Review: Never Grow Up (by Jackie Chan, with Zhu Mo)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

I decided to pick up Jackie Chan’s memoir not because I’m a fan (in fact, quite the opposite – he’s actually one of my least favorite celebrities nowadays), but because of nostalgia, as Jackie was a big name in the HK entertainment industry during its heyday in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, when the industry was flourishing.  Back then, the HK entertainment industry was known as “the Hollywood of the East” and rightfully so given the popularity of its stars, who were known all over Asia (and some internationally as well).  As someone who was born in Hong Kong, I’ve always had great affinity for my birth city, which is why it probably won’t come as a surprise that I’ve been following all things HK, especially its entertainment industry, pretty much my entire life.  As such, having grown up on a steady diet of HK movies, TV series, music, books, etc., I’ve become so familiar with the industry that I actually know it better than the “real” Hollywood (significant because I live in Los Angeles, so Hollywood is, basically, in my backyard).  Having devoted so much time and energy to following the industry for decades, I’ve unfortunately also witnessed its deterioration over the years (the past 2 decades especially). Not only that – there’s also the fact that many of the HK celebrities I grew up watching are either retired, less active in the industry, or in some cases, no longer with us (each time I hear about the passing of a HK celebrity, my heart breaks more than a little).  Given these circumstances, it’s understandable then why I would choose to spend time reading a book that 1) is “written” by a HK celebrity that I’m honestly not too fond of, and 2) tells me nothing that I didn’t already know (actually, I probably know more than what Jackie chose to share in his memoir, LOL).

Overall, I would have to say that the experience of reading (or, more accurately, listening, since I went with the audio book version) Jackie’s memoir was enjoyable, primarily because of the nostalgia factor, as he recounts many stories from those “golden years” of the industry that I remember fondly as well.  Of course, given Jackie’s stature as the “big brother” of the HK entertainment industry, he has worked with countless HK celebrities over the years, many of whom get “name-checked” in this memoir (which, to be honest, was my favorite part of the book, as I’m a fan of some of those other celebrities).

One thing that did surprise me about this memoir though is how candidly Jackie talked about some of the scandals as well as the less savory aspects of his personal life, especially in light of the fact that Chinese celebrities (specifically, those who grew up in Asia) are notoriously reticent when it comes to their personal lives. HK celebrities – the more famous ones in particular -- are big on maintaining their privacy and are extremely skilled at playing what I call “verbal tai-chi” with reporters (“verbal tai-chi” essentially means answering questions in a way that doesn’t really reveal anything and deflecting questions without people realizing they are doing it).  This is actually partly why gossip rags are so overwhelmingly popular in HK, since they go to great lengths to dig up the information that the celebrity doesn’t want to reveal.  In Jackie’s case, there are quite a few negative things that he is “known for” in HK (i.e. his carelessness with money, being neglectful toward his son, constantly cheating on his wife, etc. – and I’m only scratching the surface here).  Jackie actually addresses some of these things in his memoir, which I found surprising – though on second thought, some things were spun in a more positive light than how they actually played out (especially his relationships with his wife, retired actress Joan Lin, and son Jaycee – both of which are more strained than he lets on his memoir).

With all that said, one thing I was super curious about (and admittedly one of the reasons why I wanted to read this memoir) was to see if Jackie was going to mention anything about the big scandal that essentially “destroyed” his career and reputation in HK (his 1999 affair with actress Elaine Ng and the daughter from that affair, Etta, whom to this day, he still refuses to acknowledge).  Spoiler alert (well, not really) -- he DOES mention it, but in a roundabout, “blink and you’ll miss it” way – there is a short section where he mentions the “serious mistake” he made in 1999 that “resulted in a love child,” but then goes on to talk about the “media frenzy” that ensued and the impact it had on himself and his family (specifically, Joan and Jaycee) – in essence, he glosses over the situation and his own behavior and instead focuses on how forgiving Joan was towards him.  I will be honest in saying I was disappointed with the way he “kind of did / kind of didn’t” mention it, as I felt this was a missed opportunity to rectify things and salvage some of the respect that was lost (for the record, it was actually this scandal and the horrible way he handled things afterwards that made me lose all respect for him, which is why I said at the beginning of this review that he is one of my least favorite celebrities nowadays), but then again, it IS his memoir so he has the prerogative to write whatever he wants, how he wants.

