Cheryl Reeves

Uptown

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:00:00 +0000

The dark psyche of greed gone wild is at the heart of Uptown. In this energetic and sexy page turner of a story about the high stakes world of Manhattan real estate, winners take all—but the price turns out to be far more than they negotiated for... and this is before the real estate market bubble burst!

In a nutshell, Uptown tells the story of the Dixon family’s real estate empire and its controversial plan to develop the Dixon Plaza on Central Park North. The Plaza, a high-rise luxury building, is certain to change the face of Harlem forever.

Not everyone is happy with this idea, especially Avery Lyons, whose cousin, Dwight Dixon, has inherited his father’s share of the family empire. Dwight is eager to catapult the family’s Harlem-based real estate empire into the uber-luxury market, while Avery is concerned with preserving the close-knit feeling of the Harlem she knew as a child. Since Avery holds a significant share in the Plaza property, she is a potential obstacle in the path of Dwight’s greed, which is, as the reader soon learns, rapacious and reckless.

I liked Avery a lot; she comes across as a strong woman with a conscience without sounding like a naïvely provincial childish scold. At first willing to sell her share, Avery soon discovers that there are problems galore with the complex: backroom dealings, cheap fixtures, and flagrant disregard for sound structural building codes and more problems. Avery worries about what to do: let it go or blow the whistle?

The Plaza is a metaphor for the Dixon family, as secrets and lies threaten to shake the foundation of both structures. The story examines which is more important: Family loyalty or money? Politics or truth? Integrity or underhandedness?

This is whip smart writing that is fast-paced, emotionally deep, and timely in this modern era of the real estate hustle in all its bloated glory. Uptown is a good story, not your garden variety mass market, frothy paperback that is full of stereotypical characters. The dialogue is rich, real, and witty. This is one of those books that makes you want to keep reading even when you know you need to shut off the light and go to sleep. Instead you’ll be thinking, "just one more page!"

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, March 2nd 2010

Trailer Girl: And Other Stories

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Terese Svoboda

University of Nebraska Press

One of my favorite short story collections of all time is Black Tickets, a masterpiece written by Jayne Anne Phillips in the 1970s. So hauntingly poetic and impressive were these stories written about rootless misfits by a young and relatively unknown writer that a giant of the short story genre, Raymond Carver, contributed a blurb to the book’s back cover. He wrote: “These stories of America’s disenfranchised are unlike any in our literature. She is an original, and this book of hers is a crooked beauty.”

A ‘crooked beauty’ is also what the sixteen mostly short-short stories in Svoboda’s Trailer Girl conjure up in word pictures. Written in the style of dreamy prose poems about the alienated and edgy lives of the walking wounded, these stories shimmer and dazzle with an intensity that sometimes creates the feeling of the world as a floating, melting cloud of illusion.

In the title novella, a woman is obsessed with the idea there’s a wild child living in the gully near the trailer park where she lives but nobody believes her. Is the wild child a figment of her imagination to help her deal with the sexual abuse she suffered as a child? The other trailer residents ignore her—until there is a murder.

In “Psychic” a clairvoyant suddenly discovers her client is a murderer and then proceeds to exploit him. In “Lost the Baby,” an alcoholic couple black out and can’t remember where they dropped off their child. In “Sundress” two kicked out foster children move into a house while the owners are away on vacation and pose as house-sitting relatives. For a little while, they pretend they have a home to call their own and are blissfully happy.

Models of compression, these short stories are each skillful dramas about the lives of those on the dark side of the American dream. The style is a searing and cutting edge exploration of the long lasting effects of abuse and loss. For those who like elegantly poetic stories, Svoboda’s the real deal: a writer’s writer who unflinchingly makes us see with an almost hallucinogenic double-quick timing. Her brilliance will leave you breathless.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, February 8th 2010

Against the Current

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Directed by Peter Callahan

Fortissimo Films

As Paul Thompson in the surprising and moving Against the Current, Joseph Fiennes has the deep, burned out eyes of a man who no longer cares for life and yearns for his misery to end. Yet he still has a dream: to swim the length (150 miles) of the Lower Hudson River. He also has another goal when he completes the first one: to make a decision whether or not to kill himself.

