Love Lindy West, really enjoy her columns and the one book of hers that I read, Shrill.
So I did expect to like this one because as a fan of her writinLove Lindy West, really enjoy her columns and the one book of hers that I read, Shrill.
So I did expect to like this one because as a fan of her writing and having an interest in movies/pop culture, figured this would be any easy win win. The constant problem throughout this read was a jarring mix of comedic takes interspersed with overwrought and earnest political asides. It just... didn't work. Misplaced and lacking flow imo. And obviously comedy is hard to get right, so at base some stuff doesn't work that well (and that's ok not everything can hit the mark) but the political stuff just made it worse.
There are still some fun moments and portions in this book, but overall, too many things not working for me. ...more
The art by Alex Toth: brilliant. Beautiful compositions and drawing style. I'm amazed this was done in 1957-61 (I think), the style is very much aheadThe art by Alex Toth: brilliant. Beautiful compositions and drawing style. I'm amazed this was done in 1957-61 (I think), the style is very much ahead of its time.
That said, the stories? at best pedestrian, at worst, utterly boring and lazy. To be fair, the stories target a young demographic, but still, I've read plenty of things geared for younger audience that were written with great skill and interesting cleverness. And I do think the stories could have benefitted from more "bite" but being a Disney property at the time the depiction of violence and zippo romance make sense. A few of the stories (longer ones) were a bit more interesting but overall meh.
Recommend for Alex Toth fans and fans of great design/figure drawing. And story-wise I do think it can still possibly be entertaining for younger readers....more
Absolute classic. The drawing style is gorgeous, Kelly worked at Disney and you can really feel the animation style/influence on his line-work (fluid,Absolute classic. The drawing style is gorgeous, Kelly worked at Disney and you can really feel the animation style/influence on his line-work (fluid, energetic, precise). Regarding technical proficiency, this has to be one of the all-time best drawn newspaper cartoon strips imo. The art is detailed but not asphyxiated by over-drawing, so it strikes a great balance.
The writing is also phenomenal, I was actually quite surprised to see how well a lot of the humor and writing hold up. Lots of fabulous gag humor and clever writing in this volume. Albert the Alligator is prob my favorite, he's so ridiculous in the best of ways.
"A duller piece of information has not come my way since Christmas 1936." That line just kills me! (and the look of dumbstruck realization on Albert's face in panel 3 is hilarious too)
I was told that Walt Kelly was very influenced by George Herriman's classic Krazy Kat comic strip. And in turn, Kelly had a huge influence on a lot of big-time comic strip artists, notably Bill Watterson (and also if I recall correctly the guy who did Bone).
I plan on reading the 2nd volume released by Fantagraphics. I'm curious to see how the later political satire work holds up, imo political humor is very tricky and often times ages poorly (not to mention the political/historical context of the humor can be lost on modern readers). But we shall see! Plus, when I look at samples of the strip, I tend to prefer the earlier style of drawing vs how the later drawings look. Just my personal tastes.
Recommend for fans of comics, comic strips, humor, whimsy, etc....more
One of the most beautifully drawn strips I've ever read, an absolute classic.
This collection compiles the latter portion of McCay's Little Nemo work.One of the most beautifully drawn strips I've ever read, an absolute classic.
This collection compiles the latter portion of McCay's Little Nemo work. The reproductions are excellent, full newspaper scale. One thing to note, there are racist elements/tropes that pop up relatively frequently, not too uncommon for work of this period and a manifestation of some of the standard views/tropes around race in US at the time.
The strips themselves are beautifully drawn, fantastic clarity to the drawings, art-nouveau inspired. I'm convinced McCay was a drawing "genius" (not exactly a hot-take!). The clever use of perspective in the drawings, fabulous aerial shots, detailed buildings, vehicles, flying objects, all these things are wonderfully drawn in a very clean and finely executed style. I also love his drawings of animals/fantastical creatures. The conceptual framework of the comics, showcasing a little boy's dreams, often feature wonderful imagination and ground-breaking experimentation with the comic medium (especially for that time).
My one critique on the work itself is that it felt like the conceptual horsepower for the comic sort of tailed off in the latter half of this book (like McCay's mine of ideas had been somewhat stripped, which sidenote is why I'm always so grateful Bill Watterson did his 10 year run and then called it quits when he felt he was just going to start retreading).
