New Year, New Beginnings
Okay it’s not new, but I just have to get back in gear with the New Year, and what better way than to look at books that face crises and new beginnings head on, without (many) backwards glances, trying not to harbor bitterness or guilt, instead nurturing and maintaining a fresh and positive look at life. Why not? It could do us all good!
I myself have been facing a few crises and new starts recently as I switched from the Airport Olsson’s to the much larger Old Town-Alexandria store in the midst of the Christmas season. Quite a challenge! Hosting my parents in the midst of this; and in addition, I have also been seeking a new apartment, deciding which new apartment to take, and then moving and setting it up. As if Christmas in the retail world isn’t overwhelming enough! And then to top it off, last week I had a bicycle accident, which threw my schedule off a tad, not to mention make my mug uglier then usual. So while the desire has always been there to write, the stillness of spirit hasn’t been complicit. SOOO... let’s just take a few old favorites and a new discovery.
For the serious literati among you, I have to preface these choices by saying that they have little great historical value or political significance, but they are literate, thoughtfully expressive, and introspectively personal accounts, which has a great deal of merit in my book.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls is my book club’s current pick. I know many of you have discovered this one long ago, but for those who haven’t , it’s absolutely worth picking up. One of the better memoirs of the last several years, it begins with the adult Jeanette confronting her parents in New York City, her embarrassment at their dumpster diving and their utter inability to see anything wrong with their salvaging successes. She then takes the reader back to her childhood with two free-spirited, creative, and highly intelligent parents who simply can’t hold down regular work, as they meander across the country from town to town, then do the "skedaddle" when the debts mount up and the money is short. Eventually they return to her father’s home town, where as a teenager she struggles to keep her family on track until she and her younger siblings can "get out". She tells her family’s story with pride and wistfulness. Although her life was difficult, she focuses on the cherished moments and doesn’t reproach her parents for who they were. Although they ultimately failed her as providers, she knows they cared for her deeply and gave her a fierce belief in herself, her abilities, and her capacity to dream.
Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert has also been making the book club rounds, as well as being touted by Oprah. So, while some may respond to this populist enthusiasm by proclaiming, "Proceed with caution." I assert that Oprah is making some bold steps forward by (mostly) sharing insightful and well-written books with her audience, broadening their horizons with choices that they (and frankly many who are not her regular viewers) would not otherwise consider. Case in point for me (a man) who wouldn’t usually choose to read a woman’s hedonistic, spiritual, and romantically introspective journey, but nonetheless found it compelling, and a story I could relate to.
Again, for those who don’t know, it starts with a woman who finds herself in a marriage that she no longer wants; then in a string of relationships which are not right for her either. She decides perhaps the United States aren’t right either, so she goes to Italy to eat (and learn Italian), to India to pray (or more explicitly, meditate) at an ashram, and has some humbling yet instructive moments, especially under the tutelage of Richard (from Texas), and then on to Bali for vacation (which is where she finds some romance, which is also perhaps love). But really you need Liz to explain it all to you. She is an experienced biographer (The Last American Man), novelist (Stern Men), and short story writer (Pilgrims); and she brings all of this practiced gift for prose writing to her own year of exploration with a sense of humor, honesty, and ultimately humility. Don’t miss it, (even if you’re a guy).
-Andrew
I myself have been facing a few crises and new starts recently as I switched from the Airport Olsson’s to the much larger Old Town-Alexandria store in the midst of the Christmas season. Quite a challenge! Hosting my parents in the midst of this; and in addition, I have also been seeking a new apartment, deciding which new apartment to take, and then moving and setting it up. As if Christmas in the retail world isn’t overwhelming enough! And then to top it off, last week I had a bicycle accident, which threw my schedule off a tad, not to mention make my mug uglier then usual. So while the desire has always been there to write, the stillness of spirit hasn’t been complicit. SOOO... let’s just take a few old favorites and a new discovery.
For the serious literati among you, I have to preface these choices by saying that they have little great historical value or political significance, but they are literate, thoughtfully expressive, and introspectively personal accounts, which has a great deal of merit in my book.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls is my book club’s current pick. I know many of you have discovered this one long ago, but for those who haven’t , it’s absolutely worth picking up. One of the better memoirs of the last several years, it begins with the adult Jeanette confronting her parents in New York City, her embarrassment at their dumpster diving and their utter inability to see anything wrong with their salvaging successes. She then takes the reader back to her childhood with two free-spirited, creative, and highly intelligent parents who simply can’t hold down regular work, as they meander across the country from town to town, then do the "skedaddle" when the debts mount up and the money is short. Eventually they return to her father’s home town, where as a teenager she struggles to keep her family on track until she and her younger siblings can "get out". She tells her family’s story with pride and wistfulness. Although her life was difficult, she focuses on the cherished moments and doesn’t reproach her parents for who they were. Although they ultimately failed her as providers, she knows they cared for her deeply and gave her a fierce belief in herself, her abilities, and her capacity to dream.Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert has also been making the book club rounds, as well as being touted by Oprah. So, while some may respond to this populist enthusiasm by proclaiming, "Proceed with caution." I assert that Oprah is making some bold steps forward by (mostly) sharing insightful and well-written books with her audience, broadening their horizons with choices that they (and frankly many who are not her regular viewers) would not otherwise consider. Case in point for me (a man) who wouldn’t usually choose to read a woman’s hedonistic, spiritual, and romantically introspective journey, but nonetheless found it compelling, and a story I could relate to.Again, for those who don’t know, it starts with a woman who finds herself in a marriage that she no longer wants; then in a string of relationships which are not right for her either. She decides perhaps the United States aren’t right either, so she goes to Italy to eat (and learn Italian), to India to pray (or more explicitly, meditate) at an ashram, and has some humbling yet instructive moments, especially under the tutelage of Richard (from Texas), and then on to Bali for vacation (which is where she finds some romance, which is also perhaps love). But really you need Liz to explain it all to you. She is an experienced biographer (The Last American Man), novelist (Stern Men), and short story writer (Pilgrims); and she brings all of this practiced gift for prose writing to her own year of exploration with a sense of humor, honesty, and ultimately humility. Don’t miss it, (even if you’re a guy).
-Andrew
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