, but even he, with his “unexpected reserves of empathy”, still employs ableist language.

I will give Davidson credit because it takes a measure of bravery to blatantly say how ignorant you are, and there are several occasions in the book when he admits he reacts incorrectly or does the wrong thing. I just can’t get past how self-congratulatory the book can be. Toward the end, he explains how, on a chemical level, we are all the same. We’re all made of the same elements that have been recycled over and over since the creation of the planet. Seeing the Rocky Mountains in the distance, he says, “Every eye on the bus was focused on those peaks because we are naturally drawn to such sights—and in this way, and in almost every other way, everyone on that bus was the same. We are all elementarily human.” I’m glad that year on the bus was transformative for him but the “we’re all the same, man” statement is a little obnoxious, especially since, if you are a person with any amount of empathy, you didn’t need 300 pages to learn a lesson you already knew.

Week 7: Precious Cargo, American War, The Inconvenient Indian

*in my best announcer voice* And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, introducing an official new segment on the blog!:

Excuse for why I didn’t read three books last week: Have you ever heard of Magic: The Gathering? It’s a strategy-based card game that was created in the mid-90s and has since become so huge that there are worldwide competitions that range in size from casual play at local game stores to a World Championship with tens of thousands of dollars on the line. A Grand Prix tournament was hosted in the city this weekend and I went with my friend, Adam. On the last day of Magic Bonanza, my sweetie joined us and then we all went to see Marilyn Manson in concert. Ever have to explain to security at a mandatory bag search what Magic cards are? I don’t know if my interests have ever clashed so violently. Anyway, all this is to say I didn’t have time for reading but now, after all that walking around, my feet are so sore they might as well be on fire so I won’t be doing anything but reading for a while. 😀

Precious Cargo, Craig Davidson: I’m only 40 pages into this book so standby for more information 🙂

American War, Omar El Akkad: This book is set in a not-too-distant future in which the United States falls into a second Civil War. I feel a story like this will be extra frightening considering the real life issues and tension in America now. The phrase on the back of the book that solidified this pick for me is “a novel that considers what might happen if the United States were to turn its most devastating policies and weapons upon itself.”

The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King: I picked this up to go along with Seven Fallen Feathers but being disappointed by The Marrow Thieves has prompted me to move it into this week’s reading.

Is anyone else reading the Canada Reads shortlist? What are your thoughts so far?

Review: The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline

I am really looking forward to listening to the Canada Reads debates involving The Marrow Thieves, not because I loved the book, but rather because I have several problems with it. I will enjoy listening to the defenders wax poetic about the books I enjoyed but I am interested in hearing the defense of this book, because I don’t think it should be on the shortlist.

From the back cover copy: Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden – but what they don’t know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves.

TL;DR, spoiler-free review: Interesting premise on which the book doesn’t quite deliver. Uses strange narrative techniques and has a problematic ending. I suggest skipping this one.

Quick note: This review is pretty spoiler-heavy so if you want to read the book, I suggest doing so first before moving any further into this post.

You’re-verbose-and-I-like-it review: I was so looking forward to this book because the premise is really compelling. Hunting Natives for their bone marrow? Yikes. This is pretty horrifying so I had many questions. Why did the rest of humanity stop dreaming? What is happening to non-dreamers that has driven them to hunt and murder people? Is there evidence that Native bone marrow restores dream loss or is it all some insane delusional process for decimating the Native population? None of my questions were answered. To be clear, none of the answers would make what’s happening to the Natives acceptable; even if the process works and helps the non-dreamers, their actions are horrific and criminal. The issue I have is that the backdrop against which the story is set is pretty muddled. Similar to Future Home of the Living God, The Marrow Thieves focuses on the smaller story of a few individuals but doesn’t truly flesh out the world in which their story occurs.

Cherie Dimaline uses a strange narrative technique throughout the book that always pulled me out of the story. It’s a sort of misdirection that points the reader ahead in time from what’s currently happening. For example, when speaking to Rose, Frenchie (as the narrator) says, “I’d regret this next line forever.” As a reader, that makes me question my assumption about what happens next. That must mean Frenchie and Rose don’t get together. Will they part ways forever? But having finished the book, I know they hook up and it all works out. I’m not sure why the author doesn’t let her writing speak for itself. I was already worried that Frenchie was screwing up everything and then this sentence makes me think he does for sure, but he doesn’t so… surprise? It’s obviously trying to subvert reader expectations but it’s rather ham-fisted and ineffective.

My biggest problem with the book is the ending. Miig’s husband, Isaac, is miraculously alive and is likely the key to stopping the marrow thieves now that Minerva is dead. The problem I have is that Isaac could pass for Caucasian. He is part Native but he has pale skin and blue eyes. This is problematic to me because it calls to mind the white saviour character that occurs in too many books and movies. Why couldn’t Isaac be more physically representative of his people? He was still abducted and taken to a school, where he was saved by a nurse, so why couldn’t that have happened if he looked Native? I feel like him being white-ish and the key to stopping the marrow thieves undercuts the power of the Natives to save themselves.

