Drabble Geeks

Geeks…Being Total Geeks.

Tag: historical

From the Lower Rung

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I’ve been on a slight nonfiction kick, so be prepared to learn for a bit. While I entered this book knowing I would most likely learn something, I never expected to learn as much as I did. Sure, I read the summary and synopsis, but that did not prepare me for the brain blasts I had multiple times and the profound effect this would have more me. The most recent book to add to my list was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.

For those who don’t feel like reading the summary, this experience argues, quite effectively, I might add, that America was built on a caste system. It does this by comparing the historically well-known and long-lasting caste system found in India, as well as the short-lived one that is the Nazi occupation of Germany, by bringing up the eight pillars: divine will, heritability, endogamy, purity, occupation hierarchy, dehumanization, terror as enforcement, and inherent superiority. This book discusses many historical facts that I had never heard about but is both surprising to never hear about and not surprising that it was covered up. One surprising fact was that the dehumanization of people in Europe during the Nazi occupation was based on the horrendous Jim Crowe laws that proliferated through society after the American Civil War, but then again, why not copy a system that has been shown to work.

Yes, there are some antidotes directly from the author, but I agree that this is necessary since history is built on the human experience. As another African American female, I felt many of the antidotes on a spiritual level, as I have felt many similar feelings in similar experiences. On top of hearing this compelling argument, it also speaks to my experiences, which probably made it a more profound experience for me. There are also other perspectives that should be heard from this book. That is why I would recommend anyone interested in the systemic racial structuring of the United States to read this book. It is a perspective that I never thought of before, and it completely made sense to me.

The Circus Life is Not For Me

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I tried my hand at another book centered around the circus. I thought it would be decent, seeing as there was a movie made based on the book. I thought it would be a cutesy romance, because that was what I saw in the movie trailers. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen was an experience that will be hard to replicate.

This books shows what is portrayed by the author as a true experience behind the circus in the 30s, I think. (I don’t remember if we were given an actual date.) It’s not the glitz and glam that is often portrayed in stories, although there is a nostalgic factor coming from the protagonist flowing throughout. From many of the characters, the circus is truly a horrifying experience, but it’s the only thing that they have. The romance sprinkled throughout is the only light at the end of the tunnel. But that’s what I think makes it more satisfying in the end. I was honestly cheering at the end.

This book is more on the mature side that I was expecting. There is lots of offensive language, some explicit sexual content, and animal abuse (hey, it’s the circus). Do take care while reading. And then please tell me who is your favorite character and why it is Rosie.

The course of true love…

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…never was this confusing as it is portrayed in Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. That is if love is just the spitting of words on the page and no actual course of where it is going throughout the timeline. For lack of a better phrase, this love triangle explores a world that really can only happen in the past with strange gender roles and political arguments that mark the time that it occurs within. Don’t go outside of your class. Outside of your husband, you really don’t have anything. You better marry before the age of 21, even though you are still immature and really shouldn’t be getting into a serious relationship with someone significantly older than you. You know, the usual.

While this book is a mental roller coaster with many things going on at once, it is a good read, as long as you don’t overthink it. There are racist themes that you can miss if you don’t look up what some words mean, some very strange views on sex and sexual assault from both male and female characters that can be pretty mind-boggling, and too much talk about what occurs in the bathroom. Honestly, a “romance” novel should not spend as much time in the bathroom as this one does. That might have been the strangest part of all of this. Overall, it was a good book if you like period pieces, although I do not know how accurate it is to the setting. A very absorbing story that is hard to put down.

So It Goes

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I’ve been sitting with a blank screen for an hour trying to truly capture how I felt about this book. I feel that I should begin by saying that I, for the most part, hate any story that talks about World War II from an American point of view. I usually find it very disrespectful considering the country’s many flaws that took place over that period of time and celebrates their involvement way too much. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a welcome reprieve from the glory that usually comes from talking about war.

This book is the story of a prisoner of war by a prisoner of war. What I love is that this goes into the dark and gritty reality of war. War sucks, no matter what side you’re on, and does not deserve to be glorified. I think this book is an amazing representation what should be shown when discussing the realities that we live in. I definitely will need to read this again to make sure that I got all the messages this book was trying to convey. I definitely recommend any one to read this book. It was a beautiful read that I will have to get back to again.

Life’s Treasure Hunt

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Seeing the world in the eyes of a child can be both magical and heartbreaking. Especially when you are aware of how heartbreaking the entire story may be. As a millennial, at least I think I am one, my life was revolved around the after-effects of 9-11 and the most recent War on Nouns. This book contains one such tragic story.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer tells the story of Oskar, a child who is trying to find meaning and some way of connecting to his dad after his tragic’s death. Through this child’s eyes and as he connects with others to try and figure out the one mystery that may “complete” his life, you are left with heartbreaking moments as you discover other “childish” characters who seem to be unable to let go of that past. Because that might be the meaning that we are all looking for: a way of trying to live after the darkest of times.

Adding Horror to the 60s Pt 1

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Spoopy season is continued by my reading of seemingly connected horror stories. I’ve taken the adage to heart: if they make an adaptation, it must be good. I’m confident that no one has said that, but I’m pretty sure that is the only reason why I’m reading Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff was turned into a TV show. So far, the book is fantastic. I do not want to put the book down between stories, but I have tests to study for and experiments to conduct.

One thing that I love about the book is that stories revolve around Black people. It varies rare to consume something within the genre that doesn’t evolve all the black people dying or lasting the entire situation only to die at the end. Giving the setting of 1960s America, the realism of the characterization and character interaction adds to the horror in a very Get Out way. If that movie was not an inspiration in some way, I would be surprised. I guess I’ll have to wait a bit to get through the rest of the saga.

Cold Reality

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Books have a way of punching you in the face, leaving you bleeding, and coming back for more to kick you while you are down. This is how Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck made me feel so many things within a short timeframe. I was one of those people who was someone who wasn’t spoiled, but this was a remarkable story.

This was short and sweet and so beautifully written. I could visually see everything with how descriptive the setting was. I would consider this must-read, but do consider the period this story was written. There is some language that is no longer acceptable.

When the Movie is as Good as the Book

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Recently I have finished reading The Princess Bride, the book that I have been meaning to read for a long time, but never did. Now that I have, I’m upset that I never did before. Can I say it was anything other than amazing? At this point, I’m going to cross between the book and the movie, because how can I not. I have seen the movie so many times, and I always loved it. I think that the reason that I didn’t read the book was that I didn’t want to hate the movie after reading the book. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The book was amazing, and it just made me love the movie even more, especially when I noticed lines of dialogue that I remember word for word from the movie (you know, that one thing that every fangirl and fanboy rejoices over). The one part of the book that I wasn’t a fan of was when the author would butt into the story. Since the book version that is well known is the abridged “good parts” version, it was helpful when the author explains why he took things out of the book (because there was apparently entire chapters were nothing happened). Other times… he spoils the plot. Had I not watched the movie, there are things that I wouldn’t expect from the genre. It was annoying, but I knew I wasn’t as annoyed as I would have been had I never learned the plot before. Since that is my only grievance, you can honestly skip his notes and pretty much miss nothing. Also, about halfway through the book, he says that he wrote an extra scene. There is no extra scene because of legal issues. If you look for it, all you will find is an apology letter. Trust me, I tried to look for it. But I would definitely recommend that you read this book.

Also, if you have some books that you would like my take on, recommend it to be in the comments. I’m always looking for books to read (even if there are about 1500 books currently on my GoodReads to-read list (I’m not even ashamed about that)). Also, if you want to check out my lists of books, go right ahead. Just know, my book list is a no-judgment zone.

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