Quick Quote: bell hooks

Again and again, I have to insist that feminist solidarity rooted in a commitment to progressive politics must include a space for rigorous critique, for dissent, or we are doomed to reproduce in progressive communities the very forms of domination we seek to oppose.

--bell hooks, "Censorship From left and Right" from

Outlaw Culture:Resisting Representations. (p. 67)

Masterpiece Theatre Presents Emma

My long standing refusal to have anything to do with one Jane Austen subsided a bit last year when I agreed to watch the Ang Lee-directed, Emma Thompson-adapted screenplay of Sense and Sensibility (I mean, Alan Rickman was in it!). Of course, after I watched the movie I had to read the book. I'm sure you can understand that. I was a bit partial to Elinor because of my partiality to Emma Thompson, and I enjoyed the book thoroughly because of it. Or so I thought. Then, I figured I might as well read Pride & Prejudice, because, well, why not?

Oops.

Over the past three weeks I have been completely sucked in to the new Masterpiece Theatre mini-series "Emma." After the first two hour installment, I picked up the book--well, okay, I downloaded the Google books version on my nook. Whatever. I'm sure Austen would understand. Or maybe she would just be completely confused by the technology, but that's not my point! My point is that I loved it, and now that the mini-series is over, I can say I very much enjoyed that, too. Just not in the same way.

Spoiler-y, of course. Proceed at your own risk.

The (Very) Good

• Romola Garai as Emma. Perfect.
• The estates and the town of Highbury were wonderfully cozy and lovely.
• Mr. Knightley and Emma's first dance together was charming, but also authentically country. They're not in London, after all. 
• The perfect chemistry between Mrs. Weston and Emma. Mrs. Weston, while maybe not as reserved as I might have thought, oozed motherlyness. (I refuse to admit that is not a word.)
• They included everything! Kind of. Okay, not exactly, but much more than a major production would have. Hurrah for PBS!

Nit Picky McPickertons

• Mrs. Elton did NOT get enough lines. She was my favorite (in a bad way) character. I missed all her ridiculousness during the strawberry picking at Donwell. She was annoying, but not as wonderfully annoying as in the book.
• When Emma goes to Mrs. Weston in a panic to discover the news of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax, she REFERS TO MR. KNIGHTLEY AS KNIGHTLEY. As we know from that long passage at the end of the book, she refuses to call him that even after they are married!
• I kind of wanted to see or hear Emma totally denounce Harriet. Oh well.

If you missed the original airing, you can watch the whole thing at PBS's website. I linked through the picture.

I blame book bloggers for making me reconsider my position on Jane Austen. Boo hoo to you all. (And thanks!)

P.S. I may or may not be getting a head start on Northanger Abbey, which is airing this coming Sunday. Ahem.

Review: Kindred

Kindred by Octavia Butler
Beacon Press 25th Anniversary Edition
Originally Published 1979 by Doubleday
264 pages
Finished Reading January 29, 2010


Dana is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her husband in their Los Angeles apartment. The year is 1976--until it's not. The first time Dana materializes somewhere else, she saves a young boy from drowning only to have a gun pointed at her by his father. On the next occasion, she meets the same boy, slightly older, and saves him from burning down his house, only to discover that she is in Maryland--in 1815. The boy, whose name is Rufus, is her great-great grandfather, and she is frequently called back in time in order to save his life. The problem, however, is that Maryland in the 1800s was a slave state, and Dana, as a black woman, is considered the property of Rufus, the white man.

This book made me want to vomit. Usually this is grounds for me to not end up liking a book, but somehow, Kindred made me want to vomit in a "holy crap this is tramautizing and amazing and disgusting and wonderfuly written" kind of way. While there are a few brutal scenes, I wouldn't say it's overly graphic; the psychological aspect of someone living a nightmare is enough. This is the first book I have read by Butler, and I was struck by how modern it felt despite having been written over thirty years ago. The characters are fully developed, the writing is flawless, and Big Questions are raised without feeling preachy.


In summary... a powerful, striking feminist classic. I remain in awe of Octavia Butler. Pick this one up.

Grade: A

Review: How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity

Edited by Michael Cart

Published by HarperTeen, 2009
369 pages

How Beautiful the Ordinary is a collection of short stories that tackles issues faced by GLBT youth, in the tradition of the now-classic 1995 anthology Am I Blue? Coming Out From the Silence. In fact, several of the same authors contribute stories here, including Francesca Lia Block, Gregory Maguire, and Jacqueline Woodson.

The Good 

• I am particularly pleased that the subtitle includes “identity,” which seems so much more flexible and open-ended than the traditional "GLBT."
• David Levithan's story "A Word From the Nearly Distant Past," a message from the older generation to the new, is beautiful and, I think, makes How Beautiful the Ordinary necessary for adult collections as well. The title of the collection is derived from it, as is the quote on the back of the book:

Freedom isn't just about voting and marrying and kissing on the street, although all of these things are important. Freedom is also about what you will allow yourself to do.

•  "My Virtual World" by Francesca Lia Block, written as a series of e-mails between a girl and a young trans man. So many real issues are raised in this short story, but it doesn't come across as heavy handed. I found it touching and pleasantly surprising.
• "Dear Lang" by Emma Donoghue, a letter from a non-birth mom to her lost daughter from a previous relationship.

The So-So

• "Trev" by Jacqueline Woodson: Some people will love this story. It's an important topic and a well written, good story, but it's also the ubiquitous trans narrative.

The...Not So Good

• "Dyke March" by Ariel Schrag: Written in graphic form. I found a couple of the panels offensive. 

