December 2023 Books

The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger

I didn’t like this book. Nothing happened, Holden was annoying, and because of this and the fact that the whole book was written in Holden’s “voice” there was no let-up. But, I can see why this is put on school reading lists. It grapples with some important themes and often left me thinking about it after I had put it down. I bought a secondhand copy of this in New York as my souvenir of the city and the city did feature heavily in the book. 2 stars.

Ukraine Diary – Henri J. M. Nouwen

I read this with a group of ladies from our church. It did spark some deep discussion about our faith. It is a very quick read and there were many parts where I would have liked more detail which is why I rated it three stars. That may be unfair since it is not meant to be that kind of book, being the published entries for Henri’s diary so you wouldn’t expect the same kind of exploration as a normal book. (3 stars)

Lines of note:
Talking about the handicapped in Ukraine: “Are they even seen as human beings with a unique personality? Do they ever make a walk into town, go on a trip, meet people who want to welcome them into their homes? Do they ever feel truly loved?”p 68 – This sparked some good conversation around marginalised people and also pervasive loneliness.

“I realized that only by telling our stories can the countless impressions be sorted out” p 72. I was reminded again how writing out or talking out our thoughts, experiences, and feelings is crucial to coming to grips with them and wrangling them into some sort of sense. This sense-making step is crucial to us as human beings.

There was also a fair bit about the generational oppression of the people of Ukraine and how that comes through in communal characteristics. “In Ukraine, everyone is able to live, but few are living with joy.” p 75

The Romantic – William Boyd

I borrowed this book from my dad. It follows the life of Cashel Ross, the illegitimate son of a 19th-century landowner in Ireland. The author weaves in historical events and people. Ross is an impulsive person who travels the world, moving from one disaster to the next. He never really grows up and the story is a bit of a “boy’s own adventure” for adults which was irritating in the end. (3 stars)

Piranesi – Susanna Clarke

This was a strange story. I struggled to get into it, but because I’d heard such good things I kept going and in the end, it was worth it. Piranesi occupies a strange world, made of infinite halls occupied by statues, fish and birds. He doesn’t remember living anywhere else and spends his days attending to the necessities of life, studying the halls and their statues and recording what he learns in his journals. He also meets several times a week with “the Other.” Piranesi is good, in the truest sense of the word, innocent, trusting, with a curious, joyful attitude of wonder. Although he has no memory beyond a few years he is secure in his identity as “the Beloved Child of the House.” Once I got to the section in the book where his backstory began to be revealed I didn’t want to put it down. (3 stars)

Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World – Tyson Yunkaporta

Ignore the subtitle, it’s overblown but this is a worthwhile read for Westerners who want to learn more about Indigenous ways of living and thinking. I think it’s also an important read in the context of both closing the gap and gaining another perspective on, and approach to, the very complex problems that we all face. (4 stars)

Lines of note:

“English language … changes shape wherever it goes. I will be honouring this quality by taking her for a spin to see how she goes around some tight bends.” (Page 21) I had to highlight this as a wonderful turn of phrase.

“Understanding your own culture and the way it interacts with others, particularly the power dynamics of it, is far more appreciated” (Page 97) – rather than trying to become an expert in other cultures.

“Stories are also called yarns, but yarning as a verb is a different process altogether. The symbol represents the yarning process as well as narrative, because this is the process by which stories come together and begin to have meaning. Without yarning, stories are just something to put children to sleep. There has to be an exchange of stories if you want to be awake and grown.” (Page 130)

“I got my first ever personal mobile phone in 2016 and then watched my brain fall apart like damper in a pisspot over the next few months.” (Page 150) – LOL.

In relation to the way knowledge is produced on country: “Mumma Doris knew it as Respect, Connect, Reflect, Direct. She insisted on the order. She also identified that non-Aboriginal people seemed to work through the same steps but in reverse.” hence he failure of many intervention programs that always begin with the last step – direct.