Tag: Book Critic

Books, Fiction

Complexities of Being an Artist in We Play Ourselves

RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 326
Overall Feels Solid
Gay Vibes 10/10
Drink Pairing Cheap Vodka and Sprite with a Pineapple Slice
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Writing about the inner life of a writer is a difficult feat.

Writing about the inner life of a writer who’s making questionable—sometimes just bad—decisions while she’s in the midst of a scandal and manages to get caught up in the chaos of other artists’ lives is exactly what Jen Silverman does in We Play Ourselves.

Cass leaves her beloved New York in disgrace for Los Angeles after an incident with another playwright. Staying with friends, her neighbor is a talentedly eccentric film maker, following a group of teenage girls to document their reimagination of Fight Club. Along the way, Cass runs into her NYC nemesis on her meandering and often dead-ended path towards happiness and success as a queer woman in her thirties. 

Silverman creates a fully formed human in the character of Cass. She is simultaneously unlikeable, relatable, and completely captivating. An artist at heart, she reacts [poorly] to criticism. And don’t we all, at times. History is full of disgruntled artists retaliating. What unfolds is Cass’s interactions with a diverse cast of characters with hearts of artists and critics. Each one is human in surprising and predictable ways. There is a complexity and fullness to even the minorest of players. Life is full of chaos, humor, and big feelings. Silverman tackles that throughout the novel without ever looking away from the [dark] comedy of searching for meaning and motivation: “Unrelated to sex. Ambition is all desire, all the time. So is success. I’d take success over sex.” Even in the smallest observations, there is an approachableness. Everyone, on some level, can understand the pull of sex and success as well as their fleeting nature. Silverman’s humor is in their affecting and realistic take on everything. Because as humans, we understand what they’re saying even if the thought hasn’t occurred to us personally. It’s ridiculously easy to empathize with the choice of success over sex because one has a tendency to last longer with a bigger dopamine hit. 

The writing really is superb. Not only is the narrative searing, funny, and insightful, Silverman organizes their novel to keep their readers thumbing the pages. The question: “What happened?” is never far from mind. Silverman gives just enough without giving much at all. In a mastery of making us care about Cass while she makes a plethora of poor choices, there is still a looming knowledge of finding out an even bigger poor choice. We Play Ourselves is smoke and mirrors before you even start reading. The back cover will lead you to believe you’re embarking on a story going in one direction, but that’s not the leading plot but a compelling subplot. 

Throughout, Silverman is constantly making poignant observations on the human condition and the gray area people live in. Each of the characters in We Play Ourselves is ultimately doing their best for the greater good, yet the greater good is all dependent on their perspective. It is both the normalization and vilification of emotional manipulation for perceived positive change. Thematically, the novel [and life] can best be summed up, “Because doing your best isn’t necessarily an excuse for doing damage. | Sometimes you do an awful lot of damage. | And that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.” Do your best, but, sometimes, it’s just not good enough. I get it, Silverman. I’ve been saying the same for forever. You just said it better and more entertainingly than I ever have.

As a queer, thirty-something writer, Cass feels like a more successful and publicly disastrous version of my internal self. The absolute most resonating and insightful moment in the entire book for me is taken from an observation made during a conversation between Cass and her father: “Sixty-five, and he hadn’t even finished leading all the lives he was going to lead.” I love it. It is hope that something different if not better lies ahead. Who we were doesn’t have to be who we are or who we will become.

We Play Ourselves is an exploration of failing, striving, and the diversity one life can be.

Jen Silverman is an exceptional storyteller.  

Memorable Quotes
“I watched my parents give up on understanding. But lack of understanding is not a lack of love. Not always.”
“”And it’s not not you. But it’s a version. And the more time passes, the more people only know the version. And the more time you spend as the version. And then it’s like: Well, which one is the version and which one is real?””
“Joy is a tricky proposition. I would rather invest in granite countertops.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: We Play Ourselves
Author: Jen Silverman
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2021
ISBN: 9780399591549

Books, NonFiction

Humanity of Horses in Sarah Maslin Nir’s Horse Crazy

RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 304
Quick Review An exploration of the constant search for love, meaning, and belonging so many people find in animals, but this is a tale of finding stories and horses in the most unusual places. 

