The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House

The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House
By Kate Anderson

This is a fascinating look into the residential life of America's most powerful families who inhabit the White House as told through extensive interviews with the household staff - the maids, butlers, chefs, electricians, plumbers, and more. This is a world on which very little light has been shed over the years due to the intense code of secrecy the staff abide by, protecting the intimate details of some of the most public figures. Anderson worked hard to gain trust and access to their stories, and even in 'dishing' the staff she interviewed told very little in the way of salacious gossip or anything harmful to the families they served over the years. Still it is a rare glimpse that shows the strength, vulnerability, humor, and character of these very public presidents and their wives.

For me, just the intense structure in place to safeguard ensure total privacy and protection of the first family was so interesting. When a new president is sworn in, the household staff serve as the movers and move the leaving family out and the new family in - all during the inauguration so when the new first family comes to rest and prepare for the balls they are already moved into their new home. It was also hilarious and astounding to read about the idiosyncrasies of these iconic people - like Lyndon Johnson's obsession with having a shower that sprayed him with scalding water from all direction at the pressure of a fire hose; or Nancy Reagan's tight leash she kept on her husband. This is a fascinating read that is well researched and written in a very readable style.
ZB

The UnAmericans

The UnAmericans
by Molly Antopol
W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. 261 pages. Fiction.

The UnAmericans is a brilliant collection of stories that take you from present day Isreal and America to periods of strife and struggle in Belarus, Russia and beyond. Each setting gives a sharp focused window to people deeply shaped by pivotal historical times and events. Each story is distinct, yet themes of political unrest, persecution, and human connection, and disconnect prevail. There is a visceral emotional quality to each story and it is easy to understand and empathize with the well drawn characters. The pain, fears, triumphs, humor and insights gained through their experiences makes each story feel almost like reading a novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and each story drew me in completely. From the brothers struggling for the love of the same woman, to the young woman striving to reinvent her career as a journalist rather than marrying and settling as her parents wish I felt their yearnings, sorrows, and complex emotions. This is a collection I can see myself returning to again and again like old friends. ZB

Bark

Bark
by Lorrie Moore
Alfred A. Knopf, 2014. 192 pages. Fiction.

Bark is a much anticipated second collection of short stories by Lorrie Moore, heralded as one of America's premier short fiction writers. In these eight stories Moore plumbs a host of heartbreaking situations and the raw emotions of her characters as they navigate divorce, disappointment, mental illness, loss and even a ghost.  Her writing is poetic and in some places almost stream of consciousness, which results in the reader feeling as though they are right in the room/place with the characters. The heavy themes are broken up with strange absurd hilarity and dark humor that sheds life on the idiosyncrasy of American life today.

As you can imagine from that description, this is not a sit down and enjoy it all in one session. These stories are heavy and sometimes painful to read, but Moore is a master of exploring complex dynamics and keeping the reader engage to mostly empathetic characters. That being said it took me awhile to get through this collection, while I enjoyed the writing, I was not excited each night to grab my book and read the next story. ZB

The First Bad Man

The First Bad Man 
By Miranda July
First Scribner, 2015. 276 pages.

Miranda July is a celebrated author, filmmaker, actress, visual and performing artist--basically there isn't a creative field she doesn't excel in. So I was curious to read her first novel (her previous publications have been collections of short stories and several non-fiction books). The First Bad Man is the story of Cheryl, a high strung, eccentric woman in her mid-40's who lives alone, abiding by her own very particular quirks and habits. Suddenly here world is thrown into chaos when her bosses require that she take in their wayward daughter who they cannot control. 21-year-old Clee refuses to abide by any of Cheryl's rules and quickly takes to mocking, insulting and eventually physically bullying Cheryl in her own home. In an even more bizarre turn of events this unhealthy dynamic leads Cheryl to love and the role of mother that she has been chasing since she was nine years old.

This is a very modern book reminiscent in some ways of Dave Eggers, David Foster Wallace or George Saunders. The circumstances and characters feel like hyperbolic versions of reality, and the circumstance too bizarre to be real, and yet achieving in the end a core message that is very relate-able. The writing is filled with hilarious and heartbreaking prose, and July is a master at creating a vivid and detailed world. There is a fair amount of adult content in this novel, and it definitely not for every reader, but if you enjoy somewhat avant garde, literary fiction, this book is for you.

