Lisbeth is a Madwoman!

I spent Sunday and Monday snowed in during New York's post-Christmas blizzard. After two days of family fun, it seemed like the perfect time to curl up with a good book...or two! With little else to do, I indulged in some holiday leftovers and devoured The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. Although I had heard many rapturous reviews of the series, it wasn't high on my to-read list. I'm not sure why, but I think my apathy may have stemmed from my lack of knowledge of all things Swedish, combined with the knowledge that the books had been translated. In the literary world there are very few things worse than a poor translation, and I was hesitant to pick up the series only to be disappointed. Finally, the "look at me" covers screaming off of every display table in every Barnes and Noble that I've been in for the past twelve months kind of pissed me off. Yes, I admit it. I judged the books by their covers.

The best review I'd heard of the series prior to reading the books was, "The first one is just good enough to make you want to read the second one, but the second one is really good." I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment! The first 100 pages were slow going - lots of background information and confusing Swedish place names. But the mystery picked up in the second half, and the second book was action-packed! I haven't read the third one yet, but I'm planning to do so over the long weekend.

One thing I really did appreciate about the series was the author's portrayal of Lisbeth. As far as main characters go, she's no angel, but I found myself rooting for her even when I didn't really approve of what she was doing. She is sometimes described as having Aspergers-like behaviors, and its tempting to blame her social awkwardness on the mysterious childhood event that she refers to in passing as "All the Evil." However, the author also hints that while the event may have contributed to these behaviors, they actually manifested earlier in life and are not entirely attributable to any one root cause. I like this. All too often an awkward main character's behavior is based on and blamed on trauma. In Lisbeth's case, it's not a black-and-white situation. She is many shades of gray, just like in the real world. And while her sense of right and wrong may be too rigid, she sticks to her guns and does what she believes in regardless of whether it is the socially correct thing to do. I like that too.

Although the books are far from upbeat, and expose many dark corners in the social landscape of Sweden, Lisbeth makes me happy. And even though she's barely present in the narration of the second book, her presence is always felt.
Happy New Year's Eve everyone!
- Rebecca DeWinter

Tis the Season

I finally got a chance to finish Just Kids, and it was good through the end. Towards the end I began to get slightly confused by all the characters that came in and out for a few pages at a time, and stopped paying as close attention. Then when important characters arrived I often had to go back and figure out which one he was. But aside from that, it is truly a lovely story. And I will admit that I cried a bit at the end. The nostalgia and romance really got to me in this story.

Yesterday at the airport I began my next book. It's long, but I'm hoping I'll be able to get through before I have to return to school. It's called Some Sing, Some Cry. The story begins in Reconstruction-era South Carolina. It's reminding me a little of Gone With the Wind, but I won't get my hopes up high just yet.

Miss. H.

I've Been Holding Out!

I've been s.l.o.w.l.y. working through a fantastic little autobiography by Patti Smith, best known for singing "Because the Night", for the past month and I haven't written a single post about it! It's called Just Kids.

The length of time it is taking me is absolutely not because it is lengthy, wordy, or in any other way difficult to get through. I simply have been reading it for five to ten minutes at a time, once or twice a week. But this book is fantastic in that it's easy to pick up and put down without missing or forgetting anything. It's not complicated or dense. It's simple and honest. And I happen to be loving it.

It's a romance story set in New York City at the end of the 60's. Smith has decided to forgo college and leave home, penniless, to establish herself as an artist. How beautifully bohemian! She meets Robert, her first love and fellow artist, and they create together, refusing to settle for anything but an artistic life.

Now, this probably sounds like an artsy-fartsy, hippie-dippy, unpractical story by modern standards. But I've gotten caught up in the romantic web that Smith spins as an author. And it helps that I've had my own secret romance with novels, movies, and stories about youth counter-culture and rock and roll in the late 60s / early 70s since I saw the movie Almost Famous at the age of 15. (I have several recommendations if anyone is interested!). So, I'll admit, Smith probably wouldn't have to do much as a writer to grab my interest. But, with as little bias as possible, I believe she does a fantastic job of writing and describing the confusion, love, ups, and downs it takes to find oneself as a young adult.

OK, now I've dished about my secret literary passion. What are some of the literary passions or genres that you other madwomen can't resist?

Miss. H.

Literary Gifts

December is upon us, and that means shopping, parties, celebrating (and for Miss Havisham, final exams...yuck!) In the spirit of the season, and as I plan my trips to the mall, I'm curious about the best literary gifts to give (and receive).

I have a long history of asking for books as gifts. As a child, my list for Santa Claus was primarily a wish list of Nancy Drew titles. But I also loved the "surprise" books that I sometimes received...you know, the books that someone purchased for me, that weren't even on my radar, and that I ended up loving. Books like Johnny Tremain, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Number the Stars (thanks Aunt J, Mom and Grandma for opening my imagination to these wonderful stories!)

When I was fourteen, I asked for my own copy of Gone With the Wind, which I had checked out of the library at least four times the previous year. I still have that copy, although it has been read so many times that the pages have completely fallen out of the spine (and a few have fallen out of chronological order).

However, books as gifts can also be problematic. This summer I received a copy of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest from a well-meaning giver. The only problem: I haven't read the first two in the series (or is Hornet's Nest second? I'm not even sure) Now I feel obligated to go out and purchase the other two, even though I really had no interest in reading any of them.

