books

a seed of inspiration: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

by Amy on May 9, 2013

I love food.

You all may know my story with food and nutrition.

The short version is: My dad was diagnosed as pre-diabetic; I started paying attention to what I ate and subsequently lost 40 lbs in a year without any kind of exercising.

Over the last few years I’ve learned more and more about nutrition and sugar and what our bodies actually need (ex: good fats help regulate blood sugar so don’t feel bad about eating guacamole).

As I say, that is the short version … and in the last week or so I’ve read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, and I’m excited to add local-eating to my list of un-American food habits*.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is (from Wikipedia):

a non-fiction book by Barbara Kingsolver detailing her family’s attempt to eat only locally grown food for an entire year.

The book revolves around the concept of improving the family’s diet by eating only foods that her family was able to grow themselves or obtain locally (save for grains and olive oil). Kingsolver, along with her husband and daughters, start a farm in Virginia where they grow and can different varieties of tomatoes, learn about rooster husbandry, make cheese, and adjust to eating foods only when they are locally in season. The book contrasts this with the ecological costs of growing food in factory farms, transporting it thousands of miles, and adding chemical preservatives so it will not spoil.^[1]^[2]

Not gonna lie: I LOVED this book.

LOVED it. It speaks my language (food, glorious food). I want to reread it right now. I want to go to a Farmer’s Market and learn what’s in season and cook amazing recipes cobbled together from what grew this week a few miles away.

In spite of my Master’s degree and all, I really do like being domestic. The cooking part, not the cleaning part.

I am fascinated by the cultural changes that have been wrought in the latter half of the 20^th century in America. Totally aside from any economic or environmental arguments for local-focused eating (both compelling), the gigantic shift in just how we think about food is astounding. How did we go from being able to grow and can our own vegetables to not knowing where hamburgers come from in just a couple generations?**

My great-grandmother was a farmer – she kept a roadside stand to sell produce in Ohio mid-century. My mom has all kinds of memories of helping pick food (and eating 1/3 of it) or playing hide-and-seek in the corn fields. Just 50 or so years ago.

But in spite of this, my mom never really grew anything herself – my dad had a small patch of garden with strawberries and tomatoes that he started when I was in about high school, but that’s it. I daydreamed about having a garden, mostly inspired by Anne Shirley. I’d draw out my plan of how I was going to use this corner or that corner of the yard. I think my parents even bought me seeds. But I never learned how to GROW anything.

Kingsolver’s book is part memoir – which I love. The personal stories and reactions and expectations are what make local-eating seem most doable. I want to have a pair of dirt-stained-knees gardening pants. I want to be able to know instinctively when it’s time to plant the tomatoes. I WANT to grow onions, weaving the dried stalks into braids to hang in my kitchen for use all winter long. That sounds like something I can manage and would love.

But the book is also part nonfiction reporting on the state of the food industry. Sidebars including the recent statistics on pesticide effectiveness or genetically altered corn. I love that the book is peppered with URLs where I can learn more about really ANY of the topics discussed (except turkey mating. Apparently that kind of info is just not around).

I seriously loved this book and have already added it to my must-buy list. Also my list for Andrew to read. That list is getting rather long.

I fully admit that living in SoCal I have it WAY easier to eat well locally all year. But we’re paying ~$4/gallon for gas so surely you won’t begrudge me that.

I usually post about food/home topics at Those Crazy Schuberts if you’d like to follow me there as well.

**Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle plants a seed of inspiration to:**

Buy the book and re-read each chapter in the month it corresponds to
Reread my other Barbara Kingsolver books. I love her.
Make friends with a farmer (or 2)
Visit Appalachia
Visit one of our local farmers markets every week.
Put together my Team Schubert cookbook with recipes organized by season (I’m using these templates)
Make pumpkin soup or pesto or any of the other dishes using the recipes in the book (find the recipes at the book’s website)
Attempt canning tomatoes (again, recipe in the book)
Attempt making my own cheese (scary, but apparently not difficult)
Find someone to teach me about gardening and soil and compost and all of that
Plant a garden (our backyard has been basically wasted for the year we’ve lived here)

Have you read this book? Any seasonal recipe recommendations for me?

