Summer Classes Begin

54.
Title: [Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: for Superheroes and US Media
Date Completed: June 28, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Purchased to give me a background on my selected super"hero," Brubaker's collection provides vignettes of Catwoman in nine iterations. For each generation she is a different character, each fraught with a number of cultural and intellectual problems. She's as complicated as I hoped, and this book was a great introduction to the comics that create her. 

55.
Title: [Superman vs. Lex Luther]
Author: Various
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: .PDF
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: June 30, 2014
Rating:

Collection assembled by my professor to illustrate the different faces of Lex Luther through the years.

56.
Title: [The Death of Superman]
Author: Dan Jurgens
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2, 2014
Rating:


With all of my other reading and writing I don't think I'll be able to review all of these graphic novels.  It was interesting to read a whole Superman book for once, but I'll save my observations for class.

53.
Title: [My Friend Dahmer]
Author: Derf Backderf
Genre: Nonfiction/Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: June 26, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

Jeffrey Dahmer was once a child, and an awkward teenager. He once hiked through the woods around his house, and went to school.  There, he remained on the fringes of the adolescent teenage social hierarchy, where he gained a kind of acceptance by a few, thanks to his tendency to fake seizures and spasms, which his classmates found hilarious.  This acceptance did not mean the others saw him as a friend - just that they did not actively torment him, as others were wont to do. Backderf's assertion that Dahmer was once his "friend" is a very loose, and generally careless, assertion - he frequently relates how he would avoid socializing with the young man, even as he would at times seek out his diversions. But hindsight is much clearer than foresight, and it's likely that Backderf's present analysis that he "always knew" that something was wrong with Dahmer - that he could sense a kind of threat - is a reaction to the reality that he once sat next to a serial killer in class, snuck him into school pictures where he didn't belong, and called himself a member of the "Dahmer Fan Club."

The title aside, Backderf's well-drawn and well-paced graphic novel provides an interesting perspective to true crime studies. The text generates a level of sympathy for the reviled man, without begging for leniency or arguing that Dahmer has been misunderstood.  Instead, Backderf frequently and consistently recognizes his "friend's" crimes, and looks for roots of his later desires in an ugly and complicated childhood. Backderf asks specifically "where were the adults?" when Dahmer's strange behaviors (such as skinning roadkill and killing small animals) escalate, or his daily binge drinking on school grounds goes unchecked. There's a sense of anxiety in Backderf's history as he tries to alleviate a sense of guilt, which he then projects on to the missing authority figures in Dahmer's life.   

If the honesty of the book is at times drawn into question, the interest of the text remains, and My Friend Dahmer is successful in drawing a portrait of the young man who would become a famous serial killer. 

47.
Title: [Out]
Author: Natsuo Kirino
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 150
Reason Abandoned:  Lifeless characters, and a general sense of drudgery. 

48.
Title: [Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth]
Author: Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou
Genre: Graphic Nonfiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 151
Reason Abandoned: Greater responsibilities.  Logicomix, a graphic account of the life of Bertrand Russell and the "search for absolute truth," has great promise.  The art is well-suited to the subject, and the authors carefully balance reader expectations to provide significant information and necessary explanations, while respecting a general sense of intelligence.  This is of the sort of graphic text to which I gravitate, and I hope to return to it once my summer classes have completed.  But for now it must go back to the library. 

49.
Title: [Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End]
Author: Jennifer Worth
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 17, 2014
Rating: ***

This text marks the end of memoir and the beginning of fiction, as far as the PBS show is concerned.  What I appreciate most about this volume is the finality it provides - here, Worth not only tells of her patients, but of the future lives of the nuns, Trixie, Chummy, and the rest.  This kind of resolution is often unavailable for memoirs, and is all the more satisfactory for it.  If for nothing else, I'd recommend this book for just those ends. 

