A Little Life by H Yanagiharav is a Man Booker & Nat'l Bk Award Nominee Which Beats Me

"A Little Life" by Amer writer Hanya Yanagiharav (b. Amer 1975) received a Na'l Book Award & Man Booker nomination.  I think this novel is an abomination.  Jude St Francis is a horribly abused orphan. He's raised & molested in the church and his life goes from bad to worse.  Just thinking of the relentless sexual abuse, brutal beatings and torture this young man endured makes me want to hurl.  Why did I read this novel and in its entirety?  Good question.  And, why did it receive such prestigious recognition?  Maybe because it became addictive?  Jude's 1st tormentor, sexually molested him & coerced him to have sex with men for money.  He escapes the priest only to be enslaved by a depraved, brutal pervert.  There is a turning point.  This comes after he's found, having been left for dead.  His captor drove over Jude when he attempted to flee.  Miraculously (or incredulously) Jude matriculates into an Ivy League college.  He forms friendships for the 1st with his assigned roommates.  Redemption  from suffering is short lived.  The years of abuse turn into self-abuse. Jude incessantly cuts himself with razors & bashes himself against walls.  I HATED this relentless book.  Reading this was as painful as slicing my own wrists.  I must be somewhat of a masochist.  Take my advice, don't get started.

Nat'l Bk Nom. FATES and FURIES by Lauren Groff

FATES and FURIES is a dazzling literary novel that shimmers with the genius of Faulkner, Joyce &  Shakespeare while spinning a tale of a young, golden couple whose world is their oyster.  Mathilde and Lancelot (Lotto) are drawn together the moment their eyes lock the last week of college, They marry before graduation and remain a couple despite the outlandish odds.  To thine own self be true: "She never lied. Just never said."  How does a person truly know the another?  One is never sure where the storytelling is headed.  There are multiple narratives that break off into fissures that spin into the future, fold backwards and speak directly to the reader.  Groff's writing style is reason enough to appreciate why she received a Nat'l Book Award nomination.  Yet, there are many interesting & unexpected twists and reveals to keep you immersed in this tale.  There will be times when you will become overwhelmed or submerged in miasma .  FATES is laden with erudite literary references. Groff's creative writing places her among the elite.  What is the difference between tragedy & comedy?  "There's no difference. It's a question of perspective."

MY STORY, MY DANCE-Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey for Young Readers

MY STORY, MY DANCE is a beautifully illustrated & inspiring biography of Robert Battle, the Artistic Dir. for the world renown Alvin Ailey Amer Dance Theater.  Written & illustrated for young adults by the colloborative husband/wife team Les & James Ransome.  This is a moving account of Mr. Battle's amazing life story. Raised by loving family in FL, Robert was surrounded by caring adults. Despite requiring painful braces to straighten his legs and starting dance lessons at a late age, Mr. Battle pursued & persevered to achieve his dreams of dancing professionally. He was fortunate to have had a mentor in high school, Miss Munez, who lent her support & guidance to the very determined, hard working youngster.  She provided him with extensive training & the opportunities to see dance companies, including Ailey.  Robert's passion and dedication led to a scholarship to Julliard in NYC and to his illustrious career as both a dancer, choreographer and leader of the world famous Ailey Dance Co.  HIS STORY is a story hope, hard work and following one's dreams.  HIS STORY is also a story of love, support and grace that special people bring to the lives of others.  

The COURAGE of THEIR CONVICTIONS by Peter Irons (Non-F)

Peter Irons account of 16 courageous & determined Americans that fought their way to the Superior Court should be mandatory reading as a means to instill a sense of justice & inspire us all to take a staunch stand to see that justice is severed.  First published in 1988, the cases are monumental.  Their impacts are felt in our daily lives.  The cases involve a Japanese American in WA who fought against internment in WWII, Brown v. the Board of Education & its enforcement in AK, a case in MD in the 1960's involving a non-violent protest at a segregated lunch counter, the Scopes trial case   Who are the individuals at the heart of the cases?  What did they have to endure?  What stirred them to take a stand?  What was their experience like and how did they maintain their tenacity?  Irons cover major cases of the 20th C which help lay the groundwork for social justice.  Iron's let's the individual tell their stories and this is what makes this historic American civil liberties book so reviting and so inspiring.  Most importantly, there is a never ending need to fight to maintain our civil liberties.  As Americans we do a court of law to maintain order & justice but the onus is on the individual, and it does come down to courageous individuals with convictions.  Current case in point right now in Yaphank, NY, homeowners learn they are only allowed to sell their homes to buyers of German heritage and their neighbors are required to sponsor the buyers.  The "Rasin in the Sun" case  from 1945, "Shelly v. Louis Kraemer fighting a restrictive racial covenant from 1911 in MO is presented in this book.

