Plague of Doves by Louise Erdich

I admit, I read a review of this book on Slate and it looked good. But I read this book in its entirety because it was about Native Americans, based on a true story, and I felt guilty stopping. I am glad I finished it but I did find second 20% of it or so a little hard to follow and kind of boring.

The story follows a set of Ojibwe Indians and caucasians in North Dakota over several generations as their reservation and town become more and more intertwined. The central story in the book is of a violent crime that results in several Indians being lynched. The book tells the story out of order, so as time goes on, relationships and occurences take on different meaning with different background.

The writing was pretty good, although the voice of one particular character, the grandfather, was hard for me to follow. I enjoyed learning about Native American life in modern times which I am woefully undereducated about. The story that Erdrich waves, if you can work through the parts that are tricky to read, is sad, surprising, and rewarding to finish.

Wall St. Journal Summer Reading

Thanks to Dave who saved the Weekend Journal section, I have the Wall Street Journal's Summer Reading Guide. This year's list is heavily bent on foreign stories, which I'm sure I'll like.

The paper is easier to read, but here is the link to the electronic version: http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/info-flash08.html?project=SUMMERBOOKS08

The Girls by Lori Lansens

I read about the book on Slate and got it from the library during a "had-too-much-Diet-Coke-at-a-Red-Sox-game-am-up-late-let's-binge-on-book-requests-from-the-library's-electronic-database-at-3-in-the-morning" episode. It has an ambitious premise: it's about two girls in their late twenties who are craniopagus twins - joined at the head. The girls have unique identities and personalities and one of them sets out to write her autobiography.

The book was well-written, and the two girls' voices sufficiently different to be interesting. I had a hard time remembering they were attached sometimes because their parents would reward one with a trip somewhere or punish one with a grounding and both girls were subjected to the event. However, the characters were likable, the story had many surprises throughout the narrative, and the overall effect was a book I looked forward to reading each night before bed.

The only thing I did not like was the ending. There is an inevitable ending the story suggests early on, but the execution of the climax and denouement was poor. Too bad, since it was a memorable book overall.

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Not since Caroline Knapp's Appetites has a nonfiction book changed my point of view about something so strongly. Since they are both about food I think that tells me something about myself. This book, by the author of Omnivore's Dilemma (which I have not read yet), is summarized on its cover: Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants.

Pollan says that what gets complicated is what it means to eat "food". Is what is in our supermarkets today food? Or is it food-like substances, bloated by corn syrup and soybean oil? He gives a history of the FDA and discusses what basis they have for recommending different nutrients.

His rhetoric borders on being a little conspiracy-theory at times, faulting the government with providing bad information to us about food based on lobbyist groups, but his message overall is smart. The micronutrients that we fortify our white bread with are not necessarily effective independent of their complementary nutrients naturally occurring in foods. Our foods are filled with soy and corn because we can get the most calories per acre of those foods. We eat far too much meat for a healthy diet. Low-fat foods are tricking America into eating 20% more calories per day than we did in the 1980's

To deal with this, he makes some suggestions of varying simplicity to incorporate into our lives. For example, shop the perimeter of the grocery store, that's where the fresh foods are; don't eat anything that does not spoil eventually; don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize. (He also says to eat every meal at a table, (not a desk), but I'm not ready for that one yet.)

While I'm not giving my Snickers addiction up just yet, I believe that Pollan is right: food has gotten too complicated. I've already had a few extra bananas this week because of this book.

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

Lisa recommended this to me, and since we've only had really divergent opinions on one book (Corelli's Mandolin) in our entire friendship, I moved it to the top of my list. (I almost accidentally took out a book called Year of Frog which I must admit to now being incredibly curious about.)

I could not put this book down. I was totally entranced by the story of Abby, a photographer in her early thirties whose fiance's daughter disappears when she is watching her one day. The story takes place (mostly) in San Francisco, and Richmond's descriptions of the neighborhoods and beaches are quite good.

