Push by Sapphire

Push by Sapphire is the unsettling story of Precious; a young, obese, illiterate, black woman who is a long time victim of sexual abuse by both her mother, and father.  The story takes place in Harlem and is told by Precious herself.  The book starts out when Precious is pregnant with her second child by her father.  Someone (a female teacher) refers Precious to an education facility for struggling and troubled teenaged women because of her pregnancy, and also because -- the reader can assume -- Precious is not like other girls her age.  The story goes back in time to detail Precious' earlier years, when people recognized the abuse and wanted to help but couldn't and also when people could help but chose not to.  The author doesn't hold back the horrid details of Precious' abuse. At times you are crying for Precious, but also, for anyone else whose life this story could be based on.  The book is mainly about Precious' realization of her situation and her struggle and determination to escape from it.  While her physical escape happens early in the story, her mental escape is a struggle she is faced with throughout the book.  With the help of an institution called Each One Teach One (a place for troubled young women to learn the basic skills to complete their GED), Precious, along with the other female students at EOTO, learns how to enjoy life, become independent, and most importantly, love herself.  Her teacher, Blue Rain, and her fellow classmates are a driving force in Precious' eventual transformation from a victim of abuse to an independent young mother.  Keep in mind however that this story is a tragedy, and without giving away too much, it's important to know that it doesn't have a fairytale ending. 


The story is tragic, without a doubt.  It will make you cry, hard, but also it will make you laugh.  The book is written as though Precious were the author; with misspelled words and poor grammar to emphasize not only the fact that Precious is illiterate and struggling, but also to make the story more personal; like a journal.  This book is a definite must-read for anyone interested in women's studies. 
 
The film is coming out shortly, but I have to be honest, I don't think I will be able to stomach it.  The truth is, as much as this story is fictional, it is based on reality.  Precious might be a made up character, but she is based on many women whose lives correspond very closely with the horrors in this book.  For those of us who don't live those realities, this book is a bit of a shocker, but also a real eye opener. 

Rating: 4/5

Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair

Just a quick note to everyone who lives in Boston!!!  The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is running from November 13th, 2009 to November 15th, 2009.  I will be attending and think this is going to be a great event for book lovers.  It is at the Hynes Convention Centre in Boston.  You can buy your tickets and get more information at http://www.bostonbookfair.com/ .  Also, to book our hotel I used a really great site called http://www.priceline.com/ which has a feature that you can bid on hotel rooms based on star rating, neighborhood, etc.  I have never been to an Antiquarian Book Fair before so I am pretty excited.  Hope to see you there!

Payback by Margaret Atwood

Considering the spotlight on finances as of late, I assumed this would be another book about debt facts on both personal and public levels. What piqued my interest was that the author is Margaret Atwood, who I would have never pictured writing any book about money or finance. The book is actually about debt from a cultural, historical, religious, and moral standpoint. It is a refreshing and unique look at the world of debt throughtout the ages to the present day. It is not only about the value of debt but also the fictitiousness of debt. I have read Atwood in the past, but never any non-fiction. This was very different from her usual work, obviously, but it doesn’t fall short by any means. It shows her ability as a literary genius to take her knowledge of literature and culture, and use that knowledge to analyze debt in north american society today. She uses her knowledge in a way that I don’t think an economist could have and ends up surprising you at the end of the book, when you realize these facts aren’t simply scattered bits of trivia but rather seeds of information to allow the reader to see the bigger picture at the end. Witty, as she often is, and brilliant, as she always is, this book is truly a shining moment for Atwood because it breaks any assumptions about how limited she is in her writing. This book is something I would recommend to historians, economists, environmentalist, and book snobs alike


Rating: 4/5

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

This book was a good one to read, especially with Halloween coming up. It’s about the Salem Witch Trials and the idea that maybe real magic isn’t as hokus pokus and abracadabra as we think (well, actually, maybe a little MORE abracadabra than we think). It’s about Connie Goodwin, a stressed out graduate student recently accepted into the PhD program she always hoped for. Shortly after her acceptance, Connie’s wacky and hugely misunderstood mother tells her that her grandmother’s long abandoned house has accumulated a hefty amount of unpaid property taxes and that it needs to be sold to pay the bill. Connie grudgingly makes a promise to her mother that she will spend her summer cleaning up the old house and making it sellable after its many years of neglect. Things start to get spooky when Connie discovers that the women in her life, past and present, weren’t always what they seemed to be and that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. The book goes back and forth between the present day and 15th/16th century Salem to tell the story of a large group of women who were fatally misunderstood. It talks about the perils of being a successful woman, past and present. It also talks about religion as a scapegoat, which is often something that comes up when discussing the Salem Witch Trials. What makes this book even better is the author’s own family connection to Elizabeth Proctor and Elizabeth Howe; two women who experienced the Salem Witch Trials. Elizabeth Howe, sadly, did not survive them, which makes this story hit home as she is a character in the book. Also, the author’s own background in American and New England Studies offers authenticity to the more historical aspects of the book. I was particularly fond of the background information that the author provides at the end of the book because it legitimizes a lot of what she is saying and makes you realize how much of the book really is non-fiction. While the real magic bits are a bit much for me, it does make you wonder if there is more than meets the eye. This is a great new read and I look forward to more books by Elizabeth Howe.

Rating 4/5

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This novel was an exceptional read; both intimate and horrifying. Any book that is difficult to put down automatically get’s the thumbs up. It grabbed and held my attention in the first 10 pages, something even good books fail to do in the first 100. It is the first McCarthy novel that I have read and I enjoyed it more than I expected. It is the ominous and somewhat perilous journey of a father and son clinging to the hope that there is some good left in a raped and ravaged world. The story is about their continued journey down “the road” to find some sort of salvation in what used to be the United States but is now a cannibalistic, violent, and desperate, society of outlaws, nomads, rapists, murderers, and thieves. At times, The Road’s disturbing imagery is difficult to stomach, although McCarthy never goes as far as it seems he will. This probably works in his favour since at several points in the book I almost put it down because I became so afraid of what would happen next. An author who can inject a reader emotionally like that is certainly not lacking in his craft. A tool that McCarthy uses throughout the book to do this is false foreshadowing; planting seeds for things the reader assumes will happen, but never do. This adds to the suspense and fear that McCarthy creates for his audience. It also contributes to the fear of the unknown, which is a major consideration of this story. The plot doesn’t really thicken, which adds to the simplicity and nothingness that the book is supposed to make the reader feel. This book conveys more emotion than any other book I have ever read. McCarthy forces the reader to experience fear, sadness, and desperation alongside the main characters. There are a few things I didn’t like. The dialogue is difficult to follow at times and can be repetitive. Also, the use of proper names is nearly non-existent, but this seems to serve a purpose. For example, the father and son (as well as the few other characters that come along in the story) have descriptive terms to identify them rather than names; i.e. the man and the boy. The few proper names that are found are mostly brand names. One example of this is Coca Cola, when they find one last can of Coke inside a beaten vending machine in a long abandoned and pillaged grocery store. Much of the book is description as McCarthy isn’t just telling a story of loss, but also painting a picture about what post-apocalyptic America may look like. My interpretation of this book, aside from the message that the world is consuming itself to the point of complete extermination, is the true terror in the unknown. It is about the terror of being alone. It is also about the necessary attachment to god and faith when there is nothing else left to believe in. The Road is also an interpretation of raw human nature at the most desperate and destitute of times. The Road is definitely a new addition to some old favourites in post-apocalyptic literature. I look forward to reading more of McCarthy’s work down the road.

Rating 5/5