Nation...random thoughts

Nation by Terry Pratchett.

Where does one begin?!! Yeah, it's a gushfest book for sure. Definitely straight to the favorites list.

Okay, since I've given up on stressing so much over this book babbling thing, and writing a brief, non-spoiler glimpse at the book is always so hard for me, I'm just stealing these lines from the jacket flap:

Mau is the Only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle Daphne--a girl from the other side of the globe--is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave.

Together the two confront the aftermath of catastrophe. Drawn by the smoke of Mau and Daphne's sheltering fire, other refugees slowly arrive...

A few of the many things I loved:

*The questioning. This aspect of the book spoke to me so much. I loved watching Mau deal with matters of faith he'd always taken for granted. I think this must be a fairly universal process when one is raised in a faith, whatever the beliefs might be. It seems everyone must reach a point where they need to question the things they've been taught as fact. For many their faith stands up to their questioning, and for others, like me, it just doesn't. But what I think is important, no matter which outcome is reached, is that the questions were asked in the first place. Due to the abrupt and catastrophic events that completely change his life, Mau is almost forced to deal with these questions. And yet his questioning never feels rushed. It feels so authentic. At first, the questions, and doubts, pop into his mind unbidden. But soon they become a second tidal wave to Mau. I won't tell you how things play out there, but I just had to say how very much I loved this part of the story.

*The writing. Okay, I admit it...I don't notice "writing" as much as I think many people do. I'm more of a tell-me-a-good-story-with-good-characters type of gal. There are exceptions...I think I could happily drown in a sea of Ray Bradbury's words. But for the most part, I'm pretty oblivious. So what was it about Terry Pratchett's writing in this book that made me take notice? I'm not sure I know exactly how to answer that. There was a simplicity that somehow managed to contain such power. He made me feel so deeply with so few words. I could literally pick out dozens and dozens of little snippets that did this to me. Just a few examples:

It rained. It was heavy rain, muddy rain, full of ash and sadness.


There were two dogs, too, and that almost broke him. The people, well, the horror was so great that his mind went blank, but the twisted bodies of the dogs twisted his soul.


They didn't know why these things were funny. Sometimes you laugh because you've got no more room for crying. Sometimes you laugh because table manners on a beach are funny. And sometimes you laugh because you're alive, when you really shouldn't be.


...And now it was two weeks later, and a lot had happened. The most important thing was that time had passed, pouring thousands of soothing seconds across the island. People need time to deal with the now before it runs away and becomes the then.

*The world. This is my first experience with a story in such a setting. It is set in the 1800s on Earth, and yet Earth is not really Earth. A parallel universe. I realize that most of you are quite familiar with this type of setting, but still being new to fantasy and science fiction, this was a fun new adventure in reading for me. The island is in the Great Southern Pelagic Ocean, which seems as if it must be in the area in which the Pacific Ocean lies. But it is not the Pacific that we know. But we are, it seems, at the same time really on Earth, because before the tragic shipwreck, Daphne went to meetings of the Royal Society with her father and met people such as Charles Darwin. As I said, I realize that many of you are probably quite used to this kind of merging of realities, but for me it was quite new. And I absolutely loved it.

*The science. And if you haven't read it, and aren't big on science, please don't let that scare you. No, this wasn't full of scientific facts and figures. But without beating one over the head, it beautifully emphasized the importance of science. And that's just something I feel passionate about. (Brief unimportant note: Though I thoroughly love Daphne, I am going to have to disagree with her a bit on her ranking of scientists. ;) )

*The humor. My goodness, but Sir Pratchett is a gifted man. Understatement, I know. As I was reading this, Rich asked me if it was a funny book. (He still has the experience of his first Terry Pratchett book to look forward to.) I tried to explain to him that, yes, it definitely was, but at the same time it was so deeply meaningful. He said, "So he's like Vonnegut?" I hadn't linked those two in my mind before that, and while they are very different writers, I was immediately drawn to the comparison. I know my reading experience is not nearly as broad as it is for many, but there are no two other authors I've read who so effectively use humor to express the most profound truths, to dig through the layers and get to what matters in this life.

