Seriously … It’s Already Monday Again?
This weekly meme is hosted by the lovely Sheila at Book Journey.
What I’m Reading Now:
from Publisher’s Weekly: dysfunctional New England family struggles toward normalcy in this poignant novel from PEN/Hemingway-winner Haigh, who follows the children of resentful, controlling, Paulette and distracted, needy Frank. Even during a childhood in idyllic Cape Cod, there are hints of a rocky future. When that future arrives, Billy, the most successful of the children, keeps a secret about his sophisticated New York life from almost everyone. Scott, formerly the uncontrollable brat of the bunch, sees himself in his own troubled son. Meanwhile, Gwen suffers from a genetic condition that prevents her from developing into womanhood. The story starts slowly, and while the setup feels familiar (a fractured New England family), the children take unexpected turns that shake up the narrative, leading to the most surprising twist of all: despite the sobering events chronicled, there’s a strong nod to the healing power of love. Haigh allows the reader to sympathize with each of the family members, and, in turn, to see their flaws and better understand them.
My daughter chose this book for me; it was a birthday gift. I guess she knows I have a weakness for dysfunctional families. 
In movies and literature, that is — in real life, they’re not so much fun. So far, I’m finding this book hard to put down. It’s a testament to the author’s gift that I have been so sucked into this story when I kind of dislike the characters. There is a certain thread of snobbery and superiority that runs through this family. And although I’m pretty tolerant, that really pushes a button with me. I’m looking forward to reviewing this novel.
Recent Book Reviews:
- The Cat Who Wished to be a Man by Lloyd Alexander (a kids’ chapter book)
- Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila by Jeanette Katzir (a memoir)
- Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman (a memoirish collection of essays)
- The Squirrel Machine by Hans Rickheit (a warped graphic novel)
- The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon (popular fiction; sort of a mystery)
- Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters (an excellent YA novel)
Movie Posts:
- Movie Characters I Like (Part I) — at Sarah’s blog
- 20 Movie Characters I’ve Liked
- Award Winning Movie Shorts 2006
Mom-Bloggery:
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man by Lloyd Alexander
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: Amazon rates it for ages 9-12; in our house, it’s good for ages 6-44. 
Published: E.P. Dutton & Co., August 8, 1973
I Chose It Because: My kids picked it.
Discussion Points: greed; abuse of power; love; the mixture of good and bad qualities in people
Review:
Lionel is Magister Stephanus’s cat, and the eccentric wizard has granted him the gift of speech. Now Lionel wants to take it a step further; he begs his master to transform him into a human. Stephanus is opposed to this plan. He distrusts his fellow humans, and naturally, he is reluctant to give up his cat.
“Be glad you are a cat!” Stephanus cried. “Let me tell you about men: Wolves are gentler. Geese are wiser. Jackasses have better sense.” (p. 2)
Nevertheless, he grants Lionel’s wish, on the condition that he go to town, explore, and come right back. Secretly, he probably doesn’t expect Lionel to make it past the toll bridge at the town entrance.
When Lionel comes to the town of Brightford, as a green eyed, tawny haired young man, Lionel faces many challenges. Having never lived as a human, he is naive and accepts everything people say at face value. Yet he is surrounded by rogues who want to rob him. To make matters worse, he finds his feline abilities ebbing. And when he meets the inn-keeper, beautiful young Mistress Gillian, he may lose his heart as well.
This light fantasy, by the author of the Prydain Chronicles, seems to be in a medieval European setting. It explores what it means to be human, both the good and bad, in a sweet, funny way that will appeal to even young children. We enjoyed the colorful secondary characters, including the avaricious Mayor Pursewig and the illustrious Dr. Tudbelly, good-hearted charlatan who speaks mangled Latin. The story also offers a bit of action and adventure.
This is a delightful, funny story for middle grade readers and a wonderful family read aloud.
Broken Birds
Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila by Jeanette Katzir
Genre: Memoir
Age Level: Adult
Published: Jeannette Katzir, April 2, 2009
I Chose It Because: I enjoy memoirs, and though I’ve read many books about the Holocaust, I’ve read little about survivors’ later lives or the effects of their experiences on future generations.
