#12 - "Indignation" by Philip Roth

I've read a couple books by Philip Roth now, including The Human Stain and American Pastoral. I think that Roth is a fantastic writer, and I am not the only one considering how many awards he's won. Indignation is Philip Roth's latest book, published just this September (2008).

Indignation tells the story of Marcus Messner, a young man who grew up in Newark, New Jersey working in his father's kosher butcher shop. The book is set in the early 1950's during the Korean War. When Marcus graduates from high school and starts attending a local city college, his father becomes unleashed and his unbearable overprotectiveness pushes his son away to a small liberal arts college in Ohio after only one year. The book covers just one semester that Marcus spends at Winesburg. The story deals with how Marcus relates to the very Christian and "proper" atmosphere of Winesburg after his youth in a Jewish neighborhood in Newark. It also deals with his first love, school, his relationship to his parents, and his relationship to other students and deans. And in the end, Marcus's life is transformed more by the acts of his country and unfortunate timing than anything that he actually has control over.

There's always something about Roth's books that seem to tie them together. I'm pretty sure I would be able to pick up any of Roth's books that I have not yet read and identify him as the author. Sometimes I feel like his books are deeply personal and I'm gaining insight into how Roth thinks and feels about the world. But then I also always feel like I'm missing something when I read them, but I can't put my finger on what it is. Even though his characters are well-developed and seem wholly believable, I don't think I've ever felt really connected to them. Maybe his characters are just so honest and realistic that it's difficult to read about them and hard to simply accept them.

In thinking about this book, I find it difficult not to compare it with On Chesil Beach, which I just recently read. Both books are written by men, award winning authors, about 200 pages long, and both books are tragic. In fact, the tragedy in both of these books stem from the smallest of actions and deeds taken or not that change the course of young peoples' lives. However, the feeling I got from these two books was completely different. I felt that On Chesil Beach was a book that was filled with love and lost chances. It was tragic, but also cathartic and almost a call to be closer and say the important things to the ones you care about. Indignation, on the other hand, was a much more negative, angry story, almost a shout of frustration to the powers that be about the suffering and loss their society has wrought. Perhaps the main difference is that the characters in On Chesil Beach, although they were unwittingly thrown into circumstances by others and the era they were living in, had the power to avoid their tragedy. But Marcus Messner, although he was also affected by others and the era, was simply dragged into the end of his story by an unreasonable society.

#11 - "Mars and Venus on a Date" by John Gray, Ph.D.

I definitely would not have read Mars and Venus on a Date by John Gray, "Ph.D" (1997) on my own. I'm pretty sure I read some or all of Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus back when it came out, and at the time I think I found it relatively interesting and insightful. I'm not sure if that's because of my relative inexperience at the time or if it was actually interesting and insightful, but I was not at all impressed by Mars and Venus on a Date. So, how this book came to be read by me was that a friend of a friend had said that this book was a "must read" for anyone who is dating.

Mars and Venus on a Date is based on the premise that men and women come from such different places when thinking, acting, or trying to relate to each other that it is helpful to understand these differences when interacting with the opposite sex. This book takes this premise and focuses on single men and women dating, forming relationships, and eventually getting engaged and married.

I guess I should focus on the positive aspects of the book first. Putting aside the difficulties of dealing with such massive generalizations of the sexes as Gray does, I found his thoughts on how men and women appreciate compliments differently, and the differences between what men and women look for and find most satisfying in relationships pretty interesting. I cannot say if he was right about how men think, but at least when he was talking about women, most of the time I could relate to how he said I would act and react while dating.

However, after about page 50, when I figured out the point of his book, I got tired of reading it when he continued to repeat his insights about the sexes over and over and over again. One of the later chapters is titled 101 Places to Meet Your Soul Mate. Gray had clearly gotten his point across earlier in his book when he explained that soul mates often have different interests, so to meet someone you might click with, it's good to try things things you don't have much interest in. That's relatively clear, I don't think an entire chapter of: if you don't like to ski, try skiing; if you don't like to camp, try camping; if you don't like eating out, then eat out; if you don't like eating in, then go to a market or a grocery store, etc., etc. First of all, a list of places to meet your "soul mate" has nothing to do with the differences between men and women, and secondly, Gray is truly insulting my intelligence if he has to write out 101 different sentences saying the same thing.

I can admit that Gray has apparently worked with couples forever and has a lot of experience and anecdotal evidence about how men and women relate to each other, but his generalizations without any kind of backing or specifics got kind of annoying. Why could he never tell me why men and women act a certain way? I suspect that it's because he doesn't actually know. It doesn't help that a lot of his comments and advice stem directly from somewhat conservative gender stereotypes. So, are men and women really like this, or is this how most men and women relate to eachother because of their cultural conditioning? No discussion. And even Gray has to admit that sometimes women are more like his description of Mars.

