More Summer Reading Recommendations

We are in the tale end of summer but it's not too late to pick up a good book.  Here are four of my latest reads and my thoughts on them.  You might see something you like!

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming was an engaging read. I felt like I really got a sense of who she is and also got some fascinating insights into her relationship with Barack Obama. They are very different personalities, and though often I get told I remind people of the former president, I think in many ways I’m a lot more like Michelle. There were a few parts where the pace dragged but others that were quite compelling. Her memories of her growing up years and her experience with the presidential campaign and entering the White House were among my favorite sections.  I wish that some of my conservative friends would read the book. They’d find themselves hard-pressed to describe Michelle Obama as anyone other than a good person who loves her country and did her best to make America a better place. That’s something we all strive for.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.

Most of the time the book is better than the movie (or TV series). This is not one of those times. Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi novel was the inspiration for the Amazon series of the same title, but the book is different in a lot of ways. And while it’s not exactly boring, it’s not near as interesting as the first season of the show. (And actually reminds me a lot of the third season which is not so compelling.  While I finished Season 1 in just a few days, I still haven’t gotten around to finishing the third season which I began around a year ago.) Dick’s book lacks the urgent plot development of the TV series. There’s no underground resistance, no mysterious murders, just an underwhelming attempt on the life of German spy. Viewers of the show will note that some favorites are missing from the book entirely. There’s no kempetai Inspector and Obergruppenfuhrer, which is a shame because those were two of my favorite story lines.  And in the book The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is a book not a series of films. My recommendation is to stick with Season 1 of the show--maybe even Season 2 and sikp the book.

Missoula: Rape & the Justice System in a College Town by John Krakauer. 

I picked up this book because of the author more than subject matter. I have been a long time fan of Krakauer and his books never fail to shake me to my core. Missoula was no exception. It’s a harsh indictment of the rape culture that saturates not just our college campuses but our society. Like all his books Missoula made me think hard and challenged my assumptions. I highly recommend the book, with the caveat that, while well-paced and easy to read, the subject matter is dealt with explicitly. As a result it can be upsetting at times. I felt pretty gloomy at points (it probably didn’t help that I was also watching a couple of episodes a day of The Handmaid’s Tale at the same time).  Frankly addressing the problem of sexual assault has gained new traction in this age of #metoo but these kinds of crimes have been happening for a long time. I personally know of at least two women during my college days who experience acquaintance rape, and chances are you know someone too, whether you realize it or not. My hope and prayer is that this culture will change. Krakauer’s book is a step in that direction.

Between the World and Me by Na-Tahesi Coates

The late Toni Morrison declared this book required reading and I have to agree. This book has been on my reading list for a couple of years now, and I finally got to it. It hit hard. For African-American readers there is much to relate to.  For everyone else this slender volume written as an extended letter to Coate’s son is a vital insight to what it means to grow up black in America. Perhaps one of the most necessary shifts in our national understanding of racism is recognizing it as an institutional systemic problem rooted in power, greed, fear, and desperate clinging to control (Coates describes this as the Dream), rather than--as is commonly understood--an individual problem rooted in hatred. Most telling is that the police shooting that haunts Coates throughout much of the book is that of Prince Jones. Jones was an admired acquaintance of Coates from Howard University and was shot by a black officer in a case of mistaken identity.  The issue is not the individual racism, or even the skin color of the officer, but rather the system that we all live in that puts a low value on black life. My only quibble with Between the World and Me was its pessimism.  Still, though Coates does not have religious faith, his book is prophetic and searing.