196 Books: Israel

 The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret

We're all probably pretty familiar with where Israel is at this point:

Here's the description:

The seven years between the birth of Etgar Keret’s son and the death of his father were good years, though still full of reasons to worry. Lev is born in the midst of a terrorist attack. Etgar’s father gets cancer. The threat of constant war looms over their home and permeates daily life.

What emerges from this dark reality is a series of sublimely absurd ruminations on everything from Etgar’s three-year-old son’s impending military service to the terrorist mind-set behind Angry Birds. There’s Lev’s insistence that he is a cat, releasing him from any human responsibilities or rules. Etgar’s siblings, all very different people who have chosen radically divergent paths in life, come together after his father’s shivah to experience the grief and love that tie a family together forever. This wise, witty memoir—Etgar’s first nonfiction book published in America, and told in his inimitable style—is full of wonder and life and love, poignant insights, and irrepressible humor.

Firstly, I'll try not to tie this book too much to what's happening in that part of the world at the moment, but it'll probably happen a bit. I also think this will be a relatively short post, but I've said that before! Overall it was a nice, light read. Well, let's get into it.

Well of course, my first quote ties to current events hahaha. "It's not their fault,' I say. 'It's just that the attacks are always the same. What kind of original thing can you say about an explosion and senseless death?" I think this is a good description of how many of us (especially in the US) feel about the bombings, the school shootings, the cops killing people of color, etc etc etc. It's the same thing happening, it's the same people being impacted, it's the same politicians and talking heads on the TV wondering what could possible by done about all this?! 

"Once again, we're a small country surrounded by enemies, fighting for our lives, not a strong, occupying country forced to fight daily against a civilian population." All I'll say about this one is it's changed a bit since 2015 (when this book was published). 

You know, reading back through the quotes I highlighted, I don't think I can write this one as I usually do. So many of the quotes are about war and bombing and with what's going on over there right now it's rough. And now I am going to go into my thoughts on it. So in this book he talked a few times about how, as a Jewish person, he has a constant feeling of persecution and paranoia. So, yeah, I can't imagine what that's like. But now (at least to me) they've become the oppressors so it's hard to be sympathetic to that feeling. Although, let me caveat that and say that I absolutely have no idea what any of those people are going through or have been through. I just hate all of it. And I hate waking up each day wondering what fresh horrors the idiot leaders of the country are releasing on each other. There's probably more I can do to help people or push for peace all over, but as one random citizen it's too much. Then you add in climate change and the general destruction of the earth and I DON'T WANT TO LIVE ON THIS PLANET ANYMORE. 

Okay, back to the book. There were a lot of lighthearted quips and cute stories. I will say that it sounds like a wonderful, loving little family. And maybe I'll go back to it in the future if things ever settle down between Israel and Palestine (it may be worth mentioning that the bombing in the book was coming from Syria). 

So, sorry guys. I'm not doing well on this one. The whole time I was reading this story, images of shaking, dust covered children played in the back of my brain. So while I did enjoy this book, it was rather soured. The only way I can make up for this crappy review (although maybe they all are!!) is by giving you a picture of my puppy. I'm obsessed. 

196 Books: Ireland

 Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Ireland!

Summary!

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”

So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.

Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

Angela’s Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt’s astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.

 

And we're back! I know, this book is kind of basic, but I'd somehow never read it. Plus it's apparently on the ever growing chopping block for banned books (cough FLORIDA cough) and you know I'm reading all of those I can get my hands on. Without further ado, let's get into  it.

Overall I really liked it (shocking, as it's a very popular, awarded, classic book haha).  It really felt like it was just a kid telling me about his days; complete with abruptly switching topics, new topics miles from the previous, run on sentences, super random thoughts, and misinterpretations of adult stuff. Of course there were many, many sad parts, but they don't seem quite as sad from a child's perspective, especially all the grief.

I did accidentally read a review (I was mostly just trying to find out if it was a true story and he was actually Irish) that brought into question the accuracy of the story, which did color my reading a little bit. But it turns out it's mostly just that a lot of people didn't like the portrayal, and it may be exaggerated...but isn't that also how life works for kids? It's one perspective and it's usually a lot more drastic than the reality. So, whatever. And now it's time for some quotes. 

These ones have the kid perspective:

"Malachy doesn't know what I'm laughing at. He won't know anything till he's four going on five." I mean, that's adorable. 

"Dad says I'll understand when I grow up. He tells me that all the time now and I want to be big like him so that I can understand everything. It must be lovely to wake up in the morning and understand everything." Why yes, that would be lovely. 

"He can't read, he can't write, but he knows where to hide the jam." Please, how are these things related?!

These ones have great insults:

"Don't cross me, she says, for if you do it'll be a sorry day in your mother's house." 

"Minnie says, Don't frown, Frankie. It makes your face dark and God knows it's dark enough." Poor guy just had RBF, leave him alone!

"Go back to your seat, you omadhaun, you poltroon, you thing from the far dark corner of a bog." I have no freaking clue what the first two mean, but I would like to start calling people a thing from the far dark corner of a bog. It's just loaded with imagery. 

"He looks like an ordinary Catholic and you'd never imagine a Protestant would be shoveling lime." ...I have so many questions. 

"Get away from my door or I'll come out ad give every one o' ye a good fong in the hole of yeer arse." I also don't know what a fong is. Thumb maybe? If so, that's an interesting threat. 

