Jean-Paul’s Rating: 3/5 stars

“The Secret Life of Bees” is a cute novel that delves weakly into complicated social topics in order to give it a wanted depth that it never quite achieves. Strip that out and you’re left with an enjoyable read about a teenage girl trying to find herself and discovering power and acceptance in the hands of a cadre of strong, independent minded women. The book wanders into Magical Negro territory to do so, which is a shame, but it only mildly does so.

The book is set in South Carolina at the time of the Civil Rights Act being signed into law. And since the South has long since reconciled with their deep-seated racial hatred, everything in the book is daisies and daffodils. Ok, just kidding. There’s lots of racism. And unlike the racism we practice here in the North, there’s nothing subtle about it. I am of two minds about how Kidd portrays the racism in this book. There are two instances of verbally abused Black people enacting violence on the abusive White person. One is far-fetched, but at least used to push the narrative in a way that it wouldn’t be able to get to otherwise. The other is more believable, but doesn’t really add to the story in any way except to have another “racism bad” moment and to have a Black character turn hardened by the interaction when you know he’s had to have experienced much the same his entire young life. There are lots of missed opportunities to just talk about what happened, but then again, those who deal with racism on a daily basis mostly just have to endure it and not talk about it.

Mental health is also used more as a pointless plot point than an examination into the states of mental health. This one is especially a shame, because until the pointless plot point, it was a pretty effective look into both dealing with mental health issues and accepting people with mental health issues.

I guess I am being extra critical of the book because it is on many “must read” book lists and it really doesn’t belong there. It’s a good story and I enjoyed reading it, but I do not see how it’s any better than the hundreds of other good books I’ve read. I would definitely recommend reading it, especially from a female empowerment point of view, but I don’t think it’s going to be a book that alters anybody’s perceptions of the world. Unless, I guess, you didn’t realize that the South could be so openly racist.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 4/5 stars

As promised, I’ve read another Christopher Moore book. Shout-out to Kristin for suggesting it. Because Christopher Moore is apparently incapable of creating short book titles, this book is fully titled “The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror”. And boy does it deliver! I really want to know what drugs Christopher Moore takes because he sure has an interesting imagination.

Many of the characters in this book have appeared in other Christopher Moore books and the setting in the town of Pine Cove is also a common theme in his books. This being only my second, the only one I was familiar with was Raziel, the eponymous stupidest angel, who appeared in “Lamb“. You do not need to read any of his other books to feel right at home with his zany cast of characters. Moore does a wonderful job of introducing them and bringing them to life. All the main characters are so enjoyable that it makes me want to read about their other adventures as well.

After introducing all of the characters, this heartwarming tale of Christmas terror starts with a murder most foul and a coverup. And if that isn’t heartwarmingly terrifying enough, you just wait! Enter Raziel, who has been put in charge of creating this year’s Christmas miracle. His job is simple: Find a child with a Christmas wish and grant it. A simple request for anyone not quite as…simple…as Raziel. What happens next is obvious once you’re on the other side, but I did not see it coming at all.

“The Stupidest Angel” is delightfully funny throughout. Moore’s characters are a bit unbelievable, but then I remember this is California we’re talking about here and, having been to California, I can confirm they all seem just about right. They do, however, still make me slightly concerned for Christopher Moore’s sanity and his dust jacket picture isn’t helping at all with that concern. So be it. As long as you continue to write books like this, Christopher, you be as insane as you need to be!

I foresee more Moore (wow, try saying that five times fast, more Moore more Moore mur more more mer murmur) books in my future. The only question is which one? Do I follow the further exploits of the fine citizens of Pine Cove or do I jump in with Tucker Case and Roberto on “The Island of the Sequined Love Nun”? Decisions decisions. So far with Moore, it doesn’t seem like I can make an incorrect choice!

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 2/5 stars

I have never been so excited at the start of a novel only to be so supremely disappointed by the end. The setup for “The Giver” had so much potential and every bit of it goes to waste. The book starts with what looks like a fairly normal family, of which Jonas is the eldest 12 year old son and main character. There’s definite weirdness going on, but have you seen families? They’re all weird in their own special way and many are completely dysfunctional. Dysfunctional Jonas’ family is not. They do very useful and healthy things together like eat meals and talk about their emotions and share their dreams. The setup is almost utopian. Utopian is boring, though, and this is a dystopian young adult’s novel so you just know not everything is what it seems.