*The depth. Yes, I found myself smiling, even giggling, throughout this book, I also found myself awed. I don't want to say too much and give anything away, but wow...this book just gets to the heart of being human. And while I smiled, I also cried. Sometimes over things so big it's hard to shrink them into mere words. Other times, what I cried over was easier to grasp. There was one short passage that so simply, and yet so heartbreakingly, conveyed the tragedy of colonialism that I just had tears streaming down my face. I guess what I mean to say is that if you read this book, be prepared to feel.

Hmmm...I just read over what I've written here. And while I stand by everything I've said, I know I haven't conveyed the sheer awesomeness of this book. Know that that is my fault, not the fault of the book itself.

And for other perspectives:

*Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
*Valentina at Valentina's Room
*Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
*Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
*Kailana at The Written World
*Bart from Bart's Bookshelf
*Shelley at ChainReading
*Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog
*Melissa at Book Nut
*Darla D at Books & Other Thoughts

If I missed your review, accept my sincere apologies. And then leave me a link in the comments, and I'll add it above. Thanks.

bits of babble

Perpetually behind. I have no plans of being buried and having a headstone, but if I were, I think those might be the words I'd choose for it. ;) Anyway, I figured that I ought to try to catch up a little bit on my babbling before the read-a-thon. You know, because after the read-a-thon, I'll have an enormous new pile of books to babble about. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Yeah, two does not qualify as an enormous pile, does it? This does make a nice diversion from cleaning the bathroom though.

Fax From Sarajevo: A Story of Survival by Joe Kubert.

While very different in so many ways, it is hard not be think of Art Speigelman's Maus when reading this book. For both chronicle the story of a family struggling to survive in the midst of atrocity. Both families the target of genocidal monsters, not because of anything they've done but simply because they exist. The books are actually quite different though. Both visually, and in the manner the stories are told.

Joe Kubert had long been friends with Ervin Rustemagic and his family, having first met decades ago at a European Cartoonists' Convention. During the 18-months his family is trapped in Sarajevo, Ervin finds his lifeline to the world outside through a fax machine. Joe and a few of Ervin's other friends from around the world read Ervin's story as it unfolds through these faxes. And they fight desperately through any means they can think of to rescue the Rustemagic family from the hell in which they are imprisoned.

The book tells their story through a variety of ways, through the faxes, through the art and words of the graphic novel story, through photos taken both before and during the siege, and through a chapter by chapter narrative included at the end of the book. This is both a personal family story, and the story of a city, a nation, a people caught in a web of human cruelty. Victims of ethnic cleansing. Are there any two uglier words in the English language than "ethnic cleansing"? I don't know, but perhaps "apathy" ranks right up there.

The Dead & the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

For a while, I wasn't actually sure if I wanted to read this book. Not because I didn't like the companion novel, Life As We Knew It, but because I liked it so much. I guess I was sort of leery about how Pfeffer could tell another story about 'the same event' and make it equally compelling. Well, she did! While the catalyst for devastation (an asteroid striking the moon and knocking it into a closer orbit to Earth) and the devastating events happening around the world are the same in each novel, the stories told in the books are most definitely not. And when I now stop and think about it, I realize there could be millions of stories written and none would be the same. Pfeffer did a wonderful job in both of these novels at making the stories feel real, feel authentic. In Life As We Knew It, we witnessed the survival of Miranda, a teenage girl in small town America; in The Dead & the Gone, we witness an entirely new set of struggles through the eyes of Alex, a teenage boy in New York City. Alex's parents are lost on the first night, and he is left to keep his two younger sisters safe. It's a story of family. A story of survival. A story of faith. A story of growth. It's terrifying, horrifying, emotional, and definitely hard to put down. And yes, not surprisingly, it had me blubbering like an idiot.

The Sandman: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman.

We begin with a family reunion of sorts. Destiny calls the Endless together so that events might take their proper course. Said events include Dream's return to hell to release his former love Nada, Lucifer's abandonment of hell, gods and demons visiting the Heart of the Dreaming to beg, threaten, and bribe...and so much more. All of this is told with such depth and intelligence that I again found myself in awe of Mr. Gaiman. I also found myself wishing that I had a little more of that depth and intelligence, because I'm sure there was even more to be gleaned from the book if I had had the insight.

