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What I've been reading: Books No. 13-14
Mar. 16th, 2018 03:24 pmBook No. 13 was "March: Book 3" written by John Lewis and and Andrew Aydin, illustrations by Nate Powell. This is the third and final installment in the "March" graphic nonfiction books. I really enjoyed learning more about the civil rights movement and some of the people and incidents that Lewis remembers that don't get as much attention. I have a ton of admiration for Fannie Lou Hamer, beaten almost to death by the cops for daring to register to vote, and want to read a biography of her now. I think the women of the civil rights movement ought to get talked about a lot more than they do. I also thought it was interesting to hear about Lewis and some other SNCC members taking a 2-month tour of Africa and the global perspective that gave them (and they just happened to run into Malcolm X while they were there!). The illustrations are really well done and carry a lot of what would be scene-setting and exposition in a regular nonfiction book. I really dig this series and understand why this final volume won multiple awards, including being the first graphic novel to win the National Book Award.
Book No. 14 was "The Vegetarian" by Han Kang. I saw the title on a bookstore shelf and was intrigued by it when I looked it up later. It was originally published in Korean as three novellas, and then combined into one slim novel. The book, often marketed as a horror novel, centers around a young, married Korean woman who suddenly decides to become a vegetarian after having a horrible, violent recurring dream. Her husband, her parents, and her sister all criticize her for this and try to strong-arm her into changing her mind, but the harder they push, the quieter and more stubborn she gets. The first section is really the one most likely to inspire people to label it with the horror genre. The second is more sensual and erotic. The language of the book is beautiful, even in translation, and people have repeatedly called it "dream-like" or "hallucinogenic" and it is. It's not preachy or heavy-handed in any way, but still themes about body autonomy, gender roles, and the male gaze come through quite clearly. I would recommend this both to horror aficionados and to people who like literary novels, because it hits the spot for both. Highly recommended.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
Book No. 14 was "The Vegetarian" by Han Kang. I saw the title on a bookstore shelf and was intrigued by it when I looked it up later. It was originally published in Korean as three novellas, and then combined into one slim novel. The book, often marketed as a horror novel, centers around a young, married Korean woman who suddenly decides to become a vegetarian after having a horrible, violent recurring dream. Her husband, her parents, and her sister all criticize her for this and try to strong-arm her into changing her mind, but the harder they push, the quieter and more stubborn she gets. The first section is really the one most likely to inspire people to label it with the horror genre. The second is more sensual and erotic. The language of the book is beautiful, even in translation, and people have repeatedly called it "dream-like" or "hallucinogenic" and it is. It's not preachy or heavy-handed in any way, but still themes about body autonomy, gender roles, and the male gaze come through quite clearly. I would recommend this both to horror aficionados and to people who like literary novels, because it hits the spot for both. Highly recommended.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