Discussion Points: The Holocaust; prejudice; post-traumatic stress; dysfunctional families
Review:
Katzir’s articulate, well written memoir is really three separate stories. The first two stories tell how each of her parents survived the Holocaust. Her mother, Channa, joined her brother in a band of Partisans when she was just 12 years old. They lived in the forest, waging guerilla warfare against the Germans. The author’s father, Nathan, survived the ghettos and two concentration camps. They met in New York after the war and began a family; their surivial, and the births of their five children, was an affirmation of life and a triumph over Hitler.
The third story was about the life of the author, Channa and Nathan’s second child. Most of it focused on the long, grueling legal battle that followed their mother’s death. This enmeshed family, including the author, her father, and four siblings, fought over Channa’s estate, churning up a lifetime of rivalries, heartbreak, and pain.
The effects of her parents’ wartime experiences, particularly Channa’s, run throughout the story. We see how their family’s life was shaped, in part, by the lasting terror and insecurity this imprinted on Channa. She is terrified her husband will abandon her, and this warps their relationship. She hides large amounts of cash in various places. After all, when her family was seized by the Nazis and forceably moved to the ghetto, they could carry only what they were able to hide in their clothing. And she conditions her children to expect the worst from life and distrust anyone outside the family.
I enjoyed this book, however the parts at the beginning and near the end, which dealt directly with the Holocaust, were by far the most powerful. I was absorbed in Channa and Nathan’s experiences during the Holocaust. Near the end of the book, Nathan returns to his homeland with three of his children. They look at places where he lived his early life, where he was imprisoned, and where he escaped. They face baffling denial in modern day Germany about the Holocaust. This part of the story was riveting.
The author’s account of her life, and of battles fought with her siblings, were not as compelling. She makes a case that everything that happened stemmed from her parents’ experiences in Europe; they were deeply scarred, and they handed these wounds down to their children. I don’t challenge this. The author knows her family best, and I believe family history causes ripples that last for generations. Yet while I find the impact of their suffering on their children and grandchildren an intriguing topic, this didn’t fully come together. A great deal of the conflict was about money and business squabbles, and this thread wasn’t enough to hold the whole narrative together.
However, there are many things I liked about this book. In addition to the parts exploring the Holocaust, there were many things that moved me, including the author’s description of her mother’s deterioration and death. And I was intrigued with the way she came to understand her troubled, complex parents, loving them even as she faces their flaws. For most people, this is a complicated, ongoing journey that doesn’t end after childhood, and Jeanette Katzir explored it eloquently.
Other Reviews: The Bookworm; The New Podler Review of Books
Cinematic Saturday: 20 Movie Characters I’ve Liked
I’m not sure these are my absolute favorites, because I’ve loved so many movie characters, it’s difficult to narrow it down. These are 20 that stand out for me, in no particular order:
1. Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) The Gift — There’s something both mysterious and down-to-earth about Annie, a young widow in a small Southern town. She works out of her home as a psychic while raising her two boys. While Annie’s psychic gift provokes fear and derision in some, especially after she finds herself in the middle of a murder trial, she is the heart of her community as well as the heart of her family.
2. Shelby Eatenton Latcherie (Julia Roberts) in Steel Magnolias — This unapologetically sentimental, funny chick-flick may not be one of the all-time cinematic classics, but my friends and I enjoyed it tremendously. Shelby, a newlywed yearning for a baby, has a certain open-hearted charm. She also offers the movie’s most memorable quote: “I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”
3. Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt) As Good As It Gets — I’ve always loved this movie. Melvin Udall, a misogynistic, bigoted author, suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder, is virtually impossible to like. In fact, he’s loathsome. But Carol the waitress sees a glimmer of something in him, and they develop a tenuous friendship and a romantic attraction. She’s the single mom of a high-needs little boy who struggles tirelessly to get her son the treatment he needs. I can’t help but love her.