*un-American in this instance being defined as no fast food, very very very limited processed food and valiant attempts to quit sugar, among other things.

**not exaggerating for some kids

7 comments

a seed of inspiration: Gillian Flynn

by Amy on April 5, 2013

I am so inspired to write a a crime novel right now.

Not the strangest thing I’ve ever typed, but still weird, I know.

As I write this, I just spent about 2 hours reading the last half of Sharp Objects, the first novel from Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn.

I didn’t mean to read for 2 hours. But I was taking a break from some other work to read a little bit and just got SUCKED IN.

I’ve always loved TRUE crime and never really read crime novels. I love true crime…. I think the criminal profile psychology is fascinating.

Even though I didn’t think crime novels were really my thing, last summer I kept seeing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn EVERYWHERE – I think it spent something like 8 weeks at the top of the NY Times best seller list. So I added it to my library list and ended up reading it a couple months ago.

LOVED it.

I am pretty good at critical reading – I can guess the ending (or come pretty close) to a lot of books and movies. Andrew HATES it … Between that and my love of true crime, I didn’t expect to enjoy crime novels. Too formulaic, I assumed.

TOTALLY wrong about Gillian Flynn’s novels. With Gone Girl about 1/2way through I had a guess… then another hundred pages I realized I was wrong and had another guess … and then my opinion/guess/sympathy had completely changed AGAIN just in the last 20 pages or so.

Same thing when I read Dark Places (her second book). The reader begins with one sympathy that shifts completely several times until the very end when it all comes together.

And then, as I mentioned, I just read Sharp Objects in about a day. LOVED it as well.

I need to buy all 3 of these books and re-read them.

Gillian Flynn is the kind of writer I want to be like.

Gillian Flynn is the kind of writer I need to buy all of her books as soon as they come out to A) support her so she will keep doing it and B) read and reread.

Other authors I love this much: Anne Tyler, Edith Wharton, E.M. Forster, Tom Leveen, L.M. Montgomery, J.K. Rowling …. who else? I NEED to own all their books because I want to re-read them all the time.

Reading Gillian Flynn books plants a seed of inspiration to:

Buy them all from Amazon and re-read them immediately
~~Continue~~ Start working on my second novel idea, which I realize is basically a crime novel
research criminal profiles
read all kinds of true crime…. or find a little Internet/Wikipedia rabbit hole on the same
find more crime novels to indulge in

P.S. I read rumors that said Reese Witherspoon would be playing the lead in Gone Girl and Charlize Theron the lead in Dark Places. I would prefer Charlize Theron in Sharp Objects, instead, but nobody asked me.

3 comments

Book review: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

by Amy on March 18, 2013

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, periodically I Instagram photos of whatever book I happen to be reading on my #lunchbreak at the day job

In doing so, I regularly get requests for book reviews, and since this is the YEAR OF BRAVE, I thought Daring Greatly by Brene Brown was a perfect book to start with.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

I really liked it – but I am not sure I LOVED it.

You should still read it, but I don’t think it’s the kind of book I will want to re-read necessarily.

All of that said …. I did still REALLY like it. I took notes, and texted Kam a photo of a quote and I definitely think you should read the book.

At first, I thought it would be more self-helpy, but in fact it’s far more academic than I expected. No charts or piles of numbers or anything like that, but the whole book is built on a solid foundation of RESEARCH.

Not surprising, considering it was written by a PhD, but not necessarily what you would expect from a book about something as elusive and not-totally-measurable as vulnerability.

But, because the book is so grounded in years (and years) of careful research, you can’t help but trust what she says ….

….. and what she says is living a brave life, living wholehearedly and embracing vulnerability, is a key to happiness.

