What? A new Post?

Hey everyone! I've finally managed to wrap my head around a new book. Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer. And it's pretty true to it's name: it's all about eating animals. Or, more specifically, the animal farming business. And holy shit, was it disgusting.

I received this book from some very well-intentioned people, but I don't think they quite knew how disturbing this book would be. I actually couldn't even finish it. Foer was so blatantly animalistic (pun intented) in his promotion of a vegetarian lifestyle, and so dead-set on blasting any supporter of meat-eating that I was constantly feeling guilty for even buying grass-fed, humanely treated/slaughtered meat. In fact, he goes so far as to say that the meat that we eat is "tortured flesh." I mean, come on, thanks for the visual!

Now, I have to be fair here. Jonathan started off the book as any author who is attempting to uncover the dirty secrets (and I'll admit, it's pretty dirty) of factory farmed animals. He starts with statistics about how 75 million people get food poisoning from factory farmed animal meats, and how we're pumping ourselves full of the growth hormones and other crap that the animals we're eating are being dosed on. But then he gets into the scary shit, like how animals have been bred beyond the ability to reproduce sexually, how animals are deprived of their natural foods in order to promote faster growth rates, and how most, if not all, animals are diseased in some way. Basically, that any chicken you get from Tyson or Perdue probably was hyped up on antibiotics, or the eggs you bought from Stop and Shop were produced from a chicken that was being conditioned to longer days, smaller amounts of feed and not alot of space so that they can lay more eggs. And that chicken was also confined to a space smaller than an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper for its entire life. And don't even get me started about the pigs and the cows. It was because of how graphically he described the slaughter house for beef that I stopped reading the book, close to vomiting/crying on the T on my way home from work. It's taken me weeks just to get the nerve to write about this book, for crissakes.

So, I get it. He doesn't think we should eat meat. Or he doesn't think we should eat factory farmed meat, but that humanely raised meat is ok? Or he also doesn't think that humanely raised meat is even humanely raised because even though they were grass fed, they had to be shipped off to a slaughter house, plumped up on grain for a month and then shot through the head with a bolt? A la that movie with the two old guys out in Texas? Foer's message is so convoluted, and he contradicts himself so many times in the book, that it's hard for me to get a clear idea on what he himself thinks, which is why I've created a list of things I learned from this book:

1. All factory farmed meat from animals: fish, cows, pigs, chickens, etc is tortured flesh.

2. All of those animals are also fed tons of antibiotics, often tortured by the sadistic workers at said factory farms, and are forced to feed on foods not natural to their evolutionarily derived diet.

3. Many of those animals are mutilated to prevent cannibalism, or suicide. (This was the hardest stuff to read about)

4. He visits farms that allow their animals to live natural, happy lives, but often finds ways to throw these people under the bus because "cage-free" "free-range" and "humanely raised" aren't "legally defined" terms that can be backed up by case law/legal regulations

5. The FDA doesn't visit these factory farms at all, and often because the lobby is so huge in D.C.

6. Hotdogs are bad.

7. He wanted to write this book to talk about the discoveries he made while trying to figure out how to feed his newborn son, and to educate people about the truths behind the animal meat industry in America. Cute.

8. While doing that, he manages to alienate his reader because his "altruism" quickly turns into "I'm better than you because I'm a vegetarian." Not cute.

9. I still can't tell what it is this book was supposed to be about: was it an expose on the animal farms? Was it supposed to tell people to be a vegetarian? I hate books that have a "I'm only telling you one side of the story, and YOU decide for yourself." Pick a fucking side already, buddy.

10. THis guy has no sense of humor.

Ok. While I still try each and every day to stop thinking about the grisly descriptions in this guys book, I'm still left with very little information about what is a good way to choose the most-humanely raised meat I can find. I love meat. I won't give it up. It's a wonderful source of protein for me, and since I'm in training, I need lots of it. I also don't want to eat antibiotics or hormones in my meat because I'm 24 and I'm going have babies within the next 5-6 years and I want to be as healthy as possible. But I know that being a vegetarian takes a bit more thought and prep than being an omnivore does, and I'd rather spend more time at the gym or outside than trying to figure out how to soak beans for some kind of bean loaf or something. So, when I received this book as a gift, I thought "Great! A book about the industry, this will be awesome. OK, so he doesn't eat meat himself, this should provide an interesting point of view. Hopefully he'll come across some farms that are raising meat the old-fashioned way, and I can learn more about that!"

