BOOK REVIEW: "Before I Forget" by Leonard Pitts, Jr.

BOOK REVIEW: "Before I Forget" by Leonard Pitts, Jr. (2009)

This book was a selection for my reading group, which much of the reading I do is for. Love those girls. Been together for over ten years, probably more like 15 years.

At 336 pages, this was a nice-sized book. But I popped it open anyway only to close it up tight quite quickly. If you've read the book, you shouldn't be surprised that it's majorly depressing; I couldn't take it. I know some of the people - at least I know someone like many of the characters in the book. So maybe the 'depression' is dealing w/those kinds of characteristics in real life is exhausting; I didn't feel like having that heaviness in my life and reading about it too. So I had to take a time out. I put the book down for 3-5 days.

But I was somehow drawn to Mo. I did not like his smugness, but I liked his honesty. How can you be smug and honest? Well, he was never both at the same time.

Anyway, (SPOILER ALERT) I have a post on Good Reads that you all should be able to access.

• Book review of "Before I Forget" by Leonard Pitts, Jr. on Good Reads

Additionally, I've crafted this sort of reading guide (as a mindmap) to try to address some of my concerns and issues with the book. I felt that at many times in the book, Pitts did a very good job of covering the little details, but at the end, I felt I came away with too many loose ends dangling.

NOTE: You can use your cursor to move the map (much like a Google map). Also, if you place your cursor over the smaller boxes (the ones w/the lines in them), the additional information will pop up.

Summer 2010 Plans

Just when I thought my life would slow up and I could enjoy the summer, it arrived and I'm not ready.

I've only managed to get one thing done so far: wrote an article for a journal.

And it seems summer will be over before I know it. At least my summer will be. In D.C. for about two weeks to hang w/fam and friends. Then to Chicago to do more of the same. Considering a trip to Denver for the AEJMC conference. Then back to Cairo for the 2010-11 academic year.

Here's what I hope to squeeze in over the next few weeks:

• Reading "The Great Negro Plot" by Mat Johnson (reading group's summer read)
• Begin to write a movie script
• Write an e-book
• Update my blogs more consistently
• Workout daily

That should be plenty, right?

BOOK REVIEW: "Sag Harbor" by Colson Whitehead

BOOK REVIEW: "Sag Harbor" by Colson Whitehead (2009)

I read "Sag Harbor" rather swiftly in January. It was and is an easy read. It's about a kid who spent his summers on Sag Harbor, New York. Colson Whitehead writes a nice trip down memory lane circa the 80s. This is the first book that I've read by Whitehead. Though I'm afraid that I may have began reading his first book "The Intuitionist", but never finished it. I recall the title of that one, but I don't recall the plot and that probably means that I never read it.

"Sag Harbor" is the first reading selection for my reading group for 2010. Nice start. I'm afraid to write much more about this title because I surely don't want to give away meaningful parts of the novel for those who have not read it. Let's just say it full of teenage boy antics, but not in that 'crazy-white-boy' kind of way. There is no big dramatic ending where someone commits suicide. Though this book could use a meaty middle or ending, in my opinion.

I am curious to know, though, that sense this book is sort of a relic of Whitehead's life, how much are the parents in the book similar to his parents?

Check out more on "Sag Harbor":

• The New York Times Book Review of "Sag Harbor" by Toure'
• VIDEO: Colson Whitehead talks about Sag Harbor, the book and the city
• AUDIO INTERVIEW: Colson Whitehead on "On Point with Tom Ashbrook"
  

BOOK REVIEW: "What Doesn't Kill You" by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

BOOK REVIEW: "What Doesn't Kill You" by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant (2009)

"What Doesn't Kill You" was my reading group's last reading selection for 2009. I've been trying to keep up w/the readings though I'm currently living in Cairo. Reading this book was a welcome break from the last few weeks of teaching during the hectic Fall semester.

It was an easy and quick read. The book was written in first person. The main character, Tee, was witty and I liked her thinking which was often hilarious. Based on the title, you can ascertain that someone is going to experience a lot of drama. So much drama that it can only make you stronger. That character is Tee. Well, according to one of my reading group members, Tee doesn't really go through anything really difficult. It's a good point though I won't elaborate for fear of giving away too many details of the book.

We concluded that Tee did put herself in some situations that could have been avoided - easily. Still in the end, I enjoyed the book. Though it did wrap up nicely and neatly with a big red bow. There were a lot of issues, yet Tee ends up with a happy ending. Did I want her to suffer more? No, but all of her problems did not have to be solved. It makes the book more realistic.