The book includes chapters on parenting and work-leadership (a la CEOs, etc), and begins with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly… “

Some big takeaways from the book ….

What is worth doing even if I fail?

The journey and the learning and the doing involved, even if the end result doesn’t work out. Even the tiny things I’m trying to do every week to be brave are worth doing … just to get in the habit of getting out of my comfort zone regularly. As Brown writes, “The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time” (42).

This is a reminder to do and try anyway.

Our inner critic is a gremlin.

That little voice that tells me I’m not smart enough, or talented enough or good enough will just multiply in your head …. unless you shine bright lights on it and stay aware of it. Brown offers examples and ideas for silencing that inner voice.

Often we are more critical of ourselves than anyone else is.

For example, I don’t personally think I’m a great singer …. but enough people have told me I am that I have to believe it. Or at least accept it. But if I kept my voice just to myself I would always think it was just OK instead of sharing it with others. (I hope that makes sense)

Growing is uncomfortable.

Lean into. This is something I need to remember for this fall’s Onward and Upward workshop.

“The big challenge for leaders [or bloggers or teachers, etc] is getting our heads and hearts around the fact that we need to cultivate the courage to be uncomfortable and to teach the people around us how to accept discomfort as a part of growth” (199).

My favorite quote from the book ….

“I explained that I had spent many years never trying anything that I wasn’t already good at doing, and how those choices almost made me forget what it feels like to be brave. I said, ‘Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up’”(243) – which is why if you tell me that signing up for an art journaling class is brave I BELIEVE YOU. If you tell me that initiating a conversation with another mom while waiting to pick up your kids is brave, I WILL CHEER YOU ON.

Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.

Or start.

Or finish.

Bravery is different for everyone ….

In the end …. reading this book helped me remember WHY I want to dare greatly. I knew I wanted to be brave this year, but this refocused on why that is important.

I think Brene Brown is super smart and incredibly fascinating, and I’ve already added all her other books to my to-read list.

PLUS: She’ll be on 2 episodes of Oprah’s Super Soul Sundays which should be fantastic. Make sure you check those out.

More reviews from around the web:

P.S. Don’t forget to check out her downloads and badges associated with the book

**Have you read Daring Greatly? What did you think?**

3 comments

a seed of inspiration: Wired for Story

by Amy on January 25, 2013

I’m kind of obsessed with storytelling at the moment.

I’m not totally sure when it started. I’ve been listening to The Moth and This American Life for years and years. I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years last fall.

But then I read Wired for Story:The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by story consultant Lisa Cron – and I’m in love.

{How does one get to be a story consultant? I want that job.}

A few weeks ago I read the book in about 2 days. 2 days in which I was at work for 16 hours and driving at least 4 hours. And sleeping.

So, you know. I read it pretty quickly, considering.

I don’t remember WHERE I first heard about this book, or from whom, but I only heard good things about it. So since I was trying to write fiction I thought it would be a good book to get. To sit on my shelf next to On Writing and Bird by Bird.

At the time I read Wired for Story, I had recently finished a NaNoWriMo sprint, working on the first draft of my first novel.

When I started writing that manuscript, I only had a vague idea of where the story would go, so by the time I hit 50,000 words (around the time I read Wired for Story), I could see where all the story holes were, all the slow parts, all the story sections that needed some substantial rehauling (spoiler: nearly all of it).

From the back of the book:

“Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets – and it’s a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper.

The vast majority of writing advice focuses on ‘writing well’ as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail – they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain’s hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won’t hold anyone’s interest.”

Not only do the principles in this book apply to my great novel-writing adventure, but I would love if I could apply them to longer-form journaling in my memory keeping. Particularly in my travel-Blurb books, for example. Or for whenever I get around to re-journaling my high school years.

Chapter titles include: How to Hook the Reader, How to Zero in on Your Point (a personal favorite as I think this is an easy thing to miss), and The Road from Setup to Payoff.

I really really loved this book. For so many reasons.