While I’m glad I read this memoir, I realize that I’m actually not the audience for it.  To me, it seems that Jackie wrote this memoir more for a Western audience that might not know as much about him as those of us from his home town do – or perhaps he wrote it for his fans who probably know everything but love him anyway (which is perfectly fine – to each their own).  All in all, this was an enjoyable, if not particularly insightful, read.

Review: Calypso (by David Sedaris)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

I’ve been feeling a bit of overwhelm lately looking at my ridiculously long TBR list, which I keep adding books to faster than I am able to read them. This feeling of overwhelm, coupled with the fact that I am running out of space for all the physical books I have in my house, has driven me to make a few much-needed changes to the way I plan my reading. 

First though, let me explain how I got here.  Ever since I discovered Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) around 10 years ago, my reading life changed dramatically in that a huge focus of my reading every year has been on new releases.  Sure, I read backlist books as well, but except for my two years in graduate school (which, given my major in English Literature, required that I read tons of not only backlist but also classics), the majority of my time was spent trying to get through an ARC of a new release before its publication date.  At the same time, I also suffer from a serious case of BOOK FOMO where I will often go on book buying binges and before I know it, I will end up with a stack of books (both new releases and backlist titles) that I have every intention of getting to as soon as possible but inevitably set aside because of some other book I need to read (either for review or book club or both).  The result is that, over the past decade, I’ve accumulated hundreds (okay, it’s probably more like thousands) of books on my TBR (and bookshelves) that I want to read but haven’t found time to get to. 

So going back to the changes I mentioned earlier: in addition to incorporating audiobooks into my reading (which has helped me get through many of the nonfiction backlist titles in my collection), I’ve also been more intentional about requesting fewer ARCs, which gives me room to incorporate more books from my own shelves when planning my list of reads each month. Three months in, I am happy to report that this strategy seems to be working, as my reading log shows that I’ve read 10 backlist and 9 new releases so far this year, which is very close to the one for one ratio that I was hoping to achieve (though this will probably change when all the “big books” come out in the summer and fall, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there – for now, I will take every win I can get, LOL).

Just today, I finished another backlist title – one of David Sedaris’s (many) essay collections, Calypso, which I had gotten as one of the Book of the Month titles back in 2018.  I’ve read individual essays/articles that Sedaris has written over the years in various publications, but this was my first time reading an entire collection of them in book form, which, I have to say, is an entirely different experience from reading them individually.  While I enjoyed this collection quite a bit overall, I didn’t find it as funny as I anticipated it would be, especially given Sedaris’s trademark wry, cynical, and candidly irreverent sense of humor that is usually right up my alley.  I’m thinking this could be because I listened to this one on audio – which of course meant that I was also doing other tasks at the same time – so it’s possible that I may have gotten distracted and missed some of the funnier bits. With that said, one of the particularly enjoyable aspects of the audio version is that a few of the essays were recordings from his live performances, which definitely enhanced the listening experience for those (and not surprisingly, I found those to be the funniest essays in the collection).

I actually have several of Sedaris’s essay collections on my shelf, which I intend to work my way through by interspersing them wherever I can (though I probably will need to do some research first to see whether I should pick up the audio or the print version).  I’m also looking forward to his newest essay collection coming out in May – just in time for summer reading!

Review: How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents (by Jimmy O. Yang)

My Rating: 5 stars

Prior to Crazy Rich Asians, I actually had never heard of Jimmy O. Yang, but after watching and loving that movie, I started reading up on everything I could find related to the filming of the adaptation.  In doing so, I found out that Jimmy is actually from Hong Kong like me, which of course piqued my interest –  then after watching his comedy specials where he talks about his struggles with identity and belonging in his journey immigrating from Hong Kong to the United States and how he overcome the odds to become a successful Chinese-American entertainer in Hollywood, I eventually became a fan. 