ZB

Coming of Age in Somoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization

Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization
By Margaret Mead
Morrow, 1961. 304 pages. Nonfiction

After reading Euphoria, the novel based somewhat on the famous Anthropologist Margaret Mead, I was curious to read some of Mead's work. Coming of Age in Samoa was her first published work and summarizes nine months of ethnographic study she conducted while living among the Samoan people when she was 23 years old. Mead's particular interest was studying the experience of adolescents in a more primitive, tribal society. She wondered how much of the difficulty experienced by Western youth is owed to culture, and how much is biological. She felt by studying adolescent behavior in a culture so different from American culture she would be able to more fully understand the roles culture and biology play. The result was a ground breaking, seminal work that made her name in the burgeoning field of Anthropology.

The book reads much like a college text (and in fact is a staple of all Anthropology 101 courses) and is divided into chapters where each examines a different part of the adolescent experience. Being female herself, she focused her study on the girls of the tribe since taboos prevented her from having full access to the experiences of adolescent males. Mead has a meticulous and approachable style, and in many ways created a voice that is still used today in ethnography. Throughout the years Coming of Age in Samoa has endured fierce criticism and has been denounced by some other scholars; but by in large these criticisms are largely unfounded and the predominant view is of the value of Mead's contributions to the field of Anthropology. This is an interesting read for those who enjoy scholoarly nonfiction. ZB

Euphoria

Euphoria
By Lily King
Atlantic Monthly, 2014. 256 pages. Fiction.

Set in New Guinea during the early 1930's Euphoria tells the story of anthropologist Andrew Bankson who has gone half mad with loneliness stationed in a remote tribal village in New Guinea; until a chance meeting with fellow anthropologists Nell and Fen pull him from the brink of suicide. Nell and Fen have just abandoned their research, and fled for their lives from the blood thirsty Mumbanyo  tribe, and Andrew finds them a tribe near his that seems like a perfect fit for their continued research. As their research with the artistic, female dominated Tam takes off, the three researchers find themselves in a complicated triangle of intellectual and romantic passion that quickly threatens to spiral out of control.

Based largely on real life of revolutionary anthropologist Margaret Meade, Euphoria tackles complicated issues and questions surrounding fundamental assumptions of the Western interpretations of relationships, and our innate human desire to posses another person, idea, or culture. King asserts masterful story telling through an intricate structure, that shifts from field notes, and the first person observations of Bankson, which weaves the past experiences and upbringing of the characters together to help understand their various reactions to the new cultures in which they are immersed. This is a plot and character driven read, and one that will appeal to readers who enjoy historical and philosophical reads. ZB

Tenth of December: Stories

Tenth of December: Stories
by George Saunders
Random House, 2013. 251 pages. Fiction.

Tenth of December is a glittering collection of borderline absurdest stories that feel almost like a new breed of post modern fairy tales. The stories deal with modern themes of consumerism, capitalism, environmentalism, and others, through primarily domestic situations set slightly in the future. Saunders' style of writing is at first somewhat disorienting using truncated grammar (one story is completely void of definite articles like "the"), and starting most stories in the middle of an unfamiliar situation that the reader slowly comes to understand as they struggle through. But the payoff is worth is. The stories are biting, funny, heartbreaking, and pose interesting and difficult moral, philosophical questions about modern life. His style won't be for everyone, but if you enjoy modern, literary reads, this might be up your alley. ZB

The Lowland

The Lowland
by Jhumpa Lahiri
Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. 339 pages. Fiction

The lowland is a swampy area between two small lakes that flood during the monsoon season in a quite neighborhood in Calcutta where two brothers, two years apart, grow up as best friends. However, as the boys enter adulthood, their distinct personalities lead them on different paths; Udayan becomes deeply involved in a violent Maoist political movement, and secretly marries a girl of his own choosing. Meanwhile the older brother Subhash pursues a PhD in the United States. The brothers maintain a tenuous relationship via letters, but remain constantly in one another's thoughts. One day Subhash receives the news that Udayan has been killed by the police, and comes home to find his parents numb and grief stricken, and Udayan's widow pregnant and living as a servant in his childhood home. He rashly decides to marry his brother's widow to provide her a new life, and become a father to his niece.

Lahiri is a talented story teller, and weaves a heart wrenching story of a family that slowly unravels through a series of tragic events, and then with future generations begins to find some healing and redemption. The characters are complex and compelling--sometimes so relate-able and sometimes utterly baffling. As she slowly shifts between each perspective you build a deeper understanding of each person's choices, and find a degree of empathy for them. This is a character driven story that moves at a stoic pace over several decades. ZB

Everything I Never Told You

Everything I Never Told You
by Celeste Ng
Penguin Press, 2014. 297 pages. Fiction.

