Archive for April, 2009
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended by: a female senior who is involved in track, Robotics, and Animal Rights
Why would you recommend The Hitchhiker?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is very funny, and satirizes everything from the end of the world to digital watches. It is a science fiction novel, and has a cool spaceship. However, instead of using hyperspace or the speed of light, the Heart of Gold runs on improbability–basically, if you know how improbable an event is, the Heart of Gold can make it happen. Because of this, the plot seems to be completely random. However, that randomness fits together by the end of the book into a good conclusion.
Which character do you like best from the book?
My favorite character is Zaphod Beeblebrox. He is the overconfident, two-headed, selfish President of the Galaxy. He decided to become President without knowing why, only to realize that he actually wanted to steal the Heart of Gold. He is this impulsive throughout the novel, and a lot of the things he says are very funny. Zaphod isn’t someone I’d like to know personally, but he makes a great character.
Give a gist of what the book is about in ONE sentence.
Arthur Dent is saved from the Earth’s destruction by his friend Ford Prefect, an alien from a small planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse.
What made you pick up this book?
One time in Math Research freshman year, the class got sidetracked and someone mentioned that “the meaning of life is 42!” I had no idea what they meant, but then someone else mentioned that it was from a book called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I decided that I had to read this book to understand it, and borrowed it from my friend when I got the opportunity.
Who would you recommend this book to?
I recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction, but isn’t too serious about it. Some of the concepts in the Hitchhiker’s Guide make fun of traditional science fiction concepts. For example, there is a super-intelligent robot that is completely depressed. Such things might get frustrating for anyone who takes the genre too seriously. The Hitchhiker’s Guide is also great for people who don’t necessarily read much sci-fi, since a lot of the book satirizes humanity in general.
1. What’s a favorite book of yours and who’s it by?
2. Why is it a favorite?
3. Is there anything or anyone in the book to which/whom you can relate/connect?
4. Why did you read the book in the first place?
5. What are the themes of the book?
6. What kind of person would you recommend this book for?
* to protect the anonymity of those interviewed, only their initials shall be disclosed
· Interview # 1: M.A.
o I’d have to say my favorite book was the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I know, so done, but still, I liked it.
o Um, the reason I consider it my favorite book is because to me, it really portrays Asian women well, and I found it interesting because the different characters were all in some ways very similar to the women on my mom’s side of the family.
o I’d say the character in the book I can connect to the most is June, or Jing-Mei Woo, probably because I can completely relate to the relationship she shares with her mother, because although her mother (and this is a big part of it) tells her she can do whatever she wants, she also pressures her to do certain things to be able to have bragging rights, like my mother: she does the same thing, like telling me I can go to whatever school I want to, but pressuring me to go to Stuy, then later, asking me why I didn’t apply to Ivies.
o I actually decided to read it because both my sisters and my mom read it, and in a way, I felt that I needed to read it so that I would be able to relate, but when I did read it, I realized that it helped me understand both my mother and my sisters a lot more.
o I’d say the major themes were Asian culture, family (especially relationships between women in Asian families), and the American dream and the sacrifices needed to make it happen.
o Honestly, I’m not sure if guys would find it the most interesting read, or even be able to grasp the full meaning of everything. I guess I’d recommend it for any woman, but if you want me to be more specific, Asian women, although I fully believe that female immigrants or their families would benefit from this read also.
· Interview # 2: O.S.
o Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.
o Going Postal is my favorite book because it is very funny and has great characters. It is a fantasy book, and a lot of the magical elements make fun of real life and other books. The title itself is a reference to the incidents in which postal workers shot other workers and random members of the public.
o I can relate with the protagonist, Moist von Lipwig. Throughout most of the book, everything around him is out of his control, and this is exactly how I felt about the college application process.
o Going Postal is part of the Discworld series. I found it after having read another book from the series, and since I enjoyed that one, I thought this might be just as good.
o Themes of Going Postal include business, crime, the postal system, industrialization, race, and hope.
o I would recommend Going Postal to people who enjoy fantasy books but get frustrated with more practical questions about the universes in them, and would beI would recommend Going Postal to people who enjoy fantasy books but get frustrated with more practical questions about the universes in them, and would be interested in a book with a more realistic approach.
