Eight White Nights

Book: Eight White Nights

Author: Andre Aciman

Grade: A-

Aciman’s tale of a love affair in eight nights confused, yet delighted, me from beginning to end. Never in the history of man (or literature) have the words “I am Clara” been so unforgettable.

Eight White Nights is Aciman’s tale of falling in love with an enigma. Clara is certainly just that. While the idea of spending almost 500 pages exploring eight nights of one’s life might seem a little preposterous at first, Aciman does it with such dexterity and lyricism that the reader hardly notices the pages flying by. He transports us all back to a time in our lives when every second felt like an eternity and eight days felt like 500 pages.

The plot is solid and the characters are well drawn out. But, what catapults Eight White Nights from a so-so romance novel into literature with a capital “L” is the writing. Simply profound. Beautiful and breathtaking. What I hope for every time I open a new book. I truly believe that Andre Aciman could write 500 pages about a beetle and I’d be equally riveted. That said, I hope he continues to choose love as his subject of choice – because he does it masterfully.

While the length might initially scare you, the content is beyond worth it. This gets my vote completely. 

The End Of Everything

Book: The End of Everything

Author: Megan Abbott

Grade: C+

Lizzie and Evie are typical thirteen year old best friends. They share everything from swimsuits to secrets. They crush on the same boys and despise the same girls. They’re practically one person, divided into two bodies.

Then, Evie goes missing and a world of secrets come to light. Secrets Lizzie hadn’t a clue about. Thus, in a single day everything Lizzie Hood understood about the world – and her place in it – becomes incomprehensible. The hallways at school seem brand new. The gossip mills are churning and there’s no one left for her to process the juicy tidbits with. And, worst of all, everyone’s looking to her to solve the mystery of Evie’s disappearance.

For a book with such a ripe plotline, The End of Everything never quite gathers enough speed to live up to its potential. It tries to explore sexual abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, teenage angst and familial ills in less than a mere 200 pages. The result? Nothing is ever truly explored. The reader is served appetizers, but still grows hungry waiting for the main course to arrive. As for the ending? It just appears. Seemingly out of nowhere, and offering no consolation prize for our patience.

If you can stick it out, The End of Everything is interesting, but mildly confusing. If you can’t stick with it, I can’t tell you you’re missing out on much. 

Murdering The Mom: A Memoir

BOOK: Murdering The Mom: A Memoir

AUTHOR: Duff Brenna

GRADE: D

Duff Brenna’s dark memoir of growing up in a home so abusive that it defies comprehension is one of the strangest memoirs I’ve read in a while. Murdering The Mom tells the tragic tale of Brenna as he tries to will his way out from under the thumb of his mentally unstable mother and her variously abusive husbands. Along the way, Brenna gets caught up in the usual vices of kids in his situation: drugs, violence, booze and women. In fact, by the time he turns 14, he favorite activity is car theft and mass alcohol consumption.

The fact that he made it out alive and with enough working brain cells to write a memoir is nothing short of a miracle, but unfortunately the book is not. The writing is direct; and hard to take in. Brenna employs the stream of consciousness writing style – but the result is simply confusion. To be totally honest, I had trouble convincing myself to finish Murdering The Mom and would be hard pressed to recommend it. But I do commend Duff Brenna for the courage to write about his trying existence. 

A Life Lived Ridiculously

BOOK: A Life Lived Ridiculously

AUTHOR: Dr. Annabelle R. Charbit

GRADE: B+

What could possibly go wrong when an obsessive compulsive meets and falls head over heels in love with a sociopathic liar who may or may not actually be dying of cancer? Umm, everything! And it does in this hilariously honest memoir from Dr. Annabelle Charbit. The result is a story unlike any other out there – worth it till the end.

The opening scene sets the stage for some serious drama and the life of young Maxine does not disappoint. After living a life of daily misery at the hands of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Maxie has finally moved out on her own (although the lighting in the apartment simply will not cooperate) and is struggling to stay above water emotionally when she meets Sam. Not interested at first, Maxie eventually gets drawn into his web of charm and lies. The real story lies in Maxie finding her voice in the end. Can she overcome a life time of self hate and stand up for herself of will she fall victim to this eel? You’ll have to read to find out, but I promise the read is enjoyable from start to finish!

A Life Lived Ridiculously gets m

Carly's Voice

BOOK: Carly’s Voice

AUTHOR(s): Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann

GRADE: A-

If I had my way, Carly’s Voice would be required reading for all – particularly those touched by the enigma that is autism in any way. Carly’s Voice tells the awe-inspiring story of Carly Fleischmann and her family as they navigate their way through the world of her severe autism. Arthur Fleischmann does the reader – and the autistic community at large – a huge favor by refusing to sugar coat anything. We get to witness the destruction, unmanageability, tears and screams of the family first hand and without a censor. The result is a truly profound journey into the mind of this powerfully courageous young woman.

 Carly has severe autism. She cannot speak at all. Her ticks, tantrums, spasms and self stimulating behaviors leave the home in total chaos. Like most autistics, she will not make eye contact, shuns attempts at physical affections, and appears lost in her own world and completely unreachable. But, like most teens, she is boy crazy, coy, sarcastic at times and amazingly adept at deploying guilt traps as needed. This dichotomy is stunning. The young woman who seems so far away; so lost in her own world and a complete stranger to normalcy actually is totally on top on the ball. And, we get to witness this through her writings.

Through her writing, Carly invites us into her private world. She takes the time to explain her movements and tantrums. She explains, at length, many of the mysteries of autism – including what it feels like to suffer from it. How do Autistic’s see the world? Carly gives us a view. What she manages to convey – even with her delayed cognitive development – is nothing short of amazing. And vastly useful for parents, educators and the public at large.

Carly’s Voice changed the way I see the autistic world and I feel strongly she will have the same effect on you. Carly – you’re a brave young woman. Thank you for coming out of your world to educate ours. 

Burying The Typewriter

BOOK: Burying The Typewriter: A Memoir

AUTHOR: Carmen Bugan

GRADE: B

Carmen Bugan’s memoir of growing up with her political dissident father brings the suffering the Communist regime in Romania brought upon all. Not just those directly involved – but the families of those fighting for the rights of people. The suffering the Bugan family is profound and saddening – but not at all uncommon for that time period. What Bugan does best is dissect the incredible confusion resulting from the conflicting feelings for her father and the hardships he brought upon the family. On one hand, he’s her hero. But on the other, he’s the reason she has to leave everything she’s known to flee to another country and start all over. Her journey to making peace with her past, his past and their future is heartwarming – and wasn’t easy.

I would recommend Burying The Typewriter to all- especially those with an interest in politics and political revolutions. Bugan’s memoir is heartfelt and moving and the ending is well worth the 200 pages leading up to it for sure!