Rabbit Hole #5: My top five reads of 2014

I read a lot of great books last year, including a lot of nonfiction, which is new for me. But out of all of them, these are the five that have stayed with me the most. (Some of these I've written about before, but they definitely deserve another mention.)

Because all of these are so different, I didn't rank them. So, in no particular order, the best books I read last year are:


Americanah by Chiamanda Ngozi Adiche: I can't say enough good things about this book. Ifemelu and Obinze are young Nigerian sweethearts who dream of going to the United States for college. Ifemelu experiences America and comes to terms for the first time with what it means to be black. She also notices distinct differences between African-Americans and the African immigrants around her. Obinze ends up living on the fringes, undocumented, in London after post-9/11 America shuts its doors to him. The struggles both of these young people go through, including love, tragedy, racism, and class, eventually bring both of them back to Nigeria, where life is both the same, yet very different, from the country they left.

This description doesn't even come close to describing Adiche's lyrical prose and character development. I've read most of her work (Purple Hibiscus is on my list for this year), and she is just getting better and better as a writer. Definitely check her work out!!



The Ocean at the End of the Land by Neil Gaiman: This was my first Gaiman read, but it's not going to be my last. I have The Graveyard Book on my nightstand, and the rest of his work is on my to-be-read list.

The narrator returns to his home in Sussex to attend a funeral. Although his childhood home no longer stands, the Hempstock Farm at the end of the lane does. Inexplicably drawn to the Farm, the narrator finds himself reliving long forgotten memories from his childhood. When he is seven, a visiting South African opal miner commits suicide on the Hempstock Farm. An ancient entity hears his dying sounds and comes to investigate. People begin to act strangely, and the narrator crosses to the Farm to discover the cause. There he encounters eleven year old Lettie, her mother, and grandmother. The women talk of other worlds, times beyond, and the Big Bang. Lettie sets out to banish the ancient force, taking the narrator with her. Unfortunately, he makes a mistake, unleashing the force out of the Farm and into his world. She takes the form of Ursula, who manipulates his parents and sister, drawing out everyone's darkest desires. In order to save him, the women must call upon ancient female wisdom, and risk everything in the process.

Gaiman is a master storyteller. This work is dark, creepy, magical, and soul-wrenching, everything a good fantasy novel should be.



A Reason for Hope by Dr. Jane Goodall: Forget Woman Crush Wednesday, Dr. Goodall is one of my idols. I am so, so grateful I was able to hear her speak in person this year. This work came at just the right time, as I was starting to be pulled down into the darkness of the world between the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, Ferguson, Gamergate, gun violence--you name it, it was dragging my soul down this summer.  In addition to detailing her early work with the chimpanzees of Gombe and her creation of Roots and Shoots, and children's environmental program, Goodall discusses her spirituality, and how her belief in a higher power has helped her through the most difficult times in her career.

Some may find her beliefs incompatible with a scientific background (she has no problems reconciling them with evolution and even reincarnation), but for many who read this, it will prove reassuring. In fact, I have a feeling this is one that I will be coming back to.



Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay: If you haven't read this, stop what you are doing and find a copy. Now. I'll wait. I don't care if you're male, female, black, white, gay, straight, Christian or Muslim. This is a must-read collection of essays on feminism, rape culture, music, pop culture, gender, and even football and Scrabble. (Gay even spent several years of her life in my home state of Nebraska.) She addresses the complexities of our society, trying to navigate modern life while trying to be a feminist (There IS no right way to be a feminist, by the way. Just a desire to see true equality and justice for everyone, men and women.)

This was one of the last books I read last year, and it's probably going to be a reread this year. It's that good and thought-provoking.



The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud: I first read Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children in 2008. I was blown away. It remains one of my favorite books, but this one may have overtaken it. The story is narrated by 37 year old elementary art teacher, Nora Elridge. Nora has all but given up on her dream of becoming a professional artist, until she meets the family of a new student in her class, Reza Shahid. She falls in love with the entire family, including Reza's mother, Sirena, who is a talented installation artist. Sirena is everything Nora has longed to be: charismatic, beautiful, and talented. Nora and Sirena rent a studio together, where Nora begins to return to her own work. But, as in any fairytale existence, things are not always what they seem. Betrayal, deception, and lies soon take over this perfect union.

This is a powerful novel, and although Nora may not be a completely reliable narrator, her voice is utterly compelling, showing the plight of many women who have given up their dreams to live the dreams expected of them.