· Interview # 3: S.K.
o This is just one of them but I really like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. *Spoilers ahead!* It’s about this mental institution in Oregon or something and is narrated by this Native American guy, Chief, who pretends that he can’t hear or speak for the whole time that he’s in the institution. The main character’s a guy named McMurphy, who gets sent there because he fakes insanity to get out of prison. He’s the biggest nightmare for the warden, the Big Nurse. Over the course of the story he creates a lot of havoc and tries to make the men in the ward a little less scared of the Big Nurse (him and her clash a lot because he tries to defy her.) He also manages to make the narrator admit that he can talk. Towards the end of the story, due to many factors, McMurphy gets lobotomized and becomes a vegetable. Chief smothers McMurphy with a pillow in his sleep before the other men see him so that he dies with dignity. In the end, Chief lifts this table-thing that McMurphy could never lift and smashes it into the window to escape back to his tribe.
o I don’t exactly know why this book is my favorite but I’ve always remembered it. I read a lot of other books in Freshman English but this is the one that always sticks out in my memory. It liked it because it had everything: it was funny, yet made you think, and was really uplifting even though the ending is tragic in a way. Also, the fact that it was told through the eyes of a mental patient made the story seem crazy at times. Even though the plot itself and the stuff that happens are kind of weird and odd and funny, I took this book very seriously. I think of it now as more than just an odd plot and some jokes.
o Well, I think in a way, we’ve all felt oppressed (by parents, teachers, school administrators, etc.), so there’s a basic connection we all have with the inmates, although there are obvious places where there are differences.
o I read it for Freshman English.
o The major theme of the book is definitely the Individual vs. the Establishment, and the power the individual has to control his destiny no matter what. Although, in the end, there’s probably a price to pay but that price is always worth it.
o I would recommend this book for anyone, although high school audiences and older would be best because you appreciate the intricacies of the book more when you’re old enough to fully get it.
· Interview # 4: A.G.
o Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger.
o I love it because it perfectly captures those awkward, terrible teenage years without being condescending. Holden’s voice is so authentic and so lovely. I think Holden is the best friend I always wanted.
o I can really relate to Holden. I think he is the angsty teenager that is lurking inside all of us. He does and says and thinks the things we are conditioned not to do and say and think. Throughout the book, he deals with the enormity of growing up and by the end of the book, he really hasn’t come to a conclusion or solved all of his problems. I think that’s how most of us feel at the end of our childhood.
o So it gets hyped as this really amazing book and I think high schoolers across America are forced to read it, but it really is THAT amazing. I read it before I had to read it for ninth grade Freshman Composition–I think it was the summer before freshman year–and I was hooked from the first page.
o The major themes are growing up, childhood, escape, self-discovery, identity, and loss of innocence.
o I think it’s a must-read for all teenagers. But it should be read outside the context of a classroom. I think being taught the book pretty much ruins it.
· Interview # 5: T.Y.
o Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett.
o I really liked the idea of how all these strangers could be brought together at a birthday party in South America. No one, except for Gen (the translator) was able to communicate with anyone else since everyone spoke a different language, but they all connected through music, the universal language. Also, they eventually had to find a way to talk to each other once the house they were in was taken over by terrorists.
o I think Gen made me want to learn more languages because I realized that if I were ever in a foreign country, I would probably not be able to communicate with the locals at all. I be helpless and completely dependent on others in order to survive, like how all the other characters relied on Gen to translate what they wanted to say.
o I read the book in sophomore year in Mr. Garfinkel’s class and immediately I was intrigued because it was a contemporary book that had just come out a few years ago, unlike the other books we read in European Literature. There was a lot of suspense and tension, considering it was a hostage situation, but it was also beautifully written with lots of descriptions and shifts in perspective, so you were able to see the situation through each character’s eyes.
o Overcoming the language barrier is definitely one of the major themes involved. No one spoke a common language, but that didn’t prevent them from helping each other in times of need and becoming friends. Everyone loved to hear Roxane, the opera singer, sing even though they didn’t understand what she was singing, which shows that music transcends all barriers. Other themes include love (Gen falls in love with one of the terrorist girls), music, community, and self-identity (it’s pretty hard to not find out who you are when you’re stuck in a house for months with nothing to do.)
o Anyone who enjoys shows like “Lost,” would like this since an extremely diverse group of people is brought together and they’re forced to cooperate with each other in order to survive. There’s a political aspect in the book too, since the terrorist group is loosely based on a real group from Peru I think (sorry, I can’t remember the name). People who like to read about complete opposites forming bonds and becoming friends or even falling in love would appreciate it.