Aside from some of the biographical details that we both have in common (born in Hong Kong and immigrated with family to Los Angeles as a child, parents from Shanghai, fluent in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Shanghainese, etc.), there was so much of Jimmy’s immigrant experience overall that resonated deeply with me – specifically, his struggle with identity and belonging and thinking that he had to do everything he could to assimilate and fit in, yet at the end of the day, it still wasn’t enough in that he would still feel that he was constantly “caught between two cultures and their polarizing beliefs.”  As an immigrant myself, this struggle to reconcile two disparate cultures is one that I understand profoundly, which is perhaps why I’m so drawn to Jimmy’s brand of comedy.  Both of his previous comedy specials (entitled “Good Deal” and “Guess How Much”) center on his experiences as an Asian immigrant in America, though a large part also focuses on his interactions with his very Chinese-minded parents, which I definitely could relate to (the subtitle of his book is “An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents” which I found both hilarious and very fitting).  Speaking of his parents, I absolutely love the dynamic of the O. Yang family – Jimmy actually takes his dad (whom I’m obligated to call Uncle Richard – if you’re wondering why, reference the “Top 5 Chinese rules” in Jimmy’s book) and sometimes his mom (Auntie Amy) on tour with him and seeing their various interactions is so hilarious, especially during those instances when Jimmy pretends to be resentful over the fact that nowadays, Uncle Richard is more popular than him and he mock complains about audiences clamoring to get their picture taken with his dad rather than with him, lol.

I’ve actually known about Jimmy’s book for a couple of years and bought a physical copy when it first came out, but unfortunately never got around to reading it.  Turns out this was a blessing in disguise, as Jimmy’s book is actually best experienced in audiobook format -- not only does Jimmy read the book himself, he also does a lot of improvising and ad libs some interesting tidbits in the audio version that are not in the print version (for example - he’ll give some side commentary on something he wrote or more hilariously, he’ll say something like “omg, I can’t believe I actually wrote that!”). As those who have seen his stand up can probably attest to, Jimmy is very lively and animated when it comes to his comedy routines and he brings the same delightful energy to his audiobook performance – his “Jimmy ah!” imitation of his mom and dad is so on point that I can’t help cracking a smile each time I hear it.

My absolute favorite section of the book was chapter 2 (titled “How to Immigrant”) where Jimmy talks at length about his culture shock when he first arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong as a young, impressionable 13-year-old. This chapter made me laugh so much that I had to take a break before going onto the next chapter so I could recover.  I cracked up so hard at his bit about Pizza Hut (which, for those who may not be aware, is actually a fancy sit-down restaurant “with a swanky salad bar” in Hong Kong as opposed to the standing-room only “kitchen for pizza delivery” hole in the wall that it is here in the U.S.) and the incredulity in his voice when he wondered how “the authentic version [of Pizza Hut] could be so much sh***ier than the foreign version” (actually, the same can be said for many of the American fast food chains in Hong Kong – they are all VERY different from how they are here).  Also, the bit about having his first American meal at his grandpa’s “favorite restaurant in LA” that served “authentic Mexican food” was downright hilarious – the “restaurant” happened to be El Pollo Loco, but for 13-year-old “fresh off the boat” Jimmy, it was unlike any place he had eaten at before.  The way he described it was essentially like paradise – not only could he get as many soda refills as he wanted, there was also the “magical kingdom of flavor and color” that was the restaurant’s salsa bar – the fact that both the soda refills and the salsa were free and they could help themselves to as much as they liked completely blew little Jimmy’s mind.  This was the beauty of listening to Jimmy narrate his own book – it felt like having an old friend sit you down in real life and listening to them tell you about their experiences. 

Listening to this audiobook was such a fun experience!  I definitely recommend that anyone interested in reading this book go for the audio version due to the enhanced reading experience.   Even though a lot of what Jimmy writes about in his book will probably be familiar to those who’ve watched his comedy specials or followed his career, that’s okay because his lively, spirited narration makes it all come across fresh and engaging. 

As a side note – Jimmy kicked off the Asian leg of his current “Big and Tall” standup tour in our mutual home city of Hong Kong over the summer (all 5 shows at the iconic Hong Kong Coliseum sold out in minutes!) and even though I didn’t get a chance to watch his performance live (bummer), I did follow all of the news stories and watched all the interviews he did with the local press over there, which was a fun experience in and of itself, but it also turned out to be a great lead-up to reading this book, so I would recommend that route as well.

Review: The Art of Gathering (by Priya Parker)

My Rating: 4 stars

I had heard about this book when it first came out in 2018 and over the past couple years, I kept hearing the book recommended over and over again, both by strangers as well as by bookish friends.  I have social anxiety so I've never been one for hosting and I rarely ever go to parties, which is why, when I first heard that this book was about "gatherings," I put off reading it.  But then as I heard people talking about the book, I realized it could be applicable to gatherings of all kinds, including work gatherings both formal and informal (such as meetings and conferences), plus I was curious, so I decided to finally pick this book up.  I'm glad I did because I ended up really enjoying this one, to the point that I couldn't put it down (like a page-turner, which is rare for a non-fiction "self-help" book) and ultimately finished it in one sitting.  I also ended up taking a lot of notes, which surprised me given the topic.