50.
Title: [Zine]
Author: Pagan Kennedy
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review
Date Completed: June 20, 2014
Rating: **

You had to be there, I think.  To a reader greatly removed from the culture which first inspires Pagan Kennedy's 'zine, and suffering from the blog over-saturation which can be attributed to this kind of self-publishing, the text seems shallow.  The reprint includes the original introduction, in which Kennedy cites a few years of "growing up" and growing away from her 'zine, which of course leads her to publish a response and a collection.  As an artifact, it is interesting - I've known of the phenomenon, but only ever witnessed the tail-end, so I did appreciate the opportunity to see the reproductions of one such self-publication.  The content, however, held no interest, and it became a great chore to wade through the original publications to get to her later responses and self evaluations.  Kennedy's memoir is interesting, but I'd far prefer her current reflections than her past work.

All of that being said, I think this would be a wonderful text for someone more invested in this particular cultural movement, the history of social texts, or the recent history of self-publishing.  

51.
Title: [The Dark is Rising]
Author: Susan Cooper
Genre: YA Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 100


52.
Title: [The Private Letters of Countess Erzsébet Báthory]
Author: Kimberly L. Craft
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 15, 2014
Rating: **

Craft herself, in her introduction, states that this collection of letters is intended to serve as a supplement to her text Infamous Lady.  For those, like myself, who have not read her book, Craft provides a brief synopsis, and then jumps into the translated letters of Countess Báthory. I purchased the book in the interest of gaining insight into a feared historical figure, but with no preconceived notions - I was not looking for a gory confession, but had an inkling that a sympathetic scholar may try to salvage her reputation in some way.  The body of material Craft has to work with is distressingly small, which is no fault to her - most of Countess Báthory's letters have been lost or destroyed, so the body of evidence is slim. 

Ultimately, though, this volume is less a text of Báthory's, and more a text of Craft's; the points of interpretations and analysis suffocate the letters, and casts shadows of doubt on the translations themselves.  The text does not well represent Báthory's voice, but rather uses the voice Craft has constructed for the historical figure.  Craft's presence in the text detracts from the interest, and ultimately the book fails to be truly a collection of private letters, and is instead another analysis of Countess Erzsébet Báthory. 

46.
Title: [I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced]
Author: Delphine Minoui
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 10, 2014
Rating:

As the title so clearly states, I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced tells the story of a young girl from Yemen who, on her own, seeks help from the legal system to free her from the early and abusive marriage arranged by her father.  Her actions inspire other young girls to seek the same help, and has helped the women's rights movement take a step forward in recognizing the dangers and damage of this "custom."

To review the book itself is difficult.  Admittedly illiterate, other than a few characters in Arabic and the ability to write her own name, Nujood's voice is not the voice of this memoir.  The story itself is practiced, and organized in a literary tradition that I highly doubt Nujood would recognize, and the narration is that of a literate adult (who, for example, pokes fun at the way Nujood says "bizza" instead of "pizza").  However, naming her as the author of her own story allows her further autonomy, and apparently the royalties have allowed Nujood and one sister to attend school.  And ultimately, the book is just that - an extended news expose that allows for royalties.  Provided that Nujood really is the one who benefits, I applaud the decision, and also the careful way the book serves to introduce the unfamiliar to a serious human rights concern. 

45.
Title: [Audition]
Author: Ryu Murakami
Genre: Pulp
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 8, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

Audition tells the tale of a widower who, seven years after the death of his wife, holds auditions for a new wife.  While the actresses lining up to audition for a film don't know that's Aoyama's intent, he and his friend Yoshikawa reason that this is the best way to find a woman who is accomplished, confident, and single.  Of course. And, of course, Aoyama falls mindlessly in love with a former ballet dancer who seems too good to be true.

I enjoyed Audition, but not for the thriller Murakami seemingly intends it to be - rather, I found it to be a highly amusing farce.  The author has absolutely no confidence in his reader, and treats the reader as if he is the same kind of idiot as his protagonist.  The blatancy of the plot hits the audience in the face from the very beginning, and continues through to page 167, when the true "horror" begins.  The final few pages are appropriately squirm-worthy, but the remainder of the novel is good for a laugh. 

44. 
Title: [Shadows of the Workhouse]
Author: Jennifer Worth
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 1, 2014
Rating: ****

Having read one Worth before, and as an avid fan of the television show, the stories found in Shadows of the Workhouse are neither new nor surprising, but remain deeply moving. The stories told here show greater depth and consideration than what I've read and seen before, and I appreciated the additional details, and a great sense of "Nurse Lee" as a person. I cried more than once reading this book. 