It is slowly revealed that Jonas lives in a society that is obsessed with “sameness” and birth to death is rigidly controlled. Babies are given to families and named at age one. Clothes are assigned at different ages. Bikes are given to children at age nine. Jobs are given at age twelve. Color doesn’t exist. Topography doesn’t exist. Asking questions that make people uncomfortable is outlawed. Rules are strictly enforced and chronic offenders are “released from the community”. This is very obviously a euphemism for killed, and makes one of the surprises pretty darn lame. Maybe not for the target audience, I guess. The society is overseen by a council of Elders who create the rules. They oversee every child’s development and assign jobs based on ability. Since Jonas is the main character and this is a dystopian young adult novel, you just know he’s going to get one of the cool and important jobs. I guess you’re right? Well, besides the fact that the job makes absolutely no sense and how it works makes no sense and how it doesn’t work makes no sense and the plot they hatch to change things makes no sense and how it goes wrong makes no sense and Jonas’ decisions make no sense and how it ends so suddenly makes no sense and how the heck there are three other books in this series makes no sense.

I guess you might actually still want to read “The Giver” after reading my review so I won’t give away any of the issues but it left me seething with rage at almost every point after Jonas got his job. That is an incorrect use of words. Let me rephrase. “The Giver” left me with a profound disappointment over the fact that such an auspicious beginning could be transformed into the turgid mess it became. That is also an incorrect use of words. One last time. I mildly annoyed that I read this book despite the fact that I really liked the beginning. There, better.

If you want to teach your kids about the dangers of “sameness”, have them read “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. It is complete and succinct and won’t leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth over the lazy path “The Giver” decides to take.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 4/5 stars

“Matilda” is an absolutely delightful children’s book that should be read by all. It teaches a very important lesson that children should learn at a very young age: Adults suck. Not all of them, but way more than there should be. They are all too often our parents and our teachers and others whose primary responsibility should be children. Then there are the adults that don’t quite suck, but allow the adults that suck to continue sucking. And some, I assume, are good people.

“Matilda” tells the story of a precocious young girl named Matilda, duh, who is just about everything you would want any young person to be. Parents would love her. Teachers would praise her. Other children would want to be her. But since that would be a really boring and highly improbable read, just about every adult is a source of torment for Matilda. Still not quite probable, but much less improbable than the perfection her life should be. Throughout the book, Matilda exacts her revenge upon her tormentors in ingenious, albeit petty, fashion. But what else are you going to do when you’re a child in an adult’s world?

Things get a little weird when supernatural elements creep into the book. It’s a very strange and unfortunate turn for an otherwise wonderful book. Dahl writes it out almost as quickly as he wrote it in, but I am not sure why he included it in the first place when the whole child outsmarting adults thing was going so very well. Maybe Dahl just ran out of ways to be clever and had a deadline to finish.

It would be remiss of me to not mention the spectacular illustrations that accompany the text. They were created by one Quentin Blake and they capture the mood of the novel perfectly. I think they work best in stark black and white, but color ones are also available. Little Matilda reading a giant newspaper brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

If I were writing this novel, I would have made the adults suck theme complete by having Miss Honey actually be a witch and Matilda never be seen again. There may be a reason why I don’t write children’s books, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Such a delight! Read “Matilda” to your children tonight! Parents full of spite! Matilda puts up a fight. A headmistress of great might! The children she does smite!  Matilda sets her right. Miss Honey the white knight! Matilda restores her birthright. Her parents take flight! Matilda turns out alright.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 4/5 stars

Fully titled “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal”, this is a very serious retelling of what Christopher Moore envisioned what Jesus Christ’s childhood would have been like. I’m just kidding. This is a comedy. And a really well written one. You see, despite what the gospels want you to know, Jesus, or Joshua as he was really know, had an actual childhood and he spent it mostly trying to figure out what exactly it means to be the Christ. He receives absolutely no help from his father in this endeavor, but he does have his best friend Biff to help him through. The gospels don’t want you to know about him either! It’s a conspiracy! During Joshua’s effort to find out what’s what, Biff selflessly helps Joshua learn about sin by demonstration and follows him around Africa and Southeast Asia as he tracks down the three wise men that visited him as a babe.

“Lamb” is quite funny and Christopher Moore is gifted at extracting the humor out of every possible situation. The completely made up stuff about Joshua’s childhood is perfect in just about every possible way. The almost assuredly made up stuff that you find in the gospels that Moore touches on is also enjoyable, but at some points feels a bit forced to the story. The entire book is light-hearted and fun, but also with a bit of reverence for the subject you wouldn’t expect.

