Revisiting Betty Friedan

I caught wind of Stephanie Coontz's new book, A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s,  while listening to a recent episode of NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.  My ears perked immediately:  I've long been a fan of Coontz's theses, which include The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap (1992) and Marriage: A History: How Love Conquered Marriage (2006).  I love both.  So, I didn't wait to order a copy of her new work, which was inspired, she tells Gross, when her publisher asked her to write a biography of Betty Friedan's controversial feminist work, The Feminine Mystique.  I've not been disappointed.  Coontz provides first-hand accounts of women who recall their reaction to reading Friedan's work when it was first published in 1963.  But she goes a step further to draw connections between the dissatisfaction of our mothers and grandmothers, to the social pressures of women and young girls today.  And, while she applauds the relief Friedan brought to many housewives of the 1960s, she recognizes that her work excluded many other sectors of women, including the working class and ethnic minorities.  The combination of perspectives makes for an engrossing work.

Best Books of 2010

In case you missed a good read last year, here are some well-respected lists of the best of 2010, including fiction and non-fiction:

Publisher's Weekly

National Public Radio (NPR)

New York Times 

Barnes & Noble

A Real, Readable Mystery

The Scent of Rain and Lightning is a readable, subtle mystery-drama.  It begins with protagonist, Jody Linder, as she learns that the man sentenced for murdering her parents has been released from prison.  The narrative then unfolds, as we are taken back in time to Jody's childhood and what came before and after her parents' death.  As Pickard moves effortlessly between past and present, we begin to understand the family dynamic, and a budding, yet forbidden, relationship between Jody and the son of the accused murder. Like a good mystery should, the novel holds us until the very unpredictable end, when the evening of the murder is fully revealed.  What is further enjoyable is the recognizable mid-western landscape, and the way in which Pickard utilizes the landscape in combination with the acts of mother nature to create a larger metaphor.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning  follows Pickard's  well-reviewed The Virgin of Small Plains.

For Optimists & Skeptics Alike

I have to admit:  I wasn't the huge fan of Elizabeth Gilbert's now famous Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search For Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia that almost every other American woman my age seemed to be.  Yes, I enjoyed the mind's travel; yes, the vicarious romances.  But I always ended up setting the book down because Gilbert's tone seemed to me, well, whiny.  And this is why I avoided, for a long time, her newest book, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage.  But unlike her first best-seller, Committed relays a mature voice that I found myself clinging to. 

Narratively, Committed picks up where Eat, Pray, Love leaves off.  She and Philippe are together, (somewhat) settled, and living in happy agreement that they will never marry, despite their love for one another.  But this all changes when Homeland Security discovers that Philippe has overstayed his welcome in America, and must acquire a permanent visa to reenter.  Of course, the Homeland Security Officer tells them that the only likely way for Philippe to do this is to marry his American born love.  From this beginning, Gilbert takes readers through a story that is part memoir, part history, part anthropological study, and yes, part travel narrative.  She and Philippe continue their travels, not because they want to this time, but because they must.  In the meantime, Gilbert feverishly researches marriage from the culture at large, and delves into an analysis of her own parents' marriage, all while trying to secure a life with Philippe and do the thing that both of them swore they would never do:  marry.  Highly recommended for anyone who's ever married, divorced, or contemplated either. 

Not So Magical

Anyone interested in Puritain-American history, or the Salem Witch Trials, would appreciate Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.  In it, PhD student, Connie, is supposed to be working on her dissertation proposal over the summer when her mother asks her to clean up her deceased grandmother's abandoned house.  As she begins, she discovers the name, Deliverance Dane, and a secret key--all of which leads to a book-length investigation in search for the identity of Deliverance Dane, and her so-called "physick book".  Howe moves between past and present:  Connie's present-day search and the historical setting of Salem, Mass during the 17th century.  The latter is most interesting, as we learn a variety of new and insightful details about the Witch-trials.  And while the overall work is entertaining, it possesses too many flaws (flat characters, hokey magic and cliched romance) to be as scary as I had hoped it to be.

