Wither--by Lauren DeStefano: Creepy Distopian "Romance"

Okay, I, along with tens of thousands of other bloggers decided to dust off the neglected blog.  What do I find?  An unposted review that I thought I posted months ago! Oh, well, I will do better this year.

Wither was shortlisted as one of the best YA books, which is why I picked it up  I actually picked up most of the books on this list in a fit of YA book zeal.  I think seeing The Fault in Our Stars on the list gave me hope.   I have sworn off YA books for a while. I think that everyday life has enough drama and dystopian worlds with poorly-realized science and history are rather irritating.  That limits my YA choices this year (I also sat out most of the vampire/undead books of past years) and I am so glad that I am not a YA librarian!


 Here is a brief synopsis:  Due to genetic modifications in a previous generation, women die at the age of 20 and men at the age of 25.    An earlier generation that was not afflicted by this virus are in their 70s.  Rich young men buy kidnapped young women to be their brides in polygamous marriages.  The main character, Rhine, is married, along with two other girls, to Linden which makes my skin crawl--and then we meet his even creepier 70 year old dad. As I write this I am astonished that I even attempted to read this book.

 I frequently suspend my disbelief when reading futuristic or fantasy novels, but this one was just too much!  I am not alone in objecting to the shoddy science behind Lauren DeStefano's world-building.  Here are a couple of the most glaring problems:

• Claiming melted ice caps and setting your story in Manhattan and Florida is just silly. Setting it on the coast of, say, Kentucky, would have been interesting. 
• The whole genetic manipulation/virus thing.  You would not be able to create a "perfect race" of children all at once, so non-modified people would exist to have children.

I just spent too much time thinking, "That makes no sense at all", and not enough time caring about Rhine.

The basic logic of the plot was also a problem:

• Society would have degenerated into anarchy if you only had people 25 and under along with a shrinking minority of people in their 70s.    
• If orphans are starving, it seems that kidnapping is unnecessary because many would sign right up for a (short) life of luxury as the wife of a rich young man. 
• Why kill the unwanted girls?  Why not just leave them by the side of the road?  Why did she never ask Linden why the girls were killed?  Okay, maybe she did and I didn't make it that far.

This lack of any meaningful communication between Rhine and Linden struck me as sort of Harlequin romance-y. You know the type: You want to just shake the main characters and shout,  "Talk to each other!"  Rhine never said, "My brother must be frantic about me. Can I let him know I am alive and well?"  Rhine is whiny and introspective.  She rages about Linden's sexual relationship with his 13 year old bride--quietly to herself, then decides that he is not so bad after all.  


Did I mention that it is the first part of a trilogy?  I am so tired of dystopian YA novels.

Chomp: A new children's novel by Carl Hiaasen--Guest Review!

Hey, I'm Maddy, Tracy's sixteen year old daughter. Yes, the one who stole Cinder, then failed to review it. Sorry about that. 

Anyway, this is another book that I grabbed as soon as I saw it on the kitchen table, and I am so glad I did. I have read all of Carl Hiaasan's kid books and loved them. I knew this would be no different.

The story centers around a boy named Wahoo Cray, the son of a renowned animal wrangler in the Florida everglades. His dad has been unable to work due to being hit on the head by a frozen Iguana--yes it sounds weird, but stay with me. They are hired to work for a popular survival reality show and seem to be the only people who see just how fake the show is. They deal with an obnoxious star and many odd problems that are clearly his fault. I'm not going to go any farther into the story, because I want you to read it for yourself. 

What I really love is that it is a children's book. It has a bit of drama and fear, without being all about the dark. It isn't really deep, but it does have some depth. It is funny and crazy without losing its meaning in the jokes. In short, it is a perfect book for those who want to enjoy a story without all the darkness and adult themes you get in a lot of books today. This is marketed to 10-12 year olds (a remarkably narrow age range), but it will be enjoyed by all ages.

