1 year ago
Trying to Be Smart & Write Book Reviews Again
Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers
Where do I start with this? There were a few things I disliked about the book but when I finished it, there was a relief that maybe those things I disliked were done in a purposeful manner. As if Mr. Powers was being clever. Maybe too clever for me. And then I have to wonder if that is a good or bad thing. Thus, I’ve left this book star-less for now.
I guess I found that Powers was trying to keep the science and the fiction apart. But then he wanted to bring them together and it just was not happening. Here’s a story about writing but here’s a story about a science/social experiment. How could he possibly tie the two together? It was not connecting. It could be the fault of the voice. In having a very wishy-washy narrator, there was no stand being taken. Different points of view were being presented but you couldn’t get into the narrator’s mind. He was too busy looking out.
And then there’s the fact that the whole point of reading is so that you can be taken to places. I went nowhere in Generosity. I was in the here and now; it was almost news-like. There were far too many references to this world and more than obvious links to personalities and media. “Newsweek”, “Facebook” “Youtube” “Oona” (Oprah), street corners and subway lines. Even the art students’ preferred medium made it too modern to be enjoyable. This book was not an escape. I kept trying to think about books, graphic novels, movies, etc where the setting was very present, but how at the same time, it was given an element where it could be a different world. After reading it, I wondered if people felt the same after reading The Great Gatsby. That was a book about the Roaring Twenties that was written & published during the Roaring Twenties. I think Fitzgerald captured a history, the culture with that book. Still he told a worthwhile story. Powers captured a culture too but without substance.
And while we’re sort of talking about setting, for a writer to be from Chicago and to write about that city, he sure made it dull. Of course, Chicago has been written about, sung about, and filmed. What could Powers have added to the City of Big Shoulders? But he made Chicago like any city in Generosity. Again, a purposeful manner? Was that the point? Alas, Chicago was left simple. Far from legendary.
But let’s get onto things I did like. Candace and Russell’s relationship was written in a very genuine way. I even liked how it developed slowly which is lacking with most authors. They either don’t go there or they overdo it. In making Candace and Russell an afterthought, Powers gives their relationship more depth.
I also like the parts simply about writing. Powers would have done better to actually write his own creative non-fiction textbook. His prose was beautiful. His anecdotes were perfect. Funny that his own fiction comes off as non-fiction.
Onto Thassa who I had many mixed feelings about. Having taken in this book in an audible fashion, I loved her voice, her spunk. But she was summed up for me in one way: when Candace suggests Russell come over for dinner with her and Thassa when she returned from Boston, she tells him that Thassa will be happy to see him. And Russell thinks to himself that she’s happy when they’re bombing her neighborhood. Because of this statement, and just the whole book, I felt she had no scale on her happiness. How could I believe her relationship with Russell and Candace was special if she treated everyone in a very loving way? Where was her 1-10 scale on how she experiences new things or mundane habits; when she sees an old friend or when she’s making a new one? How could Thassa see the uniqueness in a person if she treated practically everyone the same? It ended up making her flat and the rest of the cast quite unidimensional as well.
She also slightly took on the stereotype of the Magical Negro or Noble Savage. Of course she is given more of a background and history than these characters usually get. There is credit given there. But she is still YOUNG, FEMALE, and ALGERIAN. She brought Russell and Candace together. She is an experiment for Kurton. She is a headline. An internet meme. An object. And this bothered me. How can this character be so beautiful, so wonderful but be relegated to nothing?
In conclusion, I think Powers wrote a very eased in ending for a very laborious piece of work. Everything I did not like seemed to make a ridiculous sense for the ending. I guess I didn’t like the story within the story as much as the actual “plot”. I found Powers to be a very innovative writer. Did Thassa, Chicago, Russell flatline for a reason? Did the story seem meaningless, tiresome, and arduous just to make a point? Yes. I think so. And I think it’s kind of funny that it had to be done in such a bad way. So is it good because the terrible parts were there to serve a fantastic punchline? Or is it just plain bad? I’m left very torn about Generosity.
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1 year ago
Kaimal Mark II Lens, Blanko Film, Dreampop Flash, Taken with Hipstamatic
So I’ve started reading poetry again. Haven’t done that in quite awhile. I thought about where I should start and then I remembered how much I liked John Keats’ Ode to a Grecian Urn in middle school. Well, I didn’t like it at first. But that was only because I couldn’t understand it. Our teacher sort of made it like a puzzle you had to solve and I found the fun in that. After that, I tried a little harder going after poetry and even writing it myself. Unsuccessful on the writing part but that just made me appreciate lyricists even more.
