Read Across America!

In celebration of Read Across America, one of my local elementary schools held a Reading Day. For the second time since they launched this program, the school librarian asked me to read to a class. I was thrilled and immediately told her I would.

A couple of years ago, I read Hooway for Wodney Wat, one of my favorite books at the time. (It still is, but lately I've fallen in love with Olivia. Can you blame me?) The kids loved it and we talked about reading, bullies, rats and more.

This year, I let the librarian choose the book for me -- and I am glad I did. This year's book was new to me: Henry's Freedom Box. It is a true story about Henry "Box" Brown, who mailed himself to freedom after his wife and children were sold by his wife's owner. It was a fabulous book with great illustrations.

Lately, I have felt very personally the ravages of slavery. When I read about people being "owned" or "sold," I flinch. The horrific implications of slavery became very real to me when I realized the terrible limitations Phillis Wheatley experienced. This incredible poet and very intelligent woman was owned by other human beings. She was taught to read and write almost as an experiment. Otherwise, this woman would have been invisible. Slaves had no identity. They were property. The idea makes me reel in shock every time the reality of it settles into my mind.

And so I read this book to a roomful of fourth graders. At one point, as Henry watched his wife and children disappear down the road, I wanted to cry. I looked into the cluster of children at my feet and was thrilled that none of us experienced that horror and hoped none would feel that kind of pain.

The story was poignant, the illustrations beautiful and the book a wonderful read. We talked about the Underground Railroad, which they were studying, and Harriet Tubman. I enjoyed myself and I hope the children did, too.

I knew the all loved to read because I asked. Every child's hand shot up when I asked who loved to read. Their hands shot up in the air again when I asked who was reading a book that day. They loved the library (both school and private) and planned to visit soon.

Just the night before, my 3-year-old godson Conor and I read a couple of books together. He's learning words and letters, and I'm looking forward to that "light bulb moment" when he realizes the letters spell words on the page. I remember when I experienced that moment. It was a beautiful thing and everyone deserves it.

So celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss, and Read Across America, people!

A Thousand Splendid Suns -- Review by Chris

The buzz around A Thousand Splendid Suns was incredible. Everyone raved about it -- and when that happens, I am suspicious. I loved The Kite Runner. Could Khaled Hosseini strike twice?

Absolutely.

This time, Hosseini takes on a difficult voice: the voice of a woman. Multiple women, actually: of different ages, different backgrounds, different education levels, different regions. He does an excellent job. His voices, his characters are authentic, rich and vibrant. They are real.

The relationships are very real, too. Readers feel the anguish of a rejected daughter, a beloved daughter, a lonely daughter, an abandoned daughter, a frightened wife, a jealous wife, a supportive and loving mother, an anguished mother, a woman in love.

There are a number of women in this book, but two characters are central: Miriam and Laila. Miriam's youth is joyous but troubled. From the start, her angry, bitter mother tries to tell her the ways of the world for a harami like her. Her father visits every Thursday, and she feels special. Her world has been this way always: living in a small hut with her mother, her father living somewhere in town, on the other side of the creek. Her world is small and everything seems simple to her, as with any child. Too soon, she grows up and realizes that while her mother was troubled, she was not completely inaccurate about the world.

Leila is the daughter of an educated man and a lively, strong woman. Unfortunately, she arrives late in life when her mother has lost her sons to the army fighting the occupiers of her beloved Afghanistan and her father has lost his livelihood. However, she is smart and lively and she sees things in the world that make her love her country and her people, especially her family and Tariq, a childhood friend who from an early age is terribly important to her. When her family finally comes together in a beautiful and successful way, tragedy strikes with images that are as horrific as any a young girl should bear.

Both Miriam and Leila find themselves in heartbreaking situations, and both make the best choices they can under the circumstances. And both watch the world unfold at their doorstep.

This is what I loved most about this book: the personal viewpoint. Much like A Handmaid's Tale, the world presented in third-person narration is limited to the character's immediate experiences. There are situations in which they learn about the world around them, but for the most part, their world is their homes and families. Information is controlled by the totalitarian regime of their country and homes.

With his second book, Hosseini presents an Afghanistan that is rich and full, so much bigger than the nation this country ignored until 2001. As with any story, it is the characters that make it special and memorable, and Hosseini again creates characters that remain in the reader's heart and mind long after the final page is turned.

I strongly recommend readers purchase this book and read it, then share it. It is not an easy read, but it is a compelling read, memorable and beautiful, tragic and resonating. A Thousand Splendid Suns reminds us that a country is more than its politics: a country's heart truly is its people.

Last Night at the Lobster — Review by Chris

In the hands of Stewart O'Nan, the intricacies of the everyday are very revealing and worthwhile. It's in these details that his characters are born, and in which the reader learns so much.

My first exposure to O'Nan was The Good Wife, in which we spend a couple of decades with Patty, the young wife of a man convicted of a felony. This book was so good that to this day I can still feel Patty as she navigated her way through the penal system and raised her son alone while remaining devoted to and supportive of her husband.

O'Nan's latest book, Last Night at the Lobster, introduces us to Manny, the manager of a Red Lobster outside a mall in Connecticut. It's not a successful restaurant, and we meet Manny as he drives into the parking lot to open the restaurant for the last time. Corporate has decided to close this particular restaurant five days before Christmas.

If that isn't bad enough, Manny was allowed to take only five of his employees with him when he was transferred to the Olive Garden in the next town over. Oh, and he's being demoted to assistant manager at the new place.

Did I mention there is a blizzard forecasted? The sky is unceremoniously dumping foot after foot of snow on the region on this auspicious day.

Manny is not the reason the Lobster has floundered. If anything, his conscientious attitude is a great advantage to the corporation. Manny has made it his duty to keep his restaurant running. Every thought, every action, has been its sustenance. Now he has to shut it down. With every action Manny has to take, we see the dedication coupled with sadness and futility.

One last insult: Manny and his employees may not tell their customers the restaurant will not open after this day, so he has to treat it like it will be there tomorrow.

In Lobster, Manny has a typical atypical day with what to him is a familiar cast of characters. It may be their last day, but everyone still dances the same steps they have practiced together every day. He has worked with these people, but he does not romanticize them. Those who do not arrive for their last day of work are not vilified. He knows he built relationships that, for the most part, are temporary. Those who are not transferring with him will not seek him out. He knows this and does not blame them.

The customers are typical, but in O’Nan’s hands, they are not stereotypical. Readers see the retirement party, the mother with an ill-behaved child and the grandmothers through Manny’s eyes. His assessments are not hostile. He is realistic. Anyone who has worked in restaurants or food service recognizes them. (Come to think of it, anyone who has eaten in restaurants will recognize them.)

For O’Nan, the characters are the story. Stories unfold with every thought, every action, every gesture. It is sad and lovely, exquisite and haunting. These people will stay with you for a long time.

I recommend this novel. I have two more O’Nan novels I have found at used bookstores in the area, and I look forward to reading them as well.

Oh, and one last thing: go to the book's Web page and enjoy the subtle yet special effect. (Hint: you'll want to go back in August....)