Eiki Takase, Pd. 2
Reading Recommendations
1. What book would you recommend?
2. Briefly summarize this book.
3. What about the book did you like?
4. Would you recommend this book?
5. To whom would this book appeal to?
Hubert Huang
1. In Cold Blood- Truman Capote
2. A whole family is murdered in cold blood and an investigation is conducted which finally leads to the arrest of two men. However, authorities are not sure whether it was an act of murder or insanity.
3. I liked that this book always kept me at the edge of my seat wanting more as I kept reading.
4. Yes, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a thrilling and exciting novel.
5. This book would definitely appeal to detective fiction fans.
Yu Jin Moon
1. The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne
2. The story is set in 17th century Puritan Boston where a woman gives birth after committing adultery and struggles to create a new life.
3. I liked that the story was placed in a very dark and gloomy setting, somewhat mysterious in a way.
4. Of course, this book is so widely known that it’d be hard not to hear of it and want to read it.
5. I think that this book can appeal to everybody, everyone can learn a thing or two about morals from this story.
Kar Ho Leung
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Ken Kesey
2. This book is set in an Oregon asylum and serves as a study of the human mind under the institutional process. This story is about one man, McMurphy, who tries to override the system but in the end, his attempts lead to his downfall.
3. I liked that the main character, McMurphy, was able to gather all of the patients together and organize a type of resistance against the tyrannical nurse Ratched.
4. I would recommend this book to everyone. This is a great read no matter what kind of books you like.
5. Like I said, this is a great read no matter what kind of books you like. This story is a classic!
Mikey Ng
1. Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
2. This book is about the story of an orphan named Pip who experiences so many different hardships as he grows up. As the story goes on, the plot twists and turns and Pip’s experiences result in a rice to riches kind of story.
3. While reading this story, I did not know that there were two endings that Dickens had wrote for the conclusion of this story. But when I finally did read the two different endings, I liked that both endings were very fitting for the story’s plot. However, I liked the revised ending better than the original because a happy ending is always the best ending.
4. I would definitely recommend this book. Pip’s life story is full of tragic but also sweet experiences that makes this book a wonderful read.
5. This book appeals to anyone. It is a classic that is revered as one of the greatest stories ever written by Charles Dickens.
Sunny Wang
1. The Maltese Falcon- Dashiell Hammett
2. This book is about a detective named Sam Spade who initially helps this lady named “Miss Wonderly” find a man who allegedly ran off with her younger sister. As the story goes on, the reader finds out that this whole chase is over the possession of a treasure, the Maltese Falcon.
3. I liked the Detective Sam Spade. He was a very smooth and laid back guy who knew how to do his job very well.
4. Seeing how this book is a detective novel, I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and detective novels.
5. This book would appeal to people who like mysterious, intense and unwinding plots.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
1. Brohaan: What type of people will enjoy it? Why?
Evilika: Everyone will like it because it’s a timeless masterpiece. It’s deep, raw, and everyone with a heart will feel for the protagonist. And cry, like I did.
2. Brohaan: Did you find yourself relating to aspects of it/did it change your views of anything?
Evilika: Hmm, I don’t remember, sorry. But probably and probably.
3. Brohaan: was it a required reading? if so would you have read it if it wasnt? if it wasnt, why did you read it?
Evilika: I was required to pick from about 100 books and picked it because it was the first one I found in the library. I’m so glad I did. I’ve read it since and loved it again. So yes. I’d read it now!
4. Brohaan: What else would you recommend to people who like it?
Evilika: Wall-e
Brohaan: …how about a book?
Evilika: Umm, I haven’t read anything like this book. It’s slighty sci-fi. Twilight, HAHA HELL NO. I really don’t know the answer to that. Something deep with a clever writing style.
5. Brohaan: If there was one thing you could say you took away after reading it, what would it be?
Evilika: Hmm, I guess for the first time, I learned to appreciate sad endings. They’re unconventional and sharply portray human cruelty, failure, etc that other scenes can’t. I actually crave for innovative novels like this.
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A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnoly
1. Brohaan: What type of people will enjoy it? Why?
Kait: Romantics, feminists, basically most teenage girls because it has a happy ending and it has romance and heartbreak and it’s about a smart and independent chick at the turn of the century.