I so wanted to like this book but the more I think about it, the more I’m sure I can’t recommend it. On the plus side, it has motivated me to add some Thomas King to my reading list for next week.

Review: The Boat People, Sharon Bala

I have always appreciated the book-making process. When I was a child, my aunt, who was an editor at the time, gave me a book about how books were made, wherein I learned about printing, binding, cover design, et cetera. The Boat People is one of those books that is particularly well-made; a rather thick volume with a gorgeous cover, a solid binding, and ragged pages, as if the trimming stage in the binding process was skipped. Reading these kinds of books always gives me a happy; they feel almost as good to hold as they do to read. Does anyone else get that feeling?

From the back cover copy: When the rusty cargo ship carrying Mahindan and five hundred fellow refugees reaches the shores of British Columbia, the young father is overcome with relief: he and his six-year-old son can finally put Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war behind them and begin new lives. Instead, the group is thrown into prison, with government officials and news headlines speculating that hidden among the “boat people” are members of a terrorist militia. As suspicion swirls and interrogation mounts, Mahindan fears the desperate actions he took to survive and escape Sri Lanka now jeopardize his and his son’s chances for asylum.

TL;DR, spoiler-free review: Great characters, excellent pacing, heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure.

You’re-verbose-and-I-like-it review: I often struggle when reading a book written from multiple perspectives because I usually like one character more than the others so reading chapters focusing on my non-favourite becomes a bit of a slog. I’m also not usually a huge fan of this narrative device because pacing can very easily get muddled and the plot can get messy. Sharon Bala makes none of these mistakes. She expertly tells the story from three perspectives: Mahindan, an immigrant on the boat; Grace, one of several adjudicators assigned to decide the fates of the 503 migrants; and Priya, a student lawyer who is reassigned from corporate to immigration law and reluctantly represents the immigrants. With each chapter and perspective, Bala moves the story forward, never going back to retell a section from another character’s point of view. Bala’s pacing is patient, never rushing or dragging, and, of the three mouths to feed, no character is given less in favour of another.

I was also really impressed with how Bala writes her characters. They are fleshed-out, nuanced, and fully three-dimensional. Mahindan reminisces about his life in Sri Lanka, thinking about what he left behind, what he did to escape, and what he hopes to find in Canada. Unfortunately, we also see his hope wither and sour the longer he and his fellow migrants remain in prison. Grace is torn between her desire to protect her family from a potential terrorist threat and the bitter taste left in her Japanese family’s mouth after being forced into interment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Priya, a Tamil like Mahindan, struggles with the job forced on her when all she wants to do is return to the comfortable environment of corporate law. These layers make each character more compelling and make the reader empathize with each person, even though those empathies conflict.

I had one of those moments as I was reading where I realized there were not enough pages left to give me all the answers I wanted but that does not mean the ending left me dissatisfied. The Boat People is inspired by true events (In October 2009 and August 2010, two ships arrived on the coast of British Columbia) and I feel like it is an important read, especially since refugee crises continue to force migrants to choose between their war-torn homelands and unknown countries that may or may not provide asylum.

Week 6: The Boat People, Precious Cargo, The Marrow Thieves

I lost a whole day of reading yesterday because my boyfriend has decided to moonlight as a germ factory. He may or may not have strep throat but he definitely has a cold and an ear infection and let me tell you, the only thing worse than a man-cold is being a woman who has to treat a man-cold. I’m pretty bed-ridden when I’m sick but I can still summon the courage to brave the kitchen for a cup of tea. This guy? The end is nigh! I mean, he should probably update his last will and testament, it’s that bad. *rolls eyes so hard I sprain my eyeball cords*

This week’s picks (and at least one for next week) are coming from the Canada Reads shortlist. Every year, five Canadian personalities choose a single book to defend and then engage in debate until one book is left and declared the Canada Reads winner. In the past, I have tried and failed to read these books and follow the debates but this year, I am hell-bent! The debates aren’t until the end of March so I have plenty say I’ll read three in a week but only get through two.

The Boat People, Sharon Bala: Due to Jeff’s impending doom, this book has to be rolled over into this week. So far, I’m really enjoying it, and not just because it’s one of those books that feels really nice to hold (it’s pretty thick, the pages are pretty thin, and it’s got those great ragged pages that look like they forgot a step in the printing process). The story is being told from three different perspectives, which can very easily get messy, but Bala is doing an excellent job moving from character to character while advancing the story in a natural, compelling way.

Precious Cargo, Craig Davidson: I’m enjoying the simple premise of this book; Davidson spent a year driving a special needs bus and writes about the children he met. I feel like this is going to be heartwarming which is good, because apparently we in Ontario, Canada can look forward to several more weeks of winter (seriously, it’s snowing so much that I feel like Christmas is coming).

The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline: I am SO keen to read this book. Set in the future, Indigenous peoples are hunted for their bone marrow because it apparently holds the key to regaining the ability to dream, something people are no longer able to do. The premise is rather horrific but I’m interested in learning what this book has to say.

Housekeeping: Quick reminder that I managed to connect my social media to the blog so come say hello on Twitter or Instagram, if you’re so inclined! 🙂