Deacon Independant Reading Blog

ISP BLOG

2009-05-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

1) There is a Season by Patrick Lane
- This memoir by Patrick Lane is a reflection on a lifetime of addiction and depression. Although it did not necessarily affect my original piece in terms of its content, Lane's writing style is unique and descriptive, and helped me be more thorough in the way that my piece was written. This is an interesting story because of the struggles that Patrick Lane faces during his lifetime, living in various areas of British Columbia. Lane has ways of keeping the reader interested through his descriptions of the excess of alcohol and cocaine that he was consuming every day for 45 years, and also through his reflections on his life and the scenery in his garden on Vancouver Island.

2) Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
- This memoir is a Pulitzer Prize winning account of a an impoverished childhood in both Brooklyn and Ireland. Similar to the first book I studied, "There is a Season," Angela's Ashes is a depressing tale of alcoholism and death. McCourt loses siblings, and the other members of his Irish-Catholic family are severely troubled in some way or another. McCourt successfully evokes sympathy from the reader, because of his terrible living conditions that he experiences as a child. My original piece is about injuries that I have sustained, although my goal was not to evoke sympathy but to induce laughter from the reader. Regardless, this memoir played a small part in influencing my writing style and diction in my original piece.

3) On Writing by Steven King
- "On Writing," a memoir written by Steven King about his life, but more importantly, about how and why he writes. King discusses his childhood and attempts at writing at an early age, and discusses the process behind writing several of his books. This book was useful to me not only because it is a memoir written by an established writer, but it is also a how-to guide of how to write any genre of books. Similar to the first two books, King reflects back on some of the darker points in his life, which include addiction and a near-fatal motorcycle crash. This is an interesting memoir because it is split up into a number of different parts, each of which discuss something different, whether ir be autobiographical or a guide at how to be an effective writer.

4) Cutty, One Rock by August Kleinzahler
- Unlike my previous three books that I studied, Cutty, One Rock is a lighter memoir, about a bizarre childhood. The first chapter is about Kleinzahler's dog, and immediately attracts the reader with its quirky humour and entertaining descriptions of the dog, and the rest of his family. This book was fairly influential to my original piece because I was able to try and relate to the humour that the author uses, albeit not quite as bizarre. Since my original memoir was about my childhood at my first school, Rosedale Public, I tried to provide comical descriptions of my own situation, as well as those of others, in a manner similar to Kleinzahlers. Obviously, my childhood was completely different from that of the one described in Cutty, One Rock, but it was still a useful reference for my original piece.

5) Growing up Stupid Under the Union Jack by Austin Clarke
- This memoir is good because it details Austin Clarke's childhood, and is more of a feel good story than many of the previous ones. Each memoir that has been discussed thus far incorporate some form of adversity, which is important to include in any memoir to keep the reader interested. Reading a part of this book was useful for me because of Clarke's writing style, and his ability to include humour when describing his days at Combermere. This relates directly to my memoir in terms of its content, because my own personal memoir talks about my days at my first school, and so Clarke's descriptions of his peers and school life were useful for me to write my own piece. This is a very peaceful memoir, and has a much lighter tone than that of some of my previous works stated, which helped me a lot in the completion of my piece.

6) Barrelhouse Kings by Barry Callaghan
- This book is somewhat similar to King's novel "On Writing" as it talks about writers, primarily Barry's father and distinguished writer, Morley Callaghan. Many of the memoirs that I have discussed have been autobiography's, which was interesting and useful because in many cases, it discusses the lives of famous writers and the difficulties that they endured to get them to where they are. Many of these writers, especially McCourt's memoir, have extremely interesting (and in some cases, depressing) stories from their early years, and this type of writing can prove to be very interesting given the right situation. In terms of my overall piece, this was useful because of Callaghan's ability to describe so many characters in such detail. The first few memoirs I discussed were not as light hearted as the last few (especially Cutty, One Rock), mainly because my original piece is meant to induce laughter more than anything else, even though it tells the story of several of my most painful memories from my time in elementary school.

7) Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
- This is a very bizarre, but in some ways funny, description of a troubled childhood. Burroughs describes his ridiculous family life, and being sent to a psychiatrist named Dr. Finch, who's son he ends up having a sexual relationship with. It is difficult to relate such a unique account of one's childhood to my original piece, which is comparatively normal, although it is always useful to study the writing style of these authors, especially in this case because of how distinguished this particular memoir is. It is obvious that Burroughs was a troubled young man, and it did not help that his parents were fairly detached from what he was doing. The descriptions that he provides are often quite funny, especially regarding his psychotic mother and the way that he is treated by her. My childhood may have been completely different than this, but it is useful for me to try to mimic the humour that he uses.

30 Days in Sydney by Peter Carey

2009-04-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

1) "A great plateau of sandstone which has been eroded and extended with successful landfills. Foresaken nineteenth century prisons and barracks still occupy its crown. Down on the southern waterfront a desolate direct-current power station, its walls lined with mercury vapour flasks, sits waiting for its Frankenstein or Spielberg. Two huge dry docks, where apprentinces dived and swam in boiling Sydney summers, lie abandoned."

In this passage, Carey describes Cockatoo Island, and is unique because unlike the rest of the book that discusses Sydney's beauty, this talks about a shadier side of the city. I like this particular passage because unlike plenty of other travel writing which sometimes seems too complimentary of an area, this makes Sydney seem like plenty of other exotic destinations in terms of the contrast between what he describes here, and the scenic parts of the city. The imagery that Carey uses, like saying "its walls lined with mercury vapour flasks, sits waiting for its Frankenstein or Spielberg," is extremely useful when you're trying to get a sense of what the scenery is like and what the overall atmosphere of the area is like.

2) "Above my head the clouds are racing, but I am in a sort of ecstacy where everything means something and I am awash with the giddy thrilling feelings that must come to schizophrenics when all the secrets of eternity are laid bare."

Carey claims that at this point, Sydney is "his," which is making him so excited. He uses plenty of analogies to help describe things in this novel, which is evident in this passage where he claims he is "awash with the giddy thrilling feelings that must come to schizophrenics when all the secrets of eternity are laid bare." The sheer excitement that he is feeling at this point is enough to make you want to go to Sydney, even before he further describes the landscape and the physical beauty of the area around him. Another thing Carey does to keep the reader interested in the city is describing the history of the city, and the significance of various monuments that he finds during his travels.

3) "As every tax accountant must concede, you cannot write about water without eating fish and you cannot get better fish in Sydney than at Neil Perry's Rockpool Restaurant and that was where Kevin and I were, eating the most perfectly tax-deductible pearl perch, when Clara called."

The inclusion of food and good restaurants is necessary in any travel story, but describing it in an appealing way is important when trying to attract potential tourists. Peter Carey uses the analogy of a tax accountant to describe his pearl perch, which is somewhat bizarre but clever at the same time. Carey weaves notable locations and monuments into his writing, which otherwise focuses on his experience and relationships during his time in Sydney. Here, he describes his favourite seafood restaurant in a way that he describes many of his other favourite landmarks.

4) "Down there is the birthplace of modern Australia, but you wouldn't know it. The expressway is like a steel wall, cutting water off from earth, slicing like a knife across the moment of our birth."

Carey, an Australian, not only provides insight through the eyes of a tourist, but also passes along useful historical information about the country, Sydney in particular. This is uncommon in travel writing, because so much of it is written through the eyes of someone who is visiting a location for the first time, not someone native to the country. Combining Carey's sensory detail and vast knowledge of the country's roots and origins allows for a much greater understanding of what the country is really like. He effectively uses rhetorical devices (like the simile of a "steel wall") to enhance his descriptions of the scenery, the history, and the local custom, which is essential in any writing.

