Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Title: The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Author: Mohsin Hamid
Pages: 184
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Mariner (Houghton Mifflin)
Pub. Date: April 3, 2007


My husband and I picked this book up on a whim recently and both read it. It's a short read at 184 pages, and we were also motivated by the upcoming movie version. This book was certainly not what I expected and will disappoint (and anger) some readers, but it was really a very introspective, tense book that my husband and I were both ultimately impressed with.

Touted as a thriller (though really it's not unless you can consider it a very subtle thriller focused on underlying tensions), The Reluctant Fundamentalist is narrated by Changez, a Pakistani man who is narrating his story to an American businessman he meets in a cafe. Changez had the opportunity to receive schooling in the United States and then to work in the corporate world in New York City, essentially living the American Dream. But then the attacks on 9/11 happen, and Changez finds his perspective on his life in America turning completely upside down. His conversation provides insights that are surprising and scary but provide an incredible perspective on prejudice and the war on terror.

I went back and read some reader reviews after I finished this and found many people trashed this book and were extremely angry after completing it. I get it... I understand where they were coming from; some of what I read was certainly shocking. But it was also genuine and has to be considered on a deeper level - not just taken at face value. You have to read it to know what I mean, but there is definitely food for thought about prejudice and relationships for the open-minded reader that can look past the superficial. For a "deep" book this is an easy read, and I recommend it.

The movie, released on April 26th, 2013, looks really good, though they clearly added some things to the story to make it more of a Blockbuster!

Review: The New Republic by Lionel Shriver

Title: The New Republic
Author: Lionel Shriver
Pages: 
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: 
Pub. Date: March 27, 2012


I recently got around to reading We Need to Talk About Kevin which was fantastic, so I was excited to try another of Shriver's books when I had the opportunity to review this one. As other readers have mentioned, the author included a note in the beginning about how this book was written years ago (prior to Kevin) but was put on hold because of the lack of potential interest in a novel about terrorism followed by the actual act of terrorism that then rendered this book taboo; years later it was decided that this book would be released, and few changes were made to it. Unfortunately, that had me wondering, throughout reading, if maybe it being an older effort of the author's affected its quality as it was a difficult read for me that I did not enjoy. The topic did not offend me, but it's application was dry to me.

Edward Kellogg makes a mid-life career change to become a journalist. Much of his thoughts and decisions are motivated by his desire to be "cool" and admirable like those he has looked up to because of his "uncool" history as a kid. He ends up being assigned to Barba, near Portugal, where the previous journalist has gone missing, and uncovers scandal along with the terrorism.

The plot sounds interesting in theory but didn't maintain my interest. I also expected to find it funnier (togue-in-cheeck, I know) but I didn't. I think most of it may have been Kellogg, himself, who I found annoying from the get go. I wonder if the main character had been more sympathetic and likeable if the rest of what played out may have been funnier. I also think that the side story about Kellogg's history and wanting to be popular was unnecessary. As it was, I didn't care for it and was hugely disappointed because of my huge enjoyment of Kevin and all the other amazing things I have heard.


Catch up on and follow the rest of the tour below:

Tuesday, April 2nd: The House of the Seven Tails
Wednesday, April 3rd: Man of La Book
Monday, April 8th: The Scarlet Letter
Wednesday, April 10th: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Thursday, April 11th: she treads softly
Tuesday, April 16th: Becca’s Byline
Monday, April 22nd: Lit and Life
Wednesday, April 24th: Take Me Away
Thursday, April 25th: I Read a Book Once
Friday, April 26th: Luxury Reading
TBD: Melody & Words

Review: Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon

Title: Far From the Tree
Subtitle: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Author: Andrew Solomon
Pages: 702 (plus notes)
Genre: Non-Fiction, Sociology
Publisher: Mariner (Houghton Mifflin)
Pub. Date: November 13, 2012



I read this book slowly over the course of maybe 6 weeks, but it was well worth it! In Far From the Tree, Solomon chronicles the lives of various families whose children have created what Solomon terms "horizontal identities"; this refers to the new cultures their children are inherently born into as a result of the differences they're born with such as deafness, dwarfism, transgender, etc. Unlike "vertical identities" where one's children have essentially the same characteristics and life experiences, children with "horizontal identities" become part of a life that their own parents can't truly relate to. The premise of this book was to be the focus of the families themselves and how they manage their differences, but I found it to be more of a sociological study on the different groups Solomon reveals.

Solomon began the book discussing his experience as son to his parents and his own differences from them. Then in following chapters he discusses those who are deaf, dwarfs, have down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, disabilities, those who are prodigies, were conceived from rape, grow up to commit heinous crimes, and those who are transgender. Then in coming full circle, he writes about his decision to become a father and the very non-traditional means by which he decides to do this.

This book was a fascinating look into the experiences of the individuals dealing with each of these issues and of their families as well. I would go so far as to say that I think this book should be required reading for social workers (my bachelor's degree!) or sociology degrees. Solomon was not afraid to thoroughly flesh out each topic each chapter so I really learned a lot. I felt pretty knowledgeable already, but I was not aware of some of the controversies involved with related treatments. Some of the treatments are so risky or controversial that it seems only right to allow children to mature and make the decision to do so on their own, but the same treatments become moot by then because it's too late once the children become adults. Solomon illuminated many other questions that arise when advocating for each group of people; for instance, many of these groups do not want to be labeled as having a disability because they see themselves as living different lifestyles rather than being disabled; however, if it's not a disability then wouldn't that contraindicate funding that goes into managing associated challenges and/or toward medical research to resolve the "disability"? And that in itself is another controversy because there are those who don't believe in medical advances to "cure" the issues such as those who support "neurodiversity" rather than pathologizing autism and those who advocate for "mad pride" for people with psychiatric disorders.