Note from Tracy:  The book is available on March 27, 2012 and, as you can see from the cover illustration, Barnes and Noble is including "a mini-magazine featuring Carl Hiaasen interviewing Derek Badger, the reality-TV host from the book."

The Uses of Enchantment--Review

I read a newsletter, Shelf Awareness, and I often add their picks to my reading list.  I came across a review for another book written by Heidi Julavits, "The Vanishers", and I picked this one up at the library while I was waiting for my hold to come.  The main character is Mary, who has returned home for her mother's funeral. The family had never forgiven her for the scandal of her "fake abduction" as a teen years before.  The story flips from Mary's view in the present, to her therapist's notes of sessions he had with her shortly after her abduction, and the so-called "What Might Have Happened" third person narration of her abduction.  I found the author's determination to  cloud the story with this "might-have" rather irritating and it made those chapters seem flat.

The premise is very interesting--is her story true or a lie?  If a lie, did her feelings of anger towards her mother when she refused to believe Mary's story about an earlier possible molestation, cause her to create a situation that her mother could not ignore?  Unfortunately, this book talks around these issues--in beautiful  writing, to be sure--without resolving very much.  A resolution is hinted at, but by that time, we are tired of Mary, her family, the therapists and the "abductor".  Now I have to decide whether I want to read "The Vanishers".

Note:  As I searched for a picture of the cover, I found that the title is borrowed from a famous Bruno Bettelhiem book  (it has the subtitle "The Meaning and Purpose of Fairy Tales").  Well, that went way over my head.

Cinder-A Cinderella Sci Fi Story

When I got the advanced reader copy for Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, my sixteen year old daughter snatched it away from me. I think that is a good example about how this book is received by its target audience.  I am older, have read more widely and am a great deal more cynical, but I still liked this book very much.

Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella set in the future in the city of New Bejing. Cinder has all the requisite baggage--a wicked stepmother, two stepsisters, a prince, and a father-figure who died and left her to the mercy of her stepmother. She is also a cyborg--part human-part machine for the uninitiated.  Cyborgs do not have the full rights of those who are completely human.

Given the nature of fairy tale reimaginings, the basic story line is already set in stone. This means some of the plot turns were less than surprising, but I think that anyone reading a book like Cinder already understands that. Her entrance to the ball was unfortunately similar to the entrance that another young princess made in a movie (and in the book, I believe, but I cannot remember). I am not saying any more for fear of spoilers, but if you read the book, you will probably know what I mean.  Even so, the plot is imaginative and fresh and, while reading, I really wanted Cinder and her Prince to triumph over evil. It is Book 1 in the Lunar Chronicles and I will definitely be reading Book 2.

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis (Review)

Note:  My book reviews have been scattered throughout many forums (depending on the type of book) and I have decided consolidate them all here.  That was, after all, the original reason for the blog--no, I take that back, it was the secondary reason, but the primary reason has long-since evaporated. 

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner

This is a book I am going to have to muse over for a while before I know what I think.  It is a thoughtfully and beautifully written account of the recent crisis of faith and of life that she found herself facing. I identified with some of the aspects of her feeling of facing a wall and of wondering what she really believed. I think this happens to many Christians--especially those who don't have the courage to talk through these issues with their friends.  Talking about this does require a large measure of courage because some people are very quick to give pat answers when one of their own questions their faith.

Now for spoilers:  Her descriptions of depression, anxiety attacks and OCD behavior left me wondering whether her original crisis was more a mental health issue that left her feeling unsure of her spiritual foundations.  I am not downplaying the spiritual aspect, but if an anti-depressant left her feeling like her old self (albeit with unacceptable side effects), perhaps she should consider finding a better medication while she works through this with a good therapist, rather than avoiding medication entirely. I hope that doesn't sound snarky, because I mean it in all seriousness.  When a person's life is impaired by the need to repeatedly check on whether the stove is off, or has the inability to get up off the floor, this is not necessarily a crisis of faith, but more likely a crisis of mental well-being.  That being said, I pray for God's blessing on Lauren's life and His guidance on whatever help she needs to walk through this time.  

