Book Review- J. Michael Straczynski's Together We Will Go

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of J. Michael Straczynski’s novel, Together We Will Go, in exchange for an honest review.

A little over a dozen strangers reply to a cryptic newspaper ad aimed at attracting people who wish to commit group suicide by plunging over a cliff in San Francisco. The author of the ad, Mark, is an unpublished writer who has lost hope and he promises the others in the group a fantastic bus ride across America, filled with excitement, as they head to their final destination.

A motley bunch joins this quest, including Karen, a young woman with a devastating medical condition, Vaughn, a senior grieving for his deceased wife, and Zeke, a drug addict who is traveling with his dying cat. The travelers agree to sign a waiver and to upload their stories and thoughts on their journey, both in verbal and written form, to a cloud-server, which they will leave behind as a type of art project from the beyond.

Together We Will Go is emotional and affecting, yet often hilarious and unexpected. I have to confess that I am usually triggered by stories of suicide. My father killed himself when I was four and I still carry deep anger and resentment towards both him and the situation. I find it difficult to find compassion or reason in suicide, yet Straczynski’s story allowed me to connect with his characters and their very individual reasons for making this choice. It’s hard to see their suffering and decisions as a simple, black and white issue. This gave me perspective.

I’ve never read a novel quite like Together We Will Go. I could not have anticipated the twists or the ending, all of which were satisfying. I cried and even had to stop reading over Zeke and his beloved cat. (I’m a cat person and it hit close to the heart.) Straczynski’s biggest strength is in the way he developed the relationships between the characters, some are very unexpected, yet all feel real. This was an especially big feat, as Together We Will Go has a large ensemble cast. Early in the story, I did get the characters a bit muddled, but I quickly was able to keep everything straight in my mind. Each character and their individual story is necessary and important. I felt connected to all of them and a bit crushed when the story ended.

Together We Will Go is simply a beautiful story. I finished it a week ago and it is still at the forefront of my mind. Straczynski handles a very complicated and difficult subject with grace and care. I highly recommend adding Together We Will Go to your TBR list.

Also, on a personal note, I was very happy that “Karen” is a likable and empathetic character, not like the “Karen” memes that have been going around the last few years. As a fellow Karen, this was nice to see!

Book Review- Doree Shafrir's Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for providing me with a copy of Doree Shafrir’s memoir, Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (and Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer, in exchange for an honest review.

Writer and journalist Doree Shafrir’s memoir details her life as a self-professed “Late Bloomer.” Shafrir reflects on her life from her preteen years at camp, when she felt like the last girl to make-out with a boy, to her young-adult years, when she didn’t hit the same life milestones as her peers.

Thanks for Waiting is a reminder that life often doesn’t follow a schedule, but that also doesn’t mean that your life is less fabulous or somehow a failure as compared with others who seem to be living a more traditional path. Shafrir didn’t not find her husband, Matt, until she was in her mid-thirties and she did not have a child until years later, after many rounds of IVF. However, I don’t know if this necessarily makes her a “late bloomer.” I think she just blossomed in different areas.

As I read Thanks for Waiting, I viewed Shafrir as a woman focused on her education and career, both of which led her to incredible opportunities, including working for Buzzfeed. She mentioned the frustration of getting older and not owning property, yet she was living in New York City and Los Angeles. I’m Shafrir’s age and I lived a majority of my life in Los Angeles. I can count on one hand the friends in our age group that own homes. It’s an incredibly expensive city and certainly not a mark of failure to be a renter.

I think the “women having it all” is a bit of a myth. Happiness is certainly possible, but there are situations in everyone’s life where they have to make choices or give-up something to have something else. Shafrir compares herself to other women who seem to “have it all,” those who had career/marriage/babies/houses, all figured out by the time they were thirty. I suspect that most women compare or have been fed the cultural idea of a “time line.” We get anxious when everyone around us seems to be getting married or having babies. We are told that something is wrong if we deviate from the timeline. It’s a message that is hard to shake.

Although Shafrir admits to her anxieties of not hitting those milestones at the appropriate times and of being a “late bloomer,” in the end, it really doesn’t matter. The stress of her twenties and thirties, gives way to a new career, a loving husband, and a baby boy. She might be an older parents and her concept of her dream job has changed, but she is happy and thriving.

I enjoyed Thanks for Waiting, primarily for Shafrir’s honest writing. As someone who has also taken an unusual life path, I could relate to many parts of her memoir. It’s a strong reminder that life doesn’t always go according to plan and that’s okay.

Book Review- Saskia Swann & Nicola Stow's Above and Beyond: Secrets of a Private Flight Attendant

Thank you to Lume Books for providing me with a free copy of Saskia Swann & Nicola Stow’s book, Above and Beyond: Secrets of a Private Flight Attendant, in exchange for an honest review.

Londoner Saskia Swann was a commercial airline flight attendant, who was having a ball traveling around the world, partying at exclusive clubs and dining in fancy restaurants. The job was amazing, but she found it difficult to indulge in a young flight attendant lifestyle on her low salary. Quickly, she racked up thousands in debt by using her credit card to pay for things, such her lavish wardrobe. Realizing that her situation was spiraling out of control, Swann quit her flight attendant job to find something more sustainable.

Shortly after quitting, she met a man in a bar who had a connection in the private flight industry. Swann is immediately interested when she learns that the pay is much higher and it will allow her to continue in a profession that she loves. She is given a three week trial on the private jet of a wealthy Russian man.

Swann soon learns that being a private flight attendant is very different than a commercial flight attendant. Privacy is a must and beyond signing non-disclosure agreements, she can’t even tell her family or friends about her flight routes. The requests of her bosses can be both demanding and change on a whim. She must turn a blind-eye to affairs, treating her bosses wife and mistress with equal respect, depending on whom is aboard the plane. The stakes are further raises, when Swann learns that her boss expects a “little extra” from his flight attendants and he has his eyes on her.

Swann’s memoir hooked me. It’s scandalous and shocking. I have a weak spot for memoirs that give me a glimpse into other professions or lifestyles, and this memoir hit that mark. I read it in a single afternoon, unable to resist reading “just one more chapter.”

Beyond the shock-value of the memoir, I was gripped to the pages because of Swann. She’s likable and I felt compassion for her situation. I believe that Stow was primarily responsible for both shaping Swann’s memoir and with a bulk of the actual writing. To this end, Stow’s descriptions and scene settings were fabulous. I was reading Above and Beyond at a break-neck speed, yet I found myself pausing to admire the writing, which is honestly something that I don’t often notice in memoirs.

If you’re looking for a fun, yet affecting memoir, I recommend adding Above and Beyond to your list. It is also the perfect read for travel season.