Sin in the Second City

My mom recommended Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul several times until I finally got around to reading it. Abbott's heavily researched nonfiction book is said to read like a novel, a statement with which I would only partially agree. The book chronicles the rise and fall of the Everleigh Club, the most famous brothel in American history. The club was run by two sisters, Minna and Ada Everleigh, who treated their girls extremely well. The club's prestige was envied by a madam of another brothel in the district and soon came under scrutiny by reformers and ministers concerned with the nation's sexual culture. One of the aspects I found most interesting was the disappearance of young women and the tales of "white slavery" or human trafficking before it had a name. It's an fascinating book, one I rather enjoyed though it took me a long time to finish it. To me, the book wasn't one to devour, but something I slowly nibbled on.

When It Happens to You

I didn't pick up When It Happens to You because it was written by someone famous. Molly Ringwald was on NPR talking about its publication and I was intrigued by her description of the novel. My expectations were low after reading Steve Martin's novel as I half-wondered if a famous name sells books regardless of the merit of the writing. I decided to give it a chance, but not much of one. And yet, Ringwald pulled me in. The book is very well written, the characters compelling, the concept of the novel interesting. I gobbled the book up, delighted by the book's format. When It Happens To You is a series of short stories that together comprise a novel, which I typically enjoy. This novel was no exception. I loved how the complex relationship of Greta and Phillip was explored by pulling it away from where we first learn about it, allowing the reader to see it from different angles. One of my favorites though was about a mother whose young son insists he is a girl and the mother's struggle to determine what is best to do in this situation. The book was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, one that I would read again.

The Buddha in the Attic

A while back my mom lent me Julie Otsuka's novel The Buddha in the Attic. She had stumbled upon it and, thinking that it sounded good, immediately bought and read it. She gave it to me, saying that it was really good and a fast read. I was especially intrigued when I saw it had won the PEN/ Faulkner award. And yet it took me forever to actually pick it up, but when I finally did, I was captivated. The story of a group of young women who are brought to Japan as "picture brides" is told in first person plural, a technique that can be a slippery slope, but Otsuka skillfully navigates the narrative voice. Her writing is beautiful and she makes the reader feel for these women, regardless of the fact that their stories blend together. Because the novel is so beautiful (yet short) I'm going to go ahead and recommend it as I doubt anyone could read it and regret having done so.

An Object of Beauty

I had heard Steve Martin was actually a pretty decent novelist a while ago, I don't remember where. Then I kept seeing his most recent novel, An Object of Beauty. One of the places I saw it was on my brother's girlfriend's e-reader this past summer and I asked what she thought of it. She said she liked it so I put it on my ever-growing list of books to read. My mom picked up a used copy a month ago (with my urging) and I finally got around to checking it out.

It's a hard book to review because I more or less hated it the entire time I read it. I didn't feel anything for the main character, Lacey Yeager, a driven art dealer. The plot line seemed more or less nonexistent, which doesn't bother me so long as I care about (or at least am interested in) the characters--and in this case, I didn't. Yet I pressed on due to the recommendation and I will say I liked how it ended, enough that I was satisfied that I had read the book. But I can't offer much of a recommendation as the book does a poor job of captivating the reader, unless the reader is someone extremely interested in the New York art scene. I saw the book is being turned into a movie, which is surprising as not too much happens in the book. (Though it is being produced by none other than the author himself, so that might be how that happened.) I suppose though that it might be easier to make the story into a two hour movie than a 300 page book and I'm guessing the movie version will be better.

Thanking the Monkey

I heard about Karen Dawn's Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals from Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet (which I absolutely loved).I saw Thanking the Monkey at a used book sale last year and bought it, but didn't pick it up until recently. It's not exactly light reading--it delves into the abuse of animals in  the entertainment, food, and medical testing industries. Yet the book's format is almost fun, with cartoons and photos of celebrities with quotes about why they care about different animal rights issues. And it did make me rethink things. I've never considered myself as someone who cares about animal rights, but this book made me reexamine issues I had previously dismissed as not mattering much. It's not the kind of book that would appeal to everyone, but if you are interested in reading about animal welfare issues, this book covers everything and does so without giving a lot of dry information. I did enjoy it, especially since it helped reshape the way I see the world. (I love books that do that.)