It’s not easy to pull off a film about a thirty-something, handsome man like Paul who is still wallowing in excruciating despair five years after the tragic death of his wife and child. Director Peter Callahan wisely lightened up the film’s mood by choosing to send a couple of fun, cool friends along with the bummed-out widower for the big swim: Jeff (Justin Kirk) and Liz (Elizabeth Reaser). Their job, along with providing emotional support, is to drive a boat alongside Paul as he swims. Paul climbs aboard for rest periods after pushing himself to meet daily mileage goals.

Philosophically, the film asks the questions: do some people get more pain than they can bear? Is there a point at which a person knows the struggle to overcome is fruitless? Played powerfully and nobly by Fiennes, Paul needs to swim the river to prove he tried to swim through the tears of his grief. After that, he will know in his heart what he must do.

But it is Justin Kirk who makes the movie come alive: every gesture, remark and expression add up to a totally riveting performance. As Jeff, Kirk plays a sarcastic realist who also has a heart of gold that he keeps under wraps by cranking out lots of wisecracks and indulging in childish silliness. A solid loyal friend, he offers Paul a generosity of spirit and empathy while simultaneously brooking no pact-breaking nonsense. (After the death of Paul's pregnant wife, Jeff made Paul pledge not to kill himself for at least five years.) Jeff hopes Paul will work through his pain and get to the other side of it. It is now five years later and the pact will expire as soon as Paul finally emerges from his watery trial onto land in Manhattan.

Also along for the ride is Liz, a woman Paul met at a bar. She is searching for direction in life and, without knowing fully the extent of Paul’s inner turmoil, agrees to accompany the guys to help on the boat. She wants to have a fun adventure and just plain have a get-away from the limbo-like life she is leading. Little does she know what lies beneath the surface of this trip.

As the boat moves further along the Hudson, the friends decide to make a pit stop at Liz’s mother’s house, as she lives close by. The mother, played by the vivacious, triumphant Mary Tyler Moore, is all manic energy, nosiness, advice and fist-pumping optimism. Moore enters the tragic tale with a bang and speed-delivers a refreshing dose of comedy.

The metaphor of river as life could have been yawn-inducing, but in this director’s hands, it is beautifully and richly alive. The murky darkness of the river matches Paul’s mood while the summer sky overhead seems like a call to the brightness of hope and better times.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, January 4th 2010

Brick City

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Directed by Marc Levin, Mark Benjamin

Sundance Channel

In Brick City, Sundance Channel’s five-part documentary series about life in Newark, NJ circa 2008, the camera crew follows Cory Booker, a mayor who is passionate about making a difference in the crime beleaguered city. Along with the mayor, directors Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin (and producer Forest Whitaker) also zoom in on the efforts of community activists, Central High School Principal Ras Baraka, the Newark police department, and even two gang members who have fallen in love and work to help make their community a better place: Jada (a Blood) and Creep (a Crip).

Often compared in feel and tone with HBO’s The Wire, Brick City has the same type of honest, gritty immediacy. Booker, a highly charismatic mayor with a focus on healing the city, even though the tanked economy has made his dream of lowering the crime rate even more arduous, never seems at a loss for new ideas or words of encouragement for those with flagging spirits.

In the first episode, “Summer is Ours,” we learn that Newark is leading the nation in terms of homicide reduction. The mayor and police chief work together to devise systems and programs to thwart the traditional spike in crime during the months of July and August. Meanwhile, new mom, gang member and community counselor Jada is a study in contrasts, especially in her relationship with a rival gang member named Creep.

As a viewer (and reviewer), I found myself put off by these two and felt bad for their child. The language is rough and the fact that they’re still active gang members felt morally precarious. But, as the filming went along, I understood their experiences speak directly to gang members and that is why Jada’s counseling, in particular, is more effective coming from her authentic streetwise point of view. Still, when she and Creep find out they are expecting a new baby, I didn’t exactly feel their joy.

In the second episode, called “Struggle,” Jada finds herself in jail and Creep has to take care of the kids, the Mayor is facing some pretty grim budget issues, Governor Corzine teams up with Booker to create a new state program that will help ex-cons find jobs, and (yay, good news!) the crime rate is not rising as expected. However, the strain on Jada and Creep is beginning to tear apart the fabric of their relationship.

