This Is How You Lose Her by Juno Diaz

213 Pages

Hardcover

Fiction

2012

I read one of Diaz' other books called The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao a couple years ago and I really like it a lot. I had keep my eye open for his other books and I pick this up at a used book store. 

This isn't a novel. It is a collection of short stories. The book is supposedly fiction, but it comes off as extremely real. Much of the stories revolve around a man known a Yunior. Each chapter is devoted to the end of a relationship. Sometimes it is his own and other times it is people around him. It shouldn't be surprising that the book is a bit depressing as it goes forward. 

Junot Diaz' writing fits me well. He and I are of similar age and he uses language that I am used to. I feel like he is telling me a story while we are having a beer. Sometimes he is the asshole in the situation and deserves to get left. At other times our heart breaks with him. It seems as if much of the stories are meant to entertain and humor is a part of the story when we start to experience his brother's battle with cancer it is more somber.

The book is short, but it packs a punch with its subject. That said, I wasn't as into the book as I expected. Reading the story of people getting left repeatedly made it a bit difficult. The last story deals with how to deal with a break up when it was your fault. It was funny, but I found it hard to relate.

3 Intellectual/Emotional - Since is was a series of short stories it was harder to get attached to the characters. Though Yunior was a reoccurring character; I never cared all that much about him. The book does focus on love and how it can hurt. This emotion is the setting of the book.

4 Style/Readability - Diaz' writing is great. Regardless of the subject he makes things seem so real. I don't feel like it is fiction, but the real stories of his life.

2 Long Term Impact - Diaz has already won a Pulitzer Prize. He is going to be influential for some time. I think that this is going to be for his other work more than this though.

9 out of 13. I love his writing, but this subject didn't do it for me and that was the killer. I would suggest reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao then maybe looking at this is you are a big fan. Otherwise, you'll probably be happier with something else.

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The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

301 Pages
Trade Paperback
2002
Non-Fiction

I have already read two books by Gladwell, Blink and Outliers. I really enjoyed both of them. My wife has owned The Tipping Point for some time so I thought it was time to read that as well. The book focuses on epidemics, not only of disease, but of fashion, crime and more.

The Tipping Point starts with the idea of an epidemic that we are familiar with. Specifically, it studies AIDS, Syphilis and Gonorrhea. It demonstrates how these diseases at certain points were well contained or in the case of AIDS mostly non-lethal. What really drew my attention was the details of AIDS. Evidence shows that an early epidemic happened in a European hospital. This was caused by the common use of reusing syringes for inoculation. Surprisingly, from a modern view, it was determined that many people infected beat it and went on to live long lives. It wasn't until the 1980's that it mutated enough that it became the killer we now know it to be. It also studied the spread and determined that two men were instrumental in the spread of AIDS. Both of them had 100's of partners and a infected a significant percentage of those people. This in turn encouraged HIV to tip into the epidemic that we have come to know.

The book also delves into entertainment. It looks at Sesame Street and the details that made it what it has become. It follows the crime problems of New York in the 80's and how it was the small things that made the difference, not the big things. It also followed the rise of certain shoes and how they all started with a very small group of people that eventually influenced people across the country and the world.

I found it it entertaining and easy to read. The most appealing was the study of Sesame Street and the influence it had on later children's entertainment. That said, I found that the first 150 pages focused a lot on the same few situations and I found myself hoping for a bit more variety in the examples. His major point was there are three types of people, Mavens, Connectors and Salesmen. These people are what is needed to cause an epidemic.

4 Intellectual/Emotional - The book totally focuses on intellectual pursuits. This is the goal of the book and it succeeds.

3 Style/Readability -  Gladwell has a way of taking complex subjects and distilling them into easily digestible content. I never struggled with understanding his point, but I did get a bit bored with overuse of examples rather than using new ones.

3 - Long Term Impact - It is probably safe to say that The Tipping Point started a epidemic of sorts in the book world. Gladwell and many authors after him have wrote books that follow a similar form. The author takes a series of studies and ties them together with a theme. Then he or she presents them in a interesting, but not to complex, way.

10 out of 13. I did enjoy the book, but it was apparent that this was his first book. I felt his later works were better overall. That isn't to say it isn't worthwhile. In fact I think if you thought you would like this type of work I would suggest starting here. It only gets better as he progresses. Another book of the genre worth checking out is Freakenomics.

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

298 pages

Paperback

Autobiography

This is the second book that was read in my book club and I was unable to read it at the time, so I finally caught up to the rest of the group. When I was in college Maya Angelou came to speak at my school. I was moved by her speaking and always intended to read her book. Life got in the way and I never picked it up. How sad for me. 

The book tells the story of Maya's childhood. At a young age her brother Bailey and her are sent to live with their Grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The book brings alive the lives of southern black folks. I grew up in white bread MN and I think we had one black kid in our entire school. It is safe to say I had a different life than Maya. Her descriptions and use of metaphor continually made me experience the life of a young black girl in a way I didn't think possible. At one point she talks about how she didn't really think white people existed because none ever came to her part of town. When she finally met some she couldn't believe how you could see through their skin. Maya moves around to St. Louis, back to Stamps and eventually to Southern California. Each place has it's affect on her life and she bares it all for us to live without reservation.

 Though the book certainly deals with the hardships involved in growing up black in the south; to me it felt upbeat and demonstrated the power to overcome the troubles of her life. I thought it was fantastic and am disappointed that it took me this long to get to experience this story. 

4 - Intellectual/ Emotional - Getting a first hand experience of her life is unique and endearing. This is a rare look into a life much different from my own.

5 - Style/Readability - There is no doubt that Angelou is a Master of language. Her imagery is among the best I have read and evokes greats such a Steinbeck and Wilde. Though simple to digest I felt I was a part of the story.

4 - Long Term Impact - Maya Angelou has already made a permanent mark on Literate and Poetry. This being her most well known work will ensure that she will influence other writers for years to come.

13 out of 13. A very rare 13. A part of me almost feels like adding another point. This book is fantastic and a must read for any reader. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

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