CBR4 Review #2 - The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Like Bossypants, it's been several weeks since I finished reading The Help, so my impressions of the book have faded a bit; and therefore, I expect that this review won't be as in-depth as it might otherwise have been.

I believe that I was supposed to hate The Help, as I have heard accusations of it being racist flying fast and furious. But I didn't (hate it or find it racist). I genuinely enjoyed it. And I'll tell you why: The book was engrossing; I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I worried about the main characters, Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. I actually brought this book to work and read it on my lunch hour (honestly, well past my lunch 45 minutes). I can't remember the last time I brought a book to work to read during lunch. It's literally been years. I found it that engaging.

I assume that the accusations of racism come from the impression that others have had that the book is about a white woman saving the day for black domestic workers. That's not how I read the story. I think given what was going on in the 60s, it makes sense that a young white woman would start to open her eyes to what was going on around her and would want to do something. I think the book clearly portrayed that the greatest risk was to the black women whose stories Skeeter was recording.

One of the things that I think is good about the popularity that this book has experienced, is that it means that people are actually talking and thinking about racism. And it may well be that some folks are walking away from this book patting themselves on the back for not being racists and thinking that since, in many ways, things aren't as bad now as they were only a few decades ago, it means that, as a country, we're in good shape on the racism front. But I'm guessing that there are plenty of other people who, while appreciating the distance that we have come since then, still recognize that there is a lot of work yet to be done. I think it's good that this book has reminded folks of the horrors of Jim Crow laws and how they were felt in both obvious and subtle ways. It's important to remember the insidiousness and pervasiveness of racism in law and practice and how it was used to terrorize a community of people.

Something that I thought that the book did well, was to present the nuances of black and white relations in the South in the 60s. This was no Uncle Tom's Cabin. How individual blacks and whites interacted with each other was complicated and Kathryn Stockett showed that. Similarly, she didn't present African Americans as being monolithic on the issue of the Civil Rights Movement, specifically, different members of the community had different perspectives on what steps to take and how quickly to move on the process. I appreciated these sorts of details.

I did not find the book to be perfect. I did have a problem with the fact that Aibileen and Minny's chapters were written in dialect. I found that unnecessary and completely off-putting. And I wish that Kathryn Stockett had written their chapters in same way she wrote Skeeter's. Honestly, I'm not sure why her editor didn't call her out on it.

On the whole, though, I really liked this book. I found it captivating and I finished it quickly. I know that other people don't agree with me on it being a good book, but I think each person needs to read it to form her own opinion. So, I recommend it.

CBR4 Review #1 - Bossypants by Tina Fey

The problem with waiting weeks and weeks to write a review after you've finished the book is that you've forgotten a lot of your impressions. I got this book for Christmas and finished it soon there after, and well, now, I don't remember a lot of what I thought about it, so, I'm guessing that this review is going to be on the short side.

I first started hearing about Bossypants last May when Cannonballers from CBR-III started reviewing it. I was very excited to read it, but resisted the urge to run right out and buy it (there was no chance it'd be available at the library--I'm sure the waiting list was dozens of people long) for a very practical reason. I had surgery at the beginning of May, the kind where it takes four weeks to recover and things like laughing and coughing are painful. Given what I was hearing about the book, that it was literally laugh-out-loud funny, I had to resign myself to the fact that it would be unwise to try and read it in my current condition. So I held off.

I don't know if my expectations for the book were too high, or what, but although I enjoyed it--I tore through it pretty quickly--I didn't love it. I think I expected to be laughing pretty continuously and while there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (you probably don't want to be reading this in public, if you're the sort of person who would be embarrassed if people stared at you for guffawing out of the blue), it wasn't exactly the laugh riot I was hoping for.

Tina Fey, as you would expect, is a very entertaining writer. I think in the snippets she shares of her life, you get an strong sense of who she was and is as a person. Since she and I were born in the same year, the references in her book rang especially true for me. Yes, in the mid-80s, making nachos at home really was a big deal. Hell, nachos anywhere were a big deal.

