New York Times Notable Book Challenge Wrap Up

I am not the kind of reader to jump at reading a book just because it makes the New York Times Most Notable book list. I admit that before Wendy (Caribousmom) introduced me to the list, I did not give it much pause for thought. I would glance at the titles, not recognize most of them, and move on. This time around, I decided to dig a little deeper and discovered quite a few on the list that sounded like they would be worth my time. Unfortunately, with all the other challenges I had joined and the other books I wanted to read, I did not get through nearly as many on the list as I had hoped. Still, I was smart enough not to set too high a goal for this particular challenge and, in fact, left it open to whatever I could manage. So, in that way, I count this challenge as a success.

This was one of the challenges in which I broke my challenge rule of sticking to books already in my TBR collection. Although I may not have gotten to all the ones I hoped to, I at least have them handy for when their time comes.

The books for The New York Times Notable Book Challenge I did manage to read:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala
Forgetfulness by Ward Just
The Inhabited World by David Long

Of the four books, my favorite by far was Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala. The author captured so well the voice of a child soldier, pulling me into the story and taking me along for the journey. It was a sad book and not at all easy in terms of subject matter, however, it was a very powerful novel. One that I will not soon forget.

I am eager to read more by each of these four authors. Their books truly are notable and it is no wonder someone decided they were worthy of making the final cut of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2006.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this challenge and will no longer so quickly dismiss finding a possible gem among the more professional Best of lists.

Many thanks to Wendy for hosting the The New York Notable Book Challenge.

Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala

Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala
Harper Perennial; 2005
Fiction; 142 pgs

Completed: 06/22/2007
Rating: (Outstanding)

First Sentence: It is starting like this.

Reason for Reading: After reading Wendy's (Caribousmom) review of Beasts of No Nation, I was instantly intrigued. This is my fourth selection for the New York Times Notable Book Challenge.

Comments: Uzodinma Iweala first came upon the idea of writing a story about a child soldier after seeing an article in Newsweek. He wanted to get inside the mind of a child soldier and understand what the child goes through. Eventually, after careful research and drawing from his own background, Beasts of No Nation was created.

This novel may seem small in size, however, its content is quite powerful. Beasts of No Nation is the story of a young boy in western Africa whose mother and sister have fled from their village with the war’s approach and who witnesses his own father’s murder. Agu is discovered hiding by a young boy soldier and soon finds himself fighting among the guerrilla fighters in a civil war. He is awed by the commandant’s posture and strength. The commandant can be gentle and kind, ruthless and brutal. Throughout his training and the fighting, Agu remembers his past, his relatively simple life. He loved school and books, he liked playing with his best friend, and dreamt of being an engineer or a doctor someday. His new life was vicious and hard.

Uzodinma Iweala captures the voice of his young narrator, creating a story that is both raw and authentic. The child’s fear and anguish can be felt on every page. I had no difficulty being pulled into the rhythm of the narrative and dialogue and it turned into a surprisingly fast book to read even with the unique nuances in the writing style. However, the subject matter itself was quite disturbing in parts; the experiences Agu had to live through are the kind no human being, much less a child should have to experience.

Favorite Part: The author did a wonderful job at giving his character Agu a voice. Several times throughout the book I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around Agu and save him from the hard life he had to live. I was grateful he and Strika had each other. I think their friendship got them both through the most difficult moments.

I also liked the way the author weaved myth and fable into the novel, specifically the story about the leopard and the ox and then the story of the greedy cloth seller. Such tales offered an insight into the events taking place in Agu’s life, part of which he may or may not have fully understood.

Note about the Author: Here is an interview with the author.

Miscellaneous: I read an article earlier in the week about three Sierra Leonean military leaders being convicted of a variety of crimes, including conscripting child soldiers. This could have a major impact on future cases involving similar charges, something that is long overdue.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Knopf, 2006
Fiction; 435 pgs

Completed: 06/18/2007
Rating: (Very Good +)


First Sentence: Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas, talked to himself in his office, did not always return greetings and had too much hair.

Reason for Reading: I was drawn to this novel from the very first time I heard about it several months ago, and the more I heard about it, the more I was sure I wanted read it. And so it was with great anticipation that I opened the book to the first page and began to read. This is my third selection for the New York Times Notable Book Challenge and my eighth and final selection for the Spring Reading Thing.

