“I think we’re in ::name of town that served as the locale for the reception::”

“Oh. Where the hell is that?” he asked, searching his iPhone for the nearest major highway, and directions on how to get to his next destination.

“Hah, sorry. I’m from Jersey, I have no idea.”

::Mocking disgusted face:: “Oh, how does it feel being from the armpit of America?”

Rewind…my boyfriend and I in the car driving to the wedding. This nearly two-hour drive took us as far out of recognizable civilization I had ever been. There were literally “towns” that consisted of two houses and a gas station across the road. There were no sidestreets. No schools. No grocery stores. A few restaurants and an old, dilapidated hotel, yes. But these seemed to be the only gathering places for tens of miles. The state of some of the homes, the utter lack of human presence and, admittedly, the dreary overcast day was making for an underwhelming drive.

Mind you, I mean no disrespect to small-town America. And I’m aware that people choose to lead simpler lives in the country, away from the hubub of cities and mind-numbing traffic. Raised by parents who’d rather spend a week at a campsite than in the Carribean, I’ve always had an appreciation for an abundance of trees over concrete. I’ve never judged a place just by the name. And I certainly have never disparaged a place that someone else calls home.

This table mate (along with a myriad of other Jersey critics) had only ever seen NJ from the view of the turnpike. He admitted to me that he, himself, has no strong opinion against us, per se: “It’s just cool to hate New Jersey.”

And the thing is, he’s right. The default reaction to our state is a scrunched up face and a sympathetic dig. I’ll never understand it, but here I’ll add everything I should have said when he asked me how I managed these 27 years coming from such a terrible place…

I’m immensely greatful for my upbringing near the ocean. A house in the “sticks” of Central Jersey. Living an hour from New York City and an hour from Philadelphia. And, since I was baby, camping at the Delaware Water Gap, fishing and swimming in the small, untouched and unspoiled, glenns nestled deep into the woods. On any given day I could see a movie, shop at one of several malls, eat at one of many diners, go bowling, play mini golf or hop a train to one of two major cities. When I was in my early twenties, and ready for more elaborate adventures, it was an hour’s drive to an airport to anywhere. 9.5 hours from walking out my front door, I touched down in Rome, Italy. The next day I was on a boat headed to Greece. And even while traveling abroad, my affection for the Garden State never wavered. I may not stay here forever, but I will maintain my whole life…that New Jersey is a glorious place to call home. So how do I feel about living in America’s armpit? I feel pretty good about it. What’s great about where you’re from?

I’d like to start with the role modeling.

I’ll begin with Twilight, book 1. ::Lest you think I’m nothing but an angry feminist, let me start by saying that after finishing the entire series, I have a loving place in my heart for Bella Swan::
Twilight opens with Bella leaving her warm, sunny home in Phoenix, Arizona. She’s off to live with her dad in rainy, gray Forks, Washington. Bella is less than thrilled about the move, but she quietly accepts her fate. From the beginning, Bella is characterized as a martyr. In a way, She is a relatable, strong, self sacrificing girl, putting everyone’s needs above  her own.

For me, the ‘strong, independent woman’ vibe tapers off here.

Perhaps I was never supposed to come into Twilight with Buffy the Vampire Slayer so firmly in my mind. It happens to have been my favorite TV show of all time. (And I know, especially among Twilight fans, I’m not alone in that.) Nevertheless, I assumed that I would see traces of Buffy Summers in Bella Swan. It must’ve been the whole ‘exceptionally strong female character falls head over heels for the bad-boy arch enemy. But as Twilight moved forward, Bella seemed more like season 1 Willow ‘weepy’ Rosenberg than vamp-ass kicking Buffy.

This is because, almost immediately after arriving in Forks, Bella locks eyes with Edward Cullen, a mysteriously dangerous and desirable classmate. She is transformed into a hopeless, drooling school girl. Even as Edward shoots her dirty looks, attempts to switch out of a class they have together, and is openly hostile toward her, Bella falls harder and harder for him.