So lucky me!, while at one of my favorite bookstores, Cheever Books, I found a pocket sized John Keats with 14 of his poems. Cheever Books by the way has the most amazing selection and even though the books are used, they’re in amazing shape. I purchased 6 books from them one time and spent $30 while I’ve spent $30 at Borders and got 2 books. Just goes to show that supporting local businesses isn’t always as expensive as most people think.
Anyway, what a fantastic way to start off this cute little book was with his poem On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer. I didn’t know who Chapman was at the time and I had to familiarize myself with Homer before I completely dived in. I do believe in titles and it’s funny when you hear what a title of a song is and you think it has nothing to do with it at all. But I think there’s always background to that and it can be important when you’re tackling a song, novel, or a poem. This must be why it’s been difficult to name some of my short stories. But Keats here shows that sometimes it’s just easier to get straight to the point.
I say it’s a good start to the rest of his poems because it’s a poem about discovery. He starts out talking about all the places he’s gone (…many goodly states…western islands have I been) and it makes him somewhat of a stranger in these places. At least, that’s what I always take travel to be. You’re a foreigner even outside your own neighborhood and nothing is yours. Keats description of his travel seems far off. Beautiful but not his own. But once he hears and understands Homer’s “demesne” (domain) from Chapman, it’s as though he takes possession of this new land that Homer has laid out. I look at the title again: Chapman’s Homer, Chapman’s Homer. In being the translator or having knowledge of Homer, it first belonged to him. Figuratively speaking of course. What I’m saying is I suppose that when you know something, it can never be taken away from you. And in sharing that knowledge, you give other people that power. Chapman was an educator in my eyes before I knew anything about him. He helped Keats to see, to understand. And what a great thing to possess and then share!
Once Chapman spoke “out loud and bold”, Keats became like an astronomer who has captured a new planet (like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken). He becomes like the explorer Hernán Cortés while he stands on a peak in Darien (Panama). Astronomers, conquistadors: they are more than just travelers. They are explorers. Discovery is then theirs, never to be taken away. Chapman allowed Keats to understand and Homer, with all his adventures and all of his empire, can now be his.
It’s such a good poem to start with, especially if you haven’t dived into poetry, because this poem is about so much understanding and discovery. And it’s definitely about how literature or poetry can really take you places. It’s interesting because I’ve never been out of the country except to Mexico. And when you live in Texas, especially San Antonio, the feeling is we belong to Mexico and Mexico belong to us. I feel like I haven’t traveled that far at all then. But if I never leave this country, I’m grateful for books. I’m grateful for all that I see with the help of authors and poets. Of course photographers and film directors can help too but with books, it’s about what you see; not what someone is letting you see. Then it can’t be yours to have. You’re just borrowing it. Let someone truly bestow a knowledge on you and it yours to run away with and have forever.
The picture above is the next poem I’ve read by Keats, from Sleep and Poetry. I’ve already deciphered it and jotted down notes in between stanzas. I’m still going over it a few more times. I won’t write about it here but maybe another time. This has been an excellent exercise for my mind and I hope I can keep it up.
1 year ago
I haven’t been on this thing for quite sometime and when I am on it, I’m not posting anything really significant. This is mainly because A.) I have several journals I write in. The big one being my Catwoman journal I got from a sci-fi museum in Seattle. And B.) Life is so dull right now. But I guess if life were exciting I wouldn’t be on here either. So I’m not even in that content medium to be on Tumblr.
So I’m always surprised that I get new followers. I say thank you to the new people and thanks to the old people who have yet to stop following me. I’m really not all that interesting but it’s appreciated.
Anyway, I’m very broke right now. Can’t even explain it since I’m very careful with my money and have gotten a bump up to supervisor at my job last month. I could be living out of my limit but I realize that I only have 3 main bills to pay: phone, student loan, and rent. Water and electricity don’t cost much. Food is easy because I like to cook so I don’t eat out every week. My housemate did break my laptop so it took about $190 to get it fixed. It’s getting paid back but dang, that extra $190 would come in real handy right about now.
I also don’t even remotely like my job. My boss is extremely passive-aggressive and doesn’t seem to trust anyone. He’s gone through 4 managers already because he won’t allow anyone to actually make the business succeed. He can’t just leave it in the hands of the people he put in charge to make it work. So here I was excited about more responsibility when actually I’m being babysat more than ever. But even before I got this job I’ve been longing to be in the non-profit sector. I would love to be at a museum or food pantry; theater program or community center. But it seems these things are lacking in San Antonio so there aren’t many jobs for that. So I guess I just have to keep volunteering. Which is OK, but I’d like to spend more of my time immersed in helping people, not just having a few hours each week.