5) "It is a terrifying exposition of hell and I tried to escape it, to find some more pleasant place for my mind to rest. Typically I imagined the ocean but the Australian ocean was no escape. It was endless, relentless, merciless, and it washed against the sandstone cliffs out at the end of Old South Head Road."

This passage is unique because normally, one would want to provide an appealing description of something as monumental as the ocean, something that, by itself, would be enough to make many people want to visit Australia. From a personal point of view, every ocean-side location I've ever been to has been soothing, partly because the climate is usually very warm, but the sound of waves crashing up against the beach is usually a calming experience for many people. This, however, is Carey's own personal opinion on what the ocean is to him, as many people who visit the country probably enjoy the Australian ocean as much, if not more, than any other they had previously been too. Normally, I wouldn't approve of a travel writing piece that provides such a frightening description of the ocean, but this particular case is consistent with the rest of his writing, which provides his own personal view on various Australian landmarks.

6) "How can I hope to convey to any reader my idea of Sydney? I have seen nothing to equal it in the way of landlocked scenery, in the particular relationship between the races, in the easy tolerance of crime and corruption, in the familiar mingling you can witness on the footpath outside Bar Coluzzi any morning..."

Carey reflects on his time spent in Sydney, and tries to pass along his own personal feelings on what the city means to him. His scenic, romantic portrayal of Sydney throughout the course of the book is enough to attract anyone to Australia, but this passage leads one to believe that his own personal idea of Sydney goes much deeper than that. The opening sentence of this passage intrigues the reader to want to see Sydney for themselves, and to have their own personal experience just to see what exactly Carey is talking about. It makes Australia seem like a welcoming place to visit, and a place that is very difficult to leave at the same time.

7) "I remember the road now, and i began to recall why I had come here so rarely. It was not that I ever failed to be thrilled and astonished by the extraordinary drama of the Blue Mountains: The sublime vistas, the plunging waterfalls, the teetering stairs, the dizzy ledges, but this road always made me despondent."

It seems as though everyone who writes about their travels does it in their own unique way, and this is a good example of Carey's style; he uses adjectives to describe scenery like "dizzy ledges" and "teetering stairs" that aren't necessarily conventional, but still make sense to the reader and provides an interesting description of his surroundings. This passage is another example of his ability to describe parts of Sydney that the reader may not be familiar with (Sydney Harbour Bridge, etc.) but are still significant nonetheless.

8) "But at other times when there has been heavy rain - and Sydney is subtropical so 12 inches in 3 days is nothing to us - then all that weight of water gathers in the Hawkesbury and this brown liquid spews itself out into the ocean and if this happens at a time when there is a strong easterly gale blowing against the tidal stream and if it happens that the tide is also running out, then it is a place of ultimate evil."

Though this is not an appealing passage in terms of the beauty of Sydney, it is an appealing piece of writing because of how easy it is for Carey to describe every aspect of Sydney in such great detail. He is able to explain seemingly insignificant locations in Sydney through the eyes of a local, and his familiarity with the area makes everything easy to understand. Despite his love for the city as whole, he is not afraid to say that the Hawkesbury River can be "a place of ultimate evil." Obviously, every city has its ugly side, something that is often excluded from travel writing, so this is an interesting touch to Carey's journey.

9) "Late rising kangaroos lingered along the dirt track. Honeyeaters fluttered through the trees. Bushwalkers, some carrying babies on their backs, strode off in search of local attractions such as Mount Cloudmaker, Big Misty and Dance Floor Cave."

Carey's ability to provide multiple descriptions of his surroundings is essential when allowing the reader to envision the wildlife. Including descriptions of wildlife is important for travel writing regardless of where you go, but it is especially important in a place like Australia where so many species of animals are foreign to almost anywhere else in the world. Carey is able to instill an image into the readers' mind of what every scene is like, which makes this such an interesting narrative.

10) "So we drove back into the city across the bridge, which caused me not the least anxiety when someone else was driving, and in half an hour, having made a stop for the Diet Coke which Sheridan was now drinking in terrifying quantity, we tooled along the charmless de-natured landscape which is the Parramatta Road."

Carey's entire novel is not entirely devoted to describing Australian scenery; there is a story within his travels, and this particular passage provides some comic relief. Carey has many good friends in Sydney, but this particular character worries him and tries to explain that this road is Sydney's "spine". I found that by including one's own personal relationships in travel writing, you can allow the reader to envision what their own experience might be like should they travel to that location. This is a very unique account of Carey's travels, and is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in travel writing.

Josef Penninger

2009-01-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Mary Rogan's article on Austrian scientist Josef Penninger is an interesting, in-depth account on the incredible advances in medical science, a lot of which can be attributed directly to Penningers' genius. Rogan has met and interviewed Penninger on a number of occassions, and the knowledge she has gained has allowed her to provide a detailed description of not only the research Penninger has done, but also the medical problems he is looking to fix. Rogan also spoke with those close to Penninger, including one of his professors Georg Wick, who was fascinated with Penninger's brilliance. Her ability to speak with all of these scientists allowed her to clearly explain the cause of several diseases, and what Penninger is doing to provide a cure to those affected.
Rogan's unique style also contributes to the incredible accomplishments of Penninger, and to the overall enjoyability of the piece. For instance, she changes between first and second person (marked in italics) to outline Penningers early life and his own personal experiences. She also asks rhetorical questions throughout the piece to help emphasize Penninger's brilliance, and uses the metaphor of a bicycle to describe his progress throughout this whole ideal. When writing on such a serious, influential subject, it is important for the reader to know just how important these discoveries are, and why what he is doing is so impressive, both of which Rogan describes very well.

Washington's Darkest Secret

2008-12-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

1) "Sacrificing lives to protect a secret is not new in intelligence circles, the military or the government. The US and British government have been doing so since at least World War 1; the issue does not pose a moral dilemma to either intelligence chiefs or presidents; it doesn't even cause any real unease. The most famous example of this occurred during World War II, when the British were intercepting and decoding all of Germany's Enigma messages. Often, Churchill, Roosevelt and Eisenhower kept vital information learned through what was called the Ultra secret from field and naval commanders."
- I think that this passage is particularly provocative because of the way it starts out; James begins by saying "Sacrificing lives to protect a secret is not new in intelligence circles, the military or the government." This implies that it is possible that lives could have been saved in several terrorist attacks, including 9/11, although doing so could have alerted Bin Laden that he had a traitor in his midst. This passage would be especially alarming to those who were personally affected in some way by 9/11, or any other recent terrorist attacks for that matter, because of the possibility that something could have been done by the U.S government to prevent it.

2) "All of this could have been done without signalling to al Queda that the US had penetrated its innermost circles. For example, the government knew of Atta and at least some of the others involved in the plot by sometime in late August; the government knew that Atta and the others were inside the country. There names could have been sent to every airline flying into the U.S, and especially the large domestic carriers, including those that had "American" writ large on the side of the fuselage given bin Laden's hatred of all things American.
"No one would have noticed a thing," said a former CIA insider. "Just one more name on a list."
- In this passage, James claims that the government was aware that al Queda was planning an immediate attack using commercial airplanes, and that there was enough information to increase airport security in late August and early September. As well as this, the government was aware that Mohammad Atta and several others were already in the country by late August, and did not do anything to help the situation. The first passage discusses past government secrets that have cost human lives, but does not mention specifically the 9/11 attacks. This passage directly states that had airline security been bolstered in September 2001, not only would lives have been saved, bin Laden would have been unaware that he had been infiltrated.