It’s accessible (to me, at least. But I have a Masters degree in Literature so now that I think about it maybe it’s not accessible but I just speak the language. Hmmm).

It’s smart (again, zeroing in on the point. Nobody cares what color car she drives unless it comes up later in the story).

I learned a lot. A LOT. If you are even a little bit interested in storytelling and story structure, read this book.

I’m a little bit obsessed with the idea of storytelling anyway – after listening to The Moth and watching The Lord of the Rings Special Features so many times (you don’t want to know how many).

This is the perfect Storytelling 101 book if that is something you’re interested in. Or, if you want to tighten up your scrapbook journaling. Or if you want to get better at telling stories at parties or something like that.

I can’t wait to read it again. I’ve already recommended Wired for Story to 3 or 4 different people.

**Reading Wired for Story plants a seed of inspiration to:**

Write more. Write often. Write better.
Scrap everything I have and start over (not going to do that, don’t worry)
Read Joseph Campbell and other story-structure gurus
Re-read Wired for Story again slowly. And again and again with my trusty orange pen.
Develop outlines for some of the other novel ideas I have.
LIVE more stories – and then practice telling them at parties. Or The Moth.

Other recommended resources for fiction writers (non-books)

Steven Pressfield’s blog (particularly Writing Wednesday)
Writing Excuses podcast

Any others?

0 comments

How to read a book a week

by Amy on January 17, 2013

Cancel your cable service

Log in to your Goodreads account regularly to remind yourself of all the amazing books out there that you have not yet read

Get a library card and remove the financial obstacle to reading a lot

Be interested in a variety of topics

Read the ‘new books’ sections of magazines (they’re everywhere from US Weekly to Vanity Fair) and find something new to get excited about

But be OK with quitting books partway through and moving to something that interests you more

Carry a purse/bag large enough to hold a book (or ereader) – and carry one with you all the time

Keep a pile(s) of to-read books visible in your home (I have 3 piles throughout the house)

Build 10 minutes of in-bed reading into your nightly routine

Always have a book at work for your lunch breaks

Know which writers you love and seek out all their works

Borrow books (from friends or the library) with a deadline to have them read and returned

Find enjoyment in many different styles of writing (be easy to please)

Revel in those guilty pleasure books (for me it’s true crime)

Tweet/Instagram/blog/Facebook whatever you’re reading and get encouragement and moral support in return.

Take public transportation (or carpool) when you can, and read while someone else drives

Give entire days off over to reading when possible

Pick out a ‘reading chair’ or other corner of your home where you can comfortably curl up for any length of time, secluded, with a spot for your beverage of choice nearby

Commit to a reading goal (like a book a week or learning everything you can about the Revolutionary War)

Read even more. The more you read the faster you get at it.

What are your tricks for reading more every week?

In 2012 I read 68 books – more than a book a week. 2013: here I come!

8 comments

a seed of inspiration: The Hunger Games

by Amy on March 30, 2012

Last week I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Let me clarify: On Tuesday I read The Hunger Games, on Wednesday I read Catching Fire. Friday I read Mockingjay.

In my defense – I am quite a fast reader, they ARE young adult books, and it was fairly slow at work (uh, don’t tell my boss).

I really really enjoyed the series …. Not *quite* as much as I love Harry Potter (which is pretty much the only other young-adult-adventure book(s) I’ve read), but still enough that as soon as I finished the first book, I went immediately to IMDB to check out the cast of the movie, and then immediately after that to the Wikipedia page to read a bit about the next couple books.*

One of those books that really sticks in your head, you know? The kind of fictional world that you can’t stop thinking about – even when you’re supposed to be working. The kind of book that makes you literally resent your husband for calling and thus pulling your brain out of book-world.

You know what I mean

They are very much of that style of writing that makes you always want to read just one more chapter and put off getting ready for work, or going to bed.

I will *probably* be getting an Amazon gift card soon, and I plan to buy myself the whole Hunger Games series in hardcover – since I already want to re-read them all.