Of course, the reader is aware before Bella is that Edward is a member of a family of vampires. (Note: Here is a similarity to the Buffy-verse. Meyer’s audience is meant to accept, immediately upon aquiring this knowledge, that vampires not only exist, the world is chock full of them!) What is uncommon about Edward and his ‘family’ is that they strive to be good citizens and drink only 4-legged animal blood. Unfortunately, Bella’s blood in particular seems to be a kind of heroin for Edward, and it’s all he can do not to kill her. Yikes!

Super awesome instincts, Bella! Not only is she not running for her life from her would-be murderer, but when she finds out what he really is (and what he really could do to her) she becomes even less afraid of him.
Not only that, but as the story develops, and Edward and Bella fall uncontrollably in love, Edward becomes the epitome of ‘hot and cold’ confusion. He pulls her tight into his arms one moment, and fights off her romantic advances the next. This leaves the girl with a complex, and yet an inability to keep her distance.

I’m not cold-hearted. I do accept at this point that Bella and Edward are soul mates; that I am reading a YA ficiton novel; and that this minor obstacle is symbolic of the millions of genuine issues facing young people in love. I still think Meyer could’ve treated Bella as a bit less sensitive, and perhaps given her a better identifying marker than…extreme clumsiness. Physically and emotionally, the Bella Swan in Twilight (book 1) is simply a little girl who needs rescuing.

Next up: Searching for the sexiness in Meyer’s “sexy vampire novel”.

Let me start by saying I’m a big fan of the “End of the World” genre. I enjoy watching/reading anything dealing with killer asteroids or plague epidemics. Theoretical world-ending bombs, that sort of thing. I don’t have an explanation for it, and I don’t think of myself as a strangely morbid individual. Clearly I’m not alone, because there seems to be an increasing market for this multi media topic. Perhaps it harkens to that theory (or maybe accepted fact) that people want to be scared. Horror film buffs, roller coaster enthusiasts, sky divers, ouija board aficianados…they all love the adrenaline rush. And it’s an interesting connection between genuine fear and the pleasure we derive from it. Of course, these are all hobbies of people’s choosing and do not involve any intentional threat to their lives. And that is where the premise of The World Without Us falls for me.

What happens to our worldly additions when we’re no longer here? This is assuming that all humans have left the earth by some mass extinction before society was able to deteriorate, thereby neglecting or destroying our massive buildings and land alterations. My first question is one that the author addresses in the beginning of the book- what are the odds that we would all leave at once? And, if we did, what are the odds that our killer would be big enough to take us and not our structures, house pets or any other animals? Slim to none. But Alan Weisman’s purpose is not to make mass human destruction-by-epidemic seem plausible, so much as to make it provocative.

He does a good job. The World Without Us is a good read with an intriguing topic. The most interesting pieces bookend Weisman’s cautionary tale, the beginning being about losing our cities and domestic pets to wild animals; the end deals with the inevitable, if prolonged loss of man-made landmarks. In fact, these parts were considered so page-turning to television producers, that The History Channel recently aired TV’s answer to World, Life After People.

Somewhere toward the middle of the book, the story turns to plastics. This was the more difficult piece to get through, primarily because it is the only aspect of our legacy that has no hope of a positive turnaround. Basically, when it comes to plastics, Earth can’t undo our mistake. Because it will never disappear, all of the plastic that exists on our planet at the time of our departure will continue to break down into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming dangerous to smaller and smaller organisms, but never go away.

However, even the slow and slightly depressing chapters don’t ruin the book as a whole. The message is important, and there are plenty of “wow” statements that will keep the reader interested. For example, the length of time it will take to erase the faces on Mount Rushmore, the visual of a future ocean turned green with sea turtles, and the resistance of the Hoover Dam to crumble are all astounding talking points. Overall, a good addition to your bookshelf!

I have become enamored with Kid Nation (CBS). I first heard of it 3 episodes into its run, and from what I was hearing, people had generally dismissed the show before the first episode aired. Words like “Controversial” and “Exploitation” were being thrown around as if the premise were unfair or unconstitional. I say, the parents/guardians of these children all got on board to sign them up, so why should viewers care if the kids are being put into over-dramatic situations or being portrayed unfairly?