3) ...it is generally acknowledged that president Bush definitely is not a deep thinker. This is not new criticism, nor is it motivated by partisan politics. People who have known bush for many years and outside of the political arena have been aware of it. For example, back in the days when he was the titular head of the Texas Rangers baseball club and attended the quarterly owner's meetings convened by Major League Baseball, Bush often interjected comments that often missed the point of the discussion going on around him at the time. He became a private joke among a handful of other owners. During one of the future president's irrelevant observations, one particular high profile owner of a much respected and successful club whispered to the man sitting next to him, "if it weren't for George (Bush), Marge (Schott) would be the dumbest guy in baseball."
- Unlike the first two passages that discuss the history of Washington's secrets and the impending terrorist attacks, this is a direct attack on George Bush. After reading other works of Charley James, it is clear that he does not miss many opportunities to insult questionable political decisions made by some of America's "slower" politicians. As a side note, James mentions the MLB owners meetings, where another teams owner compares him to Marge Schott, who was kicked out of baseball for making racist comments about black and Latino players. This adds a slightly more humourous aspect to what is a darker, cynical story.

"Alaskans Speak" response

2008-11-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

"Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper)" by Charley James of the LA Progressive is fairly well written and is a provocative piece, but the legitimacy is questionable. James is a democrat writing a story that claims republican John McCain’s running mate in this past election, Sarah Palin, is racist and sexist. I was glad to see that I was not the only one who questioned the sources used by Mr. James, as he was forced to write a second story after being flooded with emails from readers who were unsure of the authenticity of some of his sources. The opening line of his story is “So Sambo beat the bitch!” a phrase he claims was said by Palin after Barack Obama won the Democratic Party presidential nomination over Hillary Clinton, his source being a waitress in a small restaurant named simply “Lucille”.
I was interested to see how he explained himself in the following piece, but seemed to just reiterate the fact that he “honors the anonymity of his sources.” Beside the fact that he doesn’t mention any names, his anonymous sources are all simply Alaskan residents, none of whom have any form of high-ranking government position or any ties to Ms. Palin. It is one thing to write a piece on some of Palin’s questionable decisions as the governor of Alaska, but to claim that she is sexist, racist or vindictive without any legitimate sources is completely ridiculous. If Charley James were to publish a similar story with similar sources about Joe Biden after the Republican presidential nomination, he would be severely questioned, as I’m sure he was after writing this piece.
When actually reading the story, it does not take long to discover a hint of bias in James’ writing, as right off the start he claims that Palin made both a sexist and racist remark in the span of five words. If James had simply stuck to commenting on some of Palin’s political ideals and decisions, there would be no problem, but by bringing up the fact that she is racist and sexist, he has stirred up controversy. In the future, I would strongly recommend that if he is to write an article of this magnitude, find some legitimate sources or just don’t publish it at all.

Comparing Speeches

2008-11-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

The victory speech delivered by the new president of the United States, Barrack Obama, is one that will be studied for generations to come, similar to that of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. He acknowledges his opponent, Senator McCain, and his running partner, Sarah Palin, and thanks those who helped him along the way, including his family, the new vice-president Joe Biden, and his chief strategist, David Axelrod. Obama is brief in his thanks, but swiftly moves to the more serious issues his country faces, most notably the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, as well as two wars in the Middle East. The rhetorical devices and imagery used by Obama are so vivid that it gives the 250,000 people watching in Grant Park, and millions of others watching live on television, hope for the future of the United States. Obama says things like "I will listen to you, especially when we disagree" and "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep" to acknowledge the American people, and ensure that their voices will matter in the future. The hope and pride in Obama’s voice is something that people all over the world, not just in the United States, should be happy about.

The other speech made that night, in Phoenix, Arizona, by Obama’s opponent John McCain, was impressive for different reasons. He commends Obama for the great job that he’s done, but more importantly, makes it clear that his country is the most important thing to him, and he will support the new president to the best of his ability. McCain asks the audience to join him in support of Barrack Obama, in what is certainly a difficult time to take over the presidency. McCain mentions the “invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House” in his speech, which signifies the massive change in racial tolerance in the United States over the last century. What I found made McCain’s speech so good was how gracious he was in defeat, and the incredible thanks that he gave to all those who helped him get to where he is. The concession speech given by Senator McCain and the victory speech given by Barrack Obama are very different, although their morals and hopes for the United States are very similar. Both men, regardless of who had won this election, were committed to improving their country, as was evident in their speeches. They should both be commended for what was the most riveting election in a very long time, possibly ever, and will both certainly have a huge impact on what happens to America for years to come.

Narrative Drive

2008-10-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Narrative Drive

The narrative drive in the stories “Home” and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” are different for a couple of reasons, although both still effective. “Home” is a much shorter, more concise story about returning to the town you grow up in. Since it’s so much shorter, it is easier to stay focused the whole time you’re reading it, and uses quirky characters and wild situations to keep the story flowing. The dialogue, much of it drunken or violent (or both), adds a comical aspect that makes “Home” an interesting read.
“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” is much longer, and contains much more dialogue. The first half of the story is a telephone conversation between a far too overprotective mother and her married daughter. The comedy behind the mother’s over-anxiousness and her daughters frustration helps keep the plot moving along, until the story suddenly switches to a young man playing on the beach with a little girl, Sybil Carpenter. It becomes clear that the young mans intentions with Sybil are increasingly inappropriate, and she runs away from him. The addition of these new characters after an extended phone call also contributes to the advancement of the story, which ends on a sad note with the young man shooting himself.

Crime Fiction

2008-10-12T17:00:00.001-07:00

According to Ian Rankin, there are several reasons why reading crime fiction is good for you. It takes you out of your own world and into that of someone else’s, in a completely different situation. In the history of Western literature, the main ingredients of crime fiction (violence, mystery, deception, etc.) haven’t changed. However, people have been confused about the basic identity of the crime novel, which ultimately is designed to entertain. By the end of the story, the reader should know who the murderer is, why they did it and how it was achieved, although often the reader is tricked by false clues and a battery of suspects. English writer Raymond Chandler claimed that the “detective” novel (another form of crime fiction) must “baffle a reasonably intelligent reader, and the solution must seem inevitable once revealed”. Rankin claims crime fiction is capable of tackling the bigger contemporary issues in a community in its plot or themes (Rankin uses those in Great Britain as his example), and makes the reader think. In fact, his own novels are all set in Edinburgh, with an intention to show a side of the city the tourist never sees. In all, crime fiction deals with the uglier side of human nature, something Rankin says the human race has been “obsessed” with, which is why we enjoy it so much.
In regards to his story “The Hanged Man,” a lot of his points used in “Why Crime Fiction is Good for You” relate to the story in some way or another. Murder, deception and violence are all ingredients to “The Hanged Man,” seeing as how the main character is a hit man about to finish a job. If the objective of the story is to entertain, as Rankin claims that all crime novels do, this one is successful. Although it isn’t long enough to introduce a series of new suspects or false clues, there are several clever indications of what will happen in the end that Rankin is able to weave into the story. The final characteristic of crime fiction that this story directly relates to is the “uglier side of human nature”. The hit man is sent to kill a woman who works as a mind reader, who turns out to be his mother. Whether or not he completes the job is left to the imagination of the reader, however the line of work this man is in seems to support Rankin’s point.

