Americanah: A Novel

• Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (website/facebook)
• Publisher & Date: Anchor Books, 2013
• Pages: 588
• Intended Audience: Adults
• Genre: Fiction, Cultural Fiction, Romance, Controversial Issues,
• Goodreads Rating: 4.18/5.0 
• Sneak Peak by Jess: 

   The "American Dream" is within an arm's reach for the two young, Nigerian lovers, Ifemelu and Obinze. The plan is laid out, no if's, and's, or but's about it. But even the most thorough of people often forget that life holds no promises. Now, with a Visa in hand, Ifemelu sets out across land and sea, to find herself in an unforgiving American state, without the one person she truly needs by her side. 

"Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today’s globalized world..." -Goodreads.com

   I have to admit that I was completely and utterly captivated by the writing in this novel. Adichie does the unthinkable, confronts the many flaws of our beloved nation and American history, but in an almost poetic way. So, this romance novel is just that- a story of two long-distance lovers trapped in the wake of an unfortunate breakup and forced to pave the way for their new lives in two separate foreign countries, but embedded within the love and heartache of the characters, are far more difficult topics of conversation. Controversy at its finest.  

  First and foremost, we watch Ifem grow into this fabulous and talented blogger who blogs about none other than the race issues that she observes during her time in America. Being a native of Mississippi, I found this to be incredibly uncomfortable to read at times. Adichie does no tip-toeing around the subject, as people often do in my South; she attacks it head-on, but in a mother-means-best kind of way. Sure, I didn't agree with everything she had to say, but at the same time, she means no harm and offers her readers a chance to state their claim, agree and/or disagree with her, if you will. 

    The second issue that she brings up multiple times is our American culture and the way we raise our children. Basically, the immigrants in the novel moved to America to take advantage of the endless opportunities and what- not but refused to allow their own children to have an American-styled upbringing. This really made me think... I'm a teacher, so children are my passion. And there are times when I have questioned a child's behavior- good or bad-  and often wanted to credit it to how the child was raised. But that surely cannot always be the case of course. So I guess my question is- what is so wrong with the way we raise our kids in America? What could we be doing better? Have we given the reigns over to our children? I spent some time in England teaching Year 5. Before I went, I had this naiive idea that the children were going to be SO smart and SO polite and just SO downright perfect. Imagine my surprise when I realized that kids are just kids... UK or US, they are still going to mouth-off to their elders, they are still going to do things that you tell them not to do while you aren't looking, and they are still going to ignore the instructions that are so very clearly written right in front of them and make preventable mistakes. But, regardless, my host family refused to let their youngest child watch American TV, the Disney Channel of all stations, because the children were too outspoken and unruly. So, I'm still at a loss... Maybe they both have a point?

  All in all, Americanah is powerful, witty, and well-deserving of its many accolades. As a reader, I was dropped feet-first onto the soil of the countries she traversed, and I witnessed with my own eyes the terrifying and even joyous situations she found herself in. That is how phenomenal Adichie's writing truly is.

   

•  Favorite Quotes:

-"Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, and although Ifemelu liked the tranquil greeness of the many trees, the clean streets and stately homes, the delicately overpriced shops, and the quiet, abiding air of earned grace, it was this, the lack of smell, that most appealed to her, perhaps because the other American cities she knew had all smelled distinctly. Philadelphia had the musty scent of history. New Haven smelled of neglect. Baltimore smelled of brine, and Brooklyn of sun-warmed garbage. But Princeton had no smell."
-"Not the kind of safe, shallow love where the objective is that both people remain comfortable. But real deep romantic love, the kind that twists you and wrings you out and makes you breathe through the nostrils of your beloved."
-"How could a string of words make a person ache for a place he did not know? But in those weeks when she discovered the rows and rows of books with their leathery smell and their promise of pleasures unknown, when she sat, knees tucked underneath her, on an armchair in the lower level or at a table upstairs with the fluorescent light reflecting off the book's pages, she finally understood."
-"And yet she wanted to leave Aunty Uju's apartment and begin a life in which she alone determined the margins."

  I'm not sure we will ever find the answers to the problems that surface in Adichie's novel, but I am always all ears.

