The Inheritance (Louisa May Alcott)

The Inheritance is Louisa May Alcott's first known novel. Although it was never published in her life-time, it was discovered after her death and put into print. I would suggest that the only reason The Inheritance is in print is because is bears her name. Written when Alcott was seventeen, the work is juvenile and idealistic to the point where the reader cannot possibly suspend her disbelief.

The story focuses on Edith, Amy and her companions at a home which Alcott describes as "half-castle and half mansion." Amy is the wealthy heiress, living with her mother who inherited her brother's fortune and Edith is an impoverished governess who is treated, by Amy, like family. As the title suggests, Edith eventually discovers she is an heir to a fortune.

Mike: The Memoirs of the Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson, Volume 1

I'm only beginning to read about the former Prime Ministers of Canada. I've had this book in my collection for a few years already, but only picked it up for the first time this week. This is volume one of a three volume set. I'll have to keep my eyes open in the used bookstores for volumes two and three because this book was so more than an overview of Lester. B. Pearson's early life and career as a diplomat. Pearson angles his memoir from a perspective which allows him to show his part in the growth of a distinct Canadian foreign policy and international autonomy. Volume 1 covers Pearson's life from 1897 until 1948. 

Not only did I enjoy the content of the book, but I enjoyed the format as well. It may be a paper-back, but it's a good quality paperback. It's a 1973 printing and it feels good in the hands. The paper is smooth and of good quality. Usually I don't comment very much, or at all, on my particular volume of a book, but something about this particular book hits a note with me. 

I hope other Canadian readers (or international readers) will track down a copy of Mike: The Memoirs of the Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson and, like I have, gain a picture of who Pearson was and what Canada's foreign relations experience was during this time period. 

The Waste Water Gardener: Preserving the Planet One Flush at a Time (Mark Nelson)

This is not the kind of book I would normally buy or typically read, but I do believe The Waste Water Gardener was worth the two hours I spent on it. I received the book for free through a Goodreads giveaway which I  entered on a whim. (My tactic is to enter every Goodreads giveaway which looks remotely interesting with the hope that I'm increasing the odds of my actually winning a book of any kind). I was slightly concerned, when the book arrived in the mail, that the content of The Waste Water Garden was going to be as ridiculous as the cover. Thankfully, it is not. 

Mark Nelson begins his book describing his time spent on a ranch in the 1960s. In order to reclaim dry, overused land, he helped to plant trees which would re-create a sustainable ecosystem. Horse manure as well as human manure was used in the compost. Nelson goes on to describe two years he spent inside a sustainable man-made ecosystem called Biosphere 2 in the 1980s and, for the bulk of the book, his role in inventing and implementing Waste Water Gardens. 

Waste Water Gardens are literally pond-type structures which filter water using mainly plant-life. The plants absorb most of the nutrients from human waste, leaving the water clean and usable again. In essence, it is a water recycling system which treats water without the use of chemicals and large, unsustainable treatment plants. The details of how the system works, I do not really understand. 

Nelson's key argument, however, is that our current water-treatment and disposal systems are unsustainable. We do not have enough fresh water available for all seven billion inhabitants of the earth to all use flushable toilets and sewage systems. Nelson advocates for compost toilets, the use of human waste as compost (once properly rid of harmful bacteria and preferably only for non-edible plants), the implementation of waste water gardens and the creation of a water treatment system which looks to recycle rather than dispose. 

The Woman Behind Little Women: Louisa May Alcott (Harriet Reisen)

I pulled The Woman Behind Little Women off the shelf at my public library last night and spent the bulk of this morning and afternoon reading through it. I don't remember ever reading Little Women as a child, but I distinctly remember picking up a copy--which I still own--when I was in high school. I have memories of being seven and watching one of the many movie adaptations. Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are akin with Anne of Green Gables and Scarlett O'Hara in my memories. I learned to love them at a young age and I love them still. 

In reading this biography I realized how little of Alcott's other works I have read. I recall reading a short story titled "Sowing Wild Oats," in a collection of American short stories last Christmas, but I have never read Little Men or Jo's Boys or any of her dozens and dozens of other novels and short stories that she published over her lifetime. The character of Jo is heavily mirrored off of Louisa Alcott. In fact, Jo, to an extent, is Alcott. Louisa Alcott turned to writing for pleasure and for money. Through her craft she took her family from poverty to wealth. 

One of my favourite bits about reading this biography was realizing that Alcott grew up in the company and under the influence of writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Daniel Hawthorn and Emerson. I discovered a very heart-wrenching and heart-warming poem titled "Thoreau's Flute" which Alcott wrote after Thoreau's death. Published anonymously at first, it was mistaken by someone who knew both Alcott and Emerson well as a work of Emerson. The poem is lovely and I'm considering printing and framing a copy for my bedroom wall. I'm a great admirer of Thoreau. 

