J's Pages

One day when I was skimming the Front Porch Republic blog, I read that someone had crafted a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim. I knew that I had to read this book, so I got in the very long hold line at the Seattle Public Library, and, eventually, I had this tome in my hands. 

I didn't read the blog close enough. James is far more than an Elseworlds version of Huckleberry Finn. In Mr. Everett's book, the Jim we saw in the original was a sham. The enslaved folk, of course, are as fully intelligent and resourceful as the dominant white people. But the black people exploit the white folks' prejudices to maintain the fiction that they are less intelligent, capable, and wise as they really are. Jim has taught himself to read. Jim has surreptitiously made use of Judge Thatcher's library and has wrestled with the ideas he has encountered in those books. Like the original, when Jim gets wind that Miss Watson is planning on selling him, he elects to escape. Huck, attempting an escape of his own, stumbles across Jim's hideout. The two then head downriver. When circumstances separate the two from time to time, Jim has his own adventures. 

At first, my mind tried to read James as a version of Huckleberry Finn. It would question and nitpick details. But eventually I realized that I needed to be reading Mr. Everett's tale and not worry how well it kept continuity with Mr. Twain's book. James is the story of a man and a people trying to navigate through oppression and violence. Many tales set in antebellum times try to make the society more palatable. This one exposes the ugliness of racism and oppression. And it made me wonder to what ugliness in our own society am I blind. I think I need to get a copy of this book on my shelf. 

LibraryThing link

Labels: OnMyShelf

// posted by John @ 9:27 PM 0 Comments

This book interweaves three themes. The first is the story of a pet starling that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had for a bit over three years. The second is information about starlings and their place in the American birding and scientific communities. The third is an account of the author's pet staring that she obtained to help her understand Mozart's relationship with his pet. While I found the whole book interesting, I really didn't get into the Mozart sections. I'm musically unsophisticated, so I didn't connect with or appreciate Ms. Haupt's attempts to delve into Mozart's creative mind. The starling bits, on the other hand, I found fascinating. I always enjoyed science books when I was a kid.¹ Reading the starling portions of the book was a flashback to that, as I got brief lessons in starling biology & development, the behavior of scientists & ecologists toward an invasive species, and the connection between bird song & language. Finally, I also found Ms. Haupt's account of raising a starling interesting. That, for me, was like reading about a foreign culture. I'm not a pet person. But the story of Carmen the starling and her relationship to the household had a kind of beauty that evoked the affection that the family feels for her. Overall, the book is well written.² If you have any interest in pets, birds, or Mozart, I would invite you to check this book out. 

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1 That enjoyment, alas, never pushed me enough to embrace the work of observation and record keeping that a career in science requires.
2 It made me take a second look at the book cover and put Ms. Haupt's Crow Planet on my to read list.  

LibraryThing link

Labels: CheckItOut

// posted by John @ 10:53 AM 0 Comments

[It's been a while since I read a book. I watch too much TV these days. It took a vacation to get me to finish a book, and even then, I only cracked it after watching a movie on the plane.]

To Live is the life story of Fugui, an old farmer who recounts his tale to a young scholar who is doing research in his village. Fugui is born and raised in a well to do family in China in the early part of the 20th Century. Things go bad and the family loses its modest fortune. Fugui learns to make a living as a tenant farmer. The story tells how he and his family fare as the events that changed China affect him and his community. I'm familiar familiar enough with traditional Chinese culture and modern Chinese history that everything made sense to me. I could also understand the contentment that Fugui displays at the beginning and end of the book. As an American reader, I wasn't satisfied with it, but don't let that stop you from checking it out.  

LibraryThing link

Labels: CheckItOut

// posted by John @ 3:35 PM 0 Comments

A silly little book from a silly little Twitter feed that I've been enjoying. It uses maps to make bad puns and/or poke fun at the way we use maps in our society. I definitely recommend it if you want to have a bit of silly in your life. 

waiting room material 
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Labels: WaitingRoomMaterial

// posted by John @ 4:25 PM 0 Comments

In volume 11, Mma Ramotswe is called upon to find an heir, uncover evidence of a philandering husband, and figure out a way to help a man who was scammed to give away his house. Complicating life is a serious accident suffered by Phuti Radiphuti which threatens his upcoming marriage to Grace Makutsi. Like the other books in this series, it's a fun, light read with likable characters. 

waiting room material
LibraryThing link

Labels: AlexanderMcCallSmith, No1LadiesDetectiveAgency, WaitingRoomMaterial

// posted by John @ 5:28 PM 0 Comments

In the third collection of Spacetrawler a band of liberated eebs are running amuck, seeking revenge against the galaxy that enslaved them by torching entire planets with their powerful telekinesis. The six humans who were instrumental in freeing the eebs are faced with the choice of hiding out or trying to stop the genocidal rampage. Of course, with these humans, neither choice will go as planned... 

On my shelf!
LibraryThing link

Labels: ChristopherBaldwin, OnMyShelf, Spacetrawler

// posted by John @ 5:15 PM 0 Comments

First read in May of 2016. 

Also on my shelf!
LibraryThing link

Labels: ChristopherBaldwin, OnMyShelf, Spacetrawler

// posted by John @ 5:10 PM 0 Comments