That Deadman Dance: A Novel
by Kim Scott
Something New to Think About (12/5/2011)
This book was an adventure into something completely new for me. Like others, I have read much about the great American expansion and the experiences with the colonists and the native Americans, but I knew nothing about the early exchanges between the indigenous peoples of Australia and the western colonists. I found the writing initially quite engaging, particularly the descriptions but found the plot disjointed and meandering, which was sometimes frustrating. I could not help but think about Caleb's Crossing as a comparison, when I read this. My only other exposure to the Down Under conflicts with indigenous people was Mr. Pip. I am now enticed to read more about these the Aboriginal people of Australia.
Killed at the Whim of a Hat: A Jimm Juree Mystery, #1
by Colin Cotterill
New series But All Cotterill (10/13/2011)
This book got a head start in Asia and, being a devout Cotterill fan, I got it as soon as it was out in Hong Kong. Though surprised to find a new protagonist, and a woman at that, I immediately was drawn in by the dry wit and unusual events and characters that always appear in his regional mysteries.
His character development in this novel is delightful, as are his descriptions of local culture and issues. I particularly liked Jimm Juree's sibling character. The plot keeps the reader speculating, but there is so much to enjoy about this book that the core mystery is just the icing on the cake. If you have not read any of his other books and you enjoy this one, then you must try the ones set in Cambodia in the late 1970's.
Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom
by Yangzom Brauen
Across Many Mountains (8/24/2011)
What this book lacks in writing style it makes up for in real-life story. Ms Brauen recounts the tale of three generations of Tibetan women surviving monumental life events across three continents and four countries. Their individual and collective strengths are brought to bare on their circumstances and result in the three of them now living in the 21st century far from their Tibetan roots.
Beginning with their simple and deeply-religious life in remote Tibet and continuing through their flight to India during the 1959 Chinese invasion, the author recounts somewhat flatly, the story of her grandparents' early experiences as they were forced to leave the land they loved. Ms. Brauen's writing style gains a dynamic quality as she moves through her mother's young life in India and later her romance with Ms. Brauen's now-famous father, Martin Brauen. It is Mr. Brauen's proposal of marriage that leads to their move to Switzerland and eventually to the United States.
This is an important retelling of one Tibetan family that was forced to leave their native land yet remain devoted to the religious and cultural beliefs of their people. Having traveled in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and having met other Tibetan families, I find this book to be very representative of the stories told by many other Tibetans living outside the boundaries of Tibet today.
Editor's Note: Some months after submitting her review, Soosi emailed us with some additional thoughts...
I wanted to comment further on my previous review of Across Many Mountains. I discovered that I had already bought this book last Spring when I was in Hong Kong, but had not read it and had put it aside to read 'later' as I often do. My context for reading it (and rating it) was based on two (and now three) trips to Qinghai Province, China to the eastern Tibetan Plateau region that is settled primarily by rural Tibetans and Hui (Chinese Muslims). Our guide each time has been a wonderful young Tibetan man who has a similar history as the main characters, He made a similar trip from his monastery at the age of 15 to Lhasa, on to Katmandu with a group of 57 'pilgrims' who then traveled the rest of the way to India and Dharmsala, where he was educated in refugee schools in English and computer science. He returned to his family seven years later and now resides part time in the city of Xining and part time in his very primitive village where his family still lives. He is a fascinating, very conflicted young man.
I think I would have been less distracted by the quality of writing in Across Many Mountains if I had been reading about an experience such as theirs for the first time....so I guess it works both ways. In hindsight, I really did enjoy the content of the book. Interestingly, I had my review copy in my suitcase on our trip to Sichuan/Qinghai this November and it disappeared from my suitcase in Chengdu. No one said anything, it was just taken! I was hand-carrying it to our guide who was very eager to read it. I should have kept it closer to my body! I hope it got passed along and not burned.
Adam & Eve: A Novel
by Sena Jeter Naslund
Adam and Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund (9/28/2010)
Adam and Eve is an industrious literary effort. Set in 2019, it is filled with a myriad of contrasting images, concepts, and plot lines. I found myself reading this book with a yellow marker in one hand and a pen in the other. I was compelled to underline sentences I wanted to re-read or think about and places that I wanted to comment on, right in the text! I was struck by the repetition of images/symbols, repeating themes of contrasting ideologies ( varying Creation stories, science versus art, literal versus figurative). I am eager to discuss this book with others, chapter by chapter, to get the most from it. I was reminded of Lessing’s "The Cleft" and Yann Martel's "Life of Pi"; there were times I was unsure whether it was a fantasy or not.
There is a desire to search for deeper meaning in images such as the falling black piano and the succubus in Eden. The story creates healthy opportunity for comparisons of the Creation story across the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths. Pacing is erratic. At times the novel moves along like a good Dan Brown mystery, at other times it slogs along, with asides about intersecting characters including a Bedouin Sufi, and a nameless Texan Fundamentalist businessman.
This will be an excellent book club choice for those who enjoy analyzing content and meaning and having conversations of differing perspectives.
"Adam and Eve" is all about change, context and renewal.
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