4. Elinor Dashwood (Hattie Morahan) Sense and Sensibility — Emma Thompson was also wonderful in this role. I loved both the Dashwood sisters, in Jane Austen’s novel and its film adaptations, but Elinor, with her quiet strength and unconditional love for her family, is my favorite.
5. Elizabeth Bennet (Kiera Knightly) Pride and Prejudice — Kiera Knightly plays this role in the most recent adaptation of this Jane Austen novel which I’ve seen. Sharp-witted, bookish Elizabeth is a perennial favorite. I love her!
6. Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) Magnolia — O.K., this one is a double play. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this movie, but it’s unforgettable. Phil, a gentle nurse who comforts a dying man and tries to reunite him with his son, and Jim, a straight-laced cop who falls for a troubled cocaine addict, are — in many ways — the heart of this film. Tom Cruise, who I don’t usually particularly like, was also memorable as an over-the-top misogynistic motivational speaker. There were other great characters, as well.
7. Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) Lord of the Rings — Sam is, hands down, my favorite LOTR character. His perseverance and loyalty make him, in many ways, the heart of the story.
8. Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) Michael Clayton – I had to include something by this actor, because he happens to be one of my favorites. I loved his role as a whistle-blowing attorney, whose conscience has just been awakened after meeting a victim in the class action suit from which he’s defending a large corporation. He also happens to have bipolar disorder and is going off the rails. For me, he’s the highlight of a great movie.
9. Leslie Cuthbertson (Leo Bill) in Two Men Went to War – There’s something so delightfully nerdy and quirky about British actor Leo Bill. His characters run the gamut from insufferably uptight British aristocrats to a young man who’s stark raving mad. I think Bill is terrific, and he ought to be given more diverse roles. Two Men Went to War is the true-ish story of two members of England’s Army Dental Corps in World War II. Sgt. Peter King (Cranham), a World War I veteran looking to keep fighting, and Private Leslie Cuthbertson (Bill), a wet-behind-the-ears trainee, leave their posts and strike out on their own in an attempt to join the war effort in France.
10. Karen (Emma Thompson) Love Actually — I have such a soft spot for this movie, which explores the tangled connections among friends, spouses, and lovers. Emma Thompson is one of my favorite actresses, and she was magnificent in this role. The scene where she hides her broken heart, cheerfully taking her children to their Christmas pageant, was unforgettable.
11. Ashley Johnson (Amy Adams) Junebug — I couldn’t help but love this young woman, living with her husband and quirky in-laws in rural North Carolina. Her determined enthusiasm and joy over her pregnancy, despite her husband’s indifference, broke my heart.
12. The whole dang cast of Firefly – because of their sheer awesomeness. Try as I might, I just can’t pick a favorite. This popular T.V. Science Fiction series is a huge favorite in our house. It’s imaginative, funny, complex and full of crazy action. Plus Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk offer serious eye candy. Who could ask for more?
13. Norma Rae (Sally Field) — This was Sally Field’s best role ever. She was terrific as the eponymous character in Norma Rae, a young single mom who agrees to help unionize the textile mill where she works. This movie is based on actual events in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
14. Glory (Frances McDormand) North Country — Speaking of unions, I loved Glory, the tough, compassionate mine worker and union organizer in North Country, a fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States. Have I mentioned that I love Frances McDormand?
15. Inigo Montoya (Mandy Pantinkin) The Princess Bride — There was no way I was going to finish this list without including this movie! “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die …”
16. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) Zombieland – ‘Cuz I love the fact that an obsessive-compulsive geek can be a bad-ass zombie killer. I really like Jesse Eisenberg, and while his role in The Social Network was a stronger one, Columbus has a special place in my heart. He and Woody Harrelson did a terrific job of playing off each other. And Zombieland is a huge favorite in this house.
17. Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) Juno — I do love this movie. And Ellen Page is amazing as a precocious, wise-cracking pregnant teen.
18. Lynn Sear (Toni Collette) The Sixth Sense — I really like Toni Collette, and I love her as Lynn Sear, a tough, nurturing single mom trying to help her troubled son. She’s both incredibly strong and vulnerable, and her love for her child shines throughout the movie.