From the Publisher: With the effortless grace of a natural storyteller, Adichie weaves together the lives of five characters caught up in the extraordinary tumult of the decade. Fifteen-year-old Ugwu is houseboy to Odenigbo, a university professor who sends him to school, and in whose living room Ugwu hears voices full of revolutionary zeal. Odenigbo’s beautiful mistress, Olanna, a sociology teacher, is running away from her parents’ world of wealth and excess; Kainene, her urbane twin, is taking over their father’s business; and Kainene’s English lover, Richard, forms a bridge between their two worlds. As we follow these intertwined lives through a military coup, the Biafran secession and the subsequent war, Adichie brilliantly evokes the promise, and intimately, the devastating disappointments that marked this time and place.

Comments: Between 1967 through to the beginning of 1970, Nigeria was in the midst of a civil war. A coup over the government by the Igpo people was short lived when another coup by the Hausa followed hot on its heels, becoming a nightmare for the Igbo people in Nigeria. On the back of a massacre that would continue throughout the war, the southeastern provinces of Nigeria declared themselves the Republic of Biafra and attempted to secede from the rest of the country. Although atrocities occurred on both sides, the use of starvation as a weapon to the isolated and war torn Biafra has become one of the grim trademarks of that vicious war.

A number of books have been popping up recently describing life and war in Africa, from a variety of cultures and perspectives. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel is one among many; however, it is one that stands out. The author is a gifted storyteller and her novel drew me in from the very first page and did not let go until long after I breathed in the last word. I am struggling with what to write about this book. The story moved me beyond words. I found myself chuckling during the lighter moments of the book, bubbling with anger at the atrocities described, fearful for the lives of characters I had grown to care very much for, and as if covered by a great veil of sadness, knowing that although Adichie’s novel is a work of fiction, there is much truth there as well.

The author’s words breathe life into the characters. How typical Ugwa was as a thirteen-year-old boy! There was Olanna with her kind heart and self-doubt; Odenigbo, so full of passion for what he believes; Richard whose outsider status never held him back from believing he belonged and yet whose uncertainty made him unsteady on his feet; and Kainene, who stood apart and kept her distance more often than not, hiding behind her sarcastic comments. It was Kainene I was most fascinated by, surprising even myself. I would have expected to be taken in more by Olanna’s gentle but tough character for she is the character I could most identify with.

Adichie painted a vivid picture of the brutality of war and the impact it had on her characters. No one went unaffected in some way, whether they paid the ultimate price or were oblivious throughout most of the war. I especially remember the scene near the end when a woman visits the Nsukka home searching out her old friend, Odenigbo. She makes a comment about how life had gone on for her almost like normal during the war and that she had no idea the extent of the war on her Igbo friends. She only learned of the terrible conditions her Igbo friends endured by reading a London paper while attending a conference. The irony, the dichotomy, of the situation was like a hammer hitting a nail home.

From the interactions of the characters and their relationships, and in the war itself, the author was able to touch up the issues of race and class struggles, the prejudices surrounding them. One aspect I found intriguing throughout the novel was the underlying influence the British colonization had on the various tribes and cultures in Nigeria and how much of that played into the events that would unfold in that country as well as in the book itself. It came as no surprise, mind you; however, it is a reminder of how all actions have consequences, some of which are unforeseen until they completely unravel.

The morning after, I still feel the affects of this marvelous book. Half of a Yellow Sun is a haunting story that took me right into the hearts of the characters and a country torn by jealousy, greed and hate. The story of Nigeria’s Civil War is not so unusual in the grand scheme of things, but it is a story that needs to be told and remembered. Still, Half of a Yellow Sun is not just about the war, it is about the people, their relationships, and their struggle to survive.

Favorite Part: With a novel like this, it is hard to pick out one favorite part, or even two or three. There was not a moment while reading this book I was not riveted to the words on the page. The characters were well drawn and interesting and the story flowed so smoothly that I was surprised at how quickly I moved through the book.

I liked how the author divided up her sections, at times going back and forth in time. The break from the war to return to the pre-war period was a short reprieve from the darker moments in the story, while at the same time proved quite revealing in better defining the characters and their relationships with one another.

Miscellaneous: There is a section on the author's website where people are allowed to share their own experiences regarding Biafra, which I spent a little time perusing and hope to revisit again to read at more length in the future.