Five books. Five amazing stories. I'm looking forward to what this year's reading brings; it's already looking good. Check out Emily St. John Mandel's terrific dystopian novel, Station Eleven!

Rabbit Hole #4: 2015 Read Harder Challenge--January

I've never been one to post reading goals. I tend to read about 50 books a year, which, given I'm teaching English full-time and grading papers, is not too bad; although, I wish I could read more. But this year, one of my favorite bookish sites, BookRiot, posted a reading challenge for 2015. It's not about reading MORE books, but varying the types of books you read. Happily, I have books currently that fit some of the categories, and I have more on my to-be-read (TBR) list that also fit the criteria. I'm excited to do this, not because I don't already read a wide variety of genres, but it forces you to stretch a bit (not sure about the romance and audiobook ones, though). So here's my list, and I'll be updating it throughout the year. I've also posted the link to BookRiot below. They have some great lists of titles if you decide you also want to participate.  If you are a reader, definitely check them out!

Read Harder 2015 Challenge To Date: (ones finished in blue)

A book written by someone when they were under 25:

A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65:

A collection of short stories:

A book published by an indie press:

A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ:

A book by someone of a different gender than you: Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy by Paul Thomas Murphy

A book that takes place in Asia:

A book by an author from Africa:

A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture:

A microhistory:

A YA novel:

A sci-fi novel:

A romance novel:

A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from last decade:

A book that is a retelling of a classic story:

An audiobook:

A collection of poetry: Once by Alice Walker

A book that someone else recommended to you:

A book originally published in another language:

A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics:

A guilty pleasure:

A book published before 1850:

A book published this year:

A self-improvement book:

Here's the link: BookRiot.com

Check out BookRiot's podcasts and YouTube channel as well!

On Ferguson and White Privilege

"Imagine all the people...living life in peace...you may say I'm a dreamer...but I'm not the only one..."

John Lennon's words have been going through my head a lot since last night's disappointing, but not unexpected, announcement in the Michael Brown grand jury case. Six hours after the jury had announced that it had a decision, the prosecutor finally read the decision we all, really, knew was coming--Darren Wilson was not to be indicted for the murder of Michael Brown.

Not surprisingly, the emotions flared. And rightfully so. There are so many injustices still perpetrated on people of color in this country, and so many white people who refuse to see it.

"Racism is over!" they shout, as the Missouri KKK announces one of its largest increases in membership since President Obama's election, and promises to "take care of the terrorists" in Ferguson.

"I don't see color; I only see people!" they insist, as they use phrases like "thugs" and "terrorists" and "those people" to describe the protestors.

Langston Hughes once asked:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Does it fester like a sore, and then run? 

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or does it crust and sugar over, like a syrupy sweet? 

Does it sag, like a heavy load?

Or does it explode? 

For too long, we've been telling the minority communities in this country that every thing is equal now, as they watch median incomes plummet, schools in their neighborhoods close, their young men and boys disproportionately sent to prison for crimes that whites are given probation for. Their dreams, promised to them by this country, have been deferred for too long. What we are seeing right now is the explosion. As I type this, there are protests in 37 states, as well as one at the U. S. embassy in London. People from all walks of life, all skin colors, are joining together to say

ENOUGH.

We're seeing a change coming. It won't happen over night, but change never does. But hopefully, this will be the start of something substantial. 

But. 

But. 

Those same white people I mentioned above? They're also saying, "stop protesting." "Justice has been done, what more do you want?" "The law was followed, there's nothing more to do." "What do these people want, more handouts?" 

And on, and on, and on. 

They refuse to see that they live a different life than the people directly affected by situations like Mike Brown or Trayvon Martin. Their white children will never have to worry about being stalked by police officers as they play basketball in the park, or drive around in their cars. They don't have to teach their sons to move slowly when they are around officers, to not make any sudden moves, so as not to appear threatening. Their white children can be pulled over by police officers and not have guns drawn immediately. People don't cross the street when they see a group of white boys walking down the sidewalk, or lock their car doors. 

We don't know what it's like. 

White privilege allowed a lot of us to go to bed last night knowing that what happened in Ferguson was a tragedy, yet also knowing that in a lot of ways it would never touch our lives. It allows us a level of security and power that others will never know, bestowed upon us simply because of the color of our skin. 

White privilege has nothing to do with how hard you've worked in your life. It has nothing to do with advantages you have or haven't been born with economically. It's the skin you're walking around in. The skin that allows you to distance yourself so easily from Trayvon's parents and Michael's parents. That makes it easy to say "trouble maker" or "thug" instead of child. That allows you to dismiss so much because, well, it isn't you. 