Let's not forget the writing element of literacy. When I was a teenager I looked forward to receiving a new journal every year for Christmas. Regardless of whether the old journal was half-full or overflowing, I would start a new one every year on New Year's Eve. I haven't kept a journal since senior year of college, but I'm seriously thinking of starting one up again...

I'm curious...what are your favorite literary gifts to give and receive?

So Sexy So Soon

I recently began reading So Sexy So Soon, which is a social commentary and guidebook for parents about the sexualization of children which is currently happening at very young ages. It was given to me by one of the social workers I'm working with, and aside from its unhidden political agenda, the book is an accurate and interesting take on some of the problems that early sexualization of children has brought to schools and parenting.

In my opinion, the best parts of the book are the real-life anecdotes from parents and teachers about questions or conversations they have had or overheard with their children. It can be heartbreaking to hear stories of young girls, under the age of 8, crying in their bathtubs over being too fat. The book also reminds me of seeing tween girls running around this summer in string bikinis and wondering to myself about the appropriateness of that wardrobe choice. I can remember wanting to blame their mothers for buying them such skimpy and grown-up bathing suits. Who would buy their 11 year old daughter such an overtly sexy bathing suit?

So Sexy So Soon has shifted my view somewhat by pointing out the difficulty that parents have when navigating shopping for clothes with their daughters. Apparently, there are few appropriate choices even available for young girls. How can parents say no when a) it's the only option available or b) it means condeming their child to be socially outcast for wearing something considered dorky or prudish. What will that do to the girl's self-esteem? Why does self-esteem have to be so strongly entwined with appearence for girls? If girls are learning earlier and earlier that they are primarily judged by their appearance, how will they ever grow up to be mentally healthy and successful women?

Miss. H.

Best Books for Halloween

The weather's finally turning seasonal down here, just in time for Halloween! All of these recent 70 degree days have had me more in the mood for a trip to the beach, but tonight I'm finally going to go out and purchase pumpkins and candycorns...yum! I have been known to eat a whole bag of them in one sitting, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it!
And what's better on a cool, crisp fall evening than settling down in front of the fireplace with a scary story or two? I don't read a lot of horror stories, nor do I watch a lot of horror movies, although I have been known to scare the bejeezus out of myself with a once a year showing of The Shining! That movie gets me every time!
In the spirit of one of my favorite holidays, here are a few non-horror favorites to check out this weekend.

1. The Witches by Roald Dahl - love his humor so much more as an adult! As a child, I don't really think I understood how creepy his stories really were. If you're looking for some real fun, read the section about Miss Pratchett in his memoir, Boy, then read The Witches and see how he drew inspiration for fantasy from his real life.
2. The Body by Stephen King - I went through a major Steven King phase during my freshman year of high school...not really sure why...I think I was bored and my brother happened to own a bunch of his books. I never want to read It again (and have never looked at clowns the same way!) But I rediscovered King this summer while reading The Body in preparation for a class that I was supposed to teach. The movie Stand By Me is based on this novella, but the story gets into a lot more character development than the movie does.
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - The dark carnival comes to town and mayhem ensues. There's a dark side in all of us, and Ray Bradbury's out to expose it. Another cool thing about Bradbury - he is a master of constructing incredibly long, complex sentences that help build suspense. If you only know Bradbury for The Illustrated Man and other sci-fi short stories, you'll see a whole new side of him in this novel. Plus, the cool Macbeth reference...
4. Speaking of..., do yourself a favor and go see a professional performance of Macbeth next time you have the opportunity. I truly had forgotten how incredibly messed up this story is until I studied it with my favorite after-school club students last year! Re-reading the play isn't going to do it - grab a few buddies and act out the scenes with the witches or "Out damned spot..." We did some performing of our own, then took an outing to a real production that was the starkest, creepiest show I've ever seen.
5. A Break With Charity or The Witch of Blackbird Pond or The Crucible - When I was eight (and admittedly, I may not have been the most courageous eight year old) my parents took me to The Salem Witch Museum and I didn't sleep for two nights! They turned off all the lights, there was a glowing red circle on the floor filled with diabolical symbols, and a narrator guided us through a series of scenes from Salem's darkest days...the image of Giles Corey being pressed to death was seared into my brain and still makes me shudder. But it also piqued my interest in this event, and I'll still devour any historical fiction about the Salem Witch Trials.

Did I mention that in fifth grade my two best friends and I went through a witch phase...we were pretty convinced that we had (or would someday have) magical powers, but mostly we just hung out in a corner of the playground and pretended to cast spells boys we didn't like...but that's another story altogether...

Happy Halloween everyone!
Rebecca DeWinter

Blast from the Past

Did any of the other madwomen out there read They Cage the Animals at Night? I'm having some serious flashbacks to reading this lovely work by Jennings Michael Burch for summer reading before 8th grade. It's an incredibly heart-warming and heart-breaking autobiography about a boy growing up both in poverty with his family, and in the child welfare system (foster care, group homes, etc).

Between my child welfare class and the book I'm currently working through for pleasure, A Child Called It by David Pelzer, I've been thinking a lot about the aforementioned novel; one of my favorites in middle school. I was wondering if anyone else had read it? If you have and want a similar story (or maybe you just want to get in touch with your inner social worker) I would recommend A Child Called It. It's another autobiography of a boy who is taken from his home, in this case because of extreme abuse and neglect. I'll warn you that it will break your heart to read a lot of his story, but the underlying success, the fact that this boy has become a successful man able to love a family of his own, is really beautiful and hopeful.

Miss. H