What is a typical American? Is it possible that an American would answer that question differently than an immigrant? Is it possible for an immigrant to become a typical American? Is there such a thing as a typical American? I was thinking that some of these questions would be answered by Gish Jen in her novel Typical American. Some of them were and some of them weren't, but it was an enjoyable, albeit laborious, experience all the same.
This was the second book that was assigned to me for class and I enjoyed it much more than the first. It should be noted to anyone who thinks that they may want to read it that it is a bit surreal at times, so if that is not your thing then this would not be the book for you.
Gish Jen weaves a superb tale about a Chinese immigrant named Ralph who comes to the U.S. as a young man to complete graduate school. His initial intention is to finish school and then return to China, but life had different plans for Ralph and he stays. He is eventually joined by his sister and he also eventually marries another Chinese immigrant named Helen.
Ralph and his family begin their assimilation into American culture by making fun of and laughing over what they believe to be "typical American" qualities and traits. As the story plays out, Ralph and family gradually come to realize that they are becoming typical Americans in some ways and already are typical Americans in others. They start out experiencing life as immigrants and eventually land up having genuinely American experiences. Some of the experiences are joyous and some of them are sad. Throughout the novel they are sometimes subject to typical American treatment and even toward the end, they are sometimes still treated as immigrants.
The story of Ralph and his family is not light reading, even though Typical American is not a very long book. It is a wonderful portrayal of how a family of immigrants can become typical Americans but still never truly shed their identity as immigrants (especially in the eyes of American natives). It also gives a wonderful portrayal of how an extremely intelligent immigrant can be undervalued in American society simply because he or she is an immigrant.
As a whole, I think Typical American is a great novel that most readers would enjoy. However, the style Gish Jen uses to write can be difficult to follow and the story does get a bit surreal, as stated previously. If those are not things that hinder you as a read, I would recommend picking up a copy of Typical American. It is anything but typical as a novel, and that's the truth.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
2010, Book 6: Cat's Cradle
"See the Cat? See the cradle?" I didn't and I am pretty sure that was the point of Kurt Vonnegut's well written, clever, and funny satire about the human race, religion, and the end of the world. One of the main character makes his points by asking, "See the cat? See the cradle?" and by the end of the book, I realized that that was really the point. We as people, when it comes to politics, religion, and relationships frequently cannot see the cat or the cradle. We weave such tangled webs and much of it is illusory or leads to no real, visible end.
This was my first experience with Kurt Vonnegut's writing although I have always heard wonderful things about him and I always knew that some day out paths would cross. I am really happy that they finally have. Vonnegut writes the novel from the perspective of a character who remains unnamed throughout the entire novel. The character is a writer who initially embarks on a mission to write a non-fiction book about the day that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He asks for people associated with the creation of the bomb to share their memories of what happened on that day.
One of the "fathers" of the bomb was a man named Dr. Hoenikker. He is now deceased so the author writes to his youngest son to ask about his recollections of that day and of his father. During the course of his research, he winds up heavily intertwined with Dr. Hoenikker's family, one of his last and most dangerous inventions, and the religion and government of a small nation run by a dictator. He also sees himself and the new circle in which he is so heavily intertwined bring about the end of the world.
Vonnegut weaves a very elaborate story. He also creates a religion and he manages to gracefully intertwine historical facts with his fictional story. This serves to make the story extremely believeable and helps to make it feel true from beginning to end. The reader begins to want to learn more about this fictional country, fictional religion, and the fictional science that brings about the apocalypse. It's also unbelieveably easy to read for a story with such an elaborate plot and concept. The chapters are short and th language is simple. Kurt Vonnegut writes like a real person and he also manages to keep his characters very real. This book is a must read for any person who sees themself as a "reader." I truly believe that every well rounded reader should pick of this work of art.
This was my first experience with Kurt Vonnegut's writing although I have always heard wonderful things about him and I always knew that some day out paths would cross. I am really happy that they finally have. Vonnegut writes the novel from the perspective of a character who remains unnamed throughout the entire novel. The character is a writer who initially embarks on a mission to write a non-fiction book about the day that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He asks for people associated with the creation of the bomb to share their memories of what happened on that day.
One of the "fathers" of the bomb was a man named Dr. Hoenikker. He is now deceased so the author writes to his youngest son to ask about his recollections of that day and of his father. During the course of his research, he winds up heavily intertwined with Dr. Hoenikker's family, one of his last and most dangerous inventions, and the religion and government of a small nation run by a dictator. He also sees himself and the new circle in which he is so heavily intertwined bring about the end of the world.