Now, the book was not perfect -- Richmond kept interrupting the story to present information on memory and hypnosis and other topics that were keeping Abby up at night when the little girl went missing. Sometimes I thought these interludes were interesting, sometimes they just broke the flow of the book. There was also about fifty pages in the middle that seemed to drag a little. I was scratching my head saying, "ok, the girl's still missing, Abby's relationship is falling apart, what now?" The other problem I had with the book which may be my fault, not Richmond's, was that I kept skimming paragraphs and pages of description to get to the more plot-oriented parts.

But in the end, Richmond presented a complete plot: beginning, middle, end, denouement. The writing is well-done, Abby is complex and familiar, and the story is compelling.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

I really liked this book. It is a fictionalized account of a love affair that took place between Frank Lloyd Wright (the architect) and Mamah Cheney, a client of his. The book is set in the early 20th century, and takes place in both the United State and Europe.

While this book is most identifiably a love story, it also explored how pervasive Wright's opinions about design were in his personality. I enjoyed learning more about Wright, although I am tempted to read a biography of him soon to learn what is really true about him and what was imagined by Horan.

The book also tackled themes of feminism, as Mamah gets a job translating essays by Ellen Key (Swedish feminist) into English. In doing so, Mamah struggles with how early 20th century feminism viewed her leaving her husband (ok) and children (bad).

What I liked most about the book was how much the author was able to teach me about Wright and about feminism without my noticing.

Soliciting Recommendations!

This is the time of year when I've generally gotten through all the books from last year's booklists that I am interested in and despite my bookshelves being overwhelmed with books I haven't read I'm on the prowl for new recommendations.

In addition, I'm looking for good biographies of The Beatles, Freddie Mercury, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

What say you, reader?

A Free Life by Ha Jin

I remember liking Ha Jin's Waiting (although I can't remember what it was about other than something relating to a ponytail) so when I saw this on the shelf I picked it up. I didn't even notice until now that it was a book about freedom and I was reading it during Passover.


The book is about a young family who immigrate from China to the United States and what their first decade or so is like in the U.S. I was enthralled by the story and the decisions they faced. It is probably the best book I've read in a long time that gave me a window into a particular 'universe' so elegantly. I learned a lot about the economics of starting over in a new country, and especially enjoyed the sections about their owning a Chinese restaurant in Atlanta.



I did not think the writing was as good as it could have been, although the story was, but that may have been intentional since the main characters' first language is not English. Aside from finding the style simplistic and lacking in physical details in places, the book was intriguing.

Remainder by Tom McCarthy

I think I saw this book recommended somewhere; in any case it showed up in my library queue. It's about a man who is recovering from a bad accident. One day he sees something that reminds him of childhood and becomes obsessed with re-enacting scenes from his memory to the tiniest detail. The author played with concepts around memory and reality, as well as authenticity.

While the book started off slow, I really enjoyed the middle 75% of the story. However, I was disappointed in the ending. Like the Sopranos, it didn't really end, although I don't think McCarthy has any illusions about their being a movie made of this book. If you've read this and have any insight, please comment below!

Humans by Robert Sawyer

Humans is the second book of the "Parallax Trilogy" Sawyer wrote about a parallel Neanderthal world that contacts our world. I usually wait a bit longer between books of the same author but I could not wait to read this continuation. I was not disappointed.

Sawyer continued to build his vast social commentary, this time focusing on reproduction, environmental issues, and criminal justice. At the same time, he draws some interesting conclusions about the fossil record and what we know about evolution. While it is not entirely clear that the fantastical nature of the Neanderthal world could have been derived from the differences between humans (ok, Robert, I'll call them homo sapiens) and Neanderthals, I'll let Sawyer chalk it up to the randomness inherent in the creation of multiple worlds because I liked this book so much. He created a great pair of universes and a believable love story to boot.

I do not know how long I will go without breaking down to read the finale, Hybrids.