The work is not overtly political, but there are certain strips where some of McCay's views bleed through (although hard to get an exact bead on his views as there are somewhat dissonant expressions). He seems to have been a champion of some more progressive causes (of the time), somewhat against big business (great set of strips where Nemo and friends land on planet where you have to pay to buy words in order to be able to talk! a word monopoly!). But that contrasted with one comic where he was making fun of the adamancy of women suffragettes (referencing the 2 hippos stuck in a zoo pen comic, June 25th, 1911: Hippo Comic 6/25/1911 ). I don't take that to mean McCay was necessarily against women's suffrage, but could just be he was poking fun at the adamancy of some of its proponents.
Recommended for fans of fine illustrative style, comics/comic strip history.
A nice survey of a range of comics across mostly US, Euro, and Asian comics. Indie and Euro comics may be overrepresented at the cost of the more mainA nice survey of a range of comics across mostly US, Euro, and Asian comics. Indie and Euro comics may be overrepresented at the cost of the more mainstream US superhero comics. But it's actually hard for me to tell, my tastes skew towards Euro, indie, and manga, haven't read a ton of superhero work which is a gap for me. This potential underrepresentation of the US superhero comics may grate for some readers.
The layout is done decade by decade, which is a good framework. Could also have split into sections based on region/style, but maybe that would've gotten too complicated. The short write-ups are generally pretty decent.
In a book like this, many readers will feel like there are significant omissions. But all these type of lists and opinions are incredibly subjective, that is the nature of these things (1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die Based On Our Highly Subjective Viewpoints and Cultural Predilections doesn't quite have the same ring to it!). Anyways, for me some omissions based on my personal tastes: Esteban Maroto, Francois Walthery, Jose Gonzalez, Jeffrey Catherine Jones.
The one major critique I have is that I wish there was an accompanying image with each book. It's harder to get a bead on each book's particular style without an accompanying image. In a survey book like this that is a pretty big issue, but my guess is this was not done because of space issues (the book is already very large, nevertheless, it hurts the purpose and effectiveness of such a book to have this problem).
Overall, def recommend if you are looking to broaden your reading within the comics genre and need ideas for new avenues to explore....more
Interesting to read thru the reviews on here, some people love this and others absolutely aren't into it.
Cyril Pedrosa is one of my favorite comic arInteresting to read thru the reviews on here, some people love this and others absolutely aren't into it.
Cyril Pedrosa is one of my favorite comic artists, and this is one of my all-time fav comic works. He works with a particular stylization which you see quite a bit in contemporary French comics, but he has his own unique visual aesthetic working within that stylistic range. Personally I love this type of stylization, and the art is of the highest quality. The linework is gorgeous, magnificent compositions (love how he draws trees and buildings; the patterning is awesome), and the color-work is amazing. But I can see how it might not be everyone's tastes.
Cool story as well regarding inheriting a throne, getting exiled, medieval power struggles, etc. Fortunately this one has been translated into English, so accessible to the English-speaking audience. ...more
These are classics in the Franco-Belgian style of the 50s and 60s. Soooo good, the drawing is magnificent, especially Tillieux's car scenes. You can tThese are classics in the Franco-Belgian style of the 50s and 60s. Soooo good, the drawing is magnificent, especially Tillieux's car scenes. You can tell he LOVED cars given the attention to detail and great effort he puts into those scenes, the car chase and action scenes are just phenomenal. And the stories themselves are quite fun and well-done, but for me it's the drawings that enchant me the most :)
And I really like these collected volumes, usually collects 4-5 individual volumes together. It's a little more practical to read the collections rather than trying to track down individual volumes which can be a hassle, especially if you are outside of Europe. (but the collections are in French so unfortunately not accessible to much English-speaking audience)
I don't think there has been much translation of Tillieux's work into English, which is a pity. Although Fantagraphics did release one volume about 10 years ago but I don't think they continued, maybe because the sales on that one translated volume weren't so great? the Franco-Belgian stuff does not seem very popular in the US far as I can tell. I think the style and sensibility of these works are not very appealing to most of the US comic's audience? I don't really know. But if you are into comics, def recommend checking these out!...more
I love Guillaume Singelin's art style, it is a cross between a particular French style and manga stylization. And the coloring is nice, has a watercolI love Guillaume Singelin's art style, it is a cross between a particular French style and manga stylization. And the coloring is nice, has a watercolor feel to it. The cityscapes and street scenes in the comic are fantastic, wonderfully detailed with grimy, gritty atmospherics. Fits the story perfectly.