And even if I could buy his whole framework of men and women and dating, he wasn't specific enough to actually be helpful! He comes up with the five stages of dating that include: attraction, uncertainty, exclusivity, intimacy, and engagement. And he discusses if couples get to intimacy too quickly, then they don't have a good base for their relationship, which kind of makes sense. But how do we know what stage we're in? Or what stage we're supposed to be in? Or whether we're with the right person? Gray's answer to any question I would actually want answered is that we'll "know." You'll "know" when you're with the right person, you'll "know" when you're ready for intimacy, you'll "know" when to move on. And instead of discussing things I would actually find helpful or interesting, he went on and on about "soul mates" and "opening your heart to love." What is a soul mate exactly? I'm not even sure there is such a thing. As an example, here is the first paragraph that really turned me off this book. It doesn't help that Gray brings up God, seeing as how I'm kind of an atheist/agnostic.

"In spiritual terms, the desire to be married is our soul remembering the sacred promise we are here to keep. It is God's will within us being felt. When we fully commit ourselves to keeping that promise we align ourselves with God's will."

So, after having lost interest in this book, the last couple of chapters are about where to find your soul mate. After reading those chapters, I could not even take this book seriously anymore. "You can most effectively find a partner in places where women are dependent on you for a certain kind of support. Whenever there is a crisis in the community, a fire, flood, earthquake, storm, tornado, or hurricane, these are the best times for you to go out, be of service, and find a wife." Maybe I'm just jaded, but that last sentence made me laugh out loud. I obviously will not be reading any more of Gray's books. As for "relationship" books, I actually enjoyed reading "He's Just Not that Into You." Short, funny, and right on point. Very unlike this book.

#10 - "His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik is probably a novel that I would not have discovered on my own. I'm not anti-fantasy, but I don't search it out and I don't tend to read much of it without prompting. However, this Pajiba 100 contest has been exposing me to all kinds of books that look interesting and Prisco's review made it sound like I might like it, so I picked it up. His Majesty's Dragon is the first novel of a series. This first book was published in 2006. I was thinking the series was a trilogy, but now that I've done a little googling, it looks like there might eventually be nine books in the series. I guess I'm just going to have to read them all now that I've gotten started.

The two main characters in His Majesty's Dragon include Laurence, a navy captain of a ship who ends up unwittingly "adopting" Temeraire, a rare and talented dragon. The dragon is intelligent and well-spoken and is much more of a companion and comrade than a pet. The reader is introduced to this new world of dragons and aerial combat as Laurence himself is freshly brought into the Aerial Corps. England is at war with Napoleon's France, and the Aerial Corps is under a lot of pressure to successfully defend England against a French invasion.

I found this book to be a creative and fun read, and the relationship between the dragons and their "handlers" is nothing short of sweet. I mean, who wouldn't want their very own dragon, especially one that's strong, powerful, intelligent, and wholly devoted to you? I'm not a huge fan of stories based in war; I find them frustrating because I hate the waste and destruction that war brings, and I find them depressing. However, Novik's story has so much going on with the relationships between the people and dragons and the biases and attitudes of her society, that I did not feel overwhelmed by the war and the fighting. I'm glad I tried something a little different and although I did not find this book as enthralling or moving as, say, Harry Potter or Pullman's Dark Materials Series, I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the rest of the story.

#9 - "The Permanent Pain Cure" by Ming Chew, PT

I think I found The Permanent Pain Cure by Ming Chew when I was blindly searching through the public library's on-line catalog to see if there were any books on physical therapy. I had decided that the law was not the way to go and I would have a much more interesting and fulfilling life if I became a physical therapist. This interest stems in large part from the many different injuries that I deal with when I work out. It would be a million times cheaper and more efficient for me to simply fix myself. And the hands-on aspect of physical therapy sounds so much better than sitting in an office all day.

So, of the few choices my library offered, The Permanent Pain Cure--The Breakthrough Way to Heal Your Muscle and Joint Pain for Good, was one that apparently caught my eye, and I put it on hold. I almost didn't even bother picking it up, but seeing as that it was published in 2008, I figured at least it wouldn't be dated.

I have to admit that a straight read-through of this book was probably not the best way to go, but I did find some helpful information. A lot of what the author says, I agree with, including that surgery should be the last option and that stretching and strengthening can often fix what ails us. And he includes some stretches that I've tried and they feel pretty good.