I'll Fly Away by Wally Lamb

This book is a continuation of Lamb's 2002 compilation of woman's' writing from the York Correctional Institution (i.e., Jail) entitled Couldn't Keep it to Ourselves. While I enjoyed the original book for its honesty and the stories around how women got into situations that ended with their committing crimes, this follow-up was disappointing.

After a multi-page forward about the political troubles at the York jail, the book has about a dozen women's' short essays and poems with no discernible theme. While I'm sure the writing was therapeutic for the prisoners and their teachers, it's less than inspirational for the reader.

I'm ready for Lamb's next novel already. Which he promises is coming.

Update on the Book Swap

A few months ago I mentioned going to a party with a book swap. This weekend we actually did it and here are the results:

• I gave a book about the invention of longitude based on my lifelong obsession with maps


• Web gave a book on the science of science fiction writing, because he loves sci-fi and most people don't know that about him


• Sara gave a book about storytelling since she is a new mom and has been struggling to be creative in her stories to her son at night on three hours' sleep


• Ethan gave Tom Sawyer, a childhood favorite of his


• Jamie gave Bill Clinton's Giving, because she once met him at a basketball game


• Jay gave a Real Simple cookbook because he used to cook dinner for his mom when she worked late


• Jenn gave a book about travels in India and one of crossword puzzles because of one lifelong and one new obsession


• Greg gave me a book on modern art and one on the game of Go. I could have pegged him as a Go aficionado but the art was a complete surprise.
  

All in all, a fun way to learn a little more about close friends.

Wildfire by Nelson DeMille

I bought this book (and Michael Crichton's Next) at Costco a few months ago before several business trips, thinking they would be good airport reads. Something about the cover art turned me off and I just got around to reading it now.

This is a very typical DeMille John Corey book. In case you are not familiar with this series, the John Corey books feature a very sarcastic protagonist who retires as a New York City detective but works for the FBI. He is always getting himself into trouble and uses very unusual tactics to solve crimes. Incredibly, he has a beautiful and talented girlfriend / wife who plays his straight man (woman?)

This particular story was about an elite group of business people and government officials who hatch a plan post-9/11 to address the growing terrorist threat. Problem is, their plan is itself terrorism and Corey rightfully disapproves and figures it out just as it is being executed. He throws himself into trying to stop the events from taking motion.

I liked it. Completely what I wanted from this type of book.

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

I first read about this book where most people did, referenced in Freakonomics. Freakanomics talks about a young sociologist who did extensive research in the economics of gangs, seeking to understand who makes money in a gang and how the money flows. The particular question he was asking to attract attention was, "why do so many drug dealers live with their mothers?"

So when Venkatesh' book was published I was first in line (err...on the electronic library queue) to read it.

I was a little disappointed with the theme of his book at first, because I though it would be about the results of his research. Instead it was about the methods and experiences used in his research with few conclusions. It was more of a memoir of the spending several years with this particular gang.

That said, I did learn some of the material I was interested in about day-to-day economic life in a (Chicagoan) gang. I had no idea that most of the gang violence we read about in the papers is based on turf wars over drugs. I also appreciated learning about all the different below-board businesses run by gangs and how they make money. I would have enjoyed more insights like that and fewer soliloquies about Venkatesh's moral dilemmas.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

This book should be called "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar WOW." This book was incredible -- narrated by a voice stronger than nearly any other character I've ever read.

The book is about a young man named Oscar who immigrates with his mother and sister from the Dominican Republic. The book alternates between each of their stories to paint a family history that spans the D.R. and New Jersey, going back several generations. Having read several books lately that take place in an unnamed South American country, it was impressive to read such a carefully researched and executed story taking place specifically in the D.R. and the Dominican-American community.

Though the story is often tragic, Diaz masterfully injected humor and sarcasm throughout the telling of the story. The writing is great - the voice of the narrator is strong and particular from the first page. This books makes me want to read Diaz' earlier book (Flood) as well as a couple strong-voiced books I've skipped in the past. Beloved comes to mind.