To the Editors: Rebecca Giggs, in her delightful review of Sandra Steingraber’s The Sea Trilogy, a new edition of Rachel Carson’s beloved books [NYR, December 22, 2022], has reminded me of an old friend, Lophius. A marine inhabitant of the US East Coast, from where Carson drew her inspiration, Lophius is Lophius americanus (its Latin […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/02/09/duck-duck-goosefish/
To the Editors: In “A Dream of a Great Burning” [NYR, December 22, 2022], Tobi Haslett’s long look at the writing career of John Edgar Wideman, there is much to value. From the jump, Haslett frames Wideman true: “a black intellectual—full of grandeur and agony, rage and poise.” Yet in some fundamental way Haslett misses […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/02/09/on-john-edgar-wideman/
How the Soviet Jew Was Made by Sasha Senderovich is a scholarly work, but it also presents urgent perspectives for any post-Soviet Jewish American who has ever entertained the question What made my parents the way they are? What accounts for their dark view of the world, their elevated sense of humor and irony, and, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/02/09/beyond-the-pale-how-the-soviet-jew-was-made-senderovich/
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
A snow storm swept in on Wednesday, shuttering school but ended up fizzling out with less than two inches and a lot of ice. On Saturday we did a girl’s day shopping trip and then took Sophia out for dinner to celebrate her eighth birthday, which is later this week. Stay Caffeinated.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/01/sunday-post-559-snow-week.html
You Are a Bird explores what it is like to be a caged bird longing to be free. I think this original idea is intriguing. How did you come up with this idea and develop it into a story?
I came across the poem “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar when I was an English teacher several years ago. The poem was about a caged bird who longed to be free. My students and I were deeply touched by the elegant words Dunbar chose to express the agony of a being in captivity. The poet’s parents were born into slavery, so there was a powerful human metaphor inherent within the story of this forlorn bird. This story stayed with me over the years. I have referenced “Sympathy” in one of my other novels, Body, and also in a screenplay I wrote about an artist imprisoned by his addiction and obsessions. A second work I discovered that same year of teaching was Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney. This book was written in present tense, and even more surprisingly, in second person perspective. I had never read such an odd book before and found myself enjoying a unique connection to the story because of this personalized approach. Eventually, these two works came together in the inspiration to write a book that will create in the reader the experience of being a bird trapped in a cage, to share in its thoughts, its dreams, its plots to attain liberty — all as the story unfolds in second person point of view. You Are a Bird turned out to be a great joy to write, in part due to this unusual perspective of the story.
What were some themes that you felt were important to highlight in this story?
There was the surface theme that living beings, especially humans, fail to thrive without freedom, unable to live according to their design. But, below the surface, are themes involving our response to captivity, to frustration, to (paraphrasing Jimi Hendrix) know what we want but not know how to go about getting it, as well as the spiritual essence of true liberation. These themes seemed especially fitting as humanity experiences the aftermath of lockdowns and fear generated during the pandemic.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from You Are a Bird?
I hope readers take away satisfaction from the experience of the book, of relating to a caged bird, as we all experience being trapped in life at one time or another (or maybe we always experience this to some degree). I hope they leave the book continuing to ponder some of the symbolism of the book. It was fun to explore a small portion of the world through the eyes of a bird, because, though symbols abound, the protagonist does not understand them — I hope that the reader enjoys putting the meanings of these symbols together as the story unfolds — and surely, readers will find symbolic connections that I missed, one of the fun things about sharing a story with others. There is a warning implied in the book as well, one that relates again to the pandemic, which is that, though people are mostly free to leave their homes again, and though they may in fact leave their “cages,” many will find that they bring the trauma they experienced in their cage with them moving forward — and they will be wise to find a way to escape, not just from physical limitations but from mental and spiritual limitations as well. I would love if You Are a Bird could help readers in that way along their path.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I have two very different books in the works. The first is a non-fiction spiritual exploration of the controversial issues of our day, called, Singularity. The second is a comedy tentatively titled Wolfums. Singularity is written, though it is in need of a deep edit, so I’m hoping that will be released by Shimmer Tree Books within the next six months. Wolfums is in its early stages. My aim is to have it ready for early 2024 at the latest.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy,” Breezy Van Lit composed You Are a Bird as an allegorical exploration of your spirit’s desire to be free. This inspirational novella is written in 2nd person point of view and present tense to pull readers into the peculiar world of the protagonist bird—You.