I’m sure it would help if I would hurry up and finish school. I did a summer program at Yale when I was in high school, did community college, and then went to a horrible art school. I don’t want to do it anymore. A few classes here and there but I hate spending my time and money at these places. I could go to the best school in the world and dislike it. I think it’s because I’m about so much action and school, for me at least, has always been about studying and memorizing. I just want to do it already! And I learn so quickly so I know I’d work out well anywhere I go. It’s just people want a diploma to prove that you’re worthy. I’m so tired of that. I’m so much more than that. Not a conceited or proud statement, mind you, because I’m in awe of anyone who finishes school. I just know that I was made for something different.
My flickr pro account is almost about to expire too. Which is upsetting only because I think, well why would it matter. It’s not like you take your camera with you everywhere like you used to, Miranda. It’s not like you’ve been trying to get better at it. I lose again. So I have no talent. I’m not very good at anything. Or maybe I just give up too soon.
But it’s not like I want to give up. But where else can I go? Certainly not up. 23. 23. When I was younger where did I think I would be at 23? Hmm, I guess I had low expectations even as a youth because I imagined myself working in a coffee shop and living in an apartment by myself. Granted Amelie was my favorite movie at the time. Except for the ending of that movie. I was always to be what Amelie was before the “fabulous destiny.” LE SIGH
Sorry to bring everyone down. But my life is not We Are Scientists and Janelle Monáe 24/7. Nor is it Peggy from Mad Men. It’s not cute houses and pictures of girls with pretty dreaded hair that I hope I have one day. It can’t be movie reviews and iPhone pictures. It just can’t be me living vicariously through others with more talent and more life. I have to have something. It has to be real. And that doesn’t mean I’ll give up RaeBerlin but there has to be something more.
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All these images and words are becoming less of an inspiration and more of a longing to be that. I need to make my own path.
1 year ago
When I was younger, for some reason I did not like all-girl rock bands. I liked 60s girl groups and a lot of solo female acts but there was something about every girl band I came across that ended up irritating me. Maybe because they tried too hard or, with girls as the lead of an all-guys band, they thought they had to be super tough or super sexy to be taken seriously. They couldn’t just be themselves and it was a weird thing to see especially within punk music. But then my buddy Leya introduced me to The Slits as well as other groups with ladies in them (X-Ray Spex, Elastica, Thee Headcoatees), and I knew that great girl bands exist. All I had to do was search deeper. Since then I’ve found out about New Bloods, Land of Talk, Delta 5 and others on my own.
I say all this because I’m sure Ari Up was an inspiration to or was in the same league as many of these bands. She had her own special kind of energy and it is something I wish I could have experienced live. Alas, she has passed at the young age of 48 on this day. I think listening to music like The Slits always made me wish that I was a young person during that time, living in London or New York because it always felt like that was a time where big things were happening. But I listen to this music today and compare it to what’s out there and remember that big things are always happening, and not just in big cities. People will always have something to say through music. I guess I listen to “Typical Girls” and think it’s an anthem for a movement. But these anthems are being made everyday. I think Ari Up is a key figure in making that happen.
Celebrity deaths are like any other deaths really. It’s very sad but it happens and there is no curse going around. Death just happens. But when you see and experience someone who makes art for a living, you know a part of them lives on. And I think it’s nice to stop and take a listen to what they dedicated themselves to. It gives you some sort of hope that this can and will always continue. R.I.P. Ari Up. Thanks for the tunes!
1 year ago
Spaghetti Tacos? «
At first I thought this article was a pretty silly thing to put in the New York Times. iCarly show starts a food craze amongst tweens! Moms hectically searching for recipes to please their children! But I guess it’s important to note such a cultural phenomenon among young people that doesn’t involve fashion, or having the latest gadget. This time it involves cuisine and although it may end up a fad, it seems less superficial. Young folks having fun with their food, trying new things, and being creative is a good thing I think.
Despite the fact that I’m always disappointed with Top Chef, or am bored with the new “cooks” The Food Network gives a show to nearly every month, I’m always impressed with how many people around me view the shows. I think people would like to stay home and cook a sumptuous meal for their family and friends. And even if we don’t always reach that goal, at least folks are trying and often, finding new things to bring to the table. Pun intended. I remember this being one of my goals before the end of the year and I made it a goal because cooking a good meal really shows how much you love someone. The ingredients and the time you put into it really says something to other people. It says, you cared enough not to let this burn to a crisp on the stove while you caught up on your favorite show. Cooking is very meditative. You really can’t be doing other things while you cook.