The story itself is about a war vet with PTSD. There are both some touching scenes and some excellent action scenes (cinematic). Overall themes focus on community and the importance of helping others. It's a bit heavy-handed, sometimes laying it on super thick, but a nice message nevertheless.
The book measures 6x9. Could have benefited from a slightly larger size, like 8x11, would have showcased the art better and read a bit more easily (lots of panel sequences are wordless and little visual details you are meant to pick up on regarding the storytelling)....more
Beautiful fairy tale, featuring forest sorcerers, sorceresses, and cameos by lots of other fun creatures (like dancing tutu-devil mice. Tutu-devil micBeautiful fairy tale, featuring forest sorcerers, sorceresses, and cameos by lots of other fun creatures (like dancing tutu-devil mice. Tutu-devil mice. Tutu. Devil. Mice. This is where it's at. Obviously).
The art by Stephane Fert is lovely, super saturated and painterly. Some of the compositions and sequences are fabulous, especially the transformation and love scenes. Those were probably my favorite, along with the crossing between worlds double-trucks. Has a children's book vibe but slightly more adult as there is some light romance and sword smashery. The additional sketches at the end are lovely too.
Milo Manara's art is fabulous (known for his erotic comics), European illustrative style in some ways reminiscent of Moebius, but more voluptuous and Milo Manara's art is fabulous (known for his erotic comics), European illustrative style in some ways reminiscent of Moebius, but more voluptuous and gratuitous. I also like the color schemes, simple and muted.
The two stories themselves are ludicrous and disjointed. Taking place in colonial times and the Old West. Themes of rape and incest, largely nonsensical and trite. Specifically catered to the male gaze, I don't say that in such a critical way but just as a point of fact, that is how these stories and most of Manara's art is usually framed.
Would mostly just recommend this for people who appreciate Milo Manara's art style....more
Story centers around the aspirations and dreams of Madame Emma Bovary. From her readings of romantic novels at a younger age, she has built up an impoStory centers around the aspirations and dreams of Madame Emma Bovary. From her readings of romantic novels at a younger age, she has built up an impossible castle of dreams and expectations for her own life. The literary devices are pretty cool, with subtle shifts in narration and inner monologue from one character to the other. Madame Bovary and Homais (the pharmacist) seem to be flip sides of the same coin. Vain, ambitious, petty, willing to deceive in order to attain their selfish desires. Their vulgarity is paralleled; for one the vulgarity is a type of twisted ideal of romanticism, for the other a twisted ideal of rationalism. Their dual vulgarity and blind ambition culminates in the destruction of an innocent man (which is a really great and heart-breaking scene).
Most of the characters are unlikeable, but often can’t help but feel sorry for most of them (including Madame Bovary who often laments the cage in which women must live). The book is rich in irony and paradox. Monsieur Bovary being an insipid, uninspired vessel of flesh, and yet… (won’t spoil the end). Emma is the dreamer without depth or substance, Charles is a basic dude without dreams. What a match. This book isn’t really realistic per se, but the descriptions and naturalism are lovingly rendered. The insipidity of the characters is often brought to life in a great way.
Not a ton of metaphors in this book, but when Flaubert uses them he makes them count.
I liked this one: “...mais la syncope de Justin durait encore, et ses prunelles disparaissaient dans leur sclérotique påle, comme des fleurs bleues dans du lait.” (but Justin’s fainting spell continued, and his pupils disappeared in their pale scleroticism, like blue flowers in milk) I just loved that image so much!
Another with disappearing eyes, and it’s a repeated use of spider symbolism in relation to Emma: “...et ses yeux commençaient à disparaître dans une pâleur visqueuse qui ressemblait à une toile mince, comme si des araignées avaient filé dessus.” (and her eyes began to disappear in a viscous pallor that resembled a thin web, as if spiders had spun over them)
Blue/azure is a recurring color throughout the book, often accenting important scenes, moments, objects. Also watch for “Chekhov’s gun” ;)
I imagine there is some sort of critique of the bourgeoisie, but seems more to be a critique of a state of mind, “basicness” and “vulgarity,” so critique of a bourgeois/and or basic mindset more so than a critique of the social class itself.
