Recently in Books Category

I just finished Graceland by Chris Abani, and I must say I was sorely disappointed. The weird thing is that it was actually a pretty good book. It reminded me a lot of The Kite Runner, which I loved. The main character was likable and sympathetic. The book was intense and never boring, with a number of shocking and unexpected scenes. The young Nigerian author definitely shows a lot of promise. I think my hopes may have mounted too high when the teaser on the back cover told me it was "the story of Elvis, a teenage Elvis impersonator hoping to make his way out of the ghetto [of Lagos, Nigeria]." When I saw that, I knew I had to read it, thinking, "how could this not be fantastic?"

Elvis is a teenager whose mother succumbed to cancer when he was young. His father, Sunday, decides to move them from the village to Lagos, in search of better job prospects. Young Elvis is forced to leave behind his beloved grandmother and Aunt Felicia and confidante and cousin, Efua. In Lagos, life unravels for Elvis and Sunday. Sunday cannot find work, shacks up with a woman with three children and turns to drink to drown his sorrows. Elvis does not go to school and works odd jobs to support his family, singing and dancing on the beach as an Elvis Presley impersonator. He realizes he is not making enough money doing this, and under the influence of his friend, Redemption, he turns to more illicit financial prospects. Unsurprisingly, he lands in a world of trouble and hurt. Finally, *spoiler alert* he obtains a passport and decides to start afresh in America. Throughout the story, Elvis maintains a strong connection to his mother by carrying her journal of recipes and plant descriptions everywhere with him. Abani intersperses the scenes of urban disfunction with snippets from the journal as well as memories of Elvis' mother and village. The whole story is set to the backdrop of political malfunction and slum life in Nigeria.

Like I said it was definitely a good book. Maybe I've just read too many depressing books about the "state of things in Africa," where politics and poverty are the center of everyone's lives. I've lived in an African country for three years now, and I can tell you, those are not the only things people think about and concentrate on. It's not only bad things and poor people one sees here. I know that these books that "expose" dictatorships, nepotism and poverty are extremely important for raising awareness and fixing the problem. But why do ALL the books about African countries have to be about these things? There are so many good things that happen in Burkina every single day. Where are all the books about this side of life in African countries?

*Second spoiler alert*
I also have an issue with the fact that Elvis' salvation is leaving for America. Even Abani admits at the end of the story: "Even though it had become painfully clear to him that there was no way he could survive in Lagos, there was no guarantee that he would survive in America" (pg 318). However, Redemption convinces him to leave by telling him that America is better, and he is not met for the rough and tumble life of Lagos. "It wasn't like he couldn't make it in Lagos. Plenty of people did it every day and they lived full and happy lives. But Redemption had been right: not him" (pg 318). What about the ghettos of New York or L.A.? What happens when he finds it difficult to find a job as an uneducated immigrant in the United States, and it's the rough crowd that's making quick cash? Especially when his fall-back dream is dancing, a very difficult profession to land a lucrative job. Since he has fallen in with this crowd before to take the easy way out, who's to say he won't again?

In any case, the book leaves you feeling depressed about Africa and not-so-hopeful about Elvis's future. A disappointing conclusion to a book that started with so much promise! 

Although I feel like this article very much simplifies the reasons behind behavioral change to "something being lost in translation" when aid is only delivered in elite languages, it is definitely a very important consideration that if oftentimes not addressed in projects. A lot of people in villages here in Burkina don't understand French, and it's very important to spread messages of the importance of health care, education and development in both the official language of a country and it's many local languages. Thus, Translators Without Borders is taking on a very noble and difficult (tiny Burkina alone has over 65 different languages spoken within its borders) task. It's a task that FAVL also participate in, especially with our various photo books that are in French/Dioula and in Dioula. This helps spread literacy and important messages of education amongst even those who are not literate in French.    

My favorite place in the world when I was a kid was the library. Our village library in upstate New York was the best of all. As my mother will attest, I could spend hours in there wandering about, collected a ridiculously large stack of books that no one thought I could read until three days later I demanded to go back to the library because I'd finished all of my books already.

When I was in preschool, I stayed with my grandparents a few days a week because they lived closer to my school, and it made everyone's life easier. My grandma used to pick me up around lunchtime, while my grandpa was still at work and we had "Grandma-Krystle" time. Since I was only like three or four at the time, I remember very little from those days. Except mozzarella grilled cheese sandwiches cut into four triangles and going to the library with her to check out those little Beatrix Potter books. I loved reading them over and over to my grandparents and then taking them home and forcing my little sister to let me read them to her. So I came across this on the "Letters of Note" website, and it brought me back to the good old days of visiting the library and reading about Peter Rabbit.