Some of the problems I have with the "Ming Method" is the reliance on supplements. I don't take any kind of supplements, even vitamins. I try to eat a healthy, varied diet and get everything I need from that. I feel like every other year doctors are saying one supplement is good for you, then they realize that it doesn't really work because you're not ingesting it naturally, and then they realize that it actually does harm because it blocks something else in your body. I've decided that the safest bet is to avoid them altogether and just rely on natural foods to give you what you need in a way that your body can use properly.

Besides Ming's reliance on supplements, I had a couple other problems with the book. I think I'm being overly sensitive here, but his attitude towards women throughout the book slightly annoyed me. I just got the sense that he was discounting them. He mentioned numerous times how certain stretches would help a man's love life, but there was no discussion of women in this regard. Women are also given significantly lower weights and less reps in the strength training chapter. And I am fully aware that men have more testosterone than women and are capable of having more muscle and Ming says all the right things here, but I think quite often women are weaker than they need to be simply because they have lower expectations. How can women succeed at being strong and physical when they are constantly told they are weak and strength is not feminine? Finally, Ming states in the book that pregnant women should not do the spinal or fascial stretches without any kind of explanation. I know a lot of pregnant women who stretch and I cannot imagine that they are doing any harm to themselves or their baby. I feel like Ming just discounted pregnant women, cutting them out of the possibility of stretching because he's not interested in dealing with their unique issues. In fact, I feel like his book is mainly focused toward out-of-shape, middle-aged men, which is fine, but doesn't particularly appeal to me.

The other couple of problems I had deal with the actual layout of the book. I found the descriptions of the book often repetitive and difficult to follow. More pictures with direction underneath would have been much more helpful. I was also not impressed by the photo of Ming doing the "air squat" exercise. The book states that you should squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, yet the picture of Ming doing this exercise shows his thighs a good way up from parallel. Bad squat form is another pet peeve of mine, and I wish the book had a better example when it is supposedly "teaching" people how to do it correctly.

I did get something out of this book, though, and I am going to hold onto this book for a little while longer until I get used to some of the stretches that seem to do me some good.

#8 - "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe

There were a couple of reasons that I picked up Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, a classic tale of adventure first published way back in 1719. The first was that a television show called "Crusoe" is just coming out and I had been inundated by commercials, which made me more aware of the name and interested in the source material. The second reason is that my local library has a little "classics" section that holds all those old, famous books in a couple of shelves for my easy perusal. I've already read Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe because of this classics section and when I wandered over there again, Robinson Crusoe stood out and I grabbed it.

Robinson Crusoe is a man who lived by himself on a mostly deserted island for 28 years before finding his way back to England. I guess it's first important to note that the television show probably only took the name and the idea of an island from the book and made up the rest because there is no way to reconcile the commercials I've been seeing on television with the actual book. I'm too lazy to watch the actual show, but I'm pretty sure it's not worth it anyway. But there are no women in the book until a couple sentences at the end that says he married, had some kids, and then his wife died. A romance this book is not.

First off, on the whole I liked this book. Sure, the narrator rambled on and on and there often wasn't much plot to follow, and it took forever to get on the island, but Crusoe is a pretty likable character and he tells his story in such an honest way that reveals his struggles, loneliness, and life that it wasn't hard for me to finish this book.

Another interesting point is Crusoe's take and discussions on religion that go throughout the entire book. I have to admit--not being religious myself--at times it got a little tiresome to hear some more thanking God for his precious gifts, etc., etc. On the other hand, it was clear that Crusoe received a lot of comfort from his growing interest in God and religion, and it clearly helped him with his solitude. And there were such honest reflections about God that were enlightening to read. Crusoe's interest in God grew along with his hopelessness of being on the island. He wouldn't have looked to God or made him such an important part of his musings if he still had a comfortable life. Crusoe also made some points about how priesthoods were fake and that all the little differences in belief and religion weren't all that important and that all one really needed was a bible and some private study. I think some of these religious points are clearly biased in favor of English Protestantism and against the Spanish Catholics and the Inquisition, but I still thought they were somewhat insightful.