Flaubert uses a lot of semi-colons. Used to layer details. Kind of weirdly particular. But it works....more
Nabokov reminds me a lot of Tarantino. Unique and sometimes brilliant, sexually prurient and prone to self-indulgent navel-gazing and an overabundanceNabokov reminds me a lot of Tarantino. Unique and sometimes brilliant, sexually prurient and prone to self-indulgent navel-gazing and an overabundance of in-jokes and referential pantomiming, a focus on aesthetics that sometimes overwhelms narrative. Sometimes the narrative is strong enough to carry the excess weight of self-indulgence, sometimes not, and sometimes these gradations can only be judged by the beholder's particular calculus.
That said, Nabokov is a technician when it comes to word-craft, a verbal acrobat who could be called show-offy but it’s just so damn good. Both brilliant and maddening at the same time (depending on one’s mood). For me, his technical skills and brilliance outweigh the flaws, although one could say the guy is a little drunk on his own skill/cleverness.
This story, like Lolita, centers around family sexual dynamics (incest). Sometimes I wonder how Nabokov will be evaluated in this post-MeToo era, his infatuation with the sexuality of young girls might be hidden behind “It’s Art!” but gets to the point where the consistent indulgence of this theme becomes disconcerting. He often writes in such a beautiful way that some of these themes get camouflaged, and become easy to write-off. Personally I’m not sure what to make of it.
The story is extremely readable, the style and language is what makes it work for me in spite of the themes. The nature of Time features prominently. Some of the digressions are interesting, sometimes they are boring. Sometimes he is unnecessarily obtuse with his language, but sometimes it hits the perfect mark. He really knows how to craft imagery, sometimes quite complex verbal dynamics.
One thing I like in terms of language is this trickery: noun-adjective + noun. My friend pointed out this awesome phrase from Yeats a little while back (from the Innisfree poem): “bee-loud glade.” Using 5 cent words to create $10 phrases ;) Nabokov uses similar mash-ups, one which I really liked which echoes the Yeats’ phrase: “bird-mad garden.”
Some things that feature prominently in Nabokov’s writing: colors, birds, butterflies, flowers, and foods. Uses all these to accentuate the scenes and descriptions.
Regarding color, here’s a fun passage:
“His ability to break space into ranks and files of ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ things in what seemed a wallpaper pattern remained a mystery until one evening, when a research student… happened to leave within Muldoon’s reach one of those elongated boxes of new, unsharpened, colored-chalk pencils whose mere evocation (Dixon Pink Anadel!) makes one’s memory speak in the language of rainbows, the tints of their painted and polished woods being graded spectrally in their neat tin container.”
The “being graded spectrally” is such a neat phrase.
Nabokov uses tons of color descriptions throughout his works (especially mauve and russet!). It’s almost musical, how he accentuates the writing with notes of color. Also, I wondered why so much mauve? Mauve mauve mauve all the freakin time! Such a weirdly particular color note to emphasize. Then I recently came across this line from one of Nabokov’s essays on Proust:
"This band of light was of a mauve color, the violet tint that runs through the whole book, the very color of time. This rose purple mauve, a pinkish lilac, a violet flush, is linked in European literature with certain sophistications of artistic temperament." etc etc
Ok, that’s why mauve. Weird 19th century artsy thing intertwined with time (at least with Proust) and temperament (and I have to admit in the “older” French writings I read mauve often comes up). And Nabokov lifts a lot of #$#$ from French (Russian too but those references are beyond me), and like Tarantino, this direct lifting from one’s cultural favs can become obnoxious and tiresome when over-done.
Anyhow, I could quote a ton of great passages from this book, but it would get tedious. At the end of the day, I enjoy Nabokov because of the verbal aesthetics, even though I find his narratives not quite as interesting.
