I sometimes have trouble writing reviews of autobiographies. Especially when the author is still very much alive and active and online. I feel like I can’t be honest. I don’t have that problem with writing about Eddie Huang’s “Fresh Off the Boat” though because he seems like the kind of guy who appreciates honesty over careful wording. There were times when this book was incomprehensible to me. I’m not up on basketball or hip-hop so I was grateful for the footnotes that show up occasionally. […]
The Real World: Little House on the Prairie
I think I read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” books when I was a kid and I watched the TV show for at least a few years when it ran. While I enjoyed the novels and the TV show, I don’t remember re-reading or re-watching them, so I am what you might call a casual fan as opposed to a fanatic. Still, when I read last summer that the “true story” of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life — in her own words — was […]
Appropriately, I’m of two minds about this book…
…If it were fiction, it would read as cheesy and unrealistic. But because it’s autobiographical, it’s a fascinating, albeit difficult read. About twenty years ago, Cameron West had a job, a wife, and a young son. His life was relatively normal. But stresses built up and he began to doubt his reality. Some phone calls to family members led him to believe he had been molested as a child. As West sought to understand his past, he began displaying bizarre symptoms. West hit a stroke […]
Coming to America
“Yo, there’s this new comedian Eddie. My parents don’t like him because he swears a lot. But you should hear the shit he says! Racism, janky food, fucking white people, he takes ‘em on. He keeps it mad real. He’s funny as shit ’cause he’s been through some shit! And he’s about to BLOW. UP. He does stand-up, television- he’s everywhere!” “I heard of him. Eddie Murphy is the man!” “That dude who is Donkey from Shrek?! Naw, I’m talking about a real comedian. Eddie HUANG, man.” […]
Stealing: Things Like That Are Bound to Happen
I was delighted to receive this book as one of my Cannonball Read 6 book exchange gifts. This book was recommended by members an old book club many moons ago, and it’s been on my mind ever sense (I confess, I was enamored by the title.) Despite the long wait, and thusly raised expectations, I was utterly fascinated. John Charles Gilkey is the titular book thief, a man who dreams of opulence but comes from humble beginnings. To attain the object of his desires, rare books, […]
Well Worth the Paper It’s Written On
What happens when you decide not to pay off those Jimmy Choos you bought on your Chase credit card? Chase will attempt to recover the money owed; but maybe you lost your job, or have other bills to pay, or are in prison. Who knows? At some point, it becomes more profitable for Chase to sell your debt, rather than try to recoup the money themselves. One of the amazing things about this process is that the debt, YOUR debt, is sold as a line […]
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