The book's author, Priya Parker, is a facilitator and strategic advisor trained in the field of conflict resolution.  Because of this background, the advice she gives focuses more on the human aspects of gatherings (the hosts and guests) rather than the logistics (which she does cover, but to a lesser extent). In one of the chapters, where she talks about how most event planning guides lean more toward the logistics aspects such as what type of food to prepare and when to start, she writes: "This encapsulates the prevailing approach to gathering that I hope to change: fussing over the crudités and hoping for the best when it comes to the human beings.  We deserve better."  Indeed, we do!! 

I also really liked the way Parker broke down the information, going in order from deciding the purpose of the gathering and figuring out the guest list to the responsibilities of the host through to the closing.  The examples that Parker gave ran the gamut from simple (a family dinner, a weekly morning meeting at work) to extreme (large city-wide dinners, professional conferences involving hundreds of world leaders), which I found to be an interesting way to show how her techniques could be applied to any type of gathering — though at the same time, Parker does make clear that not all techniques will be applicable to every gathering, which I appreciated.

One of the things I was surprised to learn was how there could be so many different aspects to a gathering, which I had never thought about before — for example, with the opening and closing of a gathering, there could be multiple steps involved beyond just saying "welcome" and "thank you."  Parker explains the importance of focusing on a good opening and closing by pointing to studies about attention span and memory which "show that audiences disproportionately remember the first 5 percent, the last 5 percent, and a climactic moment of a talk.  Gatherings…work in much the same way.  And yet, we often pay the least attention to how we open and close them, treating these elements as afterthoughts."  I've actually heard this information before in other iterations but never correlated it to openings and closings of gatherings, so it was an eye-opener for me.

One of the sections that resonated most with me is when Parker talks about vulnerability, authenticity, and honesty during gatherings and how "the stranger spirit" is an important contributing factor to achieving this because "it is often easier to confess parts of our lives with strangers, who have no stake in our lives, than with intimates who do."  This is absolutely true for me, which is one reason why, social anxiety not withstanding, I tend do better at gatherings with casual acquaintances whom I probably will never see again versus gatherings of family, friends, and co-workers whom I have to face every day.  I wasn't expecting to encounter such resonant insight in a book about gathering!

Overall, I found this book quite fascinating. The title is actually perfect, as Parker truly does talk about gathering as an "art" form.  I also appreciated how Parker arranged the information in such a practical way that was both easy to understand and follow.  I highly recommend this book, as I feel there is valuable insight to be gleaned here, whether you usually play the role of host or guest (or, like me, neither).  This is not a typical event planning guide though, so if that's what you're interested in, definitely look elsewhere; but if you're interested in a thoughtful, well-written book about how to make gatherings more meaningful from a "people" perspective, then I absolutely suggest picking this one up.

Review: Atomic Habits (by James Clear)

My Rating:  4 stars

As I've mentioned in previous reviews of self-help books that I've read, I'm always a bit weary when I pick one of these books up because they can be a real "hit or miss" for me in terms of reading experience.  I would consider myself "picky" about books in general (mostly because I have a problem abandoning a book once I start it), but even more so when it comes to non-fiction reads, which for me in particular, requires extra effort and concentration. 

 

With this mindset, I went into James Clear's popular self-help book Atomic Habits not really expecting to get too much out of it – which is why I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this one.  Of course, as is the case with many self-help books, the concepts that Clear talks about in his book aren't brand new (I'm sure there are dozens of books out there covering the same topic) and in all honesty,  there was nothing particularly mind-blowing about the content itself.  Having said that, what made this book stand out for me was its simple, easy-to-understand format – basically, Clear took what can be a complicated topic and broke it down in a way that was clear, insightful, and practical.   As I was reading, I didn't feel like I had to jump through hoops in order to grasp the concepts or that I had to think too deeply on how to meaningfully apply the ideas to my daily life.  In fact, I already started applying some of it and, seeing the results, am motivated to continue.  I also really liked the structure of the book, with nice short chapters as well as relevant charts and tools interspersed at the right moments.  I also found the summary at the end of each chapter – which listed out main "takeaways" from the chapter in simple bullet points – extremely useful in terms of helping to remember the important points in each section.

 

In a way, I guess this is one of those instances of reading "the right book at the right time".  Given how chaotic the end of the year usually is for me (both at home and at work), finding the time to read at all can be challenging, so it definitely helps to read a book that I can easily get through and parse, for one, and two, can be readily applied to situations I'm working through currently. 

