Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Rating: 5/5
Why I read it: Went on clearance for $5 at my work and I had heard good reviews so I bought it and for some reason I chose it off of the overflowing bookshelf to bring with me for the conference trip.
From the back: By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife;s library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down.



My opinion: My favourite book I have read this year. I really thought this book was beautiful, a difficult task considering the harsh subject matter of the Holocaust. The relationship between Liesel and her foster-father is truly touching and I love the basement scenes with her and Max. The story shows that there were families and children that did not get caught up with the propaganda and the hatred spread by the Nazi party campaign and those that knew what was happening to the Jews was wrong, but it also displays their complete helplessness to actually do anything to help. As Liesel learns how to read she learns the power of words and their part in Hitler's rise. The two big highlights of the story for me were the homemade books from Max. They touched my heart and almost brought tears to my eyes. The remnants of Mein Kampf that occasionally shone through the pages were a constant reminder that this hateful ideology cannot ever completely be covered but it does not have to eliminate all hope. The self depiction by Max of himself as a bird as opposed to human reminded me of Maus and Spielgelman's depiction of the Jews as mice. The physical differences between Jews and Germans are really a cultural creation proved by the fact that Max is able to travel with fake German papers for a time and that Liesel cannot see the difference between them because she is a child raised in a non-hateful family. But is a construct that has been so drilled into them that even Max sees himself as different- as undeserving of comfort and kindness. The little asides that pepper the book were a little jarring at first but then I got used to them and think it was an interesting writing style. The usage of Death as the narrator was brilliant, and it allowed a commentary on humanity from an involved outsider perspective. Basically I thought this was a brilliant book at will not disappoint, however, it is not a happy book despite how much hope is within the pages. Just read it saumensch.

Quotes:

• "and for comfort, to shut out the din of the basement, Liesel opened one of her books and began to read."

• "The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you"

• "Often I wish this would all be over, Liesel, but then somehow you do something like walk down the basement steps with a snowman in your hands."

• "She said it out loud, the words distributed into a room that was full of cold air and books. Books everywhere! Each wall was armed with overcrowded yet immaculate shelving. It was barely possible to see paintwork. There were all different styles and sizes of lettering on the spines of the black, the red, the gray, the every-colored books. It was one of the most beautiful things Liesel Meminger had ever seen. 

       With wonder, she smiled.        That such a room existed!"

• "In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water."

Validation

I’m currently in Fredericton, New Brunswick for the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2011. It’s the biggest interdisciplinary arts conference in Canada. I was here with both the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada and the Canadian Society of Medievalists. I gave a paper for the former and didn’t end up attending any panels for the latter despite knowing three of the professors giving papers. I didn’t know anyone at the Scandinavian Studies group and I admit being super nervous about presenting my paper. I’ve done paper presentations twice at Laurier but those were only small little conferences in front of faculty and students that are my friends. This, while not being much bigger attendance wise, was a substantially bigger deal for me. I talked to a couple people beforehand and they were very supportive and assured me I’d do a fine job and that they were interested in hearing my paper. They were very excited to have a student in attendance while I was worried I would be a bit of an outcast because I had only just completed my undergrad. Pretty much all my worries were for naught. I stumbled over my words in group of sentences that included the words history, historical, historically, and historiography but whatever. In general my paper went well but what I enjoyed most was the question period afterward. People were really interested in hearing about metal and they certainly didn’t brush it off as irrelevant. Questions were engaged and some really poignant questions arose about why such brutal metal arose in one of the most peaceful places on earth. (In a later panel I made a connection between the explosion of interest in Scandinavian crime fiction as a mainstream and acceptable alternative creation of a cultural milieu in which to examine the same tensions explored by some of the most radical black metal groups.) Numerous people afterward told me that I had opened their eyes in terms of the broadness and possibilities in metal and they had been sorry for looking down on metalheads before. Turisas gained numerous fans from my presentation and it was really funny to hear an older lady being so enthusiastic to go home and download To Holmgard and Beyond.

I also posted on Mathias Nygard's facebook wall about my paper and he's interested in reading it *squee!*

            We had a delicious meal at the Beaverbrook Gallery after admiring some great art including a couple of Salvadore Dali’s followed by engaging conversation at a pub.

            I now have Scandinavian contacts (friends?) throughout Canada and Scandinavia, much more confidence to pursue my unorthodox research topic, and a great feeling of validation so I would have to say that Congress2011 was a brilliant success. Hopefully I’ll be able to return for Congress next year that’s taking place at Laurier/UW.
Forgot to say that my paper was titled: "Breathing History, Veiled in Mystery": Turisas' The Varangian Way and Saga Tradition.

The one negative of this week is that our car suffered some sort of damage and my parents had to drop a significant amount of money on an old car that should be replaced in order to safely get home and we may have to pay for another night’s stay before it’s fixed. I also haven’t really seen any of Fredericton other than the University, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, and a pub.