Just a good day.
Horse kisses are almost as good as my dogs’ kisses.

I’m a wanna-be horse girl. I have loved horses forever but grew up around cows. In college, I dated a man who’s mom has horses. Her farm is still one of my favorite places in the world. 80% because of the horses. They make me happy, but then again, all animals do. Reading Horse Crazy was like diving into a completely different yet oh so similar life’s journey. I think animal people, in the way Sarah Maslin Nir is, will find pieces of themselves tucked away within these pages.

Nir writes a fascinating and engaging memoir. She grew up in New York City with the kind of privilege that allowed her to be a true horse girl, which would have provided the backdrop for an already interesting memoir. Growing up Jewish on the Upper East Side, she’s the daughter of a holocaust survivor father and a workaholic mother. She was an outsider in New York City because of her love for horses. She was an outsider within the equestrian community as a city girl. Even within her family, she was often left alone. Though she has three half brothers, they’re two decades older and barely claimed her as family. She sought out community and belonging but found horses to be the only beings to truly understand and accept her.   

There is so much cool stuff in Horse Crazy. I legitimately learned a lot. Nir answers questions, I never even thought about. There are horses in New York City… Where do they live? Not only does she answer that question, she dives into the history of Black cowboys in the United States, brutalities of horse training, the rampant neglect and abuse that’s part of the horse life, and so many other things. 

There’s such a humanness to Nir’s persistent struggle with feeling worthy within her family and the world. She found validation through horses. Even when people tore her down and made her feel less than while training, horses were always there for her. I get that. More days than not, I only find validation from my dogs. Animals, whether they be horses or dogs or cats or a pet tarantula, are so many people’s joy and unconditional love and even lifeline to continued existence. 

Honestly, this is my happy place.

Horse Crazy is well written, funny, relatable, and filled with amazing moments of humanity. I’d read it again. 

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Horse Crazy; The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal
Author: Sarah Maslin Nir
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2020 
ISBN: 9781982145484

Books, Fiction

Claustrophobic and Voyeuristic Nature of High Society in Gervais Hagerty’s In Polite Company

RaeAnna

Stars ⭐⭐⭐
Length 368
Quick Review Honestly, I was hoping Simons Smythe, the main character and Charleston elite’s sweetheart, was gay. Spoiler: She’s not. There were signs; I would know! But alas. 

Gervais Hagerty brings the reader into the upper echelons of historic Charleston society through the eyes of a former debutante and daughter of the prominent Smythe family in her debut novel In Polite Company. Simons is a young woman who loves to surf, go crabbing, and knock back drinks at the local bars. She questions her engagement to the golden boy of Charleston’s elite, her stagnating career as a TV producer, and her secretive, Southern grandmother Laudie. In the midst of her younger sister’s debut, her older sister’s second pregnancy, an ailing grandmother, planning a wedding, and society balls, Simons has to figure out what the hell she really wants. 

In Polite Company is good. It’s not great. I read it on a beach vacation, and that’s exactly where it should be read. Falling short of a searing look at the glamor enclosed behind the doors of Charleston high society, it does capture a watered down essence of what it feels like to be trapped in a life that feels less chosen and more predestined. It all starts with a seemingly innocuous idea, “It was on that ride that I first considered our end might come before our hearts stopped.” So often these thoughts start as nothing more than a musing, but the ultimate question Simons, and most everyone facing them, must answer: Do people in happy relationships ever have these thoughts? The ability society, both men and women, has of telling young women what they want is baffling. Hagerty has no problem depicting this clearly throughout, but when Simon’s fiancé says, “Of course I want you to be happy. But you don’t know what happy is, Simons. Happiness comes from stability.” I wanted to pull out my own hair for this fictional character. Because Simons may be fictional, but so many women, including myself, have heard this refrain time and time again. It’s infuriating, and I’m glad Hagerty didn’t shy away from it. 

