Carolyn Espe

Pictures of You

mandy — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Reading Pictures of You is like having encounters with people you randomly meet on the street, at the beach, on in a park. Novelist Caroline Leavitt’s compelling characters have lived through unpredictable tragedies—some of them more than one—and knowing their stories compells the reader to consider why these people are who they are, and how they have managed to survive their respective hardships.

Pictures of You begins with a dark and unimaginable situation, which sets the scene for the remainder of the read. An accident brings the main characters together, and then proceeds to tear them apart. As they struggle to recover and re-adapt to their lives, each person’s experiences feel palpable and close to home. As their stories, their stories become intertwined, brilliantly intermeshed in survival. The characters are faced with uneasy decisions about love, death, fear of loss, and the pursuit of happiness. They find answers to difficult questions: when do you follow your heart and do you ever cease to question the certainty of your decisions?

In building the characters’ backstories, Leavitt proves she is able to sustain the pace and move through the difficult experiences. She uses peripheral characters to help define the basic structure of the story and set it up for its end. The realness the author brings to the characters moves them forward to face their pain with hope for the future. She deftly nails every character using direct language to provide inner dialogue. While reading, I felt pangs of pain through their grievous times and rejoiced in their accomplishments.

At times reading as a mystery, Pictures of You gives us encouragement to enjoy the lives we live—or make the necessary changes now.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, April 1st 2011

Chasing Alliecat

barbara — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

By Rebecca Fjelland Davis

Flux

In this action-packed thriller written for a young adult audience, author Rebecca Fjelland Davis brings multiple themes to the forefront, places them on the table and gets dirty—dirty as in riding mountain bikes in the woods of a small town and scarily getting involved with some unsavory characters in the wilds of northern Minnesota. With a plot interwoven with themes of death, friendship, family, and abuse, this novel provokes your senses and makes it all worthwhile. At the end of the novel, you hope for a sequel, because you want to know what is going to happen next for the well-drawn characters.

Sixteen-year old protagonist Sadie Lester arrives to stay with her aunt and uncle's home in the woods for the summer and expects the worst. Hoping to escape from her eternally fretting aunt and her wacky uncle, Sadie takes her bike out for a spin and meets Allison Baker (known as Alliecat). Alliecat appears a bit rough around the edges, but she eagerly invites Sadie to ride with her and to enter a mountain bike competition upcoming in the area. She also keeps her life mysteriously guarded; this curious character keeps the the story flowing. Soon after becoming friends the two girls, along with Sadie's cousin Joe, come upon a nearly dead body in the woods. Uncharacteristically, Alliecat disappears, leaving both Sadie and Joe to face new worries.

Along with her complex handling of the plot, Davis also lends her experience as a serious bicyclist to the novel. References to contemporary cyclists and technical bicycle machinery dot the surface of the novel as the story unfolds. The camaraderie of the bicycling community offers a support system for the main characters as they experience fear in dealing with difficult situations.

This story keeps the reader guessing. The mystery unfolds as the characters mindfully try to figure out what is going on and how to protect themselves. Multiple themes, many of them somewhat mature (including death, relationships, and abuse), become a little overwhelming, but the author delivers enough information to tie up loose ends as well as to insert her ideas of the young peoples' thoughts and needs to make the story complete.

Winner of the honorable mention in the Loft Award for Children's Literature/Older Children, Chasing Alliecat is quite an accomplishment. Davis opens up an amazing door of adventure.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, March 23rd 2011

One Hundred Bottles

annette — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

By Ena Lucía Portela, Achy Obejas

University of Texas Press

An intensely vivid and riveting story of abuse, pain, honesty, erotica and discovery-this combination of words may not sound appealing, but the provocative and imaginative novel of these topics woven together creates a graphic fall from the literary world into our laps of reading desire. Crafted by Ena Lucía Portela, One Hundred Bottles is the story of a young woman named Z, who is incidentally an amazing storyteller (as well as a reluctantly educated person) and who leads us through her story while trying to find meaning behind her experiences. Given her challenging background, Z delivers a step by step account of her life (with creative backstory included) and you hope she will end up a champion. Z faces what seems the most challenging of all living through an unlucky survivorship; however, she keeps moving along through life, and author Portela puts you, the reader, right next to her. You feel the slaps, you feel the insults, and you breathe a sigh of relief with her at the climax.

