The Hunger Games

Move over, Twilight trilogy!  The latest thing is The Hunger Games, a trilogy of novels written by Suzanne Collins.  The film adaptation of the first book in the trilogy was just released in movie theaters last weekend.  I didn’t see it during opening weekend because I wanted to read the book first.  My thoughts are below the cut, to spare anyone that might not want to be spoiled.

Eat, Pray, Love

Writer Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love", is a chronicle of the reassessment of life that she undertook after having been through a painful divorce, followed immediately by a painful breakup. With an advance on the novel that she was to write during her adventure -- the novel that was to become "Eat, Pray, Love" -- she financed a year-long "discovery trip" that took her through Italy, India, and Indonesia.

The memoir was a tremendous success for Gilbert; so much so that she was even prompted to write a sequel of the happenings in her life after the end of "Eat, Pray, Love". It is called "Committed", and it is a discussion of the difficulties presented when Gilbert (an American citizen) and her "significant other" (a Brazilian national) discover that in accordance with U.S. law, they must get married, in spite of the fact that both of them have misgivings when it comes to marriage, especially given their combined past experiences with it.

On 13 August 2010, the long-awaited film pseudo-adaptation of "Eat, Pray, Love" will be released in movie theatres, starring Juila Roberts -- her first film role in some years, if I recall correctly. Gilbert's story is pretty interesting, so if you are a fan of the book, this is a movie that you might not want to miss.

Visit my Amazon.com Associate Store to purchase the book versions of both "Committed" and "Eat, Pray, Love", as well as many other items previously mentioned on this blog!

Kathryn Stockett - "The Help"

Image from Wikipedia

"The Help" (2009) is the debut novel by Kathryn Stockett, set in Jackson, Mississippi during the early to mid 1960s.  It describes the situation of race relations in the South during this period in history, at the onset of the Civil Rights Movement.  According to the Wikipedia bio stub about Stockett, she was born in the 1950s and grew up in Jackson herself, raised by an African-American domestic worker more than her own mother.  This novel, therefore, has undoubtedly been based on many of Stockett's own experiences growing up.  It is an impressive debut for Stockett, garnering best-seller status as well as a great deal of acclaim.

During this time, as we all know, segregation was not only the norm, but the law in the South.  Violence against African-Americans was also commonplace.  Options/opportunities for education and employment were very slim, particularly for African-American women.  One of the few work opportunities open to them was that of a housekeeper/nanny in a white household, where they were often subject to the whims of their employers.  "The Help" deals with two African-American domestic workers in particular, and the way they come to befriend a white would-be writer who wishes to tell their story, and solve a few mysteries in the process.

The story starts somewhat slowly, and at first, the characters seem rather token:  The Mammy is represented by Aibileen, who becomes increasingly frustrated by her employer's neglect for her children.  The Stuck-Up White Southern Princess is represented by Hilly (who is the novel's main antagonist), as well as her minions in the white ladies' social club.  The Sassy Black Chick Who Takes No Bull From Nobody is represented by Minny, whose mouth is not well appreciated by the Stuck-Up White Southern Princesses, but you can't help loving (and laughing at) the things she says and does.  The Bleached Blonde Redneck, a.k.a. the Anna Nicole Smith-Type Southern White Chick, is represented by Celia Foote, whose efforts to fit in with the Stuck-Up Southern White Princesses of Jackson are constantly rebuffed.  The Remorseful White Person Who Wants To Change Things is represented by Skeeter Phelan, who grows increasingly disgusted with the actions of the Stuck-Up White Southern Princesses, and whose character seems as though it could be quite heavily based on the author herself.

However, about a third of the way into the novel, a lot of good action and tension starts to build, and I for one was not able to put it down.  One must not also forget the important events and implications surrounding the action of the story.  So it is definitely worth a read.  Buzz is that this book is also in the works to be made into a movie, so it'll probably be worth watching out for.

You can purchase "The Help", as well as many other items mentioned on this blog, at my Amazon.com Associate store!

The Sandwich Swap

Queen Rania al-Abdullah is the wife of Abdullah II, current king of Jordan.  Jordan has in recent years been the home of a tradition of royal women who are very progressive, politically savvy, and philanthropy-oriented (not to mention breathtakingly beautiful).  Along with Queen Rania, the American-born Queen Noor (the last wife of Abdullah's father, the late King Hussein) comes to mind.

I have a particular admiration for Her Majesty's work in advocating education and children's welfare -- having spent much of my working life working with children, this is something that I think Her Majesty and I have in common.  The Sandwich Swap is her latest endeavor in this regard.  I recently watched Her Majesty on Good Morning America talking about this book, and I knew right then and there that I had to go get it.  (My work with children has also left me with an interest in children's books, and a habit for collecting them.)  It teaches an important lesson about differences -- cultural and otherwise -- between people, and I would definitely recommend this book to parents of young children.

You can purchase this book, along with many other items, at my Amazon.com Associate Store!

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" - Khaled Hosseini

Image from Wikipedia

A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in 2007, the second book written by Afghan-born author (and physician, if you can believe that!) Khaled Hosseini.  As the cover illustration indicates, he is also the author of the best-seller The Kite Runner, which was published in 2003 and made into a film in 2007.  Since Splendid Suns' publication, it too has achieved bestseller status in countries all over the world, and there has been some buzz about turning it into a movie as well.  Whereas Kite Runner was the story about a friendship between two boys (and later men) in war-torn Afghanistan, Splendid Suns is a story about two women. 

Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man.  As a child, she was raised by her mother, and longed for a closer relationship with her father.  When her mother commits suicide, Mariam's father decides to rid himself of his responsibility to her by arranging a marriage.  Mariam's husband, a shoemaker named Rasheed, is surly and abusive to Mariam.

Laila is a woman much younger than Mariam.  When her parents are killed in a rocket blast, and she discovers that she is pregnant by the lover that she assumes is also dead, she too ends up marrying Rasheed, in order to conceal the illegitimacy of her unborn baby.  Rasheed ends up behaving very abusively towards Laila as well, and the two women begin to form a bond and an alliance as the Taliban claims power in Afghanistan.

You may be wondering why I would mention another story of this nature and rave about it, seeing as how I just recently wrote about about the film The Stoning of Soraya M. and claimed that it followed in the grand tradition of films which presented a negative portrayal of Islam?  Well ... the reason is because this is a story that, while there are scenes of war and violence and oppression, and it is a story that will make you cry (believe me -- I hardly ever cry at books or movies, and I cried at this one, so I guarantee that YOU WILL CRY TOO), it ends in a good place -- and it ends with hope.

You can purchase this book, as well as both the book and film versions of The Kite Runner, via my Amazon.com Associate Store, so check it out!