“Refuse to be caged.” —Breezy Van Lit
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/22/a-bird-trapped-in-a-cage/
CHANGE: Ready or Not! is a collection of uplifting poems and testimonies designed to motivate the reader to change. Each poem is based on text from the Bible which the writer also quotes frequently in her prose reflections. The reflections are “testimonies of encouragement” that expand the thoughts in the poems and provide life experiences that illustrate how the writer has seen these principles at work in her own life. There are thirty-eight entries, which is enough to provide readers with a bit more than a month’s worth of daily reading.
This is an inspirational book that will be great for anyone that is stuck in a rut and wondering what to do next. Author Terri Davis speaks candidly about the lessons she has learned from the difficult experiences that taught her how to walk in faith.
The author’s words are heartening and her passion can be felt. The author speaks to readers in expressions that are relatable. You can almost hear her conversational tone of voice in phrases like “preached his socks off” and “all up in their ‘Kool-Aid”. I think this would be a fantastic script for a podcast. Exclamation marks, bold words, italics, and block capitals all give clues to the emotionality of the author and shows readers how the words would sound if spoken.
This stirring collection of poetry possesses flowing rhymes and a musical rhythm. This book inspires readers to try, conquer fear, and make something of their talent. CHANGE: Ready or Not! is a heartfelt collection that uses few words to speak volumes.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/22/change-ready-or-not/
A History of Silence follows four women connected through the violent past of one man who are brought together through his murder. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The novel is based on an experience my co-worker, Sylvia, related to me decades ago when I worked as a developmental editor for the government research institute in Kuwait. I dedicated the book to her in thanks for starting me thinking about a plot to explain what she saw. Without giving away too much of the novel, Sylvia went to the funeral of a murdered male colleague at the college (not in Texas!) where she’d been teaching and noticed what Maddie noticed in the prologue. So, all the narrators sprang from that tale. I originally wrote a draft of this novel while living in Greece in 1985-86, then put it in a closet and went out and pursued my life. When the Covid lockdown started and I decided to retire a bit earlier than I’d planned, it seemed natural to return to that draft and see if I could make it into a compelling novel.
What was your inspiration for the characters and their relationship?
As a sociologist, I have conducted interviews with hundreds of women who lived in homeless shelters. One finding from these interviews was the extensive trauma so many had experienced and the unresolved grief so many carried with them. In addition, in my undergraduate years, it seemed every woman I met had survived sexual trauma. Living in patriarchy is a traumatizing experience for many.
The inspiring Black Lives Matter movement, another type of response to (white male) patriarchy, gained traction just as I began revisions to the manuscript. The organizing slogan of the BLM movement speaks volumes about our unaddressed history — that well into the 21st century, it is still necessary to demand that Black lives matter. It struck me that by making Maddie’s love Roz a Black woman, I could greatly expand my goals for this novel.
Jenny and Jane exemplify two responses to internalized trauma. Liz is the hapless woman conformist. Maddie, a reflective, well-educated lesbian and rejector of patriarchy’s prescriptions for women, is the outsider with a better view of what’s going on. But even she is surprised by and can’t quite fathom Roz’s situation. Roz finds herself mired in circumstances she detests and does not deserve. In that way, she mirrors the history of Black America.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Survivors of misogyny, homophobia and racism often internalize the trauma they experience because of who they are as self-blame and self-hatred. Using Johnny as a metaphor for some of the worst excesses we women experience in patriarchy, I wanted to emphasize the effects of women’s second-class status and the courage it takes to build a life within a system where fair treatment often remains an aspiration. As a sociologist, it’s important to me for readers to recognize that we are all embedded in our history and society and that what is experienced as an individual life event is connected to, often a product of, larger frameworks (such as white male patriarchy). Recognizing our common experience is the first step in changing our society — as the Black civil rights, feminist, and LGBTQ movements have long taught us. If readers take away a sense of the power of mutual support and solidarity in overcoming trauma and inequality, I’d be thrilled and satisfied.