Educated at the University of Havana, Ena Lucía Portela brings her life to fiction and brilliantly sets her story in the historic rocky era of Cuba in the early 1990s. All characters seek a chosen lifestyle and all are survivors; depending on their current resources, people enter and spin through Z's life while their own tales turn-and none are left unexplained.

Although she is called "stupid", Z is curious and insistent. Her friends and support range from her priest to a lesbian mystery author. At certain points in reading One Hundred Bottles, you feel like you are reading strictly a whodunit sort of detective novel, but actually the author (and best friend of Z) writes the detective novel based on Z's retelling of actual real events in her section of the world. Brilliantly juxtaposed, the work keeps you engrossed; at times powerfully violent, the novel reminds you that this is what a certain group in a certain culture experienced during this time; if a reader is intimate with abuse or violence, he or she may identify with these parts, but redemption triumphs and allows readers to breathe deeply a sigh of relief.

Published originally in Spanish in 2002, this novel holds up. Reminiscent of Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Brando Skyhorse's The Madonnas of Echo Park, One Hundred Bottles brings the reader a culture delightfully retold through the eyes of a woman who remarkably survives. As well, the story offers hope and fulfillment, both necessary traits for living in today's world.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, February 18th 2011

Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry

mandy — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

By Christine Sneed

University of Massachusetts Press

Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry is a collection of short stories by Christine Sneed, the winner of the Grace Paley Prize in short fiction. The book is one of the most well-written, heartrending, and remarkably real collections I've ever read. Nothing is left to do after reading Sneed's collection except go back to read the same stories over again for their raw, hard, and gritty overwhelming of the senses.

If you find yourself detached from your emotions, read one of Sneed's short stories, and it will cause you to look at yourself from a new view. From story to story, the author delivers truth and meaning to the reader, who can't help but be absorbed into the world of each protagonist. With an underlying feeling of selfishness, the characters prove that life is painful, regardless of a role one plays in the world. The angst-ridden, trying personalities intensely attempt to assert their power and needs, laying their story open raw. Displaying her characters flaws and insecurities, Sneed exposes us to thoughtful and caring people who question life, yet proceed in living.

Sneed teaches creative writing and literature courses, and you may imagine her creations spring from the classroom. The slices of life may be drawn from her experiences and her characters may be extensions of her students. When faced with life's confrontations, compassion and sensitivity pour into every page, garnering steps towards redemption. Thoughtful and introspective artists and everyday people arise in the stories, which simply demonstrate the struggle of everyperson. Subtle and solemn, Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry will knock you out again and again.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, January 23rd 2011

The Mistaken Wife

gwen — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:00:00 +0000

By Rose Melikan

Touchstone

Take a trip back to England and France—An American In Paris this is not; rather, this book explores the spying world through eyes similar to Jane Austen—but add the charming characteristics of James Bond, and you arrive at a sweet, adventurous female named Mary Finch. This third book of the Mary Finch trilogy by Rose Melikan captures the depth of espionage and loyalty as well as romance and intrigue in the post-war era. Based in historical events dating to 1797 set in Britain, baring political intrigue and just a hint of romance, The Mistaken Wife gives the reader a chance to experience history, learn about the post-Revolutionary War spy world between America, France, and England and enjoy a love story featuring secret agents of all degrees.

Also rooted in this story is the discovery of an invention designed to possibly aid in future warfare. Both the American and the English spies travel to Paris; both seek the plans to this secret weapon with the intentions of taking them to their home countries.

Written with thoughtful and diligent insight, The Mistaken Wife upholds intrigue with a good amount of incidental beneficence. The culture of the time is well captured, from the descriptions of clothing to the proper manners rampant of the times. The cross of the three cultures is often revisited in the pursuit of the final quest, and this again is well perceived on the page.

Melikan conducts much research to create The Mistaken Wife. An author of academic work, she combines journal accounts, historical papers and the precursors of the military weapon plans to present a most accurate depiction of the story's setting. The resulting novel (in addition to the previous two of the trilogy, The Blackstone Key and The Counterfeit Guest) is well crafted without being too academic or too minor in development. _[The Mistaken Wife](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416560904?ie=UTF8&tag=feminrevie-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1416560904__ is a careful historical novel of a fiery time in the settling of countries. Take some time to read and to indulge (as well as to brush up on the history you forgot you knew) in this novel.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, November 17th 2010

Sport, Power and Society: Institutions and Practices

priyanka — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Edited by Robert E. Washington, David Karen

Westview Press

Presenting the multifaceted world of sports, this book introduces a multitude of perspectives into the sports world. While encompassing many specifics about the whole idea of what makes up sport, this book offers views into aspects that create the sports world into a fully participatory and also a spectator-oriented institution. With many selections of essays that delve into specific topics like ownership, media, participation, violence and more, the institution of sport becomes a full-on demanding, powerful, industry like many other money-making organizations. In-depth and relatively stimulating, this compilation serves as terrific resource for readers interested in how sport has become, and continues to be, the "institution" it represents in many perspectives.