Apparently, the story started out as a letter to her friend's child and later she went back and expanded the story for her book. It's funny how that kind of stuff sticks with you more than 20 years later. If FAVL libraries have that long-lasting impact on just a few kids, I think it means we've done our job.

Here's the transcript of the letter from the website. Check out the actual website because they show the original letter with drawings. It's very cute!

Eastwood
Dunkeld
Sep 4th 93

My dear Noel,

I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.

They lived with their mother in a sand bank under the root of a big fir tree.

"Now my dears," said old Mrs Bunny "you may go into the field or down the lane, but don't go into Mr McGregor's garden."

Flopsy, Mopsy & Cottontail, who were good little rabbits went down the lane to gather blackberries, but Peter, who was very naughty ran straight away to Mr McGregor's garden and squeezed underneath the gate.

First he ate some lettuce, and some broad beans, then some radishes, and then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley; but round the end of a cucumber frame whom should he meet but Mr McGregor!

Mr McGregor was planting out young cabbages but he jumped up & ran after Peter waving a rake & calling out "Stop thief"!

Peter was most dreadfully frightened & rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages and the other shoe amongst the potatoes. After losing them he ran on four legs & went faster, so that I think he would have got away altogether, if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net and got caught fast by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.

Mr McGregor came up with a basket which he intended to pop on the top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind, and this time he found the gate, slipped underneath and ran home safely.

Mr McGregor hung up the little jacket & shoes for a scarecrow, to frighten the blackbirds.

Peter was ill during the evening, in consequence of overeating himself. His mother put him to bed and gave him a dose of camomile tea, but Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.

I am coming back to London next Thursday, so I hope I shall see you soon, and the new baby.

I remain, dear Noel, yours affectionately

Beatrix Potter

I know I've posted about the site Letters of Note before. Each day they post a new letter, and reading it has quickly become my favorite part of the day. Today's letter came courtesy of a Scottish poet, Robert Burns, in response to a critical review of one of his poems. It really just made me laugh, and I had to share with you. The site is definitely something that everyone needs to check out.

Ellisland, 1791

Dear Sir:

Thou eunuch of language; thou Englishman, who never was south the Tweed; thou servile echo of fashionable barbarisms; thou quack, vending the nostrums of empirical elocution; thou marriage-maker between vowels and consonants, on the Gretna-green of caprice; thou cobler, botching the flimsy socks of bombast oratory; thou blacksmith, hammering the rivets of absurdity; thou butcher, embruing thy hands in the bowels of orthography; thou arch-heretic in pronunciation; thou pitch-pipe of affected emphasis; thou carpenter, mortising the awkward joints of jarring sentences; thou squeaking dissonance of cadence; thou pimp of gender; thou Lyon Herald to silly etymology; thou antipode of grammar; thou executioner of construction; thou brood of the speech-distracting builders of the Tower of Babel; thou lingual confusion worse confounded; thou scape-gallows from the land of syntax; thou scavenger of mood and tense; thou murderous accoucheur of infant learning; thou ignis fatuus, misleading the steps of benighted ignorance; thou pickle-herring in the puppet-show of nonsense; thou faithful recorder of barbarous idiom; thou persecutor of syllabication; thou baleful meteor, foretelling and facilitating the rapid approach of Nox and Erebus.

R.B.

Over the weekend, I watched Redemption: The Stan Tookie Story.
The movie starred Jamie Foxx, who played Stan Tookie Williams, one of the founding members of the Crips gang. The movie takes place after he has been imprisoned and is waiting on Death Row for crimes he committed as a gang member. Throughout the film, there are flashbacks to Williams' life of crime. While waiting to be executed, Williams claims to be a changed man, renounces his gang membership and even starts writing books (including children's books) warning against the dangers of gang life. He co-writes the books with a friend, Barbara Becnel, who also advocates for clemency from the state of California on Williams' behalf. Although there were many people who did not by into William's claims of reform, many people supported him. There is a seen in the film where Winnie Mandela comes to visit him in prison. In fact, Williams was even suggested as a Nobel Peace Prize winner several times for his anti-gang stance and work. At the time the film was made, Williams was still in prison, working on appeals and clemency pleas. They were never granted, however, and in 2005, he was executed by lethal injection. (The conclusion of this story is brought to you thanks to Wikipedia.)

