Fifteen writers who have influenced me

A Facebook friend recently tagged me in her note and encouraged me to come up with my own list of "15 writers who have influenced me and will always stick with me."

The instructions were to list the first 15, or as many as I could recall, in no more than 15 minutes. So here goes...I could have easily listed 30. I always have a hard time limiting myself. (Actually I cheated and came up with 16!! Such a rule breaker!)

1. Laura Ingalls Wilder (childhood favorite)

2. William Shakespeare (took a couple of Shakespeare classes in high school and have seen many plays over the years)

3. Francis Hodgson Burnett (a favorite during a children's lit class in college--started reading A Secret Garden again recently to Kieran and was reminded of how much I enjoyed it)

4. Syvia Plath (loved her poetry in high school and have always been fascinated with her story)

5. Jane Austen (I was an English major, remember? And she was the subject of my first conversation with Mike)

6. Michael Gettel-Gilmartin (Mike and I wrote love letters during our courtship, when we lived an hour away from each other in Japan--I fell in love with him through his beautiful writing...I hope people beyond me and his writers' groups will discover him soon, too!)

7. Alice Walker (The Color Purple, which I read in Feminist Theology at PLU, changed my life)

8. Zora Neale Hurston (also discovered during Feminist Theology)

9. Doris Lessing (after reading The Golden Notebook in Feminist Theology, I designed an independent study course around her Children of Violence series and other texts)

10. Marge Piercy (read all of her novels and much of her poetry during college and the years after)

11. John Irving (first read The Cider House Rules on my travels, and then consumed most of his other novels...also got to hear him in person several years ago)

12. Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume was my first Tom Robbins...haven't read him for awhile, but I should pick one of those mind-changing, thought-provoking books up again!)

13. Barbara Kingsolver (a bookstore owner friend turned me onto Kingsolver way before she got so popular--I started with The Bean Trees--at the time the only novel she'd yet published!)

14. Chris Bohjalian (I wrote a few weeks ago about how much I love his books--I started with Midwives and have never been disappointed)

15. Ruth Ozeki (I loved My Year of Meats and All Over Creation--wish she would write some more!)

16. JK Rowling ('nuff said!)

How about you? Who are your 15 (or 16)?

Favorite author: Chris Bohjalian

The first Chris Bohjalian I read was Midwives, about a lay midwife who attends a birth in the middle of the night and gets stranded in the snowy, icy weather. The birth goes wrong, the mother appears to have lost a fatal amount of blood, and the midwife must make a life-or-death decision. She attempts an emergency c-section, knowing that the mother will not survive (since the midwife is not a doctor and not equipped for such a procedure). The woman dies and the baby lives. However, was the mother really at death's door, or could her death have been averted? I love the way Bohjalian's books make me think about right and wrong, and the truth in between.

Trans-Sister Radio is about a man who is in love with a woman, but who decides to become a woman. He goes through the whole sex change procedure (and I learned a great deal about what is involved in that), and the woman in his life, who is not a lesbian, has to consider whether to stay with him. Is she in love with the man he is, or the person he is? Again, Bohjalian forces the reader to question what she knows to be true.

Water Witches educated me about the world of water dousing (the practice of locating hidden water wells, buried metals, gemstones, or other objects). Environmentalists are pitted against ski resort developers in this intriguing story involving family, honesty, and ambition.

Before You Know Kindness is a wonderful, thought-provoking New England family saga about a gun accident, hunting, vegetarianism, and intense family dynamics. Some of the story is based on Bohjalian's experiences, such as working in a lobster restaurant and deciding then and there to become a vegetarian. An animal rights activist is pitted against his hunter brother, and both of their families become involved in the feud.

The Buffalo Soldier is about a couple who tragically lost their nine-year-old daughters in a freak flood accident. They end up taking in a foster child, an African-American boy. The couple who live across the street befriend the boy and teach him about buffalo soldiers (African-American cavalry troopers). Bohjalian continues to share his gift of bringing complex characters and plots to life. He explores interesting questions of race, grief, and love.

The Double Bind is my least favorite of Bohjalian's novels, even though it was well written as always. I was engaged in the story--I thought about the book when not reading it, which is always a good sign. I knew there was a plot twist, but I did not deduce what it was going to be until I came upon it. (I'm that way with mysteries, too--just try to enjoy the story and not think ahead to what might happen--I prefer to be surprised.) I found it interesting to note some parallels with a nonfiction book, Strange Piece of Paradise, the real-life story of a female biker who was brutally attacked and years later, tries to unravel the mystery and unleash her own anxieties about the incident. The Double Bind brings the tragedy of the homeless and the mentally ill to the light of day, and also sensitively portrays the collateral damage done to women who are sexually assualted and violated. Bohjalian is a talented writer, and the books of his I enjoy the most are the ones where you can really get inside of the characters' souls. Because of the nature of the plot (and the manipulation of the reader's mind, which is skillfully done), fully engaging with the characters was more difficult with The Double Bind.

I have two more books on my shelves to read, when I'm ready for another treat: Secrets of Eden and Skeletons at the Feast. The only other novel of Bohjalian's I have not yet read is The Law of Similars, one of his earlier books.

I got to meet Chris Bohjalian once at Annie Bloom's, when he came through Portland on a book tour for Before You Know Kindness. In the old days before children, Mike and I went to see/hear a lot of authors (TC Boyle, Anne Lamott, Kazuo Ishiguro, Molly Gloss, Ruth Ozeki, John Barth, John Irving, etc.). Bohjalian was one of the most engaging, dynamic authors I have had the pleasure of seeing. I bought several copies of the book to give as gifts, and as I was waiting in line for his autographs, Kieran (3 or 4 at the time) bought a Curious George book. Chris Bohjalian signed his Curious George book for him!  That is one book that will not be given away. I look forward to sinking my teeth into more of Bohjalian's novels in the future. I highly recommend his books.