Wow - I Read a Book

It's been a long time since I posted about a book. I've actually read a few (including skimming an entire list of over 50,000 baby names), but this is the only one really worth talking about.

Gulag: A History
by Anne Applebaum

Ok, so it's not really happy reading, but it's a great book. It's well-researched, well-written, and well-documented. I grew up during the Cold War and remember the breakup of the Soviet Union, but am ashamed at how little I really know. This book was a great introduction to some Soviet history, even if the main topic was a bit disconcerting.

On a lighter note, it was nice to have this to read when I was delayed at the airport last July. It helped put some perspective on my situation.

I'd write more, but I'm tired. You should read this book.

Moral Family Decision-Making

My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time and finally picked it up last week with some birthday money. I was thrilled to find myself really enjoying it. Mostly I'd been interested in the idea of the plot - a 13 year old girl, chosen as an embryo to match her sister's DNA enough to be a cord blood donor for her brings a lawsuit against her parents to avoid donating a kidney after 13 years of giving of herself (literally) to save her sister's life.

First of all, I think the Ms. Picoult brings to the fore a lot of issues around designer babies in this kind of situation and others. To her credit, I can't tell from the book her opinion of the matter. Personally, I think deep down there's something in every human psyche tied to the way we are brought to life that is twisted when unnatural methods are used, in this case to choose a baby that could serve a specific purpose for someone else in the family. No amount of love can perfectly repair the damage. Anna shows us that.

Ms. Picoult's characters battle daily with hard moral questions most of us (thankfully) will never face. She does a wonderful job of bringing those battles to life within the story itself. These are not parents who do not love the third child they never intended to have. They do not even love her less than her older sister, Kate. In situation after situation, though, we see how Anna suffers for Kate. (Kate is suffering more, at least physically, but her suffering is caused by a disease, not by actions that can be traced to her parents.) I love, though, how memories of the past are sprinkled in to show the reader the good times with Anna and her family.

Most importantly of all, the writing and characters of this book are excellent. I often find myself disappointed in contemporary fiction. It just doesn't seem to stand up to past literary works. This may not be a the Brothers Karamazov, but I found myself entranced.

For those who are wondering, this was perhaps not the best choice for me in my present condition. I cried many times, especially when reading the flashbacks to when Kate was first diagnosed at age 2 - the same age my son is now. I too easily place myself in the shoes of characters (one reason I had to stop watching shows like CSI). I still highly recommend it, though.

Avonlea Revisited

Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery

I grabbed this off the bookshelf one day while Caleb was perusing Democracy in America and therefore not interested in me. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop and now I'm on the fourth book (out of 6 about Anne, 2 more about her children). It's refreshing to read a book with such a spritely air and flow. I can't believe it's been so long since I read them all. If you're heard of these books, you've probably read them and will know if you want to read them again, so I won't go into details. I just wanted to share how much fun I was having reading them all over again.

I also have to mention my absolute favorite L.M. Montgomery book which I have read about once a year (not counting all the times I just flip directly to the last few chapters). It's The Blue Castle, lesser known, but superior to all the Anne and Emily books. I recommend all women rush out and grab it now off library or store shelves! I'm still trying to convince Josh we should name our daughter (if we ever have one) Valancy after the heroine.

Just a bit of trivia for you, Josh and I were supposed to go to Prince Edward Island for our honeymoon, but an airline pilot strike thwarted us. (We ended up in northern California, booked the day before the wedding, and had a wonderful time.)

Timepieces of the Past

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
by Dava Sobel

Ms. Sobel is a science writer with a special place in her heart for John Harrison, whose exquisite clocks are at the heart of this book. She describes their movements and innovations in flowing prose. More importantly, John Harrison was a genius who was unfairly treated during his lifetime. It's a quick little read and well worth the time, especially if you have any interest in history, engineering, timepieces or sailing.

Special thanks to Dan who suggested I'd enjoy this book and even leant me his copy.

A Catholic Tragedy

Brideshead Revisited
by Evelyn Waugh

I read this book over a year ago, started this post and then promptly got sucked into other life events. I didn't want to just delete the post, though, because it's a great book. Following the lives of a Catholic family through the eyes of a dear friend and lover (who is certainly not Catholic), we see how they live through their faith or in hopeless denial of it. I think it would be a particularly great book for a book club, especially one interested in matters of faith, but the compelling story is enough for any discussions.

I don't want to give (much) away, but I'll add my favorite quote from the book:

"'Living in sin'; not just doing wrong, as I did when I went to America; doing wrong, knowing it is wrong, stopping doing it, forgetting. That's not what they mean...Living in sin, with sin, by sin, for sin, every hour, every day, year in, year out. Waking up with sin in the morning, seeing the curtains drawn on sin, bathing it, dressing it, clipping diamonds to it, feeding it, showing it round, giving it a good time, putting it to sleep at night with a tablet of Dial if it's fretful."

She's speaking of actually living with a man who is not her husband, but I love this quote because it doesn't have to be about adultery. It's an amazing description of life for anyone who's committing what he or she knows is a sin and yet continues to do so - and hints at the self-inflicted suffering and weight that becomes overwhelming.

You can check out a biography of Evelyn Waugh at his alma mater. Here's a link to an article by the man who first interested me in the book, George Weigel for First Things (another plug for the magazine).

After reading the book, Josh and I rented the series from Netflix. It follows the book very closely and I recommend it as well.