Little Treasures One Finds at Book Sales

   I mentioned in my last post that I attended a book sale and giveaway at my local library this past week. Well, what I have not shared is the super awesome, super old, super rare, and super fragile little treasure that I stumbled upon. (To be completely honest, my loving boyfriend stumbled upon it for me, and for that, I owe him the biggest box of Pandamonia that I can buy!) 

   So, without further adieu... I purchased my first collectible book for a whopping $1.00. A copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin circa 1899. It's in decent condition; the binding still working wonders, and the pages are perfectly legible. But what is even more remarkable are the notes left behind by the many hands it's passed through. Some messages were inked in as far back as 1900; precious pieces of history that I can now call my own.

   That's what I have always loved about the written word. It's so permanent when so much of what we have on this planet is so temporary. 

Signed by Harry Kloppenburg, Oct. 26, 1900

For the Love of Books II

   I have been absent from Blogdom for a while it seems -since December 4th to be exact- but I am back and ready to dish out my thoughts on a variety of good reads that have found their way into my possession. Be it the will of my CU Heroines Book Club, or the downright EXTRAORDINARY Free Book Giveaway at the Urbana Free Library. (It's true. I may have discovered the most amazing three day event that I have ever witnessed. For all of my local book-lovers, the Urbana Free Library happens to host these sacred events a total of three times a year!) 

   But getting back to business, I would like to start out with another "At-a-Glance" post. Twisted, futuristic-styled fairytales, heart-wrenching memoirs, and thought provoking novels that make you question things you've always considered as fact, will all be discussed in the upcoming months. Feel free to join me if you please! 

March Reviews

This month, I would like to introduce one of my recently acquired, but all-time favorite authors, nonetheless, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She is who people refer to when they speak of "true artists."

April Reviews

This book is not your typical fairytale, but without a doubt Disney inspired. I will fill you in on my reaction to Cinder, book one of The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer.

May Reviews

I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. I'm afraid that if I don't read this bad boy soon, my friends are going to ruin it for me. Said to be one of the biggest books of 2015! And in addition to that, I also plan to explore The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss.

I urge you to grab your Kindle, or if you're like me, you like holding onto the real deal, but whether it is by touchscreen or by page, I urge you to follow me along for the ride! You certainly won't regret it.

Tis the Season

I feel like it has been a lifetime since my last post! I hope that everyone has enjoyed their holiday; it is amazing to me how the holiday season can completely consume you at times. But... with that being said, I had a friend come for a "Friendsgiving" visit over the Thanksgiving break. And after our little adventure to the big city, (and I will spare you all of the glorious details!) we were able to spend some time around my little town. 

Since we are both ELA teachers, and due to the beautiful grey clouds and rain that plague our skies on a daily basis, I took her to one of my favorite hidden spots in town, Jane Addams Book Shop. Needless to say, with our coffee in hand, we spent countless hours immersed among the things we love best- books. 

Signed by someone in 1875!

Why I love Jane Addams, and why you would too:

1. They are a small, locally-owned store with a lot to offer.

2. You can find very rare, special edition, and even signed books.

3. It is a whopping three stories tall. (With plenty of nooks and crannies to investigate.)

4. All of their books are used. (It is cool to me to flip through pages and see where other people have left their mark.)

5. They offer their entire inventory online! 

Head on over to http://www.janeaddamsbooks.com/ to check out what they have. If you are ever in or around the Champaign-Urbana area, by all means swing by!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

• Author: Garth Stein (website/instagram/twitter)
• Publisher & Date: Harper Collins, 2008
• Pages: 352
• Intended Audience: Adults/Young Adults who love animals!
• Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Family, Pets
• Goodreads Rating: 4.15/5.0 
• Sneak Peak by Jess:   

    "I'm old. And while I'm very capable of getting older, that's not the way that I want to go out. Shot full of pain medication and steroids to reduce the swelling of my joints. Vision fogged with cataracts... That's humiliating and degrading." At the very beginning of the novel, we meet Enzo, an aging, old soul, who is nearing the end of his life, and we meet Denny, his beloved and dearest friend. Enzo's health has been on a steady downhill slope for some time, but before his time comes, he reflects on his long and happy life by telling his story through his own eyes, as a dog. 