Harriet Reisen hits the spot with this book, capturing Louisa May Alcott's life in an engaging and literary way. I think this book will leave any reader wanting to dive into Alcott's works whether they are reading for the first time or the tenth time.  

Emile, Julie and Other Writings (Jean Jacques Rousseau)

This is a 1964 edition of an abridgment of Emile, containing some passages from Julie. Published by Barron's Educational Series the 278 page text attempts to offer, through a translation of the original text and through summary, the key ideas from Rousseau's works on education.

Julie, from the viewpoint of the modern reader is a highly offensive work in which Rousseau advocates for women to be taught subordination. Women are to be treated as the weaker sex, are to avoid abstract theories and education, and are to be taught the art of homemaking instead. Needlepoint is especially valuable, as is anything that will please a man. To add a final blow, women are described as lacking the capacity for reason.

Putting 18th century prejudices aside, Emile proves an interesting read. Rousseau believes that man is born naturally good and it is life and fellow man which corrupts him. He suggests that by raising a boy in nature and allowing him to discover things for himself, apart from books and lectures, the child will become a better person than those raised in the traditional way. Rousseau declares foreign languages useless and criticizes the idea of  extensive travel. He idealizes an upbringing in which a boy is left for the first few years, entirely to his own devices at a rural home with no education save the implicit lessons taught by his parents. The majority of the boy's childhood is to be spent with a tutor who also teaches largely by indirect methods. Rousseau imagines that somehow a child can be raised through his "natural" method to will reflect all that is good in man.

Although the work is an impossible utopia (or perhaps a dystopia?) it does offer some interesting reading, as the very least from an historical point of view.

Hegemony and Socialist Strategy Towards a Radical Democratic Politics (Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffe)

Originally published in 1985, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy is a dense political and philosophical look at the concept of hegemony, theories of socialist revolution, and the development and future of the radical Left. I started reading this book back in April but quickly found myself setting it aside time and time again to read something less mentally taxing. When I picked it up again two weeks ago, I re-started and gradually slogged my way through the mere 177 pages plus the introduction and preface. 

Laclau and Mouffee could use a good dose of the plain language movement. I found my myself frequently reaching for a dictionary and more than once moving on to the next page still unsure of what had been discussed on the previous page. Perhaps someone holding a Masters or PhD would have easily skimmed through the pages, but the average reader, like me, is left slightly unsure what the authors are trying to say. 

Eventually, the arguments were made clear to me. Laclau and Mouffe suggest that modern  social-democracy is and must be, by necessity, plural. The class struggle is too broad of a term. The struggle is not unitary but rather plural. There are many struggles, which must build connections between each other. Additionally, there is no privileged class or group with special knowledge to lead the revolution and there are no natural forces which will automatically lead to the revolution. Subjects are not static and as such, they will not remain the same. 

While I enjoyed reading this work, at the same time it frustrated me. Laclau and Mouffe insisted on taking me down dozens of winding paths in order to explain points fully and discount critics. I give them credit for being through, but I would have appreciated more directness. 

Disraeli: A Play in Four Acts

I wanted a light read for my bus ride this morning, so I pulled Disraeli off my shelf. I've had it for more than three years, but until today had lacked any motivation to read it. A few weeks ago I even considered selling it for credit at a local used bookstore. My copy pre-dates 1939. There is no copyright date, but a personal inscription on the cover page reads "Donald Weichel, May 4, 1939." It's a book that requires handling. The cover a textured hardened cloth, the paper is a smooth, thin, creamy-white and all the pages give off that old book odor. 

As far as quality, Disralei was an okay read. I'm not a big fan of plays, especially British plays celebrating imperialism. In four relatively short acts, author Louis N. Parker tells the story of  the purchase of the Suez Canal during the time of Queen Victoria. An author's note at the start of the book warns that the play is far from historically accurate. The play isn't bad, but it isn't good either. I found it very slow-paced and the characters boring and predictable. 

The Rise & Fall of Great Powers (a novel by Tom Rachman)

I ordered The Rise & Fall of Great Powers from Amazon a few weeks ago as an add-on to an order to qualify for free shipping. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's safe to say I am satisfied with my purchase. Tom Rachman places the reader in three time periods, that of the late 80s, late 90s and 2011 and he takes the readers across multiple continents in the past and present life of Tooly Zylberberg. 

The reader first encounters Tooly at her used bookshop in the Welsh Countryside, where she spends her day reading in the corners of the shop and listening to her employee and friend share his unusual amount of knowledge and imagination. Not far in, the reader is drawn into Tooly's childhood and her past--a past that she herself does not understand fully. Dragged from one city and country to the next, Tooly recalls being passed from the care of four different people, but she is unsure why. When she goes back to the United States to see an ill friend, she begins to unravel her own life story. 

