I wish I had better news to report. There’s not been a lot of reading in my world this week. Lighting in the Geriatric Ward is causing me lots of problems. After spending a couple of months here, I am noticing significant changes in my eyesight. Because of COVID-19, I am finding it difficult to get an appointment with my optometrist. So, I’m not doing much reading at the moment. Eye problems lead to less time doing the things I love. And that results in a poor mental space to live in at the moment.
The View From My Reading Chair – June 21
This week has been a bit of a roller coaster. Things started out quite nicely, but a midweek allergy attack brought on by freshly cut summer grass joined forces with the changing atmospheric pressures of an approaching storm. The resulting migraine completely knocked me off of my feet for 24 hours and chased the thought of reading from my mind for most of the end of the week. I’m thankful that I’m feeling considerably better this evening and slowly getting my nose back into a book.
The week began with a completed read. Book 17 of 2020 was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It was an excellent young adult novel that addressed race relations and police brutality. While the language was at times too mature for a YA novel in my opinion, I found the plot mesmerizing and an outstanding introduction to these contemporary issues for a white audience. I strongly recommend reading this wonderful novel by a promising author.
As the week progressed, I continued my journey with Harry Clifton and began the third volume of the Clifton Chronicles, The Best Kept Secret. I’ve only read the first 80 pages of the novel, but Harry has already returned to NYC and established his first novel as a best-seller. Upon his return to the UK, he and Emma have successfully adopted a young girl, Jessica, who they believe to be Emma’s half-sister. In typical Jeffrey Archer fashion, The Best Kept Secret is already proving to move rapidly with lots of twists and turns along the way. My hope is that I will finish this installment of the saga this week.
#17: The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)
Earlier today, I finished my reading of Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give and am still reeling from the depiction of the many injustices that are encountered by African-American teens. In light of the protests going on in our nation right now, I think Thomas’ novel is extremely important and should be read by all adults — not just the young ones!
You can find plot summaries all over the internet, so I don’t want to focus on the story itself. Besides, I hate when a review contains spoilers that lessen a book’s impact. The novel centers around the killing of a black teen boy by a white police officer during a routine traffic stop. Starr, the novel’s heroine, witnessed the entire encounter from the passenger seat of the stopped car and is preparing to testify against the officer. While Thomas explores the implications of the crime, I thought that her most powerful statements were about the role of the media in these recurring scenarios as well as the source of the African-American community’s anger.
As a white man, I cannot fully understand the level of bigotry, prejudice, and disdain that many in the black community have faced. I have a little more of an understanding now — and for that, I’m thankful. I also know that the issues society are currently facing are not so simple that they can be summarized and adequately expressed in a YA novel. But sometimes, I think we need to step away from the “reality” that is such a hot-button issue and look at a similar situation through the lenses of fiction. I know it has been a valuable tool for me and I will not soon forget the story of Starr and the Carter family as they faced injustice in many forms. Thank you, Angie Thomas, for an outstanding novel that permitted me to pause a think in a safe place.
The View from My Reading Chair – June 14
My reading life became a little more normal this week. I found myself wanting to dive back into the world of story. That has been a welcome relief. It took so long after graduate school to really fall in love with reading again. I have always feared that the passion would leave if I did not nurture it on a regular basis. When I begin to see a prolonged drought in my reading life, I get nervous.
This week, I finished Jeffrey Archer’s The Sins of the Father, the second volume of the Clifton Chronicles. You can check out my thoughts on the book here as well as get some quick reviews of my two previous reads. In addition to reading the Archer novel, I also continued making my way through The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I have been surprised that this YA novel has not been a quicker read for me. As I have reflected on it, I think I have begun to understand why.
Don’t get me wrong, The Hate U Give is an outstanding book that should be read by every American interested in race relations from the perspective of our teens. I am mesmerized by the story and am determined to know what happens next in Thomas’ writing. So what’s the problem? I really think it is the fact that I am reading an ebook. I consider myself a modern reader and hated to come to this realization, so I took some time to see if I could unpack why reading electronically has never been a successful or highly pleasurable experience for me.
First things first. When I am at work, my tablet is always in my hand. It is how I check my email and send text messages throughout the day. All of my musical scores are housed there. There is an expectation that I constantly be plugged in and able to be contacted. Therein lies the first problem. When I read a novel, I want to be unplugged, detached from the stress of the day. Even though the content is very different, I think I feel a connection with work and the many easy interruptions that come with reading on my device.
I think there is another element that I had not noticed before that became evident this week. While reading both books, I found myself more engaged with Thomas’ YA novel. But I found myself consistently returning to Archer’s novel that I was reading in paperback. What was the difference? I was always able to see my physical progress through The Sins of the Father with each passing page. As I neared the end of the book, I felt the shifting weight of the plot in both my hands and my emotions. I am motivated to press on through every project — whether work or leisure — when I see visible signs of progress. Sure, I can go to the table of contents of my ebook and see how many chapters remain, but somehow that is not as satisfying for me. After working with a Nook reader when they first appeared on the market, I knew that I maintained my preference for physical books, but could not clearly state why. I enjoy the convenience of digital books. I love having a massive library available at my fingertips. But that convenience still does not trump the joy of feeling the pages against my skin and the tome’s heft in my hands. There’s just nothing that can replace that feeling…and it is not something I am willing to sacrifice at this time in my life.