2. Brohaan: Did you find yourself relating to aspects of it/did it change your views of anything?
Kait: I totally related. She fell in love with this guy she found really attractive but who was actually an asshole and then realized it wasn’t really love. She was also a good writer and I wanna be a writer. It didn’t really change my opinion about anything.
3. Brohaan: Was it a required reading? If so would you have read it if it wasnt? If it wasn’t, why did you read it?
Kait: I don’t remember why I read it, I like reading, I like books. I probably got it as a gift or picked it out at the library after reading the blurb.
4. Brohaan: What else would you recommend to people who like it?
Kait: Umm, stuff by Ann Rinaldi. It’s more girly historical fiction stuff.
5. Brohaan: If there was one thing you could say you took away after reading it, what would it be?
Kait: That being in love doesn’t mean your relationship is perfect, but it can still work, it can still be a forever thing. Because there’s this one couple and it’s like 1900 so they’re pretty young and they get married and she has a kid and after she has the kid things kinda fall apart and they’re overwhelmed, but after a few months they work things out and they’re in love and everything.
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The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas
1. Brohaan: What type of people will enjoy it? Why?
Michael: English buffs and people who know European history because of the context and the 19th century writing style.
2. Brohaan: Did you find yourself relating to aspects of it/did it change your views of anything?
Michael: I related it to the European history I studied when I read it sophomore year.
3. Brohaan: Was it a required reading? If so would you have read it if it wasnt? If it wasn’t, why did you read it?
Michael: I thought the movie was awesome and decided to read the book. The book was exponentially better than the movie.
4. Brohaan: What else would you recommend to people who like it?
Michael: Erm, not Moby Dick
Brohaan: Wow, helpful.
Michael: Oh! The Sound and the Fury (see next person’s book)
5. Brohaan: If there was one thing you could say you took away after reading it, what would it be?
Michael: The longer the book the more enjoyable it is if it’s good. Wait, no. Hmm. 19th century literature is sometimes great. Here, it is. Sometimes it sucks.
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The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
1. Brohaan: What type of people will enjoy it? Why?
Abby: Anyone can like it. Faulkner writes in a very nuanced way and his prose challenge you to rethink the way you previously view narration.
2. Brohaan: Did you find yourself relating to aspects of it/did it change your views of anything?
Abby: It definately changed how I viewed mentally challenged people because the narration starts off in a challenged kid’s point of view.
3. Brohaan: Was it a required reading? If so would you have read it if it wasnt? If it wasn’t, why did you read it?
Abby: It was a required reading but I think I would have read it anyways because it was my dad’s favorite book.
4. Brohaan: What else would you recommend to people who like it?
Abby: Ender’s Game. Yay!
5. Brohaan: If there was one thing you could say you took away after reading it, what would it be?
Abby: My perspective changed and my whole view of narration changed because it’s a stream of conciousness which I found really interesting.
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Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
1. Brohaan: What type of people will enjoy it? Why?
Eli: People who think and have an absurd sense of humor.
2. Brohaan: Did you find yourself relating to aspects of it/did it change your views of anything?
Eli: Yes, alot of things like human interactions and war.
3. Brohaan: Was it a required reading? If so would you have read it if it wasnt? If it wasn’t, why did you read it?
Eli: It was, but a friend of mine recommended it to me so I think I would’ve gotten around to it.
4. Brohaan: What else would you recommend to people who like it?
Eli: I don’t know, I’ve never really read anything like it before.
5. Brohaan: If there was one thing you could say you took away after reading it, what would it be?
Eli: That everyone on Earth is somewhat insane.
Sharang Tickoo
Without further ado, the interviews…
Robert Colbourn
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny
By Robin S. Sharma
1. Who would you say is the target audience? Would you say there is one?: I’d say the target audience is the West, and it’s capitalist/consumerist slaves. I guess Western or modern society is probably the most appropriate term.
2. So what’s the plot? Or the theme, or whatever. What’s it about, more or less? : It’s basically about this big, bad lawyer who has a big bad heart attack
and he decides that he wants to see more in the world than he has so far… lets call it mid-life crisis type changes, although he wasn’t that old. He sells ALL his possessions and goes to India
and the book is from the point of view of his return to the United States, and he tells his associate/colleague about all that he learned through the monks who taught him about their different, more simple, world. Basically the story is told to his colleague but it’s the story that the lawyer (Julian) was told by the monks, and it holds all the lessons that are key to life according to the monks.