No one will ever accuse me of being appropriate for polite company.

One of the things Hagerty gets right, though minimally because it could be its own novel, is the hypocrisy and ignorance the elite—particularly Southern—has as to how they got where they are. On the backs of slaves. In Battery Hall, a Charleston club for men, the restrooms feature art depicting pre-Civil War plantation life in “seemingly idyllic scenes,” which is “a visual denial that their babies weren’t oftentimes snatched away and sold to other owners, never to see their mothers again.” I would have had a much harder time reading this book if it did not call into question this obvious disparity in the culture as well as the ability of the privileged to whitewash history, forget, rewrite, and ignore the repercussions on today’s society.

For what it is, this is a solid book. I think it could have been longer, giving Hagerty the time to really dive into the hypocrisy, ignorance, and elitism of high society, and the toll it takes on a woman when she chooses to step away. There were a lot of areas in the novel that Hagerty wraps up difficulties with a bow, which really undercuts just how important and interesting this topic is. It resonated with me because I have stepped away from polite company on more than one occasion, and it’s not so clean. It’s not so easy. Hagerty left out the grit.

In her debut novel, Hagerty creates a moving and captivating piece about the limitations placed on women to stay the course and not make waves. In Polite Company is all the things one could hope for in a book about existing in the claustrophobic and voyeuristic society of the rich and powerful.

Memorable Quotes
“It’s what we’ve been bred to do: hide our disagreements beneath the smiles.”
“One random person, at some random time, can make the day better.”

bisous un обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: In Polite Company
Author: Gervais Hagerty
Publisher: WilliamMorrow
Copyright: 2021
ISBN: 9780063068865

Books, Fiction

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn Explores Specific Yet Universal Themes

RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 304
Quick Review Shónẹ́yìn tackles universal themes by exploring the interior lives of four Nigerian women through the secrets they keep in a conservative, polygamist family.

Enjoying the sun with The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. || Dress || Jewelry

Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn creates a horrifying family dynamic in The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, which seizes and disgusts the reader in equal parts. Reading it is akin to watching an imminent trainwreck but in a fun way. Baba Segi, the patriarch, brings home Bolanle, educated wife number four, who shifts the family dynamic so drastically that she unintentionally reveals a well-guarded family secret. 

Shónẹ́yìn is able to explore universal tropes and themes with grace and humor while grounding the plot and characters in a highly specific setting of a Nigerian polygamist family. Though I cannot relate to the setting having never been to Nigeria, in a polygamist marriage, or being a Nigerian woman, I can so clearly relate to the experiences and struggles of the characters. Shónẹ́yìn is adept at creating ubiquity in a situation that does not overtly read as relatable.     

Baba Segi does not care about the family dynamic or his wives as long as things carry on peacefully in his presence. A flatulent and hefty man, he is completely oblivious to his wives’ lives and relationships in the living room and in the bedroom. He prefers to be catered to like the savior he sees himself to be. Yet everything he has so carelessly thrown together crumbles when wife number four cannot produce a child with her broken womb no matter how vehemently he thrusts. 

Society often perpetuates the importance placed on women as glorified human incubators, and Shónẹ́yìn allows this theme to blatantly sing through each page. Yet it cannot be any more obvious than in the small moments of the book. Baba Segi’s wives are only allowed to sit in a comfortable chair in the living room once they become mothers; if they do not produce children, they are relegated to a stool or the floor. These small details reinforce the world these women live in. Their humanity is intrinsically tied to their children, so they keep secrets to survive.