Not without rhetorical and sociological views, the book elaborates on many scholarly issues. The editors elaborate on each chapter heading to outline the premise for each collection of essays, culminating in the possible problems with sport in modern society. With this in mind, the reader may pick and choose essays that fit their own interests, from race issues to the politics of to fans of various sport to the money that supports specific sports. In sum, this book offers a huge amount of reading materials as well as resources for the readers.

Although published in 2010, some references for articles are gathered from 2000 and earlier. These research bases are older, and they serve a good base for starting research, but with technology and ten years, the articles in the book are outdated—a more recent selection of research may offer more current ideas and objective facts. As a compendium of resources, this reader or anthology serves as a good base for future research. For example, essays of sports ownership date to the late 1990s, and they are somewhat outdated for the reader of today.

However, in the end, the reader is left with a better understanding of the sports world and how it exists in our day-to-day living regardless of how much or how little we want it there. Its influence on society and children (as well as on adults) definitely makes the idea of sport a powerful tool in our lives. Modern society grabs onto the business of sport in many cases, and this leads to immense financial investments. Shocking at times, clearly disturbing at others, Sport, Power and Society: Institutions and Practices gives all of its readers a little more to chew on in its presenting of critical thinking about sport. Definitely one to keep on the shelf.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, October 4th 2010

Toxic Flora: Poems

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:30:00 +0000

By Kimiko Hahn

W.W. Norton

An extraordinary selection of poetry by Kimiko Hahn, Toxic Flora beautifies the ugliness of the scientific life and the elements of being human through poetry. Extending from the common small animals of the world to outer space, Hahn delivers a speckling of her work with both clever brevity and clarity. Projecting moments grasped from the New York Times, Hahn elaborates only the slightest amount necessary in her poetry, leaving the reader to ponder and to possibly wonder about the natural world and the human place in it.

Daily situations are approached from a poetic and often non-human aspect to bring feelings of the world beyond humanness. Prose poetry escapes definition in Hahn's description of wildlife that possess unknown talents and survival skills humans may understand when reading her poetry. To strike the reader, she sometimes utilizes italics to emphasize scientific horrors—irreversible human impacts. Sometimes humorous, but always thoroughly specific, Hahn's poetry possesses powers of imagination to reality. She expresses her yearnings while demonstrating her angst in asking questions throughout each piece while each piece connects and completes the collection. Her allusions to nature's subjection to pollution and a sullied environment again point out obvious human error.

Beyond her connections to nature, Hahn elaborates on the relationships of people to people, specifically father to daughter, lover to lover and mother to daughter. These human aspects help to signify the connections of all living organisms in the collection. Inserting herself into the poetry, Hahn brings relationships to herself. She alludes to her truths, her ways. Colorful and active, the poetry never leaves the side of the human living regardless of the role each human plays. Myths may exist, but Hahn again connects science to myth, deciphering bits of science for the reader.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, July 19th 2010

Dark Heart of the Night

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 23:59:00 +0000

By Leonora Miano

University of Nebraska Press

The gross reality of genocide brings one’s spirit to feel a deep sadness for groups and individuals who don't understand different cultures. Delineating a brutal world of power and defeat, the author of Dark Heart of the Night doesn't hold back and the shocking truth of this topic engenders an incredulous curiosity in the reader: how can a village not support their people, even those who are related to some in the village? How can the world be so out of kilter that more energy is spent killing while refusing to understand others? The power of violence resonates throughout and accompanies the overriding story.

The author depicts the harshness and pain of this specific village to help us understand the ongoing brutality of a small tribe of people. In reading Dark Heart of the Night, a person may see parallels to oppressed groups through history. The sheer stubbornness and defiant attitudes of particular individuals in the village overpower the mass of followers in the village.

Nightmarish in its intensity, the novel opens with the brutal acts of a rebel force taking place within the country. As readers, we observe protagonist Ayané, who returns to her Central African village from France to assist her dying mother; she is continually an outcast—not understood nor understanding this culture to which she returns uneasily. As a more "worldly" individual, she confronts the local leader of the village after witnessing killing in her mother's village from afar.

