Review: Guernica by Dave Boling

From the Back of the Novel: In 1935, finding himself on the wrong side of the Spanish Nationalists, Miguel Navarro flees to Guernica, the most ancient town in the Basque region. In this idyllic, isolated bastion of democratic values, Miguel finds more than a new life--he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is a charismatic dancer from the town's most prominent family, and the two discover a powerful love.
But their affair is doomed to be painfully tested. On the eve of World War II, the German Luftwaffe bombs Guernica. It is a devastating experiment in total warfare and, for the Basques, an attack on the soul of their ancient nation. Seamlessly merging history and fiction, Guernica speaks to the resilience of family, love, and tradition in extraordinary circumstances.

I will admit, this is a book that will stay with me for a very, very long time. For anyone that knows the basics of the Spanish Civil War and the bombing of Guernica by the Germans as a show of support for Franco, this book is, understandably, not a happy one. What the Germans did to "test" their air force was horrific, and Boling does a fantastic job putting a human face on that tragedy. He really makes you fall in love with the characters, quirks and all, and makes you care about what happens to them. The novel acts as a fantastic introduction to the "opening acts" of World War II and the historic difficulties of the Basque people under oppressive regimes.

That being said, don't go into this one expecting an unbiased view of anything that's happening. The Basques are portrayed as vibrant, loving, intelligent...the stereotypical "good" guys of the novel. And every German or Spanish (read: fascists supporting the Franco-led rebellion against the Spanish republic) is portrayed as soulless, lazy, and, in several cases, socio-pathic. There's little attempt to understand them as people with their own families to protect. Still, I think it is rather appropriate in this novel--the descriptions of the German bombers as celebrating after the horrific decimation of the town of Guernica show just how disassociated from other people many fascists had become. They didn't think of Guernica as a town full of people with lives and families; instead, they were the enemy: a strategic target. In contrast, the British bomber portrayed reaches the understanding early in his military career that his bombing in Germany could result in the death of German women and children. I am not mentioning this in criticism; I'm just warning non-fiction readers that they shouldn't expect an unbiased view of the Spanish Civil War in this novel.

This is Boling's first novel, and, I must admit, I'm extremely impressed. I saw it on the bookshelves at Borders on the "If you like...then you might like..." displays, and I couldn't resist it, and it quickly ended up on the top of my TBR list. Boling's writing style reminds me a lot of Allende and some other Latin American and Spanish authors (but with a whole heck of a lot more of the realism and none of the supernatural). His descriptions are beautiful, and he successfully paints a picture of the horrifying event without being gory. Rather, he shows an amazing respect for all of the characters, even as they're facing their last moments or the ongoing need to deal with grief. Ultimately, the book has an excellent message and shows that even in the midst of overwhelming death and destruction, a community can rebound--even thrive.

My rating: 10/10

Other reviews:
caribousmom
Presenting Lenore
She Is Too Fond of Books

Up Next: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Quick Review: Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss

I'm just going to give a quick review of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves since I'm on my way out for rockclimbing with the inlaws :)

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a stickler (except online) when it comes to punctuation. I figure that people who take the time to make signs to advertise their goods, should at least use proper punctuation...I will never buy banana's from a grocery store.

That being said, I think this book is extremely accessible. It's a bit caustic for those who just can't seem to grasp some of the rules she explains, but she at least summarizes basic punctuation rules by using extremely funny examples of terrible punctuation in print. She also has a lot to say about what the downfall of punctuation (see grocery store signs and text message speak) can mean for human understanding of language...something I think all book bloggers should be concerned about!

My rating: 9.7/10

Other reviews:
**Please let me know if you have a review of this book posted...I couldn't seem to find any in my cursory search of my Google Reader**

Up next: Guernica by Dave Bolling

Review: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary novel about identical twin boys, one ends up schizophrenic; the other ends up troubled and burdened by life's tragedies. Lamb describes the "normal" boy's attempts to take responsibility for his brother without ending up exactly like him.