On Writing - 32 - 38

2008-09-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

This particular section of King's book "On Writing" deals with his severe addiction to drugs and alcohol. The problems started after his mother died, and King gave the eulogy intoxicated. The myth that mind altering substances can have an effect on ones creative endeavor seems to be completely true in this section; King is one of the most creative writers of all time, and has been able to produce some of the most brilliant horror stories ever written. In fact, King claims that his novels Misery and Tommyknockers were both written while he was incredibly intoxicated, and that The Shining was written about himself at the time. However, King also claims that drug addiction and creative endeavor being directly related is nonsense, although creative people probably do run a higher risk of falling into an alcohol or drug related downward spiral.

Too Bad About Mrs. Ferri

2008-09-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

The short chapter entitled "Too Bad About Mrs. Ferri," in August Kleinzahler's book "Cutty, One Rock" begins with the assassinaton of a mobster named Albert Anastasia, who lived down the block from Kleinzahler. As an 8-year old living in a rough New Jersey neighbourhood, Kleinzahler recalls the events of that day vividly, still perfectly capable of running off the names of some of the more famous Jersey mobsters that lived in his town. His mother explains that Albert Anastasia had gotten "very sick," a white lie in an attempt to spare her child the gruesome details of his violent death. Kleinzahler even remembers the time of day - 10:20 a.m. - that Anastasia was killed. Gloriana, Albert's daughter, was a friend of Kleinzahler's at a young age, and the two of them would play in the sandbox together under the supervision of one of Anastasia's "gorilla-sized" bodyguards. August Kleinzahler does a brilliant job of putting himself back into his 8-year-old state of mind, especially when recalling the foul language used by the other children (even at such a young age) in his New Jersey schoolyard. The one vivid memory from his school that he mentions in this chapter is being beaten senseless by "Tommy Grumulia and Anthony Delvecchio," after calling someone a son of a bitch. What I love the most about the way this chapter is described is that it is exactly how an 8 year old would remember these events; everything from Albert Anastasia getting whacked to being beat up by some Italian-American children is explained in an innocent, childish manner, which makes everything that much more believable.

The Dog, the Family: A Household Tale

2008-09-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

August Kleinzahler’s description of his early years, which seem to centre around his homely mutt, named Twenty Grand, or Granny for short after a famous racehorse, is as unique as anything I’ve ever heard of. The constant criticism that Kleinzahler claims he would receive from his parents and grandmother would generally be grounds for the beginning of a depressing memoir, but no. His zany descriptions of his glue sniffing brother or bookworm sister help shed a different light on what was certainly not a flattering childhood. The way he describes it, in fact, makes everything that happened seem funny. For example, the dog and children hiding in fear in the upstairs bathroom while their father went off and destroyed everything in sight. Kleinzahler claims that he was a mistake, that he was conceived while his mother was in a drunken frenzy, and that her mother (his grandmother) had an insane rule over his mom and her sisters. These are all ingredients for a disastrous childhood, but through the eyes of August Kleinzahler, it all seems almost normal. He makes it hard not to laugh at such gruesome misfortune, the way he describes the various characters in his early childhood, especially the dog. The chapter ends with the death of their increasingly fragile pooch, which somehow seems to be the only sad part in a chapter that describes an extremely depressing childhood.

"Experience," by Martin Amis

2008-09-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

1) Women and Love - 1. Summary: Amis’ “Women and Love” portion of the novel is an interesting one because of the incredible contrast of his luck with women during the course of his lifetime. “Experience” was written primarily in memory of Martin Amis’ father, Kingsley, who would comment on Martin’s choice in women. For instance, Kingsley was extremely fond of one of Martin’s early girlfriends, Emma Soames, and after they broke up and Martin began dating a woman named Mary Furness, Kingsley’s reaction was slightly bitter. In the early 1970’s, Martin Amis explains that he could not get a girlfriend no matter how hard he tried, something he attributed to his unattractiveness. Amis loathed himself for not being able to find a girl, but it wasn’t long before his fortune began to change. He was told by Kingsley, whose wife had just left him, that “it’s only half a life without a woman,” which really affected Martin, who four years later married his wife, Antonia Phillips.

- This is a really well written portion of the novel by Amis, possibly the best in the whole memoir. His dads involvement in his love life is something that he can recall vividly, and shows just how important his father was in all aspects of his life. During Martin's "cold streak," he describes he and his friends choice in clothing; "What can I tell you? It was the seventies. The joke decade. Clive wore denim hipsters and a poacher's jacket... I, like Rob, was almost certainly sporting a dagger-collared flower shirt and green velvet flares..." This passage goes on much longer, and is one of my favourites because it doesn't take long to figure exactly why Amis wasn't doing very well with the opposite sex. It adds a somewhat comedic aspect to this section of the novel, which for the most part is relatively serious.

2) Feasts of Friends. Summary: The majority of Martin Amis’ “Feasts of Friends” section of the book is written about one of his father’s friends, Phillip Larkin (who became friends with Martin as well, despite being many years his senior). Although Amis claims that his sense of Larkin came during his childhood, Larkin was said to have hated children, something Amis thought may have been caused by he and his brother. In the last few pages of this section, Amis says that people had told him that he took a friendship lightly, and describes a letter he had received from his friend Julian Barnes. Amis was forced to drop his agent, Pat Kavanaugh, after working together for 23 years, in favour of a new American agent. Barnes was married to Kavanaugh, and things between him and Amis took a turn for the worse after Amis fired Kavanaugh. At the very end of this passage, Amis shows the exact letter he sent to Barnes, essentially asking for forgiveness, which he claims was difficult for him to include in the book because of the emotional impact the letter had on him.

- This section of the book was slightly odd, because it might make the reader believe that Amis didn't have many friends, something I'm not sure is completely true. It is not an exceptionally long passage, and Amis doesn't mention many people - it almost entirely consists of Larkin and Barnes, both of whom had a severe emotional effect on him. "For the first time in these pages, I sense the twist of Rancour in me, and my hands, as I write, feel loath and cold," is what Amis says after he posts the letter he had written to Julian Barnes. Obviously winning back the fondness and respect of Julian Barnes was important for Amis, and selecting these two individuals to write about in a section about his friends seems appropriate.

3) The Hands of Mike Szabatura. Summary: The unique title of this part of the book seems strange at first, however makes perfect sense in only the first paragraph. Szabatura is Amis' dentist, someone who Amis admittedly hadn’t seen in 5 years, and was fretting visiting on this day in 1994. He claims that his mother had bad gums and good teeth, and his father had bad gums and good teeth – Martin, however, had bad gums and bad teeth. After being looked at by Szabatura, not only did Amis discover that he had a growth above his chin that needed to be remove, his upper teeth were to be removed as well. The weeks leading up to his operation were uncomfortable, physically and emotionally, as he reflects on the things he has used his teeth and mouth for while they’ve been there. Amis’ description of his mouth’s appearance as a “dark tunnel” provides a pretty good idea of his condition after the operation was complete.

- The way this section is written seems appropriate, because it makes Amis sound slightly crazy. He can hardly be blamed, however, most people would if their entire set of upper teeth were going to be removed. "Goodbye. Goodbye. This is goodbye. You hated me. I hated you. You hated me. Be gone. Stay!" Those are the words that Amis has for his upper teeth - he continues on like that for a few more lines. It is also well written in the sense that it brings back some of his childhood innocence, as he recalls hiding from the dentist as a young boy, possibly part of the reason he hadn't seen a dentist in 5 years. This section isn't quite as sincere as the previous two, either. Amis' describes all the bad things he had done with his mouth - drink, smoke, kiss (in one case, a woman that wasn't his girlfriend), and believed that ultimately, he was paying for it by having his upper teeth removed.