The sudden and unexpected death of 16 year old Lydia Lee sends her bi-racial family into an emotional tailspin as they each try to figure out how their seemingly close knit family could have missed the emotional turmoil Lydia felt, that lead to her untimely end. Ng slowly leads the reader from the nearly picture perfect surface of this complex family, through deeper and deeper levels of understanding of the false perceptions, projections, and miss-communication that lurked beneath the surface. The novel deals with themes of race, belonging, expectations, failed dreams, and the difficult dynamics that result as these issues span relationships and generations.

This is not a happy book, as one may ascertain by the themes, but it is a well crafted and captivating read. While at certain points I found some of the relationships slightly one dimensional or over wrought (the mother completely misunderstands Lydia because she is so focused on Lydia becoming the doctor she never was), overall the ideas and complex family dynamics Ng is able to explore are thought provoking and speak experiences that we all struggle with to some extent in our family and personal lives. ZB

We Are Not Ourselves

We Are Not Ourselves
By Matthew Thomas
Simon & Schuster, 2014. 620 pgs. Fiction

We Are Not Ourselves is a take on the classic American novel, tracing the story of a family from through the latter half of the 20th century. Eileen and Ed Leary were both raised in Irish immigrant households in Queens, and in their marriage and personally, aspire to transcend their rough upbringing and provide a different life for their son. Ed is a talented science teacher who cares deeply for providing equal opportunities for disadvantaged students--passing up offers from NYU and the position of Dean in order to keep teaching; while Eileen a nurse who quickly climbs the ranks of administrative duties and dreams of moving their family to the exclusive suburbs north of Manhattan. Ed's lack of upward motivation in his career is a source of great frustration for Eileen, but slowly his entire personality starts to shift as unbeknownst to either of them, Ed develops a very early onset of acute Alzheimer's disease. When he is finally diagnosed, their entire life, and dreams, shift drastically, leaving them all to contemplate and realize what ultimately matters most. 

Books about Alzheimer's and similar disease in families always get to me, as they strike close to home. Thomas is deft in the articulation of the mental, physical, emotional and social changes this condition brings about in the live's of those who have it, and those who love and care for them. The characters are engaging, frustrating, and endearing and your heart breaks for each as they struggle through the most human of circumstances we all can relate to. This is a beautifully written, emotionally deep book that is very character driven, and follows a somewhat slow, but steady plot. ZB 

Lila

Lila

by Marilynne Robinson

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014. 261 pages. Fiction

Lila is the third in a related series by Robinson (first is Gilead and second is Home) exploring the characters of Gilead, a small Iowa town. This book is told through the lens of Lila, a quasi-orphaned drifter who finds her way to the town, and unexpectedly into the heart and home of aging widowed preacher Ames. For the first time in her life she finds herself in a stable, loving environment; and she struggles to trust, to stay put, and to reconcile the tragedy of her earlier life with the peace and gentle Christian view of her husband and new home. 

Robinson is know for her deeply meditative, language and character driven books that quietly and slowly carve their way through beautiful prose and profound ideas. Lila is no exception. It is a gorgeously crafted book that often left me in deep thought on essential question about life, it's meaning, and injustices. It is not fast paced or plot driven, but certainly a compelling and worthwhile read, especially for fans of Robinson's work. ZB

Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact

Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact
By Neylan McBaine
Greg Kofford Books, 2014. 189 pgs. Non-Fiction

This is a timely, thoughtful, and inspiring book written in a moment when gender issues are a source of great conversation and rapid change in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Neylan McBaine writes from the perspective of a woman deeply devoted to the LDS faith, but takes an honest look at the issues and complications surrounding gender issues within the church. The purpose of her book is to bring understanding and compassion to the issues, and discuss real applicable changes that can be made within the church at a local level regardless of any large scale changes (ie women being given the priesthood, or a revision of the Church Handbook).

As a LDS woman, I personally found this book riveting and recognize in McBaine a kindred spirit. I was so impressed with her intelligence, grace, generosity of spirit and faith and found myself more inspired to contribute towards greater understanding within my own local congregation. McBaine speaks authoritatively (she is the founder of the Mormon Women Project and works as a brand strategist for Bonneville Communications) and personally interviewed hundreds of Mormon women and men ensuring she relied on authentic voices and impecable scholarly research in writing this book. I highly recommend this book for any person in the LDS church, especially those in leadership positions. It is illuminating, inspiring, and filled with practical questions and ideas.