43.
Title: [Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane]
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 27, 2014
Rating: ****

The second in the Underland Chronicles series, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane follows the titular character when he returns to the Underland, believing his toddler sister Boots has been kidnapped by cockroaches.  As prophecy has dictated, Gregor finds himself again at the service of Regalia in their constant struggle with the gnawers, and sets out to hunt down and kill the Bane.  With stronger pacing than the first, The Prophecy of Bane is a more engaging read, and promises further growth.  The colleague who first recommended Collins' series suggested that one can find ghosts of her now-famous Hunger Games characters in this underground world, spotting strong similarities in character between Haymitch and Ripred and the like.  It's fun to see where some personalities first make their appearances, and I will probably always imagine Ripred drinking himself silly, and Haymitch with a tail.  

42.
Title: [Real World]
Author: Natsuo Kirino
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Completed: 65
Date Completed Abandoned: May 27, 2014
Rating: *

One morning a teenage girl hears a crash next door, and finds out later that the woman living there has been beaten to death; her son - called Worm - is suspected.  What follows is four girls' involvement with Worm in the aftermath of his crime.  I can appreciate gritty and noir, but I've had enough of dead mothers and self-centered angsty teenagers.  Every page was tortuous for its unrelenting self infatuation; I didn't even care to keep reading to find out why he did it (or if, in fact, he really did).  On to better things.

38.
Title: [Daytripper]
Author: Gabriel Ba
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 21, 2014
Rating: ****

The colleague who recommended this novel to me loves using Ba's text in class, but says that students often complain about it, saying it's too depressing.  In this case I'm inclined to agree with the students.  The protagonist of the episodic novel works as an obituary author, while working on his own attempt to write a "great novel," the likes of which his father has already achieved. At the conclusion of each episode, the protagonist dies, leaving curious and often sympathetic obituaries of his own.  On one level I hated the text: it is immensely depressing, and forces one to consider their own mortality in often uncomfortable ways. It asks the reader to think about their own final moments, and what they would leave behind if this is it.  The protagonist is, in many ways, an everyman, both preventing sympathy on the part of the reader and allowing him to project himself into these very real moments.

So, if I hated the book, why did I give it four stars? For its relentless and successful pursuit of raw emotion - even though I disliked the book it managed to make me feel at every turn. 

39.
Title: [Persepolis II]
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 21, 2014
Rating: ***

I've come to Persepolis II by a rather circuitous route: I read Persepolis I years ago, saw the film weeks ago, and I've now read the second installment.  What I found did not quite live up to my expectations. Ultimately, I preferred the text to the film, which significantly alters the tone of the text (notably withdrawing any sense of sympathy the narrator shows for her antagonists), but found the introspection less moving than the first book. 

40.
Title: [The Three Incestuous Sisters]
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Graphic Novel, of a different sort
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 22, 2014
Rating: ****

The Three Incestuous Sisters shows the history of three sisters who find themselves in a complicated conflict of love with a single man, with occasionally disastrous consequences.  Niffenegger manages to craft an elaborate and significant story with minimalist text and sophomoric yet alluring images reminiscent of Edward Gorey.  It is concise and enthralling, showing complex relationships in a single sentence and single illustration.  I found it disturbing and moving and captivating. 

41. 
Title: [A Death in the Family]
Author: Jim Starlin
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Borrowed from a true Batman fanatic
Date Completed: May 24, 2014
Rating: **

I am horrified: I am left searching for something significant to say about this text that means so much to a very dear friend.  But the reality is that I found the book lackluster; the development is nothing like what I've come to expect of graphic novels, and the continuous internal dialogue is utterly ridiculous.  The conflict seems to be a stream of Bruce Wayne saying to himself, "Lucky for me I have a compact helicopter in my back pocket," and otherwise fabricating ridiculous solutions to present conflict. As this is my first foray into comic books proper, I am willing to accept that this may be an aspect of the genre that readers accept, but as an outsider it was more than I was willing to swallow. 