Edit (September 15th): Essay can now be found at http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/turisas/714318-breathing-history-veiled-mystery-turisas-varangian-way-saga-traditio.html

We are the people of the book. We love our books. We fill our houses with books. We treasure books we inherit from our parents, and we cherish the idea of passing those books on to our children. Indeed, how many of us started reading with a beloved book that belonged to one of our parents? We force worthy books on our friends, and we insist that they read them. We even feel a weird kinship for the people we see on buses of airplanes reading our books, the books that we claim. If anyone tried to take away our books - some oppressive government, some censor gone off the rails - we would defend them with everything that we have. We know our tribespeople when we visit their homes because every wall is lined with books. There are teetering piles of books beside the bed and on the floor; there are masses of swollen paperbacks in the bathroom. Our books are us. They are our outboard memory banks and they contain the moral, intellectual, and imaginative influences that make us the people we are today.
-Cory Doctorow

Looking to the future

A couple of months ago I was certain that I would not get into any of the grad schools I was applying to. I fucked around a lot in my first two years and while I did pull my marks up they still weren’t that great. I had resolved myself to taking a couple years off to go travel and teach English abroad and do a bunch of other things to make money before returning to school and hoping those things would make my application more appealing when I did re-apply. I was being realistic- I had a back-up plan. Turns out I didn’t need one.

            I, somehow, got into the three schools I applied to: The University of Oslo (Norway), Aarhus University (Denmark), and the University of Iceland. Oslo has always been my number one choice and it is where I will be going in August. The other schools look fantastic but Oslo’s program just seems to be the best fit. Iceland was Medieval Icelandic Literature: while I’m super interested in the literature I want to focus more on the Vikings and their history and what the sagas and literature can tell us about them and what the medieval Icelanders thought about their cultural Viking history then studying the literature itself in-depth. Aarhus’s Viking Studies program doesn’t officially exist but is made up of a combination of a couple different faculties and a partner institution. I would have to make up my own program between all of them and perhaps even take some undergrad courses where the assignments would be tailored for me. While developing a custom program for myself has some appeal I think it would mostly be a major pain and I’d rather not deal with the politics of several faculties. So at Oslo I’ll be in the Nordic Viking and Medieval Culture Masters which is under the Medieval Studies (middelalderstudier) program. It’s interdisciplinary (the only right way to study the Viking/Middle Ages) and has some very interesting looking courses. Runes ftw!

I’m ecstatic about getting in and very very excited to go but there’s always the self-doubt. What if I’m not ready? What if I can’t handle it? People (mostly Wardy) have told me I’ve grown over the past couple years, that I’ve matured and that they’re proud of me. But have I really? What do I do differently? (besides rarely partying)?  I still wait last minute to do assignments, in my last term I still skipped a number of the readings for each class, I still slept through some ridiculously early-morning classes. Even in my last term I handed in an assignment a week late; first because I needed to get another more important assignment done and then because I had no motivation to do it, and then the paper I did eventually submit was admittedly way sub-par. The way I approach and complete assignments has not changed yet I manage to get higher marks on them. It’s possible I have become a better writer or am now able to make more poignant connections and conclusions but I’m not sure I have made the necessary personal changes necessary to excel in the academic world.   

I’m also going to have to make a painful trip to the bank soon and get a loan in order to afford living in Oslo and that has prompted numerous questions from the parents. Namely- “you will be able to get a job after this right?” I’m well aware of the crappy job market in academia so I bend the truth a little. This fact is something I’m much less concerned about at the moment then the other worries because it’s something I’ll deal with when the time comes and there’s nothing that makes me want to jump into a career post-graduation anyway.    

I should go work on my presentation for a conference next week. See, I’m even working on my dream topic and I’m still not motivated.

Tl;dr- whiny self-doubt about school. Blah.

But then every once and a while I'll just be sitting and remember that OMFG I'M GOING BACK TO OSLO IN AUGUST!!! I GOT IN. HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT FAEN! and that overwhelms the crappy doubt issues. :D

Book Review: The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling

 Rating: 3/5

Why I read it: Read the first in the series for a medieval studies class and really enjoyed it. 

In Dies the Fire,  the Change stops all technology from guns to cars and everything between. In the post-change world people are forced to adapt to the new yet old modes of living and most form a pseudo-medieval type society. This books takes place ten years after the Change and life has become oddly normalized but the evil medieval history professor is still hell-bent on controlling everything. The communities of Juniper MacKenzie and Mike Havel work together to improve life for their people and protect everyone against the machinations of the Protector and his warlord barons.