Calling All Book Lovers

Did you know that October is National Reading Club Month?  If you're not already part of a Book Club--Oprah's, your local library's or your own--now is never a better time to join.  A reading group is a great way to meet new people, engage in meaningful conversation and enjoy some truly excellent stories.

Julia Hull District Library has several club options for readers, including an Adult Book Club, Short & Sweets (short story discussion group) and Great Reads series.  If you'd prefer to gather with close friends to chat about books of your own choosing, remember that your local library can loan copies of books and book club kits for free to library card holders!

This year's National Reading Club Month's selections  and descriptions may be found at the following link:  http://www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/ggr_selections.html .  *Note:  Chris Cleave's Little Bee was Julia Hull Library's Adult Book Club pick for August 2010.
 

More Gladwell

Blink:  The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, an admirable follow-up to Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point (see August 24 entry), is an engaging analysis of human cognition.  In Blink, Gladwell presents the idea of "thin-slicers"--that is, individuals who make instantaneous judgments and decisions about other people and situations.  He provides numerous examples to demonstrate how this sort of decision making is often more intuitive and more accurate than that which which has been researched and analyzed.  For example, he presents the story of a fake Kouros (an ancient Greek sculpture) which deceived one team of art experts who'd spent months studying it; or a psychologist who can determine with 95% accuracy whether a married couple will divorce simply by watching an hour-long video of them engaging in conversation.  The engrossing examples go on and on--some of them demonstrating the positive power of thin-slicing, while others demonstrate its potential flaws.  As usual, Gladwell flawlessly connects all of these examples to build a clear argument that's socially and culturally relevant. 

A "Must-Do" Exercise DVD

When I first started this blog, I never considered that I'd make recommendations for workout videos.  But here I go:  if you like a fast-paced, motivating exercise, then you must check-out Jillian Michael's newest DVD:  Shred-It With Weights.  The DVD includes two 30 minute leveled workouts which fly by, despite their difficulty.  As with her other DVDs, Jillian creates routines in circuits that involve weights, cardio and abs.  What's different here is her incorporation of a kettlebell in place of regular hand weights (though you can easily substitute hand weights in place of the kettlebell).  There's a lot of swinging and squatting that also lend to the unique feel of this DVD (and, consequently, the unique pain my thighs felt the morning after my first use of the video!).  If you like to be challenged, this workout's for you.

Tipped On Reading Gladwell

Do you ever feel as though every one you know has read particular book except you?  This is the case for me with Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point:  How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference (2000).  Somehow, Gladwell's book slipped into conversation at various points with several of my friends throughout the past 10 years; but it wasn't until this summer when my pedicurist, of all people, shared her enthusiasm for the book that I felt compelled to pick it up.  I'm so glad I did. 

Gladwell perhaps best describes his book as an "intellectual adventure story" that uses popular examples (Hush Puppy Shoes, Sesame Street, Blue's Clues, Paul Revere, and more) to illustrate how phenomenons "tip" from insignificance to relevance and popularity.  The result is a fascinating thesis, made even better by Gladwell's strong mind and clear writing.  He's a natural at building cases and writing arguments.  Recommended for anyone who's curious about the world around them.  Highly recommended on audio book (well read by the author). 

Shanghai Girls

Anyone whose read (and loved) Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses) or Pearl S. Buck (The Good Earth) will fall head over heels for Lisa See's newest novel, Shanghai Girls.  Shanghai girls begins in 1930s China, prior to Japanese invasion.  The story revolves around 2 sisters, Pearl and May, who are oblivious to the many political, social and familial changes that surround them--until they discover their father has gambled away his fortune, and must thus arrange his daughters' marriage to repay his debts.  From this point, Pearl and May's world begins to decay.  Soon after, following the bombing of Shanghai, and their father's disappearance, the story begins a sweeping journey through China en route to America, and the simultaneous horrific and heroic fates these women must endure.  Shanghai Girls is not only beautifully written, but also beautifully designed.  Like Tan, the theme of sisterhood is central to the development of the story, and the implications of being Chinese-American (at the height of the "Red Scare") move the narrative into a fascinating history lesson.