Au contraire, mon frere. Totally not the case. It was one page after the other, each page more distressing than the past. Nieman Farms? The forerunner of humanely-raise meat? Yea, apparently in Foer's opinion not so much. And why? Because they have to bring their animals to a slaughter house that kills the animals the same way a factory farm would. Same with any other small, family run farm that sells meat that was raised organic, naturally, humanely, etc. There is no winning with this guy! I'd hate to be his wife. I mean just look at him! Talk about a smug bastard.

All I can say about this book is: beware. If you are a vegetarian and want more back-up for why you've chosen to drop meat off of your plates, go ahead and read it, you'll find it. But if you're an omnivore like me, hoping for an informational discourse on the benefits of humanely-raised animals and how they compare to one another - and more importantly, support for why spending an extra $3 per pound for ground turkey is justified - you'll be sorely disappointed.

The Historian: The Best Vampire/Historical Fiction Book Ever

After much prodding and ridiculing on the part of MD, I've gotten back on the proverbial horse and have another review for you. In hindsight, I've really enjoyed writing this blog. I like having a space where I can get up on my soapbox and expound on what I like about books, and what I dislike. I might even have to have a few rants, like what JF does. (Because sometimes you just need to get some things off of your chest). But I've found that when I start reading a book that I want to blog about, I find myself 100 pages in to the book and I haven't been able to put it down. I'm a voracious reader -- I can read in all different environments -- cars, airplanes and airports, the T, in a room with 10 other people. In fact, that's what I would do during my family trips to my paternal grandparents house. I would get a new book (or five) for Christmas, and then plant myself on the couch for three days reading. Dogs would bark, my little brother would try to distract me, music would be played, conversations would be had all around me at all different sound levels. But when I start reading, I'm transported into the world that the author has woven for me. It's as if I'm there, in the action, feeling the pain and jubilation of all the characters as they go through the story. Ken Follet's World without End and Pillars of the Earth are two of my favorite books because they weave the lives of characters throughout an entire lifetime.

So, my conundrum is that I read too fast and find myself having issues taking time away from when I could be reading, so that I can write the blog. Oh well. Hopefully I'll get better about it.

I read The Historian a few weeks ago, and am still lusting after it, and I plan to re-read it (which, for me, is the mark of a good book). It was a whirlwind, roller coaster ride of a novel, heavily based in historical fact that illustrates a world so much different, so much more raw, then what I live in today. In short, the story is about a girl, whose name is never given, who learns through her father that Dracula, i.e. Vlad the Destroyer, i.e. the Transylvannian king who loved staking his entire kingdom and who managed to become undead, is still alive and still very much active.

Her father tells her the story of when he was a graduate student, he received a book with a stamped dragon in it. Subtle clues lead him to believe, and discover, that Dracula is behind the leaving of this strange book, and begins a round the world chase to find him and stop him from killing a close friend, whom Dracula kidnapped. I can't give too much away because my handsome boyfriend is currently reading it and he may break up with me if I reveal too much, so I will do my best to share with you my overall impressions of the book, rather than divulge too much detail.

For starters, I saw this book on the shelves about a year ago, and was unimpressed with the back page summary. When I flew down to Baltimore for Christmas 2009, however, I needed a book and so I went to the Borders in Logan Airport. Chance (or was it fate?) lead me to find The Historian on the top shelf, and my curiosity was piqued when I saw it was an international bestseller. Well, if the world thinks its a good book, I might as well try it out. I read the first 90 pages on the flight down and was stunned. I was exhilarated by the vivid imagery of Communist Europe, and the fast-paced, heart-pounding race to stop Dracula.

What I was most impressed with was the author's use of primary documents that were sprinkled throughout the book, reproduced in whole, that supported the fictitious storyline. It was masterful. I felt I was actually learning something! The author was also very true to the "real" vampire lore -- none of this shiney-in-sunlight, or "vegetarian" vampire stuff.