3. How did you find it? ‘Find’ as in, ‘on the street’, not as in ‘enjoyable’. : I was desperate for reading material, and found it on my cousin’s bookshelf in, appropriately enough, Mumbai.
4. What would you say was your favorite line from this?: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual
beings having a human experience” It basically put into words better than i could the way i feel about the unknown in life and death. The day I became a happy person was the day i realized that whatever came before or after (whether anything did or does come), it’s the “human experience” that i never want to forget in my life. To have this human experience is the reason i wake up happy everyday and do something, anything that I love everyday, no matter how big or small. Deep, I know (Laughs).
5. What did you learn? Did you take anything away from this? : As a whole, the book was a reminder of the importance of living your life daily. With modern society, everyday blurs into every other day between work and various responsibilities. It’s important to not allow life to become a monotonous blur. I learned that before but the book reinforced it through a simpler view of life. The book was actually reminding me what i learned in the past four years, but it was good to hear it described through a folk tale type of narrative. And written down too, obviously. Also… the book was a bit too preachy and unrealistic in it’s recommendations… I took away the lessons but it had suggestions of ways to change your life but those were kind of pointless. I mean no one is going to become a yogic, meditative monk… but the perspective was what I took away.
Marilyn M. Barnett
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card (Not the abridge, cut, fifth-grade version. The big-boy explicit one)
1. Who would you say is the target audience? Would you say there is one?: I think the target audience is actually not-kids. There isn’t really a target audience; I wouldn’t even specifically recommend it to people who read a lot of science fiction. If you’re at stuy, then you’re okay to read it, pretty much.
You wouldn’t say the young-male-action-oriented demographic? No, it’s a much more psychological story then that.
2. So what’s the plot? Or the theme, or whatever. What’s it about, more or less?: It’s about a young boy who goes to battle school in space in order to train to command a fleet of starships against an alien invasion. That’s the premise.
But I would assume there’s more to the story than just that?
Of course, but I don’t want to give it away. The major themes are competition in human nature and xenophobia, and a bit of adult exploitation of children.
3. How did you find it? ‘Find’ as in, ‘on the street’, not as in ‘enjoyable’. : My cousin lent it to my dad, and I was bored in the airport on the way bake from Spokane.
4. What would you say was your favorite line from this? : “Bonzo’s strategy couldn’t win a salad fight.” Why [this line]? Because it’s hilarious. For some reason, I always crack up when I read it. The combination of the name Bonzo with ‘strategy’ and ‘salad fight’.
5. Have you learned anything from the book, or taken anything away from it?: After reading Ender’s Game, I was better able to figure out why people do things. I almost wrote a college essay about Ender’s Game. The whole book is about Ender and Peter sort of sensing the motivations behind everyone else’s actions and then doing what they needed to to achieve their various goals.
Linda Zhang
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, by Milan Kundera (Nonfiction)
1. Who would you say is the target audience? Would you say there is one?: I’d say you should be college age plus, maybe high school. It’s a pretty short book, but pretty heavy stuff.
2. So what’s the plot? Or the theme, or whatever. What’s it about, more or less?: It’s about forgetting in relation to history. Which makes a lot of sense, because it’s written post World War II, kind of immediately pre-Cold War, and the Russians did crazy sh** in Czechoslovakia. There’s a lot of sex in it, but that’s not super important. It’s divided into five sections, without any linear plot line- like, things don’t go in chronological order. It’s more like a bunch of short stories/personal rumination connected by the theme of forgetting, sex, communism and a whole menage of crazy shit. It’s nonfiction, there’s this whole section where it’s just him talking about the Russian occupation of Czechoslovakia and his father loses his mind. There’s also this chick named Tamina who escapes to France but something happens to her husband and she ends up in this relationship with this young dude Hugo but she kind of hates him and he also has really bad breath she goes back to get her love letter from her husband in Prague but she ends up canceling the trip and the letters are lost, at which point she goes on this crazy journey and ends up getting raped- you know, I think I’ll stop here. The whole book is kind of like a giant plot twist, it’s really intense.
3. How did you find it? ‘Find’ as in, ‘on the street’, not as in ‘enjoyable’.: Alright, so one summer I was working in this secondhand bookstore (I interrupt to ask her if the bookstore in question was Housing Works. Turns out it was). I was just browsing around for some [Gabriel Garcia] Marquez, and I found it lying there, and I was like, “cool”. Also, it was only for two dollars.
4. What would you say was your favorite line from this?: “Litost is a Czech word with no exact translation into any other language.