And yes, I know you have friends who are people of color. You may even have family members. Here's an idea. Talk to them. Ask them what life is really like for them. For some, yes, they may be lucky and not experience the injustice. But you may be surprised what you find out. 

The bottom line is, the fight that Dr. King and Malcolm X and all of the other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement began in the 1950s and 1960s is still continuing. We should be well on our way to the time when the protests that are happening now are not needed. Until then, all of us need to keep fighting. Because we are truly not living up to our ideals as a nation otherwise. 

Rabbit Hole #3: Escaping the Real World

It's been a while since I've posted on what I've been reading, but it doesn't mean I haven't been reading (check out my list to the right if you're interested).

If you're looking for an escape from the "real" world (and who doesn't right now?), I highly recommend the following:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page
I love retellings of old stories. Wicked (both novel and musical) is one of my favorites, but I also love Wide Sargasso Sea (Jane Eyre), When She Woke (The Scarlet Letter), and My Jim (Huckleberry Finn). It's interesting to look at the familiar from another character's perspective, or from another time period.

The first in a new trilogy, Page's revisionist take on the Oz stories takes us back to Kansas and introduces us to angsty teenage loner Amy Gumm. Living in a trailer with her alcoholic mom after her dad leaves to start a new family, Amy longs for something different, which of course, shows up in the form of a tornado, sweeping Amy, trailer, and her mom's pet rat, to Oz.

This is not the technicolor Oz Amy has grown up with, however. This Oz is drab, colorless, and everyone is running scared. Because Dorothy has also found a way back, and she and her cohorts are evil. Very, very evil. The Scarecrow is a mad scientist, performing horrific experiments on any who challenges Dorothy's leadership. The Lion has not only found his courage, but is sadistically preying on everyone around him as one of Dorothy's henchmen. And the Tin Man, desperately in love with the new ruler of Oz, will do anything to win her favor. It isn't long before Amy is recruited by the Wicked Witches and the underground resistance group. Her mission--kill Dorothy.

Part Oz-revisionist story, part Harry Potter in the magical aspects, and part Hunger Games (especially in Amy's training scenes), this is a fun, fast-paced read. I'm looking forward to the next one.


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Sixteen-year-old Jacob has grown up listening to his grandfather's tales of the peculiar children, who lived at Miss Peregrine's--a home for orphaned children off the coast of Wales where his grandfather grew up after escaping from the Nazis during WWII. These children all had amazing, some may say other-worldly, talents, as evidenced by the box of pictures of his grandfather saved from his time there. After witnessing his grandfather's murder by a strange being, Jacob begins therapy, but eventually decides he needs to go to Wales to see if Miss Peregrine's still exists in order to truly find closure. When he arrives, he finds the house, but it's an abandoned bombed out shell and has been that way since the war. However, the children his grandfather knew are still there--and still very much alive. Jacob and the children must battle the forces that threaten to take over not only their world, but ours as well.

Again, the first of a trilogy, Riggs uses actual old photographs of the "children" to help tell his tale and has created a wonderfully dark, enchanting world.


The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I'm ashamed to say this is the first Gaiman novel that I have read, but it is not going to be the last.
The narrator returns to his home in Sussex to attend a funeral. Although his childhood home no longer stands, the Hempstock Farm at the end of the lane does. Inexplicably drawn to the Farm, the narrator finds himself reliving long forgotten memories from his childhood. When he is seven, a visiting South African opal miner commits suicide on the Hempstock Farm. An ancient entity hears his dying sounds and comes to investigate. People begin to act strangely, and the narrator crosses to the Farm to discover the cause. There he encounters eleven year old Lettie, her mother, and grandmother. The women talk of other worlds, times beyond, and the Big Bang. Lettie sets out to banish the ancient force, taking the narrator with her. Unfortunately, he makes a mistake, unleashing the force out of the Farm and into his world. She takes the form of Ursula, who manipulates his parents and sister, drawing out everyone's darkest desires. In order to save him, the women must call upon ancient female wisdom, and risk everything in the process.

Gaiman is a master storyteller. This work is dark, creepy, magical, and soul-wrenching. I can't recommend it enough. Now I just have to figure which of his titles to read next.

God is not Oprah

It's been quiet here on the blog the past couple of months. The beginning of the school year always hits me like an avalanche--even though I've done this for years, the first weeks of lesson planning and meetings and grading just find me trying to find a few moments for myself. I've had a lot of posts floating around in my brain, but haven't had time to sit down to write.

