The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Into the Wild

Awhile ago my friend and pastor, Marcus, sent my roommate and I a couple of books, and although it took me a while to get around to reading them, I'm sure glad I did!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
For some reason, I thought Christie's language and execution of story was going to be over my head. I wasn't quite sure as to when or where her stories were written and/or set, and so I think that is why in my mind I had labeled her as a little unreadable. It is really amazing the kinds of misconceptions we have about things- any things, and how that shapes what we choose to do.

But that's off the subject. Murder mysteries have never really been something I've sought out. I used to read The Cat Who... series when I was quite a bit younger (middle school/early high school) and some Mary Higgins Clark, but never much else. Mysteries always annoy me a little bit because I'm so anxious to know the answer that I don't bother to try to figure it out myself. Instead, I rush through the book to find the answer and, in return, I think, end up missing a lot of the joy of reading a mystery.

Which, might have happened this time. I enjoyed Christie's book for the setting, and the different (to me) world it represented. I also enjoyed the complexity of the crime. I suppose the complexity is required, but I liked it nonetheless. It was a good, fun read.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The story of Chris McCandless's life is the kind you tell your friends about. The kind of folklore that is passed through acquaintances and family. Bravery, foolishness, mystery are all markers of the kind of tale that lures people in, and that, in essence, is Into the Wild.

It is, mostly, the story of the young man who left his family, traveled around the country, hitchhiking and making friends along the way, and ended his journey with the goal of surviving in the Alaskan forest. His ideals high, Chris tried to leave behind that which he thought entangled people: the lure of money and bad relationships. He wanted a simple life of exploration, loving the outdoors and constantly pushing himself to see what he could accomplish.

His life ended unfortunately, and Krakauer pieces together a wonderful look at his life. I was most impressed with the information Krakauer found, how he personally identified with McCandless, and the profile he painted. I see McCandless in a couple of young men I know, and I admire the desire for something beyond the ordinary, and the reverence for the outdoors that they have. McCandless read Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Jack London, among others, and longed to live the life that was written out in these books.

I'd like to think that everyone, inside, has a bit of McCandless in them, a questioning of authority and expectations set upon us by society. I certainly related to some of the things he wrote, and picked out from the books he read, albeit in a different way. Still the most touching part of the book for myself was the account of McCandless's parents visiting the site of his death ten months after, and recognizing silverware taken from their home, jeans that stilled smell of their son, and his writings on the wall. Although McCandless died a somewhat foolish death, I still think his mind and his intentions were in the right place, especially toward the end of his life.

1984, Joy Luck Club

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
I read the Joy Luck Club after Oliver Twist. I needed a bit of modern English to ease my brain. The book was actually a present from my friend Matt when I left for Korea, him saying that he didn't know any Korean books, but he went for an Asian theme. Good enough for me.

In the same vein as most of the books I've read lately, I really enjoyed it. Pairing mother and daughter relationships with expectations and history from a new world and an old world, respectively, is quite an undertaking, yet Tan does it with ease and a conversational voice that is easy to read and enjoy. I don't know how guys would feel about reading this book, but as someone who close to her mother and grandmother, I loved it. So many emotions, and those only get stronger when you couple in older Chinese customs up against new American daughters.

Quite a good read, and interesting for the perspective of immigrants, their reasons for immigrating, and the joy and heartache of raising children in country far removed from the cultural background you have been brought up in, as hard as that life was. The difficulty of trying to give your children a better life in a new country, while still instilling in them your Chinese customs, beliefs, and ethics, is astounding.

1984 by George Orwell
Orwell is another author that has scared me, just like Dickens. I've heard the phrase "Orwellian thought" (which I'm assuming came from this Orwell), so that makes me think of philosophy, and philosophy just scares me. Also, Animal Farm was an advanced reading for some of our winter intensive classes, and when our Head Instructor introduced it to us, I was embarrassed that I had never read any Orwell. I actually bought this book at Powell's before leaving the States, but it sat on the shelf until now because I was scared of it.

Which was ridiculous to think, because I loved it. I've never been a big fan of science fiction or fantasy books, but I've always been interested in utopia community books (which I guess this falls into that category?). One of my favorite books is The Giver by Lois Lowry, which is really a book for teenagers, but a classic story and well told, and is readable for adults (I highly suggest it). Now that I've read 1984, The Giver seems a lot the same, yet not quite as advanced, and much more geared toward children.

The one thing that surprised me about reading this book, was the flow of it. I flipped through and saw very little dialogue and freaked out. I'm a dialogue person, and large paragraphs that are neverending frighten me. But, I was relieved to discover that it all flows, and the descriptions are easy to read AND easy to imagine what they are describing. Although you might think the story will go slow, I was surprised at how fast it actually went, and halfway through the book I looked back and said "wow, I already read that much?", which I believe is a a mark of a good read.

So I enjoyed 1984. I couldn't wait to find out what Room 101 was. I was sad at the ending, yet relieved.

America and Americans

America and Americans by John Steinbeck
This title might be a little misleading, but serves its purpose as an eye catcher. As I pick through Steinbeck's works I read a lot of fiction, but really wanted to find out more about him, as a person. While I was on a huge kick this summer (visiting his museum in Salinas), I picked up America and Americans.

Mostly it is a collection of essays. His thoughts on international relations. Some reporting he did during WWII. A letter printed in a foreign newspaper. In the middle was a quiet story of his relationship with his sons, quite comedic. I would be more specific, but it was about 6 or 7 months ago that I read it. However, it left a big enough impression on me to want to share about it. At the end lies his small collection of essays, altogether entitled America and Americans. It is divided into different topics, which Steinbeck tackles with a great ease of observation and eloquence. It is funny, and quite amazing, how Steinbeck can pick at his subjects with love and a common connection. Somehow, it's not nitpicking or negative when it comes from Steinbeck. Just like the time I asked my mom if I was uptight, and she said I was, I couldn't get upset, because it came from my mom, you know?

And in the end most of it is right. You feel Steinbeck gets a good sense of who Americans are, even as its population is so widely diverse. Maybe it's a warm-fuzzy book. But it made me fall in love with America in its own, very gentle way.