4) Rank. Summary: The reason that this particular section of the book is called “Rank” is because Amis talks about his rank, or social status, in the community with his children. The actual reading itself has very little to do with rank aside from that one conversation; he talks about everything from smoking hash, doing poorly in school and picking up girls with his friend Rob to attending an all-boys private grammar school in Cambridgeshire. In fact, the reason behind calling this section “Rank” is that in his time spent at that school, he realized how much better off those children were than him. In fact, one of his fellow students was the Earl of Caithness. After spending a reasonable amount of time at private school, Amis realized that in no way was this for him, and it was time to call it quits.

- This isn't a very long section, and is a somewhat confusing one at that. Certain conversations that he recalls are repetitive or confusing and difficult to follow. That being said, a number of the conversations are interesting, despite being somewhat hard to understand. For instance, after his time spent at private school, Martin asks his father, "Dad, are we nouveau riche?" to which his father responds, "Well, very nouveau. And not at all riche." The reason Amis brings up this conversation is because thirty years later, his son Louis asks, "Dad, what class are we?" In response, Amis claims "we aren't. We don't believe in that stuff." The questions he would ask his father as a child are similar to those his kids are asking him now, something Amis obviously wanted to include in the memoir. One thing I particularly like about this book, however, is that he always finds a good way to end a section, a pattern I've noticed throughout all the readings so far.

5) The Magics. Summary: One of the later sections of the book, entitled “The Magics,” is about two different things that Amis considers “magic,” birth and death. Death, because his father Kingsley passes away, possibly the most important moment in the whole memoir, simply because of the connection between the two and the incredible impact Kingsley had on Martin’s life and career. The other magic, birth, is included because of the birth of his children. Amis claims he had always wanted a girl, however his first two children were boys, both of whom had come dangerously early. Finally, his third child (a c-section) came, with serious complications at birth; the babies’ heart had stopped beating for a full minute at one point, although Amis believed everything would be all right. He was right, and the third baby was, as he had hoped, a girl.

- The writing in this section in particular is impressive because of how passionate Amis is about both subjects. The death of his father was a crucial moment in his life for so many reasons, with Kingsley being such an important influence not only in his professional career, but also growing up and creating what he is today. Amis is able to clearly explain what his father’s passing meant to him, as well as his keen desire to have a girl baby after having two boys. I was impressed that he could stuff so many important moments in his life into such a short section so smoothly, which he did extremely well. "Mr. Marwood parted the baby's thighs with a matador's flourish. I took this in; but what riveted me more was the lower lip, which was still trembling, as if to resist tears," is how Amis describes the day his daughter was born, and the doctors reaction. This section essentially sums up the greatest, as well as the worst, moments of his life, which he explains in a sincere manner, and truly puts perspective on the most important things in his life.

6) Existence still is the job. Summary: This section of the book begins with the suicide of Frederick West, an English serial killer who hung himself in jail. The apparent reason behind his suicide, according to his sons, is because he was terrified in jail, and was afraid that if he didn’t kill himself, someone else would. Amis runs off some of the professional and private severances that had happened to him in 1995: His dental issues, the separation with his wife and two of his children, as well as his dear friend and mentor, Saul Bellows, in the hospital breathing through a machine after a massive attack on his nervous system. To cap off his year of horror was the death of his friend Bruno Fonseca, only 36 years old, which especially bothered Amis because of a photo of a 12-year-old Bruno he had seen that reminded him of his own children.

- The writing of this section is similar to that of the other sections, although the actual content itself is much more interesting. He captures the attention of the reader immediately by discussing the suicide of a famous English murderer who commits suicide in jail. What makes this a good memoir is how many crippling emotional experiences Amis has experienced, and his ability to express them in a way that makes it easy to sympathize with him. "Additionally, alongside all of this, my friend, mentor and hero Saul Bellows was on a breathing machine in an intensive care unit..." is what Amis says about his friend Saul, AFTER describing the other tragic events that had plagued his year to that point. This section is well written because it consists entirely of the low points of his life, which he expresses in an interesting way, especially the way he relates the photo of a young Bruno Fonseca to his own children, and the fact that even though they’re of no relation, he fears the same fate for his children.

7) Permanent Soul. Summary: Amis explains the first time he met his friend and mentor, Saul Bellows, in Chicago. It was late October, 1983, and Amis was in Chicago to write a piece about Bellows, something that he was finding quite difficult. Bellows had revealed everything about himself, so finding something new and interesting to write was quite the task for Martin Amis. However, in this book at least, Amis reveals that Bellows was 68 at the time, had already had three wives and was on his fourth (who he would also divorce), and had three children. The piece that Amis was to write, he decided, was not going to be about Saul Bellow’s personal life; he was more interesting in the career and writing of Saul.

- As is the case in every other portion of the book, Amis relates everything back to his father. Like Bellows, his father was a nervous wreck because of his profession, and would visit Martin in the late hours of the night as a child to settle himself down, something described as a bonding experience. This is certainly not the most interesting part of the memoir, nor is it the longest. Although I found the writing slightly bland and repetitive in this particular section, Amis’ actual descriptions of Saul Bellows own personal life were rather interesting. “Saul Bellows was sixty-eight in 1983. Three wives, three sons, and now a fourth marriage. This marriage too would end. But that’s life,” is the way Amis describes Bellow’s family situation, which may be the reason for his nervous breakdown as an older man.

8) The Fact of Wounds. Summary: This part of the book is as depressing as any of the others, if not more. Lucy Partington, Martin’s cousin, was murdered by Frederick West, the famous English serial killer who was talked about in one of the other sections (West eventually hung himself in jail). Many people spoke at her funeral, about her personality and her faith, Lucy being a newly converted Roman Catholic right before she died. Amis opens this section of the book with a poem about the sun rising and setting, a metaphor he clearly used to describe the life of his beloved cousin, Lucy.

- Not a particularly long section by any means, although certainly one of the best written. Amis uses several clever metaphors to describe the life of his cousin, which was cut devastatingly short. For instance, the poem he recites about the sun rising and setting, as well as “The death of Lucy Partington represents a fantastic collision. It is what happens when darkness meets light, when experience meets innocence…” to name a couple. Amis is able to clearly express how upset he is over the brutal slaying of his cousin, and also describes the sad feelings not only of his family, but those of everyone who knew Lucy Partington.

9) The Problem of Reentry. Summary: After having his mouth operated on and upper teeth removed, Amis was to return to London with a gaping hole in his mouth. He claims to have had a clamp put it to hold everything together, something he says felt like he was at the dentists office every single day. Amis fears showing everyone what his new appearance, with a misshaped face and no upper teeth, looks like, which is why this section is called “The Problem of Reentry.” Returning to London in such a condition could lead to disastrous results.

- Amis’ gruesome descriptions of his face during this section are what make it such an entertaining thing to read. He has several colourful descriptions of his appearance in the final paragraph; “And never mind all the gagging and retching, as compulsive as a fit of hiccups, nor the sudden Niagara’s of drool. For several years I didn’t go to the dentist. Now the clamp makes me feel that I am at the dentist’s all day long.” I enjoyed reading this not only because of the style he uses to write, but also because anyone can sympathize with having to visit friends in an “ugly” state, although I certainly couldn’t imagine even leaving the house with no upper teeth!

10) It im again, Dai. Summary: Another slightly depressing section of the book, Amis talks about a number of times where he had been abused in some way or another during his childhood. His first recollection is of bullies, one who found him playing next to a sewer grate and scared him off, then found him again with a friend and punched him in the forehead. In his early high school years, he was dragged into a vacant classroom and again, beaten senseless. The final form of abuse that he describes is of a sexual nature – he claims to have been molested in his room during one of his parent’s dinner parties. Like the other incidents, Amis decided to keep quiet, and so his mother never did find out what had happened.