I found all of this to be an important look at the experiences of people and families everywhere. The only two downsides are that 1) each chapter is very thorough... to the point that I thought he could have not included quite so many interviews and 2) readers will surely find varying degrees of interest in the different chapters because the range of topics are so diverse. But regardless of these two things, I highly recommend this book!

Review: These Days Are Ours by Michelle Haimoff

Title: These Days Are Ours
Author: Michelle Haimoff
Pages: 275
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Books)
Pub. Date: February 28, 2012


I didn't hear about this book until nomadreader raved about it. I have to say I'm surprised at the little publicity it's received, especially with a cover blurb from Jonathan Tropper, "Smart, witty, honest, and never anything less than utterly engaging." I will say that These Days Are Ours was and wasn't what I was expecting which I'll explain; but overall it was a quick and fantastic read that was iconic in its representation of modern day high society New York as well as in its depiction of what I'll refer to as the "quarter life crisis". It is essentially the story of Hailey and her friends after they graduate from college and try to figure out what to do next, set in NYC right after 9/11.

Despite the humorous authenticity of Hailey's (main character's) thought processes in the beginning as she tried to maneuver her way into the life of her crush, I did not expect the initial chick-flick/rom-com feel that I noticed. I also had expected that I'd immediately relate to the characters better. I mean, I knew I wouldn't relate to the whole "Fifth Avenue" lifestyle in general but didn't realize how far that lifestyle permeated; for instance, I have always worked, full time, before, during, and after college and felt that the lifestyles of the characters were too irresponsible, cavalier. I've always had an extreme streak of independence - never moved back in with mom and dad, have never bemoaned the woes of being an adult, etc. that separated my complete understanding of life from theirs.

But what did meet my expectations was that I was able to relate to the characters in a broader, more abstract way, as in schooling is finally over so what now?... as in entering and partaking in the reality of "the real world" that in your twenties you start to see from a new perspective such as learning that your parents are human and don't know everything. I thought this quote from one of the characters describing their work represented this well:

"And another thing that takes some getting used to is how seriously everyone takes this stuff. Like, the biggest account you could be on at BBDO, the account you would be on if you were rocking it, is Pepsi. And if you're somehow on Pepsi, the highlight of your life would be some new soda they were launching with even fewer calories than the old soda. And I'm sorry, but it's just hard to pretend to care that much about a lower-calorie soda when you've just been in college learning actual things." (p.155)

Writing these characters against the backdrop of 9/11 New York City adds to the whole "quarter life crisis" and the characters' startling realizations about what life does and will entail for them. It's a jolt into reality that I also experienced while in college. It's not what this book is about but it does have a part in teaching the characters about life and also about how their interpretations of it differ. The following is a quote from Hailey after she sees the debris at Ground Zero:

" Ground Zero wasn't the right name for this. Ground Zero sounded like a blank canvas. For now it should be called 'The Disaster Zone' or something. Ground Zero could be later, when the area was nothing but a desert in the middle of the skyscrapers. Emptiness. Dust to dust. Ground Zero could honor a time before accountants and stock market and buildings that loomed so large it felt like you were drowning." (p. 78)

After the book picked up, that "chick-flick" feel I mentioned earlier made way for a much more insightful and intuitive read.

These Days Are Ours is about life in your twenties, looking forward, starting careers, friendships, relationships, and just taking it all in. It's full of realistic dialogue, humor, sadness, and reality (told in part through the NYC nightlife). I read this in one day, almost in one sitting.

Rating: 4 out of 5

We need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Title: We Need to Talk About Kevin
Author: Lionel Shriver
Pages: 432
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Perennial (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: April 15, 2003 (first edition)


 
You can only say so many times that a book is on your MUST read list or that you reallly want to read a book before you have to actually pick it up and do it. So I finally am in the know both about this book as well as the style and talent of the author herself. Although I was utterly depressed by the end (which didn't really happen to me until about the last 50 pages), I'm glad I read this because it was so amazing in its content, its writing, its characters and psychology. It's the kind of book I'm glad to say I have read. And I'm really curious about the author's other work as well... are all her books like this?

We know from the beginning that Kevin, son of the narrator, Eva, has perpetrated a mass murder at his high school. In letters that Eva writes to her husband, Franklin, she recaptures their lives from the beginning when she first made the decision to have a child despite never having quite felt maternal desires. She then chronicles their relationships with their son as well as the various misgivings she had about him. Whereas Eva never felt truly bonded to him, Franklin passion for this child was overkill.

At first, this novel's epistolary format was strange to me only because having Eva essentially narrate their lives back to her husband didn't make sense to me. Eventually I got used to it and also decided if nothing else it must have been therapeutic for her so that it made more sense in my head. One of the points of this book was to invoke thoughts about the nature vs nurture debate. While I suppose it did that, I actually thought that Kevin was so extreme from the beginning that this book truly fought for the side of nature. Or if it was making a fight for nurture, it wasn't so much Eva but Franklin's pure ignorance that I think influenced anything. I've read of other readers severely disliking Eva, but for the most part I liked her.

Despite the serious and depressing nature of the book, I was enthralled... by the psychology of if all as well as by Lionel's writing style which was not just astute but so intelligently crafted. I felt my brain growing smarter just by reading her book, haha. (I'll admit there were times in the beginning when it felt clunky with what I thought were unnecessary high brow adverbs and adjectives. But I must have gotten used to it).

But then the last 50 pages or so left me so bereft -- shockingly upset considering I knew more or less where it was going. I felt evil leaking off the pages and I wondered what it must have been like to even write this book. Was it as horrifying as it was to read? Then the very ending, the last page or so, was exactly as I figured it would be. This is definitely a book I will highly recommend to those who think they can stomach the atrocities within its pages.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5