I did find two things of particular interest.  I greatly enjoyed the portrayal of the Joker, who is far more malignant in text that I've found him to be in film (confirming that Ledger's most recent portrayal is closest to the canon, although even he isn't quite as sociopath as his drawn counterpart).  The character exists externally to all sense of right, wrong, and reason, and is compelling for his own absurdity.

Of similar interest, although critically, I found the visual representation of Robin to be of interest.  Supposedly a young man, he is almost grotesquely developed, with his Olympian legs drawing as much attention as the costume which bares them.  In a culture which is now warring against the unrealistic expectations placed on young women, I find it interesting that this similarly-exaggerated model of youthful masculinity is not also facing static (or, if it is, I just haven't yet been exposed).  Robin is a representative figure of physical "perfection," trained to obey the every command of an older (and more modestly clad) male role model.  I think there is much to be said here, but perhaps I am coming 50 years too late to this party - it has probably already been said. 

35.
Title: [Princesses Behaving Badly]
Author: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 16, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

This book is just what it appears to be: a collection of brief snippets from the lives of women who do not always behave as various societies expect.  As with most books of this type, the content is extremely limited, and offers little depth.  However, McRobbie's narrative voice and sense of humor is appealing, offering a contemporary perspective on the often ludicrous and occasionally outrageous treatment these women have faced. 

36.
Title: [Cress]
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Science Fiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 17, 2014
Rating: *****

After a lukewarm reading of Scarlet, which too greatly forces elements fairy tales into a bit of a slapdash story, I was wary of Cress. My hesitancy was completely unfounded, as the third book in the Lunar Chronicles is stellar (I couldn't avoid the pun).  Cress as a figure is sympathetic and interesting, and Meyers does well to weave her story into the narrative she has established over Cinder and Scarlet. Here, the allusions to the story of Rapunzel are well-integrated, flowing naturally into the whole as opposed to being forced by expectations. The further development of the previously-introduced characters is enthralling, with strong development and the promise of an exceptional crescendo.  I am won-over again, and cannot wait for the next (and perhaps final?) installment. 

37.
Title: [American Born Chinese]
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 19, 2014
Rating: ***

I picked up American Born Chinese on the recommendation of a colleague; unfortunately, I did not find it as appealing as he.  The novel offers several strong messages, and promotes interest through three separate story lines that converge in the end. The artwork is very well suited to the story, and the episodic nature of the organization will keep readers engaged. So why just three stars?  Personal taste - it just wasn't for me. 

34.
Title: [The Lost Boy]
Author: Greg Ruth
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 13, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

The artwork of Greg Ruth's The Lost Boy is breathtaking; the drawings are rich in texture and detail, with a strong sense of realism that allows for the supernatural to be thus more believable.  The story, however, is not what I needed it to be. Beginning the book was a bit like walking into a movie twenty minutes late: I could find the strings of the story enough to piece things together, but can't help feeling that I've missed something greatly significant. Major plot points are left unexplained in what I assume is meant to be a cliffhanger, but instead feels like incomplete writing. I wouldn't be surprised to find that The Lost Boy is the second story of a trilogy, such is the level of development.  Overall, it's worth a look, if only to lose yourself in Ruth's vision. 

Embroideries

33.
Title: [Embroideries]
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 12, 2014
Rating: ****

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi is an after-dinner conversation between women in a time and place that demands separate spheres, and therefore separate conversations. The product is blunt honesty, crude humor, and pure humanity. Other reviews have berated the subject for being shallow and have dismissed the frequently catty personalities, but I would argue that this is just what makes the text seem honest.  This is not the grandmother I would have expected from Persepolis, but rather an opium-addicted woman with a handful of former husbands, and stories to go with each one.  There are changing attitudes towards marriage and partnership, men, sex, and virginity.  The topic of conversation is not new, and not entirely enlightened, but it is honest and human, and strongly reflects a time and place when things are changing.  It made me smile and it made me cringe and it made me consider a life very different from the one I've had the pleasure of knowing.  An added bonus is the humor of the title, and all of its implications.