- Another dark-themed section, Amis does a good job of describing his state of innocence in each situation. The way he describes the time period, as well, is what makes it easy to understand; for instance, the incident at high school in Cambridgeshire was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and every student was to “expect that their desks would save them from the end of the world.” The incident that affected him in the worst way, however, was clearly the one at his parent’s dinner party. “These are insults, these are thefts. They take something from you that you never quite get back.” I was impressed that Amis was able to include such an intense, personal memory into his memoir, and he does it in a way that truly makes the reader pity him as a young boy.

The Glass Castle

2008-09-11T13:59:00.001-07:00

The style that Jeannette Walls uses in "The Glass Castle," is interesting because of the way she describes her parents lifestyle. She uses short, concise sentences to emphasize how serious she was about the way her parents lived with so little. For instance, her parents telling her and her siblings not to believe in Christmas because they could not afford the same luxurious presents that the other children were receiving from "Santa Claus". She also uses a very serious tone in her dialogue with her mother, especially when they are at lunch together and Jeannette tells her mother that she had seen her sorting through a dumpster the night before. She makes it clear that she is embarassed by her mother and offers to help, because she now had more money than she ever did growing up. I really liked the way the memoir is written because you can sense the embarassment and seriousness in Walls' writing style, and it cheers the reader up to know that she has come from such a feeble background to become such a great success.

Ash Garden

2008-05-15T14:03:00.001-07:00

The following three quotes are ones that I think were really important to the rest of the novel in "The Ash Garden."

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce Major Thomas Ferebee, United States Air Force, the man who released the first atomic bomb over Japan.’ He stepped out from behind the curtain amid thunderous applause, grinning and walked stiffly across the stage floor and embraced Tanabe Yasaka with long, nervous arms. I saw the pained smile fall away from the reverend’s face and the sweat form on his forehead. He returned the embrace, and as he did so, arms only half raised, half raised, it looked as though he was going to be sick.”

This quote is from one of the most important parts of the book, where Tanabe Yasaka is forced to confront the man that dropped and atomic bomb on Japan on national television. For Yasaka to remain calm while standing face to face with a man that was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths of his people and mass destruction within his country is a ridiculous request, let alone on television in front of an audience.

"This is Heisenberg's principle of insanity. It is the same with particle and neutron fields and it is the same with human beings. Tolerance is necessary to reconcile the man washing his underwear with the crying boy, and the man who destroys the world."

This quote is from Anton thinking back to what the scientist Leo Szilard, who had a large part in creating the atomic bomb, had said to him. Szilard realizes the damage that he has helped to create, and is telling Anton to learn tolerance, even to those who do something as terrible as dropping an atomic bomb.

"When the doctors conferred over him, I was able to see only their legs and shoes, because i could not lift my head. But my ears were among the few things that had not been damaged. I listened to their voices, and soon began to hate how they spoke when they discussed my brother. They said he was a lost case and that he would die. They wondered aloud what kept him alive. Every morning they seemed surprised that he had survived the night. There was no hope for him, they said.

This quote is taken from right after the bomb has been dropped and Emiko is lying in her hospital bed next to her brother. He has been injured far worse then she has, although both have sustained terrible, life-threatening injuries. The reason I chose this quote was because it was probably a similar situation to thousands of Japanese people who were affected by the bomb, and how terrible it must have felt for those who had to lie next to family members while they suffered and (in this case) eventually died.

Questions for Dennis Bock:
1) How many Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors have you ever met (if any)?

2) Did writing this book require a lot of historical research for you?

3) Did you ever meet anyone involved in the making/dropping of the atomic bomb?

We Are the Weathermakers

2008-05-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Chapter 4: Ice ages and Sunspots

Why doesn't the Earth retain all the heat it receives from the sun? On the other hand, why doesn't all the heat escape into space? The sun does not warm the atmosphere, however the reflections of darker objects do. Many scientists wonder what causes the Earth to heat and cool, although in 1941 Russian scientist Milutin Milankovich published what he believed to be the cause of ice ages. Milankovich stated that there are 3 cycles that determine the Earth's climate. The first is the planet's orbit around the sun, which is more so the shape of an oval than a perfect circle, whose shape changes every 100,000 years or so. The second cycle has to do with the tilt of the Earth's axis, which determines where most of the radiation is located. This cycle takes about 42,000 years to complete. Finally, the third cycle takes about 22,000 years to run its course and deals with the wobble of the Earth's axis, which determines the intensity of the seasons. Although these cycles only alter the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth annually by .1 of a percent, that can cause the Earth's temperature to change up to 5 degrees celsius. According to Milankovich's cycles, the Earth should be getting colder, although human pollution has caused the Earth's temperature to increase. With the help of these cycles, climatologists have continued to study why the Earth's climate has varied over time. In the early 1600's, Italian astronomer Galileo, with the help of one of the first ever telescopes, noticed dark spots on the sun. Although these sunspots are slightly cooler than the sun's surface, the Earth seems to warm up when there are more sunspots. The impact on the entire climate of the Earth may be too small to measure, although the variations of solar radiation and greenhouse gasses do have a large effect. Solar radiation affects the upper stratosphere, while greenhouse gasses warm the troposphere at the bottom where the concentration is highest. The stratospheric cooling and tropospheric warming are caused by the ozone hole and greenhouse gasses, respectively, as sunspots can not be responsible for either phenomenon. Finally, fossils can help us determine climate change. Due to the shift of steady climatic conditions, scientists have determined that these shifts have moved entire species from one side of a continent to another.

Questions:
1) What effect can sunspots have on Canada's climate?

2) Which of Milutin Milankovich's cycles has the greatest effect on climate change?

3) Since the Earth should be getting colder, what effect has human pollution really had on the Earth's temperature?

Gratitude Fan Letter

2008-05-07T15:04:00.001-07:00

Dear Mr. Kertes,
I am writing this to compliment you on “Gratitude,” a book that my entire school just finished or are currently reading. It was good to hear your thoughts on the book, as it was obviously a difficult topic to write about. Your descriptions of Lili and her family seemed to portray those of many Hungarian Jews during the end of the Holocaust.
Obviously a lot has been written about the Holocaust and World War 2, although I’ve never read a book like this one that tells the story of a family and what those who were forced to hide from the Nazi’s had to endure. I also liked how the book talked about what others did to help the Jews that were trying to hide from the German forces. Lili, being the only survivor the day that her family is suddenly taken away by the Nazi’s, is a good character because she probably had the same sad story as many other children during the Holocaust.
I am glad that the book was written by someone who was so close to the Holocaust, and that you were able to effectively portray the lives of those trying to escape the German forces. The book is long and very detailed, so those who read it have an easy time understanding the characters and the situations which I found very useful. You were able to write the book in a dramatic and powerful way, and obviously knew what you were talking about when it came to this topic which is something that not everyone can say.
I have been taught a lot about the Holocaust at school, and find it very interesting, which is why I’m thankful to read a book that details the horror that some of the victims had to deal with upon capture or in hiding. I think that you are doing the world a favour by publishing works about the Holocaust, because it’s important that people understand what happen and that it should never happen again.

Sincerely,
Charlie Deacon

Woman Novelist Blog - Blood Sports

2008-02-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

There are a few things I found worked well in Eden Robinson's novel, "Blood Sports." She does a good job describing the lives of the different characters, especially those of Tom, Paulie and Mel. Tom and his girlfriend Paulie, both with a history of drugs and other sorts of crime, live in a messy apartment in a bad neighbourhood with their daughter Melody, or Mel. Tom's has a bad history with his cousin, Jeremy, who is a terrible influence on Tom's life. There is a lot of direct dialogue between the characters, which I found made it easier to follow what was happening and where everything is taking place. In particular, I especially liked when she wrote about Tom and Jeremy which was described in detail and easy to understand.

