2023 #25 The Trail (Hashimoto)

 

The Trail by Meika Hashimoto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read a lot of reviews of this book because it occurred to me that I don't have a good sense of reading through an eleven or twelve-year old's eyes. My goddaughter was assigned this book for school, so I read it (as are her parents). I sat with it for awhile and looked back through it, trying to parse the pet peeves from the genuine criticisms.

There's a lot about it I don't like. The 12-year old protagonist Toby was not, in my opinion, at all memorable. When I think back to books I read at that age, even if I disliked them, the characters stuck with me (e.g. Holden Caulfield, Piggy, etc--and I REALLY disliked Lord of the Flies). Again, I recognize that having spent over four decades on the planet may bias me, but it wasn't until the last 15 pages or so that I started to like this character. I understand that he's on a journey and I do want to say that I respect that the "journey" does turn out to be far deeper and metaphorical than a 12 year old hiking the Appalachian Trail.  And the human characters he meets often give the story some more heft, but there is an imbalance and weak sense of rhythm in terms of how and when these characters appear. 

And yes, about that. How many 12 year olds undertake hiking the AT--by themselves? Is that something we really want 12 year olds thinking they should do to go find themselves? This isn't a situation where he's lost (at least physically), or some sort of adventure where he got marooned on a desert island and has to save himself. He makes a conscious decision to do this horribly dangerous thing, and evidently hiking with his friend Lukas and his dad a few times equips Toby to be fairly adept at solo hiking, for miles at a time, in all conditions--enough to feel confident hitchhiking. Again, I'm sure there are very adventurous 12 year olds out there, but the moral of this particular story doesn't necessarily dissuade readers from undertaking a similar journey.

This book barely passes the Bechdel test either--and while that normally isn't a huge issue for me, I think for a book that is assigned reading, it falls really short. There are only a few women characters: the "offscreen" Gran, Abbey with her "beautiful face", the spunky Sadie (who I wish had been a prominent character throughout), and the motherly Marsha. With the exception of Sadie, the interesting characters are all male (Denver, "Wingin' It", Washboard--even the dog) -- or presumably so. While race is not frequently mentioned (if at all -- I wasn't reading for it), let's just say The Bluest Eye this book is not. Again, for an assigned read, I would have hoped to have more obvious amplification of diversity. I don't believe we are yet at the place where we can take it for granted, particularly when it is part of living discourse for young folks.

In the first part of the book the product placement was to the point of distraction. I do realize this may be targeted to the age group and their budding consumerism, and while I, too, am a fan of Darn Tough socks, I'm just not sure what these particular details (REI, Subarus, etc) added to the narrative except to reinforce branding and consumerist culture.

What I did like was the specifics about the Appalachian Trail. Children who live outside of hiking culture might struggle with some of the references or lose interest. I liked the map at the end, but would have loved to see it integrated---perhaps tracing Toby's path as he moves through the trail in each chapter. Particularly for those readers who are not familiar with the AT, little details like that would have lent a lot to the book, making the ending all the more powerful. Like I said, I did like the end, and I hope that discussions and class sessions help young people see their personal Katahdins.

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2023 #24: Teaching Music History with Cases: A Teacher's Guide (Haefeli)

 

Teaching Music History with Cases: A Teacher's Guide by Sara Haefeli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review forthcoming.

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2023 #23: Wild Seed (Butler) - The Patternist Series, Book I

 

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was difficult not to give this five stars because as with so much of Butler's oeuvre, there are parts of it that are simply extraordinary. Butler's capacity to create worlds within worlds that seem simultaneously urgently relevant but also extraterrestrial is spellbinding. The protagonist, Anyanwu, is an immortal who can alter herself at the cellular level to heal herself, change identities, and in some cases, species. Much like Lauren Olamina in Parable of the Sower, Anyanwu is a multi-faceted, sometimes ambiguous, incredibly strong protagonist. Her antagonist, Doro, is a megalomaniacal spirit who has lived for thousands of years, who prolongs his life through cruel and terrible means. Fixated on forming his own society, his humanity is so deeply buried as to be thought lost.

Themes of community and kinship made this an important contribution of Afrofuturism when it was published, and it remains so today. It takes a multi-pronged approach to engaging with colonialism and in turn, postcolonialism. While much of this is transparent, Butler does not every lose sight of the storytelling and her characterization. This is where it is necessary to give Robin Miles, the reader of the audiobook, absolute accolades. Nuances in accents and intonation abound and each character, major or minor, shines through her portrayals.

Where I struggled with the book was near the ending. I found some of the plot directions difficult to reconcile, and while I generally like that Butler does not feel it necessary to explain all contexts for all events, there are several significant events that happen toward the end of the novel that were uncomfortably dissonant with the characterization. While Butler is making a case, perhaps, for transformation, the changes seemed rush and disproportionate to the major narratives that take up the book.

Aside from that, however, it is a book that, while it shares similarities with works here and there, manages to blend social commentary, speculative fiction, and fantasy in a seamless and organic way.