Throughout Dark Heart of the Night, the author depicts an ongoing conflict within the self, among others, and in the overall world. Her stark imagery brings to light gruesome and harsh experiences. Deftly utilizing only minimal words, Leonora Miano shapes the storyline with the sheer power of her writing. She elaborates on the human aspects of communication and being misunderstood in a cross-cultural situation. All character interactions bring ideas of human survival to the forefront.

Miano is originally from Cameroon, and she lives in France. Both Tamsin Black and Terese Svodboda translate Miano’s work into English for their readers. Overall, Miano presents a hearty and challenging novel to surely move the reader to action to demand fairness for those people who find themselves under the proverbial oppression of misplaced power.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, May 8th 2010

Damaged

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Kia DuPree

Grand Central Publishing

Damaged epitomizes a feeling of darkness and reeling loss with an utterly profound yet utterly hopeful ending. Continually faced with ongoing loss and disappointment, protagonist Camille Logan deals with a progression of horrifying moments, save for a small light of a boyfriend who seemingly will do anything for her. Once he is shot in an unexpected situation, Camille regains her lost feelings and chooses survival on the streets.

Depicting the story while by fully embracing the environment, author Kia DuPree brings a "realness of the streets" to the readers. Dialect and vocabulary clearly show her familiarity with the subject and environment where the characters dwell. The use of a southern dialect makes Damaged reading a bit like Toni Morrison's Beloved or Sula. DuPree provides the rawness of feeling lost without family, and she gives us the disappointments of lies and abuse, as well as illuminating moments of ambition and the determination of making a better life for oneself. Starting from the middle of the story, readers follow the book's chronology through the five years that lead to the book's end.

Damaged is dark and difficult. DuPree shows how poor youth struggle to survive abuse through the foster care system and then continue to suffer on the streets of an urban jungle. Exposing the inner city’s fast life, DuPree puts you on the train and takes you all the way to the end of the line. Everything is for sale and getting off the train isn't easy. In fact, sometimes there is no escape.

Well-written and clearly heartfelt, DuPree does justice to the perseverance and needs of all young people in cities who undergo change and need positive role models. Capturing the essence of power, control, and the people who abuse the two, she holds no brakes on exposing the very beliefs we have. A definite page turner, Damaged gives us hope.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, April 15th 2010

Science on the Home Front: American Women Scientists in World War II

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Jordynn Jack

University of Illinois Press

Science on the Home Front is an introduction to the lives and tasks of specific women scientists involved in the war effort, from Marie Curie to Margaret Mead. These women come from a variety of backgrounds and pursuits in science. A professor, Jack focuses on the fields of psychology, anthropology, physics and nutrition to elaborate on the women involved who played a specific role in the war. By delineating aspects of these scientists, the author demonstrates the subordination of the women who performed important roles in the war. The range of responsibility spans years and experiences. Jack's main objective in developing this book holds true to be a study of the rhetoric involved regarding feminist rhetoric as well as scientific rhetoric, and she argues that the culture of science is what held women back in their roles played in the war.

To appreciate this book, one must be willing to make time to read it; its academic sense assumes the reader is both interested in science and in the concept of rhetoric as it pertains to both the science field and the feminist field. As a book, Science on the Home Front requires a decent amount of science; however, the author takes the time to elaborate on definition and overall goal of her book. In her introduction, she clarifies each chapter for the reader; each chapter focuses on one or two female scientists in that specific field. To create an overall sense of that specific scientist in several ways, Jack examines studies of that scientist, tracks certain exchanges with superiors, details journal entries, and surmises what that scientist brought to the public through writings and other research. In presenting this information, Jack demonstrates an overall image of each scientist. Taking her research another step further, Jack discusses the rhetoric of each field, and places this into each chapter to prove her point that the regendering of science is clearly necessary for women in all fields of science.

Utterly straightforward, Science on the Home Front explores the rhetorical factors of subordination with a smattering of women who made a difference in the science world, specifically during WWII. Language remains a very large obstacle to women "getting ahead" in the sciences. Ongoing questions exist: How do we reorganize and strategize around the feminism in the sciences as well as the gender of scientific language? By investigating the rhetoric about women in science, we come up with some answers; in conclusion, Jack makes steps toward "'regendering' scientific institutions" to make these scientific institutions more acceptable toward women, and overall, in any scientific field. Including notes on each chapter and over ten pages of bibliography, Jack gives a nice amount of substance to further research. Present and future studies must continue in order to make a concrete step toward the integration of women into the sciences at a more equal pace.