The Inhabited World by David Long

The Inhabited World by David Long
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
Fiction; 277 pgs

Started: 06/01/2007
Completed: 06/03/2007
Rating: (Good +)

First Sentence: When he looks at his hand, he sees the hand he remembers—ropy branching veins, a ridge of waxy skin on the inside of the wrist where he fumbled a glowing iron rod at his father’s forge one afternoon in 1966.

Reason for Reading: This is my second selection for the New York Times Notable Book Challenge and my seventh for the Spring Reading Thing. I first came across this title through Kookiejar at A Fraternity of Dreamers. The author had visited her blog to recommend she consider reading his book. Out of curiosity, I did a little research and discovered that the subject matter intrigued me, and so onto my list it went.

Comments: The Inhabited World is not an easy book to describe. It is not quite a ghost story. It is more of a story about life, redemption, and moving on. The main character just happens to be dead. It is about a man, Evan Molloy, who died by his own hand. He is stuck in a state of limbo, unable to leave the property his Washington house is set on, and so his days and nights are spent observing the new residents as they come and go. Evan does not understand where exactly he is or why.

Maureen Keniston is the most recent tenant, a woman who is running away from her old life, trying to reestablish herself and find her footing after a long affair with a married man. Although her story is an important part of the narrative, Evan's story is the main focal point throughout most of the novel. As Evan watches Maureen and begins to understand her situation, all the while wishing he could offer her some solace, he is lost in his own memories, the recounting of his life and how he ended up where is today, including what led him to pull the trigger.

David Long's novel had an "it could happen to me" feel to it right from the very start. Evan was an average man whose life did not stand out much beyond the norm. His families, both in childhood and adulthood, were no more dysfunctional than most in today's society. Evan was really never made out to be a victim of his circumstances, which is a definite strength in this novel, fitting in with the overall atmosphere set by the author. I never felt sorry for Evan, although I could empathize with his plight.

I was most drawn to Evan's experience with depression, including the onset and his cycles in and out of it. Although it's named, the illness is never fully accepted by Evan for what it is, which itself is not too uncommon. There is a stigma about depression in its many forms and other mental illnesses as we see with not only Evan, but his stepdaughter, Janey as well. Physical health problems have always been more acceptable; those of the mind, even if the root may be physical, are still hard to accept.

There was a constant layer of melancholy that settled over the novel, both in the author's prose and woven into the lives of his characters. The Inhabited World is not one that stands out in the sense of climax and melodrama, and yet there is a quality about it that lingers because of the subtleness and the realness of it.

One side effect of having read this book is that now I find myself wondering if I am truly ever alone. Is there a spiritual being sitting in the pink (Anjin says it's brown) armchair, watching as I write this?

Note: You can learn more about the author and his other works by visiting David Long's website. Lovers of book lists might especially enjoy reading through the author's own lists.

Miscellaneous: It didn’t take long to fall asleep once my head settled onto my pillow for my afternoon nap today. I had a blog related dream in which I was writing a very long and involved post in which I had hoped to challenge an unnamed blogger to read a particular book (title and author of said book unknown) and write a review. I could not get a hold of the blogger and so I decided to instead offer the friend of the blogger a chance at the challenge. I only hoped that The Literate Kitten would agree. As with most of my dreams, I awoke before I could see the outcome and no attempts to recapture the dream worked.

New York Times Notable Book Challenge

As February comes to an end, it has become clear to me that I need to revise my reading goals for the year. My intention to continue with my series reading has fallen by the wayside as I seem to be straying away from those particular books in order to read others in my TBR collection. That does not mean I will not return to my favorite series, just that my focus in reading material lies elsewhere at the moment. Currently my reading choices seem to be dictated by the challenges I have agreed to participate in, all of which have been worthwhile experiences so far.

I did not have any intention of joining in on another challenge. I do not want to limit all of my reading this year to books on lists. I also have been striving to only choose books to read for the challenges that are already on my TBR shelves. And so, when I first heard about Caribousmom's New York Times (NYT) Most Notable Fiction Challenge, I immediately discounted the notion of joining in. I mean, I only recently came into possession of two of the books on the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2006, and one other I have read.

Caribousmom was relentless (okay, so not really. I just want to throw the blame on someone other than myself) in her endorsement of the challenge, and when I tried to squirm out of it by asking if there was a minimum requirement (what if I only wanted to read 2 books on the list?), she immediately made it clear that it was up to me. She told me that I "can read as many or as little" as I want and that I do not have to chose the titles ahead of time. The point of the challenge is not to read as many of the books on the list as possible or even a set number, but to provide an opportunity for the challengers to discuss our experiences with the books we do read. A forum was set up for that very purpose, in fact.