So this week I plan to intentionally try to make my way through The Hate U Give. I’m also going to start the third book in the Clifton Chronicles. Even now as I look at both “books,” I am drawn to spending time with my paperback, but I feel the “need” to devote time to the work housed in my iPad. The struggle is real.
Catch Up: Books 14-16
It has been on my to-do list for nearly a month to write posts about my last two reads. Now that I finished a third book last night, I came to the realization that I simply had to put something down — no matter how short it is — and give the books some attention. I also want to make sure that I have a record of my thoughts before the reading experience is too far separated. I regret that these tremendous books are being grouped together in a single post, but I feel it is the only way to make sure that they are covered here on Reading for Me.
#14: Grit by Angela Duckworth
I think it was this outstanding book that was causing me the greatest difficulty in reviewing. It is a remarkable work that explores the importance of persistence, patience, and perseverance in the pursuit of success. Duckworth’s writing is very detailed and thorough, but she maintains a manner that is approachable by the careful reader. I especially enjoyed her application of concepts as they were found in the lives of athletes, businessmen, and musicians. There is nothing that I can say here that will adequately express my admiration for Grit other than this — I plan to review the book again in a future reading and strongly recommend that it be read by every student, parent, professor, and professional. I promise that you will be challenged and encouraged by each page.
#15: Naturally Tan by Tan France
While driving back to my native Arkansas a few weeks ago, I decided to devote my time to enjoying the audio book of Tan France’s memoir. What a delightful and insightful way to spend several hours in the car! As most of my followers will already be aware, Mr. France is one of the hosts of the current iteration of Netflix’s Queer Eye. (I have also read the memoirs of Karamo Brown and Jonathan Van Ness. I look forward to reading similar books by Bobby Berk and Antoni Porowski when they *hopefully* appear.) I enjoyed Tan’s stories from the fashion industry and his journey to stardom. What I found most profound were his candid discussions about race, prejudice, and discrimination. Little did I know that Tan’s openness would resound so clearly in my ears as I watched the upheaval that our nation is currently facing. Simply an exquisite read.
#16: The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
This second volume of the Clifton Chronicles was just as riveting and well-written as its predecessor. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, the novel focuses largely on Harry Clifton’s time in the United States as a convict, serving time for a crime he did not commit. Emma, Harry’s jilted love, travels to America in hopes of finding out what happened to the man she adored when he left British soil. Many of the characters we came to enjoy during Only Time Will Tell reappear and continue their story line. In typical Archer fashion, the second novel of the series ends with a tremendous cliff hanger that leaves the reader wondering what will happen and longing to know how the circumstances will impact Harry, Emma, and Giles. Thankfully, the entire series is published and the next volume sits on my night stand, waiting to be read. The Clifton Chronicles are proving to be enthralling yet do not demand so much brain power that I feel as though I must labor through them. Perfect material for a summer vacation as we all try to recover from the recent pandemic’s strain upon our minds and emotions.
The View From My Reading Chair – June 7
Reading has been slow this week again. I am finding a lot of relaxation in other activities. Plus, reading pulls me into my thoughts. With the unrest that has settled in our nation this week as well as saying goodbye to a high school colleague, spending time with my imagination was not a healthy place to be. So I’ve made limited progress in my reading. I’m hoping that will change in the new week.
I have continued to work through Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer. I have about 200 pages left to go as the adventure continues to center around mistaken identities in New York City and British POWs in Nazi Germany. It’s a fun read despite the settings and the era. I’m anxious to see how things are going to turn out for Harry Clifton and his friends.
I finally admitted to myself this week that reading The Grapes of Wrath was just not a good idea right now. There’s too much sadness and depression in society at the moment that I don’t need to contemplate more hopelessness in Steinbeck’s writing. Perhaps I’ll revisit it later, but for now it is going back on the shelf. When I finally made that decision, I knew I needed to add something else to my reading schedule.
Since I don’t have a large selection available at the moment, I decided to check out some YA novels as ebooks. That’s when I settled on The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I first, I was afraid that this novel would also be too heavy for the moment. I’ve read the first four chapters and I am totally engrossed. You will see why it is an important read for this day. It is the story of Starr Carter, a young African-American girl. While she and her friend, Khalil, are driving home from a local party in the ghetto, they are stopped by a white policeman. The officer becomes upset and forces the male driver from the car. The officer returns to his car to check Khalil’s license and registration but first tells the young black man not to move. Khalil opens the driver’s side door to check on Starr. Shots are fired and Khalil is dead on the pavement. The incident appears to have been unprovoked, but there are rumors that Khalil was selling drugs and may have been under suspicion of possession. Starr must now deal with the trauma of seeing her friend die and decide if she can trust the very ones who have sworn to protect and serve her community. As you can see, it is a riveting read in our current climate. I anticipate that this book will be a quick read because I am so eager to see what happens next. However, I also want to make sure that I maintain a pace where I can contemplate the ideas that Ms. Thomas is raising.
Keep a watch out on the blog this week. In addition to updating on my last two reads (still!), I hope to finish both books before the end of the week. We’ll see how that works out…
Reading for Me 