19. Dug in Up — Up is one of my favorite animated films, and I just can’t resist Dug’s gratuitous goofiness.
20. Toto in The Wizard of Oz — I remember when we had to wait ALL YEAR for this movie to come on television? Oh, the anticipation! And we went to a friend’s house to watch it, because they had color television, and that made it so much more exciting when Dorothy opens the door to Oz. Am I showing my age here? Toto may very well be the best character in the movie. He’s intrepid, smart, and irresistably cute.
Honorable Mentions:
Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) True Blood – ‘Cuz True Blood is one of my guilty pleasures, and who doesn’t love a fabulously flamboyant “queen?
Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) The Rocky Horror Picture Show — I’m not a big fan of this movie, but Tim Curry was hilarious in this role. This was the first really “inappropriate” movie that, with some trepidation, I let my older daughter watch. I don’t remember how old she was. Her reaction was “My eyes have seen too much! I have lost my cinematic virginity!” and (loosely paraphrasing) “What I learned from this movie is that with enough leather in your wardrobe, you can seduce people of both sexes in five seconds flat!” 
What are some of your favorite movie characters?
Bad Mother
Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman
Genre: Essays/Memoir
Age Level: Adult
Published: Doubleday, May 5, 2009
I Chose It Because: I enjoy thoughtful writing about motherhood.
Discussion Points: parenthood; feminism; balancing work and parenting
Review:
Ayelet Waldman was a highly driven, successful defense attorney, married to a full-time novelist, when she left her job to become a full-time mom to her first child, Sophie. Fifteen years later, she is writing about her experiences with marriage and motherhood.
Bad Mother was not what I expected. I checked it out expecting a memoir, and while revelations about the author’s life run throughout the book, it’s actually a group of loosely connected essays. They explore marital roles, breast-feeding, maternal guilt, and other topics that are familiar to many of us. I am not sure Waldman represents the “typical” mom, as she is clearly highly educated and upper middle class. As she was expressing mild guilt over hiring maids to help with housework, I was thinking about the years my husband and I couldn’t afford heating fuel.
However her essays are beautifully articulate, a bit edgy, and often laugh-out-loud funny. As a mom, I could relate closely to most of what she had to say; at times, reading these essays was like chatting with a friend. The first topic she discussed was the unrealistic expectations and judgments we mothers put on ourselves, and on each other.
Being a Good Father is a reasonable, attainable goal; you need only be present and supportive. Being a Good Mother, as defined by mothers themselves, is impossible. When asked for an example of a Good Mother, as defined by mothers themselves, the women I polled came up with June Cleaver and Marmee, from Little Women. Both of whom are by necessity, not coincidence, fictional characters. The good Mother does not exist, she never existed, not even in those halcyon bygone days to which the arbiters of maternal conduct never tire of harking back. If the producers of Leave it to Beaver had really wanted to give us an accurate depiction of late 1950s and early-1960s motherhood, June would have had a lipstick-stained cigarette clamped between her teeth, a gin and tonic in her hand, and a copy of Peyton Place on her nightstand. But still, this creature of fantasy is whom the mothers in my sample measured themselves against, and their failure to live up to her made her feel like Bad Mothers.
It’s as if the swimmer Tracy Caulkins, winner of three Olympic gold medals, setter of five world records, were to beat herself up for being slower than the Little Mermaid. (p. 11)
Other topics explored:
- Some parents are incredibly dogmatic about parenting philosophy, and this often seems to pop up in relation to attachment parenting discussions. Despite some of the rhetoric I’ve seen on the interwebs, there’s no solid evidence that my kids will grow up to be serial killers because I didn’t wear them in a sling for the first nine months, sleep with them, or breastfeed until they were in graduate school. I appreciated that Waldman was on the same wavelength.
- Roles partners adopt in a marriage, whether they be traditional, egalitarian, or mixed. While Waldman considers herself a feminist she never changes a light bulb.
- Keeping intimacy and passion alive after marriage and children.
- Her experiences with seeking parenting support on the internet.