These have a tone of religion (some with a bit of a stretch):

"That dog is a right Hindu, so she is, and that's where I found her mother wandering around Bangalore. If ever you're getting a dog, Francis, make sure it's a Buddhist. Good-natured dogs, the Buddhists. Never, never get a Mahommedan. They'll eat you sleeping. Never a Catholic dog. They'll eat you every day including Fridays." Sooo how do I find out what religion my puppy is? He does want to nibble on everything...

"Mam says, Alphie is enough. I'm worn out. That's the end of it. No more children. Dad says, The good Catholic woman must perform her wifely duties and submit to her husband or face eternal damnation. Mam says, As long as there are no more children eternal damnation sounds attractive enough to me." Lol.  

"My favorite is St. Christina the Astonishing who takes ages to die. The judge says, Cut off her breast, and when they do she throws it at him and he goes deaf dumb and blind." I never had a favorite saint but I do now! 

(Unfortunately I did try to look this up and couldn't find anything about it. Truly a bummer.)

"I like St. Moling, an Irish bishop. He didn't live in a palace like the bishop of Limerick. He lived in a tree and when other saints visited him for dinner they would sit around on branches like birds having a grand time with their water and dry bread." Part of me wants to look this up too, but after the St. Christina letdown I think I'll just go with it. 

And here are just some I liked:

"It's lovely to know the world can't interfere with the inside of your head." There are so many things I'd like to comment on this one, but I won't. I shall let you, dear reader, make your own quips. 

"Rest your eyes and then read till they fall out of your head." Amen

"Pneumonia, says Malachy. Well, now, that's better than oldmonia." My dad did in fact approve of this joke. 

"Shakespeare is like mashed potatoes, you can never get enough of him."

"Now here's what I want to tell you. Lean over here so I can whisper in your ear. What I want to tell you is, Never smoke another man's pipe." Again, so many questions. 

"I want to get pictures of Limerick stuck in my head in case I never come back."

I FELT this one deeply. We had one summer left in Alaska when we found out we were moving, and I tried to permanently etch that landscape on my brain. We were so ready to leave but I knew it was a magical place that I needed to remember. When we went back last summer, it was like seeing a friend again. 

The cherry on top was the last chapter, which had one word: Tis. Which happens to be the name of the sequel. Bravo. 

196 Books: Iraq

 The Long Way Back by Fuad al-Takarli

This one's Iraq:

This one's the summary:

The Long Way Back tells the story of four generations of the same family living in an old house in the Bab al-Shaykh area of Baghdad. Through exquisite layering of the overlapping worlds of the characters, their private conflicts and passions are set against the wider drama of events leading up to the overthrow of prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim and the initial steps to power of the Baath party in Iraq in 1962-63.The skilful building-up of the characters and their worlds within a brief and clearly determined period of recent history allows for a bold and intelligent portrayal of the ambiguous strengths and weaknesses of Iraqi and wider Arab culture. In addition, the dramatization of the relationships between generations, social groups, and genders is achieved with a mixture of humor, bitter irony, and compassion that identifies it as a great work of Arabic literature.

One thing I've found during my reading is that the non-fiction books start to get pretty heavy after a while (turns out humans have been garbage forever). So I'll pick a novel to get a little break, but then I feel almost guilty, like I threw away an opportunity to learn something. Stupid, right? But I also find such beautiful descriptions and ideas, which really should be enough. Come on, brain, give yourself a break!

Some of the descriptions were obviously depression. The book is set in the Middle East in the 60s, so I'm guessing there wasn't a lot of mental health concern, but here are some of the feelings expressed:

"But it wasn't the illness that was eating at me: it was an idea, an obsession, a devil on my back."

"He was neither hungry nor tired, but he felt his body failing to respond as he walked. This might be due to some kind of spiritual fatigue, he thought, for which he would soon have to find an explanation."

"It's enough to make it your aim in life not to be filled with terror to the point of madness."

"I had no practical experience of life because I couldn't overcome the particular conditions of the society in which I lived, nor could I overcome the feeling that I was waiting, in some remote corner, to be allowed to experience life."

And my favorite one: "Sometimes we can't survive without some help. Life wears us down without us realizing it."

I find all of these thoughts kind of beautiful. Sad, of course, but depression is such a personal experience; it feels different for everyone even though it's so common. And the fact that your mood changing can completely debilitate you is almost interesting. I realize this makes me sound like someone who has no idea what depression feels like, but I assure you I do. I've found that, as I've gotten older, some things seem more perplexing, and it's less a lack of empathy/sympathy and more an interest in how it all works. 

Of course depression wasn't the only overarching theme. We have the standard sexism, complete with (SPOILER) wanting to kill a woman for being raped. Because, "She was not a virgin; therefore she had lost her honor and must be punished by him or any other member of the family who volunteered. Everyone knew this equation. Honor resided in a woman's hymen, and she was entrusted with preserving it until the appointed time." 

My rage with this passage can only be expressed as such: FAL;DSFIM;AWEOI NFEARHG IPE8BOAENJFC BIUAWER H. 

Get it together, WORLD. 

And then this one kind of made me laugh because apparently this sentiment is eternal: "Has he got a cold? Everyone's got a cold. Just because they call it influenza now, so what? It doesn't make it any more serious." Oh, hey, Covid anyone?! At least back then they didn't have the social meeds to mess it up even more. 

And with that, I'll be taking a small break. It won't seem much different to you since I've been taking for freaking ever to finish my books. But I got a few new books for Christmas and would like to crack those open. See you soon!