Words. He uses a ton of interesting words (sometimes arcane and unnecessary, but some good ones too!). Here were a bunch that were new to me or stuck out:
Wow. What a phenomenal writer. Has the elements of a grotesque fairy tale, and so lovingly written. As I was reading the story, I kept thinking the wrWow. What a phenomenal writer. Has the elements of a grotesque fairy tale, and so lovingly written. As I was reading the story, I kept thinking the writing and imagery are unbelievable, and the precision of language is ridiculously good. Poetic. Turns out Ducornet is also a poet (and an artist). Which makes perfect sense given her writing style, which is very visual, finely crafted, and precise.
The story is bizarro-world, taking place in 1880s rural France (I think 1880s). A fantastic mix of the profane, the arcane, and the sacrosanct. The "bad" characters are wonderfully hateable (like Dickens, Ducornet makes fabulously caricatured villains).
Charlotte is the protagonist, a young girl with a “stain,” a rabbit-like marking on her face. We see her adventures as she goes to a convent, along with her various friendships and experiences that culminate in a bloody finale. Hints of Red-Riding Hood, except way weirder, way more #$%#’d up. Coming of age story? Kinda? The sweet and the vicious are juxtaposed consistently throughout the story.
I love the creativity of the writing, the story was honestly quite good, bizarre and clever, but it’s the writing itself that stands out.
I laughed so hard at this phrase, never heard of someone’s bunghole referred to as a “cyclopean nether-eye.” Which tbh is a hilariously good description.
A few passages and quotes I enjoyed:
“Two months have passed and the winds of November howl around St.-Gemmes like packs of famished wolves, as in the forest the scattered beasts themselves, lean survivors of a happier epoch, ululate beneath the racing moon.”
“Her pain--cyclical in the early hours--grew constant towards night, a raging moon orbiting within her, a drumming heart bristling with thorns.”
“How many times throughout the long months of her convalescence has she seen the walls buckle and tear as the Mother of God swims into her room as quietly as an undulating jellyfish to show her the globe of the world in miniature, its lapis lazuli oceans and chalcedony continents spinning in the billowing folds of her mantle as upon clouds?”
“But as she stood impotent with fear, a match was struck from within the room, a kerosene lamp lit and a face bloomed forth like a moon in the darkness.”
“In a flash the train dissolved as with unutterable grace the hare vaulted and bounded alongside the tracks in electrifying leaps--arcs of raw energy crackling like hoops of fire as they struck the air.”
Can’t wait to read more of Ducornet’s work, this was my first book of hers.
Random observation. Nacreous (def: mother of pearl color): Nabokov abuses the hell out of this word (as he does a lot of other French words which he jams into his writing). But it’s in reading Nabokov that I got tuned into how much certain writers with French knowledge weave French rooted words into their English. Ducornet only uses nacreous once at the end of the book, but she is obviously well-versed in French and French culture which can be noticed in some of her word choices....more
In the first part of the book, Marcel falls in love with Gilbertine. We witness both the highly romanticiAnd in this volume Marcel discovers… “women.”
In the first part of the book, Marcel falls in love with Gilbertine. We witness both the highly romanticized language and obsessive imaginings of the main character, which ultimately contrasts with his insanely petty jealousy and immature actions towards the “object” of his love.
He ends up going to the seaside town of Balbec, where he meets a range of characters that are encapsulated in this little world. His obsession is allowed to flower in new directions, but again is free-flowing. Now it is Albertine and Andrée who become entangled in his mind’s eye.
He befriends an aristocrat by the name of Robert Saint-Loup. He is an intellectual, a leftist, a bit “plus royaliste que le roi,” ie he seems to have such angst and guilt about his class and money that he takes on an overly ardent leftism as penance for his privileges.
The writing is wonderful, the obsessive descriptions and exploration of minutiae is impressive yet never boring. The world-building is something else. And the whole treatise is incredibly philosophical. It’s funny, but reading Proust brings back a lot of memories in my own life. That’s probably the most interesting part of Proust is that he is so sensitive, obsessive, and observant that it makes you take a new look at things in your own life, puts a mirror to things and draws out memories from your own well.
One thing that is sometimes hard to connect with are his romanticized notions, which can be both incredibly refined but also incredibly immature. Weird paradox. I have no doubt he was a tortured individual, having mastery over observation of this world but constantly living in an emotional maelstrom often of his own making.
Question: Albertine and Gilbertine are not common names for girls in France (even at that time). Ciphers for Albert and Gilbert?