One final note about this book: it scared the living daylights out of me. I'm a pretty big scaredy cat as it is, and so as I was drawn deeper and deeper into the story I found myself more and more scared. (A note: my boyfriend is not as much of a scaredy cat as me, and even he is scared as he goes through the book). I would look out the window warily, wondering if there was something out there, lurking, watching. For the last 200 pages of the book, I couldn't even bring myself to put the book down. I was addicted to the book, but with each passing page I got more and more terrified that Dracula would come and get me. I stayed up until 1 AM reading until I finally finished the book (that is waaay past my bedtime) and when I was turning off the light, my heart was pounding through my chest as the dark descended over my covers.

My vote: Read this book. You won't regret it. But make sure you have time to devote to reading it, because you'll find it very hard to put down.

De-Sidetracking Myself

It's been quite a while since my last post, and I blame partly myself, but partly my choice of book, that I haven't posted. "The Island at the Center of the World" presented a unique challenge to me in that it's a non-fiction book that outlines a very long, complicated history. I've finished the book, and have recorded a brief review below. I think from now on I'll stick to fiction books. It's much easier to want to review fiction than write a book report.

I finished reading "The Island at the Center of the World" by Russell Shorto. In short, it was a well written tome of endless information. For a non-fiction work, it kept me riveted and excited to turn the next page. I learned a great deal about the history of New York, when it was known as New Amsterdam. What I found most interesting is that, as it does today, New Amsterdam was open to people of many different races, religions, and creeds. It represented a haven for the oppressed and poor; a place to start over. The island of Manhattan was a lush, verdant paradise of hardwood and softwood forests, teeming with wildlife and streams and rivers that were overflowing with fish, shellfish, and most importantly, beavers. It provided a welcome opportunity for individuals from many different walks of life -- it has been calculated that one married couple, a prostitute and a pirate, have sired over 1 million people -- to create families, businesses, and dynasties.

The Native Americans were respected allies and were included in many trade and political agreements. They also helped the Dutch secure a stronghold on the beaver pelt trade while New Amsterdam was in the hands of the Dutch government (which is very confusing at that time-- the Government comprised of smaller Dutch states). By the time the English took over New Amsterdam, though, the beaver population was largely depleted, and the relationship with the Native Americans had soured.

Here is a link to a recent NY Times article that talks about the man who has translated the documents "The Island at the Center of the World" is based upon. It does a much better job than I ever could at describing the work of Charles Gehrig, someone who is fluent in an extinct form of Dutch and who has been translating documents in the basement of the New York Library for 35 years. NYTIMES

My next book that I will review (I've already devoured it) is "The Historian." It's a fantastic book. Look for a post in the next few days.

Back from a Break

Faithful Readers,

First off, I apologize for the long lapse between posts. I've been extraordinarily busy with work and play, and have not found time to sit down to begin blogging about The Island at the Center of the World. I hope that, over the next few days when I'm in Baltimore, I'll be able to find a few hours to sit down here and there to update you on the progress I've made in the book. Trust me, you'll want to check back often, because this book is off the hook.

Before I begin with an initial background on what this book is about, I'd like to share with you an anecdote from my yester years. I was eleven when I started at St. Paul's School for Girls. I received a pretty hefty packet of summer assignments a few days after I graduated from fifth grade, and one of those assignments was to make a brochure for a town in colonial America. I wanted so badly to impress my new classmates (some of whom I hoped would look past the braces, glasses, and acne and see me for the cool, hip kid that I was), so I worked really hard on this project. For whatever reason, I equated a cool American History class assignment with having lots of friends- needless to say I can share with you now that I was quickly labeled a nerd. (Never fear- I made some amazing friends that I still keep in touch with today - but my little eleven year-old self was shocked that a cool history project did NOT equal lots of friends).

Well, I chose to do my history project, a travel brochure, on New Amsterdam. See, my friends, I was born in Manhattan. Mt. Sinai Hospital, to be exact, in the middle of a huge thunderstorm, at exactly 4 p.m. But I digress. I was proud of my birthplace and where I grew up (until I moved to MD when I was seven), and I wanted to share with my new classmates the fact that I was a worldly, unique gal whom they should all immediately be-friend. Well, I went all out on this project, and received an A++!! I learned about the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam, and their relatively productive relationships with the Native Americans- until the English beat their butts and the Dutch lost control of what would become what and some might say the most powerful and important city in the world.

