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"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

12/9/2012

Title: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Genre(s): Crime
# pages: 343
Date published: January 1966
Rating out of 5: 5
Suggested tags: Non-fiction, Thriller
Would you recommend it? Yes

On the night of Nov. 15, 1959, two men entered a farmhouse in Holcomb, Kansas, and murdered the four members of the Clutter family. In this book, considered one of the first and best examples of the non-fiction novel, Capote traces the events leading up to the murders and the eventual resolution of the crime. Whether describing the grisly scene in which the bodies were discovered, taking the reader along on the aimless wanderings of the killers, or depicting the crime’s dastardly effect on a small, Midwestern town, he writes with a clear, poetic prose. This effectively transports the reader to a long-gone America and makes every character multidimensional and sympathetic. Even the killers are given thorough backstories that contextualize their actions. The themes include the loss of innocence, family, small-town America, religion, acceptance, psychology, and the American legal process, but in the end it is a thrilling recounting of an audacious murder and the subsequent hunt for the killers. Though relatively long, In Cold Blood becomes impossible to put down at a certain point about halfway through the book. The slow beginning pays off as it really invests the reader in the plights of the deceased. At the end of the book you will feel shocked at the meaninglessness and callousness of the crime, but also awed at the way Capote weaves pathos, humor, suspense, friendship, love, and family into what is on the surface a report on the deaths of four innocent people more than 50 years ago. I highly recommend In Cold Blood to anyone who loves crime novels, or literature in general.

Review by Andrew Ireland, A&S '14

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"The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein

12/4/2012

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Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein
Genre(s): Fiction
# pages: 320
Date published: 2008
Rating (out of 5 stars): 4 stars
Suggested tags: Quick Read, Fiction
Would you recommend it? Yes!

Do you ever wish you could read your dog’s mind? Well, The Art of Racing in the Rain finally gives you an inside look. Enzo, the prime pooch of this heart-warming story, tells it all from his perspective, from puppy-hood to old age. He is raised by his master Denny, a racecar driver, along with his wife, Eve, and daughter, Zoe, in their Seattle home. Although he is “just” a pet, Enzo truly is a fourth member of the family. Even through a birth, a death, a debilitating illness, and a crippling court case, Enzo is unwaveringly loyal to them all. Stein weaves a truly bittersweet tale that will have you reaching for tissues at times, but smiling by the story’s end. (Continued below)

You don’t have to be a dog owner to enjoy this book, though! It is hard not to fall in love with Denny and Enzo, a dynamic duo both at home and on the racetrack. While the dramatic parts of the plotline can be tearjerkers, the story has many more happy moments than sad ones. Enzo is extremely intelligent, and his philosophies are well thought-out and pretty darn funny. I loved his outlook on a dog’s life after death, which he learned from watching a documentary on television. (It certainly makes you wonder what your own dog is learning from shows you tune into on TV…) All in all, if you’re a dog lover and you have the need for a speed-read, you will not be disappointed.

Review by Kristie Dickinson, CSOM '14 Illustration by Patrick Hughes, A&S '14

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"Chinese Cinderella" by Adeline Yen Mah

12/4/2012

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Title: Chinese Cinderella
Author: Adeline Yen Mah
Genre: Autobiography
Number of pages: 197
Date Published: 1999
Rating (out of 5 stars): 2
Recommended: No

Set in 1940s China, Chinese Cinderella is author Adeline Yen Mah’s memoir of her difficult childhood as an unwanted daughter. After her mother dies giving birth to her, Adeline’s family considers her bad luck and detests her presence. With only a disempowered aunt and an elderly grandfather to lean on, Adeline endures the seemingly endless torment of her siblings and nasty stepmother. Taking place over the course of eleven years, Chinese Cinderella employs many well-chosen anecdotes that give the reader a sense of what life was like for the young Adeline. Never invited on outings, forbidden from visiting friends’ houses or bringing friends home, and consistently told that she will never amount to anything, Adeline Yen Mah’s story is surely one that will break your heart. Turning to academics for asylum, Adeline teaches readers what it means to be strong and to persevere.

Although Chinese Cinderella is an uplifting story about a young girl succeeding against all odds, it still did not wow me. I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and even a bit silly at times. At the beginning of the novel, when the children were only about six-years-old, the dialogue seemed too mature and analytical for such young characters. The conversations between them became too much like a summary of the book, as if the characters were trying to explain to the readers what was going on in the story. I cannot see a person talking in such a high-level descriptive manner in real life, which is a huge problem. The language disconnect does not allow the reader to relate to the characters or see them as anything aside from mere words in a book.

It did not take me long to read Chinese Cinderella, not because I was so enthralled that I couldn’t put it down, but because it is so short. At only 197 pages, with a lot of white space and family photos in the middle, Chinese Cinderella is not much of a time commitment. Although this novel is placed in the young-adult category, I would only recommend it to pre-teens. This novel has important messages of determination and work ethic, and is interesting because it gives the often told Cinderella story a new twist, but the writing style and actual content of the novel were boring and even a bit annoying. So unless you are 12-years-old and love the fairytale of Cinderella, don’t bother with this book.

