Exit West

Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid

I read this book as part of the Multnomah County Library "Everybody Reads" program, which culminated with a lecture by Mohsin Hamid at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

Hamid has written a beautiful, evocative tale of anxiety, immigration, asylum, the need for sanctuary, and love. Full of magical realism, the novel follows the path of two young people from an unnamed Muslim country. It's a heart-breaking journey, but also full of small miracles.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to better understand the immigrant experience.

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, by Sherman Alexie

I've put this review off long enough.

I listened to Alexie's memoir at the beginning of the year, and I cried all the way through it, along with him. The book is a beautiful, painful tribute to his mom and his incredibly complicated relationship with her. I couldn't wait to put it the very top of my "Top Reads of 2018" list.

He shared deep, difficult revelations about rape and sexual abuse throughout his family history, including his own abuse. Since his mother died, Alexie had been seeing signs of his mother wherever he went...in fact, he cancelled his book tour because it was so traumatic for him.

And then, before I had gotten around to writing my book review, the news broke. At least 10 women writers accused Alexie of sexual harassment, many of them Native women. Worse, he took advantage of the privilege he had as the preeminent Native writer. He actually forced his affections on women in exchange for supporting their work through reviews and endorsements...all the while presenting himself as an advocate for Native writers. Tragically, Native women are 2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than other American women, and they have experienced a legacy of abuse (which  Alexie wrote about). He is the worst kind of hypocrisy.

Sadly, I am on a two-year run of reading great nonfiction by men who would turn out to be abusers or harassers. Last year it was Al Franken (and no, I do not equate what these two men have been accused of doing...but they are both hypocrites). I hope I can break this unfortunate run in 2019! So disappointed in Sherman Alexie.

Drop Dead Healthy

Drop Dead Healthy, by A.J. Jacobs

I have a bit of a thing for "one-year experiment" books! For example:

Julie & Julia 
Living Oprah
Not Buying It
Eat My Globe
The Unlikely Disciple
The Year of Living Biblically

A.J. Jacobs pioneered the idea of one-year experiments, beginning with deciding he would read the entire Encylopedia Brittanica in 18 months (okay, more than a year) (The Know-It-All). The other book of Jacobs' I've read is The Year of Living Biblically, when he tried to follow many of the Old Testament's laws for another interesting year. (His poor wife!)

For Drop Dead Healthy, Jacobs decided to get healthy and slim down by exploring and experimenting with every health or fitness fad he came across.

In his classic, funny, self-effacing way, Jacobs takes the reader on a journey toward health, finding a few snake oil salespeople along the way!

Here he is talking about the book:

The Pope’s Cat

The Pope's Cat, by Jon M. Sweeney and Roy DeLeon

This delightful children's book was illustrated by my dear friend and former coworker, Roy DeLeon. It's a heartwarming story showing the humanity of Pope Francis and how his heart was touched by a stray cat. I highly recommend it for children and adults alike, especially cat lovers!