Halflife by Meghan O'Rourke

This book, by the extremely young poetry editor of the Paris Review, has been on my "to read" list for quite a while. I finally got my hands on it, and I'm impressed. O'Rourke's poems are not like the poems of many of the other poets I like a lot, many of whom happen to be women. I learn towards somewhat nostalgic poetry that has a bit of a bite to it. O'Rourke's poems are a bit more clearer, brighter, less shadowed by memory, even though many are looking backwards. Her series of poems about a stillborn twin do seem nostalgic though, and are chillingly sad. Overall, I approve, and I look forward to following her development as a poet.

Night by Elie Wiesel

I re-read this book in order to refresh my memory, as I'm teaching it. Still intense, still horrifying, still painfully sad. I read it for the first time in high school, and I'm excited that now I get to teach it to high schoolers. I hope I can help them get something meaningful from it.

I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass

As an English teacher (on hiatus) I am compelled to begin by discussing the theme of this book. By weaving together the disparate lives of two sisters, Louisa and Clem, and ultimately ripping Clem from Louisa's life (when Clem kills herself), Glass puts herself in the position to tell us the idea she snaked through the twists and turns of the plot throughout the book.

As Glass's mouthpiece, Louisa experiences a realization on the last page of the book. After battling with grief, she is able to state the theme of the book, loud and clear, in the form of a realization. There are people we hold close, who play the largest roles in our lives, and who we love dearly. But it is only an "illusion. . . that because those people [are] somehow 'ours,' we [are] the ones with the power to hold them. "

I am reminded of a short story by Amy Bloom that both comforts and terrifies me. It is also about two sisters, one of whom has a psychotic break at an age so young she still attends high school. The mother tells the younger, saner daughter that she never has to worry--some people go crazy, and some people just never will, no matter how much they sometimes may want to do just that. As the always-sane observer, I relate to this younger sister in Bloom's story, as well as to Glass's Louisa. This is why I fall so hard into Glass's novels--I can always relate. In Three Junes, her debut novel that won the National Book Award, the main character was Fenno, a homosexual man living in Greenwich Village at the height of the AIDS panic. Were we drowning in surface similarities? Certainly not. But, Glass writes with such an eye and voice for the shared sorrows and pleasures of humanity that it's impossible not to find a bit of yourself somewhere within her carefully crafted lives, and the world--our world, the one world--that surrounds them.

Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun

I am never a fan of a book that features copious drug use. I am always, without fail, frustrated and disgusted. Joon, the main character, was likeable enough, but I seem to have a problem sympathizing with drug use--not drug users, but drug use. Joon decision to runaway at the age of thirteen and her struggle with life on the street for the entirety of her teenage years inspired feelings of pity and understanding that life is difficult. Mun slowly unveiled Joon's relationships with her parents, as well as the dysfunction that characterized their family life. This is the aspect of the novel that kept me reading, as Joon's severely depressed mother was the most compelling character of the story. Her depression manifested itself creatively--through catatonic spells spent under the dining room table or face-down in dirt in the front yard. The story of Joon's days and the over-inclusion of drug paraphernalia didn't quite do it for me, even though that was supposed to be the main focus and her familial relationships were supposed to take a supporting role.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

An inspirational poster turned into a book? A self-help book masquerading as a novel? At least it was a vivid story of a journey through unknown lands (Spain, Egypt, etc.). Makes for a good graduation gift, as it is of the "follow your dreams; you are capable of anything" genre.

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

For the first few pages, I had difficulty slipping into this book's little world, but once I fell through the looking glass, I was hooked. Bittersweet is a cliched word when used in reference to life, but it's a cliche for a reason. And, Gaitskill managed to capture the sadness and love that reverberate through the ties that bind family. I'm always a sucker for a story of a character who is one of three sisters, which this was. The main character, Allison (not Veronica), is the "troubled" sister, the one who leaves. She runs off to be a literal flower child, selling flowers outside of strip clubs, and eventually becomes a model, which somehow is no cleaner or brighter than her first job. Watching the life of a lost girl unfurl while privy to her thoughts and feelings was absorbing, and I totally, totally understood. That's no great feat, on Gaitskill's part--I should have been drawn to Daphne's story, the story of the "good" sister, but Gaitskill's telling of Allison's story was compelling, thoughtful, and revealed that even though it may not have appeared to be so, Allison was just as good. Just as good, different, and seemingly fated to struggle.

Another Country by James Baldwin

Fabulous.