THUMBS UP FOR
"Death Comes for the Archbishop" by Willa Cather
AND PROPOSAL FOR
"Blindness" by Jose Saramago

The reason why I support the former is similar to why I am proposing the latter. These two books as well as "Time's Arrow", "The Black Book" and "Killer Angels" all share a common themes of Identity, Faith and Terror. They also have a great span, Saramago is portugese, we also have two Americans, a Turkish and a British writer. I feel the discussion of these books would gel together on the common themse, while their very distinct styles will keep everyone on their toes.
So about Blindness:
"...In an unnamed city in an unnamed country, a man sitting in his car waiting for a traffic light to change is suddenly struck blind. But instead of being plunged into darkness, this man sees everything white..."
What I loved about reading Saramago was his style and imagery, however I realized that there were serious issues of faith that he raises that I was just looking over. I am hoping that Jenna or anyone else with theological interests picks up on this and contributes. You can also read this just to see what happens to the world when everyone goes suddenly blind.
  posted by Feliks @ 5:18:00 PM

 
BOOK PROPOSAL:
"Death Comes for the Archbishop" by Willa Cather

For quite some time I have been fascinated with this writer and have enjoyed examining most of her body of work. Cather wrote 13 novels, all of which are concerned, in one way or another, with place. Many regions of the country claim Cather as their own (the Southwest, the Midwest, the East, Canada), mostly because the land becomes one of the primary characters in each of Cather's works. She wrote about many regions, not by moving the same people or problems to different places but by examining the way the natural environment impacts the outcome of people's lives. Her view of the land corresponds very much to the view of those living on the frontier--she writes about it with almost religious reverence.

Because of this, Death Comes ... is one of her most compelling works. It's the story of two French priests who've come establish the New Mexican diocese in the late 19th century--a problematic territory that readily accepts the mystic aspects of Christianity but bucks its tendency to simplify life's complexities. But the main concern of the book is the Archbishop's life--how his youth and tenacity are transformed by his encounters with loneliness, hypocrisy, frustration, and the realization that his God looks very different in quiet French provinces than in the grace and brutality of the desert. The framing of this novel into the span of a lifetime as well as its concern with internal conflict makes me think it would be an excellent addition to our reading list.
  posted by jnuh @ 3:56:00 PM

 
THUMBS UP FOR:
"The Black Book" by Orhan Pamuk

For me the point of this group is getting beyond what's taught in our schools, both in terms of books and methods. This book sounds exciting. What would be great though, is if by the time we start reading it Alex P. could do a little research on it. Good things to know are how long would it take for us to read it, any background on culture or history we ought to know before or after reading the book, and any personal insight from your experience reading. Of course you wouldn't be able to say as much as you could about Crime and Punishment but we are not asking for ten weeks of lectures. I would encourage everyone else on the list to introduce books that are challenging but also fun, it's the summer after all.
  posted by Feliks @ 2:45:00 AM

 
So it's funny that Maureen would ask some of us to "revisit" Brave New World cuz Huxley actually wrote a series of essays as a follow-up to the novel called Brave New World Revisited. That aside, I have to say that I'd be up for some Brave New World action. I read it last in high school (when I was in my negative utopia phase) and I'd love to see how I respond to it now, having nearly completed four years of college. ...What do others think about BNW?

And I have another question for discussion. While I'm still wanting to use The Killer Angels as one of my books, I'm wondering what you guys would prefer for my second. On the one hand, I could do a dense, traditional academic text, one that I have studied and might have some special insight on. For instance, I could choose Crime and Punishment, which I studied extensively both for a class and for my junior paper. Or I could do something like Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus, an absolutely amazing novel which is difficult to get through and which works on many a level. But I've had a great class on it, and I could probably help people through it and expand their appreciation of it.
Pros: Read the classic you haven't read yet; Insider knowledge on a difficult classic
Cons: You could could take a class on these in college; The insider knowledge can't be as good or as extensive as the knowledge you would get in a class; Not the best summer books

