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And so on and so on and so on.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve been aware of Ta-Nehisi Coates via his work at The Atlantic and the fact that he’s written some Black Panther comic arcs, so I was inspired to pick this up – a memoir in the form of an “open letter” to his teenage son, in which Coates explains his pessimistic views on the state of racism in America and the key experiences in his life that shaped that view. Coates frames the issue in terms of the assurance of physical safety that blacks in America have never really known, from slavery, segregation and lynchings to street violence and police brutality. Coates argues that this bleak reality is so at odds with “the Dream” of white suburbia – which is permanently entrenched in American culture – that it’s too late for effective change, whether via true racial integration or black nationalism.
It’s a challenging read – at least topic-wise. Coates’ writing is both lyrical and accessible, and his story is a compelling and at times moving one. Obviously what others make of this book will depend on their own sociopolitical views about racism and their willingness to at least listen carefully to differing viewpoints. I’d recommend it just to challenge yourself. It requires an open mind, but helpfully it’s no polemic – Coates makes his point clearly without resorting to clichés, slogans or demagoguery. It may just be one person’s perspective of a complex issue, but it’s a valid one.
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is Stanisław Lem’s most famous novel, not least because it’s been filmed three times. I haven't seen any of the films, but the trailers for the Soderbergh version made it look like a cheesy romance, which doesn’t interest me. That said, there's often a vast difference between a movie and the source material (ask Philip K Dick), and one thing I've learned from reading Lem's other books is that he doesn’t do cheesy romance. So I finally got around to reading it, and I’m glad I did. The premise: Solaris is a planet covered in an ocean that also appears to be an organic lifeform in and of itself. Scientist Kris Kelvin goes to join his mentor Gibarian and a team of scientists stationed there, only to find Gibarian has committed suicide and the other two scientists are going mad as people from their past start materializing out of nowhere.
This being Lem, all of that is partly a vehicle to summarize the decades of research scientists have carried out on Solaris (and the arguments therein) with the ultimate aim of establishing “contact” with the ocean – and ultimately failing. Which is the central concept of the whole book – encountering alien life that is so alien that it exists completely outside of the human ability to even conceptualize what they’re dealing with, let alone try to talk to it. So while this is probably the most conventional book of Lem’s I’ve read in terms of narrative structure and dialogue, it’s no less imaginative in its ideas. Even the subplot of Kelvin being confronted with his own past (in the form of his dead wife Rheya) goes in an unexpected (and somewhat horrifying) direction. It’s pretty heavy, and if yr looking for space operas, alien battles or the movie version of the story, you may be disappointed. For me, while I prefer Lem’s lighter side, I enjoyed this.
In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper by Lawrence Block
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This anthology was edited by Lawrence Block, which in itself would be reason enough for me to check it out – I’ve been a fan of his work since the 80s. Also, any anthology that includes Megan Abbott and Joe R. Lansdale is going to get my attention. But the icing on the cake is the concept: 17 short stories based on paintings by one of my favorite artists: Edward Hopper. It’s a brilliant idea for an anthology, and pretty much everyone here pulls it off admirably – even the handful of average stories are still quite good and work well with the premise.
One reason it works is the variety of approaches – some take the scene in the painting as a starting point, others use the paintings themselves as a plot device. Some stick to the time period depicted in the painting, others don’t. And while the balance of story genres tips towards crime/noir (which is to be expected, since many of the writers here specialize in those genres), there’s also dashes of magic realism, comedy and ghosts. It’s great fun to see what each writer is going to do with his/her selected painting, and it’s never quite what you expect. Put simply, I enjoyed the hell out of this.
No Man Is an Island by Thomas Merton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve never read Thomas Merton’s famous autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (or indeed anything by him), but I’d read bits and pieces about his life and his writings, and I decided to give him a try. This is a collection of 16 essays united by the basic premise of the title (which is taken from a John Donne quote): Christian spiritual life is ultimately defined by our connectedness to others, which has implications for every other aspect of Christian faith, even including silence and solitude. Merton has a very intellectual/philosophical writing style, so it’s not a light read – it’s hard to follow sometimes (at least for me), but he makes a lot of really good points that stuck with me, so it’s worth the effort. He also has a wry sense of humor, which helps. The book jacket review blurbs infer that you don’t have to be Christian to get something out of this book – personally I’m not so sure about that. Merton’s views are definitely rooted in Christian theology, not all-purpose pop philosophy, so non-Christians should at least approach it with an open mind. Personally, as a Christian I got a lot out of it, so either way I'd recommend it. I’ll be looking to read some more of him at some point.