Wally Lamb is a masterful story-teller. I really felt the characters, empathized with them, even though I have lived a quiet and sheltered life compared to the trials of nearly everyone involved in the story. I thought that the characters were believable; you don't necessarily support everything that they did, but you could at least understand where they were coming from. And each one tackles some very serious issues -- schizophrenia, SIDS, diabetes, child abuse, treatment of Native Americans, racism, etc. -- but they're still people, and I appreciate that Lamb recognizes this. People can't face such over-arching hardship and live without recognizing humor...and finding love. And that is ultimately what I think this book is about: the ability to find love even among overwhelming problems.

Still, this book is not without fault. Some episodes seem to be included only to prove characters' quirkiness. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I love character-development-driven novels, but sometimes I have trouble with novels that switch back and forth between character development and plot. It seemed like sometimes the plot got too rushed while character development was long and drawn-out and at other times, the plot took a while to develop and character development was fast and forced. It made it hard to maintain my bearings.

All of this, however, does not detract from my recommendation that anyone who hasn't read this yet (and I may be the only one). I truly loved this novel; it was worth all 900 pages.

My rating: 8.9/10

Other reviews:
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
Caribousmom
Book Maven's Blog
Reading Matters
Everything Distils Into Reading
Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Up Next: Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss

Happy Banned Books Week!!!

This week marks a very, very important week in a reader's life: Banned Books Week. I can't help but be grateful for the American Library Association's fight against people who desire to make their values force everyone else to change their behavior. I know my reading history would not be as rich and beautiful if the book-banners had won. I wouldn't have read Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God or Twain's Huck Finn.

I do remember in elementary school when some parents' complaints made the library set up a permission slip system in order for students to access the back office, which housed the Goosebumps series. I was never a huge fan...it was always a series that I read when I couldn't find anything else that I was much interested in reading, but even as a young 5th grader, I thought it seemed unfair. So many kids at that time only read Goosebumps, and there really wasn't anything all that scary or inappropriate about them. Looking back now, I think parents should have just been grateful for Goosebumps because it made their children meet their self-selected reading goals with less opposition and fighting :)

I just always thought that the arguments for banning books seemed completely ridiculous. The common citation of the "n" word as a reason to ban the book just doesn't make sense. These books, including the above-mentioned Huck Finn and Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, allow students to talk about and deal with the historical and contemporary issues surrounding race, that word itself, and what it means. I think it expands a student's understanding; it certainly doesn't make every student a racist. Funny thing is, most of the books that are banned that include the "n" word or the "f" word or many others, actually lead to students expanding their minds, opening them up to other cultures, etc (To Kill a Mockingbird, in particular, comes to mind here). Maybe that's what some parents are really afraid of: their children being challenged in school, leading to them moving away from their parents closed minds and being more accepting. And if parents really have moral issues with books in libraries or schools, maybe they should set up an alternative specifically for their children rather than force that moral issue on all students/library patrons.

What do you think? Am I too critical of book banners? How are you celebrating Banned Books Week?

Review: Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

I really don't know how to describe this novel. It's definitely a little different than The Bean Trees in that it seems to focus more on political and social issues rather than just the characters, but I loved it all the same. I love books that make me really think, and because of the issues raised in the novel, I had to continually reevaluate my feelings about what was happening in the novel.

Basically, the novel picks up where The Bean Trees left off. Turtle remains with Taylor in Arizona, but as the two are on vacation, Turtle saves a man who had fallen into the Hoover Dam, landing the two on talk shows, including Oprah. The Oprah show catches the attention of a Cherokee lawyer Annawake who, because of her own emotional baggage, takes Turtle's adoption as a personal affront against the Cherokee tribe and attempts to invalidate the adoption based on Supreme Court rulings to bring Turtle back to the tribe. The novel traces the family wrangling and emotional issues surrounding how Taylor, Turtle, and Annawake deal with the issues raised.