My first REAL exposure to the books was this little blurb in Vanity Fair ….

Not exactly my ‘thing’ … a bunch of pretty teenagers? I don’t think so.

But, then, everyone I knew liked the books ….. and I figured if I could borrow the books from someone I would read them (the waiting list to check them out from the City of Los Angeles inter-library system is in the hundreds!) …

And, then I just gobbled them up!

I love books that make it easy for me to enjoy them … I love academic non-fiction books too, but they are always such an effort!

I’m definitely interested in seeing the movie …. although not super soon since I’m not a super-fan and don’t really want to be surrounded by them

I love that Katniss is a solid, capable female character. It’s so sad that we still have to point out and make a good deal out of strong female characters – but there you go!

Um, I also realized that Josh Hutcherson was Will Ferrell’s brother in Kicking and Screaming and it made me feel OLD…. I’m still Team Peeta, though.

Reading The Hunger Games plants a seed of inspiration to:

Read them again
see the movie
plan my own young adult fiction series …. even if I never write it
see Winter’s Bone (Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar-nominated role)
learn some survival skills …. Hey. You NEVER KNOW.

*I’m not the kind of person who minds spoilers.
In fact, I often find that I have a far richer experience reading a book or watching a movie if I know the basics of the plot ahead of time.

3 comments

Self-education for the new year

by Amy on January 9, 2012

I know a lot of people make resolutions to “READ MORE BOOKS” for the new year …

I never do. Because I’m a crazy voracious reader already. If anything I should read fewer books, and honestly, if I read fewer books I would have more time to do things like … clean the house.

Which I currently only do if forced to.

But!

If you are one of those who wants to read more books this year, good for you! Obviously I am firmly in support of that goal

Here are a couple fun resources to help aid your book-reading/self-education resolutions:

Goodreads:

I only recently joined Goodreads on the recommendation of Andrew. Come be my Goodreads friend if you have that inclination.

My primary goal on Goodreads is JUST to keep track of what books I read, although there is also a great recommendations section if you are looking for more books similar to what you have read and liked. You can also follow your friends’ reviews for more book recommendations.

This is a great resource if you know you want to read more but don’t know where to start.

Kindle books :

I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but there are tons and tons (and tons) of FREE ebooks available on Amazon. And not JUST the old, no-longer-copywritten books. Some books by authors who just want to get their name out, some books sponsored by big companies. …. as well as some old classics.

Plus! If you don’t own a Kindle, you can simply download the Kindle app for another device: iPhone, Android, PC and more

Non-books:

MIT OpenCourseWare :

This is something new I just found in the last week or so …. Apparently MIT is putting some or all of their lectures and other course material online for free! Which is kind of amazing!

I’ll probably check out some of the History or Media offerings (steer clear from Engineering and such)….

Just on a quick glance, it looks like MIT is offering material for both undergraduate and graduate classes – some available classes offer lecture notes, assignments, online textbooks and other goodies that you would normally have in a university class. Just as an example, the Media in Cultural Context course download includes the full syllabus and reading list (along with links to buy the books on Amazon), as well as the assignment list (if you feel like writing a paper for fun).

As soon as Andrew and I are super-rich I’m planning on going back to school for fun…. Getting the syllabus for a new class was always my favorite part of school …. Until then this might hold me over.

Podcasts:

Discussed already here and here … I’m a BIG fan…

iTunes University:

I personally have not used iTunes University yet (partly because I already subscribe to 12 or so podcasts and partly because I don’t even have the time to listen to all of those). Essentially various universities have put lectures and course material online via iTunes. Personally, I am planning on using iTunes University to someday learn Spanish.

SO, what are you reading right now? What do you want to learn about in 2012?

