Summer reading

Summer reading is so much more enjoyable as an adult, isn't it? Here's what I've been reading:


My Losing Season by Pat Conroy
A fellow English teacher recommended this nonfiction work to me, and it isn't a book I'd normally pick up because at first glance, it's a story about college basketball. But it's not just a sports book, which is what I found out, so don't discount it too quickly. Prior to reading this book I knew of Pat Conroy in name only. What I discovered was that he was a self-proclaimed mediocre basketball player for the Citadel back in the 1960s, although his life and his game are anything but mediocre. It was at the Citadel that he realized his ability to write, recognized the damage his abusive father had done, and learned revolutionary lessons that clung to him into the present. While there is, admittedly, a lot of basketball in the book, basketball is really just an avenue for him to write, and the story--basketball details and all--is absolutely riveting. In fact, I'll share a few longer quotes from the book in a different post because they're just that good. The actual mechanics of his writing are tight and have a down home feeling, but the concepts communicated in conjunction with those mechanics are the mark of a true artist. I highly recommend taking a chance on this book. I'm looking forward to reading his novel, Lords of Discipline, next, which is a fictional account that mirrors more of his experience at the Citadel.

The Mine and the Well by Gin Phillips
Another gem of Southern literature! I read this for a summer book club and had never heard of Birmingham native Gin Phillips before. Bottom line: It's a must read. Like Conroy, Phillips' story as well as her language is beautiful and compelling. The novel begins with a mysterious woman tossing a baby into the family well, and the rest of the book explores the ramifications of that incident and builds suspense as you join the characters in trying to figure out who did it and, what we really want to know: why. The story is told by five narrators with unique perspectives--all members of the same Alabama family in the 30s--so the story never has a lull. The father is a coal miner (where the "mine" part of the title comes in) and it's beautiful the way Phillips expresses the mine and the well as symbols of both life and death simultaneously. At less than 300 pages and exploring ideas about poverty, racism, family, and small towns, the book is a quick read and one that will leave you wanting more of Gin Phillips' writing.

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher
No, that's not a typo in the title; it's the kind of title you see in adolescent literature, which is what this book is. I try to read at least one adolescent novel every summer and another fellow English teacher recommended this one, which I enjoyed. Compared to the other books I've read recently, this was definitely "brain candy"--much more plot and character driven with less focus on language. That being said, the story was well-crafted, interesting, and had me turning pages so fast I finished in days. The novel tells the story of a girl, Hannah Baker, who commits suicide and leaves tapes for 13 individuals who in some way contributed to her desire to end her life.  The narrator is one of those 13 people, and he was in love with Hannah, so it makes her reason for including him in the tapes even more mysterious. My only critique is that with 13 different people whose lives intersected, it was sometimes hard to remember who was who and I found myself having to look back at previous chapters. That being said, it was an easy book to read and tackled difficult issues like suicide, rape, and bullying without being remotely cheesy. The message, that you never know how your decisions affect the lives of those around you, is certainly one that's relevant to teenagers today. Because of the content, however, I'd recommend this book to older teenagers and adults only.

Next up:
The Red Tent by Anita Diamont
The World According to Garp by John Irving