My firm resolve to not get tangled up in any more challenges faltered and collapsed. Are you really surprised? As a consolation, I am going to allow myself a lot of freedom with the NYT Challenge. I will not be setting a number of books to read from the list. I have jotted down a few titles that appeal to me, and my choices will come from that list (subject to change based on other books that catch my fancy or recommendations by others).

Without further ado . . .

Fiction:
Forgetfulness by Ward Just (read 12/2006)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala
The Inhabited World by David Long (read 06/2007)
Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Absurditan by Gary Shteyngart
Eat the Document by Dana Spiotta
Digging to America by Anne Tyler

Nonfiction:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Review of Forgetfulness by Ward Just

2006, Houghton Mifflin
258 pgs
Fiction
Rating: (Good +)

First Sentence: The way down was hard, the trail winding and slick underfoot, insecure.

Reason for Reading: The synopsis of the book interested me. It fit with the mood I was in when I was looking over the choices of books I could review for Curledup.com.

Comments: While her husband visits with his two American friends after dinner, Florette decides to take a walk along one of her favorite paths in the Pyrenees Mountains near their home. She suddenly finds herself at the mercy of four unknown travelers when she falls and breaks her ankle. Although very reluctant to offer aid, the men put her on stretcher and begin their journey again. As the bitter cold and rough terrain make the trip even more uncomfortable, Florette recalls her life before and after meeting Thomas. She thinks of the dreams she never achieved and of the happiness she has found in life. Unfortunately for Florette, her rescuers turn out to be her murderers.

Thomas Railles, a painter who at one time gathered information for the CIA, is devastated by the loss of his wife. Thomas wanders through the house, trying just to survive and keep hold of his memories of Florette. He does not want to let go. He does not want to forget. And in his remembering, memories of his life become more vivid: his final meeting with the Spaniard, his games of billiards with his English neighbor, his childhood, the start of his career in New York, his first love, and his life with Florette. He blames himself for his wife’s murder, wondering if he could have prevented her death had he noticed she’d left and not returned sooner. Thomas is ambiguous about pursuing the investigation into his wife’s murder, but the two Americans, friends since childhood, will not let go of it so easily, especially Bernhard.

It is Bernhard who convinces Thomas to attend the interrogation of the men who murdered Florette, despite Thomas’ mixed feelings. When confronted with the man who killed his wife, Thomas is not sure what to do or what to think. A part of him only wants to forget, there is the part feels anger and wants revenge and yet another part feels some relief at knowing something of the truth as to what happened.

Forgetfulness is a novel about one man’s journey through the grief after his wife’s tragic death. Thomas seemed numb through most the book. His love for Florette was clear and the impact of her death took a heavy toll on him just the same. His art seemed to seep up the passion he was unable to release. He felt angry, sad and yet he rarely expressed himself. His two childhood friends, Russ and Bernhard, were less closed with their emotions, Russ going through his own family tragedy and Bernhard holding onto his passion for his work, the only thing that really seemed to have value in his life.

Author Ward Just’s descriptions and use of language flow beautifully across the pages. Like his main character, Mr. Just is an artist, painting a portrait of Thomas and of Florette. In the background, Ward Just subtly brings up the topic of the Americans’ war on terror and the impact it has on the world, including the French, the society in which expatriate Thomas Railles has settled. The four men who were with Florette in her final hours are believed to be terrorists of sorts, although the novel is not really about that at all. Forgetfulness was not quite what I expected when I first picked it up to read; it was so much more. Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Wendy Runyon, 2006

Favorite Part: It is about “Lebenslüge, the lie that makes life bearable.” The whole concept of Lebenslüge, I found interesting and so true: the idea that people lie to themselves and to others to make their own lives easier to live, less painful.

I most loved the way Ward Just told the story, bringing his characters to life through their memories. He did so in such a real and beautiful way. I was most fascinated by Granger’s character and wish I could have gotten to know him better, learned more about his secrets. Still, keeping them hidden was part of the success of the book, I think.

Miscellaneous: The holiday decorations went up the first weekend of December and most of the gifts are sitting in the TBR room all wrapped and ready to be opened. As hubby and I were putting up the tree, the cat had already staked out his branch, climbing right in. It’s going to be a nice Christmas this year.