ZB

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friend: Confessions of a Reality Show Villan

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friend: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain
By Courtney Robertson
It Books, 2014. 272 pgs. Non-Fiction

I must first give the disclaimer that I am a) embarrassed I  read this book, and b) that I read this book because it is about a reality show I watch that I'm embarrassed to admit I watch . . . The Bachelor (and Bachelorette while I'm being honest). I am new to watching Bachelor franchise shows, so I did not see the season where Courtney Robertson earned the title of 'the Black Widow', and the most heinous villain of reality TV through her snarky comments and inability to get along with the other girls; but ultimately won the heart and proposal of bachelor Ben. But I still wanted to read it to get the inside scoop on how the process works, and if it's 'real' or not.

Courtney tells all, and gives details on the whole process and does ultimately confess that it was very real, and that she did fall in love. She also gives a lot of explanations for her actions during the show, the aftermath of said actions when the show aired, and all the gory details of her prolonged break up with Ben. All in all it was a quick, fluffy, guilty pleasure read that I tore through in one sitting. There is some mature content as Courtney does not spare any details on her relationship with Ben and previous boyfriends.

ZB

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See
By Anthony Doerr
Scribner, 2014. 544 pgs. Historical Fiction

This book deserves all the herald and acclaim it has received since it's publication earlier this year. All the Light We Cannot See is a sublime novel, set in WWII primarily in Germany and France as it darts back and forth between the deep interior lives of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, an orphaned boy with a genius for mechanics whose talent is employed at a brutal Hitler Youth school. The novel is structured in a staccato back and forth between these two characters in brief, perfect bites of chapters; and also weaves between two time periods, slowly bringing the characters closer and closer to the point of perfect meeting. There is a subplot of a rare gem, The Sea of Flames, that Marie-Laure's father has been charged with protecting; and a radio program that turns to a resistance tool, both of which serve to unearth both the animal and human in the characters.

Doerr infuses the novel with searching questions about what we all do in extreme situations, and how to interpret the atrocities of war against the background of the antiquity of the earth, without being overt or dogmatic at any point. The characters are so intricately drawn that you feel them at a gut almost visceral level. The writing is so well crafted and perfectly tempered that it completely immerses you and proves a powerful tool to convey deep meaning. This is a book that profoundly moved me, and one I feel I will return to again and again.

ZB

The Last Illusion

The Last Illusion
By Porchista Khakpour

There is an ancient Persian myth about a boy named Zal, born of a king, but raised by a large bird because his father is horrified when Zal is born an albino. The Last Illusion is a brilliant re-imagining of this myth taking place in the last years of the 20th century and culminating in the tragedy of September 11th in New York City. The contemporary Zal is born in Iran to an elderly couple, and his father dies before he is born. His mother is already sliding into dementia, and when she sees her albino son she believes he is cursed. She calls him the white demon, and puts the infant in a bird cage in her courtyard filled with her precious pet birds. Zal grows up eating seeds, squawking instead of speaking, and wondering why he cannot fly like his brothers and sisters. Eventually Zal is discovered and adopted by an American psychologist who specializes in feral children, and is taken to live in New York City where he slowly attempts to become 'normal'.

This beautifully rendered story brings up questions about what the lines are between crazy, normal, and everything between. Zal in befriended by an illusionist who is going to make the twin towers disappear for his last great illusion; and a girl who makes artwork out of dead birds, and is plagued with premonitions of an imminent disaster that no one believes. The story boarders on absurdity from time to time, but the humanity and dimension Khakpour gives her characters somehow holds it back from spinning into chaos and instead imbues it with an atmosphere of magical realism.

ZB

Thunderstruck

Thunderstruck 
By Elizabeth McCracken

Thunderstruck is a powerful collection of short stories by one of America's best contemporary literary fiction writers, Elizabeth McCracken (The Giant's House). Each story has a strong undercurrent of profound pain and loss, interwoven with shimmering moments of joy, humor and beauty. The characters and circumstances in many cases boarder on absurdity, but are just rooted enough in reality to lend a sharp sense of recognition to the reader. 

