Books: October Update Part 1
Back in March, after I had been at my site a few months, I analyzed the pace at which I was reading books and set an ambitious goal for myself to read 150 books by the end of my 26 months in Senegal. If I kept up my current pace at the time, I would just barely make it to 150 by the end of my service. Since then my reading has ebbed and flowed a bit; I am close to on track.
Being Mortal:
This book I am adding to the list of must-reads for anyone who know someone old (i.e. everyone). In modern American society, death is not commonly discussed. It is often very removed from the eyes of friends and family. The unwillingnes to discuss death openly--on the part of medical profesionals, the elderly, and their loved ones--has created out current predicament where many old people and those with serous illnesses become less fulfilled as they age and die unhappy. In short, our current system of care for the aging and dying does not work on behalf of its patients or their friends and families.
Our system of care for the elderly evolved in small steps over the last two centuries and no longer makes sense for the people it is supposed to be taking care of. In general, modern medicine focuses a majority of its energy on keeping people alive and traditional nursing homes on resident safety. These concerns, while they make logical and bureaucratic sense, do not help the elderly stay happy and fulfilled. There are things more important in life than safety, such as independence (to whatever degree possible) and a sense of purpose. Elderly care in the US medical system is far from perfect, but unfortunately the nostalgic vision of parents living (and dying) in their adult child's home--as they do in my village in Senegal--also does not work in modern American society. Gawande illuminates examples of the above as well as describing pockets of middle ground--assisted living that focuses on patient happiness and the use of hospice care--throughout his book. Most importantly, Gawande provides a framework for how to approach medical care for a loved on that is slowly losing ability or is quickly approaching death.
This is a difficult book to read because of its subject matter, but facing the topic of death (by reading this book and discussing its contents with your loved ones) is much better for everyone in the long run than ignoring it. Being Mortal is a new addition to my short list of the most important books I have read in Senegal.
I have also done some reflecting on this goal, thinking about the purpose of chasing a certain number of books. Books obviously come in varying lengths, so the "number of books read" does not necessarily represent the amount of reading one has done. I have so far done a pretty good job of mixing in slow reads with fast reads, fiction with non-fiction. I found myself sometimes thinking about reaching 150 books rather than really concentrating on what I was reading or picking my books consciously. I recently reminded myself that the goal of 150 books was a completely arbitrary number that I chose. Reading has been a great way for me to take a break from talking to people in site, and I did not want reading to feel like a chore. It goes without saying that I have been reading more books here than during any other period of my life. I love reading and there is so much good stuff out there. The more I read, the faster my list of "books I want to read" expands; I will never get to them all, and I just have to live with that.
I have revised my reading goal for my Peace Corps service. I am planning to continue reading as much as I can, but if I take a few days off here and there it's not a big deal. I made a list of 50 or so more books that I definitely want to read before I leave Senegal; I am going to try and focus my reading for the next many months on this list. I have decided that being slightly more mindful about what I choose to read is important at this stage of my service because my time here is quickly evaporating.
That said, here are the books I have read since my last update and some reviews of notable books. I have split this post into two parts because I deemed many of the books I have read recently worthy of longer blurbs (Part 2 will appear later in November).
American Pastoral:
A wonderfully detailed novel about how a seemingly perfect life can be unraveled by a single event. The Swede has it all--he was the most athletic student in the history of his high school and grew up to take over the family glove-making business. One inexplicable event in his adult life (I won't spoil anything) negates everything he has achieved and he struggles to figure out how to recover his former life. Through the life of the Swede, Roth explores how much control we really have over our lives. The different path everyone takes in life teaches him or her to deal with conflict in contrasting ways that have varying degrees of success. American Pastoral is full of beautiful wandering passages that describe, for example, the intricacies of making ladies' leather gloves and the Swede's unrelenting childhood batting practice imitating The Kid from Tomkinsville. American Pastoral is a great read. I also recommend Phillip Roth's Indignation for those who enjoy this novel.
Shutter Island:
An awesome thriller about a man who goes to investigate an insane asylum on an island off the Boston harbor. I read a quarter of the book one day and was so hooked that I finished it the next day. I watched the movie in Kedougou after reading the book; I am rediscovering the pattern that books are better than movies at least 99% of the time. Shutter Island fits this pattern. The book was much more detailed and intricate. A lot of the little patterns and clues that the main character notices during his investigation were excluded from the movie, and many others were subdued to a great degree. Leonardo DiCaprio performed admirably in the lead role, but the book was much better.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:
Way better than the movie.
