J'ai Lu, Novembre 2009

Remember, remember the month of November (The 5th itself was never much memorable to me). The eleventh month of the year has come and gone, and we find ourselves in a state of surprise as the year we feel just began comes to a climax and a close. The holidays leave us in a "holidaze," but the rest from the norms of classroom learning and independent living are a kind of respite we forgot we had forgotten. I, for one, experienced a holiday at home unlike I have had in nearly five years: I did not work at Chick-fil-A on Black Friday. Having nearly four full days at my parent's country home did much for mind, spirit, and body, and has left me anxious to return for more of this solace. I finish this semester in 5 short days. The time flies when you're having what, now?

I took on a particularly challenging book to begin November, which is probably why I did not make it much beyond that. Malcom X left my mind spinning and, due to its depth and intensity, it was difficult for me to progress through its 400+ pages. Therefore, I took the easy way out afterwards, and read the first installment in Lemony Snicket's series. I assure you, I am in the midst of two separate books I attempted to meet this month's quota, so look forward to the December edition (and final?) for those enthralling (I'm sure) reviews.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley) -- My roommate Megan read this for a class this semester, and throughout our discussion, I became intrigued by it. This was a really difficult book to wade through, not only because of it’s length, but because (surprise) Malcolm X was a really intense person who led a really intense life. Essentially, it begins sad, ends sad, and is sad a lot in the middle. However, I think (more so since reading it than before reading) that this is a really important biography to be familiar with, and it explains Malcolm X and modern Black struggle in a way that is more rational than is often portrayed and in a way that I think is eye-opening and enlightening. (7)

A Series of Unfortunate Events (Snicket) – Believe it or not, I had never read this story before this month and year of my life. Apparently it is some sort of “classic,” and I found it entertaining, but not much more than that. I’m not really sure what category of literature it is generally placed in, but I think it honestly is a little too intense to be a children’s story. I think adults could appreciate its sarcasm and see it for what it is, but it really is a story with a non-happy ending and there’s some pretty disturbing events along the way. (5)

It is just occurred to me that I should review for you the latest in John Mayer's sure-to-be platinum collection, but I think I will save this for a later post.