Close-And-Not-So-Close-To-Home Reads

The end of August and beginning of September was a busy time as I took my first vacation since starting my new job end of April.  As a result, I did not have a chance to post about the books I read during that time period.

Faces of America by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 2010
A series of biographies of well known Americans, Faces of America is a genological and anthropological study of Americans.  The book tells the story of Americans, the story of immigrants.

Given the politically contentious topic of immigration during these past few years, this book makes you reconsider what it means to be an immigrant considering that well-known, established Caucasian Americans such as Meryl Streep and uber-American Stephen Colbert come from immigrants.

The celebrities that Gates profiles represent a vast ethnic spectrum - Europeans, Jamaicans, Chinese, Syrian - and provides a thoughtful look at how immigrants have been perceived over the decades.

Gates' research for this book not only includes conducting extensive investigation throughout the world to research ancestor lines, but also sophisticated DNA testing.  A surprising finding is that despite which ethnic group people fall into or their ancestor's origins, the majority of DNA makeup is shared.  Yet, there is so conflict and racism over the small percentage of unshared DNA that does exist amongst people.

Close to Home
As a daughter of non-Caucasian immigrants, this book is particularly interesting since I'm constantly asked where I am from, and people are not referring to which State.  It reminds me of the Ken Tanaka's short about where people are from - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ.

A few years ago, Gates made headlines as the Harvard professor who was arrested for attempting to break into his own house in Cambridge, about a mile from where I live, after returning from China where he was researching Yo Yo Ma's ancestors.

The result was a "Beer Summit" at the White House where Gates and the arresting officer met with Obama. 

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling), 2013
I admit that I fell into the hype and picked up The Cuckoo's Calling after the big reveal of who the author really was.

I also picked it up since I would be vacationing in not-so-close-to-home England so I thought the novel would be a proper read for my travels.

The novel did have it's English-ism with the frequent drinking of tea and mention of kit bag, an overnight bag or a bag to bring a change of clothing for sports.

Similar to the Harry Potter series, The Cuckoo's Calling has well thought-out characters and carefully laid out events that tie together at the end to uncover the murder mystery.

While the ending is a bit unexpected, the novel was a bit too dense and clues a bit obscure to make it a truly compelling murder mystery like Gone Girl, which had me staying up late at night to find out what happened next and then flipping back through the pages to re-read the clues after having finished the book.

That said, mysteries are not a genre I gravitate towards, so they need to be especially gripping for me to really enjoy.

Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw, 2013

I really enjoyed Five Star Billionaire.  The five central characters come from different backgrounds but all end up in Shanghai to reinvent themselves.

Once the characters have reinvented themselves, they continue to struggle as their lives quickly become empty.

The only exception is Yanyan, the roommate of Phoebe, a former factory girl from the countryside.  She remains true to herself, and as a result, let's herself get swallowed up in the ruthless city.

The stories are intertwined and there are near misses where, ironically, characters would have realized their aspirations if only they were honest instead of trying to be someone else to achieve their dreams.

In a city that moves so quickly where people are judged for the wrong things, honesty is tough to maintain.

The other aspect of the book that I enjoyed is the Asian cultural references, where trendy 20-somethings have green tea muffins in the coffee shop and single women in their late 20s and 30s are called shengnu or "leftovers."

Not that I enjoy the disrespectful way the Chinese refer to single women, but just how Aw captures the essence of Shanghai.

Quote of Note:
"You must appreciate that time is always against you. It is never kind or encouraging.  It gnaws away invisibly at all good things.  Therefore, if you have any desire to accomplish anything, even the simplest task, do it swiftly and with great purpose, or time will drag it away from you."

- August 2013