Take reading to new heights with
THEBOOKJEANIE
NELSON MANDELA 1918-2013
We will miss your courageous voice but your words will always be there to inspire and comfort us.
Read Long Walk to Freedom, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, to better understand the man who left us his legacy of hope over despair, diplomacy over confrontation, love and forgiveness over hatred.
Fin and Lady, is a bildungsroman set in 1960's Greenwich Village - that is enough information to set me reading with enthusiasm. Sadly, eleven-year-old Fin has just lost his mother and is now in the care of his twenty-four-year-old half-sister Lady, whom he has only met once before. For young Fin (named for the last word in a French film his father watched after Fin's birth), the past few years have been lonely and painful with the death of both parents and maternal grandparents. Aimless, although financially independent, Lady takes on the duty of loving guardian with admirable intentions but her recklessness and narcissism often leave Fin in the role of emotional caretaker, as well as manager of the various suitors who appear and disappear in their lives. We are given hilarious glimpses of Fin at The New Flower School, where ". . . they began each day with Community Meeting, usually a song by Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, once with Pete Seeger actually there to lead them. Sometimes, when they went back to class Red (their teacher) would ask them to be a tree, which took about fifteen minutes. They would stand or sway, whatever their tree was feeling like that morning."
I must admit that I had never read what is now termed a "graphic novel" before I picked up Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. As a child of the 50's and 60's, I had the usual stack of comic books in my room - namely Archie and Veronica, Tom and Jerry, and Superman. After reading Art Spiegelman's Maus (1993) I realized that serious topics could be presented within a comic book format. But ten years ago when Satrapi published this memoir, I was not interested in exploring the "graphic novel." I was certainly wrong to have overlooked this book. When Marjane was six years old, the long regime of the Shah of Iran was overthrown in a revolutionary uprising. At first Marjane's family, along with most other Iranians, celebrated the Islamic Revolution and the departure of the Shah's heavy-handed government. Unfortunately, radical fundamentalists soon took control of Iran and Marjane's life changed dramatically. Her non-religious French bilingual school was closed and she had to attend a traditional Islamic school, wearing the mandated head scarf at the age of ten. Her Marxist parents soon discovered that dissent and protest were forbidden; many relatives and family friends were arrested, tortured, imprisoned indefinitely, or disappeared entirely. Marjane struggled to understand the changes around her, becoming more and more angry and defiant as she entered her teens. Eventually her parents sent her to Vienna to study as they were fearful for her safety as she became more and more outspoken in opposition to the repressive Islamic regime. After graduating from the Lycée Francais in Vienna, she studied illustration in Strasbourg and produced this unique memoir in 2003 . Her simple black-and-white drawings are incredibly expressive and the dialogue-driven text is a perfect vehicle for relating her experiences in post-revolutionary Iran as well as her innermost thoughts and feelings about the changes in her country. A highly recommended book for those readers who remember the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and subsequent hostage-taking, as well as for anyone who is interested in learning more about Iran, one of the most pivotal players in global politics today.
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida was translated into English from the Japanese text by K.A. Yoshida and David Mitchell, parents of a young son with autism. Mitchell, a noted writer (Cloud Atlas) worked with his Japanese-born wife to translate as well as interpret the words of a boy who at the time he wrote this book could neither speak nor write, creating his words using a Japanese alphabet board with the assistance of his mother. The book is written as a series of questions and answers young Naoki presumably felt needed to be addressed about the broad spectrum syndrome known as autism. We learn why he often repeats questions (his memory is trying to sort out the right answer while keeping the question on his mind), why he does not usually like to be touched (a feeling of loss of control), and what triggers angry outbursts or tantrum-like behavior (usually frustration in trying to express himself or not being understood by others). He explains how acute his five senses are and how his feelings and perceptions are often magnified, perhaps being less filtered than other people's. Naoki is a bright, intelligent young man, remarkably astute and philosophical about his condition. His observant descriptions and self-analyses are incredible, especially to those of us who work with autistic children. Although I question how much Yoshida and Mitchell shaped and edited Naoki's writings, this book provides a small window into the world of an autistic child, leaving the reader with better insight, understanding, and ultimately more compassion for those suffering from this disorder.
This past month we also regretfully said goodbye to two authors, Doris Lessing and Barbara Park, both prolific and influential in her genre. Doris Lessing was most acclaimed for The Golden Notebook, a vast novel addressing Stalinism, feminism, and nuclear proliferation among other topics; she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007 at the age of 87. Barbara Park helped to revolutionize children's literature with her wit and humor, creating the beloved and irreverent Junie B. Jones among other memorable young characters in her numerous books.
Bildungsroman is a German literary term, meaning literally "formation novel." In English literature we usually refer to the genre of a novel that focuses on the physical and psychological growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood a "coming-of-age" story. The German term, however, is more specific, in that change is the most significant element and usually at the beginning of the novel an emotional loss occurs that becomes the most influentual factor in the growth and maturity of the main character. The sensitive young protagonist is looking for answers, longing for experience, and is often at odds with parental restrictions or even society itself.