Sexual politics are omnipresent within the family as each wife grapples for attention and power. With distinct stories and secrets, the wives are drawn to the refuge of Baba Segi’s home. Bolanle stands apart as the childless, educated wife. Some are cruel, some are kind, they have all seen struggle, and Shónẹ́yìn humanizes their cruelty. The depictions ultimately lead to a representation of how vicious and cyclical the patriarchy’s determination is to confine and silence strong and resilient women, as they all are in their own unique ways. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives elegantly sums up the reality for so many living, breathing women, “The choices we have to make in this world are hard and bitter. Sometimes we have no choices at all.” Women are often forced to survive by working within the constraints of choices other people make, and these wives are no different. Their actions and cruelties are a means of self preservation and survival. 

Rape is one of those awful yet universal themes. It happens. A lot. Rape, assault, and sexual violence has been an eternal part of the female narrative (though it does not solely affect women); Shónẹ́yìn tackles it without hesitation. From the act to consequences, rape is as much a character of the novel as the wives. One of the most poignant moments, for me, is when Bolanle opens up to her mother and is met with, “”You couldn’t have been raped. No daughter of mine could have been raped. That is not the way I brought you up.”” instead of comfort or empathy. One of the more difficult passages to read, it embodies the fear and reality so many rape survivors endure when telling their truth. 

A poet with three published collections before, Shónẹ́yìn’s debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives is a revealing read that balances literary fiction with popular success. I highly suggest it to anyone looking for something riveting, moving, and still meaningful.

Memorable Quotes
“You see,  when the world owes you as much as it owes me, you need a base from which you can call in your debts.”
“I reasoned that if I strengthened my thigh muscles, it would make it difficult for anyone to force my legs apart like they did in my dreams.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
Author: Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn
Publisher: WilliamMorrow
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 9780063072329

Books, NonFiction

Scottish Tartan and Highland Dress by Fiona MacDonald

RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 192
Quick Review Tartan is inextricably linked with Scotland in the minds and hearts of people around the world, but it has a long and not always Scottish story.

I went all out for the Renaissance Faire in Minnesota, but, of course, I brought along a book to match.

I’m a wee bit obsessed with Scotland. I was supposed to go on a month-long trip to explore the cities and countryside in November 2020, but alas a pandemic had other ideas. Until I can make my way across the pond, I’ll be reading and researching all the amazing things Scotland has to offer. In August, I went to the Renaissance Faire with my person and his family. The weekend: Scottish Highlands. I don’t have the money to go all in on the highland theme, but I did buy a tartan shawl and this book, Scottish Tartan and Highland Dress; A Peculiar History by Fiona Macdonald.

History and fashion collide in this teeny book on an iconic cultural and national symbol, which happens to be a fabric with roots going back more than three millennia. I’m such a fan of fun facts, and Macdonald really finds a ton of facts and interesting anecdotes about tartan, reaching all the way back to the oldest known tartan found in Tarim Basin (Northwest China) from 1200 BC. 

It would be impossible to talk about tartan without discussing the fundamentals of weaving and/or Scottish history. Macdonald leaves no stone untraced as she broaches subjects ranging from feminist takes, appropriation, erasure, and so much more. Often she doesn’t adequately explain the topics to do them enough justice in the mention, but I like that she tries. The book creates a comprehensive look at tartan and the role it has played in Scottish history, culture, and fashion. Though the writing itself is quite rudimentary, Macdonald utilizes primary and secondary sources to weave the story and includes gaelic words with their meanings for authenticity. There was a real focus on men’s fashion, probably because kilts have an allure, but I think female’s fashion was largely neglected.

This is really a mixed review because the writing is lacking, but the amount of research and information included is quite comprehensive. From lists of tartans commissioned—including Burberry, Lady Boys of Bangkok, Yukon, Hello Kitty, Braveheart (the film), and so, so many more—to stories about royalty decorating castles in tartan to what’s under the kilt to more. Scottish Tartan and Highland Dress is a wonderful place to start for a basic overview, but if you’re wanting something detailed, I would look elsewhere. 

Memorable Quotes
“More than ever before, tartan had become a symbol.”

