Thursday, March 17, 2011

Recent Reads

Say You're One of Them: Uwem Akpan
Nigeria author of these short stories. An Oprah book selection. I normally don't read short stories but I decided to try anyway. They are extremely well written. All cover violent times in Nigerian history. From the back cover: 'pays tribute to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.' In some cases, resilience is to be assumed - because several leave one hanging as to their future. Tough read though.

Alive in Necropolis: Doug Dorst
Set in the San Francisco area (specifically Colma). An intelligent and sometimes thought provoking easy read. Not your average mystery/horror story - more of a look at human behavior.

Look Me in The Eye- My Life with Asperger's: John Elder Robinson
Robinson is the older brother of the guy who wrote Running with Scissors. He has Asperger's (this end of the autism spectrum - vs the end that cannot communicate) but was not diagnosed until he was 40. He wrote this himself, and is really able to communicate what he went through and who he is. He's done some fascinating things in his life (quite a character), and I would recommend this highly.

4 comments:

Tera said...

Reading schmeading! However, if I ever feel compelled to do so, I will consult with you on the good ones :-)

Churlita said...

They all sound good. I love short stories, so Say You're One of Them might be perfect for me. Thanks for the reviews.

laura b. said...

I, too, appreciate the reviews. I do like short stories, although those sound like they'd need to be saved for a specific mood. I love the sound of "Look Me in the Eye" too...going to look for that one, for sure.

Pamela said...

Tera, maybe it's a book on tape? Then you wouldn't need to hurt your eyes... ;-)

Churlita, you're welcome!

Laura, you will enjoy, I think. Though, not sure what mood you need to be in to read those short stories. I guess maybe in a resilient mood, since again, they are tough.