Vonnegut weaves a very elaborate story. He also creates a religion and he manages to gracefully intertwine historical facts with his fictional story. This serves to make the story extremely believeable and helps to make it feel true from beginning to end. The reader begins to want to learn more about this fictional country, fictional religion, and the fictional science that brings about the apocalypse. It's also unbelieveably easy to read for a story with such an elaborate plot and concept. The chapters are short and th language is simple. Kurt Vonnegut writes like a real person and he also manages to keep his characters very real. This book is a must read for any person who sees themself as a "reader." I truly believe that every well rounded reader should pick of this work of art.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
2010, Book 5: Funny in Farsi
Funny in Farsi was assigned to me for a class that I am currently taking. Since I generally enjoy almost everything that I read, I decided that for my purpose of reading 100 books in the year 2010, I would include any assigned reading (excepting short stories and text book reading) that is given to me.
However, I can say that Funny in Farsi took me much longer to read than it should have. It is supposed to be a very light, easy read however it just wasn't my kind of book and it was really hard for me to get into reading. For one thing, I thought that the stories started to get a little bit redundant. She poked fun at basically the same things throughout the entire novel. Her mother and father, their accents, the silly things that they did because they were not familiar with American culture, etc. It got boring and it got predictable about halfway through. I also didn't like that her memoir talked mostly about her father and mother. As a reader, I did not get to know very much about Firoozeh Dumas. I couldn't tell you a thing about her personality, aside from the fact that she is somewhat condescending to her parents.
There is also a positive side to Funny in Farsi, despite the fact that it was not my favorite read so far this year. The immigrant experience detailed by Firoozeh Dumas is unique. She was young enough to assimilate well to the culture, while her parents were not able to do so as easily. She therefore offers a view of two different immigrant experiences. She also did not come from a family that was very poor or that was persecuted. Her family simply immigrated because her father, who was an educated man, had a good job offer and though that it would be nice to live the American dream. Firoozeh also married a French immigrant, which adds some spice and makes her story even more unique. She is witty and sharp and comes off as being a genuinely nice person.
In short, just because Funny in Farsi was not the kind of book that I generally love, does not mean that I am going to give it a bad review. It was a good book and I anticipate that a great many people will very much enjoy it. It is unique, funny, and well written. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a lighter, more simplistic reading experience.
However, I can say that Funny in Farsi took me much longer to read than it should have. It is supposed to be a very light, easy read however it just wasn't my kind of book and it was really hard for me to get into reading. For one thing, I thought that the stories started to get a little bit redundant. She poked fun at basically the same things throughout the entire novel. Her mother and father, their accents, the silly things that they did because they were not familiar with American culture, etc. It got boring and it got predictable about halfway through. I also didn't like that her memoir talked mostly about her father and mother. As a reader, I did not get to know very much about Firoozeh Dumas. I couldn't tell you a thing about her personality, aside from the fact that she is somewhat condescending to her parents.
There is also a positive side to Funny in Farsi, despite the fact that it was not my favorite read so far this year. The immigrant experience detailed by Firoozeh Dumas is unique. She was young enough to assimilate well to the culture, while her parents were not able to do so as easily. She therefore offers a view of two different immigrant experiences. She also did not come from a family that was very poor or that was persecuted. Her family simply immigrated because her father, who was an educated man, had a good job offer and though that it would be nice to live the American dream. Firoozeh also married a French immigrant, which adds some spice and makes her story even more unique. She is witty and sharp and comes off as being a genuinely nice person.
In short, just because Funny in Farsi was not the kind of book that I generally love, does not mean that I am going to give it a bad review. It was a good book and I anticipate that a great many people will very much enjoy it. It is unique, funny, and well written. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a lighter, more simplistic reading experience.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
2010, Book 4: Tweak
I absolutely love reading about addiction. My mother is a recovering addict who got clean when I was about twelve and ever since then, I have just really enjoyed reading both fiction and non fiction about addiction. I can say, with ease, that Tweak has just moved into the spot of being my favorite memoir about addiction. I have never been able to relate so well to the author as I was to Nic Sheff. He likes the same music and movies as I do, has the same interests, enjoys the same past times and he happens to be pretty close to my age.
I'm not an addict. But I have a very addictive personality and over the years have had to take a step back (more than once) from drinking, partying, and drugging. However, I have been reading about addiction since I was a very young teen and I always liked it because I could relate to the children or loved ones of the addicts but I was never really able to relate to the addicts themselves, unless I related them to my mother. Reading Nic Sheff's perspective was a breath of fresh air to me.
