World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Max Brooks
Published October 2007

No, I don't get it either.   What the heck is up with zombies?  But, as I strive to stay en vogue, I have another zombie themed book under my belt.


In the not so distant future, the world will be plagued with the scourge of the living dead (Thanks, China.).  Countries  mobilize their forces to defeat this new enemy.  This is the story of those who lived through the war in various functions/places as written by a man hired by the government to compile accounts of the event.  Because if there is anything my government loves, it's paperwork.

This was a fast read and entertaining, but it was definitely written for a male audience.  I feel that if I had an extra boost of testosterone, I would have liked it much better.  Brooks definitely has the new zombie genre down: the book isn't gory; it's more of a satire of the living. And let me tell you, that's scary/funny enough.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Dyed HeLa cells

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot
Edition Published February 2010


In an unmarked grave, lies Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have made monumental contributions to science, but not without controversy.

In 1951, a young black woman named Henrietta Lacks died from cervical cancer leaving five children behind.  Yet, cancer cells taken from her body (named HeLa cells) live on and have almost single-handedly revolutionized cellular science and the pharmaceutical industry.

While Skloot's book does cover the science aspects of HeLa cells, it is mainly a quest to get to know Henrietta Lacks and her other contributions to the world, namely her children. A memoir of Skloot's quest to delve deeper into the story, the book is unlike anything I have ever read before.  I opened it expecting one thing, and found myself confronted with a reality I never conceived.  For me, the book explored the mother-daughter bond and the heart wrenching tale of a black woman trying to feel connected to a mom she couldn't remember and yearned so desperately for.

Cells, once removed from the body become the property of the scientist/doctor conducting the research.  As such the Lacks Family has not benefited financially from the HeLa revolution.  And although Skloot's book will not improve the day to day lives of Henrietta's children: she has set up a fund to provide for the educational needs of the Lacks' children.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone ready to conquer reality, in all its splendor and squalor.

 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Oskar is convinced this is the last photograph of his father

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Jonathon Safran Foer
Edition Published November 2011

Oskar Schnell is a nine year old boy struggling to come to terms with his father's death on September 11. A thing no one should have to come to terms with.  Oskar is an unusually intelligent boy (with some other unusual quirks) who finds a mysterious key in his father's closet and becomes obsessed with finding the lock the key goes to and perhaps a bit of his father he lost.

The destruction of the World Trade Center is a personal and sensitive area for most Americans, including myself.  I was instantly drawn to Oskar's pain, but his personality quirks and the far fetched nature of his quest made it hard for me to completely lose myself in the book.  It certainly had its poignant points, especially the final images, but it lacks something that I could relate to.  But I am happy that Foer tackled the subject.  He opened the door and allowed us to see the pain through an innocent child. I just wish that child had been more relate-able.

Upheaval in Charleston

MUSC following the earthquake

Upheaval in Charleston: Earthquake and Murder on the Eve of Jim Crowe
Susan Millar Williams and Stephen G. Hoffius
Published June 1, 2011


In case you missed the memo, I love history.


On August 31, 1886, an earthquake struck Charleston, SC shaking a city still reeling from the Civil War off of its foundations.  Williams and Hoffius explore Charleston and its biggest egos as it struggles to rebuild itself and find its identity in post war America.  Looming over reconstruction is newspaper editor Francis Dawson, a South Carolina transplant that has become the embodiment of the "American Dream."   He started with nothing to become a wealthy man with amazing sway in a city where outsiders aren't often welcome.  Dawson's "liberal" views and political meddling run him afoul of the good ole boy network.  When Dawson is murdered, corruption reigns supreme as his murderer is acquitted.  Racial tensions run high as freed slaves struggle to establish themselves in a "white world."  The relief effort exposes the inequities between the races as well as a conservative view of welfare that is still prevalent in modern day South Carolina (and America in general).

Earthquake bolts

Didn't know about the Charleston quake?  Don't feel bad, neither did I, and I make it my business to know.  Seismic knowledge was in its infancy in 1886, so there isn't much known about the earthquake.  With an estimated magnitude of 7.3, the earthquake killed 60 people and caused millions of dollars of damage.  "Earthquake bolts" can still be seen in period buildings around modern day Charleston. 

As history books go, Upheaval was an easy and very interesting read (though it did take me longer than normal to get through).  Williams and Hoffius mesh multiple plot lines together seamlessly. As a historian, I feel too much credit was given to the accuracy of personal accounts of the earthquake.  I find it hard to believe that an amateur geologist could accurately time the duration and direction of an earthquake that jolted him from his slumber.  Still, that is my opinion.  It does not detract from the facts of the book on a whole. 

Look at the Birdie

Look at the Birdie
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Copyright 2009

 I was in my late teens when a boy gave me Cat's Cradle.  I never told Drew how much the book affected me.  I became a Vonnegut junkie.  I saw so much of myself in him.  Vonnegut was a sullen smart ass that the world loved (still waiting for my adoration).  I have read all of his books, have several signed books, and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is still one of my favorite books.  Despite my voracious appetite for all things Vonnegut, Look at the Birdie sat on my bookshelf for a long time.

Look at the Birdie is a compilation of fourteen of Kurt's unpublished short stories.   For the most part the stories reveal the chink in the armor of human nature.  They are tales of paranoia, pride, envy, and loss.   I think most of the stories must have been written while Vonnegut was in a dark place, they have a pessimistic quality.  I felt intrusive reading them.  Some of these stories were written a long time ago, there must have been a reason he didn't publish them.  Maybe they were just his idea of therapy, never meant to be read.  He spent tedious amounts of time editing his published works.  But the stories in Birdie are rough, lacking the tale tell Vonnegut humor (though others claim to see it).  None of the stories really stood on their own, but together they certainly provide a glimpse of raw Vonnegut. 

Because I relate to Vonnegut so well, I think his pessimism struck a chord with me.  Especially in its harshness.  I saw too much of my own negativity in his stories.  Now, I must work up the courage to read While Mortals Sleep.