I've read most of DeBerry and Grant's books, and they are good writers. I like the characters that they introduce because they are real. One thing that continues to baffle me is how they manage to co-author the books. What's the writing process like when there are two writers? Well, my reading group and I had a conference call w/the authors and that question was asked. They say that they definitely don't split up the writing based on characters. They say they were so in tuned to Tee's character in "What Doesn't Kill You" that the writing just flowed for them.

What's interesting for my reading group is that this was the second time that we had a conference call w/them about one of their books. We also talked to them about "Better Than I Know Myself". And my reading groups history w/DeBerry and Grant goes back to the group's inception. The first book that we read was "Trying to Sleep in the Bed You Made". That was well over ten years ago. Love that.

BOOK REVIEW: "Stand the Storm" by Breena Clarke

BOOK REVIEW: "Stand the Storm" by Breena Clarke (2008)

I read this book for my reading group. But first the back story on getting the book.

I've been living in Cairo since August. At the time before I relocated, I did not have foresight to get the books for my reading group and have them shipped. And who knew that it would be such a challenge to get anything, let alone books, shipped into Egypt - even if I work at a university.

When my first visitors confirmed their visit, I went on a shopping spree via Amazon. I purchased several book including "Stand the Storm" for my friends to bring w/them. This turned out to be a good idea. Except for when my friends arrived and doled out the goodies, there were some books missing including "Stand the Storm". So I double-check the shipment info from Amazon, bugged my sister countless times because I'd sent everything to her house and fretted about where the books might be. Well, several days into their visit, turns out that my friend 'forgot' that he stashed some of the books in some compartment in his luggage. Whew, that was close.

I nearly started immediately on "Stand the Storm". I really enjoyed reading this book. At times, I could not put it down. It's a historical fiction about slavery; well, not so much about slavery as it about a family of freed slaves. or should I say free people. The terminology is interesting. But the plot resonates: they make a name and a life for themselves, but in some ways, they are always slaves.

There are many struggles that the primary family, The Coates', experiences. I like the way that Clarke intricately writes the details of their lives. They are a family that makes hand crafts: tailoring, knitting, embroidery and more. There are even some scenes from the Civil War that depict things in ways that I've never read about before. The story is set in Washington, D.C.; Georgetown in particular. And there is some mention too of how the government was struggling to deal with the issue of slavery.

I have not read Clarke's "River Cross my Heart," but I like her style of writing. She does a fairly good job on giving some depth to the characters.

The "Stand the Storm" Reading Group Guide is a good one.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner" by Andrea Smith

Andrea Smith's "The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner" is a really good read. I could have finished it sooner, but I was just taking my time.

It's about a group of black women in South Carolina in the 1950s. At times, the book does dip into the 80s too. The topic is abandoned children and how best to handle those situations so that they do not become worse situations. I think that is a good description of the plot w/out telling you the plot.

I love the characters. The main characters are Bonnie and Thora Dean. I have been trying to figure out who would play each of those women if the book became a movie. My reading book always cast the movie. It's a fun thing to do.

There are also some secondary characters that stand out. Like Ruby-Pearl, a member of The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner.

I also like that the book was not quite predictable. I knew that one situation was possible, but I did not expect the ending.

The author did a good job of covering all of the details about the ending too. Except we do not know what happened to Tilde, who was not the most liked person in the story.

I like this one in terms of dialogue and the strength of the characters. I am a bit numb on the main topic though. This should make for a really good discussion for my reading group though.

Additional resources:

• reading group guide
• interview w/the author
  

I'm off to finish reading "Black Thunder" by Arna Bontemps. I've read one of his books before. He's old school; Harlem Renaissance old school. Should be a good read.

BOOK REVIEW: "Third Girl from the Left"

"Third Girl from the Left" by Martha Southgate

I had a tough time with this book; at least to start. It was heavy on the sex side! And that threw me for a loop. There was all kinds of sex, sex, sex. I felt so prudish and as a result, I stopped reading the book for a day or so. I could not see the purpose of what I thought was gratuitous sex.

The book was supposed to be my reading groups July selection. I sent them an email with my early thoughts. Unfortunately, we ended up not meeting in July and thus did not have to read the book. I thought that we would table it for future use.

Well, future use ended up being September. We had a really good discussion; including comments on all the sex. Some folks did not think that it was a lot of sex especially since the book started in the 70s time period.

Other highlights:

• discussion on the mother-daughter relationships


• discussion on lebianism


• The Tulsa riots

I noticed that some of the characters and events were under-developed like the daughter or the main character, Angela.

Overall, I thought that the book was okay. It was distinctly different than Southgate's previous work, The Fall of Rome. I pushed myself to complete the book. I was thinking: I am not a fan of urban fiction and I want to read different stories about different people and here's my chance to do that.

Here's a link to a Q&A w/Southgate about the book.