This is hilarious, came across it in some random googling. It contrasts in such a funny way with all his romanticized musings around love and sex: http://www.openculture.com/2013/11/16...
"The author of Remembrance of Things Past once suffered, according to Letters of Note, from an obsession with masturbation. "As a teenager this caused problems for his family, not least his father, a professor of hygiene, who like many of the day believed that such a worrying habit could cause homosexuality if left unchecked." Given 10 francs by Proust père, Marcel went off to the neighborhood brothel to, in theory, get himself set straight. And the outcome of this "cure"? We defer to the sixteen-year-old Proust himself, who in the letter (below) tells the whole sordid story to his grandfather:
18 May 1888 Thursday evening.
My dear little grandfather, I appeal to your kindness for the sum of 13 francs that I wished to ask Mr. Nathan for, but which Mama prefers I request from you. Here is why. I so needed to see if a woman could stop my awful masturbation habit that Papa gave me 10 francs to go to a brothel. But first, in my agitation, I broke a chamber pot: 3 francs; then, still agitated, I was unable to screw. So here I am, back to square one, waiting more and more as hours pass for 10 francs to relieve myself, plus 3 francs for the pot. But I dare not ask Papa for more money so soon and so I hoped you could come to my aid in a circumstance which, as you know, is not merely exceptional but also unique. It cannot happen twice in one lifetime that a person is too flustered to screw.
I kiss you a thousand times and dare to thank you in advance.
I will be home tomorrow morning at 11am. If you are moved by my situation and can answer my prayers, I will hopefully find you with the amount. Regardless, thank you for your decision which I know will come from a place of friendship."...more
A sea-faring story built around two men, two countervailing ideals. Wolf Larson, an intrepid ferocious self-made seaman, harbors the following philosoA sea-faring story built around two men, two countervailing ideals. Wolf Larson, an intrepid ferocious self-made seaman, harbors the following philosophy:
“I believe that life is a mess,’ [Captain Wolf Larson] answered promptly. ‘It is like yeast, a ferment, a thing that moves and may move for a minute, an hour, a year, or a hundred years, but that in the end will cease to move. The big eat the little that they may continue to move, the strong eat the weak that they may retain their strength. The lucky eat the most and move the longest, that is all…”
Dog eat dog world, the world is a jungle philosophy, eat or be eaten. Which is true in a sense, not purely wrong. But without some balance becomes a tortured individualistic hell where one is asphyxiated by the rigidity of one’s ideology, leading to a life of barren loneliness and spiritual emptiness. (also intrinsically misreads human history, which as I see it has always been a constantly shifting negotiation between the individual/group collective - humans in some ways are like pack animals.)
Humphrey Van Weyden - the countervailing ideal from whose 1st person point of view the story is told - is a learned man who stumbles upon Captain Larson’s ship. Humphrey is an idealist, a romanticist, lost in a world of abstraction. As Captain Larson says, Humphrey stands on the legs of dead-men. Ie he has never had to work for a living because of the inherited money he got from his forefathers, so in effect he is called out as a parasite.
As the story runs along, we see Humphrey learning some lessons from the purely utilitarian Captain “Lucifer.” While Humphrey struggles against the captain’s stark realism, his abstract idealism is often shattered or unable to match the harshness of the reality he is living, and the lessons he learns from the Captain serve him well. While the Captain is hailed as a kind of Lucifer, it is presented from a Miltonian point of view where Lucifer is a free spirit, an avatar of freedom. “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.” Which I think is echoed in some Nietzschean discourses that critique Christianity for turning the order of things upside down, calling it a religion of slave-mentality and backward in the sense of the meek inheriting the earth. (I may be garbling up the analysis by misremembering some of the Nietschze and Milton stuff, but that’s a vague recollection I have in my mind)
Overall, pretty cool, the story-telling moved at a fast clip, and discussions between captain and Humphrey were usually interesting. My vibe is London's sympathies fell sort of in the middle between these two ideals. The sea-faring episodes were fun, the peripheral characters kind of stock but still well-done. The last third of the book went off the rails, won’t give it away but my God the stupidity of how romance is done is some of these older books makes me want to hit my head against a wall. Ruinous....more
A short and terrible read. Terrible as in tragic. Tragic as in this kind of story happens every day, and even though this written 50 years ago the macA short and terrible read. Terrible as in tragic. Tragic as in this kind of story happens every day, and even though this written 50 years ago the machinery of our justice system still operates in many of the same ways.