Brick City first ran on the Sundance Channel in September 2009, so most likely there will be reruns. If you can catch it, check it out—especially for the unflinching, inside look at how Newark's community activists work hard to balance their turbulent personal lives while reaching out to help make a difference to others.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, December 27th 2009

Teatime in Bombay Earrings

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:37:00 +0000

By Teatime in Bombay Earrings

Swingy, playful and pretty, the Teatime in Bombay Earrings also work well for cocktail time in Manhattan. Equally attractive is the quality construction and affordable price. The intricate and slightly edgy white metal design is contrasted by the more classical ladylike dangling faux gemstone beads in sapphire and amber.

As a collector of earrings, I have many pairs in my jewelry box from which to choose, and I found myself wearing these over and over again because they look great with a little black dress, a garden party frock, or just a plain old t-shirt and jeans. They are lightweight, visually interesting, and original. More than a few women complimented me, and asked where I’d purchased them.

Jewelry designer Jazmine Bowe describes her Stars + Rocks creations as urban, glam, and gypsy in sensibility. I found myself loving her entire collection, which also includes bracelets and necklaces. She thinks of fun names for her pieces—Country Club Lush, Saloon Girl, Circus of Life, and Good Karma—most of which can be had for under $20.

Bowe's fun and trendy jewelry exudes her imagination, and I am so happy to have discovered this particular designer because she accomplishes this dramatically stylish mood without crossing the line into tacky territory. Stars + Rocks jewelry looks and feels very upscale chic: the strong, confident, city girl is also a glamorous gal. Prepare to be dazzled by the bauble-icious wonders from this very talented designer!

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, October 15th 2009

Getting Naked Again: Dating, Romance, Sex, and Love When You've Been Divorced, Widowed, Dumped, or Distracted

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:54:00 +0000

By Judith Sills

Springboard Press

This self-help book did not exactly have me at hello. In fact, I found it hard to keep reading after getting to an anecdote on the very first page where a recently divorced fifty-six-year-old woman meekly accepts a calf feel from a male colleague, and later winds up outside of his hotel room in her cotton PJ’s nervously wondering if she should knock on his door for more. Now, if a colleague started feeling up your leg at a conference, wouldn’t you be offended in the same way the German Chancellor was when she shrugged off former President Bush’s impromptu back massage? Professional boundary issues anyone? Have you heard of sexual harassment? I waited for the author—a female clinical psychologist, no less—to use this as an example of what you Not To Do. But no such luck.

If the tone of Getting Naked Again sounds dated, sort of like an old article in Cosmo, it should be made clear that there is a heavy focus in the book on the middle aged woman. To me, however, today’s middle aged woman still seems way hipper and worldlier than the ones the author interviews. Here’s another sampling that kind of had me thinking OMG: “Janice, married for thirty years and divorced for two, spoke for many of us when she explained, ‘How do I know if I’m attractive to men? Or even what man I might like? You know, I was faithful. I was loyal. I hated my husband’s guts, but I was not looking around.’” The author responds: “Now suddenly you’re looking. The first people in your line of sight will be your friends’ husbands. And they will be looking at you.” Yikes!

There is some useful advice offered about reentry into the dating scene for those with bruised egos or broken hearts. And maybe after reading “Sexual Mentors, Palate Cleansers and Other Transitional Relationships” or “Interpersonal Techniques” you will get the guts up to get out there and date again. But more than likely, you’ll be even more scared sh*tless!

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, August 3rd 2009

Karma Calling

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Directed by Sarba Das

Shakti Productions

Director Sarba Das has taken the stomach-churning subject of credit card debt and used it as a hilarious plot device in this endearing romp of a screwball romantic comedy. Watching Karma Calling is definitely non-stop farcical fun as the maxed out Raj’s, a Hindu family living above their means in Hoboken, are pestered by credit card call center collectors based in India.

Ingenious scenes highlight the absurdity of our hyper-globalized world as the Indian collectors learn how to sound American and choose fake names based on popular American sitcoms. The plot thickens when a relative of the Raj’s arrives from India, intending to influence her family to stop eating meat and start meditating. Traditional India meets Americanized Indians and it all adds up to the exploration of basic human values: family unity, love and money.