That is, in a nutshell, what The Island at the Center of the World, is all about. You might say the author, Russell Shorto, stole his idea from my sixth grade travel brochure, but I'll go ahead and give him this one. Shorto, a writer whose sentences are both intelligent, educating, and freaking hilarious, has based the entire 325-page book on documents that have been largely ignored since the British took control of the island. These documents, all primary sources comprising of diary entries, letters to stock holders, and observations of explorations, were found in the basement of some building or another, written in a largely extinct form of Dutch, and are in the process of being translated by a Dr. Gehrig. They describe a colony that was formed by one of the most powerful colonial companies of the age: the Dutch West India Trading Company. The colony, New Amsterdam, and it's subsequent outposts, were bastions of cultural inclusion and freedom of expression, much like the country from whence they were founded. Native American relations were not strained; in fact, the colony probably survived and thrived because of the strong relations with the Native American tribes in the area. In short, it was everything that New England and Virginia (the two other culturally and historically relevant colonies) were not. But more on that later.

I'm almost halfway through the book now, but I need to break up my posts chapter by chapter. The first installment is about Henry Hudson: a man who inevitably paved the way to the colonization of the west of America. Check back soon for that post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Book Number 2

I've chosen to read The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto, on the advice of my grandmother (hi Mimi!). It is the "epic" tale of New Amsterdam, as New York was previously known as prior to the English takeover of the colony. Shorto wrote this book based on recently uncovered and translated primary sources from the early days of the Dutch colony.

I'm very excited to read the book - I was born and raised until I was seven in New York, and I still visit my grandma up in Troy a few times a year. The state, and the city, holds some of my very favorite memories growing up, and I'm looking forward to learning more about my birthplace.

The Final Chapters of Persuasion

Sorry for the delay in posting. I was incommunicado this weekend up in Vermont, and was unable to find a good block of time to dedicate to writing this blog. I finished Persuasion in the hills of Vermont, as rain pelted down on the roof of the small home I was visiting. The landscape reminded me exactly of what England must have looked like in Persuasion: misty hills, dark and mysterious forests. I was reading the book in front of a fire, and surrounded by close friends - very similar to how Anne must have spent her days. The setting couldn't have been more perfect.

Well, the last time we talked Anne had made it to Lyme. Well, not much happens of note for a few pages. Anne visits her friend, Mrs. Smith (the one who had that great outlook on life), and finds out that a rumor has traveled far and fast that Anne was going to marry William Elliot. Anne heartily disagrees, saying that she wouldn't marry him; we all know it's because she's in love with C. Wentworth. Mrs. Smith then goes on to dish that William Elliot was best friends with her late husband; in fact, William was a poor man who used Mrs. Smith and her husband on his way up the social ladder. Even more surprising, William shared with Mrs. Smith some thoughts and feelings about his own inheritance, saying that "no way would I ever want to have the Elliot name" (I'm paraphrasing there). Even MORE surprising: William forced Mrs. Smith into poverty! Although, at this point, I don't really find this surprising; William is a sneaky jerk - and we find out that he was only interested in Anne so that he could keep an eye on Mrs. Clay (the lady who was going after Sir Elliot, Anne's father). Oy vey.

So with that plot line petering out, we move on to the real juicy gossip: Anne and C. Wentworth end up together, and totally in love. In fact, we find out that C. Wentworth had always been in love with Anne and hadn't loved anyone else since their fateful split eight years prior. C. Wentworth tells Anne that he still loves her after overhearing Anne discussing the difference between men and women in relationships. Her quote is below.

"I hope I do justice to all that is felt by you, and by those who resemble you [a third party man]. God forbid that I should undervalue the warm and faithful feelings of any of my fellow-creatures. I should deserve utter contempt if I dared to suppose that true attachment and constancy were known only by woman. No, I believe you capable of every thing great and good in your married lives. I believe you equal to every important exertion, and to every domestic forbearance, so long as --if I may be allowed the expression, so long as you have an object. I mean, while the woman you love lives, and lives for you. All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one; you need not covet it) is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone."