- Teenage sexuality, her own sexually adventurous youth, and how she talks to her kids about physical intimacy.
- The burdens of homework.
- That unrequited longing for another baby, that just won’t quite die.
She also explored parents’ inflated hopes and expectations for their kids’ development. Her family lives in Berkley, in the heart of an academic community, and intellectual achievement is clearly important to her. But she has learned to leaven this with realism and allowing herself to live in the moment. I liked this passage:
When Rosie was little, she was a slow talker … She would sit on the floor, her fat legs stretched out in front of her, as I built and rebuilt a tower of blocks, , laughing each time I toppled it over. I was so busy saying, “Rosie can you say ‘boom’? Say ‘boom’ for Mommy,” that I barely registered her full-body smile, the way every inch of her, from her cornflower blue eyes to the pink tips of her toes, wriggled as she grinned at the tower’s collapse.
The most toxic thing parents can do is allow their delight and pride in their children to be spoiled by disappointment, by frustration, when the children fail to live up to expectations formed before they were even born, expectations that have nothing to do with them and everything to do with the parents’ own egos. (pp. 205-206)
There were several things that touched me deeply. I connected with Waldman’s account of her son’s diagnosis with ADHD and coming to terms with the unexpected twists presented by a child’s learning differences. I was also moved by her disclosure that she’s bipolar and struggled with the decision to use medication during pregnancy. I went through this too. I had to make a choice, with each of my last two pregnancies, whether to use medication for anxiety and depression. Despite my severe history with my mood disorder, which runs in my family, and although increasing medical evidence indicates that SSRI use during pregnancy and nursing is safe, this was very difficult. I also related to Waldman’s fear that her children would inherit her illness. She wrote about constantly gauging her kids’ emotions and reactions, looking for signs of bipolar disorder. She also described the stress her illness puts on her children. This almost made me cry.
I recommend this book if you enjoy essays and memoirs and motherhood is a topic close to your heart. I also think it would be a great book club pick. There is enough fodder for discussion here to keep you up well into the night.
Other Reviews: The Book Lady’s Blog; A Good Stopping Point;
The Squirrel Machine
The Squirrel Machine by Hans Rickheit
Genre/Medium: Graphic Novel: SF/Horror?
Age Level: Adult
Published: Fantagraphics Books, October 20, 2009
I Chose It Because: I saw it on Ana’s wonderful blog, and I was intrigued by the artwork and its sheer over-the-top bizarreness. Be careful what you ask for.
Discussion Points: Hmm …
Review:
The Squirrel Machine revolves around two brothers, William and Edmund. They are heirs to a fortune, living with their widowed mother in a rambling, Gothic New England mansion. They are gifted, eccentric children who become even stranger young men. The story goes back and forth in time between their adolescence and adulthood. It is around the turn of the 19th century, a time when rapid scientific progress — including Darwinian biology and the industrial revolution — mingles with slavish devotion to tradition and propriety.
William and Edmund spend their time creating wild inventions. They have built a sort of labyrinthine world under their mansion. They’re outsiders, bullied and feared by the staid, traditional townspeople. This is partly because the boys do things that are disgusting and bizarre. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help feeling sympathy for them. After all, “normal people” also do things that are disgusting and bizarre. They just keep it cloistered in slaughterhouses and labs and don’t drag it to a public exposition.
As a child, William wears a pair of goggles, which makes him stand out even more. He says he needs them “to filter things.” He seems to be suggesting he can see things in his environment that others don’t, and if he didn’t filter out some of these images, it would be overwhelming. This is very intriguing but never fully explained. William is also a sleepwalker who roams the countryside at night.
I like this premise. I’m drawn to the Victorian setting, the outrageously eccentric characters, and the idea of two bizarre autodidactic boys creating their own world filled with wild, imaginative inventions. And the artwork is excellent. It’s very visual, even for a graphic novel. The whole thing has a dreamlike quality, full of images that are never fully translated into words. I liked some of the surreal, dreamlike bits. For example, there is a frame where William is approaching the door to his boyhood home, after one of his nighttime ramblings, and finds his childhood bicycle fused with a tree. It’s odd and hard to explain, but love that visual, dream-like blending of past and present, and of the child and the man.