I also enjoyed this article because I could see how this happened to my generation many years ago. Harriet the Spy (the movie) had come out and I remember her favorite thing was a peanut butter and tomato sandwich. Or maybe it was a tomato and mayo, I can’t remember at this particular time. It was also in the book, but I think seeing it on film made a huge impression on me. So I remember doing the same a few times during my childhood. I remember having friends who did too. Parents thought it was disgusting while we thought it was one step closer to being a Harriet. I’m no fan of iCarly. I’ve tried because my little sister likes it, but I don’t find it all that funny. But I can see how she is probably the coolest thing to most kids. A hero somewhat. And if her eccentric older brother is making kids think about what they eat, I think that is pretty cool. First step in having open-minded kids, I think. Click the link at the top to read this silliness but goodness!
1 year ago
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars When I first started the book, I asked myself if I liked the character of Pat Tillman. I didn’t understand why I was having such a problem with him. But my problem wasn’t with him, it was with Krakauer and his kiss-assery, if I may. The hero treatment was way too much for me. Although, Tillman is a hero in many people’s eyes and an overall good guy, it felt like he just couldn’t be any guy. He had to be “unafraid to buck the herd”, “defend honor, with fists if necessary”, “Tillman…virtually indestructible”, and was “uncommonly resistant to the temptations of the baser human appetites”. Hell, he used ODYSSEY in the title! I could go on forever! There’s even several paragraphs about how Tillman wanted to meet Noam Chomsky which seems useless until you realize Krakauer wanted to throw that in there because his friend noted that their minds operated the same way. Oh wait, actually that was useless.
Really? I almost disliked myself reading this book because I saw how cynical I was becoming with each chapter filled with adoration for Tillman. With that, I thank Krakauer for featuring the history of Afghanistan’s civil wars because without it, I would have lost my mind. My suspicions on why he did this were confirmed towards the end. A lot of what was happening in Afghanistan possibly mirrors American policy or how Pashtunwali beliefs mirrored Tillman’s own beliefs. I enjoyed that aspect and probably found that’s what saved the book. There are several wasted paragraphs and chapters on superfluous information. I see what he was trying to do with involving the Jessica Lynch story. Clever but annoying in the end. This was the same with other chapters. I felt like I answered my question on whether I liked Tillman’s character when we got to journal entries. It was there that I felt he was real, while in Krakauer’s own accounts, he relishes in the myth of Tillman. He should have relied more on Tillman’s writings than on his own.
I don’t think I’d ever read Krakauer again. I wonder if the author has an obsession with grandeur and the romance of people rather than letting these people be beautiful and wonderful on their own. As far as I know, this is his second book featuring white, upper middle class men who are well educated but are looking for adventure in the most drastic ways. Though educated, they don’t use their heads much. Rather their hearts. And this is not a bad thing but I wish Krakauer realized that instead of writing these ballads. Tillman didn’t have to be boy wonder. The author even ends with the idea that Pat possessed no tragic flaw. But why would that be so bad? Pretty good read, good history, but in most cases, much too much.
2 years ago
This Is Informative, You Should Watch It of the Day: Feminist Frequency takes a look at how a significant number of blockbuster films we know and love are incapable of passing Dykes to Watch Out For’s Alison Bechdel’s “Bechdel Test,” which requires a film to fulfill all three of the following requirements: #1. The film has to have at least two women in it; #2. Who talk to each other; #3. About something besides a man.
Pretty eye-opening stuff.
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Wow, that was interesting and pretty informative. I thought about all the movies that are my favorite films in order to see if they past the test. Some do not but my top favorite films do and they are Imitation of Life (1959 version) and Ghost World. The former had four women in it and featured a lot of situations about race and mother-daughter relationships. The latter was two girls after high school who basically don’t know what to do. Pretty similar to my own experience and why I loved it so much. I liked the comic also. I don’t know if this is telling sign of what I expect to enjoy in movies. But I wonder if even if a movie passes this “test” is it still empowering to women? Like I’m not a Sex and the City fan at all (aside from all the clothes they wear) but there are four women who are best friends and talk about everything from aging to motherhood. I am happy that a movie like that is being made but can’t be sure if it mirrors what my idea of what a womanist is.
Then there are cheesy flicks that I loved like Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion that might not be looked at as womanist film but I loved it and thought it had a powerful story about just loving who you are and where you are in life. I thought it was sweet. You can throw Clueless in there too and although much raunchier, Mean Girls I suppose. I also want to point out if there is one woman and one girl, does that count? I loved the relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda, and Bette Davis’ character in Now, Voyager with her younger co-star. I think that’s important considering how the media likes to pit older women against younger women.
All in all, I found this really impressive and something I would not have otherwise thought about. I enjoy watching movies, so much that I’ve actually been trying to take them apart and review them. I think this is another way of looking at movies and seeing where the movie industry is heading. I would love to one day write a screenplay or even something for the stage. But this has got me wondering, would I write it about more than one woman and would they discuss more than hunky boys? It really makes you rethink everything.
via thedailywhat