I loved her stories about her dad, her first trip to Planned Parenthood, her disastrous honeymoon cruise (and yes, I got the title reference, which means I'm a member of the cultural elite--yippee!), joining Second City, joining SNL, etc. Honestly, I don't think there's a story in the book that I didn't like. It was great to get insight into the beginnings of 30 Rock. And fascinating to learn about how photo shoots work. So clearly, my expectations going into this book were too high.

I definitely recommend the book, but don't expect it to last long. And you can read it in public, if you don't mind people staring at you during the times you will be laughing loudly.

Sixth Review: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

A) Clearly I forgot to publish this back in September, like I said I would. B) It had actually been a year and a half since I read the book when I finally finished the review last month. In any case, here ya go.

It's been months since I read this book (I finished it in March), so, unfortunately, I expect this review will suffer a bit in quality due to that delay.

As I believe I mentioned in one of my first postings, one of my favorite books is Straight Man by Richard Russo. (It is one of those books that I find, literally, laugh-out-loud funny.) The Main Squeeze; his brother; and our friend, A, have all read it, and see Lucky Jim as a companion book of sorts. They have been recommending it for years, and I took advantage of the CBR-II to finally read it.

Although I see where they are coming from: this novel also takes place at a college and highlights some of the ridiculous aspects of academia, and it involves plenty of funny scenes; however, it did not grab me the way that Straight Man did. I think part of my lack of adoration stems from the number of embarrassing situations--embarrassing scenes make me terribly uncomfortable. What also makes me uncomfortable, are situations where you can see that the protagonist is about to make a mistake or is making a poor decision and you just want to make them stop. But, of course, you just have to go along for the ride and watch them bumble along (I stopped reading An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England because the main character WOULD NOT STOP BUMBLING!) That happens a lot in this book, the protagonist, James Dixon, if given the opportunity to make a poor decision, will do so. As a reader, I found this frustrating. I think my friends who recommended the book found that aspect funny. Go figure.

Lucky Jim was first published in 1954, so one of the fascinating things is to see how little academia, specifically the politics of it, has changed in the past 50+ years. Honestly, read this book and Straight Man and you'll see what I mean. As someone who works in higher ed, it's always fun to see this aspect not only portrayed, but also mocked.

Dixon is a likable enough character and I definitely found myself hoping things would work out for him; however, he did seem determined to sabotage himself left and right. His perspective on various aspects of his professional and personal life could be best described as mirthfully grim. Although he's mostly pessimistic, he does hold out faint hope that things might turn out all right and his gallows sense of humor carries him through the ridiculous situations in which he finds/puts himself in.

So, yes, I would recommend this book. Especially if you work in academia or are in graduate school. And if you haven't already read (regardless of your connection to higher ed--I read it when I was no longer in school and not working in higher ed) Straight Man, get your hands on that book pronto!

You Thought I'd Abandoned this Venture, Didn't You?

Hello Faithful Followers! (All eight of you.)

Since I do believe that all of you are friends of mine on the Facebook, you may have a sense of what happened to my plans for Cannonball Read III, which also impacted my plans for this blog.

You see, right around the time that I was gearing up for CBR-III, I ended up volunteering to coordinate the thing. That completely side-tracked my own personal plans to participate in CBR-III as a reader/reviewer. I did enough work organizing it, that I really didn't have time for other things, like, I don't know, reading books (let alone reviewing them). I've sincerely enjoyed my part in keeping Cannonball Read going for another year, don't get me wrong! It's just that I only have so much time in the day, and I'm not particularly speedy anyway, and I am not a multi-tasker, *and* there is only so much time I can spend in front of the computer. All of which added up to this blog being even more neglected than it already was.

Of course, it didn't help that right around the time that CBR-III was starting, I also got the Bundt Cake Season blog up and running (don't worry that's been neglected too, though not as much as this one). So yeah, even less time to devote to this blog.