With this book in hand, further research may be done to pursue individual female scientists' work; however, this volume offers a great starting point to introduce the many women who impacted World War II in the scientific field.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, January 28th 2010

How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:55:00 +0000

By Simone Elkeles

Flux

The world of young adult books never ceases to be amazing. With a range of topics reminding us of our stressful adolescent selves, young adult books hold a set amount of information about friendships with other girls, jealousy, boyfriends, questions about sex, and overall embarrassing experiences that the characters will laugh about when they look back on their lives.

How to Ruin Your Boyfrend's Reputation fits perfectly into this mold. The third in a series by Simone Elkeles, this specific work explores a young woman's issues of sex, commitment to boyfriends, and the pettiness of some relationships with other girls. If we remember our younger attitudes of what is "cool" and important, we can easily identify with protagonist Amy Nelson-Bakar.

Amy signs up with her friends for a youth "bootcamp" in Israel. Although Amy’s friends join for more giving reasons, like learning about their Jewish culture, her ulterior motive is to see a boyfriend stationed at this specific base. She chooses to surprise him, and in doing so, he surprises her with his seriousness and responsibility as a slightly older man. The trials of the bootcamp wear on Amy, and as she begins to understand the commitment of her boyfriend and perseveres in difficult situations not unlike real military training, Amy learns to be a little more faithful and develops a tougher skin. She definitely learns some lessons by the end of the book, yet she maintains her teenage ideals, and as readers, we know she will continue to be challenged.

What is interesting about this novel is how the author brings her own Jewish background to her main character Amy. Elkeles explains Jewish terms for those who are not familiar with the words or traditions, and readers of all faiths can appreciate the quirky character of Amy. In addition, Elkeles captures a youthful attitude in her writing, and attributes her young adult books to maintaining this spirit. Growing up in the 1980s, Elkeles brings out struggles from her youth.

A delightful page turner, How to Ruin Your Boyfrend's Reputation proves that we, as young adults, face conflicts of all sizes, and we make choices to either persevere or give up. Reminding us of our childhoods, this book proves that we may make assumptions about life, but once we experience a little more, we can succeed and move on.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, January 17th 2010

Transcendent Wisdom

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0000

By B. Alan Wallace, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Snow Lion Publications

This recent translation of a teaching presented by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a chapter of the same name written by Indian scholar Shantideva in A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life serves as a guide to more thoroughly understanding of this particular work. Initially spoken to thousands of Tibetans in 1979, the ideas and wisdom of this chapter continue to exist and are translated to illuminate those pondering a Buddhist Centrist view and how it relates to and exists in the contemporary world.

Utilizing his experience as a teacher and trainer, B. Alan Wallace selected this information for interpretation and clarification. With points numbered from the original work, Wallace presents questions and opposing concepts (some of which may fall into the realm of Western thought) to each idea; this leads to further developing the work, each point acting as a building block to develop a further understanding of the Madhyamaka view of Buddhism.

Devoting his life to teaching and Buddhism, Wallace trained as a Buddhist monk in several countries and serves as a major Tibetan translator, editor, and author for over thirty books. His studies in religion support his pursuits in communicating to readers as he combines his training in science and religion as it applies to our contemporary living. Divided into three parts, this singular text identifies major aspects of the Centrist view. Through detailed elaboration on each point, Wallace provides necessary commentary to help make the reading more achievable.

Even without a tremendous awareness of Buddhism, one can maneuver through Transcendent Wisdom carefully and deliberately. With a minor foray into understanding the philosophy of Buddhism, one can utilize the footnotes for a more elaborate experience into the active acceptance of this specific branch of the faith. As a tool, this text delivers a more ornate explanation and a bounty of substance to bring the reader to a better understanding of what this religion embraces. Dry but clear, this text requires sincere focus and time; however, as one adventures into the writing, one may adopt a more Buddhist way of being.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, December 15th 2009

American Romances: Essays

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:14:00 +0000

By Rebecca Brown

City Lights Books

In this bountiful blend of writing, Rebecca Brown discusses the interpretation of words in the past and present. She mixes classic pieces of writing with contemporary history and combines her own coming-of-age anecdotes with other writings. Her commentary is sometimes shocking, sometimes eloquent, and overall, leaves you to wonder what she is thinking. Why does she choose to develop these essays this way? By reading more, you realize her point: for her entire life, she has tried tirelessly to figure out what is it to be “American.”