MARS and VENUS IN TOUCH by John Gray-Touche But No Big Hooray

John Gray, Ph.d. is a certified family therapist and best selling author.  He is probably best known for his multi-million selling book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus." I never read his other books but my guess is that they are all probably a rehash of what we all probably knew in the first place.  Gray subtitles this book "Enhancing the Passion with Great Communication."  I will be succinct  and reiterate the 2 main take away skills you probably already knew but may need to review:
1.  Make a point of making time to talk & listen.
2.  Make a point of not talking to the other at a time that is not suitable.
Wow, enlightenment and not entitlement meant to keep the home fires burning.  Here's my take, don't bother reading the book.  Just don't bother your spouse when they're not available to devote their utmost attention.  Here's my advice:  Ladies, let your girlfriends be your sounding boards & stop prattling in your partner's ear.  Gentlemen, give your ladies your attention and allow us to know how much retention time we have.  (Ladies, a lot less than we would like - so learn to be succinct.)

Canadian Author Miriam Toews' Novel ALL MY PUNY SORROWS is Soused in Despair

Miriam Toews (b. Canada) is a writer of stunning depth & intelligence.  She has received numerous literary awards including the Gov General's Award for Fiction.  ALL MY PUNY SORROWS is the story of 2 very devoted sisters, Yolandi (Yoli) the younger sibling to Elfried (Elf) the piano prodigy.  They are raised in a small religious Mennonite community where free expression & willfulness are discouraged.  Nevertheless, Elf thrives as an int'l concert pianist until she is overrun with despair & attempts to take her own life. Their father committed suicide when the girls were young.  Now as a married woman with a highly regarded performance career, Elf wants to end her sorrowful life.  Elf tries to enlist her sister in her desire to travel to Switzerland where euthanasia is legal.  "She wanted to die and I wanted her to live and we were enemies who loved each other."  Toews' staggering writing illuminates the anguishes of loving, particularily when your loved one chooses death over life.  "It sounded naive to me now and selfish and fearful to say you must live, you must want to live, you have to live.  That's your one imperative, the single rule of the universe."  Oftentimes oppressive, this brilliant  & heartfelt novel is suffused with love. There are strong familial bonds & joys derived from friendship and parenthood.  The novel examines the compassion & wisdom derived from grief and knowing the release of grief is also mourning.  This brave & disturbing novel is "about the grace you require in order to accept the gift of life."  

A GIRL is a HALF-FORMED THING-Totally Brilliant by British Author E McBride

Eimear McBride (b. Britian 1976) to Irish parents has written a 1st novel that is shattering in its ingenious literary style and an excruciating painful tale.  One of the most acclaimed novels of 2014, A GIRL…won the Inaugural Goldsmith Prize, the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction, the Kerry Gray Irish Fiction Award and numerous others honors bestowed on this heartbreakingly written story told from the 1st person of an Irish girl, who remains nameless and gives voice to her relgious fearing mother, her mentally challenged older, beloved brother and the uncle who sexually abuses her starting at age 13.  Girl is a free spirit set adrift seeking refuge and love wherever she may find it.  "Who I am. And I'm from someplace so much littler than this. Redneck culchi. Backward. Farmyard. I am all these things…Come don't hate me…New girl stinks."  Unfortunately, this vulnerability leads her down a path where sexual promiscuity, alcohol & drug abuse serve as escape and relief.  She dearly loves her older brother.  His cancer surgery resulted in brain damage.  She serves as his protector while absorbing all the shame and abuse aimed at him.  Her single working mother is emotionally crazed, cold-hearted and directs all her energy towards religious fervor.  McBride's  unique voice puts us inside the young girl's head and establishes the disturbing events as they unfold.  This is a harsh coming of age story for a girl with few options, no guidance and abuse misinterpreted as kindness. It is about grief, pain and religious hypocrisy.  McBride's eloquence puts her in the literary circle of Joyce & O'Brien with her own contemporary sensibility.  A GIRL is a HALF-FORMED THING is a ferocious, virtuoso debut heralding in a stunning voice in literary fiction.