 

While quite a few aspects of this book definitely resonated with me, especially in this moment of my life, I'm sure it will be different for others, so I would say keep that in mind when deciding whether to pick this one up or not.  I found this book to be a worthwhile read, of course, but even if it doesn't particularly resonate with others, I feel like there are some insights that can be helpful.

 

 

Review: Us Against You (by Fredrik Backman)

My Rating: 5 stars

I read Beartown for the first time this weekend (I know, I’m late to the party, as usual) and was absolutely blown away by it.  I loved everything about that book — from the writing to the story to the realistically-rendered characters — to the point that I didn’t want it to end.  So of course, I was glad that I already had the sequel, Us Against You, on my shelf ready to pick up. 

I will be honest and say that, in general, I’m not a fan of sequels, especially when it comes to a work (be it a book, movie, or TV series) that I absolutely adored.  This is because, from past experience, many sequels I’ve encountered often end up falling short of the original work, with a few extreme instances where the sequel actually ruined the original for me (this is also a reason why I’m not a fan of retellings either, but I digress…).  This is why, despite how much I LOVED the characters in Beartown and wanted nothing more than to keep remaining in their company for as long as possible, a small part of me was apprehensive going into this sequel. For me, Beartown was too wonderful, magical, and beyond exceptional to the point that I couldn’t help wondering:  will the sequel live up to the original?  Or am I setting myself up to be disappointed?

Well, I shouldn’t have worried because the sequel was absolutely fantastic!!!  Without a doubt, the sequel not only lived up to the original, it actually surpassed it in some aspects (specifically with the characters).  I rated Beartown a solid 5 stars…for Us Against You, let’s just say definitely more than 5 stars if I could!!

The story in this second book picks up pretty much where the first one left off, with the same beloved characters — Benji, Amat, Bobo, Ramona, Sune, Maya, Ana, Kira, etc. — who stole my heart the first time around now embedding themselves permanently into my soul.   In fact, I loved these characters so much and resonated with them so deeply that, once again, I found myself on a roller coaster ride of emotions (from laughter to sadness to anger and everything in between).  I cared about what happened to these characters so much that, when Fredrik Backman wrote in the first few pages of the book that “someone we love” will die by the end of the story, I felt an immediate ache in my heart (and even though, in the end, the person who died wasn’t who I thought it would be, I still couldn’t help bawling like a baby when the scene happened). Even the new characters introduced in the sequel — despite the fact that we didn’t get to spend as much time with them as those from the first book — managed to still find a place in my heart by the end of the story.  

It’s rare for me to be so emotionally invested in a story and it’s characters to this degree, but so far, with each of Backman’s novels that I’ve read, this has been my experience.  No one writes about the human condition as realistically as Backman is able to do in his fiction.  He also has the unique ability to write his characters as real people, human beings who look and feel and experience the way you and I do — flawed creatures who make mistakes, who have good days and bad, who say things we don’t mean and mean things we don’t say, who can be cruel and lash out when we’re scared or hurting, but yet also be compassionate and kind in moments when it’s needed most (I’m just scratching the surface, as there’s no way to relay the wide range of themes and emotions that this story explores).

I actually read this book all in one sitting, which is definitely a first for me (especially considering this book is 400+ pages)!  Without a doubt, this was worth every minute of my time and if I didn’t already have a boatload of books that I still need to get to, I would happily re-read both Beartownand this one in a heartbeat.  The third (and last) book in the series is supposed to come out later this year and needless to say, I can’t wait to read it (though I’m praying that the publication date for the English version doesn’t get pushed back because if it does, so help me God, I will find a way to read the Swedish version if I have to!).

Review: Joyful (by Ingrid Fetell Lee)

My Rating:  4 stars

Full disclosure:  self-help books aren't usually my cup of tea.  Not that there is anything wrong with self-help books, it's just that I usually don't get much out of these types of books, for one, and two, non-fiction books of any kind generally take me much longer to read, so I prefer not to spend precious reading time on them when I could use that time to instead choose something from my mile-high, teetering TBR stack. Given this context, I very likely would not have picked up Ingrid Fettell Lee's Joyful on my own if it hadn't been chosen as a monthly read for one of my book clubs. While the subject matter (the aesthetics of joy and how to find it in our surroundings) is one that I'm definitely interested in reading about (which usually also plays a huge role in whether I choose to read a non-fiction book or not), I worried about the timing and the impact to my already tightly-packed reading schedule.  