Fin and Lady, is a bildungsroman set in 1960's Greenwich Village - that is enough information to set me reading with enthusiasm. Sadly, eleven-year-old Fin has just lost his mother and is now in the care of his twenty-four-year-old half-sister Lady, whom he has only met once before. For young Fin (named for the last word in a French film his father watched after Fin's birth), the past few years have been lonely and painful with the death of both parents and maternal grandparents. Aimless, although financially independent, Lady takes on the duty of loving guardian with admirable intentions but her recklessness and narcissism often leave Fin in the role of emotional caretaker, as well as manager of the various suitors who appear and disappear in their lives. We are given hilarious glimpses of Fin at The New Flower School, where ". . . they began each day with Community Meeting, usually a song by Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, once with Pete Seeger actually there to lead them. Sometimes, when they went back to class Red (their teacher) would ask them to be a tree, which took about fifteen minutes. They would stand or sway, whatever their tree was feeling like that morning."
Despite her benevolent neglect, Fin comes to love Lady unconditionally, accepting her for what she is, requiring no more than for her to just ". . . be Lady. Wasn't that enough? It was enough for Fin. Lady was everywhere for him She didn't have to be anything." At times the reader is left to wonder how long Fin can manage to hold this relationship together, certainly he is a remarkably mature young man otherwise this story would have been more tragic than comic. His observations and introspective musings certainly make him endearing to the reader - I want him to be happy and to heck with Lady. But . . . eventually, after love, loss and many trips back and forth to Capri, Lady begins to accept and appreciate the role that was thrust upon her years before and we begin to have hope for this unusual little family. Sad and funny and a very satisfying read.
I must admit that I had never read what is now termed a "graphic novel" before I picked up Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. As a child of the 50's and 60's, I had the usual stack of comic books in my room - namely Archie and Veronica, Tom and Jerry, and Superman. After reading Art Spiegelman's Maus (1993) I realized that serious topics could be presented within a comic book format. But ten years ago when Satrapi published this memoir, I was not interested in exploring the "graphic novel." I was certainly wrong to have overlooked this book. When Marjane was six years old, the long regime of the Shah of Iran was overthrown in a revolutionary uprising. At first Marjane's family, along with most other Iranians, celebrated the Islamic Revolution and the departure of the Shah's heavy-handed government. Unfortunately, radical fundamentalists soon took control of Iran and Marjane's life changed dramatically. Her non-religious French bilingual school was closed and she had to attend a traditional Islamic school, wearing the mandated head scarf at the age of ten. Her Marxist parents soon discovered that dissent and protest were forbidden; many relatives and family friends were arrested, tortured, imprisoned indefinitely, or disappeared entirely. Marjane struggled to understand the changes around her, becoming more and more angry and defiant as she entered her teens. Eventually her parents sent her to Vienna to study as they were fearful for her safety as she became more and more outspoken in opposition to the repressive Islamic regime. After graduating from the Lycée Francais in Vienna, she studied illustration in Strasbourg and produced this unique memoir in 2003 . Her simple black-and-white drawings are incredibly expressive and the dialogue-driven text is a perfect vehicle for relating her experiences in post-revolutionary Iran as well as her innermost thoughts and feelings about the changes in her country. A highly recommended book for those readers who remember the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and subsequent hostage-taking, as well as for anyone who is interested in learning more about Iran, one of the most pivotal players in global politics today. 
The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida was translated into English from the Japanese text by K.A. Yoshida and David Mitchell, parents of a young son with autism. Mitchell, a noted writer (Cloud Atlas) worked with his Japanese-born wife to translate as well as interpret the words of a boy who at the time he wrote this book could neither speak nor write, creating his words using a Japanese alphabet board with the assistance of his mother. The book is written as a series of questions and answers young Naoki presumably felt needed to be addressed about the broad spectrum syndrome known as autism. We learn why he often repeats questions (his memory is trying to sort out the right answer while keeping the question on his mind), why he does not usually like to be touched (a feeling of loss of control), and what triggers angry outbursts or tantrum-like behavior (usually frustration in trying to express himself or not being understood by others). He explains how acute his five senses are and how his feelings and perceptions are often magnified, perhaps being less filtered than other people's. Naoki is a bright, intelligent young man, remarkably astute and philosophical about his condition. His observant descriptions and self-analyses are incredible, especially to those of us who work with autistic children. Although I question how much Yoshida and Mitchell shaped and edited Naoki's writings, this book provides a small window into the world of an autistic child, leaving the reader with better insight, understanding, and ultimately more compassion for those suffering from this disorder.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone. May you have joy and peace in the coming year.
See you next time . . .remember, keep reading!
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