Review by Brittany Duncan, A&S '16

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"World War Z" by Max Brooks

12/3/2012

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Title: World War Z
Author: Max Brooks
Genre: Horror, Post-apocalyptic fiction
Pages: 342
Date Published: September 12, 2006
Rating (out of 5 stars): 4.5

In Max Brooks’ world, a decade has passed since the zombie apocalypse and the human race has just barely survived. The zombie outbreak has been contained and now humans are trying to piece together the entire story. How did this all begin? Why were we so woefully unprepared? How did humankind manage to come back from the brink of extinction? Using individual accounts of people from all over the world, World War Z tries to answer all of these questions, along with many others, in an attempt to illuminate where things went horribly wrong. For if something like this should ever happen again, next time we may not survive.

I have to admit, I was slightly skeptical when I first read the description of World War Z. Zombies? I enjoy post-apocalyptic and historical fiction as much as the next guy, but the living dead? It didn’t really appeal to me. It was a New York Times bestseller, though, and had received glowing reviews from almost every single critic, so I decided to read a few chapters right in the middle of the bookstore. I didn’t leave my spot in the aisle for two hours. Then I bought it, took it home, and finished it that day. Maybe to save a few bucks I should have just stayed in the store. It’s that quick of a read.

The author takes us on a trip around the globe, exploring stories from the United States, South Africa, Israel, Japan just to name a few. The individual accounts are wide and varied: a soldier, who was on the front lines of the first battle when they realized that Cold War tactics are useless; a profiteer, who made a fortune selling placebos; a volunteer, who was just a girl when the outbreak started, but is now an experienced zombie killer; and numerous others. The author uses these narratives to weave together a story that also explores the social, psychological, environmental, religious, and economic impact the zombie war had on the human race. As a result, World War Z takes on an extremely realistic tone that is chilling and all too creepy.

Perhaps the only problem I had with the book was that it wasn’t long enough. While the author did an excellent job of incorporating a vast multitude of people and civilizations with unique perspectives and voices, there were many more perspectives I would have liked to hear from. I suppose that’s the problem with writing a history book, even if it is a fictional one: some stories have to be left out.

That being said, World War Z is an incredible book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is not just a book about zombies. World War Z is one of the cleverest social commentaries I have ever read, an examination of the human condition when pushed to the extreme, and a frighteningly realistic portrayal of a devastated world. In the end, World War Z is about us: human beings.

Review by William Hwang, A&S '15

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"Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo

12/3/2012

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Title: Les Misérables
Author: Victor Hugo (Charles E. Wilbour translation, with modern notes)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of pages: 1488
Year Published: French: 1862, Original Wilbour Translation: 1863
Rating (out of 5): 5

The highly anticipated film version of Les Miserables to be released this Christmas will undoubtedly send devotees back to the timeless musical upon which the movie is based. But many forget even the musical is based upon an original source: Victor Hugo’s classic novel.

Often considered his masterpiece, Les Miserables has proved the most enduring of Hugo’s works. Even those who have never read the novel often recognize the characters. To call Les Miserables epic would prove a grand understatement, weighing in at about 1500 pages in the most commonly accepted English translation by Charles E. Wilbour and spanning the entire adult life of its major character as well as the countless intersecting lives.

This depth and attention to detail enables the reader to slide easily into the richly drawn world of nineteenth-century France. Although abridged versions leave out what some deem unnecessary detours into such subjects as the pidgin of the urban poor and the history of the Parisian sewer system, these addendums not only serve to deepen the reader’s appreciation for the setting, but the information often proves vital later on. How better to appreciate Jean Valjean’s harrowing journey through the sewers than with a full understanding of these labyrinthine tunnels, and how better to appreciate little Gavroche’s endearing songs than with an understanding of his dialect?

Despite the historical fiction setting, Les Miserables draws its scope beyond the breadth of its time and place. The language itself, even in translation, proves nothing short of breathtaking. Throughout the work, the reader finds himself pausing to relish the simple beauty of Hugo’s sentences, a pleasure that never flags even during the tautest of scenes. Furthermore, the story extends far beyond the tragic student revolution. As in the musical, that fateful night serves as the novel’s climax, but here the climax extends some 200 pages and expertly sweeps up a multitude of divergent storylines into one heartbreaking, electrifying, and ultimately life-affirming whole.

Every character here receives not just a song but a wholly realized life, with such histories that even those familiar with the popular musical will have something to learn. Most adaptations, for instance, do not acknowledge that the beloved Gavroche is in fact Eponine’s younger brother. These histories lend characters that may seem simplistic in the well-publicized drama greater complexity; never before have the sometimes excessively villainous Javert or the childishly sycophantic Azelma seemed so pitiable, even relatable.

It would be fair to conclude that, despite the desperate conflict at its heart, there are no villains in Les Miserables, only flawed mortals anxious that they might become heroes, and as readers we become invested in them all. We swoon for Marius and Cosette’s relationship just as we ache for Eponine’s unrequited love; we cheer Jean Valjean’s earnest hope of self-redemption just as we understand Javert’s irremediable dedication to his duty. Over the long course of these pages, these characters take on greater depth than any adaptation can afford them: their story has become akin to a life, a life from which one emerges with almost a sense of bereavement from the world to which he has dedicated so much emotion. Ultimately, this is less a novel than an experience.

Review by Jennifer Heine, A&S '16

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"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein

"Chinese Cinderella" by Adeline Yen Mah

"World War Z" by Max Brooks

"Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo

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