"The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it." -Goodreads.com

    If you are an animal of lover of any kind, then this book is an absolute must-read! Garth Stein is, in some way, a genius. He has cleverly written a novel of the everyday life of a family, the Swifts, but through the point of view of their family pet, Enzo. If you are anything like me, you have probably wondered to yourself what your own pet is thinking, what they dream about, and what they would say to you if they could speak. After reading this book, all of my questions were finally resolved! Enzo is, and like I know my own dog is, a very smart and talented soul. He realizes what is taking place in the world around him; he understands the trouble that his family is going through; he also knows the answers and solutions to those problems, but he cannot communicate effectively other than using small gestures that prove to be pointless most of the time.

  Sure, he can be clever and even sometimes a stubborn individual, but nonetheless, Enzo explains what it means to love, forgive, protect, and cherish those people and things you hold dear by comparing life to one of his favorite past-times, racing. Life is not always about how fast you can go; "The one who drives smart will always win in the end." His canine life is so profoundly inspiring for all of the humankind. You are guaranteed to laugh and most definitely cry as you witness the beauty of his life unfold from beginning to end in this endearing novel.

• Favorite Quotes:

-"Sure, I'm stuffed into a dog's body, but that's just the shell. It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human."

-"It makes one realize that the physicality of our world is a boundary to us only if our will is weak; a true champion can accomplish things that a normal person would think impossible."

-"Yes: the race is long- to finish first, you must finish."

• Favorite Chapter:

-"Chapter 11" (Or as I like to title it, "The Stuffed Zebra!"): This chapter was hilarious to me! I can totally see his situation with the evil stuffed animal, as something that one of my dogs would do. Just being able to see their train of thought makes me literally laugh out loud! 

-"Imola, Italy": My favorite chapter by far, and I don't want to give anything away, so you will see why once you read it! This book couldn't have possibly had a better ending!

• Cons:

-Yet another book that I cannot seem to find anything negative to say about it. When a book can move someone, as much as this book moved me, then that means it is a work of art.

  

  And in honor of Enzo's fabulous life, I wanted to share a few other fabulous dogs that I am lucky to have in my own life! Roxy, the boxer, Baloo, the Black Mouth Cur, Ellie, the Alaskan Husky, and *not pictured* Sadie, the Yellow Lab. 

Making a Difference

   Hope you are having a HAPPY FRIDAY! I just thought I'd share a story that has found a place in my heart! As some of you may or may not know, I taught 6th English-Language Arts last school year, and some of the most heart-breaking moments for me were when I would have a child tell me they hated reading. Hated reading? 

   In all honesty, I could almost relate to them. I never hated reading when I was their age, but I was by no means an avid reader either. (see Behind the Pages) But hearing this as a teacher took a different toll on me. It was like something had hit me deep in my core. It became my goal to pry and find out why the child resented reading. I would do what I could, and more often than not, I would discover that the child simply could not read, or could not read well. How unsettling is it to know that by 6th grade some students still cannot read? We are talking eleven and twelve-year-old children here, and unfortunately, it happens all the time. 

   Which brings me to the reason for this post. My S.O. shared this story with me (bless his heart!) from CBS News; it was aired on "College Football Today" last week. Malcolm Mitchell, a football player for the Georgia Bulldogs, has a very similar story to what I have just described to you. Struggled in grade school. Could not read well. Therefore, hated to read. But with all of the talent he possesses on the field, why would he ever need books? This is a very common misconception of many students; they find success in other areas, and they put reading on the back burner. The difference is, Malcolm decided to choose a different path. His story is absolutely remarkable, and it should be shared. If only every kid could see this...

 

"Somebody called me a nerd. That's not a word that I am used to hearing. I was proud of it...It was like a badge of honor to me." -Malcolm Mitchell

For more information about this story and Malcolm Mitchell, please visit CBS News. 

