Clifford Garstang
This is a very well done novel about life after death, sort of. Set against a backdrop of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and then the Civil war, 1861-1865, the book introduces us to large cast of engaging characters, all struggling with their purpose and making difficult choices.
See my full review: The Other Side of Life by Andy Kutler (No spoilers in the review.)
The Japanese have occupied part of North China including an area that includes an American missionary compound where Shirley lives with her husband Caleb and son Charles, when Charles is reported killed on a visit to outlying churches. The Japanese clash with the Chinese armies–both Nationalists and Communists–and the war spills over into the lives of the compound. Shirley, a nurse, helps treat the wounded Chinese, running afoul of the Japanese. Numerous conflicts ensue and all of their lives are endangered.
This is a fine collection of short stories (Spokane Prize Winner, published by Press 53). I enjoyed the settings around the world – Taiwan, Tonga, Antarctica, etc. – and the great characters. The stories explore fidelity as well as the ties that bind us, drawing us back from attempts to reinvent ourselves. A great read.
Here's a more complete review: Review of Forgetting English
I am the editor of the Everywhere Stories series, of which this is Volume II. The theme this time around is “It's a Mysterious World”–and you'll find intriguing mysteries set in 20 countries by 20 authors. Guatemala, Panama, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey, Belgium, Ireland and many more. It's a terrific book. And check out Volume I, too – It's a Dangerous World.
Most people know, I think, that humans originated in Africa, so the title of this book and its fundamental message won't be news. However, that knowledge is a long way from connecting the dots of migration and natural selection to get where we are today, some 200,000 years later, and that's what's so wonderful about this book. At its heart, the book is making the point that there is biological basis for race–that people of all skin colors are basically cousins–and that race is largely a story of historical immigration. Along the way, it debunks the case (again) made by some that there is a difference in intelligence among the races (which was argued in The Bell Curve, a book that I tried and failed to read when it came out years ago).
One thing I wish the book did better is to present the reason for the occurrence of genetic variants (mutations) that are then either winners or losers in the natural selection lottery. I get why some variants succeed and others don't, but why do they arise in the first place?
Overall, though, it's a fascinating read.
I started reading this book after seeing a production of Our Town that reminded me how much I enjoyed Wilder's work when I was younger, having first read The Bridge of San Luis Rey as a schoolboy. This biography reveals in great detail Wilder's life and writing process, and I'm very happy to have read it.
Very useful. The essays and interviews are concise and to the point, and the overall structure of the book makes for a good flow.
Carol MacGregor Cissel served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Korea in 1974-75. I did the same thing in 1976-77, arriving in the country just days after she left. So this book, which consists of her letters home to her mother, reflects my own experience very closely. It was fun to relive those years while reading the book, and that's why I'm giving it 5 stars.
My blurb for the book:
“Jeff Fearnside's stories remind me of the work of Rick Bass: they're both lyrical and hard-hitting; they display a vast range; they illuminate the human condition; and, perhaps most importantly, they celebrate place and the natural world. This is a deeply satisfying collection.”–Clifford Garstang, author of What the Zhang Boys Know
I received a pre-publication copy of this collection from Press 53. I enjoyed reading McCown's very personal poems. One of the reviewers called the book “meditative,” which I think is a good description. Some of the poems could be called nature poems and the rest I might call soul poems.
Probably I would appreciate this more if I had read the earlier volumes in the trilogy, but because we join the story late, there's a lot of catching up to do.
I happened to notice this book while browsing the Shambala catalog. A lifelong Hesse fan and a former expat resident of Singapore, the title interested me. It turned out to be especially relevant to a book I'm writing. The slim volume is mostly essays written about a voyage Hesse took to Asia in 1911, with stops in India, Ceylon, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaya. (It also includes some related poetry and one short story about an English missionary in India.) This is fine travel writing from an earlier era, and vintage Hesse.
Not all short stories have a clear resolution. These wonderful stories–mostly set in Appalachia–bring the reader (and the conflict) to the point of climax, but sometimes leave the characters hanging. It's as if the reader is expected to formulate what happens next.
A powerful novel about oppression, atrocities, and resistance. The language is difficult–not only because of the style but also because of the horrors depicted–but Obie is a fine writer. Think Toni Morrison.
A War of Deception is a page-turning thriller unlike any I've read. With engaging, believable characters, knife-sharp dialogue, and a riveting plot, Duncan paints a timely and frightening picture of a new cold war between Russia and the West. Or maybe the spies have all gone rogue? You won't want to stop reading until you find out. And you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended.
The opening is interesting–how the author chose to study in America instead of India or England, and how the American idea of liberal education is superior to other systems. But then he reverses course and repeats the standard criticisms of American universities. While the book raises important questions, overall it is rather an incoherent jumble.
Nice tight plot, but I wish the political environment had entered into the story a little more–there was certainly an opportunity for that given that the book was set in Italy shortly before WWII.
Reading Snyder is a pleasure, but this hodge podge of essays needs more structure. There is a lot of wonderful information about the natural and artistic history of Asia, but the book would be more successful if the collection were more cohesive.
Compelling story of a Serb and a Bosnian, survivor of the Bosnian war, who find their way to America.
