Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is considered a classic American literature science fiction novel. I've heard about it for years and knew it was a book I had to read, according to the literary gurus who spout off about the must-read books to be a well-rounded person. Many of these must-read books are books that I too believe everyone should read. Many of these must-read books, like To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, and Shakespeare's plays, are certainly powerful literary forces that must be read by any adult who wishes to call him/herself an educated and worldly intellect. I must say that I do not think that Slaughterhouse Five should be in the same category or held in the same regard as the aforementioned pieces of life-changing literature.

Don't misunderstand me. Slaughterhouse Five is a good book. Vonnegut's writing is brilliant and unique. He's both witty and serious at the same time. He writes with deep clarity about some truly disturbing moments in World War II. I just don't see why this novel is so revered. It's good, but I don't think it's great or life-changing. I am always hesitant to pick up a "classic" American writer's work because they are often over-inflated and overly admired. Surprisingly, as an English teacher, I don't particularly like Ernest Hemingway, another one of America's great writers. I find these Great American Writers are pompous and it shows through in their writing.

Nevertheless, this novel is worth the read because the story is interesting and unique. I certainly have not read a book like this one ever. It's quite strange and I can appreciate the author's creativity and brilliance. His writing is both lyrical and satirical.

This novel is centered on the life of Billy Pilgram who travels through time and the universe, living an oddly compelling and strangely sad life. Pilgram's life is described by a narrator who is detached and objective about Billy's travels. This narrator describes the horrors of WWII, civilian casualties, and debilitating bombings, particularly the horrific bombing of Dresden, Germany. Billy also travels through time from past to present to future reliving moments in his life, including his death, several times. Billy also travels from Earth to the distant planet of Tralfamadore where he is held captive by the Tralfamadorians with a beautiful model in a zoo where they are encouraged to procreate so the Tralfamdorians can study their behaviours and mating patterns.

As a fan of WWII historical fiction, I enjoyed learning about the bombing of Dresden, something with which I was rather unfamiliar. However, as someone who generally doesn't like science-fiction novels, I could have done without the travels to Tralfamadore, because it really didn't advance the plot or provide any entertainment for me. The time traveling, though, was actually interesting and captivating because we see bits and pieces of events and then return to them much later, making the novel more suspenseful. What I didn't like, however, was that the narrator would describe a person or event and then tell his audience that this character would die or that person would do such-and-such. So, we would learn about a person's fate early on, but only learn later what actually happened to the character to create that fate. I really don't like when authors give away pertinent details too early. I appreciate foreshadowing, but I don't appreciate blatant spoilers.

I am rating this book 3.5/5. I like it but I don't love it. I'm glad I read it and I do highly recommend it, but I will quickly forget it because it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I will probably forget it quickly since it didn't impact me or change my life in any way.

Brother by David Chariandy

I purchased Brother by David Chariandy for my husband for Christmas because I was listening to CBC Radio's "Q" with Tom Power one morning in November. Power had a guest describing the best books to buy for Christmas gifts. This book was listed as the number one book to buy for anyone of any age and perference. So, I bought it, my husband read it, and when he finished, I read it too.

The author is Canadian and the book is set in Scarborough in the 1980s and 1990s, during a dangerous and tumultuous time. The narrator, Michael, recounts his youth with his immigrant mother from Trinidad and his older brother Francis who, at heart, is kind, loving, and smart, but gets mixed up with the wrong crowd, so to speak. At the start of the book, an old friend from Michael's childhood, Aisha, has returned to the old neighbourhood for her father's funeral. Her visit brings back several memories for Michael, many of which, he has tried to quash in his adulthood.

We learn quickly that Michael and Francis' hard working, stern, determined mother has not been well since Francis' death. What we don't know is what is wrong with her or how Francis dies. The book flashes between past and present with vivid descriptions of Michael and Francis' lives growing up in poverty in a gang-filled neighbourhood. Their area is typical of lower socio-economic areas in which drugs, gangs, crime, violence, and guns prevail. The setting is true of this area and time, making the novel a historical fiction.

Michael, a broken, lonely man in his adulthood, works tirelessly to care for his mother and forget his tragic past. Both Francis and Michael are highly believable characters to whom
any reader can easily relate. Francis' mother is also a compelling character, someone with whom all mothers can empathize because she loves her children fiercely, works long hours to support them, does her best to protect them, and is broken when she loses her eldest son. She is trapped by her setting because she cannot afford to move to a safer neighbourhood and yet she knows that it is this setting that creates problems for her children.

Michael is a complex character, at once perceptive and insightful, he is also socially inept and awkward. He tries so hard to fit in with the tough ganstas, but does a pitiful job. He cannot seem to break the barrier of being cool like his naturally slick, talented, attractive, witty, cool brother. Francis easily makes friends, is comfortable in his own skin, and finds his passion in rap and hip hop music, dreaming of making it big. When an opportunity to show off their musical talents arises, Francis and his best friend Jelly try out. What happens at this talent show competition brings us to the climax of the novel and the discovery of exactly how Francis dies.

Because Canadian authors bring a unique Canadian-ness (with a mixture of wit, realism, humbleness, compassion, and kindness), I always recommend reading them. As such, I do recommend Brother. Its writing is intellectual and vivid, its characters are completely real, and its plot is captivating. Long-listed for the Canadian Giller Prize, Brother certainly deserves praise and acclaim. Read it!

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

I received John Grisham's newest novel The Rooster Bar from my husband as a Christmas present. I received a few other books for Christmas so I didn't get to it right away. But I started it in early February when I started teaching my new semester. When I teach Grade 11 University English, I often write blog reviews of the books I'm reading as a way to model this type of writing to my students who are required to do so for each of the books they read in Lockerby's independent reading program (IRP).

The Rooster Bar is about three law students from Foggy Bottom Law School, a terribly run school with horrible teachers who accept unqualified students and graduate everyone, despite their low scores. Students from Foggy Bottom rarely pass the bar exam and most never find meaningful work as well-paid lawyers.

Mark, Todd, and Zola are third year students who are set to graduate in a few months. However, over the Christmas holidays, they experience a tragic loss of one of their dear friends, and this grief overcomes they, not allowing them to function well. Their friend also uncovered a pretty dark secret about the law school and its proprietors, making these three much less willing to return to the school they hate.

They all owe around $200,000 in student loans and know they will not be able to pay it off quickly. As a result, they devise a plan to skip out of law school and practice law on their own, without actual law licenses. Zola is also working furiously to save her parents and brother from deportation because they are illegal immigrants in America.

I am a huge John Grisham fan; his first book A Time to Kill is one of my all-time favourite books, and as English teacher, my favourites list is pretty long. For a book to make my Top 10 list, it must be great. If you're new to Grisham, please read A Time to Kill before any others! Then watch the film because it's also great! Please do NOT start with this book. While this book is okay, it's not nearly as great as his earlier works. I'm not sure if he's spitting out books too quickly now that he's so famous, because his last few books have been mediocre and his first 10 or so were fantastic.

What I dislike about this book is that these three students make terrible choice after terrible choice and really fail to see their own stupidity. I had a hard time feeling any empathy for these characters because I was so annoyed by them. They are not characters with whom I could easily identify. In their illegal practices, they also negatively impact a lot of innocent lives, something I find morally reprehensible.

However, the book is still appealing because these three students ban together to protect one another at all costs. They are fiercely loyal to each other and they actually do manage to scam some bad people too. I recommend reading this book if you're looking for a lighter read as I found it a bit predictable at time.

I give this book a 3/5 stars and recommend it with caution, only if you're familiar with Grisham. As I said, if you're new to him, read his books from the 90s, not his more recent works.