The set up is this: one day, the smoothest operator from the India call center, the absolutely adorable and charismatic Rob Roy, calls the Raj house and daughter Sonal picks up the phone. Soon the two are chatting away and the chemistry is immediate. What Somal doesn’t know (because of his finely perfected American accent and slang) is that Rob is an ocean away instead of being a boy next door. Adding to this comedy of cultural errors is Sonal’s brother Shyam, who dreams of making it as a hip-hop artist with a song that features a Japanese title. While “hanging out in the ‘hood,” Shyam suddenly finds himself smitten with an Indian girl who recently arrived in the nabe and is about to marry a Dollar Store mogul in an arranged marriage. What to do? Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Raj try to figure out how to pay the bills, duck the creditors and figure out life in America.

The film has broad laugh appeal, and better yet, many wonderfully hip, small moments that offer snappy insights. One of these moments occurs when a pompous trainer at the call center, seeking to win a trip to America, coyly passes out bags of Doritos, hoping to inspire demoralized Indians to act more like Americans. By flipping the equation of cultural identities and spotlighting deficits, Karma Calling nails it: no matter where you live, the color of your skin or how much money you have (or don’t have), what the world really needs now is love, sweet love. An additional caveat? To thine own self, be true!

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, July 15th 2009

Green Kids, Sage Families: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Kids

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:48:00 +0000

By Lynda Fassa

New American Library

We've come a long way since that 1970s TV commercial of a Native American crying at the sight of trash by the side of the road. Green living has finally gone mainstream. Lynda Fassa (author of Green Babies, Sage Moms) takes on the tykes and tweens in her latest, similarly titled, how-to guide on raising kids to be more conscious about treating their bodies, their homes, and the environment in a healthier, more ethical way: Green Kids, Sage Families

This is a great book chock-full of tips on how kids can help contribute to a greener world at home, in school, and beyond. Fassa offers ways to save money too, which is very appealing in this weak economy. Featuring advice on green toys, home repairs, organic snacks, what to ban from the house and garden, and even tips for throwing an eco-birthday party, Green Kids, Sage Families is accessible and creative in the ways in which it offers advice. The author also informs on how to save green by going green if you convert your home's power source to solar.

Of course, most of the book is directed to parents, teachers, and other childcare providers, so that they may become better role models for living the responsible, organic lifestyle. Green Kids, Sage Families is beautifully organized for easy dips in and out for specific topics and works as a very comprehensive guide to running a non-toxic household. It accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do by showing how to go green and protect your two most precious resources: your kids and the planet.

For those seeking writing that’s clean and concise about how to go green, Green Kids, Sage Families is your manual. It offers a well-balanced selection of tips, from basic and easy things you can do to those that are more cutting edge.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, June 5th 2009

Latin American Women Artists of the United States: The Works of 33 Twentieth-Century Women

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:21:00 +0000

By Robert Henkes

McFarland & Company

The art world is full of niches large and small that showcase a variety of visual languages and regional cultures. A seeming labyrinth to the outsider, this complexity makes it a bit of a hunt to find American artists that speak to you—especially artists who have not been accepted by mainstream America.

In this delicious treat of an art book, the late Robert Henkes, painter and teacher, examines the art of thirty-three Latin American women artists who worked or lived in the United States. Entries are alphabetically arranged, from San Francisco muralist Juana Alica to Santa Fe painter Bernadette Vigil who studied under Diego Rivera. Other artists include Carmen Herrera, a Cuban artist of great stature who lived in New York City in the mid-1950's; self-taught painter Nora Chapa Mendoza; and installation artist Patricia Rodriguez. In each entry, Henkes writes about the style, influences and works of the artist followed by a summation called “Career Highlights,” in which he provides a brief resume of the artist. The entries are also beautifully illustrated.

I remember reading the diary of a writer who wrote that she liked to have a “book debauchery” evening. She would pour a glass of wine, make a pile of art and photography books around her on the floor, and luxuriate in the sheer heaven of playing with all her books—reading whichever parts struck her fancy, leafing through the pages with childish delight, and stroking the pages as if the magic that created them would flow from her fingertips into her soul.