In summary... a good, modern collection of stories. Check this one out, if only for the David Levithan story.

Grade (Overall): B

For GLBT Challenge & Four Month Challenge

Also reviewed more substantially at QueerYA.

January: Wherein My Least Favorite Month Comes To a Close

On January 29, 2003, my mom died of breast cancer. I was 16. I am not particularly fond of January or cancer, but continue to have a soft spot for moms. This year, I donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in her memory, with the hope that someday in the near future, a cure will be found and no one else will have to go through what I have over the past seven years.

---

Now, on to happier subjects. I am a bit embarrassed by how many books I managed to finish this month, not only because of the number (which is far more than I was reading when I was unemployed)but because I have absolutely no idea how it happened. I've been working full time, spending time with the boyfriend, making dinner, even going to bed early. The logical explanation is that I picked books that I was interested in, and were therefore quick reads, but I'd like to think it had something to do with a magical butterfly who gave me speed-reading abilities. Or something.

Audiobooks

• Lost In a Good Book by Jasper Fforde, 2002: I finally started the Thursday Next series at the end of 2009 in order to keep the peace in my house(Ethan's a big fan), and I continued, with audio this time, and the narrator is wonderful. I found myself getting a bit impatient near the end, but over all a solid listen--great for accompaniment while filing at work!
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett, 1990: Ever notice unintentional trends in your reading? After listening to Christopher Moore's Lamb and reading R. Crumb's graphic interpretation of Genesis, I used my Audible.com credit to download Good Omens, a rather hysterical story of the Apocalypse. Should I begin referring to myself as a fan of humorous interpretations of Biblical stories?
• Until It's Over by Nicci French, 2007: I downloaded this on a whim at work, and had to force myself to finish it. I am the worst solver of mysteries (except while playing Clue, I'm great at that), and even I knew who the murderer was within the first quarter of the book.
• Alchemyst: The Immortal Nicholas Flammel by Michael Scott, 2008: Not for me. Was there even a story line here?
• Well Of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde, 2003: Best Fforde book so far. Excellently paced, great villian, and even amusing puns (yes, it's possible)!

 
Classics

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843. nook. (Four Month Challenge): This is the first time I ever read anything by Dickens--somehow he was overlooked during high school. I was amazed by how funny it was. I'm actually looking forward to reading Great Expectations now. And yes, Miss Havershim's appearance in the Thursday Next series has helped as well.
  
• Emma by Jane Austen, 1815. nook: I decided to read this after watching the first third of the new PBS Masterpiece Theater movie. It was nice to finally read an Austen novel where the women aren't destitute, and Mrs. Elton may have made my "Characters You Love to Hate" list.

Non-Fiction

• Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards, 2009. Owned. Heartbreaking.
• Lynnee Breedlove's One Freak Show, 2008. Owned. (GLBT Challenge): Very amusing.
• Confederates In the Attic: Dispatches From the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz, 1998. From BPL. (Four Month Challenge): So much to say and no idea how to say it. Read this book, or I'll consider you a farb.

Graphic Novels

• American Born Chinese by Luen Gene Yang, 2006.  (Four Month Challenge): A story in three parts about friendship, race, and accepting who you are. Excellent.
  A People's History of American Empire by Howard Zinn, 2008: Oh Howard Zinn, how we will miss you. No one makes history as accessible and interesting as he did.
• Arab In America by Toufic El Rassi, 2008: Why is it that when it comes to books I really liked, I have no idea what to say about them except "read this."
• Fables: Legends In Exile by Bill Willingham, 2002: I have a weakness for reinterpretations of fairy tales. This one is particularly good.

Young Adult

• The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, 2007. (2010 Challenge): The highest praise I can give is that I can't wait to read more by Alexie.
• Flowers In the Attic by V.C. Andrews, 1979. (Four Month Challenge): I think I originally read this book in fourth or fifth grade, and, upon rereading it, I was happy to still find it enjoyable.
• Liar by Justine Larbalestier, 2009. (2010 Challenge): I think this would be a great book for a teen book club because of all the unanswered questions.
• Not the Only One: Lesbian and Gay Fiction for Teens edited by Tony Grima, 1995. (GLBT Challenge): I thought one of the stories was quite good, but there the ratio of good to what the hell is going on was not at all favorable.
• Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, 2007: Great premise, poor execution.
• Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst, 2007. (2010 Challenge): Second best reinterpretation of the seven dwarfs--first place, of course, is held by The Book of Lost Things.
• How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity edited by Michael Cart, 2009. (GLBT Challenge): I find David Levithan to be hit (Realm of Possibility) or miss (Boy Meets Boy) with me, but his short story in this collection is beautiful. I also really liked Jacqueline Woodson's story, Trev.
• Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak, 2003: Average. Still much prefer I Am the Messenger.

Fiction, Misc.

• The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde, 2005: A cozy mystery series for book nerds written by a reliable author. Thanks, Fforde.
• The Witness For the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie, 1948: I'm on a secret mission to read all of Christie's classic works.
• MASH by Robert Hooker, 1968: I love the TV show and Alan Alda's Hawkeye, and while the book and the literary version of Hawkeye are nothing like the TV show, I loved it, too.
• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, 1979: I think this book is going to break my blogging block. So amazing. I want everyone to read it and discuss it with me.
• The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde, 2006: It's good to be in safe hands.

---

29% written by authors of color (excluding the short story collections)
44% written by non-American writers (mostly thanks to Jasper Fforde)
36% written by British writers (mostly thanks to Jasper Fforde)
3 books I wish people would read and talk to me about
2 books about war
1 book which will make my Best of the Year list