Then C. Wentworth slips Anne a hastily written note that says, and I'm paraphrasing: "I love you so much, I offer myself to you again, don't say man forgets sooner than woman because I've been loving you for eight years and haven't loved anyone else."

So, Anne and C. Wentworth live happily ever after. They had loved one another for eight years apart, and now get to spend the rest of their lives together. Yay!

Final Analysis

All in all, I thought this book was great. The language slowed me down at first, and led me to grade this book at a "B" because of the fact that most people in the year 2009 would have a hard time relating, or even understanding, it. [Which is unfortunate, but we can move on]. I felt very smart reading the book on the T into work every morning. I [somewhat] smugly turned my nose up to the people reading Jodi Picoult or Stephanie Meyer books, but then felt pretty bad about it; people pick books to read for the entertainment factor, not to feel smart. Everyone has their own standards for what constitutes entertaining, though. I've read both Jodi and Stephanie - easy reads, and pretty entertaining. However, for me, a book is truly entertaining when it challenges me by stretching my mental dictionary, teaches me about new theories and eras, and expands my greater appreciate for the written word.

Books have a fabulous history. There were book stores in Lyon, in the first century BC. Libraries were in existence as early as 377 AD. To possess books was to show your wealth, and your knowledge. Your wealth, because you could pay a tutor to teach you to read, and your knowledge because you could read them. Books really started to have an impact on the development of societies, cultures, and governments when the movable type printing press was invented in the 15th century, when the rich and landed nobility had access to centuries of knowledge from philosophers, poets, and writers. Persuasion is a novel that I feel can have an impact on those who choose to read it. It may not be as lyrical and empowering the Illiad. It may not be as socially relevant or philosophically enlightening as Jean Jacques Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality. But Jane Austen's Persuasion is a novel that still touched and moved me, and because of the beautiful imagery and colorful and deep characters Austen drew for me, Persuasion re-inspired not only my love of reading novels, but my hope and faith in the power of writing. I hope that some of you out there will choose to pick up Persuasion and see for yourselves.

Chapter 11-17

This portion had the most riveting and page-turning action I've read in the entire book. I couldn't put the book down it was that good. I'll save my commentary for the end, once we've all had a chance to digest the plot twists.

Chapter 11 starts off with the entire household of young adults adventuring to Lyme to meet C. Wentworth's old Navy buddies. The chapter starts off with Austen stating: "The young people were all wild to see Lyme." I immediately visualized one of those National Geographic documentaries about a pack of predatory animals taking down an ungulate, and anyone who was standing in their way was the proverbial ungulate. So the crew, including Anne, Mary and Charles, Louisa, Henrietta, Charles Hayter, and C. Wentworth take off in a moment of wild abandon to visit Lyme and meet C. Wentworth's friends. The rest of the chapter continues on boring-ly enough until Austen introduces a Captain Benwick character, a widower (well, not exactly -- he had been engaged to this lady when he was called away to the war; while he was away she died, and he's been quiet and strange since) who takes great comfort in speaking with Anne about books and poetry. It seems as though C. Benwick likes Anne very much.

Chapter 12 continues with Anne and Henrietta taking a brief pre-breakfast stroll and happened upon C. Wentworth and Louisa on their pre-breakfast walk. They all decided to turn back for breakfast when Anne literally ran into a gentleman. This guy checked out Anne pretty thoroughly, (I believe Austen used the phrase: "he looked at her with a great degree of earnest admiration") apologized, and continued on his way. Anne then ran in to him again at the Inn she was staying at in Lyme; he was also lodging there, but he left before she had the chance to properly introduce herself. It was then decided, by Mary (that most horrid of creatures, she really makes my skin crawl), that this gentleman was none other than Mr. Elliot, the heir-presumptive of Sir Elliot, and Anne's cousin! The very man who turned down Elizabeth, Anne's sister, so very rudely! Unfortunately, Mr. Elliot took off in his "curricle" before anyone could flag him down. (That's a pretty manly means of travelling, wouldn't you agree?)