What I thought: I think it's largely a case of middle book syndrome because while I enjoyed the book I didn't really care about it. It was mostly just setting the stage for A Meeting at Corvallis. As a medievalist who is getting more and more into the re-enactment side of things I think I enjoy these books so much because of their premise. Several times I thought that it would be great if such an event did occur and my skills and knowledge would become relevant while we "return to nature". I think I enjoy the premise more than I like the actual book considering there are several things that drive me crazy:
1)The Wiccan stuff. I'd feel the same about any religion or faith because there's just too much of it and it just exudes craziness way more than any of Astrid's fantasies. I understand and appreciate the way religion is used for social cohesion and it's understanding how such a religion could take ground in such a world. However at times there was so much of it it bordered on preachy, especially when Rudi is concerned.
2) the italics . He uses them for both thoughts and sign language dialogue which when used together on one page can get choppy and confusing. He also uses italics and un-italics for emphasize which is simply annoying on the eyes when used with the frequency he does. 

3) Juniper, Signe, Eilir all annoy the crap out of me. Astrid may be the crazy one but she annoys me the least. Stirling is terrible at writing female characters apparently considering I love severl of the main male characters.
4)I did enjoy the descriptions of everyday life in the post-Change world but there was way more of it than really necessary.
5. Parts of the book skipped back and forth in time. He provides little chapters heading with the date and location of the chapter but I had gotten into the habit of ignoring those as they are unnecessary for all but perhaps 6 chapters.
6) Should have a different title. There is no war in this book.
Overall, it was a fun read despite the aforementioned problems and I will read the third novel eventually.

Book Review - The Way of Shadows- Brent Weeks

Rating: 4/5

Why I read it: Had seen good reviews for it and was able to get the trilogy for a little more than a single paperback.

Azoth is a street urchin who sees becoming the assassin Durzo Blint’s apprentice as his only chance of a better life.   

I’m a tad conflicted about how much I like this novel. It was fast-paced, engaging, and very entertaining. I really liked and cared for Azoth/Kylar and Blint but I didn’t really care all that much for a number of the other main characters. As an avid fantasy reader I’m used to scores of characters with odd names and twisting plot lines but occasionally with this novel I felt lost and I wondered what the point of including certain scenes was. This occurred most with the Solon/Dorian/ Feir group. I’m sure their purpose will become clearer in the following books.

There was some exploration into the human condition when Weeks examined the depths of depravity people will dive to in order to survive and the potentiality to redeem oneself afterward.    

There were a couple things I was a little incredulous about and some plot points that seemed like they were supposed to have a bigger impact and just fell flat. Overall it’s an entertaining and relatively quick read (for its 645 pages). I’d recommend it for fans of gritty fantasy and assassins. If you enjoyed this book I suggest reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

Quotes:

"Assassination is an art, milord. And I am the city's most accomplished artist."

"Do you know what punishments I've endured for my crimes, my sins? None. I am proof of the absurdity of men's most treasured abstractions. A just universe wouldn't tolerate my existence."

“Every man worth a damn is a hypocrite.”

“Two things I learned a long time ago. Keep opinions on religion and politics to oneself.”

            That was the sole line of a recent email from my mom. It was in response to something to do with an upcoming election that dealt with politics and also with the fact that I’m pro-choice. She also knows my outspokenness about atheism. You may guess that I’m of the diametrically opposite opinion. Most of the most interesting, engaging, and awesome discussions contain one or both of those subjects. Last week I had an amazing conversation with a group of friends/ acquaintances, a couple were various forms of Christian and a couple were unknown. We discussed things like abortion, teen pregnancy, the upcoming election, religion (specifically the upcoming day of reckoning on May 21^st- mark your calendars!), and a couple other things. It was great- there were a couple things we disagreed on but in most we had common ground or a funny experience to share. I don’t know if this has something to do with university life but this kind of in-depth conversation was not really unusual for me. I just got into a conversation in a facebook thread about Richard Dawkins on my professor’s wall whom I know is religious (Mormon I believe) and I know one of the commenters is Jewish. Another one of the commenters is atheist and I actually disagreed with his comment the most. I regularly post religious-themed links on my facebook and get a varied response and I love it. I think the world would be much duller if people didn’t talk about religion or politics at all or only with people they know have the same thoughts.

            I also think there’s an element of danger in the ‘keep your opinions to yourself’ mentality. That is simply because there are people that want to spread their religion and if you don’t discuss and explore your own opinions about these issues, how are you ever going to learn how to critically examine your own and others’ beliefs. This critical thinking is crucial to an informed life though it seems like so many are content to continue ignorant and blindfolded. The proponents of radical Islam would love for people not to discuss or criticize their religion but it is the discussion that needs to happen most of all. When I mentioned my plan to participate in “Everybody draw Mohammed day” to my mom she urged me not to because she didn’t want to me to become a target for extremists and referenced Ayaan Hirsi Ali whose book I made her read. But she and others like Theo Van Gogh and Salman Rushdie make it clear to me how crucial this conversation is. Things like the draw Mohammed day stem from the idea that if enough people do it it’s impossible for the extremists to target everyone and more and more people will realize that nothing should be excluded from the critical gaze; that freedom of speech is more important than anything else.

Time to go back to reading Steppenwolf.