Reading “Lamb” makes me want to read more of Moore’s books. I guess that’s really all you have to know to recognize that I recommend reading this book. Moore is equal parts Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett in his humor, but has his own unique writing style. I am looking forward to exploring him further.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 2/5 stars

I realized something very early on into reading “Day”. Elie Wiesel has a very bad relationship with women. Neither “Night”, nor “Dawn” has a viable female character in it so this unhealthy relationship stays hidden, thought there are hints of it in “Dawn”. With “Day”, it is out in full force and really detracts from the novel. Here, women come in two different camps. There are the mothers and there are the objects. The early concerning scene was when Elezer (who is Wiesel’s id) and his girlfriend, Kathleen, are walking down the street when Kathleen gets catcalled by some construction workers. She expresses anger at this and Elezer completely blows it off. He does so very poetically and beautifully, but still blows it off. This is the best that Kathleen or any other non-motherly woman is treated throughout the novel. What’s left is women being tolerated, pitied, scorned, or objectified.

Horrible depictions of women aside, “Day” is also incredibly depressing, but in a way that it absolutely should be. Elezer is a Holocaust survivor who gets hit by a cab in New York City and ends up in the hospital for weeks as a result. Bedridden, his mind wanders from past to past questioning his life. Always in the past. There is nothing for him in the present or the future. Survivor’s guilt is a thing. “Day” explores it in depth. It sucks. Elezer’s mental scars run deeper and stronger than any scars he might gain from his car accident. Wiesel is very good at evoking the sadness and pain that accompany those scars. Unlike the other two novels, there is absolutely no hope to cling to here. Everything is horrible and will continue to be and all you can do is deal with it. That’s the lesson here.

If you can get past the whole treating women like crap thing, this may be a book you should read if you’re not affected by such a doldrummy book. That sort of sadness would not normally bother me in a book, but I can’t forgive a novel that treats its women the way this one does. It is a shame Wiesel included this book as the third of the “Night” trilogy because he was really on to something with the other two novels. The other two were by no means happy or terribly hopeful, but at the same time there was hope. A realistic hope. Or perhaps they were just dreams and “Day” is all those dreams coming crashing down to the earth.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 4/5 stars

The most shocking thing I discovered upon reading “Dawn” is how little I know about the history of the creation of the state of Israel. In my mind the narrative went kind of as follows: The world, feeling absolutely horrible about the mass extermination of Jews and their complicity of silence in not doing anything about it decided to partition Palestine into two countries so the Jews would have their own homeland. It didn’t happen like that. Like at all. Boy did our world history classes suck back then. And now. But we’re Americans, we like our history sanitized.

“Dawn” is not autobiographical like “Night” was, but it is still a very obviously personal novel as Elie Wiesel tries to put to paper his struggles both with his post-Buchenwald life and all the psychological horrors that go with it and with what the Jewish people had to become in order to make their state of Israel a reality. It follows a boy named Elisha whose background is much like Wiesel’s. Elisha is lost both physically and spiritually in Paris after being freed from the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. While in this lost state, he is visited by a man named Gad who works for what can only be described as a terrorist movement in Palestine that is trying to wrest the land away from British control and establish a Jewish state. Gad manipulates Elisha’s religiosity by behaving like the rabbinical messenger of fate, Meshulah. Elisha accepts and joins the Movement. I am not sure if Wiesel meant Elisha’s acceptance to be one of manipulation, but that is how I took it. Elisha is eventually tasked with the murder of a British officer named John Dawson whom they have captured in retaliation for the British capture of a fellow Movement member named David B Moshe. Moshe is scheduled to be hanged at dawn for his crimes. If the hanging goes on, John Dawson’s death will soon follow at the hands of Elisha. The book explores Elisha’s coming to terms with this very personal killing.

This is another very powerful novel by Wiesel. His use of the dead coming to visit Elisha is very effective, especially Elisha’s childhood self who “died” prior to being sent to the concentration camps. His dead mother’s (as well as other’s) use of the phrase “Poor boy!” to describe Elisha and the predicament he finds himself is haunting. “This is war”, is the refrain of his compatriots who do not envy Elisha’s task. Yes, it is war. But does it have to be? Is there another way? The novel asks those questions, but has no answers for us. How could it? Jews had a different answer for a very long time and look where it got them. It’s time to try something different. But at what cost? This fight for independence was the beginning of something or possibly the end of something. But what? I’m not sure Wiesel knows the answer, but he is very effective in asking the question.

I would not say that “Dawn” is quite as effective of a story as “Night” is, which again should be read by everyone, but it is a wonderful “coming to grasps with horror” novel. If such could ever be described as wonderful. It is certainly a novel that makes you think. About war. About life. About death.  And novels like that don’t come around very often.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 5/5 stars

“Night” is one of those books that is very difficult to read because of the subject matter but is a must read exactly because of that subject matter. It is the biographical story of teenage Elie Wiesel’s time in World War Two and traces his time from the beginnings of World War Two in Sighet, Hungary, to the rounding up of the Jews in his town in 1944, to his travails in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, to his emancipation at the end of World War Two. It is important to be reminded again and again that this stuff happened. It is so far outside our experience that it’s very difficult to believe that it did happen. That it does happen in places we don’t care about. That it can happen. Even here. Even now.