I honestly was torn throughout the novel about how I wanted it to end. I absolutely loved Taylor's character in The Bean Trees and respected her decision to step up and care for Turtle when no one else would. And I thought that Annawake, at times, completely ignored the fact that the Cherokee "family" had its chance to care for Turtle and blew it. At the same time, the history of the U.S. government's relationship with the Cherokee nation (and other Native American tribes for that matter) has been terrible, and the tribe had a right to prevent their children from being taken away. I won't tell you how the book ended, but I thought it seemed to be a bit of a cop out, allowing Kingsolver to avoid taking a stand. Still, the characterization was great, and the story brought me to tears at times. Definitely not as good as The Bean Trees, but Pigs in Heaven is still a fantastic read, especially if you've already fallen in love with the characters in the first novel (which I totally suggest you read first).

My rating: 9.2/10

I couldn't seem to find any other reviews, but a lot of you have it on your TBR page; I highly suggest you read it :)
*Let me know if I missed your review and I'll add it*

Up next: I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

The Age-Old Desert Island Question?

My favorite radio station XPN has been taking a survey of its listeners about the 10 songs you'd want to have with you on your low-capacity solar-powered Ipod. They'll compile it into an 885 Desert Island Songs list to coincide with their Fall fund drive. I totally forget which songs I submitted because I decided I couldn't over-think it and decided to just vote early on. Even if you're not from the Phili/Jersey/Central PA listening, you should totally check it out (Voting ends tomorrow 9/11, I believe). I'd also suggest checking into their Live Stream of the radio station so you can listen wherever! They play some fantastic new artists as well as some more national "Indie" bands. Regardless of what they're playing, they're non-commercial, meaning more listening time. Even during the fund drives, they limit fundraising to the amount of time usually taken up by commercials on "regular" radio stations. Just take all this rambling to be a whole-hearted suggestion that you check them out.

Still...it's got me to thinking. What happens if you apply this to books? Assuming the deserted island has tons of food, etc., and you'll be there for a good long time, which books would you want to have along? I decided to set some ground rules for my own list (you're free to make your own rules if you want to muse aloud about similar lists):
1. I have to have read it. Being stuck on a deserted island is not the time that I want to bring 10 unread books that turn out to be duds.
2. Series do not count as one book...if I wanted the whole Harry Potter series, I'd better set aside 7 books.

The list I decided on...and believe me, it's taken some agonizing:
1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
2. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory
4. The World According to Garp by John Irving
5. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
6. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
7. Jazz by Toni Morrison
8. Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
9. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
10. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I took it pretty seriously. I figured I should put together a pretty well-rounded list with lots of different kinds of books. I picked a lot of books that I've re-read or read once but think I'll be able to pick up on even more by another couple reads on the island's beach :) Also, I avoided non-fiction because I thought I may want a bit of an escape from my lonely life by connecting with characters (of course, McCourt is the exception, but how can you read that book and not connect to the characters to some extent?).

What do you think? Which 10 books would you want to have in your backpack on your deserted island?

Reminder: you should totally check out XPN's website. They're totally awesome

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

From the Back (because I can't summarize this book any better): "Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity of putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places."

I initially read this book junior year of high school for our yearly research paper. It was my first exercise in literary research, and I think it kept me from enjoying this book as thoroughly as I did during my re-read. I love Kingsolver's style: the way she has of discussing serious matters and saying something important without getting all high-and-mighty about it. The book grapples with some serious stuff--child abuse, the plight of illegal immigrants who come to the U.S. to escape persecution without the means of actually proving that persecution to U.S. immigration courts, economic disparity, friendship, love, the limits of parents' ability to protect their children, racism, etc., etc. Yet, the tone is regularly lighthearted and sweet. The only real villain is "the way things are," which, in this story, is of course frustrating. All the characters in the novel are so sweet and disarming and quirky that you have to cheer for them, especially when they're lost and making bad decisions. And the book is uplifting; without spoiling it, the ending has an excellent message and leaves you thinking, but not sobbing.

I don't think I can quite put how excellent this book is into words. It's even better the second time through (probably helped along by a bit of "life experience").

My rating: 10/10

Other reviews:
A Lifetime of Books
The Written World
**If I've missed your review, let me know via comments, and I'll add your link**

Up next: the sequel Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver