Thursday, October 23, 2014

The Bodies We Wear, by Jeyn Roberts

The Bodies We WearThe Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Bodies We Wear is a dark reflection on the factors that shape us into the people we are, the capacity for hope and change, the horrors and collateral damage of addiction, inequality in society, and what justice looks like in an unjust world. All of this comes through a few weeks in the life of an exceptional and exceptionally damaged teenage girl in an alternative universe where a drug known as Heem shows users catch a brief glimpse of heaven or hell after their bodies “die” temporarily. Heem users—apparent to everyone because of physiological changes and scarring—are ostracized by society; no “respectable” person will be associated with them. Forced to use Heem as a child as a warning to her mother by dealers who had murdered her father (her mother abandoned her shortly thereafter), Faye is at the precipice of change when we meet her. Just as she deems herself ready physically as a warrior to extract her revenge, others enter her life and make her rethink the path that has been her sole focus for years. How Faye approaches the change in her life provides the backbone of the story. In a bleak, science-fiction setting (the story begins at night in the rain so the whole book has the feeling of black about it), Faye nonetheless must face the same issues as teenagers everywhere: bullying, overbearing parental figures, bad teachers, and the messed-up, confusing world of romance. Roberts mixes the familiar with the fictional and demonstrates that, while not all endings are happy ones per se, often a glimmer of hope exists that can transform our own worlds.

In interest of disclosure, I received a free prepublication e-copy from the publisher for reviewing purposes.



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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Last Beach

The Last BeachThe Last Beach by Orrin H. Pilkey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Exactly 20 years ago this fall, I was introduced to the work of Orrin Pilkey when, as a college senior raised in a land-locked state, I chose coastal erosion as the topic of my honors thesis. In those days of Silver Platter and Gopher, Pilkey had a talent for translating complicated scientific concepts into language a journalism major who'd taken all of 2 undergraduate science classes could understand. And the picture wasn't pretty, even then, particularly on the East Coast of the United States, where the barrier islands that had protected the shore for centuries had been filled with condos and amusement parks and where the measures to protect property had just accelerated the damage or moved it to a different community.

In The Last Beach, Pilkey (and co-author Andrew Cooper) brought me up to date on what's been happening since. And, as the word "last" might indicate, the picture isn't pretty. Not only do they talk about the corruption of natural processes, but they also address solely manmade phenomena, such as digging up beaches so the sand can be sold to make concrete. You can hear the authors' frustration and desperation as they recount one horror after another. The Last Beach almost reads like a message in a bottle, one last act of hope that someone might hear their cries. Don't expect any easy answers, as none exist. Also, consider moving inland.



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Trash-reading September

Well, not entirely trashy. I've read but haven't reviewed a couple books in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series. By book 5 or 6, there's really not enough distinguishing them to take the time. September was a kind of bleh month, and I did more knitting than reading. I've started multiple books but not finished them. So, I've been rather unproductive here. I'm hoping to get caught up on all my reviews and start reading something I might actually finish.

Goebbels: A Biography

Goebbels: A BiographyGoebbels: A Biography by Peter Longerich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book requires a certain type of reader -- one with a deep interest in the topic at hand who can cut through thick prose like a hot knife through butter. If I had more time and more head space at the moment, I might be that person. Alas, I only made it about 150 pages into the book before my Netgalley-provided version expired. (That put me, chronologically speaking, in the very early days of the Nazi party when Goebbels was still a fairly low-ranking regional official.) This latest book on Goebbels is an English translation of a German history based on the not-so-good doctor's voluminous diaries. In and of themselves, they show the man's skill with propaganda, his first subject being himself. He was trying to create his own legend while living it, a complicated effort. Luckily for the reader, Longerich is here as narrator, helping us to distinguish fact from fiction. I recommend the book wholeheartedly for anyone with a strong interest in the personalities of the Reich and a love of meaty prose.



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