Finally, in a number of ways, Robinson Crusoe is truly dated. Crusoe, as likable and perceptive as he is, is clearly a product of his time. He waxes on about the horrors of his sins and how he defied his father and went to sea, but he is not concerned at all with the fact that he has slaves, lives on slave labor back in England, and was going to fetch slaves when he found himself shipwrecked. His "servant," the "savage" Friday, he converts to Christianity and brings him to England, without even mentioning that Friday was never able to say good-bye to his father who had recently been on the island. Crusoe is so comfortable with this master/servant relationship that he never even ponders the morality of it. Crusoe also kills some animals for sport, which has always been a pet peeve of mine. He discusses how inhuman it was for the Spanish to murder the indigenous people in South America, which I was a little surprised at because that's what the English and French were doing in North America. I think now, though, that this was more of Defoe's anti-Spanish bias and not so much a concern for the indigenous people. But even though he clearly thought more of the Christian white men, he did refrain from murdering the "savages" that came to his island, knowing that it would be wrong and leaving it up to God to punish them for their cannibalism.

All in all, I'm glad I read this book, even if it is to just discredit a bad television show.

#7 - "Othello" by William Shakespeare

So, Othello by William Shakespeare obviously isn't a book or novel, but a famous play, and probably one I should have read a long time ago. I bought the book for super cheap at a bookstore but only now, years later and unemployed, am I finding time to read it. I realize that Othello doesn't exactly conform to the Pajiba rules of reading books, but seeing as how I don't really care, I'm going to write about it anyways.

And once I got into it, it certainly held my interest, but mainly because the characters were so annoying. I guess that's often the thing with tragedies, especially tragedies fueled by human action, because people have to act stupid or the tragedies wouldn't occur. Both Othello and Desdemona annoyed me. Othello declares that he loves Desdemona and he loves her so much he goes crazy with jealousy, but he doesn't trust her, he doesn't discuss any of his problems with her, he doesn't listen to her, and he doesn't even ask her if she's cheating on him. That's not anything close to love. It's just jealous possession and it's not flattering. And then Desdemona is a wimpering little fool. Her husband yells at her and hits her and she never stands up for herself and she never gets mad at him. If she had any self respect, she wouldn't put up with that kind of treatment.

And then of course, Iago, is just a pure villain. It's hard for me to believe that people realistically live like that, but his treacherous ways certainly made the play captivating to read. And the play shows that Iago is moved by jealousy. When discussing why his rival, Cassio, needs to die, Iago says, "He hath a daily beauty in his life That makes me ugly;" Well said, Shakespeare.

Emilia is my favorite character. She is Cassio's wife and to me the only sane character in the entire play. She could jump right into a play in the 21st century and her character would fit. Here is my favorite speech of hers from Act IV, Scene 3 where Emilia sounds like a rising feminist.

Yes, a dozen; and as many to th' vantage as
would store the world they played for.
But I do think it is their husbands' faults
If wives do fall. Say that they slack their duties
And pour our treasures into foreign laps;
Or else break out in peevish jealousies,
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,
Or scant our former having in despite -
Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace,
Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know
Their wives have sense like them. They see, and smell,
And have their palates both for sweet and sour,
As husbands have. What is it that they do
When they change us for others? Is it sport?
I think it is. And doth affection breed it?
I think it doth. Is't frailty that thus errs?
It is so too. And have not we affections,
Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?
Then let them use us well; else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.

Right as I am writing this post I am wondering what to do about a guy that obviously does not care much for me. He, of course, does not resemble Othello in any real way. But I am afraid that I have lowered my expectations so much that I don't feel like I deserve anything from him, and I don't think it's healthy. Perhaps I should try to be stronger than Desdemona and stand up for myself. But I also don't want to lose him, as little as it is. Alas, I don't think Shakespeare has any answers for me, but if I ever run into a jealous, violent lunatic, I will now know to stay away.

#6 - "Introduction to Sports Medicine & Athletic Training" by Robert C. France

Introduction to Sports Medicine & Athletic Training by Robert C. France was published in 2004 and is a full on text book for a high school or intro college course. I picked this book and waded my way through the over 600 pages in order to see if I might be interested in a career in physical therapy. The book was split up into three different sections including: introduction to sports medicine and athletic training; roles and responsibilities in athletic training; and the longest and most interesting section, which was injury assessment and management. At times the book was overly simplistic and at times it just got a little boring, but on the whole, I found it pretty interesting and informative, and I'm glad that I read it.

If I could rewind my life and do my education over again, perhaps I should have gone to school with the idea of becoming a physical therapist rather than a lawyer. But fast forward ten years and here I am sitting here with a law degree and a lot of student debt. I have the means to make money and there are things about the law that I like. Should I take the plunge, at least triple my debt, and go back to school once again? I don't think I possibly can at the moment. And even if I were brave enough to take that kind of risk, how do I know this interest will last? I do tend to have very intense interests about new topics until I learn a certain amount about them and then my interest starts to wane. Perhaps I should let go of my fanciful dreams of going to school forever and somehow avoiding this rat race where we all seem to find ourselves once we give up on our idealistic notions of life from our childhood.