The page-turning action occurs in the very same chapter during the young people's last walk along the cliffs of Lyme. Louisa, being a dainty woman, needed help down the stiles that spotted the landscape. C. Wentworth would allow her to jump into his arms to help her down. In what I can only imagine to be a hugely awkward and poorly coordinated maneuver on Louisa's part, she jumped too soon (or C. Wentworth wasn't ready in time, I can't really tell) and she hit her head and feel in to a coma!! You read that right! The little dolt hit her head and suffered a major contusion to her brain. Needless to say, Henrietta and Mary freaked out. Anne was the only person who maintained her senses. She sent for a surgeon and help to carry Louisa back in to the city proper. Louisa turned out to be OK (just a little athletically-slow), and took her sweet time recovering.

Now Anne's time with the Musgrove's at Uppercross is limited. As you may recall, Lady Russell was to come and collect Anne on her way down to Bath, so Anne could reunite with her other miserable family members. So Anne reluctantly leaves the Musgrove's and makes her appearance in Bath, and is promptly inserted into Sir Elliot's, Elizabeth's, and Mrs. Clay's House of Craziness. All the three of them have been doing is figuring out how best to insert themselves into the relatively bustling society of Bath. They have more calling cards than they can count and count themselves among the premier families in the area. Anne (and the reader) has the pleasure of learning all about who Elizabeth, Mrs. Clay, and Sir Elliot have been meeting and what they think of them. And, to add another interesting plot twist, Mr. Elliot, that lowest-of-low and ungrateful heir-presumptives, had the nerve to show his face. But, noting Mr. Elliot a hugely wealthy and newly single (by seven months...the mourning period is almost over), and the added fact that he has taken an interest in coming around and treating Sir Elliot with the "respect" he deserves, Elizabeth and Sir. Elliot see no reason to keep him at an arm's length. That and the fact that he's single. To add to the insanity, some royal family relations, "cousins", the Lady Dalrymple (I always think her name is Dimple) comes to Bath and then Sir Elliot and Elizabeth fall all over themselves again to try to get in with them. Which, inevitably, they do. All of this action takes place over a number of chapters.

Anne, in an effort to escape the travesty that is her family, has decided to meet up with an old school acquaintance, and I found that this side story demonstrates Austen's magnificent writing skills in the best light. The friend has suffered from a great deal of pain and tragedy: the husband, who was rich, died and left her with an astounding amount of debt, and the stress of it all caused her to come down with rheumatic fever, which leaves her partially crippled. Talk about being dealt a bad hand. But Austen described this woman's fortitude with such eloquence that I had to re-write it here for you to enjoy:

"A submissive spirit might be patient, a strong understanding would supply resolution, but here was something more; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from Nature alone. It was the choicest gift of Heaven; and Anne viewed her friend as one of those instances in which, by a merciful appointment, it seems designed to counter-balance almost every other want."

Isn't that beautiful? I believe this passage shows Austen at her best, and which makes me consider Anne to be quite an intuitive and emotionally-healthy being, despite the fact that she was raised by a most vapid man. Anne was lucky to have known her mother, but having lost her at a young age (thirteen or fourteen), right when any child is beginning to shape their emotional outlook as an adult, it's a wonder Anne is as well-adjusted as she is. I feel like the only negative part of her life is the fact that she is surrounded by such awful people. If she would only remove herself from their influences then I would grow to respect her for the role-model Austen is trying to paint her to be.

It does seem as though Austen is shaping Anne as a role-model for the young women of the early 19th century. Anne is the Miley Cyrus, the Kristen Stewart, the Taylor Swift of that century. The fact that Miley Cyrus is the role model for the next generation of young women is truly horrifying to me. Where is the hardship in that girl's life that will teach her how to be a woman? (Your life is not hard when Disney is telling you what to do). I think that every child is shaped in a positive (and negative) way by the trials and tribulations that they face growing up; Anne clearly demonstrates that it is possible to deal with a difficult situation and grow into a human being and woman who is capable of confidently coping with problems that arise in your life. I wish Anne Elliot was a role model for the next generation. I admire Anne, and I'm excited to see how the rest of the book turns out.