Nonviolent Communication

A couple months ago I took a leadership role in an organization I am part of and one of the first things I did was pick up Marshall B. Rosenberg's book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. I've read it several times, but it's the kind of book you need to read continuously if you want it to sink in. This time around I tried to read a chapter and wait a couple weeks before continuing to the next to give myself the chance to absorb and practice it.

The book outlines how to speak compassionately without judgment and to listen with empathy. In other words it's full of lessons we all need. There are a couple things in the book that sound a little cheesy and a times reading some of the conversation role-plays the participants seem to resemble robots, but overall the book is extremely worthwhile and helpful. Having recently finished it, the principles are fresh in my mind and I'm trying to mindful of how I communicate. I hope these ideas stick with me, at least for a while, but I'm sure I'll have to read it again as a reminder.

All The Pretty Horses

I've been hungry for substantial novels, ones that require more brain power than the typical bestseller. The desire may have begun after the weather began to cool. (Though of course it's since kicked back to disgustingly hot temperatures, but before that we had a couple sweatshirt mornings--the kind that go well with a cup of tea and a literary novel.) I've wanted to read Cormac McCarthy's All The Pretty Horses for a long time and when I was reading A Hologram For The King I was struck with the desire to actually pick it up. I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed the book.

I wasn't sure what to expect as the description on the back of the book was rather vague. I suppose that's because the descriptions of literary novels tend to be harder to pin down than a plot driven novel. So I'll echo the vagueness in my recap--All the Pretty Horses is the tale of two young Texas ranchers John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins who run away on their horses and head to Mexico. Their adventure is full of danger and (in the case of John Grady) love. The book is brimming with testosterone, as is everything I've read by McCarthy. It is easy to see why his biggest fans tend to be men. Of course this doesn't prevent women from finding merit in his work too, as I certainly did enjoy the book. But will I be rereading it? Not likely.

Farther Away

I love reading books of essays by writers whom I admire and when I saw that Jonathan Franzen had a new essay collection out, I immediately placed a hold on the book. Farther Away is an interesting collection of essays, reviews, and speeches that span personal, literary, and environmental topics. The first essay, "Pain Won't Kill You" is a commencement address he gave in which he argues the necessity of making oneself vulnerable by opening one's heart, even if it'll cause one pain. I absolutely loved this essay as it began with rants about the narcissistic tendencies of technology, particularly the use of texting and Facebook. It was definitely one of my favorite essays in the book and had great lines like, "To friend a person is merely to include the person in our private hall of flattering mirrors."

He writes about his close friendship with the late writer David Foster Wallace and about how Wallace's suicide effected Franzen. He spoke about his passion for birds and trips to China and the Mediterranean that caused him to reflect on environmental devastations. He discusses books he loves, ones I hadn't heard of but now wish to read (The Man Who Loved Children and Desperate Characters). In "Comma-Then" he complains about the misuse of the word 'then' particularly when used after a comma and in "I Just Called To Say I Love You" he discusses his discomfort with the incessant pronouncements of love over cell phones. This essay delves into 9/11 and the increased usage of the phrase after the tragedy as well as his mother's comfort with uttering the words, but how his father never did. Perhaps my favorite essay was "On Autobiographical Fiction" which tackles the questions Franzen hates to be asked about his novels and reflects on how he became the person he needed to be to write The Corrections. I loved his idea that a writer needs to write the best book he or she possibly can and then to write a second, must become another person entirely so once again can write the best book possible. Though I wasn't crazy about all the essays, overall I really enjoyed this collection and would like to reread some of them again in the future.

Wild

A while back I talked about all the great book recommendations that my brother's girlfriend gave me and I've finally finished a second on the list: Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail. I hadn't heard of the book, but apparently it is quite popular as I waited two months for it after placing a hold on it. (It is an Oprah Book Club book, so that may have something to do with the wait.)

The book is about the author's solo journey across the Pacific Crest Trail, a hiking trail that runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border and is quite difficult. There are trail books hikers sign along the way and Cheryl quickly notices people make the journey in pairs or groups, not alone, surely no women had signed in alone. And yet she continues as it gets increasingly difficult.

Of course the magic of the book is not just about the physical struggle of the trip, but the emotional battleground that she faces. Her mother has died, her marriage has ended, and she is lost. But by facing the challenges of the mighty trail alone, she is able to come to peace with the painful events of her life. It is a beautiful book (which I've heard is being made into a movie) and a worthwhile read.

A Hologram for the King

I heard a short interview with Dave Eggers on NPR a month ago and put his new novel A Hologram for the King on hold. I was intrigued because he talked about the novel dealing with Schwinn bicycles and how the move to produce parts and labors in China is what killed the company. The Schwinn storyline was minor, simply back story to why this man was where he was. The reader meets businessman Alan when he is in Saudi Arabia, trying to sell a hologram to the king. A lot is riding on this sale, including his home, which is facing foreclosure, and his daughter's college tuition. But the story is about more than just this sale as the trip allows Alan to reflect on his life. It's one of those character-driven literary novels that's thin on plot, the kind I love, but that I realize doesn't have wide appeal. For this reason I can't recommend it, but I did enjoy the quietness of the prose and storyline. I cared about Alan's plight and loved the overarching theme of globalization.

Fifty Shades of Grey

I'm not even sure how to begin this post, the one where I explain my thoughts on a wildly popular erotic novel... Well, perhaps first I should explain why I picked it up: I've heard so much buzz about Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James that I was beyond curious. I put the book on hold back in May but there were so many requests for the novel that I waited over two months, so I pressed on when I began reading and was turned off by the writing and the slow beginning. (One of the things I read about the book [from someone who put it down] was that it should have been called "Fifty Shades of Boring" and I had to agree.) The book is not immediately compelling, but once I continued--largely out of intrigue as to what was behind the hype--I got hooked.

I've come to understand that when a book is wildly popular and generates so much attention, it has some redeeming quality, even if it also has major shortcomings. I read something that said that this is your run-of-the-mill mature romance novel, but I have so much ignorance in the genre that I don't have anything to compare it to but I'll admit I enjoyed getting lost in the drama of 'will she win his heart?' (not to mention the heart pounding sex scenes).

It's funny because I kept thinking "She totally went off the Twilight series for her inspiration" and had a list of similarities, then I read I was mostly right about this as it all started as fan fiction featuring Bella and Edward. (She did a poor job of trying to create new characters, in my opinion. They are thinly veiled versions of Bella and Edward.) 

I'm hungry for the next installment, to see what happens with Ana and Christian, but am taking a break for now. I feel the need to read at least a couple quality novels for the sake of balance before even putting the next book on hold. Eventually though, I'll read the whole series.

Food Fight

I was waiting in line at the library and zoned out at their display of new books when one cover jumped out at me--Daniel Imhoff's Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill. As I began reading the book, I thought about putting it down simply because it didn't feel like any new information for me, but I was glad I continued to read it as I did learn a lot. Imhoff goes through the history of the Farm Bill as well as the history of food stamps. He looks at issues such as factory farming, soil conservation, hunger in relation to the Farm Bill, ethanol subsidies, the USDA recommendations (vs the foods that are subsidized), and more. Overall it was a lot of information I knew from several different sources, but I enjoyed reading it compiled into one book which included a lot of great graphs to show startling realities like the decline of small farmers or the rise in obesity. I also loved how the back had an activist tool kit with resources for organizing to advocate for real change in the next Food and Farm Bill. It's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the problems with our food and farming system that result from this bill that is revised every 5-7 years. It's certainly a very important issue that effects our health and the environment and the book inspired me to get active before Congress passes the next bill.