Latin American Women Artists of the United States is a book you can dip into here and there and be transported. It’s an absolute treasure. Most of the photographs are black and white, and a middle section features exceptional color plates. My favorite images are Dora de Larios’ stoneware sculpture called Innervision (a depiction of an artist’s inward contemplation that unites the spirituality of antiquity with modernity), and Catalina Gonzalez’s Boom Box, punk-inspired geometric shapes pushing aggressively against conventional frames.

Henkes’ prose has been called “choppy” by some, but I disagree; I like his style for its old world, straight-to-the-point authenticity. He discusses how the fight for women’s rights and the feminist movement continues to shape talent and genius and how Latin American women artists seek to unite their two cultures as they weave the sacred, political and personal throughout. Henkes also provides a lot of art history in digestible bites that is intellectually succinct and fascinating. In the book’s introduction, he writes:

“The language of visual art is universal. It is ironic that in order to enter the realm of international art, one must first be recognized in a regional sense. Yet, as a regional artist one is isolated from the world market…it seems essential to first isolate (in order to identify) Latin American art before expecting it to enter the mainstream of American art. The question as to what is ‘American’ in American art continues to go unanswered.”

This is an inspired book and one that offers much joy and magic.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, March 16th 2009

Breaking Down the Wall of Silence: The Liberating Experience of Facing Painful Truth

admin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:14:00 +0000

By Alice Miller

Basic Books

In an episode of the television series Homicide: Life On The Street, detective John Munch muses on how to crack the case of a brutal murder. In his typically caustic, world-weary way he quips darkly about motive, “If it’s not one thing, it’s a mother.”

Alice Miller would add “or the father” to that line. And she would cite the collective truth-repressing forces of traditional patriarchal society—family, academia, clergy, politicians and the psychiatric community—all influential agents that encourage a child to dismiss or dance around its trauma story as if it were an electrifying third rail. Forgive and move on is the catchphrase of the day.

Not so fast, says Miller. First, air the bloody wound before forgiveness. Bad parenting must be addressed at the root. Denying and repressing guarantee that more innocent victims will be scapegoated to satisfy long festering rage. Miller contends that trauma from abuse is responsible for all of mankind’s neuroses and psychoses, and could lead to our extinction in this fragile technological world. Society must get better at protecting children against what she calls the “poisonous pedagogy”: humiliation, neglect, hitting, shaming with verbal and emotional abuse, and of course, rape, delicately called molestation by polite society.

Breaking Down the Wall of Silence is Alice Miller’s thirteenth book focusing on childhood trauma. Miller is an articulate and empathetic supporter of abused children and grownups who struggle with the betrayal and trauma that result from abuse. An impassioned evangelist for children’s rights (she is a psychologist, an abuse survivor and author of the highly acclaimed The Drama of the Gifted Child), Miller continues to make her case with great force that if the majority of people and lawmakers remain psychologically illiterate, we might as well resign ourselves to nuclear war in the near future.

As in most of Miller’s books, she uses high profile case studies to illustrate her points. She has previously written of the humiliations and beatings that were standard fare in the childhoods of Hitler and Stalin, and how those angry boys grew up to be murderous dictators who projected onto the world stage their revenge in the form of mass murder and torture. In this book, she delves into the childhood of yet another tyrannical basket case: former Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu. This havoc-wreaking man, emotionally and physically battered and shamed as a child by his own father, rose to power and blow-torched his rage all over his country. He is dead, executed for his crimes, but the hideous abuse lives on to this day in Romania.

I was particularly intrigued by Alice Miller’s study of Ceausescu because a couple of years ago I wrote a magazine article on volunteer vacations. While interviewing people who combined a love of travel with charity work, I talked to several everyday heroes who rolled up their sleeves to work in Romanian Failure-To-Thrive baby clinics. They reported that children were still being abandoned due to the lingering poverty and ignorance from the Ceausescu regime, and so many babies needed holding and feeding that many of these volunteers declined the sightseeing part of their trips in favor of working full-time with the children.

Astonishingly (and inspiring to me about the higher nature of some humans among us), every single person I interviewed returned for a second and third tour of duty to reach out and help. They all were very emotional when I spoke with them. The horror they experienced was overwhelming and their voices quivered in the retelling. One woman brought her daughter with her and the daughter has decided to go into international law to help protect children. Another man was a banker who devotes a month each year to go to Romania and help out.