The Lost World:
The sequel to Jurassic Park did not live up to its predecessor only because the first book was so good. Despite some repetitive plot points (an island in Costa Rica; herbivores are encountered first; T-rexes start causing trouble; velociraptors are always lurking, looking to pounce), The Lost World was a great read that I had trouble putting down once I got hooked. Definitely worth reading if you liked Jurassic Park. The movie Jurassic Park 2 (based on The Lost World), unfortunately, was a 1-star film. Skip it and read the book instead.
American Pastoral:
A wonderfully detailed novel about how a seemingly perfect life can be unraveled by a single event. The Swede has it all--he was the most athletic student in the history of his high school and grew up to take over the family glove-making business. One inexplicable event in his adult life (I won't spoil anything) negates everything he has achieved and he struggles to figure out how to recover his former life. Through the life of the Swede, Roth explores how much control we really have over our lives. The different path everyone takes in life teaches him or her to deal with conflict in contrasting ways that have varying degrees of success. American Pastoral is full of beautiful wandering passages that describe, for example, the intricacies of making ladies' leather gloves and the Swede's unrelenting childhood batting practice imitating The Kid from Tomkinsville. American Pastoral is a great read. I also recommend Phillip Roth's Indignation for those who enjoy this novel.
Shutter Island:
An awesome thriller about a man who goes to investigate an insane asylum on an island off the Boston harbor. I read a quarter of the book one day and was so hooked that I finished it the next day. I watched the movie in Kedougou after reading the book; I am rediscovering the pattern that books are better than movies at least 99% of the time. Shutter Island fits this pattern. The book was much more detailed and intricate. A lot of the little patterns and clues that the main character notices during his investigation were excluded from the movie, and many others were subdued to a great degree. Leonardo DiCaprio performed admirably in the lead role, but the book was much better.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:
Way better than the movie.
The Lost World:
The sequel to Jurassic Park did not live up to its predecessor only because the first book was so good. Despite some repetitive plot points (an island in Costa Rica; herbivores are encountered first; T-rexes start causing trouble; velociraptors are always lurking, looking to pounce), The Lost World was a great read that I had trouble putting down once I got hooked. Definitely worth reading if you liked Jurassic Park. The movie Jurassic Park 2 (based on The Lost World), unfortunately, was a 1-star film. Skip it and read the book instead.
Being Mortal:
This book I am adding to the list of must-reads for anyone who know someone old (i.e. everyone). In modern American society, death is not commonly discussed. It is often very removed from the eyes of friends and family. The unwillingnes to discuss death openly--on the part of medical profesionals, the elderly, and their loved ones--has created out current predicament where many old people and those with serous illnesses become less fulfilled as they age and die unhappy. In short, our current system of care for the aging and dying does not work on behalf of its patients or their friends and families.
Our system of care for the elderly evolved in small steps over the last two centuries and no longer makes sense for the people it is supposed to be taking care of. In general, modern medicine focuses a majority of its energy on keeping people alive and traditional nursing homes on resident safety. These concerns, while they make logical and bureaucratic sense, do not help the elderly stay happy and fulfilled. There are things more important in life than safety, such as independence (to whatever degree possible) and a sense of purpose. Elderly care in the US medical system is far from perfect, but unfortunately the nostalgic vision of parents living (and dying) in their adult child's home--as they do in my village in Senegal--also does not work in modern American society. Gawande illuminates examples of the above as well as describing pockets of middle ground--assisted living that focuses on patient happiness and the use of hospice care--throughout his book. Most importantly, Gawande provides a framework for how to approach medical care for a loved on that is slowly losing ability or is quickly approaching death.
This is a difficult book to read because of its subject matter, but facing the topic of death (by reading this book and discussing its contents with your loved ones) is much better for everyone in the long run than ignoring it. Being Mortal is a new addition to my short list of the most important books I have read in Senegal.
Hi Tavish,
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are following in your Grandfather's footsteps with your eclectic reading list ( if they were all 2nd hand or from the library then you are even wearing his shoes!) I enjoyed American Pastoral, which I read a few years ago because it was the top pick of a group of American writeres, including Toni Morrison. I actually have make a pair of gloves, on my list of things to do . I"ve already made several pair of shoes and by the way if you come across local shoe makers and you are able to take photos I'd love to see them. Thanks for sharing your Peace Corp experiences with us. Aunt Cherie