Better Living Through Plastic Explosives (short stories by Zuszsi Gartner)

It took me until the final story of the book to understand why Gartner named her collection Better Living Through Plastic Explosives. The title is drawn from the final story of the same name within the book.  In total, the work contains ten stories, but three stood out to me. 

"Floating Like a Goat" is a story I encountered over a year ago in an undergraduate class on the short story. It takes the form of a sarcastic letter written by a mother to her daughter's teacher regarding a report card which claims her daughter is not meeting expectations in art. Through this story, the idea of art and what we expect art to be is dealt with. 

Another notable story is "Summer of the Flesh Eater." A suburban neighborhood spends a summer attempting to adjust to the introduction of a new neighbour. The ending, although ambiguous, points to a shocking conclusion. 

Then, there is "Better Living Through Plastic Explosives," the final story in the book which leads the reader into the mind of a woman who considers herself a recovering terrorist. Living in the suburbs with her husband and son, the woman struggles against the city as she tries to have a round-about put in to slow down traffic which speeds through the neighbourhood, posing a danger to children. Unable to control herself, the woman dwells on the thought of past and present terrorism.

Although I enjoyed working my way through these stories, I was not as impressed as I would have liked to have been. Despite being a Giller Prize finalist, I found the writing too ambiguous, especially near the end of stories, to be enjoyable. The collection is heavily laden with death. I do give Gartner credit, however, as every story translates a point of some sort.   

The Signature of All Things (Elizabeth Gilbert)

This historical fiction novel focuses on the life of Alma Whittaker, from her birth to her death approximately 90 years later. Alma, the daughter of a famed, self-made botanist is born in the United States in 1800. She grows up isolated on a large estate, receiving an aggressive education. She quickly develops an interest and an aptitude for the study of plants. Unfortunately, Alma is a homely woman who often feels overshadowed by her beautiful adopted sister. Despite her mother's best attempts, Alma never develops a lady-like character. She would rather argue with scientists over the dinner table than sit elegantly and quietly.

Alma, due to her appearance, her devotion to her father and her desire to work continuously, finds herself isolated and lonely. She feels sexually repressed, but hides her longing in order to conform to the conventions of society. She struggles with large philosophical and scientific questions about life that she and those she knows cannot answer. She spends her whole life pre-occupied with time and a thirst for knowledge. Reading this book, I was so wrapped up in the character of Alma that each disappointment, each instance of unrequited love and each moment of hopeless loneliness, I felt acutely. At about 500 pages, The Signature of All Things is worth every page.

No One is Here Except All of Us (Ramona Ausubel)

In a tiny isolated Romanian village at the start of the second world war the residents--all Jewish--make the choice to cut themselves off from the outside and begin the world over. The hundred residents gather together and decide they have been born into the world without knowledge of radio or newspapers. They are the only ones alive. Some residents switch spouses to enter the  new world and in the case of Lena, she is given away to her aunt and uncle to be their  baby daughter . . . at the age of eleven. The village begins to writes its own creation story and mythology, oblivious to world on the outside. 

Of course, they cannot hide from the war forever. 

Ramona Ausubel did a wonderful job creating the unique mindset and culture of the village. Lena is an especially likable character not only because she is a victim of circumstance, but because she's always trying to save others by doing what is best for them. It's a good read for a summer evening, but but the kind of heart lifting narrative suitable for a day at the beach. 

The Autobiography of Abbie Hoffman

Written in the 1970s while Hoffman was living "underground," The Autobiography of Abbie Hoffman, originally titled Soon to be a Major Motion Picture, is a memoir detailing Hoffman's development and life as an activist for the civil rights, the anti-war movement, and the counterculture. The cover photo shows Hoffman in a shirt which he was arrested for wearing because it "desecrated" the American flag. He wore another copy of the shirt for a TV interview in which his image was afterwards electronically censored. Viewers were outraged as they realized the extent to which networks could and did censor programming. 

This is the third work I've read by Hoffman. I first learned of him last fall when I picked up Revolution For the Hell of It. A couple months ago I read Steal This Book. Hoffman was an author, activist and public figure who drew attention through issues largely through the use of street theater. He had a hand in orchestrating such events as tossing dollar bills into the New York Stock Exchange (which caused the brokers to abandon their ticker tape and dive to the floor after the money), an attempt to run a live pig for President, and the 1967 exorcism and levitation of the pentagon.

As I read, I discovered the book offers insight into events briefly mentioned in other books by Hoffman and also into Hoffman's personal character. I feel as though I understand who he was and what he meant to do through his actions in a much different way than I previously have. Hoffman was a more serious man than he appeared to the media or through the persona he wore in the writing of his other books. 

The Autobiography of Abbie Hoffman is a fascinating read for anyone interested in 60's counterculture or protest movements of that decade.