While I found Stein’s imagery and metaphors to be challenging at times, it was a very fun and light read.  One of my favorite poems from the collection is Revisionism in which Stein writes, “I’m thinking of rewriting history so instead of jealousy/ my major themes are revenge and justice, and/ I’m going to the airport so we can miss each other more,/ because I want a future to look forward to,/ another new year already, noisemakers/ and dry champagne and songs I know/ the words to and the way you looked at me/ at the costume party: I want another chance/ for second chances.  I never make the same mistake/ more than four or twelve times, but enough/ about you, tell me more about you”.  Stein’s general commentary on life and what we deem as “important” really makes you think while slightly giggling at the same time.  Stein gently points out what a self-involved society we can be at times and really helps readers sort of laugh at themselves.  A review of the book by Genevieve Walker of Guernica perhaps describes it best, “Stein’s style…gives voice to an American post-collegiate, prolonged adolescent preoccupation with the defunct social structure that worships credentialed youths while condemning them to debt and precluding them from the workforce”.

Good Kids is Benjamin Nugent’s first novel.  Nugent is also the author of American Nerd: A Story of My People, which is a history of the concept of “nerdiness”, exploring which subcultures are considered nerdy and why.  As a nerd myself, I already felt a connection to the author.  Nugent’s fiction debut is centered around main characters Josh and Khadijah, friends who at fifteen discover their parents are having an affair with each other.  Immediately connected by the acts of their parents, Josh and Khadijah make a pact with each other to never cheat on whomever they’re in a relationship with.  As the characters come of age, no longer a part of each other’s lives, they still remain tied by their common bond of fidelity in a culture full of infidelity.  Nugent writes, “What frightened me most, in these hours, was how much I thought about Khadijah.  I hadn’t seen or exchanged a word with her in four years.  I didn’t know where she was.  But the fact that I still remembered her, still turned over our moments together and studied them, still summoned to mind her great acts like verses from gospel, made me feel like an inmate clutching a battered photograph…..Master the way you look and speak, I would tell myself, and Khadijah’s substitute will find you in the end”.  Although time and space have separated Josh and Khadijah the bond they formed over their parents infidelity never quite goes away.  As I read on, I returned to seventh hour Geometry class in high school and remembered daydreaming about what my crush was like only to be confronted by reality when you realize who they actually are.  It’s never quite as romantic as you imagine.

While Nugent’s novel explores the story of the relationship between Josh and Khadijah, it’s really a coming of age tale that deals specifically with infidelity and how it can affect the outcome of not only one person, but an entire family whether for good or for bad.  While the ending of Good Kids turned out to be slightly anti-climactic, Nugent’s writing is thought provoking and is a good exploration of the question: can there ever really be a happy ending? – Kelli Tatum, Reference

Portnoy’s Complaint is written as a continuous conversation from sex-obsessed main character Alexander Portnoy to his psychoanalyst Dr. Spielvogel.  The first page of the novel offers the clinical explanation of Portnoy’s Complaint which reads like it was derived from a manual on sexual dysfunction.  From the start it is easy to recognize why Roth’s novel was once on the challenged books list  as it deals with a theme some would deem inappropriate, sexuality and the freedom there-in. The narration follows Portnoy’s adventures over different periods of time allowing readers to experience scenes from different stages of his life.  Growing up in an extremely Jewish household and community, Portnoy is stifled under his mother’s continuous nagging.  As a lust-ridden, young Jewish bachelor, Roth’s main character explains his libidinal exploits and urges to Dr. Spielvogel allowing readers to see the true dilemma Portnoy faces: his lost sense of himself, his past and destiny which is defined by everything around him, except for himself.  For Portnoy, growing up as the only son in a Jewish household is no easy task.  His life and future are defined by his parents and their culture.

In addition to being a coming of age tale, Portnoy’s Complaint elaborates on the experience and pressures the narrator sees as being part of an American Jewish family.  Roth’s novel is humorous and sarcastic in dealing with a subject that can make many people uptight.  Truly an enjoyable read, it is now clear why Philip Roth’s retirement was much talked about in the literary community.   - Kelli Tatum, Reference

Welsh’s Trainspotting wasn’t recognized as original because of its subject, but the poetry of its language, which is Welsh transcribed in precise phonetics. The same is true for Skagboys. While the novel is certainly entertaining, the language seems to mesmerize the reader although difficult at first. Since the book is written in Renton’s dialect, and unfortunately doesn’t come with a glossary of terms, it’s not a book to pick up for a quick read. I found myself struggling at times and turning the pages a little slower than usual. For anyone who has read Trainspotting, or even seen the movie of the same title, Skagboys is an entertaining read. For those who haven’t been introduced to the world of Irvine Welsh yet, Skagboys might be a slightly more difficult introduction. - Kelli Tatum, Reference

Describing his life as a boyhood  Civil War buff, I immediately related with Horwitz and his fascination with the war that divided a nation.  Randomly encountering men who dress up in period clothing and re-enact scenes from the Civil War, Horwitz finds himself intrigued and having strange adventures with this interesting group of people, who diet simply so they can best resemble a Civil War soldier.  Horwitz writes, “Hardcores didn’t just dress up and shoot blanks.  They sought absolute fidelity to the 1860s: its homespun clothing, antique speech patterns, sparse diet and simple utensils.  Adhered to properly, this fundamentalism produced a time-travel high, or what hardcores called a ‘period rush’”.  Throughout his adventures and explorations into the life of “hardcores” who immerse themselves completely into the Civil War way of life, Horwitz provides insight on why many Americans are still so fascinated with the war.

Horwitz goes from Gettysburg to Antietam combining history and humor to present an absorbing view on how the Civil War continues to affect Americans.  Horwitz accompanies Civil War enthusiast Robert Lee Hodge on a marathon trek from Antietam to Gettysburg, and ending appropriately at Appomattox.  He sleeps on the battlefields and wakes up in the morning to the sound of musket fire.  With descriptions so vivid you can almost smell the smoke of the campfire, Horwitz ignites an interest in the Civil War like other authors can sometimes fail to do.   Overall, Horwitz ignited a new spark in my Civil War obsession.  I find myself planning tentative road trips to battlefields to experience even a fraction of what he did during his journey.  Whether you’re a Civil War buff or new to the subject, you will finish this book with a newly sparked interest indeed.  You never know, maybe someday I’ll dress up in Civil War garb and experience what it was like to be a Civil War soldier myself.  – Kelli, Reference

Arranged in reverse chronological order and varying in length and style, the elements of Franzen’s writing come together to produce a well-balanced and surprising read.  I found the most fascinating contribution to be the title essay which takes place during Franzen’s journey to an isolated island off the coast of Chile.  The essay combines a dissection of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, thoughts on the writing process in general, and a touching glimpse into how the death of his friend and fellow writer, David Foster Wallace, affected him as an author and person.  Alone with only a lot of flies and his thoughts to keep him company, Franzen exposes himself and his personal feelings on life intertwined with the evolution of writing, beginning with the earliest forms of the novel.  All of these elements combine to produce one of the most thought provoking essays in the collection.

Farther Away provides readers with captivating, powerful essays that produce a new desire to read well written books.  The delicate balance Franzen produces between writer, text, and reader provide his audience with not only an excellent book, but new thoughts on how to enjoy literature as well.  - Kelli, Reference