The imagery is captivating throughout the book, especially the labyrinthine levels, filled with odd devices and inventions. It has a steam- punkish feel, and there’s a slightly Jungian quality to the dream-like images of all those spiraling levels in the house.
But as intriguing as this was, I did not like the book. I was unable to follow the narrative flow; it was just too dang bizarre. Just when I’d think I was picking up on the rhythm of the story, I’d be thrown into something even more bizarre and incomprehensible. Maybe this is exactly what makes this book work for some readers. But I like a good story mingled with the odd, dream-like ebb and flow of a surreal piece (think Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland).
What really bothered me were the disturbing images — inventions constructed of animal corpses, and things that were even worse. I hated the animal cruelty. I couldn’t discern the author’s purpose in it, and I felt he was just trying to push the envelope, shocking and disgusting readers for his own sake. Others might read this differently, of course. There could be social commentary in the grotesqueness and animal — and human — cruelty. After all, many attempts at scientific progress are predicated on mistreatment of living things.
There could be a wealth of meaning camouflaged in this bizarre comic book. On the other hand, perhaps the author is just looking for an outlet for his grotesque nightmares and fantasies. Or maybe he’s just trying to screw with our heads. I couldn’t tell.
If anyone decides to read this comic book, I’d love to hear your take on it!
The Language of Secrets
The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Mystery
Age Level: Adult
Published: Doubleday, March 23, 2010
I Chose It Because: I just loved the title! I was also intrigued by the first paragraph of the jacket blurb. A man discovers the grave of a three-year-old child, and the name and birth date is his own? Hmm …
Discussion Points: marital problems; infidelity; parental abandonment; the way our memories can be elusive or misleading
Review:
Justin Fisher is a successful young professional with a beautiful wife and baby boy. Yet he is inexplicably detached from his family of origin. He has not seen them in over ten years. Furthermore he has gaping holes in his memories of his life before college. The birth of their son prompts Justin’s wife, Amy, to insist that he reconnect with his parents and sisters. After all Zack deserves to know his family, doesn’t he?
When Justin returns to his family home, he finds it has been sold — his parents have died. This is followed by an even greater shock. A visit to his parents’ graves reveals a tombstone for a little boy who died when he was only three — a tombstone engraved with Justin’s own name and birthdate.
Justin delves into his past, trying to unravel the ugly secrets that led to the little gravestone, his estrangement from his family, and the huge gaps in his memory.
He was letting it in, again and again: the fact that his father was dead. He knew he should be inundated with memories, consumed with sorrow. But there was no flood of memory, no sadness. There was only a sense of dread — a chilling knowledge that the splintered door to some long-buried chamber was quietly being forced open. (p. 8)
As Justin explores his own history, the narrative slips smoothly between the past and present,and shifts among different points of view, including Justin’s boyhood self, his mother, Caroline, and his father, Robert. As the story unfolded, I found it took a great deal of suspension of disbelief to go along for the ride, but I couldn’t put it down.
The people in this novel reminded me a bit of soap opera characters: elegant, successful, and polished, on the surface, and a big, hot steaming mess underneath. I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have hoped to; they had a superficial quality. Maybe that was partly intentional. After all this is a story about people whose lives are built on disappointments, compromises, and ugly secrets, not to mention some superficial values. Nevertheless, character development was not this novel’s strength.
The real strength in this novel, for me, was the plotting. There were some rather contrived twists, but Egads, this was a page turner! I read it practically in one sitting. The well-paced mystery, the well crafted nonlinear narrative, and the varied points of view really engaged me. And even though I didn’t love the characters, and I felt the story stretched credibility even for a mystery, it was a heart-wrenching story. I found myself aching for some of the characters, in spite of myself, and reflecting on the themes the book churned up. These include love, motherhood, and the need for security. It also explored revenge, loss of a child, and the cruel, incomprehensible decisions people make. And it reflected the limited choices women had in previous generations and the often horrifying ramifications of those limitations.
