EBN A Book by an Author with Your Name: Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

Well, here comes another dumping of book challenge entries. This having only one computer while your husband is going to school full-time is for the birds. He is either at school with the computer or doing homework at home with it. It only ever seems to be available late in the day when I am too tired to read, let alone type. I caught a lucky break today though. He is neither at work or at school and doesn't feel like studying this morning. So I am seizing my opportunity and  entering the last few books I've read before the opportunity is lost.

Radio Girls is a story that takes place in the late 1920's. I covers the working experience of a secretary at the BBC. The book as a very strong feminist message and highlights the work of Hilda Matheson (one of the first and most successful female producers). I really liked the story, especially the evolution of the main character Maisie. It felt like her negative perception of the female was a bit exaggerated, but maybe not. Perhaps people really did view women as weak and one dimensional, but based on what I've  read, that feeling was mostly due to a lack of imagination rather than the intentional repression of a race. There were genuine misogynistic pigs in roles of power for sure. Maisie's perspective may have been exaggerated at the beginning of the book to show greater contrast, but her confidence at the end was strong and felt real.

I really enjoy most feminist literature and read a lot of it in college, but I do have my qualms about it. I feel that in our effort to be considered the equals of men we strive to become like them, losing all the beautiful characteristics that make us female. By throwing off those things that make us feminine, we are not showing  the world that women are the equal of men, we are only showing that the male is better and all genders should strive for it. At the same time there are those who say that all those things that make us women not only make us the equal of men, but make us better. I find myself going down that particular rabbit hole all the time. But that stand is flawed too. Men and women are different, as they should be, but those differences don't make  us of unequal value. I really believe that men and women need each other and that both are dependent on the other in more ways than just procreation.

EBN A Young Adult Book: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I must have really needed a good teenage romance novel, because I just devoured this book. I was driving to Utah to visit my family and needed a book to listen to on the way since it was going to be just me and the kids. I picked a YA book on CD thinking it couldn't possibly have anything too bad in it. It was meant for teenagers, right? They don't put naughty stuff in teenage books, do they? I am apparently loosing touch with my teenage self because they definitely do. Actually, there really wasn't anything very bad in this book, but the language was a bit too "mature" for my 7 year-old's ears. I listened to it anyway, that is how badly I got wrapped up in this book.

So, either I had friends who just seldom swore around me or high schoolers don't cuss as much as the ones portrayed in this book. Maybe I just hung out with a different crowd. Maybe we were those straight laced kids who only swore when the emotions merited extreme language. I didn't think we were, but maybe we were. Over half of us graduated with our virginities still in tact so we must have been. Either way, I was surprised at the language, but everything else was great... sappy, but great.

The basic break down is relatively ordinary boy falls in love with a weird new girl who is going through hell at home. That is this book in a nut shell, but Rowell pulls you through all the emotional intensity of these characters relationship so effectively it feels like there is an eternity inside that tiny nutshell. There is one scene in the book where they are in English class and the teacher asks Eleanor why Romeo and Juliet has remained such a beloved love story for so long. She says she doesn't think Shakespeare is glorifying their love story at all; he is actually making fun of it and showing how stupid their young infatuation with each other is. I've got to say, a small piece of her is right. Romeo and Juliet are stupid. Their love is foolhardy, impulsive, and so devastatingly stupid. But is also is intense, passionate, and blind-siding. There is a reason why, even though you know they will die in the end, you spend the whole play desperately praying that they will. We admire and crave stupid love, even though it is often not good for us. Eleanor and Park's love carries with it the same desirable passion.

One more thing, there is a point where Park says there is no such thing as a hot Asian guy. Who's ever thought that! Everyone has their preferences, but I for one find Asian guys very attractive. I am not married to one, but that doesn't change the fact that I think they are often totally hott.

EBN A Book About a Culture You are Unfamiliar With: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

I need to get up early for a 4 hour drive to visit my family in Utah, so this is going to have to be my last entry. I'll have to make sure to add another couple entries soon. I might be cutting this challenge a little close the wire if I don't get a move on.

I first heard about this book on a Crash Course Literature series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Kw94qjdQA Part of this might just be my Fangirl-esk love for all things John Green, but I decided I wanted to read all the books on his literature series. I've read almost all of them, but this was one I had never even heard of. I might be the fact all of my up bringing has taken place in especially conservative communities, but I was surprised no one  has ever mentioned this book to me before. I don't know why not, it is amazing. I found the portrayal of both the African people and the European colonists was open and unbiased. I love books that show how not black and white the world almost always is. Every situation is more complex than it appears and to simplify something as big and multi-leveled as the changing environments of Nigeria during is colonization is to blind ourselves to reality. I loved this book and think it aught to be taught in schools the world over, not just Africa. I certainly plan on teaching it if I ever go back to teaching high school. What a remarkable book.

EBN A Book with Magic: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

I am only on my second entry for the night and I am already starting to loose steam. These are going to be short, or probably just completely incomprehensible.

This was such a sweet book. There were quite a few plot holes in the story that I felt like should have been dealt with, but it's a children's book. I think it can be forgiven. The imagery was really remarkable. It had such an interesting blend of different cultural influences in the world she created. The story was cute and beautiful. If you are looking for a book for a fantasy loving young girl, this would be a great recommendation. I am still, a bit lost on the character Gerk, who he is and what really is his relationship with Xan. It's ok, it's just a children's book. It doesn't all have to make sense.