Here’s the story: 40 kids, 40 days. Ages 9-14(15?). They are attempting to make a functional community in a fictional ghost town that supposedly failed in the 19 century. “Bonanza City”, New Mexico. The kids are split up into 4 social classes and the community is run by 4 council members: one for each color-coded district. They work, they clean, they cook, they kill their own chickens. Every couple of days there is a physical challenge meant to relate to real life challenges the “town” faced in the 1800s before it went under. If the challenges are completed successfully, a reward is given to the town. The council of 4 has to choose between 2 rewards. One is always a fun, immediately satisfying reward, and the other is a more subdued, responsible “adult” reward. And ALMOST always, the council chooses the responsible reward. An exception was this past week, when they chose an “Old West Arcade” instead of a fully stocked town library.

If I had one problem with the show at all, it would be exemplified with the arcade. Some previous “fun” rewards were a town nightclub, town barbeque, and “Old West” washing machines (electric). I was originally under the impression that one of the cornerstones of Kid Nation was the fact that these Millenium Generation-ers had to get by for over a month with no TV or electric luxuries. But I guess they need a little slack somewhere.

As far as social experiments go, I think this one is really interesting. As far as reality shows go, It’s comparable to the first season of The Real World. All of the kids in the Nation come from different places, different backgrounds, with different hobbies and skills. They also clearly come from different social groups, and it’s intriguing to watch them work together toward one goal. Could just be a good editing job, but all of the kids seem to approach each new day with nothing but support for one another. There are inevitable conflicts (conveniently resolved in an hour) but no kid wants to see another leave Bonanza.

So I don’t understand the ‘exploitation’ concern because, again, it’s not like these children are doing this against their will. As for this question: ”Well, what if one of them gets hurt?? They’re out there in the middle of nowhere, with no adults!” Seriously? Seriously. First of all, the host of the show is an adult, so there’s one right there, on camera, every episode. Second, camera crew. Also, does anyone believe that ANY of these shows (Kid Nation, Survivor, Amazing Race) shoot without first aid nearby, and clear planned route to some advanced medical facility? Or, for that matter, regarding this show in particular, does anyone think there aren’t top notch psychiatrists on hand to make sure 40 pre-pubescent people stay under control?? Seriously.

But I suppose the whole aim of reality shows anymore is shock value and creating controversy. So I guess Kid Nation is doing a good job on that front. I wish it were more popular though. I envision a reunion show 10 years from now. Maybe Oprah could do it! But that won’t happen if people keep hating on the kids from the Nation.

Wednesdays, 8 pm EST. Watch it!

Water for Elephants opens with a vague passage of madness in the midst of a chaotic Big Top performance. The chapter closes at the height of the moment; the reader is thrust forward into present day and we’re introduced to Jacob Jankowski, a 93-year old nursing home patient. Immediately it’s clear that he is bitter over his plight; his mind is far too present and his body too functional to belong in the home. If his wife were still alive, Jacob tells us, he would never have been placed here.

He has a small group of friends at the home and enjoys the company of the ladies who think he is virile and handsome compared to most of his peers. One day, a few days before the circus comes to town, another nonagenarian enters the home. He tells stories of his days working on a circus, and goes on about how he used to carry the water for the elephants. Jacob overhears this and becomes enraged; “Do you know how much water an elephant drinks?!” he asks him angrily. The orderlies come to take Jacob to his room so that he won’t disturb the patients, but Jacob swears that he knows the other man to be a liar. He knows because, when he was 21 years old, he hopped a circus train himself and learned all too well what it took to care for a menagerie of big top animals.

From here, Gruen takes her reader on a surreal and stunning journey into Depression-era middle America, into the dark depths of a second rate circus.

After suffering a life altering tragedy, a young Jacob Jankowski walks out on his final veterinary exams and hops a train that passes as he’s walking the tracks. He is found as a stowaway and soon must show his strength as an animal caretaker. (Or be thrown out…literally.) He is reluctantly accepted into the working man’s segment of Benzini Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth. He meets Kinko, a dwarf performer; Camel, an old mentor who may have been on the train a bit too long; and Earl, the muscle of the Benzini security team. He meets August, the certifiable, crazy animal trainer and ‘Uncle Al’, the sleazy operator of the show. He’s absolutely floored when he meets Marlena, the beautiful horse rider, and August’s much younger wife.