There were a few things, however, that I didn't like about the book. I would have preferred that the author include more about Tom's brother, Jeremy, at the beginning of the book. The majority of the opening pages of the book revolve primarily around Tom, Paulie and Mel, and there is no mention of Jeremy until well into the story. I would also liked to have learned more about Jeremy and Tom's relationships with their mother and father, although there are some points of the book that do discuss their past and what their parents are like. For example, Jeremy paying nearly $40,000 to put his mother into a rehabilitation clinic as a Christmas present.

"Tom checked the clock above the front doors. Two more hours until the morning shift showed. The security buzzer bleated as a young guy in a baseball cap walked in. Behind the man, Tom noticed the black van cruising into the empty parking lot. The distance from the shop blurred the Crime-Stoppers worthy details like the license plate, model, and make, but he was sure that it was the same van that had been through the lot twice before.
Tom ignored the urge to lock the front doors. There were lots of non-robbing reasons people would wait in a deserted parking lot with their van's headlights off and he engine running. Maybe this was a lost tourist who kept stopping to check his map. Maybe this was some horndog picking up women. Maybe this was just some dealer waiting for a drop. The van disappeared out of the lot and down the deserted street. Tom massaged his temples. Or maybe sleep deprivation was making him bug-eyed."

The reason I liked these particular two paragraphs is because they provide a good example of what this book is about. Tom is working late and sees a van which he believes is stalking him, which is something that he should be concerned with as his brother always seems to be watching him. The paragraph's also provide an example of how insecure Tom feels wherever he goes, which is something else he is forced to deal with throughout the story.

Letter to Rick Reilly

2008-01-16T18:00:00.001-08:00

Dear Mr. Reilly,
First of all, I would like to say I am a huge fan of all of your work, especially with the Sports Illustrated magazine, and some of my favourite articles that I have ever read have been by you. It’s a shame that you won’t be writing for SI anymore, I am sure that they will miss what you bring to the magazine every week.
On the subject of your book, however, I have all the same praises for “Who’s Your Caddy?” The comedic aspect of your writing that I enjoy so much from your magazine articles is certainly not missing from your book. Each chapter, which features a new personality in each one, has a fantastic story behind it. I am sure the time that you spent with all of these PGA Tour pros was quite an adventure, and the idea behind this book is brilliant. I felt like I learned something new and interesting about a new person each chapter. In fact, even the titles of the chapters are funny.
My favourite chapter, by a wide margin, is the one you wrote on John Daly. One of the greatest characters in all of sports, Daly is everything that you see on T.V and then some. Although most of the things that you describe aren’t appropriate to repeat, I had a really good time reading about Big John. The way that you describe his life is extremely funny, and it really allows people to realize how insane his life really is.
Another thing I enjoyed about the book was the differentiation between chapters, and the type of people you wrote about. For instance, it was not just professional golfers that were used; for example, the chapter on Donald Trump was really funny and interesting, and really expresses what kind of person Trump is behind the scenes. Obviously, there is a great difference between what people see on “The Apprentice,” and what he is like behind closed doors. I’m sure caddying for him was as wild as it sounds.
Anyways, I would like to congratulate you on a fine piece of literature, and look forward to hopefully reading more of your work in the future.

"Skin Tight" Carl Hiaasen

2008-01-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

"Timmy Gavigan had looked like death for most of his adult life. Now he had an excuse. His coppery hair had fallen out in thickets, revealing patches of pale freckled scalp. His face, once round and florid, looked like someone had let the air out."

This quotation reveals that the character, Timmy Gavigan, has had a history of making poor decisions throughout the course of his life, and is sitting in a hospital bed because he allowed a juice company to experiment on him with their latest product. Among other things, this proves that Timmy isn't a very intelligent character and doesn't seem to have any intention of taking care of his body.

"Stranahan had purchased his house dirt-cheap at a government auction. The previous owner was a Venezuelan cocaine courier who had been shot 13 times in a serious business dispute, then indicted posthumously."

Mick Stranahan, the main character of the novel who has a killer after him, is clearly not a very rich man. Purchasing a cheap house that had been previously owned by a deceased cocaine courier definetly proves this, and that Stranahan may not always understand what he is getting himself into. Mick spends most of his time running away from a killer, and he is clearly not helping his own cause.

"Stranahan watched the pudgy little man wheeze back and forth behind the baseline and marveled at the atrociousness of his hairpeice. It was one of those synthetic jobs, the kind you're supposed to be able to wear in the shower. In Dr. George Gingers case, the thing on his head looked like fresh roadkill."

Dr. George Ginger is a potential threat to Mick Stranahan, and is a surgeon. Stranahan is meeting him to ask a few questions, and the physical description is fitting for what the doctor is like. Dr. Ginger is clearly making a fool of himself, most likely without even knowing it, and doesn't receive much respect from any of his friends or patients.

"As best he could, Reynaldo Flemm made mental notes of Whispering Palms during the tour. He was posing as a male exotic dancer who needed a blemish removed from his right buttock. For the purpose of disguise, Flemm had dyed his hair and greased it right back; that was all he could do to bear to alter his appearance. Secretly, he loved it when people stared because they recognized him from television."

Reynaldo Flemm is a bad actor who is under disguise visiting a hospital. Flemm hopes to be seen by people who watched his show, although the show is not very popular and he isn't recognized by anyone. Flemm believes he is more important than he actually is, although is very good at working undercover.

"'Chloe Simpkins Stranahan was up and pacing now, arms folded across her chest, heels clicking on the Spanish title. :So you see," she said, "this is why I hate my ex-husband so much.'
'Chemo said, "So you want to get even?'
'Boy are you swifty. Yes, I want to get even'"

This is a conversation between Chemo, a hitman, and Chloe Stranahan, Micks ex-wife. She is angry because of a situation that occurred between Mick and another man, and she is trying to get him killed. Obviously, she is an angry woman, and probably a bit crazy for hiring someone to kill her husband for something so minor.

In the Place of Last Things

2007-12-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

a) Russ Littlebury
"Alone now down the hallway to the room, the door admitting a light upon the instruments and the body of his father laid open in the open casket he had chosen for him. He said, I've come for you. Well I'm not here. So who am I talking to? You've found what matters to you, there is something holy after all."

This passage is from a flashback Russ haves about his fathers death, and it shows a different side of Russ than is demonstrated in the rest of the book. It shows how important Russ' father was to him, and that there are people in his life that he cared about as opposed to some of the people he meets during his travels.

b) Jack Marks
"The Marks stood and leaned over and scratched the animal with one hand, while with the other he took the cigarette from his mouth and cupped it. He brought it in from behind the dog's head then pressed it fast into the animals ear."

This passage details the cruelty of Jack Marks, who is putting a cigarette out in the back of a dogs head. Jack Marks is the "bad guy" of the novel, and this just outlines one of the many cruel things he does and says throughout the story. Most of the other people that Russ meets during his travels are nice, accommodating people, with the exception of Jack Marks.

c) Tara Harding
"I know you're committed to your students, Russ, but it's easy to forget what's at stake for them. And John's the oldest one in each class. He won't make it without some help."