I think that because my mother was an addict when I was young I have this kind of misconception that addicts and drunks have to be older than me. I still see it as an adult disease, because my mom was the adult. I haven't quite wrapped my brain around the fact that now I am an adult too. I have friends that are addicts, I have experimented with drugs, and I even know people that have died as a result of drug abuse. However, when I was reading Tweak and learning about how Nic Sheff felt, how he saw himself, and what actually drove him to abuse drugs, it was like peering into my own mind.
Nic was always plagued by insecurity, undiagnosed mental illness, doubt, confusion about his parents and step parents, fear of his step parents, a sense that he didn't belong, and a confused desire to imitate the lives of the people he idolized. These are common reasons why addicts use, but for me to read about an addict of a similar age using for the same reasons that I have in the past was completely eye opening. To understand his need for numbness and to understand his need to hurt himself was to gain a better understanding of myself.
I would recommend that any and every one who has been touched by addiction or who has an interest in addiction pick this book up and read it. Walking a mile with Nic Sheff could be invaluable in helping any reader to understand either themselves or their loved ones. I wish Nic the best in his continued battle toward full recovery and I genuinely thank him for sharing his story with me.
I'm not an addict. But I have a very addictive personality and over the years have had to take a step back (more than once) from drinking, partying, and drugging. However, I have been reading about addiction since I was a very young teen and I always liked it because I could relate to the children or loved ones of the addicts but I was never really able to relate to the addicts themselves, unless I related them to my mother. Reading Nic Sheff's perspective was a breath of fresh air to me.
I think that because my mother was an addict when I was young I have this kind of misconception that addicts and drunks have to be older than me. I still see it as an adult disease, because my mom was the adult. I haven't quite wrapped my brain around the fact that now I am an adult too. I have friends that are addicts, I have experimented with drugs, and I even know people that have died as a result of drug abuse. However, when I was reading Tweak and learning about how Nic Sheff felt, how he saw himself, and what actually drove him to abuse drugs, it was like peering into my own mind.
Nic was always plagued by insecurity, undiagnosed mental illness, doubt, confusion about his parents and step parents, fear of his step parents, a sense that he didn't belong, and a confused desire to imitate the lives of the people he idolized. These are common reasons why addicts use, but for me to read about an addict of a similar age using for the same reasons that I have in the past was completely eye opening. To understand his need for numbness and to understand his need to hurt himself was to gain a better understanding of myself.
I would recommend that any and every one who has been touched by addiction or who has an interest in addiction pick this book up and read it. Walking a mile with Nic Sheff could be invaluable in helping any reader to understand either themselves or their loved ones. I wish Nic the best in his continued battle toward full recovery and I genuinely thank him for sharing his story with me.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
2010, Book 3: Assuming the Position
Someone should remind me to take all of Dave's book recommendations and Google them before I actually read them. He's not always recommending bad reads, but this time he really missed the mark. Assuming the Position is a memoir written by a man who was a homosexual prostitute in the 90s.
While it isn't a terrible book, it just was really not my thing. I am a huge supporter of gay rights and I have more than a few gay friends, however I don't even want to read a heterosexual book with that many lewd descriptions. It was definitely overkill. However, I will credit the author with one thing: he didn't glamorize prostitution at all. He made it sound raunchy and disgusting and he was very clear about the fact that he was a prostitute because he was a sex and drug addict.
One of the things that I liked least about this book was the way that the author spoke of his addictions. He clearly has not fully addressed his issues although he seemed to think himself well and recovered enough to write an effective memoir. I personally don't believe that his messages were positive and would be concerned if an addict looking for solitude picked up his novel to read it because I don't think that it passes on a healthy message.
This is probably not a book I would recommend to anyone, unless they were needing something like it for school.
While it isn't a terrible book, it just was really not my thing. I am a huge supporter of gay rights and I have more than a few gay friends, however I don't even want to read a heterosexual book with that many lewd descriptions. It was definitely overkill. However, I will credit the author with one thing: he didn't glamorize prostitution at all. He made it sound raunchy and disgusting and he was very clear about the fact that he was a prostitute because he was a sex and drug addict.
One of the things that I liked least about this book was the way that the author spoke of his addictions. He clearly has not fully addressed his issues although he seemed to think himself well and recovered enough to write an effective memoir. I personally don't believe that his messages were positive and would be concerned if an addict looking for solitude picked up his novel to read it because I don't think that it passes on a healthy message.
This is probably not a book I would recommend to anyone, unless they were needing something like it for school.
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