View all my reviews
An island never cries,
This is dF
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi CoatesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve been aware of Ta-Nehisi Coates via his work at The Atlantic and the fact that he’s written some Black Panther comic arcs, so I was inspired to pick this up – a memoir in the form of an “open letter” to his teenage son, in which Coates explains his pessimistic views on the state of racism in America and the key experiences in his life that shaped that view. Coates frames the issue in terms of the assurance of physical safety that blacks in America have never really known, from slavery, segregation and lynchings to street violence and police brutality. Coates argues that this bleak reality is so at odds with “the Dream” of white suburbia – which is permanently entrenched in American culture – that it’s too late for effective change, whether via true racial integration or black nationalism.
It’s a challenging read – at least topic-wise. Coates’ writing is both lyrical and accessible, and his story is a compelling and at times moving one. Obviously what others make of this book will depend on their own sociopolitical views about racism and their willingness to at least listen carefully to differing viewpoints. I’d recommend it just to challenge yourself. It requires an open mind, but helpfully it’s no polemic – Coates makes his point clearly without resorting to clichés, slogans or demagoguery. It may just be one person’s perspective of a complex issue, but it’s a valid one.
Solaris by Stanisław LemMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is Stanisław Lem’s most famous novel, not least because it’s been filmed three times. I haven't seen any of the films, but the trailers for the Soderbergh version made it look like a cheesy romance, which doesn’t interest me. That said, there's often a vast difference between a movie and the source material (ask Philip K Dick), and one thing I've learned from reading Lem's other books is that he doesn’t do cheesy romance. So I finally got around to reading it, and I’m glad I did. The premise: Solaris is a planet covered in an ocean that also appears to be an organic lifeform in and of itself. Scientist Kris Kelvin goes to join his mentor Gibarian and a team of scientists stationed there, only to find Gibarian has committed suicide and the other two scientists are going mad as people from their past start materializing out of nowhere.
This being Lem, all of that is partly a vehicle to summarize the decades of research scientists have carried out on Solaris (and the arguments therein) with the ultimate aim of establishing “contact” with the ocean – and ultimately failing. Which is the central concept of the whole book – encountering alien life that is so alien that it exists completely outside of the human ability to even conceptualize what they’re dealing with, let alone try to talk to it. So while this is probably the most conventional book of Lem’s I’ve read in terms of narrative structure and dialogue, it’s no less imaginative in its ideas. Even the subplot of Kelvin being confronted with his own past (in the form of his dead wife Rheya) goes in an unexpected (and somewhat horrifying) direction. It’s pretty heavy, and if yr looking for space operas, alien battles or the movie version of the story, you may be disappointed. For me, while I prefer Lem’s lighter side, I enjoyed this.
In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper by Lawrence BlockMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This anthology was edited by Lawrence Block, which in itself would be reason enough for me to check it out – I’ve been a fan of his work since the 80s. Also, any anthology that includes Megan Abbott and Joe R. Lansdale is going to get my attention. But the icing on the cake is the concept: 17 short stories based on paintings by one of my favorite artists: Edward Hopper. It’s a brilliant idea for an anthology, and pretty much everyone here pulls it off admirably – even the handful of average stories are still quite good and work well with the premise.
One reason it works is the variety of approaches – some take the scene in the painting as a starting point, others use the paintings themselves as a plot device. Some stick to the time period depicted in the painting, others don’t. And while the balance of story genres tips towards crime/noir (which is to be expected, since many of the writers here specialize in those genres), there’s also dashes of magic realism, comedy and ghosts. It’s great fun to see what each writer is going to do with his/her selected painting, and it’s never quite what you expect. Put simply, I enjoyed the hell out of this.
No Man Is an Island by Thomas MertonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve never read Thomas Merton’s famous autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (or indeed anything by him), but I’d read bits and pieces about his life and his writings, and I decided to give him a try. This is a collection of 16 essays united by the basic premise of the title (which is taken from a John Donne quote): Christian spiritual life is ultimately defined by our connectedness to others, which has implications for every other aspect of Christian faith, even including silence and solitude. Merton has a very intellectual/philosophical writing style, so it’s not a light read – it’s hard to follow sometimes (at least for me), but he makes a lot of really good points that stuck with me, so it’s worth the effort. He also has a wry sense of humor, which helps. The book jacket review blurbs infer that you don’t have to be Christian to get something out of this book – personally I’m not so sure about that. Merton’s views are definitely rooted in Christian theology, not all-purpose pop philosophy, so non-Christians should at least approach it with an open mind. Personally, as a Christian I got a lot out of it, so either way I'd recommend it. I’ll be looking to read some more of him at some point.
View all my reviews
An island never cries,
This is dF