But I have been thinking about the Baboon-Faced Gourd blog, and what I might do with it. So, we'll see. I don't want to abandon it all together. You might want to check in periodically. Or not.

And, I just finished my review of Lucky Jim, which I plan to get up in the next day or two.

So there ya go, an update. Of sorts.

Cannonball Read

OK, so contrary to what you might assume by the lack of posts to this poor, neglected blog, I have not stopped reading for the CBR-II. It is true that I am no where near my goal of reading 26 books (aka the Half Cannonball), but I have not given up! I'll probably have read 13 books (I haven't actually counted), so a Quarter Cannonball, by the end of this month, which is when CBR-II will be ending. Although far from fabulous, it should count for something, at least.

I'm most of the way through my review of Lucky Jim, and with any luck, that'll be up before long. (This week perhaps?) And then I have several books that are read (many of them months ago) and therefore, need reviews. I expect those reviews will be a bit truncated, both due to the time that has passed since I read them (so my impressions of them have faded), but also, because I'm planning to try the Half Cannonball again for CBR-III, so I'll want time for reading new books (and yes, writing those reviews).

Oh, and did I mention I started a new blog? I decided that Bundt Cake Season™ needed its own blog, so that's rolling, too. Check it out here.

Poor, neglected blog

Some day I'll update you properly. Some day.

Dayna Kurtz is a goddess. A thoughtful (and enlightening) explanation of how piracy hurts artists.

Dayna Kurtz, a wonderful musician, recently reached out to her fans and asked for help to bring her latest album to the US. (For more information, check out this link. And really, you should check it out.) Shortly thereafter, she received her first bit of hatemail. Below is the message she received and her beautifully written response. Her reply clearly illustrates the damage that piracy does to musicians, especially those who are not big time (which is most of them). Please take a few minutes to read it. (And yes, I got permission from Dayna to share this.)


this is my first bit of fan hatemail received after launching my kickstarter campaign to raise funds via fans to put my new CD out in the USA. (well, actually i think it's my first bit of fan hatemail ever. which is kind of an achievement of sorts)

my response below. this fan is from spain - hence his grammatical/spelling errors.

Dayna,

I really couldn't find this more ridiculous!
I wish you never had enough money to reach your target.
You Mrs. are the only responsable of this situation.
You've lost all your dignity. Maybe if one day you realised about this and stop demanding charity, things will begin to go better for you (again). That's the first step to obtain anything real in this life!
Have you stopped to think before ask for this help?
Have you ever heard about AFRICA, HAITI, NEPAL??????
Dayna, I'm a friend who bought your first two records even if I was young and with no money in my pockets. Now I regret it, honestly. Never again.
PLEASE STOP THIS GAME.
IT SUCKS!



dear david,

i'm so sorry to disappoint you.

those 2 records you bought? lots of people bought those. more than 30,000. not rock star numbers. but i was, for the first time in my life, scraping the bottom of the middle class. i paid off my debts. i looked forward to being an equal breadwinner with my husband. we bought a modest house and i paid my half of the monthly bills. my third record, put out 4 years ago, sold maybe half as much. not great, but i could make it work. but 'american standard'? in 6 months, i've sold 900 copies in europe. 900. now if i were losing my audience because my music was getting shitty or boring, i'm not stupid - i'd figure it out: say, if i'd gotten more bad or indifferent reviews than good, and if my crowds were getting smaller with every tour - i'd suck it up and look elsewhere to make a living. but reviews have been mostly great. people are still coming to shows. and then there's this: a short scan today of 4 random bit torrent pirate music sites showed that over 50,000 copies of this record have been downloaded. for free. on just 4 pirate sites. out of hundreds.

what most people don't realize is that touring does not pay for itself. touring with a band usually loses quite a bit of money. the point of touring (besides the sheer joy of it, for us road dogs) is to sell records. i get next to no commercial radio airplay at all. sales of CD's and legal downloads was the only source of real, consistent profit i ever saw in 20 years of making music professionally.