The most important and urgent case Alice Miller makes in this book is that we must legislate firmly against child abuse and be selective about the political leaders we elect to represent us.Breaking Down the Wall of Silence should be read by all who have children, or are considering having children. That said, if one is caring enough to even know about Alice Miller, then one is probably preaching to the choir.

I just watched a documentary called Deliver Us From Evil about the Catholic Church’s systematic repression and cover-up of child abuse by priests. Back in 2005, Pope Benedict was facing a ground-breaking lawsuit accusing him of conspiring to cover up the rapes of boys by a seminarian. He asked President George W. Bush, Jr. for immunity from lawsuits in the United States. It was granted.

I’ve been reading Alice Miller’s books for a long time and believe she is still a voice in the wilderness calling upon us to evolve as human beings. How do we do this? Respect children and implement laws that enforce greater protection against violence perpetuated on children. Punish people and institutions that inflict and hide abuse. The psychiatric field must also offer a model of treatment that encourages practitioners to be courageous, enlightened witnesses and guides for their patients. Gatekeepers in this field must be constantly on the alert for traumatized therapists seeking to exploit, consciously or unconsciously, victims of abuse. These wolves in sheep’s clothing must be weeded out of the field.

Alice Miller praises feminists for being pioneering whistle blowers on abuse and offers hope when she writes toward the end: “Fortunately the number of therapists who are trained in the new methods is now growing.”

This is a beautiful, fierce, necessary book written by an emotionally intelligent lioness who continues her efforts to break through the wall—one brick, one book— at a time. I highly recommend it.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, March 5th 2009

The Late Bloomer's Revolution

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:26:00 +0000

By Amy Cohen

Hyperion

Cute chick + NYC + media job + boyfriend troubles + comedically quirky friends and family + insipid metaphors + lightbulb moment resolution = book deal! Next, it will surely be opening at a multiplex near you.

This read was so formulaic I had to remind myself that The Late Bloomer's Revolution is actually a memoir, not fictitious chick lit. We all know too well the irritating law of chick lit bestsellerdom: a free-spirited, but still safely conventional, damsel must learn to balance career, relationship, and self-esteem in the glamorous paradise of the Big Apple while watching out for charming, narcissistic, Prada-clad snakes! To make sure I did not forget this book's classification come review-writing time, I actually stuck a yellow sticky flag under the very, very lightly printed "A Memoir" that appears teeny-tiny over the author's very, very boldfaced name.

Perhaps it's because I truly love a deeply moving memoir that I find a book like this one to be a fluffball wafting around in a genre that once had at least a couple of anti-glib gatekeepers. However snobby and cranky that might sound, let me add that Amy Cohen's sharply observant, empathic, and witty writing style somewhat refreshes this 'single and scared silly' story, which turns out to be a securely strapped-in ride on the bourgeois emotional roller coaster. (Big Daddy always hovers in the background like a safety net).

The story opens with one of the book's best characters: Amy's wonderfully wise, laugh-out-loud funny and intellectually curious mother. Unfortunately, she and her fantastically original dialogue exit the stage all too soon, struck down by cancer. At the same time as her mother's death, Amy suffers through the loss of Josh, the man she thought she was going to marry, who ends up marrying a cartoon femme with the requisite big boobs. As the story continues, regular gal, imperfectly attired, small bosomed Amy's woes are compounded with the loss of her job as a television writer, several terrible dating experiences, and a crummy, dark, claustrophic apartment.

Amy's journey toward adult independence begins in her mid-thirties. She suddenly finds that it's time for her to learn to confront fears and take charge of her life—alone... as a woman... alone... in the lipstick jungle... alone... without a diamond ring on her finger. Did I mention, alone? So what does our heroine do? She learns how to ride a bike. For Amy, bike riding (a pat metaphor for balance) is a major phobia, having never learned as an urban-bred child. The realization here is that Amy is still able to enjoy life without being married because she conquered one big fear.