Here Tara is talking to Russ about one of their students, John Overstreet, who is illiterate and can't do well in their courses. Tara ends up giving John a good mark, which says a couple of things about her. It is clear that she has good intentions, but doesn't make a great teacher because of how soft she is on her students. At the time, she is unaware of some things that have happened in John's personal life, but she feels like it is the right thing to give him a good mark on one of his papers.

d) Lea Bollins
"What is it, Lea?" He was leaning towards her.
"I really thought I was pregnant. But like you say, there's definite signs, I guess."
"You were never pregnant. You know that now."
"I thought it would make sense that I would be."

Lea has realized that she isn't pregnant, and she is explaining to Russ what had happened during her travels. Lea is very young and naive, and easily manipulated. Her ordeal with Jack Marks was a difficult one because of how poorly he treats everyone, and the threat of becoming pregnant at that age would be very scary. Lea doesn't know much because of her age, although she becomes a little wiser by the end of the book.

e) Mike Littlebury
"When a call came from the manager of the Colliston Icemen asking Russ to play the last half of the season, he knew that Mike had set up the invitation, and accepted it. There were daily practices and games twice a week in which Russ took the role of the seldom-used seventh defenceman who sat at the end of the bench."

This passage, along with the pages surrounding it, display the kindness and generosity of Mike Littlebury, Russ' dad. Mike sets up an invitation for Russ to play hockey with the Icemen, but that is only the start. Mike is very kind to everyone, including Russ, Skidder, and anyone else he came to know. This is one of the reasons Russ was so fond of him, and why Russ flashes back to times he spent with his father on numerous occassions throughout te book.

Last Stop Sunnyside

2007-11-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

"Last Stop Sunnyside," by Pat Capponi, is the latest book that I've read, and unfortunately it has been my least favourite thus far. Dana Leoni, who lives in a rough neighbourhood in Toronto, is shocked one day when a woman who everyone in her rooming house is very fond of, is found missing. The police arrive a few days later and say that she has been murdered, which stirs up Dana and all her friends. Unfortunately for them, the police are unable to find a key suspect, or any for that matter, which leaves Dana and her posse no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Resources are low for these folks, as they have very little money and not one car among them. Slowly, however, they start to narrow down the suspects, and eventually find the man, named Mallick, who killed their beloved friend.
The book was not particularily well written I thought, especially compared to some of the other books we've read (or are currently reading) this year. The author, Capponi, lives in Toronto, although has previously had a stint in a mental hospital, so she is good at explaining some of the delinquent characters. I was not very fond, however, of her writing style because she does more time explaining what her surroundings were like than she does talking about the murder and the potential suspects. I found myself getting bored at some parts, because I wanted to know more about the murder than I did about her drug addict and prostitute neighbours. On the other hand, her style is very detailed and thorough, unfortunately it was just not my cup of tea.
There are a couple of particular quotes that I liked because of the detail of the writing, such as:

"I still can't see, but it's true what they say about blind people, about their senses taking over. I know where he is, just passing the barbeque, I can hear him breathing. I gather myself together, ready to spring."

"Scattered here and there were there male counterparts, shirts grey with grime and dirt and perforated with cigarette burns; they mumbled to themselves, leaned against the mailboxes and street lights as if all their energy had deserted them."

"She even helped clean rooms that had gotten out of control, those belonging to paper hoarders or bottle collectors who were risking eviction as fire hazards or public health concerns, and she did it cheerfully, respectfully, without expectation of thanks."

I chose these quotes because they are very descriptive, especially the latter two, which explain some of the people that Dana Leoni got to know at her rooming house, and as you can tell they aren't the most privileged people in the city. These quotes are good depictions of what Dana is feeling at the time, and what she thinks of the people around her. I'm not sure I would recommend this book to everyone, and unfortunately it wasn't my favourite, but I'm sure the books in my later posts will be more fun to read.

The Game blog

2007-10-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Blog: The Game, by Ken Dryden Charlie Deacon

Regarded by some as the greatest hockey book ever written, "The Game," by Ken Dryden is an interesting story of life as a professional athlete. Dryden was the goalie for the Montreal Canadiens between 1971 and 1979, and played on the best team in hockey history. Dryden discusses famous rivalries, the lives of himself as well as his teammates, life living in Montreal, and playing hockey under the famous coach Scotty Bowman. Dryden also details what it was like playing for a team with both French-Canadian and English players, and the issues that this caused. This is an interesting book because Dryden uses numerous examples of his own experiences to help the reader understand what it's like to be a professional athlete.

Although Dryden is obviously not a professional writer, he is still an intelligent person and has interesting opinions on a lot of different topics. The way he describes his teammates is especially good, because he writes in a way that makes it easy to understand what all these guys were like. Dryden uses many metaphors and other rhetorical devices to describe what his life was like, especially when he visits other cities and talks about what it was like to play on the road. Dryden is certainly part of the minority when it comes to hockey players who can write books, and if it were someone else writing the book I don't think it would be nearly as effective.

As I said before, there are a lot of interesting things Dryden has to say about his life. These are a few examples of phrases I liked from the book:

"Talbot brought his stick down again, harder, this time on Bowman's head. Bowman went down, his skull fractured, his career over."

"...He showed his membership card to the man at the desk and gave him some money... The man never looked at the card, or at the money. He looked at me, quickly recognizing who I was..."

"A hundred letters per week, more than 3,000 letters a year - 'You're the best,' all but a few of them say."

The latter two quotes refer to Dryden's own personal experiences, which I think are interesting because it shows how popular Dryden was in Montreal. The first quote is an interesting one because Dryden is talking about his coach Scotty Bowman, who at a young age had his career ended by another player hitting him in the head with his stick. It is because of personal stories like these that I would recommend this book to any sports fan.

2007-09-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

Great Expectations Post
A young orphan named Pip is the main character of this Charles Dickens novel, which tells the story of how Pip goes from a life of poverty to one day receiving a fortune from a secret benefactor. At the start, Pip lives with his sister and her husband, and one day is taken to "Satis house," home of Miss Havisham who gets him to apprentice his brother-in-law Joe as a blacksmith. Pip is upset working for Joe, but when his fortune arrives, he travels to London to become a gentleman. Pip assumes that Miss Havisham is his secret benefactor, but is shocked to find out it was a convict named Magwitch who he had encountered years earlier in a graveyard. Pip feels obliged to help Magwitch escape London, but the escape fails and Magwitch is sentenced to death.

Since Great Expectations was written over 100 years ago, the dialogue is much different than we are used to today. The characters use terms that someone in high school wouldn't be familiar with, but it is still fairly easy to follow. The book is fairly slow moving because of its length, but closer to the end a lot of things start to happen. The beginning of the book allows the reader to understand the life that Pip lives with his sister, and the conditions he was forced to live under. Pip's adventures begin when he receives his large fortune, and things start to move faster after that. Dickens keeps the reader interested until the very end, when Pip tries to sneak Magwitch out of London, which ultimately leads to the deaths of both Magwitch and his former partner in crime, Compeyson.

There are a number of important quotations throughout Great Expectations, and many of them can help sum up a character in just a few words. For example, one of Pip's first conversations with a girl named Estella who he falls in love with instantly: "Am I pretty?"
"Yes I think you are very pretty."
"Am I insulting?"
"Not so much as you were the last time"
Estella was raised to break hearts by Miss Havisham, and so she is very cruel to Pip in the beginning. Another example of this is when Magwithc is telling Pip about how he is the source behind Pip's fortune, he says, "but wot, if I gets liberty and money, I’ll make that boy a gentleman! And I done it." Earlier in the book, Magwitch frightens Pip in a graveyard, but turns out to be extremely important in Pip's upbringing, and becomes very close to Pip.