Book Review- Frank Bruni's The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found

Thank you to LibroFM and Simon and Schuster Audio for an copy of Frank Bruni’s The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found.

In his memoir, journalist and non-fiction writer Frank Bruni details a life-altering medical situation, where a stroke left him blind in one eye. As he was adjusting to his new normal, he also lived in fear of losing sight in his other eye, a problem that some doctors warned could happen. Bruni was middle-aged, in a long-term relationship, and in a very good place in his career, often traveling abroad for both work and pleasure. Doctors warned that his sight could worsen if he spent time in high-altitudes and he began to have trouble seeing in the dark, making driving to destinations difficult, curtailing his travels. Shortly after Bruni’s diagnosis, his partner was unfaithful and their relationship ended. Although not married, they had lived together for many years and the break-up was akin to a divorce, such as dividing shared belongings. Bruni was left alone to rebuild.

Despite all of the challenges Bruni faces, he handles these major life changes with grace. He is surrounded by close friends and a loving family, which help ease loneliness. He finds ways to work with diminished sight and his career continues. Mostly, he embraces the positive aspects of his life. He feels bolstered by all of the travels and experiences that he had prior to losing sight and he stays confident that these experience will continue, even if they are modified. A running theme is to never take anything for granted, but also not to fall into self-pity for things that you no longer have. Bruni shares examples of other people facing challenges to show that everyone has their unique situations. One of the sweetest part of The Beauty of Dusk is when Bruni finds companionship with a dog that he adopts from a family member. I’m a huge animal lover and this just made my heart happy.

The audio version is narrated by Bruni and he has a soothing, easy on the ears voice. I feel that The Beauty of Dusk would be equally engaging, whether you choose the audio or print version. Bruni’s compelling story and poetic words combine for a absolutely beautiful memoir, one that I personally loved and will purchase as a gift for friends.

Book Review: Deb Rogers' Florida Woman

Thank you to a rep from HarperCollins for bringing a galley of Deb Rogers’ novel, Florida Woman, to the bookstore where I work. I was lucky to attend a talk with the rep and her description of Florida Woman made me borrow it from our store’s galley collection and bump it to the top of my shelf.

During a bizarre event at a restaurant, Jaime, unwittingly turns herself into a “Florida Woman” meme and lands in jail. As part of a parole/restitution/rehabilitation scheme, her lawyer finds an opportunity for Jaime to work off the remainder of her sentence at a macaque sanctuary. Jaime will live in the sanctuary, located deep in the wilds of Florida, and work with the founders, a trio of women who have an usual outlook on life. Although remote and rustic, Jaime initially embraces the opportunity, thinking that anything is better than jail. However, as the founders become comfortable with Jaime’s presence, their behavior becomes increasingly disturbing and cultish, leading Jaime to wonder if she has put herself in a dangerous situation.

Florida Woman is a strange and wonderful ride. It takes the idea of “Florida man/woman” and flips it, turning this regional stereotype into an unlikely hero. Rogers has a sharp and dark sense of humor. Her writing reminds me Carl Hiaasen, not only for the Florida setting, but for the bizarre, off-beat characters and style of humor. Rogers keeps the tension and sense of danger throughout and I could not have predicted the journey that Jaime takes. The ending perfectly ties with the title and theme. Florida Woman is a really fun and quirky summer read.

Book Review- Mira Jacob's Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations

I work at a bookstore and during a recent opening shift, I was familiarizing myself with the new merchandise and spotted Mira Jacob’s Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations. Memoir is one of my favorite genres, and although I have not read many graphic novels, I was intrigued by the blending of the two. I purchased it and I was so taken by the concept, that I set-aside my overflowing TBR pile and bumped Good Talk to top of my queue.

Jacob’s parents immigrated to the United States before she was born, settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they had Jacob and her older brother. Jacob’s family would frequently return to India for vacations, where she was made aware that her skin color was darker than her immediate family members and felt the concern that this might limit her prospects of future marriage. Jacob shares details of her parent’s relationship and arranged marriage, highlighting the differences between her parent’s upbringing and the American culture in which she was raised. Although there are struggles, there is a lot of love and humor in her family dynamics, and towards the end of the book, very emotional moments as Jacob spends time with her father as he dies from cancer.

Jacob pursues a writing career. Early in her career she struggles with the balance between working for experience and working for money. She encounters situations where her appearance, being both female and a person of color, create cringy dynamics where others label and stereotype her. The micro- aggressions are rampant. This inhibits her ability to let her quality of work speak for itself and diminishes her perceived value to would-be employers and colleagues. I’ve experienced this being female, but Jacob has the additional layer of being a POC. It’s maddening.

Good Talk is told through conversations and the timeline is not linear. It starts with a conversation that Jacob has with her elementary-aged son regarding Michael Jackson and skin color. Jacob’s husband is white and their child is starting to ask questions. These questions become more intense as events surrounding the Trump presidency and the Black Lives Matter movement are in the news. Jacob’s in-laws, whom she loves, are ardent Trump supporters, unable to realize how voting for Trump could impact their daughter-in-law and grandson.

The deep divisions that are currently plaguing the United States will be familiar to most readers. My heart hurt reading about Jacob’s conflict with her in-laws, as they reminded me of my own fractured relationships that have emerged during the Trump presidency and the pandemic. However, I liked the way that Jacob and her husband are handling the situation. They are hurting and angry, yet they are not cutting off communication from their loved ones. They are hoping for a future with more understanding and more conversations. They are not staying silent in their opinions, yet they are trying to be patient with the people they love, hoping for understanding. I wonder if her in-laws read this book and if it changed their relationship.

Good Talk is a heavy read, filled with a dose of humor. I love the concept of a memoir that is also a graphic novel. The visual elements make it feel like more of an experience, similar to attending an art exhibit. I will definitely seek out more graphic novels to broaden my reading.