I will be saddened when I reach the end of this series. And yet I'll be ever-so-happy as well, because I can then start it all over again. (And I somehow have this feeling that I may just enjoy it even more on the second time around. Though at the same time that seems impossible...how could I possibly enjoy it more?)

George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore.

This is one of those books I read because of Nick Hornby and those wonderful columns he wrote for The Believer. In his foreword to this book, Mr. Hornby guesses that the majority of people reading it have been in some way been touched by autism. That would be true of me; there is autism in our family, but I won't go into that for reasons of privacy. I'm not sure if that's the reason why I picked up this book. But I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone whether personally touched by autism or not.

Charlotte Moore is the mother of three sons, George, Sam, and Jake. George and Sam are autistic; Jake is not. Charlotte Moore is wonderfully engaging and intelligent. She's amazing. And I think part of why she's so amazing is that she probably doesn't see herself as so. It's hard not to try to imagine myself in her shoes...but when I did, I found myself horribly lacking. I think what I admired most, marveled at most, was her adaptability. She's forthright, honest even when it might be easier not to be. Most of all, she not only loves her children for who they are, she accepts and respects them for who they are. Maybe that sounds obviously simple. But face it, there are many parents who can't seem to manage that even without the challenges of autism in a family.

And while Moore definitely talks about the sometimes nearly overwhelming challenges, she also speaks of the joys. Moore discusses the scientific theories and whatnot, but she focuses very much on her own personal family story. And she speaks a great deal about the conclusions she's reached about various pieces of this vast autism puzzle. What she has to say is very illuminating. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed "getting to know" her wonderful sons. And I truly learned a great deal from this book.

There is just one small thing I want to mention, however. And it's not a criticism of the book. In fact, it doesn't have much to do with the book, except for the fact that it at one point raised these concerns in my head, concerns that I've dealt with many times. Moore is telling her story. She never says "this is exactly how it is for every person with autism." And I think it's important to remember that. In fact, she shares how very different George and Sam are from one another. But she does often compare their behavior to that of Jake, using Jake as the example of a neurotypical child who reaches all the milestones at the correct times, etc. And it was here that I wanted to say, "But just because your baby/child doesn't fit all these so-called "normal" standards, it doesn't mean that he has autism." And you know, I know that Moore knows that...as I said it's her family's story. The reason it even struck me was because as an infant, Gray was much more like her son George than he was like her son Jake. And Gray is not autistic. However, he has had other neurological problems, with seizures. And definite sensory issues. Maybe that's why there's this overlap. I don't know. My point being, that yes, I do understand why in watching a child's development it can be important to notice how and when they reach these milestones. It's just that I worry that sometimes people have too narrow a definition of "normal." It can be frustrating and heartbreaking to watch people try to apply a "label" to Gray, simply because he is different. From teachers to friends to relatives, most of whom I am confident were well-intentioned, we've gotten diagnoses ranging from ADHD to Asperger's to bipolar disorder. Our diagnosis, and the one that is supported by his doctors, is that he's Gray.

Oh crap...you know, in a way, I feel tempted to just delete that entire last paragraph. Because I in NO WAY want anyone to think I am minimizing the benefits of diagnosing autism early. Truly I'm not! Okay, how about I just shut up now, and tell you to just go read this book. :)


*****

Other opinions:

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews (The Dead & the Gone)
Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On (The Dead & the Gone)
Jimmy and J.Kaye at J.Kaye's Book Blog (The Dead & the Gone)
Jia at Dear Author (The Dead & the Gone)
NathanKP at Inkweaver Reviews (The Dead & the Gone)
The Reading Zone (The Dead & the Gone)
The Sleepy Reader (The Dead & the Gone)
Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin' Book Reviews (The Dead & the Gone)
Heather at Book Addiction (The Dead & the Gone)
Sharon at Shermeree's Musings (The Dead & the Gone)
Book Dweeb (The Dead & the Gone)
Bookshelves of Doom (The Dead & the Gone)
Fyrefly's Book Blog (The Absolute Sandman Vol. 2)
Jenny's Books (Season of Mists)

If you've reviewed one of the above books, and I've missed your review, please feel free to leave my a link in the comments, and I will happily add it to the list. Thanks!