i am demanding nothing from my fans. but if there's enough of them that want me to make records, that tell me, with some degree of passion, that my music means something to them and they are hungry for more - i see nothing wrong with asking those fans, that are able, to help. the only thing that causes me some degree of regret about this venture is that i'd bet my bottom dollar that the the vast majority of people that donate are the sort of fans who already buy my music, legally and conscientiously. and i am humbled and grateful beyond words to win that kind of regard and support.

so, this is not a game, david. don't be disrespectful. it's not easy to ask for help. it's hard to admit that the profession and craft to which i've dedicated my life is no longer the same and i can no longer take for granted that it will pay my bills. i'd wrongly thought that having enough fans meant that i could put out a record in europe, where my audience is biggest, and after a few months of touring and selling cd's, have earned enough to release it and tour in america (where it's much more expensive to promote). and when it was all said and done, after paying bills - i'd break even, or in a good year, have a little money to sock away to make the next record.

that's the way it was for me for the last decade, until this release. until a growing number of people decided it was ok to just steal something that cost me tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours both creative and technical to make. perhaps people thought that because there's a couple of countries in the world (spain, and the netherlands) where my name's in magazines and people pay money to see me play live in big clubs and theaters - that such a little theft wouldn't hurt me. they're wrong.

re: africa, haiti, nepal - are YOU not going to the cinema or out to see a concert because haiti needs that money more? i am not equating myself with a tragic cause. i am trying to raise money from fans who feel a connection with my music, people who feel they have a personal interest in seeing me NOT quit, because at this point, that is what's at stake.
and i'd MUCH rather feel humbly indebted to a bunch of nice people who are appreciative and respectful of what i do than to a multinational corporation who'd just as soon be selling dishwashers as music.

musicians relying on the largesse of patrons has a history going way back. i'm in the company of those famously degraded sellouts mozart and bach, sir. there's nothing new to complain about here. for centuries, artists have been scrambling, hustling and, yes - grovelling - to keep food on their tables in a fashion that still leaves them enough time and energy to create something that makes their life feel worth living, that makes them feel connected to something universal, something that moves people.

i'm sorry you regret buying those 2 records when you were so terribly poor. that's about 8 beers you could have drunk or 2 paellas you could have eaten or two films you could have seen (with popcorn!) and it's all gone to waste! i hope at least you enjoyed listening to them many, many times before i disappointed you by not passing your test for artistic purity and therefore making you feel like your money was badly spent.

i'd like you to name one musician you think passes your purity test - i guarantee you, they were either born wealthy or got very successful, very young. or, more likely, they've sold out, or as you put it - lost their "dignity" - in ways you just haven't heard about . they wrote and sang an advertising jingle in japan. they asked their publishers to pitch their most commercially viable songs to a big country or pop star. they played a wedding or private corporate affair for a fan who happens to be a billionaire and who paid them very very well. and they smiled at the man with the money. they did what they were paid to do, then they took that big ole check and paid off their bills with it and kissed their spouse and kids when they got home and with a clear conscience and a huge weight off their shoulders started working on something that made their heart beat faster with excitement and fear and great great joy.

me, and every artist i know - do whatever we can to get to that place. i've sung a couple of tv commercials (and that work is drying up too, since the recession), i've done some paid studio session work as a singer and guitar player, i've produced records for other musicians, and i've prayed to whatever god that will listen that some big stupid pop star would cover 'love gets in the way' and make it a huge hit and make me enough money so i can just fucking write, record, and perform the music in my head for the rest of my life.

i know that no one owes me this life i love, that i feel positively blessed to have had even if it's coming to a close- that of being a full time recording and touring artist. but it's the only life i just KNEW, from the day i wrote my first song, that i'd be willing to fight for. every single day.

i wish that kind of life for everyone. you too.


sincerely,

dayna kurtz

ps: it's clear you don't love my music anymore, tainted as it is. but if there's any other music you love - please buy it, or you will kill it.