A Catalog
By Hilton Als. Foreword by Jeremy Lewison
A collection of paintings and drawings by Alice Neel, some of them accompanied by beautiful essays by Hilton Als that offer a combination of historical background on the subject of the work, some insight into Alice Neel's thoughts, and Als's own experience and perspective that relate to the painting. [144pp.]
Link to book and exhibition
By Therese Anne Fowler
This was not an enjoyable book to read. Well, some parts were fine, but there was this narrator (first person plural -- presumably some self-assigned neighborhood representative) who kept warning of a tragedy to come, which I found quite annoying. Not to say it was a bad book, or that it didn't rise any emotions in me (yes, I teared up at the end), but it was too good a reminder of what a fucked up society we are living in, right now, which is frustrating when there's not much you could do. [311pp.]
By Nell Zink
Well, this book was hilarious and weird. Not exactly what I expected, but also made sense in retrospect. I guess I didn't expect it to be about racial issues, though. I like to compare it to a Jane Austen novel, only with more sex and drugs. The Austen part refers to the way she criticizes society. The rest of it is far from Austen. More like a mix of a soap opera and a spy comic book. As I said, it was weird. And hilarious. Recommended. [256 pp.]
By Richard Wright
This book was not what I expected. The author didn't want it to be, and he quite succeeded in that. He also didn't want to make people to cry while reading this book. Well, this part almost work for me. I only cried toward the end.
My expectations were skewed also because the previous book I read of this author was his autobiography/memoir. I expected that book to be intense, but it wasn't. I really loved reading it. This book, however, was very intense, but not quite as alluring. It took me a while to get into it, and often I was almost dreading getting back to it. Sometimes I felt like the character was doing irrational things, which was quite annoying. But then things started to make more sense in the third part of the book. It was also the part I read the fastest. And cried like a baby. [398 pp.]
By Lillian Li
This book was very different from what I had expected based on the cover. I was expecting a humorous family drama, instead, there was quite a tension and mafia-like behavior between all the characters involved. The narrator covers one of two families per chapter, normally alternating, which is not my favorite structure, either. It wasn't easy for me to get into it, but by the end of it I felt like it was okay. [290 pp.]
By Edith Wharton
This book has so many phrasing gems! I wish I had a pack of sticky notes by my bed, so I could mark them as I read -- they are difficult to find otherwise. As for the story, it really is a tragedy. What happens when you're raised to be the one thing you don't really want to be, but you can't be anything else?
It is the story of Lily Bart, but also a critical look at society. The title of the book is taken from the book of Ecclesiastes, "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." Born to an "old money" family who loses its wealth, her only options are to either find a rich husband or inherit from an old aunt. Though beautiful and successful in attracting rich men, Lily keeps sabotaging her own efforts due to an inner conflict buried in the depths of her consciousness; by doing so, she also brings about her disownment. Spoiler alert: the end, as I mentioned earlier, is tragic. [350 pp. incl. Afterward]
By Richard Wright
When I just started reading this book I was like "holy sh*t, what am I in for?" There were some crazy things done by the very young boy in this memoir. But as I read on -- it is a fascinating book -- I learned so much (not that it explained the previously mentioned crazy things, but instead introduced other crazy things, but by then done by other people. Turns out the crazy kid was just a little kid). In fact, I believe that every one should read this book. Even though I was aware of issues for black people living in the south during the Jim Crow era, and the issues facing black people when they move north (not as bad, but still serious issues), I was not quite aware of the magnitude of these issues, which so skillfully come to life through this one boy's story. As I was reading this book pieces fell into place in this puzzle that is race in America. They don't always make sense, but it's clear what they lead to.
I was strongly drawn to the stories of the young boy, later a young man as he moved from Mississippi to Tennessee to Chicago; amazed at how despite abuse at home, at work, and on the streets, despite total lack of support during the child's development, despite constant hunger and hardly any education, the boy managed to become whom he has become. I'm looking forward to reading more of his books. [464 pp., incl. appendices etc.]