When will book 2 be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
One of the character’s trajectories remains unresolved at the end of the first novel — and it’s the character that murders Johnny. Book 2, entitled Beach of the Dead, takes up where that character’s story leaves off and explores what it takes to find hope, forgiveness, self-worth, and love. Beach of the Dead takes place largely, and ironically, in a tropical paradise imbued with magical realism.
Beach of the Dead will be published by Atmosphere Press in early 2024.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Johnny Wharton is a history professor and descendant of a Texas “planter family” – a legacy that’s followed him all the way to 1985. Tough-girl Jenny (Johnny’s daughter), runs away to Madison, blotting out her past with distance, drugs, and sex. Her loner lifestyle is upended by her new roommate’s scary insistence on friendship. Emotionally damaged Jane (Johnny’s new graduate student) gives Johnny’s offer of an affair a try, thinking she might manage if it’s furtive and part-time. Maddie (his lesbian colleague) is grief-stricken; her longtime Black lady love Roz left her – inexplicably. Conservatively raised Liz (Johnny’s wife) is desperate to reconnect with her estranged daughter. She’s beginning to realize that Johnny’s past has left unspeakable scars on her family’s present.
As the lives of these four women intertwine in unexpected ways, each learns the past can’t be conquered until it’s confronted, and its secrets revealed – and shared.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/22/overcoming-trauma-and-inequality/
William Hynson’s The Transformation of America begins with an interesting memoir starting with his birth in 1932 up to the 1960 election. He spends much of this section contrasting his childhood with today’s world, for instance, how his family’s doctor charged just five dollars for house visits, or the huge popularity of radio shows which are now largely forgotten. The second part of the book focuses on the many changes in American society from the 1960’s on, both good and bad, like women’s liberation, the booming drug culture, and the influx of illegal immigration. The last chapter discusses American demographic changes, particularly how Whites are en route to becoming a minority within the US.
Hynson provides readers with a lot of thought-provoking ideas and information that I would love to have seen expanded on. For example, he mentions having traveled around East Asia while in the Army during the Korean War. This part alone make a great travelogue or memoir because I found what was given to be fascinating and I wanted more details. Later, the author discusses his company hiring women for roles beyond secretarial work for the first time in the early 1970’s. I would have loved to have understood the mindset of the men and women in those situations because those changes were culturally important.
In the section on demographic change, Hynson cites various statistics about the declining number of Whites compared to other racial groups in the United States. I was fascinated by this and I wanted to understand the implications of this demographic shift. This is a serious and sensitive subject and Hynson provides readers with an intriguing overview of the topic. The Transformation of America provides readers with a stimulating read and a sketch of growing up in pre-1960 America. Readers interested in history, politics and sociology will find this book of great interest.
Pages: 82 | ASIN: B0B8F3BYNF
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/22/the-transformation-of-america/
Most Famous Short Film of All Time is an enlightening book with thoughtful observations on life and insight into being transgender. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Seeking ways to cut down my rough draft, I split the novel into 486 sections—one for each frame of the Zapruder film—and I limited each of those sections to 125 words. I marked each micro-section visually with a numbered frame from the film. Additional material didn’t fit within that structure. I found other ways to work in the rest of the material, so the novel remains long. That’s how the structure was set up.
Your characters were interesting and I enjoyed following them. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
The narrator is treading water in his life when the story opens. Nothing much is happening for him. One day, he has a problem, and he realizes: The people in this system aren’t going to help me. This insight doesn’t merely open his eyes. His whole life accelerates. He has to find the way forward. Some ways back will have to close.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Replaying memories, ruminating on possibilities, dealing with ghosts, making decisions (or not), and what all of that tells us about our experience of time. The novel is about time.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
It’s an opportunity to read a transgender character who’s dealing with things other than his gender transition. The narrator transitioned about 15 years before the main events of the story. Since he’s post-transition, the novel isn’t about his transition. It’s about other things he goes through as a result of being a person of transgender experience. I want to spark readers’ imaginations about certain life experiences and interpretations thereof that could be particular to transgender people and that we aren’t taught to see, appreciate, or respond to, partly because we tend to forget that post-transition is a real phase of life in which many people spend many years.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/22/the-novel-is-about-time/
Our picks for the best debuts of January
Original source: https://www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview/editorspicks.html?ref_=abr_widget_nav&theme=light