I have, for a long time, been uncomfortable with the concept of good and evil and the battle of good versus evil with which a majority of humanity seems to view the world. Reading “Night” greatly reinforced that discomfort. I choose to view the world as comprised of those who have retained their humanity and those who have lost it or have had it taken away from them. Our humanity is a fragile and precious thing that can be snuffed out as easily as blowing out birthday candles. Luckily, we share a common interest in our own humanity and the humanity of those close to us. Sadly, we choose to retain the humanity of our own cohort at the expense of the humanity of another cohort. I use the word “cohort” on purpose because the big trouble comes when we become militaristic against another group of people. This is what happened to the Jews in World War Two. The Nazi cohort went against the Jewish cohort and systematically and effectively removed the Jewish humanity while maintaining a perverse Nazi humanity as justification. The Nazis definitely took it to the extreme, but war requires both a loss of one’s own humanity with regards to the “enemy” and a reinforcement of one’s own belonging. This is the central terror of Nationalism. And once the Jewish humanity was removed well past the stereotypical nonsense that still pervades society today, it became trivial to snuff their souls. Because they don’t have them. Look at them fighting for scraps. They kill each other for a piece of bread. I can beat this one’s father right in front of him and he will do nothing. Surely they wouldn’t participate in the killing of their own people if they were human. It is a mercy to kill them. They are suffering. You don’t feel bad for putting down a horse who is lame. Is the Jew who killed another Jew for his shoes evil? Is the father who shared his bread with his starving son good? No, one had his humanity stripped from him and the other was able to maintain it for at least a portion of the time.

Reading “Night” should be thought of as taking a journey of the soul. There are times when I was close to tears and I still well up in the eyes thinking about those times. There are times of such stark beauty that it is almost preposterous to believe that such things can exist in dark times and I still smile when I think of them. Well, smile and well up with tears. It’s an emotionally complicated book. My journey is continuing with Elie Wiesel’s other two books in the trilogy, “Dawn”, and “Day”. Do yourself a favor and read “Night”. If you’ve already read it, read it again.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 4/5 stars

“The Alchemist” has the power of vocabulary that will stay with you for the rest of your life. I will from this day forth forever be living my Personal Legend. Perceived truths of goodness and love will always come from the Soul of the World. Being able to communicate with individuals or animals or nature without the use of spoken word will always be speaking with the Language of the World. So poetic! It is a very influential book, indeed, that can impart such things unto its reader and any book that can do so deserves to be read by everyone.

The story revolves around a young shepherd boy named Santiago, but throughout just called the boy, who has a recurring dream. This dream informs him that he should go to the Pyramids in Egypt to find a great treasure. While extremely content with his shepherd life, the boy is disturbed by the dream enough that he follows it and meets a series of figures along the way who encourage him to do so. Thus begins the boy’s Personal Legend.

The ideas in this book are romantic and seductive. How could it not be when it’s called following your Personal Legend? The boy travels from place to place, sometimes finding things easy, sometimes finding thing difficult and meets all of these interesting people, some following their Personal Legend, some not. It’s basically my dream life. Where the book shines, though, is in its ideas about love. There aren’t any mind-blowing pronouncements or earth-shattering revelations about love, just more of a matter-of-factly but beautifully stated and mentally appealing realities about love. I didn’t come out of the book thinking “Wow, now that’s love!”, but more of “Oh, of course that’s love! Why would it be any other way?”. I found it immensely satisfying.

The ending, I will admit, is a bit trite for my tastes. Not nearly as trite as I was fearing, fortunately, but there are a variety of other endings that I would have been quite happy with. It should also be said that the ability to follow your Personal Legend comes from a place of extreme privilege. One of the themes of the book is that the whole universe conspires to help you on your Personal Legend if you are willing to follow it. It is true that the boy suffers hardships, but his starting point was as a pretty successful shepherd. There is not any acknowledgement of this in the book. Those who are not following their Personal Legend are portrayed as scared or lazy, not necessarily in a bad way, mind you, just kind of now worthy. It’s not quite a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” message, but it teeters dangerously close to it.

“The Alchemist” is a book very much worth reading. It is beautiful and won’t take much of your time to boot. It is eminently quotable and poetically delicious. I shall leave you with a quote from the book that I think sums up the wonderful qualities of “The Alchemist” nicely: “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”