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

• Author: Cheryl Strayed (website/facebook/twitter)
• Publisher & Date: Vintage Books, 2012
• Pages: 311
• Intended Audience: Adult/Young Adult
• Genre: Memoir, Adventure, Travel, Survival, Inspirational
• Goodreads Rating: 3.91/5.0 
• Sneak Peak by Jess: 

     Picture this: You are a 26-years-old female, recently divorced from a man you love dearly, still grieving the loss of your mom who passed away four years prior to this very moment, and you are standing on the edge of a forest line about to take on a 1,100 mile journey through the wilderness, alone, after uprooting your entire life. On top of this slightly irrational decision, you have never hiked a day in your life. Got the idea?

    As crazy as that may sound to some, it is the only thing that sounded sane to Cheryl Strayed at that time in her life. And that is exactly what she, the author of Wild: From Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, decided to do for herself after her life was seemingly becoming more and more out of her control.

    Young and in love with her high school sweet-heart, Cheryl married at the very young age of 19, and her life was everything she wanted it to be, until her mom fell suddenly ill. After her mother's passing, Strayed did just as her name suggests... she strayed from everything that was once holding her together in one piece; her friends, her family, her husband, her life, her job, and her morals. With all else gone, and having nothing else to lose, she makes the decision to quit her job, sell all of her belongings, and travel across the country to the Mojave desert to hike the infamous Pacific Crest Trail, where she would be faced with some of the most brutal, unforgiving, and loneliest days of her life.

    This memoir takes the reader through a step-by-step retelling of Cheryl Strayed's remarkable journey, as she recounts what it was like to spend three grueling months on her own with just herself and a "Monster."

"Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her." -Goodreads.com
 

    Let me begin by saying that anyone who can hike for 1,100 miles in one lifetime is a BEAST in my eyes. Kudos to you! However, not only did Cheryl Strayed hike 11,000 miles, but she did it alone. A woman, in the woods, for months, alone. That would terrify me; yet, at the same time, I envy her adventure.
   This would not typically be a book that I would grab off of the shelves and read just because it sounded good. I honestly know very little about hiking and the outdoors, and I couldn't really care less about someone taking a trip along the PCT. And if we're being completely honest, I probably would not have read this book if it had not been a true story. The fact that the story was actually lived out by the author made this a good read to me. 
    So let's back up. Strayed takes this journey.. a kind of pilgrimage, if you will, in search of personal fortitude. I guess it was hard for me to grasp why she felt she needed to go hiking (Keep in mind she had never been hiking- it would be like me saying that I needed to go sailing solo down the West Coast to help me find inner peace.) to find such a thing, but then again, I suppose I have never felt that lost. Some people will probably consider this a very reckless decision on her part, and others will love her courage and the struggles that she overcomes. Strayed uses some pretty vivid detail when she writes about her time in these various desserts and mountain ranges, which in a sense is nice, because she paints a picture for you, but can get a bit lengthy for my taste. (Again, if your into that kind of thing, then you'll love it.) She also explains some background on her life and events leading up to her final decision to take on the PCT. Growing up with an absent father, moving from place to place, and losing the one person that kept the family glued together, could easily cause anyone to fall into a dark, bottomless pit. Who really knows what it would take to rebuild a life from such a place until you reach that point yourself? To wrap it all up, this memoir is painstaking proof that even through the midst of defeat, starvation, and loneliness, humans are equipped with what it takes to survive. Just strap in tight because this story can be very emotionally raw, sadly relateable at times, and brutally descriptive, but it will leave you cheering her on around every bend. 

•  Favorite Quotes:

-"Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves."

-"I'd made a plan: I would follow this road wherever it led me. I'd ignore all others that crossed its path, no matter how intriguing or promising they looked."
 -"There is no way to know what makes one thing happen and not another. What leads to what. What destroys what. What causes what to flourish or die or take another course."

• Biggest Takeaway:

-Never take your loved ones for granted. (Especially your mom.) I have learned that my time with my parents and grandparents is very limited, and I have always known that, but seeing what Strayed goes through really opened my eyes to how precious my family is. 

• Cons:

 -I'm racking my brain to find a con about this book, and it doesn't seem like I am going to be able to fabricate one. It is a beautifully-crafted novel. 

• Questions:

-Why did she choose the PCT? What was so intriguing about hiking to her at this point in her life?

-Did she really ever find what she was looking for?

-In your opinion, did her brutal honesty about some of her previous mistakes seem like bragging points?
-Was her decision to take on this journey irrational or justified?