Now that I've finished, I'm actually glad I decided to pick this one up, as I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.  I think this was due to the fact that I didn't approach this book from a "self-help" perspective in terms of how I could apply the author's advice to bring more joy into my own life, but rather, I went into it from the perspective of a "fascinating learning experience" about the aesthetics of joy and examples of how each element manifests itself in the real world.  Prior to this, I had never read a book that broke down the elements of joy in such detail and I definitely learned a lot, even though some of the examples that the author provided didn't have much practical application for me personally.  My favorite chapter was the one about "play", probably because I could relate most to what was described in there, but I also liked the later chapters where the author brought all the concepts together and showed us how to recognize the different aesthetics in a single environment.

Another aspect I liked about this book was the writing, which flowed seamlessly and, perhaps most importantly, was accessible.  For me, the way a non-fiction book is written has a huge impact on whether that particular book will be a "hit" or a "miss" for me (even if he subject matter is one that I'm interested in). What I appreciated about Joyful is that it didn't feel overly scientific when I was reading it, even though some parts of it did cite statistics and results of scientific research.  While the book did take me longer to read than usual, tit wasn't because the concepts were hard to understand or anything — rather, I tend to take longer to read non-fiction books overall because of my own obsession with absorbing every single detail so as to make it worth my while, which of course requires additional focus and concentration on my part.

I'm definitely glad I read this one and would definitely recommend it, especially to those who like reading non-fiction.  While each person's reaction to the concepts that Ingrid Fettell Lee presents here will undoubtedly vary (especially depending on whether you've read other works on the same subject in the past or not), I liked this one more than some of the other "self-help" books I've read.  Also, given the year I've had, I feel it's quite appropriate that I got the chance to incorporate a book about joy into my reading journey, regardless of whether the concepts covered in the book "helped" me or not.  A worthwhile read overall! 

Review: Dear Mrs. Bird (by A.J. Pearce)

My Rating:  3 stars

I had actually heard about this book when it first came out several years ago, but never got the chance to read it.  A few months ago, I was approved for an ARC of the sequel -- since I'm the type who MUST read books in a series in order (even if the books can technically be read as stand-alones), I of course had to go back and read book one first before picking up the second one.  Overall, I found this one to be a quick read that was both delightful and fun but also serious when it needed to be (not an easy feat given the fact that the story is set against the backdrop of World War II) -- though having said that, I did have some issues with parts of it (which I will get into later). 

The story revolves around a young woman named Emmeline (Emmy) Lake who, with all the men off fighting the war, wants to do her part to help the war effort.  She volunteers at the call center for the Fire Brigade, but what she really wants to do is become a journalist reporting on the war (or, as she puts it, a "Lady War Correspondent").  When she sees an advertisement in the newspaper for a part-time Junior at the publishing house for the newspaper The London Evening Chronicle, she jumps at the opportunity to interview, thinking this will be her big opportunity to finally get her foot in the door for her dream job.  But it turns out the job is actually for one of the magazines managed under the publishing house -- a small publication called Woman's Friend that is already on its last legs.  What's worse though is that the position is specifically to go through letters sent in to the magazine's problem page Henrietta Helps, run by the formidable Mrs. Henrietta Bird, who refuses to answer any letters that fit into the category of what she feels is "Unpleasantness" (there is actually a long list with very specific words and topics that are off-limits -- basically the only "safe" topics are things like asking for knitting instructions or beauty advice).  Emmy is disappointed and constantly chides herself for not listening during the interview, causing her to accept a job that's a far cry from what she expected -- but with her cheery and optimistic personality, she decides to make a go of it.  As she immerses herself in her job, she reads the letters of some of the readers (mostly women) and starts to feel genuinely sorry for them, seeing all they have to deal with during this trying time.  She wants to help them, but unfortunately, nearly every single letter falls into the Unpleasantness category (which means Mrs. Bird won't bother responding and the letters get thrown in the trash bin) -- so Emmy takes matters into her own hands and starts writing back to the readers herself (though still signing all the letters with Mrs. Bird's name).  She even manages to sneak a few of the "Unpleasant" letters and her responses to them into the magazine itself.  Will she be found out though and if so, what will happen to her?  This is a question that lingers over Emmy throughout the story (which of course, gets resolved in the end).