And then this popped up in my Facebook feed this morning: "If God wants you to get Ebola, you will."

Excuse me?

God's not Oprah. He's not sitting in heaven, looking down at humanity, pointing his finger and saying with glee, "You get Ebola, and you get Ebola, and YOU get Ebola. EVERYBODY gets Ebola!!!"

Ebola's an infectious disease. It doesn't care if you are rich, poor, middle class, black, white, Asian, Christian, Jewish, atheist, Muslim, Jedi, or an adherent of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Neither does cancer. Or AIDS. Or the flu.

God's not punishing people because they're the wrong color or wrong gender or sexual orientation or wrong religion or don't pray hard enough. Disease can happen to anyone, at any time. Period.

Ebola's not new. It's been ravaging countries in Africa for years; most people in the U. S. just haven't been paying attention because it was "over there," happening "to them." Drug companies, which have the capability of curing or at least slowing the disease, also haven't been rushing to make meds because there really had been no profit in it for them. Until now. When the possibility of a few people in the United States and rest of the Western world contracting the disease is at hand. Suddenly, they're rushing to create a supply of drugs, which will still take months. To top it all off, you also have some politicians advocating for the extermination of anyone who has ebola. See Todd Kincannon.

I have a feeling that God is more likely up in heaven saying, have compassion on one another, and help each other.

We destroy each other easily enough as it is.

Rabbit Hole #2

There is a lot of nonfiction creeping its way into my reading pile lately, which is something new for me. In particular, there are a lot of autobiographies by and biographies on women, both past and present.

Reason for Hope by Dr. Jane Goodall

I saw Dr. Goodall speak in March, and it was absolutely everything I could have hoped for. She is an amazing woman who has accomplished so much against impossible odds. I started reading this when the world started its most recent round of craziness, and it was exactly what I needed. In addition to detailing her early work with the chimpanzees of Gombe and her creation of Roots and Shoots, and children's environmental program, Goodall discusses her spirituality, and how her belief in a higher power has helped her through the most difficult times in her career. Some may find her beliefs incompatible with a scientific background (she has not problems reconciling them with evolution and even reincarnation), but for many who read this, it will prove reassuring. In fact, I have a feeling this is one that I will be coming back to.


Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser

Marie Antoinette does not deserve her place as probably one of the most misunderstood and maligned women in history. I mean, what chance did she really have? Married at fourteen to a man she had never met, to a country that didn't trust her, thrust into a lack of privacy that would make even the Kardashians blush, failing to produce an heir, enduring horrific scandalous attacks on her character, family, and marriage--it's no wonder she gambled and ordered expensive clothing (which, by the way, was also expected of her as queen). Fraser does a wonderful job of showing just how difficult life was for the French queen, while not absolving her completely of being naive about politics and her role in the country's downward trajectory.

A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau  by Caroline Morrow Long

I was really looking forward to reading this biography. I love New Orleans, and nothing epitomizes the mystery of the city quite like the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Sadly, what this biography showed me is how little is actually known of this free woman of color whose death made the New York Times. Long culls what facts she can from church records, city records, newspaper reports, etc., but even those do not agree. In fact, many of the newspaper articles and interviews with people who knew Marie Laveau have added to the lore surrounding her, making it difficult to know the truth. Regardless, Marie will continue to inspire and be a force in New Orleans culture.

Fair Warning: It's Football Season

Or it will be, officially, in a few weeks. I live for football season. While it is bittersweet--football means the end of summer, and thus, the beginning of a new school year--there's nothing like watching my teams on the gridiron again.

Nebraska Cornhuskers. New Orleans Saints. On Saturday I bleed scarlet and cream with my Nebraska family and friends. On Sunday, my husband and I join (albeit remotely right now) the black and gold Who Dat Nation. I watch pre-game shows. Postgame. (Who the heck decided it's a good idea to interview coaches as they're running off the field at halftime, by the way? Ridiculous.) I yell at the tv, and though I've never thrown anything, I have been known to swear. Loudly. I tweet with fellow Saints fans during the game. I read stats and watch interviews during the week. I might be obsessed--ok, I am.

Oh, I'm female? I can't really know about a sport I haven't played? Sorry, that argument doesn't hold water anymore. Women make up almost 50% of the NFL's viewership right now, and I can tell you, those women are watching for the game, not for the player with the best tight end. Especially the Who Dat Divas. You don't mess with those women--they know their football! (The same can be said of women Husker fans--we've been raised on it!)

So, if I bow out of something this fall, it's nothing personal. I have a game to watch. You're always welcome to join me--but you've been warned!