EBN A Book with an Unreliable Narrator: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

I have been crazy busy this summer. Not a whole lot of time for reading and even less time from blogging/journaling. That being said, I didn't just take a three month hiatus from reading. I have a few I need to add to this challenge record. We'll see how many I manage to add before I run out of energy and go to bed.

First off, I loved this book. It was well written, exciting, and totally fit in with my unreliable narrator category. It is a multi-perspective story, where you get the perspective of events from a bunch of different people and get a pretty good idea of what really happened. Well, sort of. You do get a pretty good idea of what is going on by the end of the book, but the ending is still a real shocker. I honestly didn't see it coming. Don't worry, no spoilers here. But this book was great and the story's twists were worthy of the author's reputation (read Girl On A Train). Also, just look at that cover art; gorgeous. I don't know who created it, but it is stunning and was one of the main reasons I picked the book up at the library.

EBN A Book by an Author You've Never Read: Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull

So, my sister is going to school to get her degree in illustration. As she has been working so hard to develop her skills and expand her repertoire, she has also learned a great deal about the industry. You worry about your kid when they tell you they want to become an artist, and for good reason. The industry is extremely competitive. Even after you find a position, you are constantly competing against your coworkers. The work is hard, demanding, and can become heartless. The alternative is to strike out on your own, develop some sort of e-business or become a selective freelance artist. The idea of being an artist full time is romantic and appealing to personalities like my sister, but the reality is harsh and depressing. Only people like my sister would see the value of spending all that tuition money and continuing. I did see a little glimmer of hope when I read this book. Disney and Pixar are such greatly successful companies, I hope that their models can inspire other creative industries and become the norm rather than the exception.

This was such an interesting book. For starters, I had never even heard of Ed Catmull and was astonished by his history and contribution to the field of computer graphics. He attended the University of Utah where Ivan Sutherland was teaching. To me, the U seems like such a normal school. My Dad went there for his engineering B.S., my older bother went there for his. My mother even took classes through them when she was on summer break from BYU. Come to find out it is one of the best schools in the nation for both medicine, video game design, and computer engineering. Go figure. The history he gives of the development of Pixar as a company was new to me too. I have a whole new respect for Steve Jobs now. 

The thing I found the most enlightening was the methods he described to help foster a creative environment. The methods are all directly applicable to any innovative business, but I found some elements that could be applied to the Language Arts classroom. The importance of candid feedback. The only way to foster collaborative creativity is to have a safe environment where people can speak openly, giving and receiving criticism. No trolling allowed. I also love how he described new ideas in his section of the beast and the baby. New ideas are always ugly when they first start out, but if they can be protected and allowed to develop for a time they can become amazing. The safe and candid environment is critical for this sort of creativity.

The other thing I really loved was how important the health and wellbeing of his employees is to the company. He describes how crazy the last six months of Toy Story 2's develop was. People were mentally and physically ragged. There was one terrifying episode where a baby was left in a hot car. In response to this, they did all they could to encourage their employees to live healthy active lives both at work and at home. Their company is very family friendly, and they take measures to ensure their employees to experience terrible burnout. My sister doesn't really want to go into animation, but the positive, hard working environment of the Pixar Studios is what she wants. Now, if only all creative industries could take note. 

EBN A Book With a U.S. President in It: Empire by Gore Vidal

I can't even begin to say how intensely crazy the last few weeks have been. We've had surprize baptisms, several weddings, a motorcycle mishap on the freeway, and a gallbladder removal. Obviously this all didn't happen personally to me, but it did all effect me directly. I wish I could say things are calming down now and we will be able to coast our way to the end of the school year and into summer, but I can't. We have at least another six weeks before there is any hope of let up. I've been struggling with my mood a bit and I genuinely hope that the crazy demands of the next month will help improve it and not make it worse.

I finally finished it. This book took quite a while for me to get through. Not only is it pretty epic in its length and scope, but I struggled getting through the lulls in the story. There were moments were it was really interesting and made great progress, and others where I got a little bored. It probably would have been more entertaining if I had been less distracted by life though. So don't take my judgments to heart.

I really liked how applicable the political commentary of this novel was to the modern day political scene. The book came out in the 1980's so things haven't changed a super ton since then. We are still fighting predominately muslim nations. Our votes are still largely economically driven. We still have an "actor" for president. I think that may have been Vidal's point though. The story takes place after the end of the Spanish American War when the United States takes dominion over different territories around the globe; most notably the Philippines. When he portrays the political climate of that time he shows the challenges of running a nation with new responsibilities and leaders that are not entirely up to the task. 

The coolest parallel I found between the events of the book and the events of recent months was the blatant manipulation of media. William Randolph Hearst successfully prints newspapers using what was called yellow journalism. He focused on the sensational, fabricated details to spin things his way, and controlled the beliefs of his readers with his lies. Just a few years ago I would have classified his method as something only silly tabloids use. You know, the ones that say things like "Hillary Clinton was abducted and probed by aliens from Jupiter". Now, it is the method used by many, previously trusted, media outlets. It doesn't matter if it is true, just get it out there so you can say you said it first. Stupid! Why is it that good things always seem to take a back seat to the crazy and negative?

One more thing about this book. One of the main character's is this young woman named Caroline. I kind of loved her and hated her. She was complex. One one hand she was a naive, and expected to follow the typical path women followed in her day. On the other she rebelled against it, taking on her own newspaper, rebelling against her brother for what was rightfully hers, and effectively slapping misogyny in the face.  I really liked her complexity but I didn't really connect to her as a woman. It may just be me, but she was extremely calculating, a characteristic I typically associate with men. Maybe she was just a cold b;#$h and I didn't want to associate that trait with my own sex.