I don’t think this is one of those novels I will return to in my mind, again and again, but it was well crafted and a very good read. I suspect it will be quite popular with fiction lovers and book clubs, and I look forward to seeing what Dianne Dixon creates in the future.
More Reviews: S. Krishna’s Books; Bookworm’s Diner; Book Addiction; Cheryl’s Book Nook; Devourer of Books; Everything Distils Into Reading
Between Mom and Jo
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
Genre: Realistic Fiction (Young Adult)
Age Level: about age 12+
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, May 10, 2006
I Chose It Because: It was on my daughters bookshelf, and my friend Amanda loved it.
Discussion Points: sexual orientation; coming of age; alcoholism; divorce; anger and forgiveness
Review:
Nick is being raised by his biological mother, Erin, and her partner Jo. They brought him into the world through artificial insemination. Each of his mothers is loving, complicated and very flawed. And when they struggle with marital problems, Nick is caught in the middle, trying to understand the complex choreography of their relationship.
At first this seems to be an “issues” novel about the challenges of being reared in a nontraditional family and facing societal prejudice. This facet of Nick’s life is certainly explored. A 3rd grade teacher refuses to display Nick’s drawing of his family on Parent-Teacher night and doesn’t acknowledge his moms’ presence. Kids ridicule him and assume he’s gay, because his parents are. A babysitter gawks at Nick’s family like it’s a freak show. But this novel is much more complex than that.
It’s a story about a child facing the disintegration of his parents’ marriage; it could be about any kind of family. Other issues, including parental alcoholism, school bullies, and loneliness are woven throughout the book, along with commitment, love, and the power of promises.
This story is driven by dialogue, and other moments of connection between people, as well as by Nick’s internal struggles. And the character development is wonderful. Jo is my favorite character though, honestly, I wouldn’t want to live with her. She’s colorful and funny, with well-honed toughness thinly disguising her deep vulnerability and loneliness. She’s often impulsive, and she struggles with alcoholism. Erin has an intensely controlling side, which fits like a lock and key with her alcoholic partner’s issues. Erin’s need for control is sparked by Jo’s unpredictability, which –in turn — is exacerbated by Erin’s need for control. They’re locked in a destructive dance, balanced by moments of love, tenderness and fun. When the dance ends, things get even worse, and Nick suffers most of all.
This was such a sad, painful book to read. There’s nothing harder than seeing a child suffer, feeling trapped. My jaw was clenched throughout the last third of the book because I was sad and angry. It was probably not the ideal book to read when I’m PMSing.
I liked the fact that this novel wasn’t about a perfect lesbian couple raising a child and facing difficulties because of their unconventional lifestyle. It explores how each individual’s flaws and struggles contribute to the breakdown of a relationship. Though prejudice from family members and the community play a role in their difficulties, most of Erin’s and Jo’s problems are caused by themselves, their blind spots, and their mistakes. I suspect that’s true of all of us, eh?
For this reason, I liked it better than Keeping You a Secret. The lesbian couple in that story showed few major faults; nearly all their challenges stemmed from homophobia. That’s a story that needs to be told, but I found that aspect limiting. Between Mom and Jo is a story about love, commitment, resentment, divorce, and the cruelty people show those they love most. Homophobia is always present — it doesn’t just vanish. But it’s only a part of the picture and not the most important part. This struck me as honest and real. I strongly believe we need more novels and films with GLBTQ characters which aren’t about not being straight.
I recommend Between Mom and Jo to teens and adults who enjoy serious YA fiction and family dramas. It explores the themes of love, commitment, loss, resentment and forgiveness, and will offer a wealth of discussion opportunities for parents and teens. I have read plenty of YA novels, most of which I enjoyed then tossed aside, the characters quickly fading in my mind. But this is definitely a story I’ll find it difficult to forget.
More Reviews: The Zen Leaf; Bookshelves of Doom; Bart’s Bookshelf; Big A Little a
Cinematic Saturday: Award Winning Shorts
Note: I am back from a short bloggin’ break and will be making a few changes. I also have a quick question. What are some of the movie review blogs, including book blogs that also discuss films, that you would recommend?