Less a journey through profound grief (which would have been a richer story), The Late Bloomer's Revolution anchors itself with a fear of spinsterhood, insidiously fostering this fear. Entertaining and well-written, yes. Will you like plucky Amy? Definitely! Will you forget this novel-memoir as soon as you put it down? Unfortunately, I think so.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, October 15th 2008

The Marvelous Wonderettes (9/13/2008)

admin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:44:00 +0000

Westside Theatre

New York, New York

When The Marvelous Wonderettes, a crinolined quartet of powerhouse girl singers, line up friskily behind their mics and belt out the opener, “Mr. Sandman,” with such flawless harmony and contagious glee, you instantly know you’ve been transported to pop musical heaven. Suddenly ‘50s nostalgia feels fresh and fun again.

The recently opened Off-Broadway show is set in 1958 at the Springfield High Senior Prom, and then later fast-forwards to the 1968 reunion. The girls go from satin and sequins to go-go boots and big hair, bickering and singing their hearts out all along the way. Of the group, Cindy Lou is the boyfriend stealing alpha girl; Missy wears mousy cat’s eye glasses and plays the clown to cover her insecurity; Betty Jean is the practical, peace-keeping one; and Suzy is the blonde eye candy with a purring, pouty baby voice.

There’s a part in the show where each Wonderette steps out and takes the stage to deliver a solo designed to move the plot along; it is at this point that each girly-girl morphs into a full-throated hear-me-roar female—the sheer power of their individual vocal ranges raise goose bumps of awe. After Missy (Farah Alvin), I thought: “Whoa! Wow! She’s the best in the quartet.” Then Betty Jean (Beth Malone) took the stage and all bebop bets were off. After Cindy Lou (Victoria Matlock) and Bets Malone (Suzy) delivered their solos, I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite.

Written and directed by Roger Bean (Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, Honky Tonk Laundry), the show came to New York City after a record-breaking 19-month run at Los Angeles’ El Portal Theatre. This frothy romp of a show is the sort of experience that will have people returning to see it a second, if not a third time. It’s infectious fun, and expertly choreographed. Songs include “It’s in His Kiss,” “Leader of the Pack,” “Mr. Lee,” “Respect,” “Lollipop,” and “All I Have to Do is Dream.”

Warning to cute, clean-cut guys attending the show: if you don’t want to be picked out of the audience to play “Mr. Lee” for a few minutes, don’t sit too close to the stage. However, the guy they dragged up there during the performance I attended, though red-faced, was a really good sport as The Marvelous Wonderettes had him laughing and relaxed in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.

Photo credit: Michael Lamont

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, September 17th 2008

Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:29:00 +0000

By Alice Medrich

Artisan

Tart is no longer a four letter word, thanks to bakery chef extraordinaire (and three-time cookbook award winner) Alice Medrich. The most amazing thing about her sublime dessert concoctions is that she has whipped up her pastries using fresh, organic ingredients combined in stunningly elegant and inventive ways. Eschewing the usual lifespan-threatening sugary glazes, frostings, and fillings, Pure Dessert offers sweets created with whole grains, exotic herbs and spices, and a delightful array of handmade cheeses. And she doesn’t stop with just a selection of tangy tarts. This cookbook offers 150 revolutionary recipes, including cookies, cakes, tortes, ice creams, sorbets, soufflés, puddings, and even flan.

The element of surprise is keen. I’ve never seen dessert photographs that looked so simultaneously decadent and refreshingly clean. Tearing my hungry gaze from the gorgeous visuals, I read ingredients such as: saffron, cardamom pods, dark rum, cocoa beans, kefir cheese, buckwheat, fine sea salt, jasmine tea, tahini, and black sesame. (Don’t worry, kids, there’s chocolate involved and it’s good for you, too!) Using these and more ingredients, plus a selection of unsprayed organic fruits, Medrich serves up delights such as flan with a raw sugar sauce, buckwheat strawberry shortcake, ricotta and lace cookies, Guinness ice cream, chestnut-walnut meringues and raspberry-chocolate chunk muffins.

An enchanting cookbook, Pure Dessert shares with us Medrich’s tinkering with flavors and textures like a scientist in her lab. Some of the questions she muses upon as she mixes: “Does cold cream or hot cream do a better job coaxing out the flavor of mint leaves or rose petals? Why is it that dusting a warm brownie with spices gives it an enticing aromatic nose, whereas putting the spice in the batter blurs the chocolate flavor?”

Best of all, Medrich’s recipes are all easy to follow, fanciful yet pure, and deliciously healthy with a commitment to quality ingredients. Pass the dessert tray, please!