P.S. I wrote up this post while talking books with my dad. It’s his fault that I read this much. Not that I mind …. Since he is also a crazy reader I get to borrow a bunch of books for him (most of which I have bought for him)

7 comments

good reads : books that inspire

by Amy on October 18, 2011

Just a quick list of some of the books that are a constant inspiration to me. Because I love to read. Always. And interestingly, most of these inspire me to write:

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita is hands-down my favorite novel (aside from the Anne of Green Gables series). I’ve read it probably 4 or 5 times, including for a college class. I have 3 copies of this novel too – an old, tattered version that was originally Andrew’s, a newer version all notated with orange pen from my college class, and a still newer, professionally annotated version.

I fully recognize that the surface subject matter of Lolita is a turn-off for some people. That said, I love love reading this novel if only for the amazing use of language and writing style from Nabokov. *Especially* remarkable if you remember that this novel was originally written in English – Nabokov’s third language! Incredible.

I actually want to read ALL of Nabokov’s work – because I think he’s brilliant – and while I’ve read maybe 4 or 5 of his novels, Lolita is still my favorite. This book inspires me to write myself, and sets an incredibly high standard that I can’t imagine ever being able to meet.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird is a memoir by a professional writer. We got this book from the library, and as soon as I had finished reading it, I ordered myself a copy and can’t wait to re-read it!

I don’t know what it is about writers’ memoirs and stories…. I love the idea of writing, I love the struggle that writers deal with on a daily basis. I know I’m probably romanticizing the whole profession, but I really enjoy reading about writing.

This book really inspires me to write, as well. Something about this memoir helps strengthen my belief that I COULD write a novel – if I were ever to start.

It’s a quick, entertaining read and I would definitely recommend it – especially if you have any interest in writing.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is also a memoir by a professional writer. It is (roughly) about what Miller learned about story-telling while helping to write the movie based on one of his other memoirs. But rather than be about writing itself, this book is more about living a life worthy of story-telling.

I love the constant reminder of living great stories. This book fully reminds me to get out of the house, not sit at home watching TV and continue to do great work.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

This book is on the list, because this is the most recent book I’ve read, but really I just love the whole writing career of Michael Lewis. I’ve read The Big Short and I can’t wait to read Liar’s Poker, and The Blind Side and all of them. All are a kind of investigative, long-term journalistic writing pieces.

I now find myself paying even more attention to the people and stories all around me, searching out for that story to investigate and write myself. For example, my husband’s boss is actually kind of a prodigy and outlier in his industry. I think his story is fascinating.

If you’re a non-fiction fan at all, you should definitely check out one or more of Michael Lewis’s books.

The Beatles by Bob Spitz

I’ve only read this book once, but as soon as I finished it I immediately placed this book right back on my to-read pile. I loved it that much.

This is a pretty comprehensive biography of the band – with *some* background in each of the guys’ childhoods. But for the most part, I am really inspired by the music and the creative process and the art that makes up the history of The Beatles. I love the reminder of the creative side of such a popular band. Especially The Beatles.

For whatever reason, when I was reading this book I just felt inspired to MAKE art … art journal or paint or something. I don’t really know where that connection comes in, but this book was super inspiring to me. The stories behind it just make the art of that music that much more personal and real for me. Ex: The Beatles’ recording of ‘Twist and Shout’ was recorded last in the day because John Lennon had a cold and that song shredded his voice. He did it in one take and you can absolutely hear that in the recording. Fascinating….

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite inspiring books?

*all links are Amazon affiliates

5 comments

a seed of inspiration: The Help

by Amy on August 19, 2011

I pretty much trust whatever Vanity Fair tells me …. I love that magazine.

Back last summer, Vanity Fair did a short profile on several new young female authors, including Kathryn Stockett (who wrote The Help) … So this book has been on my on my to-read book list for several months…

But then I found out that they’re making The Help into a movie, so I knew I needed to read it before the movie came out and all the book covers got ruined by actors’ faces!

I picked up the book Saturday morning from the library … and in spite of the fact that my Before-We-Leave-for-Vacation to-do list is a mile and a half long… By Sunday night I was more than halfway done.