There is the story of the mother so over come by the grief of her daughter's death that she boards up her room. In "The Lost & Found Department of Greater Boston," a woman goes missing, leaving a young boy behind and a mystery that fascinates the manager of a local grocery store. And the title story "Thunderstruck," parents struggling to control a free spirited daughter decide to flee to Paris for a summer, which culminates in a tragedy so deep the family is nearly torn apart by it. Each story is rich, dense and potent, and I had to take breaks between each to let them percolate before going back for more. 

ZB

White Tiger

The White Tiger
By Aravind Adiga
Free Press, 2008. 304 pgs.


The white tiger is rare in the animal kingdom, and so is Balram Halwai, who narrates his own entrepreneurial ascension in this fierce, darkly comedic novel. In his open letter to a visiting Chinese dignitary, who wants to learn about true entrepreneurs in India, Balram shows a side of India that is quite different from other currently reigning literary Indian voices. This is the India of impoverished small villages, of servants (modern slavery), government corruption, derelict education systems, caste, and of the depravity human nature can stoop too when continually forced into these conditions. Having traveled in India myself, I found Adiga's descriptions to be heart-breakingly accurate.


Adiga's writing is sharp, clever, and compelling as he tells a modern day 'Crime and Punishment' story following the events that lead Balram to murder his boss. And yet like Raskolnikov, and Rushdie's Saleem Sinai; Adiga's Balram is every man, he is the voice of the down trodden of India and his experience is that of every Indian. The White Tiger is haunting, startling, and captivating. A must read for anyone interested in gaining insight to one of the rising super powers of the world.

ZB

Astonish Me

Astonish Me

By Maggie Shipstead

Alfred Knopf, 2014. 253 pgs. 

Maggie Shipstead's second novel Astonish Me is nothing short of astonishing. I read her first (Seating Arrangements), which I like well enough, but here she emerges to a new level of writing with brilliant pacing, tempo and execution. I enjoyed every moment of reading this book and was struck by the sparse, exacting style that she has perfected.

The story centers around the ballet world spanning the last four decades and loosely based on the real life stories of Mikhail Baryshnikov (a famous male dancer who defected from the USSR) and George Balanchine (a famous choreographer who also came from Russia and was the director of the New York City Ballet for years and attributed as the father of the American style). Through this world of intense dedication, single focus, precision, and beauty emerges a story that unfolds with the drama, intensity, and brilliance of a ballet. The narrative jumps back in forth in time, slowly building like a swell of music, and crescendos with a confluence of relationships that are both highly dysfunctional, and perfectly choreographed. 

ZB

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
By Ann Pachett
Harper, 2013. 306 pgs. Non-Fiction

Ann Pachett is a well known and celebrated contemporary author of both literary fiction (The Patron Saint of Liars, The Magician's Assistant, Bel Canto, Age of Wonders) and non-fiction (Truth & Beauty) and owner of Parnassus Books, an independent bookstore in Nashville, TN and online. Like most great writers, Pachett did not immediately find international success that launched her career as a novelist, and for many years she did a large amount of essay and article writing for all types of magazines from her start at Seventeen, and foray in bridal magazines, to Harpers, The Atlantic, and on to support her novel writing. This book is a collection of the best essays she's published over the years with a few additional new ones.

The essays range in length, subject and tone, but Pachett's clear, direct voice is enjoyable despite whether she is writing about the process of writing itself, or describing the time she spent training, preparing and passing the LAPD Police Academy physical and written test in order to fully research for a book she wanted to write. She is smart, insightful, and leaves room for the reader's own thoughts and opinions to filter through her experience. Both writers and non-writers alike will find valuable insights and wisdom here. ZB

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards
By Kristopher Jansma
Viking, 2013. 254 pgs. Fiction
This is a story about a story about a story. Jansma, in his debut novel creates a stunning literary work that layers truth and fiction in surprising and new ways steeped in the style, tones, and tropes of the great authors of the literary tradition. At one moment he is Hemingway, the next Ibsen, and then Tolstoy. His prose is detailed and nuanced, his characters infuriating and compelling, his plot a cipher leading to interesting and though provoking questions. 

To try to describe the plot would be confusing both for me and for you as Jansma weaves in and out of multiple realities and it is difficult as the reader to discern and remember which details belong in which reality. This maneuvering is intentional and serves to illustrate the larger theme and question of the book- what is truth and what is fiction? What makes us ourselves? Can we change our spots? 'Tell the truth but tell it slant' said Dickenson, and Jansma does so with great skill. ZB