(#1) Read 26 Books
1. Firestarter by Stephen King
2. World War Z by Max Brooks
3. Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer
4. Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman
5. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
7. Open House by Elizabeth Berg
8. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
9. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
10. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
11. White Noise by Don DeLillo
12. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
13. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
14. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
15. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
16. Joyland by Stephen King
17. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Our narrator, from the time he is telling the story, is Cal Stephanides. The story is told in retrospect, starting not just from the beginning of Cal's life but from the middle of his grandparents' life. The history aspect can at times be difficult to get through, but by the end you will realize the reason for the epic tale.
Raised as a girl through a somewhat-difficult-to-believe oversight on the part of Callie's doctor, Callie actually has the genitals of both a male and a female. As she grows into a teen, she finds herself to be attracted to other girls- heartbreakingly, to her aloof and fragile best friend "the Obscure Object"- and assumes herself to be a lesbian. After a tractor accident sends her to the ER, Callie's unique characteristics are discovered. Though a specialist identifies her as a female based on certain characteristics, Cal realizes he is a man and runs away to start his new life.
Calliope's journey to Cal is unlike anything I have ever read. I was amazed at how deftly Eugenides was able to make the character come to life, make him so sympathetic and alive that I was totally able throughout the book to understand the two competing persons within Cal. She was a woman, but he was also a man.
Though at times quite graphic in terms of the physical aspects of Cal's situation, I still felt it was handled with sensitivity and nothing that was included was unnecessary (except, perhaps a few pages of Greek history).
The number of themes examined at length in the book are too many to count (as evidenced, among other places, in the length of its Wikipedia article). Gender identity, of course. Nature versus nurture. The relationship between gender and sexuality. Homosexuality versus heterosexuality. Even emigration and cultural identity. All woven together in a delightfully rich tapestry of a novel full of enough surprises to keep you turning the page.
Admittedly, reading this novel is a "ponderous" undertaking. But I know that my perspective on some of the ponderous issues it addresses has forever been shifted. And to me, that's the mark of a great novel.
17. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Our narrator, from the time he is telling the story, is Cal Stephanides. The story is told in retrospect, starting not just from the beginning of Cal's life but from the middle of his grandparents' life. The history aspect can at times be difficult to get through, but by the end you will realize the reason for the epic tale.
Raised as a girl through a somewhat-difficult-to-believe oversight on the part of Callie's doctor, Callie actually has the genitals of both a male and a female. As she grows into a teen, she finds herself to be attracted to other girls- heartbreakingly, to her aloof and fragile best friend "the Obscure Object"- and assumes herself to be a lesbian. After a tractor accident sends her to the ER, Callie's unique characteristics are discovered. Though a specialist identifies her as a female based on certain characteristics, Cal realizes he is a man and runs away to start his new life.
Calliope's journey to Cal is unlike anything I have ever read. I was amazed at how deftly Eugenides was able to make the character come to life, make him so sympathetic and alive that I was totally able throughout the book to understand the two competing persons within Cal. She was a woman, but he was also a man.
Though at times quite graphic in terms of the physical aspects of Cal's situation, I still felt it was handled with sensitivity and nothing that was included was unnecessary (except, perhaps a few pages of Greek history).
The number of themes examined at length in the book are too many to count (as evidenced, among other places, in the length of its Wikipedia article). Gender identity, of course. Nature versus nurture. The relationship between gender and sexuality. Homosexuality versus heterosexuality. Even emigration and cultural identity. All woven together in a delightfully rich tapestry of a novel full of enough surprises to keep you turning the page.
Admittedly, reading this novel is a "ponderous" undertaking. But I know that my perspective on some of the ponderous issues it addresses has forever been shifted. And to me, that's the mark of a great novel.
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