Brown's voice strongly suggests a quirky, laugh-out-loud approach to life. At times, her stream of consciousness takes hold, but you want to jump right in with her. Pleasant and insightful, this collection of essays illuminates thoughts many of us had beginning in high school and in current revisiting of classics. Every step of the way, Brown provides more substance to the confusing idea of "American."

Weaving in her own self-discovery, Brown humorously reflects on her own past. As a reader, you end up chuckling too, feeling like you can identify with her situations. Her references demonstrate a thorough study of Nathaniel Hawthorne as well as Gertrude Stein; both subjects recur throughout the compilation of essays. Elements of familiarity twist to define romance and Americanism.

Children's books provide a foundation of knowledge for us as we move into more developed interactions with our society. Brown incorporates this into her continued memoirish essays revealing her ongoing pursuit of the “American romance.”

With each unique chapter footnoted (and holding her opinion alongside the factual footnote), American Romances remains a fabulous point of reference not only for Rebecca Brown, but for all of us running with the same questions about the world around us.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, September 28th 2009

You'd Be So Pretty If...: Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies—Even When We Don't Love Our Own

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:04:00 +0000

By Dara Chadwick

Lifelong Books

In presenting the best ways to work with our daughters regarding self-image, author Dara Chadwick offers relatively comprehensive ideas pertaining to the aspects of maturing for girls into women. By surmising her year writing the "2007 Weight-Loss Diary" column for Shape, Chadwick builds her column into a no-nonsense-this-is-how-it-is book for mothers, daughters, and all of us who interact with young women from early ages.

Looking at her own relationship with her body, the author realizes potential effects on her own daughter who may find her somewhat overly concerned with her body; this could translate into her daughter grappling with similar issues. Basically, Chadwick restates the importance of loving who you are as being the most important trait of being a good person.

While writing her column and undergoing her own transformation, her awareness of her daughter comes through. Realizing the importance of her daughter's keen image of her mother, she looks at her life and interviews others who deal with their own weight issues. The underlying premise remains her own relationship with her daughter, now in the teen years. At the end of each pertinent chapter, the author reiterates some talking points regarding the topic, pulling out the right words fitting the sentiment and deeming them necessary for mothers to talk, a completely understandable point, to their daughters.

Written after her column was completed, You'd Be So Pretty If... gives parents a chance to check in with themselves and arms them with tools to encourage healthy growing up. Not getting messy or too extreme in her interviews, Chadwick's book feels like a good exploration for women to talk to their kids. Covering many topics, she does not go too far into each one, and this leaves us to develop our own research about mothers, media, and school bullying. A compendium spoken from the heart, You'd Be So Pretty If... gives a lighthearted reflective look, but serious read to all of us.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, August 25th 2009

The Adventures of Cancer Bitch

admin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:48:00 +0000

By S. L. Wisenberg

University of Iowa Press

Laying it out there with stunning realness, incorporating funny yet saddening as well as humorous but serious moments, S. L. Wisenberg presents blog entries of her journey through breast cancer discovery, surgery, and recovery in The Adventures of Cancer Bitch. Sharing many—if not all—of her life’s vulnerable moments with the reader, the author demonstrates the humanness of living through cancer.

Illuminating but difficult experiences fill Wisenberg’s writing. She delves into self-absorption as well as utter hysterics due to her bare bones admittance of recovery drugs and daily living through the painful process. As a reader, it is easy to feel her stress and sympathize as if you are on the sofa next to her as she wallows in her pain. This pain does not make Wisenberg bitchy; on the contrary, it reveals her true character questioning the world around her and why the commodified pink ribbons have become a "catch-all" for the destructive disease we all encounter at some point in our lives.

In addition, Wisenberg feeds background to the reader: both her Jewish culture and Texas childhood pop up at different moments throughout the book. These points give Wisenberg even more credibility and realness as she elaborates on her mother, her attendance at seder, her self-proclaimed yuppiness, and her interactions with close friends who lost their son to cancer at a very young age. Literary allusions as well as other anecdotal stories lend a substantive and creative fill to the book.

I found myself laughing at the author's antics while dealing with the seriousness of her condition, and I found myself sobbing at points where her depression and darkness haunts her recovery through chemotherapy. Weisenberg is so real. I find her journey an adventure indeed, but her "bitch" title more of a friend who puts it out there, no lies, no holds barred. Folks, if you have cancer, you may attest that this person's story is very close to yours.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, August 7th 2009