I kind of feel like Peter Pan because I'm not looking forward to growing up and gaining responsibility. I wouldn't mind staying in the college mindset forever. But if I'm going back to the law, I need to find a specialty, stick with it, and really improve myself. Idling in neutral isn't helping me fulfill my dreams and it's not doing me any good. Perhaps this is a sign that I'm starting to be ready to be a responsible adult.

#5 - "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan

I don't even know where to begin with this novel. On Chesil Beach, published in 2007, is the fourth book of Ian McEwan's that I have read. I started with Saturday after spotting it at the bookstore. I then read Atonement when the movie came out, and then Amsterdam because I think I had heard that it won some prizes or something. I've always found Ian McEwan's books fascinating to read. He writes in such explicit detail, creating completely believable characters whose actions and motivations are so clearly defined that it's like they're real. I have to admit, though, I didn't like the end of Amsterdam. The characters just seemed to jump too far, too fast, and I couldn't understand why they would do such a thing or how that was realistic.

On Chesil Beach is a short novel, only 200 small pages that follow Edward and Florence on their wedding night in England. McEwan is able to seamlessly tie in background about these two characters, discussion about their family, how they met, and their trip to the altar as their wedding night slowly unfolds. Edward is a young virgin, horny all the time, and eager more than anything for his wedding night. His only fear is that he will get too excited and come too quickly. Florence, on the other hand, is disgusted by sex and is dreading her wedding night like she's never dreaded anything before. But she loves Edward and doesn't want to let him down. What we discover is that Florence was sexually abused by her father, but she has repressed this so deeply, that even if she were comfortable talking about sex with Edward, she couldn't discuss it with him.

On Chesil Beach reminded me a lot of Atonement. The whole time I was reading, the tension was building, and I was sure something was going to go wrong. The whole story was moving and tragic, with no clean summations, or characters finally understanding each other, or anyone getting their deserved comeuppance. And just a change in circumstances, some changed words, or a different time could have made all the difference. I think that's what makes this book so sad, because McEwan almost shows the beginnings of how they could have made it through.

#4 - "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan

In Defense of Food written by Michael Pollan and published in 2008 appears to be something of a follow-up book to The Omnivore's Dilemma, which I read not too long ago after spotting it while browsing in The Tattered Cover. So when I saw this new, much thinner book by Pollan, I wanted to read what else he had to say on the subject.

In Defense of Food is a quick overview of Pollan's learned opinion of what kinds of food are healthiest and what foods we should be eating. This isn't any kind of diet guide and it's certainly doesn't give specific directions, but instead states general guidelines that should make Americans healthier. Pollan isn't a scientist and although he seems well-informed on his subject, it seems as though his conclusions are coming from common sense more than any factual or scientific backing. But his conclusions are persuasive and, in my opinion, correct, and it is refreshing to read a book on healthy eating that doesn't get bogged down in the fad diets of today.

The first seven words pretty much sum up all of his advice. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." It is clear, concise, and incredibly helpful. I can just imagine how better off the American population would be if they could just take it to heart. Pollan makes the point that nutrition scientists and the food industry have a vested interest in having the American public confused about what is good and what is bad to eat when it's really not that complicated. I think this is also true in the diet industry. There are a million commercials, magic pills, and secret diets that makes people think that dieting is some complicated scientific endeavor that they could never do on their own when the truth is that losing weight is incredibly simple. Eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight. Making it more complicated only muddles matters and distracts from what should be the main focus.

I enjoyed this book and certainly agreed with some of his "rules" printed throughout the book, including: Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup; Avoid food products that make health claims; Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle; and Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (as in, go to farmers markets, not go out to eat).

My only complaint is that in parts of the book I felt that Pollan was getting bogged down in the very nutrition science that he is complaining about. Pollan acknowledges this and I guess it is inevitable as it is the only information we have about the healthfulness of our foods, but you can find a study saying anything, so I find studies on food somewhat tedious to read about.

For some reason I find these books about food incredibly interesting. I first read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which influenced me enough to buy a breadmaker that I now use exclusively. Then I read Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma, which I also enjoyed and probably those two books encouraged me to cut down on some of the processed foods I was eating, although I was already eating a pretty healthy diet. And now with this book, I think my resolution will be to cut down even more on processed foods, try to cook and bake more of my own food and see how far I can go. I'm not much of a grower, but if I were and had some land, I would totally grow a garden. But my specific plans are a little less grand and a little more realistic. I have decided to switch to bulk oatmeal instead of the Kashi packages of oatmeal. Just one ingredient and cheaper too! Baby steps.