This is my book club’s choice for this month. We’ve done plenty of WWII historical fiction, but none quite this epic…it spans 1915-1952 in the town of Burgdorf, Germany. Trudi Montag is a Zwerg (dwarf) woman living in Burgdorf with her father Leo who owns the pay-library. At the start of the novel, Trudi is 4 years old and newly realizing that her stature sets her apart and makes her undesirably “outsider”. Trudi also discovers that she is a natural storyteller, and her position in the […]
Against All Odds
Still Missing chronicles Annie’s horrific abduction and imprisonment by a lunatic she calls The Freak, as told to her “shrink”. Each chapter represents a therapy session, as Annie understandably needs a great deal of help processing her ordeal. It’s clear from the very beginning that Annie’s case has generated 24-hour news cycle notoriety, though the circumstances of her homecoming are only given to us in pieces during her sessions. How did Annie get away? Is the cops’ investigation ongoing? Can Annie’s relationship with her boyfriend […]
Destructive by Nature/Alternate Title: How are ANY of them alive?!
“Why build an audience for the Ramones or the Pistols or the Clash? Why institutionalize them if they’re just going to be destroyed, if it’s their nature to destroy others and to destroy themselves?” I have no idea how Iggy Pop is alive. It took Bowie’s death to remind me that I’d wanted to read this book for years. I was not disappointed….this was a wild ride. I was hooked from the opening two paragraphs, where we start off with Lou Reed and the formation […]
I Say Ya Kill Your Heroes and Fly
“Kill your darlings” never felt this personal. Though published decades after the perfect To Kill A Mockingbird, this novel was written first. I think it’s important to keep reminding yourself of that fact if you start to feel that Lee has *changed Atticus*. Watchman finds the adult Jean Louise, our beloved Scout, coming back to Maycomb County from the big city, and becoming disillusioned with the politics and bigotry of her hometown. She comes to question her relationship with her father, Atticus. In many ways, […]