Communicating science to the masses: Escape from the Ivory Tower

Scientists who are leaders in their fields may sometimes struggle to communicate their knowledge to others who could introduce them to a wider audience—journalists, politicians or the public at large. Nancy Baron’s book, Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter , explains how to scientists can take their research and clarify their findings in order to communicate them to the non-scientific community. Her background as a science writer and as a communication coach for scientists has made her an expert at communicating complex scientific issues in a variety of non-scientific settings.




Her primary audience is environmental scientists who may find themselves fielding calls from journalists wanting quotes for newscasts or from political staffers doing background work for their bosses. She also addresses the scientific “activist” who wants to impact policy and attitudes with their research. This is a very practical book that shows that with practice anyone can develop the skills needed to communicate their message effectively.



Although the book is focused on environmental science, its lessons would be invaluable for any academic who wants to become a better communicator to those outside their discipline.

Maisie Dobbs General Reading LIst

See the previous post for the introduction--here's the list. I relied on reviews to choose the books so let me know if a book is not a good choice. A reading list for The Mapping of Love and Death is coming soon!

World War I (General)

Arthur, Max. The Faces of World War I. London: Cassell Illustrated, 2007. Print. ISBN-13  9781844035618

The author's goal was to show "the enduring spirit of the solder and civilian...", so this book emphasizes the heroic rather than the horrific and is known for its excellent photographs.

Lewis, Jon E. The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness World War I. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2003. Print. ISBN-10: 9780786712885

Eyewitness accounts arranged chronologically.

Meyer, G. J. A World Undone: the Story of the Great War, 1914-1918. New York, NY: Bantam Dell, 2007. Print. ISBN-10: 9780553382402

Another good basic overview.

World War I: The Great War. New York, NY: A & E Television Networks, 2008.

Aired on the History Channel.


World War I (Medical)

Barham, Peter. Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2007. Print. ISBN-10: 9780300125115

Reviews suggest that this is well-researched, but not as well-written (stylistically) as Shell Shocked by Peter Leese. However, if you are buying the books, it only costs about $30 and the Leese book is about $80.

Higonnet, Margaret R., Motte Ellen Newbold La, and Mary Borden. Nurses at the Front: Writing the Wounds of the Great War. Boston, MA: Northeastern UP, 2001. Print. ISBN-10: 1555534848

Combines the stories of two American nursed who wrote about their experiences in WWI. LaMotte's original book, written in 1916, was censored at the time. It is hard to find memoirs written by British nurses that are available in America.

Lee, Janet. War Girls: the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in the First World War. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2005. Print. ISBN-10: 0719067138

The FANYs worked as nurses and ambulance drivers. This is out of print but is held at a lot of American universities.

Leese, Peter. Shell Shock: Traumatic Neurosis and the British Soldiers of the First World War. New York: Palgrave, 2002. Print. ISBN-10: 9780333969267

Considered the first exhaustive academic work on Shell Shock. This may be hard to find in a public library, since it is more of a university book.


Linker, Beth. War's Waste: Rehabilitation in World War I America. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2011. Print. ISBN-10: 0226482537


Available June, 2011. Subject is rehabilitation of soldiers in America after WWI but will probably be similar to Great Britain. This is a serious academic work.

Policing

Heidensohn, Frances. Women in Control?: the Role of Women in Law Enforcement. Oxford [England: Clarendon, 1992. Print. ISBN-10: 0198252552

Discusses women in police careers in Great Britain and America. I could not find much history specifically on police women in Great Britain (as opposed to a lot on American police women).


Changes in British Society

I think the original Upstairs, Downstairs (shown in America on PBS in the 1970s), set from 1903 to 1930 would be a fascinating (fictional) resource and the recent show set in 1936 may give a glimpse of Maisie’s future life in Great Britain.


Do you have more suggestions or do you disagree with these choices?  Let me know in the comments!