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, June 20th 2008

Saving the Modern Soul: Therapy, Emotions, and the Culture of Self-Help

admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:45:00 +0000

By Eva Illouz

University of California Press

From Freud’s creation of psychoanalysis for curing psychopathology by means of talk therapy, to spilling one’s guts on Oprah’s couch or skyping into her soul series webcast, we all just really want to know (dammit!): who am I and why am I here? Saving the Modern Soul examines the language and practice of psychology, essentially, from an American cultural perspective. The author, Eva Illouz, a Professor of Sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, provides a feast of ideas concerning therapeutic values as she tackles the myriad contemporary methods we employ to figure ourselves out, feel better, and find higher meaning.

The demand is huge, considering an ever-surging market of self help books, workshops, advice columns, motivational experts, family life coaches, misery memoirs, corporate programs, and righteous gurus galore. Illouz even discusses our voyeuristic fascination with Tony Soprano’s sessions with Dr. Melfi and the ensuing lessons on narcissism and borderline personality issues. Illouz sharpens her focus on our collective American obsession with navel-gazing to posit that we may too actively romanticize our angst, and this actually serves to complicate our lives with an unbalanced and devotional focus on our pain.

Eva Illouz is a great scholar, and her book has been hailed by many as an important contribution to the field of therapeutic discourse. It is, of course, an inescapable fact that our self-help culture has transformed contemporary emotional life. Reading her book and trying to absorb it all at once is overwhelming The great gusto with which Americans are consuming therapy, pop psychology, new age theories, and every new book that comes down the pike to reveal the “secrets” of the soul is mind-boggling — if not a little bit cringe-inducing.

So I decide to get up and go take a look at my own library to see what a psychology book junky I have personally become. I see books on cult dynamics, narcissism, and sociopaths (the dark side is so scary, so intriguing!), past lives, grieving the loss of a pet, the I Ching, positive thinking, the workings of the creative mind, feelings and how they happen... even, OMG, I see I have The Secret! It’s nestled between Ship of Fools and Conversations of Goethe!

I am pretty much over hearing one more wrenching rehab tale of woe, especially coming from a celebrity, but delving into the twists and turns of what makes humans tick is ever fascinating. It’s like going on a fabulous archeological dig. The great inner journey. Illouz is fascinated, too, and that’s why her books on various facets of the subject keep coming (this is her fifth book).

All in all, I loved the subject matter, but, technically, I found the author’s prose tough-going. Her style is such a series of circuitous sentences jammed with densely clinical words that I frequently needed to take off my glasses and blink my eyes back to clear vision. The other issue I had was point of view. The majority of people seeking help, I believe, are not glamorizing their pain. The pain is real and begs for relief. Any other curiosity one has about the world of psychology - even if it is not one’s own particular problem - what’s so wrong with a little healthy intellectual curiosity? Hmmm?

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, June 16th 2008

Brainscan 21: Irreconcilable Differences

admin — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:59:00 +0000

By Alex Wrekk

In her riveting zine, Alex Wrekk writes in raw and powerful detail about her marriage to a man named J who dominates the relationship and systematically chips away at her self-esteem until she feels like a big zero, like she's the one who is crazy. (Projection and gaslighting are tactics of choice used by the cowardly abusers, but victims don’t usually "get it" until they are in way over their head.)

I believe no one can fully understand what a Herculean task escaping and recovering from abuse is unless they have traversed a twisted relationship personally. And emotional abuse is particularly insidious because of its lack of visibility. There are no black eyes and no scars to tell the tale. The scars are psychic and horrifically alienating—unless the victim talks to a good therapist and reads about this type of abuse pattern.

When I received this zine to review, I figured I’d read a few pages before going to sleep, but I couldn’t stop until I finished the whole story. This woman went above and beyond the call of duty and obligation to her marriage vows in trying to work things out, but, as with these cases, emotional abusers don’t really change. She finally gives up and sets out to save herself, and I wanted to shout “Yay!”

It’s a great story, very well paced, and Alex gets extra special reader points from me because of her guts in putting it out there. I also believe that as a writer, Alex benefits from her experience. In the process of excavating herself from the ruins, she wins the prize of a deeper, wiser soul.

Written by: Cheryl Reeves, August 11th 2007