On the other hand, I choose a more obscure book that you probably wouldn't otherwise run across. I have in mind something like the Black Book by Orhan Pamuk, Turkey's premiere author. Although his most recent book My Name Is Red was much acclaimed, I doubt that too many people - especially people our age - know about him. (I have a pretty unbelievable story about how I ran across him. But to hear it would be as exciting as hearing about someone's dream.)
Pros: Expand your horizons with something outside the normal Canon; perhaps a bit lighter than the above books, hence better for the summer.
Cons: I could provide litte more than what you could get on your own, if anything more at all

So start discussing! If we can get a sense of what everyone wants, then we can all better choose our books. We don't want to be stuck discussing video game manuals or anything...
  posted by Alex @ 12:38:00 AM

 
BOOK PROPOSAL:
Martin Amis's "Times Arrow"

The book begins on the operating table in a hospital. The premise: Our narrator is trapped in the body of a man, and is observing his life backwards, hence time's arrow. The narrator takes us from the mediocrities of old age to the twisted past of the book's main character. This is, in my opinion, the greatest book written about terror. It is as fast and enjoyable as it is thoughtful and terrifying. I would focus our discussion on Amis's style and plot choices. (I would read this instead of "the Information" if it gets more support. I am very interested in Time as a subject for discussion. Would anyone like to collaborate on presenting "A Wrinkle in Time" series books? I think these would be great to read.)

  posted by Feliks @ 6:04:00 PM

 
(Athletic) Support for:
"Time's Arrow" by Martin Amis

I don't want this to become some kind of 'Big Problems' War class we're doing over the summer, but I'm also not going to shake my head at this one cuz it's another war book. After 5-minutes of research, actually, I agree with the dictator that this book is well worth our attention. It looks good and stylistically different (and that's just the cover). Let's do it!
  posted by Alex @ 12:29:00 AM

 
*From the Administrator* (hehe)
After reading Maureen's astute assessment of our general geekiness, I'll stick to business: Posts not pertaining directly to our little summer reading venture will be left up for a day or so (mostly for my personal amusement). After that, I will be saving them to a separate file and deleting them from the blog. If anyone would like to read a lot of pointless (but oh-so-funny!) babble, let me know, and I can send you the complete archives of Read America! Also, if you'd like to see a list of the people participating and the books they've recommended, I can email that as well. Happy proposing!

(an aside:
once you successfully join the blog, please post to say "hi" and let me know you've arrived safely.)
  posted by jnuh @ 1:49:00 PM

 
THUMBS UP FOR:
"The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara"
As an American History Major I have to give a thumbs up for Alex Pile's proposal. I'm also thinking of changing my proposal from "The Information" to "Time's Arrow" (also by Amis) . This book also deals with war and terror, although in a much quirkier post-modernist way (everything happens backwards). War seems to be on everyone's mind these days and it should stir up lots of good discussion.
  posted by Feliks @ 1:22:00 PM

 
BOOK PROPOSAL:
"The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara

This underdog winner of the 1975 Pulitzer Prize is a historical novel covering four days of the Civil War's battle of Gettysburg. But Shaara does not simply retell the historical facts of those crucial days. Rather he studied the diaries and journals of the officers - concentrating mainly on Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet - in order to recreate their thoughts, emotions, and experiences during the battle. The Killer Angels, therefore, is an uncommonly personal account of the battle that is praised as being more informative - and of course, engrossing - than any history book on the same subject.

In fact, Michael Shaara's technique is so amazing that his son Jeff Shaara has followed in his footsteps. Among his books are a prequel and sequel to The Killer's Angels - Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, respectively. Gods and Generals may ring a bell because it was just produced and released as a major motion picture, which may or may not have been worth watching. ...Moreover, Jeff Shaara has a website (www.jeffshaara.com) where he talks about and sells personalized copies of his and his father's books.

I haven't read The Killer Angels, but I have listened to about half the book-on-tape. Never before had I hoped that a long car trip could have been twice as long. This book is incredible. Everyone I know who as read it or heard all the book on tape loves it. Personally, I have a kind of fascination with the Civil War, and if Robert E. Lee isn't a hero of mine, he certainly has my utmost respect. I propose that we read The Killer Angels this summer. Without a doubt, we'll be captivated by it, and who knows, maybe we'll even learn something while we're at it.
  posted by Alex @ 1:07:00 PM