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2023 #22: Deep South (Theroux)

Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Part travelogue, part memoir, part commentary on poverty, Paul Theroux's Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads attempts to follow in the footsteps of James Agee and Walker Evans (see Let Us Now Praise Famous Men), but the lack of a cohesion makes this a bit more stream-of-consciousness (my real rating is 3.5 stars). Theroux seems to tease out important elements in fits and starts and then gets a bit lost in the landscape or musings about its people--all of which are important, but get a bit flattened by the lack of overarching game plan. Gun shows seem to be a major epicenter, and indeed some of those vignettes are some of the most revealing. Where the book is differentiated is in its ability to (for the most part) keep a voice that is in an in-between space, flanked by disinterest on one side and passion on the other...some might call it a style. But his allegiances are enigmatic, and that can be frustrating, particularly when there is so much at stake. He has been criticized for racializing poverty, and the lack of obvious through-line does not help (the line is there, but there's little about the presentation to highlight it). Sometimes Theroux allows ample space for various voices of the Deep South, but then seems to stand in front of the camera without warning, and very often the impact is one of condescension. Where I most appreciated Theroux's interjections was when he wrote about Southern writers: Faulkner, Portis, O'Connor, etc. (see his "Interlude: The Fantastications of Southern Fiction). Here Theroux seemed to be on more solid ground in terms of firsthand experience with literature.
When Theroux does move out of the way, or fosters a real dialogue (as with the farmers in Arkansas), the book has riches to offer. Dignity does seem to be something which Theroux wishes to amplify and in this, Deep South is successful.

But perhaps it is reading with post-2020 eyes that makes his ambivalence seem inadequate for a travel memoir of this area. There are moments where his opinion is clear -- Clinton's seeming abandonment of poor people in Arkansas, for example--but the meandering (and as one critic said, languid) book dilutes the moments of potential power. Yet, in its 441 pages are voices that are important and have stories and lives to share--some of which are heartbreaking, and some of which are angering. The earnest bigotry of some of those voices is frightening, but not in a sensationalized way. Instead, readers should understand that the "us vs. them" mindset is of limited value because "those" minds are just as set as "ours." The back roads of the Deep South contain multitudes, and what seems like occasional disinterest on the part of Theroux, might be a reminder that those back roads should be more front-and-center.



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2023 #21: Life On Mars (Smith)

 

Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The title of this collection, Life on Mars seems almost tongue-in-cheek as the collection is VERY much about life here on earth, in a very visceral, beautiful, and sometimes intensely difficult, way. Poems like "Everything That Ever Was" manage to dance with the universe without overly lofty ambition, keeping our feet on the ground. "The Universe as Primal Scream" marries biblical storytelling with the everyday tedium of our existence. Occasionally Smith packs a huge punch with just a few words (your mileage will vary, based on personal experiences). When I read, "Tonight, I'm at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I don't know where I end" ("They May Love All That He Has Chosen and Hate All That He Has Rejected"), I was transported to that exact state of being. Prior to reading the collection I had been at an event where Tracy K. Smith spoke about her father, and many of the poems in this collection revealed much about that relationship--in particular the one dedicated to his memory, "The Speed of Belief".

At that same event, Smith said, "When you read a poem you become humble." In humility there is great wisdom and beauty and it is woven throughout this wonderful collection.

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2023 #20: Undermining Racial Justice (Johnson)

 

Undermining Racial Justice: How One University Embraced Inclusion and Inequality by Matthew Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started this book in 2020 and have read it in fits and starts since then, but truly I cannot imagine a better book to have returned to in the last few weeks as the Supreme Court erodes justice. While the book could have used more judicious editing, the major takeaway here is about co-optation of diversity initiatives. This insidious behavior infects many companies and institutions of higher learning, partially because it is often done in the name of "DEI." This carefully researched book details the ongoing saga of co-optation at the University of Michigan, but the lessons apply to many different institutions. "Diversity" is often more convenient and aligned with maintaining classist infrastructures than "inclusion", and Johnson chronicles the history of how such programs develop and undermine actual justice for those who fight for it the most. Racial retrenchment is sustained by propaganda and programs that masquerade as restorative of justice. Johnson's epilogue is prescient:

"As I write the final words of this book, anti-affirmative action cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill make the urgency for disruptive change even more pressing. It's possible that the Supreme Court will ban affirmative action in all American universities, public and private, in the next five years. It's a sobering thought. It's even more sobering when you consider that affirmative action in higher education has been a tool of co-optation that preserved the institutional values that continued to privilege white middle-and upper-class students. If anti-affirmative action forces put this much effort into challenging practices that preserve racial disparities, imagine the forces that will coalesce to resist efforts to disrupt institutional values and create a truly fair and equitable system."

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2023 #19 The Overstory (Powers)

 

The Overstory by Richard Powers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an incredibly artful book, both in its writing and its metaphorical structure (the tree analogy is overt). Powers has the ability to look at the present as if it were the past (and vice-versa), leaving us with a strong blend of optimism and pessimism (pessimoptimism?) in looking at the future. There are nine protagonists (we can use the term loosely) whose stories intertwine like a leafy canopy, but the real focus of the story is the power, history, and life of trees. Honestly, if that doesn't engage you, you are probably the perfect audience for this book. NOT engaging with trees is the not-so-subtle criticism Powers offers humanity. His powerful and descriptive language draws us to the trees, or at least the idea of them. The research aspects are excellent, and it seems clear that a lot of the ideas of Peter Wohlleben and others surface through the story and the characters.

What is particularly compelling is how Powers pulls in ideas of generational trauma and legacy, so not only are there nine main characters, but a variety of generational lessons packed into several of the individual's story lines. The connections become apparent in the first section of the novel as Powers introduces each character and there are one or more links from one character to the next.

Suzanne Toren does an astounding job voicing all the different characters, although as always, I wish audiobooks didn't resort to voicing folks of other ethnicities with accents--while understandably an efficiency, it seems a missed opportunity. I was somewhat uncomfortable, assuming Toren does not have a hearing-related disability, with her voicing of Patricia Westerford, whose character does not speak until the age of three, and is revealed to have a deformation of her inner ear. That said, it IS an essential part of the character and Toren's depiction allows the words, not how they are said, to be front and center.

As much as it is about trees, it is also about humans. Not just how we inhabit and interact with the planet, but how we create our own overstories and understories in the relationships we have--those that we damage and allow to decay, and those that we plant and nurture.

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