There was actually a lot to like about the story and I feel like the author A.J. Pearce did a good job with the writing, using the language of the particular time and place to make the story more immersive (I definitely felt transported to 1940s England).  Also, all the characters were likable, the overall mood of the story was heartwarming and hopeful, the historical elements were well-incorporated, and the letters were a fun read.  I also appreciated the way the story paid tribute to the women of that era and their efforts during the war.  With all that said though, my main complaint is that I felt the story was a bit too saccharine and overdone in some areas, to the point of being somewhat cringe-worthy (to me at least).  In terms of the characters, while I did like them for the most part, I didn't really feel any connection to them -- especially the main character Emmy, whom I found to be charming at first, but then when she kept endlessly inserting herself into everyone's business (in a way that I felt was a bit pretentious and self-righteous), I started becoming annoyed with her.  I mean, I get that she has good intentions and always wants to help people, but the way she goes about it is too over-the-top, for one, and two, it just didn't seem realistic (meaning how she is able to get away with it time and time again and it's all still "fine and dandy" with everyone).  I think Emmy herself put it best during one scene in the story when she mentions (in her mind, since the story is told from her first-person perspective) that she was trying "desperately to look like a sensible grownup rather than a petulant child" -- that's pretty much exactly how Emmy came across throughout the entire story:  like a naive, petulant child even though she was very much an adult.  Unfortunately, this is exactly the type of character (adults acting like children) that I often can't stand in books, so with the main character being that way throughout the entire story pretty much (plus the story being told from this character's first person perspective didn't help), it definitely detracted from the reading experience for me. 

Having said all that, I still want to read the sequel, since I did like the story overall as I mentioned earlier.  At least this time around, I know what to expect in terms of Emmy, so I can refocus my reading if needed (and hopefully become less annoyed).

Review: Heavy: An American Memoir (by Kiese Laymon)

My Rating:  4.5 stars

 

Last month, when I found out that author Jesmyn Ward started a book club on Literati, I immediately went to go check it out and of course, ultimately, I couldn't resist joining.  For the club's inaugural read, Ward chose Kiese Laymon's memoir Heavy, which he wrote in the second person perspective directly addressing his mother.  I've read quite a few memoirs over the years and this one, by far, has been the most powerful and thought-provoking.  In eloquent, beautifully-rendered, poetic language, Laymon writes honestly and candidly about his  experiences – from his difficult coming-of-age growing up as a hard-headed, heavyset black boy in Jackson, Mississippi, to his complicated relationship with his brilliant but abusive mother, to his own struggles with obesity, eating disorders, gambling addiction, and a lifetime spent running away from truths he didn't want to face.  Deeply interwoven throughout Laymon's narrative is also a searing exploration of systemic racism in America as well as the complex (and oftentimes misunderstood) realities of living as a person of color in a society that largely prefers to move forward without having to reckon with its past.

 

Laymon tells his story with a raw honesty and candor that I absolutely found admirable.  It's not easy to share traumatic memories about one's life, especially memories that previously (and continues to) evoked so much pain, anger, confusion, shame, sadness, etc. – yet Laymon does not hold back, and instead, bares his soul as well as his heart.  He doesn't hide his own flaws, nor does he try to deflect or assign blame for his trauma onto others – in addition to taking responsibility for his own shortcomings and where his actions may have hurt others, his reluctance to criticize his mom despite the pain she caused him, choosing to love rather than to confront, then finally communicating his feelings to her via this book, to me, it speaks volumes.  I found his journey so heartbreaking, yet he was willing to share such a vulnerable part of himself with us – I admire and appreciate his courage!

 

Not surprisingly, this was a difficult book to read, not just because of the "heavy" subject matter, but also because of the visceral emotions that reading about Laymon's experiences evoked.  On a personal level, I was able to relate to so many of Laymon's struggles, whether it was within himself, his family, or society as a whole, despite the fact that we both come from different cultures and backgrounds (he is a Black man who grew up in Mississippi while I'm a Chinese woman who grew up in California) due to having experienced some of the same issues that he did.  I recognize the pain from having been a victim of abuse and the impact it can have on your sense of self and well-being.  I understand confusion of having a parent-child relationship where you love each other dearly, yet somehow can't step yourselves from hurting each other over and over again (as well as the cycle of shame and guilt that goes along with it).  I know what it feels like to grow up in an environment where, no matter how hard you try or how much you are able to achieve, you'll forever be considered "less than," merely because of your skin tone or facial features.  Laymon talks about the ills of systemic racism and the ease with which it allows some people to weaponize "blackness" against him, and against his fellow black brothers and sisters, akin to ways that I've seen the "model minority" label weaponized against many in the Asian community.  

