Book Review- You're The Best: A Celebration of Friendship

Thank You to Prospect Park Books for providing me with an advanced copy of The Satellite Sisters' You're the Best: A Celebration of Friendship, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - The Dolan sisters (Lian, Liz, Julie, Monica and Sheila) have made a name for themselves via their highly successful blog, podcast and column for O Magazine, under the moniker: The Satellite Sisters.  In their latest book, You're the Best: A Celebration of Friendship, the sisters dispense wisdom and tell stories involving a variety of topics, including friendship, relationships, and living to the fullest at every stage in life.

LIKE - You're the Best is short and sweet. I devoured it in a single sitting. I read a digital copy, but I envision this being the type of book that would be more of a hardcopy purchase to give as a gift. 

Although a majority of You're the Best is written by the Satellite Sisters, they have also included chapters by their "Second Generation Satellite Sisters", which include their children and daughter-in-laws. This provided a greater range of ages and perspectives, a welcome addition to the book. 

My familiarity with the Satellite Sisters is through their O Magazine column.  What they do in both the column and in You're the Best, is they create a warmth. As a reader, I feel like another friend, having coffee and discussing life. I think this ability to make the reader feel included, is a huge part of their success. 

DISLIKE- Several parts of the book included lists. One example, is the Satellite Sisters wrote a list of people that they would like to have as a "Fictional Friend"'; which included famous people (living and dead) and fictional characters. Although the lists were fun, they also seemed like filler to pad out the book. 

RECOMMEND- Yes. The holidays are coming and you can save a lot of time shopping, if you buy this book for all of your female friends! You're the Best is a heart-warming and uplifting book, that many women will treasure. 

Book Review- Paul Theroux's Deep South

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an advanced copy of Paul Theroux's Deep South, in exchange for an honest review. 

PLOT- Having spent his career traveling to far-flung corners of the world, travel writer, Paul Theroux, decides to focus his latest book on the American south. Deep South covers Theroux's years-spanning/multiple-trips to many cities in the south, where he meet residents and immerses himself in southern culture.

LIKE - Paul Theroux does not leave stones unturned, nor does he shy from controversial subjects. As a Californian, reading Deep South from the comfort of my living room, I often felt very uneasy for the situations that Theroux puts himself in, however, had he not, this book wouldn't have packed the same punch. Theroux goes to churches, gun shows, farms, impoverished towns; often crossing the perceptible racial divide, and always aware of his outsider status being a northerner. 

Deep South was an eye-opener. Theroux's research is current, having taken place in the last few years, and he discovered that integration is still a major problem; including towns with school districts that have unofficially kept segregation alive, by sending their children to separate schools to keep with "tradition". As a Los Angeles native, this is crazy to me. 

I was shocked by the level of poverty. Theroux, having experience in third-world countries, thought that many areas of the south, were worse off than what he had experienced in Africa. I like how he highlighted individuals who are working hard to make a difference in their communities, giving their plight a sense of hope. If he hadn't included these people, the problems would have felt insurmountable. There are many communities in dire need. 

On a more fun-fact note, I learned that there are many Indian motel owners in the South, and that seventy percent of all Indian motel owners have the last name Patel. Even crazier, one-third of all independent motel owners in the United States, are named Patel. How's that for a factoid? 

I enjoyed Theroux literary references. Deep South is sprinkled with mention of southern writers, and he includes a whole chapter on Faulkner. These are a reminder of the strong literary tradition in the south. Theroux also strings southern cuisine and music as themes through his book, themes that bind the people of the region.

DISLIKE- Deep South is long. It's repetitive in content. It seems like Theroux attends a billion gun shows, all with the same result. I think he could have been more selective with what was included, yet still have maintained the importance and impact of Deep South. Also, occasionally his tone towards a subject is off-putting and unnecessary. 

RECOMMEND- Yes!!! Deep South was both affecting and rattling. It definitely shook me with regard to poverty and equality in my own country. This isn't to say that Theroux only focuses on the negative aspects of the South, he also writes about the beauty of both the people and the landscape. 

Book Review- Colum McCann's Thirteen Ways of Looking

TThank you to Random House for providing me with an advanced copy of Colum McCann’s Thirteen Ways of Looking, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT – Colum McCann’s short story collection, Thirteen Ways of Looking, includes four stories, all involving a different type of violence or trauma. In a short afterward, McCann explains that while he was writing this collection, when he was sucker punched and knocked unconscious, while trying to help a woman who was being assaulted in New Haven, Connecticut. Although some of the stories were written prior to the incident, the assault inevitably had an impact on his stories in Thirteen Ways of Looking.

LIKE – This is my first time reading McCann, and I was caught off-guard by the way that his stories have been following me. I can’t get them out of my mind, which is a bit of a disaster, since the content is disturbing and weighty.

I was affected by all of the stories, but the one that packed the biggest punch, was Treaty. Told in close third person, Treaty is the story of an aging nun named Beverly. When Beverly was in her early twenties, she was kidnapped, brutally tortured, and raped. She escaped, but so did her rapist. Fast forward to the present, when Beverly sees him on television. He is now in politics, in London brokering a peace deal. Shocked and unsure how to handle this revelation, Beverly heads to London to confront her attacker. Treaty is a raw, gut-wrenching story that left me entirely surprised.

Another highlight is Sh’khol, the story of divorced mother Rebecca, and her thirteen year old son. Tomas. Tomas has mental and emotional disabilities, and he is prone to violent outbursts. He cannot be left on his own. Overwhelmed, but doing her best to care for him, Rebecca’s Christmas gift to Tomas is a wetsuit, so that they can swim together in the ocean, just steps from their home. Rebecca has a cocktail and goes to bed on Christmas, only to discover that Tomas and the wetsuit are missing the next morning. Filled with self-blame, Rebecca must deal with suspicious police and her ex-husband, while desperately searching for her son.

I admire McCann’s crafting. He manages to create compelling plots without sacrificing emotion or character development. He writes at a level to which every writer should aspire.

DISLIKE - Thirteen Ways of Looking, the title story, ran long and it was the only story in the collection, where I found my interest waning. Thirteen Ways of Looking is a nod to Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, using a close third perspective while following multiple characters, each giving their version of the events leading to a murder. The suspense is kept until the very end, which is left open for the reader to determine the truth of the incident. From a technical standpoint, all of the parts of the story are well crafted and the shifting perspectives creates an interesting dynamic, however, I didn’t find it to be as affecting or haunting as the other stories. Thirteen Ways of Looking is ambitious in scale, but doesn’t have the same impact. I appreciated it, but didn’t invest in it.

RECOMMEND- Yes! Even if you don’t read the entire collection, make sure to get your hands on Treaty. It’s stellar. I look forward to reading more stories by Colum McCann. As a reader, I’m hooked, and as an aspiring writer, I want to learn from his talent.