The shelves, tables, and even the floor of my room are cluttered with books that I had every intention of reading in the past year. This condition is exactly what one would expect of a "book junky."
Without fail, many of the "must reads" that I discover through serendipity eventually find a place somewhere in my room. Despite my yearly resolution to read one book at-a-time and not to purchase a book until everything on my shelves has been read, I always find that my passion for reading continues to create piles of items that remain in the unread category.
As I take inventory of the books in my room, I realize there is truly no rhyme or reason to what grabs my interest. My reading is anything but focused: included are memoirs, mysteries, poetry, biographies, novels, romances, fantasy, etc. I have always enjoyed reading and since the first or second grade, my favorite thing to do was to go to the library or bookstore to find something to satisfy my desire. With this in mind, here's a selection of the titles that captured my interest in 2004:
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini is one of those items left from a previous year that I finally read because I persuaded my neighborhood book group that it was worth the time. This book ranks high among my favorites for 2004. It is the first novel of Khaled Hosseini as well as the first novel to be written in English by an Afghan. It spans the period from before the 1979 Soviet invasion until the reconstruction following the fall of the Taliban. The novel provides a portrait of the Afghans as an independent and proud people who for decades have defended their country against one invader after another. The story deals with the relationships between friends and servants as well as fathers and sons. Amir, the narrator, betrays his servant and best friend Hassan.
When the Russians come, Amir and his father move to California, where Amir builds a life for himself. However, when he learns that a childhood mentor is ailing, Amir returns to Kabul only to learn that his relationship with Hassan was far deeper than he ever suspected. This realization causes him to undertake a hazardous journey to rescue Hassan's son.
The novel derives its name from the Afghan custom of doing battle with kites. The book provides an extraordinary perspective on the struggles of Afghanistan and acquainted me with a totally new culture while focusing on the universal theme of human relationships.
"The Electrical Field" by Kerri Sakamoto was on the list of the Nikkei Book Group, which meets at Beacon Hill Library. The events in the novel take place during the 1970s in a rather bleak neighborhood of bungalows beyond which looms a field of electrical towers. Most of the residents are Canadians of Japanese ancestry. The action takes place in the weeks after a Japanese-born woman and her Canadian lover are found murdered.
The woman's husband abruptly withdraws their children from school and disappears leaving the entire community concerned about the fate of the kids. As Asako Saito narrates the story, the reader discovers, through her thoughts and memories, much about the community and characters. Asako is a complex and fascinating character and, like other Nisei, has haunting memories of the internment camp along with her beloved older brother, Eiji. Although the mystery of whom killed Chisako Yano and her hakujin lover creates some suspense in the plot, the real suspense comes from trying to follow Miss Saito's contradicting words and thoughts.
This book is worth reading because it relives how psychological confinement often follows from physical confinement. Although this is a first novel, Sakamoto has done a remarkable job in portraying her protagonist Asako Saito with her hazy memories. It's a compelling read that has contributed to my knowledge and understanding of people.
I can't remember exactly what happenstance brought me to "The Best Defense" by Ellis Cose. However, I am sure that I did decide it might be more interesting to read his first work of fiction as opposed to reading any of his many works of nonfiction, which deal with issues of race, gender, and work.
Actually, this work deals with gender, race, and work, although I would loosely describe it as a legal thriller with a love interest. The story includes a killing that is assumed to be caused by affirmative action. By dealing with all sides of this complex and explosive issue, Cose creates unusual suspense as well as a good read.
The story revolves around whether John Wisocki, a computer-training expert, shot his coworker accidentally or because he lost his job to him. Wisocki engages an African American woman as his defense attorney. Felicia Fontaine, a savvy attorney, agrees to represent him regardless of the black community's concern about the types of clients that she is willing to represent.
Because Wisocki is a white man accused of murdering a Hispanic coworker who was slated to replace him, she finds that not only is she likely to become the pariah in the black community but she will also alienate her friends and lover. The courtroom drama is tense as Felicia deals with the counter measures from her former lover, Santiago, who happens to be the prosecutor.
Cose explores many complex life issues, and I recommend this for one of those evenings when you want to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot tea.
All of my nonfiction favorites were selected from book reviews that I read in numerous magazines, except for "Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way: Timeless Strategies from the First Lady of Courage" by Robin Gerber and James MacGregor Burns. I actually snatched this book while browsing shelves at one of the Seattle Library branches, and my ongoing interest in Eleanor Roosevelt's life and accomplishments attracted me to it.
The author's goal is to motivate women to assume leadership roles by showing the values, tactics, and beliefs that made it possible for Roosevelt to transform herself into one of the most outstanding women of the 20th century. The author begins each chapter of the book with a story taken from different periods in Roosevelt's life. The stories are then followed by the lessons she learned and their contribution to her growth as a leader. This book makes it clear that women can look at the life of Eleanor Roosevelt as a model for leadership and provides women from all backgrounds with a path for personal achievement.
Because of my current effort to become informed about the Middle East and Islam, I read, with a great deal of interest, Carmen bin Laden's "Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia." The book offers a penetrating and unusually intimate account of Saudi society. Bin Laden, the former sister-in-law of Osama bin Laden, describes the role of the bin Laden family in Saudi society as well as the treatment of Saudi women.
When Carmen heard the news about the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, she instinctively knew that her ex-brother-in-law was involved and at the same time realized that her life and the lives of her family would never be the same again. Carmen bin Laden, a Swiss-Iranian raised in Geneva, married the elder brother of Osama bin Laden. As a member of the bin Laden family, Carmen discovered that she was inside a complex and vast clan, and part of a society that she did not understand.
Her story takes us inside the bin Laden clan and the Saudi kingdom, which is one of the most powerful, secretive and repressive kingdoms in the world. The Saudi culture appalled her, and her failure to adjust caused her to take refuge in Switzerland where her marriage to Yeslam bin Laden broke up.
In this book she provides an insider's look at what she describes as the "suffocating, self-righteous, pathological Saudi culture, antagonistic to the West." The gravity of events along with Carmen's engaging style and perspective make this memoir a page-turner.
I first ran across a review of Sarah Erdman's "Nine Hills to Nambonkaha; Two Years in the Heart of an African Village" in "Elle Magazine". I immediately put the title on a 3 x 5 card as a reminder to pick up a copy.
Erdman spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in this northern village on the Ivory Coast. She worked as a health-care worker and instructor. With very limited resources, Erdman initiated a maternal and child health-care practice by establishing a regular weighing of babies to check the extent of malnutrition. Traditional sorcery and witchcraft often challenged Erdman's health-care efforts.
She vividly describes her adjustments to local ways, how she gains confidence and friendship of some of the villagers, and how she is powerless in many situations to overcome the local atrocities and taboos. In this portrait of an African village responding with resilience to change as they are confronted with modern problems, Erdman has created a tale about another land and culture that truly has meaning. Although it deals with malnourished bodies, miscarriages, and stillbirths, Erdman's eloquent prose makes this a strangely beautiful and readable story.
Believe it or not, I have already racked up a book list for 2005. Hopefully I'll read through it all.
Elizabeth Yee is a librarian at the Seattle Public Library's newly revamped Beacon Hill Branch.[[In-content Ad]]