Litost designates a feeling as infinite as an open accordion, a feeling that is the synthesis of many others – grief, sympathy, remorse and an indefinable longing. The first syllable with is long and stressed sounds like the wail of an abandoned dog.”
So i like the line because I think it’s pretty representative of the general mood of the book. I mean, a lot of the characters have litost. In a way, I think even Kundera has litost- the whole concept of laughter and forgetting is to escape litost. it’s also kind of ironic that laughter and forgetting is connected. even though one wouldn’t think it would be, because laughter is perceived as a positive and forgetting as a negative, but by laughing you are forgetting- thus escaping your litost.
5. Have you learned anything from this book? Have you taken anything away from it? : I think I appreciated my circumstances a lot more, but really, I just made me really annoyed by modernity. The whole book is a commentary about the ridiculousness of modern life. It’s just one giant machine aimed to make you forget, to forget history, and the significance of the past. It’s exactly what advertising does, and trashy vh1 shows, and local news. Do you know how much I hate local news? It’s about as trashy as Tila Tequila. Who cares which 90 year old lady gave all her money to her dog? Why don’t you stop feeding us this bull and start giving us the real news like what’s actually going on in the world, and not in hicktown, Alabama?
Ray Hicks
A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1. Who would you say is the target audience? Would you say there is one?: Bleeding heart liberals and commie pinko bedwetting perverts, for the most part.
2. So what’s the plot? Or the theme, or whatever. What’s it about, more or less?: Well, it’s about this world in the future, where the raising and creation of children has been taken out of the hands of the uniformed masses and placed in the hands of the state. Education is done through sombulant conditioning (playing them everything they need to know while they sleep). Essentially, a caste system is formed, except it’s not arbitrarily placed as it was in say, India. Rather, the persons of a given caste, from Alpha Double Plus, Alpha Plus, down to Epsilon minus, are born, conditioned, and raised to love their lot in life, and dislike the other castes only to the point where they would not like to be in another caste, and yet still value them as members of society. He portrays it as a dystopia- I would love to live in such a world. Oh, instead of saying O Lord, they say O Ford. They have an industrialized culture based on capitalism and consumerism, controlled by the state.
3. How did you find it?: [After some initial misunderstanding where he started talking about how he found it (as in, he found it interesting)]; I was doing my laundry, and it was in my building library, and I was like “Hmm. A Brave New World?” And I heard other kids talking about it. They got assigned it, and nobody read it, but I heard there was sex and drugs in it, so I was like, “Let me read this while I wait for this shit to get done”, and I read the first chapter. I was pretty intrigued, and then I had to go to Jersey for a couple of days, so I brought the book and finished it.
4. What would you say was your favorite line from this?: Oh, I actually know the line… Just trying to remember it…. It was like “Yes, Soma; euphoric, narcotic, and pleasantly hallucinant.” Bro, that is such a dream drug.
5. Did you take anything away from it? Did you learn anything? : Well, if I ever have to retool society later in life, I have the perfect guide to usher in a new world order.
Bibi Lewis
Dress Your Family in Courduroy and Denim, by Dave Sedaris.
1. Who would you say is the target audience? Would you say there is one?: Not really, but I’d say, like, older audiences. I mean, it’s not a children’s book, but otherwise, it’s pretty general.
2. So what’s the plot? Or the theme, or whatever. What’s it about, more or less?: Well the book is about him pretty much, it starts in his awkward years and is a bunch of comical anecdotes about different moments throughout his life.
3. How did you find it? ‘Find’ as in, ‘in the street’, not as in ‘enjoyable’. : So I was waiting to go to a doctor’s appointment, and my mom gave me some money and shoved me in a bookstore so I wouldn’t bother her, and on the “staff recommendation” table was this book, and some post-it note exalting it, so I got it.
4. What would you say was your favorite line from this?: “It had now become the kind of masturbation that’s an exercise in determination rather than pleasure. You’d give up but, goddammit, you the kind of person who carries a job through to the end, whether its making a fool of yourself in front of a stranger or vacuuming somebody’s living room. I will finish this, you think, i will finish this.” Cause it was scarily relatable, like I could picture myself vacuuming someone’s rug while they looked on and masturbated, which freaked me out.
5. What did you learn? Did you take anything away from this? : What I took out of it… Um, I dunno, I guess that I’m glad I’m not him. Its not really like a learn something sort of book.
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