Given the weight of the topics and the tremendous ground that Laymon covers, it is nearly impossible to reconcile the many stirring insights and revelations that he sets forth in these memories that he shares so candidly with us.  This is a highly recommended memoir, one that is both heartfelt and heart-rending, but a must-read nevertheless.  

Review: The Poet X (by Elizabeth Acevedo)

My Rating: 5 stars

**After watching (and hearing) Elizabeth Acevedo perform a segment from her book during an author chat after I read the book, I was absolutely blown away!  That performance gave me a new appreciation for this story and so I am changing my rating to 5 stars (from 4.5).**

I’ve never been much of a poetry reader.  Nothing against the form or anything, I just have a difficult time getting into poetry, for some reason. Perhaps it’s because my brain processes poetry and poetic verses differently than it does regular prose and as a result, I often have to exert much more effort in reading/re-reading (usually multiple times) poetry in order to fully grasp its meanings. The experience overall can be exhausting and draining for me, which is why, when it comes to leisure reading, I tend to avoid poetry.  This is also why, despite being an avid reader for most of my life and having read countless books over the decades, I had never read a novel-in-verse before, as I’ve always considered it a form of poetry and would likely struggle with it.  Given the above, I was understandably apprehensive when I found out that the group read for one of my book clubs this month would be renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo’s debut novel-in-verse from 2018, The Poet X.   Even though I had heard so many wonderful things about Acevedo and her works, I didn’t know how I would take to a reading experience that, up to this point, was largely foreign to me. (As if that weren’t enough, this book also falls into the YA category, which I don’t read much nowadays, since I’m not the audience for it).   With all that said, I’m actually more surprised than anyone that I ended up enjoying this one so much more than I expected.

Xiomara Batista is the titular Poet X, a teenager who immigrated with her family from the Dominican Republic and now lives in Harlem with her parents and twin brother Xavier.  As she leaves adolescence and starts to come into her own, Xiomara struggles with trying to make sense of the world and her role in it.  In doing so, Xiomara encounters one obstacle after another – at school, she struggles with fitting in, which became more challenging after her body “started taking up more room than [her] voice” and consequently being the target of either affection from boys or jealous gossip from girls.  At home, Xiomara has a strained relationship with her parents – her father ignores her and her mother, who is fiercely religious, sees Xiomara as nothing but trouble and so enforces strict adherence to the laws of her church as a means of keeping her daughter from straying.  At the same time, Xiomara is also dealing with issues of the heart, as she starts to develop feelings for a boy in her biology class and becomes confused at the conflicting emotions raging with her.  Xiomara has a lot she wants to say, but feeling unheard, she has no choice but to pour all her frustrations into the pages of her notebook, in the form of poems that become a salve for her soul.  Through these poems, Xiomara is able to articulate every thought, feeling, desire, that she does not dare express out loud to a world that refuses to listen.  When she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, Xiomara is deeply conflicted, as she doesn’t know how she could ever speak the words from her notebook out loud, plus her mother would never let her attend anyway. With some encouragement along the way, Xiomara finally takes a step toward performing her poems, but the implications are severe, especially the visceral reaction from her mother, which threatens to destroy everything, including the little bit of self-worth she had worked so hard to gain.

Xiomara is one of those wonderfully drawn characters who, once you meet her, is very hard for you to forget her.  This is especially true when you have such a talented author as Elizabeth Acevedo at the helm, with her lyrical, poetic words beautifully giving voice to Xiomara, but in a way that is completely accessible, which I love.  For my first time reading a novel-in-verse, I’m so glad I got to start with Acevedo’s work!  Instead of struggling with this as I usually would if I were reading traditional poetry, I actually flew through this and finished in one sitting – though I did feel a bit sad afterwards because I was so immersed in the story and didn’t want it to end.

Overall, this was a different experience for me, but an absolutely incredible one. If, like me, you are looking to try a novel-in-verse for the first time, I highly recommend this immensely moving, heartfelt coming of age tale that is beautifully told in a powerful and unforgettable voice.  Acevedo’s talent definitely shines through and now I can’t wait to read her two subsequent works (also novels-in-verse), With the Fire on High (which came out in 2019) and her newest release Clap When You Land (which came out in May of this year) as well as whatever she decides to write next of course!