A Collection of 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films
This is an eclectic collection of live action and animated short films. It was my first foray into watching shorts. It seems to be a challenging format for directors to work with — like a short story, a short film has to tell a compelling story with less words and fewer images, often conveying its message in a few brief, pivotal moments.
Our Time is Up — Directed by Rob Pearlstein Dr. Leonard Stern (Kevin Pollak) is a high-priced therapist who seems, like T.S. Eliot’s J. Alfred Prufrock, to measure out his life in coffee spoons. Similarly, his therapeutic approach is non-directive and very slow. When asked when a patient can expect to make progress, he says soothingly “all in good time.” However, a strange twist of fate causes him to drastically change his style in favor of brutal honesty and forcing patients to leap headlong into their fears.
This film was clever and funny. It certainly didn’t avoid stereotypes, but it used them playfully, which I enjoyed. I wished there had been more — more of a story, greater development of the main character, just more.
Runaway — Directed by Ulrike Grote This was a lovely German film about a single man and struggling architect crossing paths with a little boy who, inexplicably, calls him “Daddy.” The child’s mother, Kathrin, does turn out to be someone from his past. But when he goes looking for her, she seems to have mysteriously disappeared. I loved the delicate balance between comedy, mystery and tragedy and the gently unfolding relationship between the man and child.
The Last Farm — Directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson In this Icelandic film, an aging man may be forced to leave his farm behind. He struggles to keep his autonomy and his ability to leave on his own terms. This movie offered gorgeous landscapes and a short but poignant look at aging, loss, and the determination to maintain dignity and a sense of control over ones fate at a point where ones choices are being whittled away.
Six Shooter – Directed by Martin McDonagh Brendan Gleeson, who many of us know best as “Mad Eye Moody” of Harry Potter fame, is amazing in this tragic, bloody Irish film. He plays Donnelly, who leaves the hospital just after his wife’s death and boards a train. He meets a troubled young man who, with an incredible lack of basic human decency, taunts a pair of bereaved parents. Despite this cruelty, Donnelly is drawn to the boy and feels some compassion toward him.
This is a compelling movie, largely because of the acting. The pain felt by people on that train is palpable. I found it difficult to even look at the bereaved parents. And Donnelly’s reactions were subtle and incredibly authentic. It’s definitely not a movie for the faint of heart, though.
Cashback — Directed by Sean Ellis Ben (Sean Biggerstaff) is a young man working his way through art school by working the night shift at a supermarket. He passes the time with funny commentary on how his coworkers survive their boredom and by fantasizing about seeing — and drawing — female customers in the nude. I didn’t find this film incredibly riveting, but it was funny and clever. And as an added bonus, it offers gratuitous nudity. (Alas, female nudity only)
Badgered — Directed by Sharon Colman Two noisy crows disturb a badger’s hibernation. He is unable to quiet them, but fate intervenes. This movie showcases unusual animation.
The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation — Directed by John Canemaker This autobiographical film explores a man’s struggle to reach some sense of resolution after his Italian immigrant father dies. He is still haunted by his father’s anger, verbal abuse, and criminal acts. In an imagined conversation, illustrated by drawings, actual photos, and newspaper clippings, his father tells of his own childhood struggles and explains why he made some of his choices. There is a great deal of raw pain here, as John grapples with his memories and the contradictions of his father’s life, and it offers no real resolution.
Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello — Directed by Anthony Lucas I was fascinated by this steampunkish fantasy adventure. Set in a dark, smoky Victorian world of iron dirigibles and steam-powered computers, it’s crafted with elegant silhouetted images. Jasper Morello is a disgraced aerial navigator who has been given one more chance. However, in launching this adventure, he must leave behind his beloved in a city being decimated by the plague. I won’t give away any more, but I thought the unusual animation and storytelling were magnificent.
Another Question: Have you watched any short films and, if so, do you enjoy this type of movie? Which ones do you recommend?