Good lord – I love a good book!

I cried reading the book.

I cried watching the trailer.

Oh, heavens. I’m just a mess.

From Wikipedia:

The Help is a 2009 novel by American author Kathryn Stockett. It is about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s.

The novel is told from the point of view of three narrators: Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children, and who has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson, an African-American maid whose back-talk towards her employers results in her having to frequently change jobs, exacerbating her desperate need for work as well as her family’s struggle with money; and Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a young white woman and recent college graduate who, after moving back home, discovers that a maid that helped raise her since childhood has abruptly disappeared and her attempts to find her have come to nought. The stories of the three women intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around “the help”, with complex relations of power, money, emotion, and intimacy tying together the white and black families of Jackson.

Now all I want to do is read more mid-century fiction.

I cannot get enough of American history and culture and style from about 1939 to about 1967 or so …

I love John Updike’s fiction, Nabokov, what else? what am I missing? what are your suggestions?

The historical and political context of the book is what really gives the story risk and heightens the tension, but the relationships between all the (primarily female) characters is what really draws you in.

As of the typing of this post I’m only halfway through, but I CANNOT WAIT to see how it ends….

Growing up in Southern California in the 80s, the kind of neighborhoods and interactions depicted in this book are completely foreign to me – and I’m not even talking about the Jim Crow laws. But the women hiring help to watch their kids, cook their food and shine their silver? … while they just loll about the house on the phone. … ? Absurd.

And all that southern food described? I wouldn’t even know what to do with that much Crisco !

Totally aside from the book …. I’m looking forward to the movie as well:

I think it came out this week? Last week?

We don’t ever go to the theater, so I have no idea

The cast: Emma Stone (I think I love her. She’s kind of adorable), Bryce Dallas Howard (love love), Octavia Spencer (I love her, but I have no idea what I’ve seen her in)…. even Sissy Spacek and Allison Janney!

Very exciting!

And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that the movie is going to be full of those amazing mid-century styles that I am just in love with!

All I want is one of those 1962 dresses. Or 4 or 7 of them

Film trailer:

What do you think? Have you read The Help?

reading The Help plants a seed of inspiration to:

Visit the South. I’ve never been. … Someday
Learn more about civil rights. I can’t wait to get to the 20th century in my self-created American History class
re-read Lolita. And my John Updikes. And any other mid-century fiction I have
write mid-century-era fiction. I got some ideas
watch American Dreams. One of my favorites. I could watch and rewatch these 3 little TV seasons over and over …
see the movie when it comes out. Do you think it’s too early to add to my Netflix queue?
watch Mad Men. Obviously.
add the book to my Amazon wishlist – since I’m pretty sure I’ll want to re-read it
keep an eye on Kathryn Stockett…. See what she writes next.

3 comments

For the love of the printed word

by Amy on April 15, 2011

Taking a break from my normal fare today to let you know I’m guest posting over at A Snail’s Life in honor of National Library Week.

If you’ve been reading Lemon and Raspberry for any length of time, you are well acquainted with my love of books.

Someday I’ll be able to get all my books out of storage and then you’re not going to know what hit you!

Between books that I’ve had for years, and all the goodies I’ve been picking up at used book stores recently ….

Actually. Maybe it’s a good thing all my books are in storage

Over at Laura’s blog I’m writing about my love of books – not stories, even. Just BOOKS.

About my attachment to my Anne of Green Gables books ….

This is an idea that I explore in depth in my recent eBook Tell Its Story:

Every day you are choosing between things. Things to use, things to toss, things to ignore, things to put away. This is not just heavy-handed academic theory – material culture is part of your daily life. All of this stuff that is in your life every day – I’m talking about everything from your inherited quilt on your bed to your window curtains to the half-a-stick of butter sitting in
the fridge.

Or your books.

So please head on over to A Snail’s Life to read my guest post: For the Love of the Printed Word …

Or check out Tell Its Story for more on the value of the things in your life …