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bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Title: Scottish Tartan and Highland Dress; A Very Peculiar History
Author: Fiona Macdonald
Publisher: Book House
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 9781908759894

Books, NonFiction

Confronting Death in It’s Your Funeral by Kathy Benjamin

RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 182
Quick Review Death comes to us all, but we can prepare for it. Kathy Benjamin helps people understand death, funerals, and how to prepare with a sense of humor and creativity while honoring traditions in this lovely little book. 

I figured a cemetery would be the most appropriate location for these pictures… Or a morgue, but they said no. Weird.

I am pro talking about death. I always have been. It might be the realist in me; it might be the fact I’ve seen the downsides of not talking about death; it might be my dark sense of humor; it might be that I love making people uncomfortable; it might be all the near death experiences I’ve had; it might be that I’m chronically ill. It’s probably all of those things combined. When I saw that Quirk was publishing this, I hopped on the chance to read it. I support transparency and talking about hard things. Death is one of those unavoidable things in life, and it makes people so squirmy. Kathy Benjamin takes on death and funerals in her funny yet profoundly informative It’s Your Funeral.

Going through the process of preparing for our very last hurrah in our honor, Benjamin talks about options, remains, funerals, wills, and more in three parts that encompassing knowing your options, planning the party, and ensuring your memory is what you want it to be as best as possible or Part I. It’s Your Body, Part II. It’s Your Funeral, and Part III. It’s Your Legacy. 

Death is scary, and Benjamin gets to the heart of one of the many reasons for fear: lack of control. Once we’re gone, we have no control of what happens to us, our life’s work, and how we’re remembered. By taking control of those things ourselves before we’re gone, we can have a semblance of control in the after, and Benjamin creates a comprehensive guide to tackling this feat. 

Filled with amazingly poignant and comical moments, Benjamin realistically talks about death. The ways to get rid of a body from the traditional to historical to cultural to unique with honesty and as little grossness as possible. Culture plays a big role in death and the traditions surrounding it, and It’s Your Funeral notes many traditions in other cultures and religions. Did you know that “In Bhutan, often rated the happiest nation in the world, it’s considered important to reflect on death five times a day.”

Funerals are the last hurrah. They can be fun, sad, celebratory, reminiscent, really anything at all, but “The theme for most funerals is basically just “grief.”” Lots of information is included on: what people traditionally are buried with and what they can bring with them; weird post-death doings by eccentric people; important things to think about; how to get creative; ideas; and more. A list of famous and interesting cemeteries are included in case you want some ideas or travel destinations. Serious to humorous quotes from real memorials, monuments, and epitaphs are listed for those who want ideas.

Honestly, a really funny book. If you couldn’t tell by the cover design. 10/10

Wills are important. Having witnessed this in my extended family, I can attest to the truth of “What does happen all the time is that people die without a will and all hell breaks loose.” It’s Your Funeral spells out exactly why and how to create a will. One of the most important things you can and should do for those you’ll leave behind. Please, if for no one else do it for me, create a will and a living will. I have both.

I love a good worksheet, and I’m assuming Benjamin does too, as there are many throughout this delightfully morbid book. To help process thoughts, emotions, wishes for your after life journey. These worksheets will help get your creative juices flowing, while you still can. They’re not all strictly serious, as in the “Haunting Game Plan” for those hoping to dawdlishly pass on.

I really enjoyed this one. Benjamin does an excellent job of balancing the information with humor; gravity with levity; tradition with creativity; American with global. For those wanting to broach the topic of planning what happens after for themselves or a loved one, It’s Your Funeral by Kathy Benjamin  is a really instructive place to start.

Memorable Quotes
“It’s almost more terrifying than dying: the thought that, one day, your whole life will likely be forgotten. Take a moment to gaze existentially out the window…”
“Sure, you’ll be dead, so it’s not your problem, but if you want to ensure things go smoothly after you die, write the freaking will.”

bisous un обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: It’s Your Funeral! Plan the Celebration of a Lifetime—Before It’s too Late
Author: Kathy Benjamin
Publisher: Quirk Books
Copyright: 2021
ISBN: 9781683692584