It's a very interesting movie that brings up a lot of questions about whether someone can really reform after a life of crime and  whether the death penalty is just. Even though they are not really related, the whole idea of Williams reaching out to children through books to help them make better of their lives reminded me of FAVL and our mission here. I would definitely recommend the movie to anyone.

A cute little video for your viewing pleasure.

After writing her popular "Aya de Yopougon" series, Abouet had a tough act to follow. Despite my initial prejudices, I still enjoyed reading "Bienvenue, tome 1." But the two just don't compare, with Aya without a doubt remaining #1.

Asides from a similar drawing style, I saw nothing similar between the characters of Aya and Bienvenue. I guess this should be considered an accomplishment for the author, but unfortunately is just disappointing to the reader. Everyone wishes they had a friend like Aya but Bienvenue is not the most personable girl. 

Bienvenue is a 21 year old art student at Ecole des beaux arts, in Paris. She lives with her cousin and makes money through random jobs including babysitting and waitressing at parties. Throughout the book, Bienvenue struggles with her identity. She hates her first name, fights constantly with her mother, does not feel like an accomplished artists, questions life constantly...in other words she's a typical young adult. She is smart and sassy, but her sassiness just comes across as annoying. She's independent, always doing her own thing and doesn't seem to want anyone to get too close or in her way. The book is also quite sexual compared to Abouet's previous works, with what seems like every other page discussing sex.

Wasn't a big fan of the ending. With all of Bienvenue's sassiness and complete indifference to all the sex talk, does the book really have to end with her in love with a boy? I did breathe a sigh of relief though that Abouet didn't put any of the cultural/vocab/recipes in the back pages. (What the heck would she put anyways, "How to wear a beret", "How to smoke like a true Parisian", the historical background of where "Oh la la" came from??)

I don't really see "Bienvenue" every becoming as popular as "Aya," however I do still think this is a book that many young Parisians (and others) will enjoy, and I am curious to see how the rest of the story unfolds.

While this has nothing to do with libraries, I came across this website, Letters of Note, and more specifically this letter, and thought it was really sweet. It's a response from John Steinbeck (yes, the John Steinbeck of Grapes of Wrath) to his son about a girl with whom he has fallen in love. The website also includes a number of other letters to check out, but I really liked this one, so I'll share with you.

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First--if you are in love--that's a good thing--that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second--There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you--of kindness and consideration and respect--not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply--of course it isn't puppy love.

But I don't think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it--and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone--there is no possible harm in saying so--only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another--but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I'm glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens--The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa

One of the things I have not done enough of since moving to Ouaga is read. Volunteers spend a lot of time reading - since you may only be able to charge your computer a few times a month if you do not have electricity in your village, computer time is precious and not to be wasted. So your only real refuge when village life gets frustrating is in books. Living in the capital city, this is no longer the case. There are any number of distractions, and time to sit down and relax with a good book becomes scarce. Among my new year's resolutions for 2012 is to read more, while browsing around Oprah's website today I came across links to two challenges that would be perfect for meeting this goal.    


Challenge N° 1: The 50/50 Challenge                                                                                      

Read 50 books and watch 50 movies in the year. Any books, any movies. This translates to roughly 1 book and 1 movie per week.

Check out this blog post, where a bookworm realizes the importance of the movie half of the challenge.

There are different theme lists on the website, complete with ideas of titles if you'd like to focus you're reading efforts. Here's an example of a passport-themed list that one participant put together.

Challenge N°2: Around the World in 80 Books

This challenge officially started on October 1st, but it's not too late to get started.

The idea is to read books that take place in 80 different countries in the world. You have to hit each eight geographical regions of the world (North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania/Australia), and Antarctica is optional. The essential part is the setting of the book, not the nationality of the author, and if the book touches multiple countries, you can only count one of them.                                                                

I haven't decided which challenge I'm going to take up. I think I may go for option 1, though, since acquiring books from 80 different countries may be a bit hard to come by in Burkina, even in Ouaga.

Check them the reading challenges, curl up in your favorite spot and join in the fun! Along the way keep a journal to keep track of your reading experiences; invite friends to join you in the challenges and have regular get-togethers to talk about books; start a blog - make 2012 a year to expand your mind and challenge yourself! And look for regular updates here as I go get going on my reading journey.
                            

Came across the above on the Internet the other day (it's amazing what you can find when you are bored). It's a Bookcase Staircase, located in London. The owner had limited space in his attic apartment but wanted a library. This was the solution. I thought it was pretty original. Looks cool and, hey, you can get a little exercise while looking for Shakespeare. Or, if you are out of shape, midway up the stairs you can take a breather and read some Mark Twain.