A BUDDHA in the ATTIC: J. Otsuka

A Buddha in the Attic traces the lives of Japanese mail order brides lured to the U.S. with the promise  of a better life.  The arduous, impoverished lives of these young women made them eager to accept proposals of marriages from Japanese men unbeknownst to them.  Thes hardships & heartaches of the voyage & leaving all they had known behind is told through the numerous women who chose (or were coerced) into leaving their homes. The poignant voices are reflected by a unifying chorus.  Julie Otsuka's novel, "Buddha" won the Pen/Faulkner award.  It is an elegant & powerful tale of woe, wonder & shame that reminds us of these brave, pioneering Japanese women & men who endured unbearable harships with strength and dignity.  The story unfolds in Japan, early 20th C, through turbulent voyages headed to San Francisco, to the fraudulent and terrifying lives this women led with their husbands along the west coast, through the births of their children, to WWII and the frenzied racial   Executive Orders by FDR for Japanese internment.  The use of we & they rather than a singular narrative speaks of the varied experiences and emotions of both Japanese & Americans who were complacent as the Japanese were evacuated from their homes after Pearl Harbor.  These Japanese mail order brides "wondered if we had made a mistake, coming to such a violent and unwelcoming land.  We stopped dreaming.  We stopped wanting.  We simply worked, that was all."  The joys of parenthood gave way to assimilated English speaking offspring that "we could barely recognize.  Mostly, they were ashamed of us."  There is plenty of shame to go around. The Exclusion Orders forced Japanese to be interned for the years of  WWII in CA, OR, WA & AZ. "Our mayor has assured us there is no need for alarm. {The Japanese are in a safe place.}"  Many of the Americans who stood by, "who were more than a little relievered to see the Japanese go. We would like to believe that most, if not all, of the Japanese here in our own town were good, trustworthy citizens, of their absolute loyalty we could not be sure."  The racial bigotry and persecution of the Japanese was shamefully hypocritical to what Americans were fighting to eliminate.   Not until '88, did our then Pres.,  Reagan was an official apology & reparations made to the Japanese for the prejudicial persecution in  the 40's.  "Haruko left a tiny laughing brass Buddha up high, in a corner of the attic, where he is still laughing to this day."  Otsuka's brilliant historic novel must be taken out and read for generations.  

FLIGHT BEHAVIOR, Barbara Kingsolver's novel soars. Put this atop your must read list.

Kingsolver has been named one of the most important writers of the 20thC by Writer's Digest.  In 2000, she received the Nat'l Humanities Medal; the highest honor in the U.S. in the arts.  Perhaps, she is best known for her novel, THE POISONWOOD BIBLE; a Pulitz. Prize Finalist.  The Dayton Literary Peace Prize was given to Kingsolver in '11 for the culmination of her work.  FLIGHT BEHAVIOR, '12, is certain to receive prescient literary awards.  Similar themes exist between "Flight" & "Poisonwood."  Both novels depict the shortcomings of narrow mindedness, blind faith and the consequences of turning a blind eye to the consequences of our actions.   Environmental destruction & global warming is a key message in "Flight."  A phalanx of monarch butterflies alight upon the trees that belong to our heroine's, Dellarobia, in-laws.  Dellarobia is a 20 something housewife & mother of two young children.   Her shotgun wedding to Cub occurred before graduating high school.  Dellarobia, remains in her dismal marriage to Cub despite an early miscarriage.  Dovey, Dellarobia's best friend, and the voice of humor & reason states, "Men and kids get to just light out and fly, without ever worrying about what comes next."  The mystifying aberration of the monarch's migration to this "hillbilly" town draws both scientific and mass media attention.  Kingsolver does not proselytize but wake-up calls are delivered by her intriguing characters.  Dellarobia's contemplation of her life & possibilities makes us question our obligations & the ties that bind a family.  I bestow Kingsolver as one of the most relevant, talented and important writers of the 21st C.

James Salter's LIGHT YEARS, prose on time passage

James Salter holds the distinction of having flown more combat missions than any other highly awarded author.  He may hold the dubious distinction of being one of the best, but perhaps least known writers.  Salter's career began in the U.S. Air Force but came to a screeching halt when he crashed landed his plane into a residential neighborhood; fortunately without incurring casualties.   Afterwards, he was assigned to military service in the Phillipines and later volunteered for combat duty in the Korean War.  In the War he flew over 100 comat missions.  His writing career began with his civilian life.  He turned to his experiences from the Korean War for his first novels.  LIGHT YEARS from '95, tells of the mundane married lives of Viri and Nedra and their two daughters.  However, the simplicity of the story is anything but pedestrian.  The reader is swept along with the melancholy of fleeting years, the dissolution of a marriage and the epiphanies that arise from having lived.  Seasons pass, the years surmount calling into question our own mortality, "The house is surrounded by white.  Hours of sleep, the air chill.  The most delicious sleep, is death so warm, so easeful?" The seemingly idyllic union of Nedra & Viri, having a perfect facade, is not as it appears. "Their life is mysterious, it is like a forest; from far off it seems a unity, it can be comprehended, described, but closer it begins to separate, to bring into light and shadow."  Salter's style pays homage to Woolf, Ibsen and in particular, Wilder's THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER.  By comparing Salter to such literary greats I honor his illuminating writing.  Still, I place him in a contemporary class of his own.  His writing has earned him a PEN/Faulker Award.  He's elected to the Amer. Acad. of Arts & Letters '00 and selected for the 25th PEN/Malamud Award.  I will be attending the 92ndY's Talk with James Salter & Richard Ford.  I recommend the works of  Mr. Salter's and not to miss this opportunity of a lifetime to hear him in person.