Book Review: Kristen Radtke's Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness

In the past week, I've discovered the joy in reading graphic novels. I work at a bookstore and on a slow morning, I started poking around in the graphic novel section, a very popular section, to familiarize myself with the offerings and I came across Kristen Radtke’s Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness. i read the first few pages and I was locked-in. Luckily, it was an exceptionally quiet morning, allowing me to read between gaps in customers. I finished it within my shift.

Radke’s graphic novel explores the themes of loneliness, using interviews, personal experiences, and scientific research to understand the topic. I was struck by some of the statistics listed, including research that identifies three times in our lives where we are most prone to feeling lonely: late 20’s, early 50’s, and late 80’s. I’m only forty-four, but I can attest to feeling exceptionally lonely in my late 20’s/early 30’s, having gone through a divorce and losing my mom, living alone in my childhood home. Although I was going out on lots of dates and had many friends, living alone was not easy for me. I tried my best to never be home. I hope the statistic for early 50’s doesn’t hold true, because that’s on my horizon!

Radke explores in quite extensive and horrific detail Harlow’s experiments on Rhesus monkeys, which he conducted to determine the importance of attachment, socialization, and nurturing. I was aware of Harlow’s experiments, but revisiting the subject with both Radke’s words and illustrations created an affecting experience. I now understand the appeal and power of graphic novels. They way words and pictures are combine have the affect of visiting an art exhibition, offering a very different reading experience.

I finished Seek You on Saturday and I’ve spoken about it to several people. It made me consider my own experiences with loneliness and also the need to reach out to others. I’ve since written two letters to childhood friends and called a dear elderly friend. Seek You gave me the opportunity to consider important relationships in my life and the clarity to prioritize. It’s a special literary and visual experience.

Book Review: Gary White & Matt Damon's The Worth of Water

Thank you to LibroFM and Penguin Random House Publishing Audio Group for a copy of Gary White and Matt Damon’s The Worth of Water.

The Worth of Water follows engineer Gary White and actor Matt Damon on their mission to make clean water accessible in the poorest parts of our world through their non-profit, Water.org.

The book alternates between White and Damon, each giving their own backgrounds and perspectives on the issue. I listened to the audio version, where White and Damon provided the narration for their respective chapters. White and Damon were both raised by activist parents, who instilled in them the need to try to understand cultures different than their own and to give back. White became involved in the water crisis while working towards his engineering degree and felt a strong pull towards developing solutions to help those in need. Damon became involved after his friend, Bono from U2, who is also involved in relief work, urged Damon to travel to see first-hand the desperate situation in other countries. Although the trip showed Damon a variety of issues, he focused on water after meeting a young girl who had to travel a long distance to gather daily water.

Damon and White both saw how access to water affects other aspects of life. If you have to spend so much time and energy to gather water, you don’t have that time and energy for other activities, such as school or employment. Lack of water leads to disease and affects development. When people make efforts to pay to have plumbing or clean water access, it can be outrageously or prohibitively expensive.

The Worth of Water gives many examples of how the concept of not having water is difficult for those of us who have it, to understand. One example that surprised me, was a true story of two American men who got lost on a hike. They were lost for a few days and ran out of water. One of the men became extremely distraught, certain that he would die of thirst and was so upset, that he convinced his friend to kill him, rather die of thirst. When the autopsy was performed, it revealed that he was dehydrated, but not in immediate danger of severe dehydration. His friend was found alive. Damon tells this story to illustrate how people who normally have access to water, don’t realize the boundaries of dehydration, certainly not to the point of danger. We rarely experience true thirst or dehydration. Even if we live somewhere that is in a draught and where we must conserve water, most of us living in places like the United States, do not truly appreciate how precious water can be.

The Worth of Water is a call to action. A call for people living in privileged countries to help those who live in developing areas. I found the section on micro-loans to be the most interesting, as it illustrated the way in which ordinary citizens can help. White and Damon clearly show the enormity of the water crisis, yet them keep optimistic that the situation can be fixed, but to fix it will necessitate the care and involvement of everyone, not just big organizations, governments, or those impacted, but everyone.

Book Review- Rachel Kushner's The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020

Thank you to LibroFM and Simon & Schuster Audio for a copy of Rachel Kushner’s The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020.

Last summer, I was at a bookstore in Los Angeles, where the cover of Kushner’s novel, The Mars Room, caught my eye. The Mars Room is a women’s prison story, a bit akin to following a character from Orange is the New Black. A fantastic read that I raced through in a single afternoon. I had been looking forward to reading more Kushner, but as with most book lovers, I got distracted by my enormous TBR bookcase. Yes, a bookcase, not just a pile. I was happy to see The Hard Crowd as an option for an audio book arc, reminding me of Kushner.

The Hard Crowd is difficult to explain. Kusher’s essays cover a range of topics, from her participation in a risky, yet thrilling motorcycle race in Mexico to critiques of foreign films and literature. I have to confess that many of Kusher’s topics were unfamiliar to me, however, even without previous knowledge, Kushner deftly sets the stage for readers of all backgrounds to engage with her thoughts. Some of her topics seemed esoteric, yet, I was always intrigued and I finished the collection thinking about new ideas and subjects.

Kushner is a fabulous writer. She kept this reader engaged and curious, even when the topic was unfamiliar or something that wouldn't normal interest me. For example, motorcycles. I have zero interest in motorcycles, but Kushner’s riviting description of the Baja race extended my interest beyond her essay and into a deep dive internet search.

If you’re looking for something a bit different and off-beat, I recommend The Hard Crowd.