What do we see? Overpowered DAs who hold all the cards and disproportionately skew the deck, a system that allows a dirty cop to tamper with witnesses and lie about events (without repercussions or accountability), and a multi-tiered justice system that inequitably extorts life tax from those who are minorities and or poor.
This story brings to life the real-world arguments that were presented in Michelle Alexander’s book New Jim Crow. The story centers around young lovers, Tish and Fonny. Their relationship is powerful, an unbreakable bond, and it is wonderfully portrayed. But Fonny is wrongly imprisoned (crime: Blackness) and from there we witness the cascading effects on these individuals and their families; the weight of this false imprisonment creating strain and stress that will have ramifications for everyone.
Throughout the story, there is an emphasis on community and family, their importance in helping the individual especially in times of danger or need. There is also quite a critique of false religiosity, or I would say the judgmental kind of religion that doesn’t embrace love but mostly just the fire. A critique of the type of person that uses religion as a tool to put themselves above others, an arrogance that runs so counter to so many Christian teachings you’d think the dissonance would make that person’s head explode!
Baldwin, with a roar from the depths of despair, the searing pain of lived experience, let’s the world know with his writing the injustice in our system and our society....more
This is a long(ish) book, but doesn't feel long. The writing is smoooothe, beautifully done. Told from 3 different characters viewpoints in 3 differenThis is a long(ish) book, but doesn't feel long. The writing is smoooothe, beautifully done. Told from 3 different characters viewpoints in 3 different time periods. Elements of the Western, takes place in Texas. You could even compare to a contemporary like McCarthy but it's not as weirdly written (I like McCarthy's style but it's more tortured). Also while this book has some dark parts it's nowhere near as bleak as McCarthy's work. Great historical aspects as well. My fav timeline was the earliest one, Eli's story, taking us between the 1830s and 1860s. The others were decent-good, but not quite as gripping. I prob would've enjoyed this book more if it only revolved around Eli's story, the attempt to continuously jump around with cross-generational stories was somewhat tiresome, especially since Peter (middle timeline) was a real "whateva" sort of character for me. ...more
With confinement (COVID 2020), it’s been a good time for me to exhume some long idling books in my collection. And so I stumble upon the ChateaubriandWith confinement (COVID 2020), it’s been a good time for me to exhume some long idling books in my collection. And so I stumble upon the Chateaubriand tomes that have been sitting on the shelf for years. About 15 years ago I read Tome II (only one I owned at the time). I didn’t remember much about it, but since I now had the others I figured ok let’s hit up volume III and see what’s up with this Frenchie (in hindsight this was a mistake).
In Chateaubriand’s memoirs a lot of stuff happens, but it’s honestly boring AF. Endless minutiae involving diplomacy (he was a diplomat for large portions of his public career), so many namedrops I can’t see straight. Tons of backstabbing BS between aristocrats (kind of fun but wears after a while). Intermittently we get some fun melancholic tangents where Chateaubriand waxes eloquent about the awfulness of life (yay!). But serious, those are the best written parts. Life is @#%# up and we can all relate to that.
It’s funny to compare with Proust (who I do think was influenced by Chateaubriand in certain respects), with Proust very little happens but it is way more fascinating. Somehow Proust makes the analysis of paint drying interesting.
The most interesting part in this Chateaubriand volume was the final 50 pages involving the downfall of Charles X. People are backstabbers. Hearing tales of their petty villainy kind of amusing.
Chateaubriand's political views are confusing. A mix of royalist and republican, often confused, he takes on what to me seem like extraordinarily dissonant positions. At heart I think he was a republican who was struggling to transcend the yoke of his class acculturation.
As I alluded to in first paragraph, mistake I made is I prob should’ve read Tome I. Reading up on Chateaubriand, consensus seems to be that is the most interesting volume: involves C’s exile, French revolution, his voyage to the US, fake meeting with Washington, soldiering, etc. I may hit that volume up eventually out of curiosity. But for now am tapped out on this guy. Recommend this volume only for hardcore Frenchyphiles (with a mild sadomasochistic streak)....more
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