Jacob quickly has to learn the ropes of the traveling circus. He learns where he can eat and sleep, where he is welcome and where he is not, who he can speak to and to whom he can’t. Benzini Brothers is revealed to be a creepy underground world, and Jacob finds himself tangled in scandalous cover-ups and, eventually, and life or death battle for love and for escape.

The book comes full circle, when the passage from the beginning is revisited and the characters’ roles fall perfectly into place.

This story was facinating from beginning to end. What I loved most was Gruen’s writing style; her conversations are realistic, even between two lovers. It’s something you don’t always find in these sweeping novels. Her characters are as rich and multifaceted as her setting descriptions. Not a word is wasted, and the book covers 70 years of time flawlessly. The end is bittersweet and satisfying.

Overall, a fabulous read!

I just came across the official trailer for the upcoming ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ movie, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana.

Not sure how I feel about this one yet. For starters, the film doesn’t seem to follow the book very closely. The general idea is there, the but the characters seem different, if not entirely opposite, than they were portrayed in the book. Also, I’m not sure how many times I’ll be able to listen to Johansson say “sister” in her mock British accent. (I love her, don’t get me wrong!)

Of course, I’ll be at the theater as soon as this one comes out- I think the cast is great, and I can’t believe that this many good people could make a bad film. I wonder, though, how it will hold up to those who haven’t read the book. Have to wait and see!

I’m a big, BIG fan of historical fiction. I like it because even the most romanticized version of history…could very well be true. Or at least, more than likely, there is as much truth to the story as there is fiction. This is especially the case when the fiction deals with a time before video cameras and before photography. The Other Boleyn Girl takes place in 14th century Tudor England- a place and time where records of lives and events were kept by hand, in ink, on paper. And the people from then who we know now are known only from the most prominent record keepers. In ’Girl’, author Phillipa Gregory explores the life of Mary, the less-notable sister of the notorious Anne Boleyn.

 Gregory’s interest in Mary Boleyn was what immediately attracted me to this novel. (I plan on reading the entire series. All in due time. Gregory is a phenomenal writer and absolutely shines with this particular time period.) Mary is generally thought of as having been promiscuous and air-headed, the less polished, undesirable sister of the Boleyn girls. In her book, Gregory simply asks her reader to think: If these things were true of Mary, why is it that she was the only member of the Boleyns to survive after the executions of her brother and sister, and the ruin of her entire family?

What is known of Mary is that she was a mistress to King Henry VIII before her sister Anne even entered the picture. She gave birth to two children while living in Henry’s court, and while she was married to another nobleman. William Carey was the legitimate father of Mary’s children, but some historians speculate that at least one child could have been fathered by Henry.* After William Carey died prematurely of an illness, Mary remarried. Sir William Stafford, her second husband, was a man far below Mary in social standing; at the time of her their marriage, Mary was sister-in-law to the King.

  To have married a man for no financial or social benefit, and to the dismay of her family, Mary must have married for love. This much is accepted fact. In her book, Gregory uses this relationship as the turning point in Mary’s life, and makes the argument that it was love that saved her from the fate of the Boleyns. The timeline in the book closely (although not perfectly) matches the actual events in English history, and the fleshed out characters add humanity to figures widely known as one-dimensional. Mary Boleyn is bright, brave, cunning and nurturing. Anne is strong, determined and yet vulnerable. Henry is a wise man with a hot temper and touch of boyish immaturity. It was facinating to me to read these people in such a way.

Gregory’s depiction of the Tudor court and the relationships among family members and friends within it carry her book. She flawlessly blends fact with interpretation and the result is a very believable story. Tudor England was perhaps the most significant point in Western civilization and Gregory found perhaps the perfect figure to tell its story.

 The Other Boleyn Girl is a definitive page-turner. I couldn’t put it down! It’s fast-paced and rich with detail and intrigue. I read cover to cover (just about 700 pages) in four days.

Another recommendation for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or romance!

*I’ve read countless research on the topic of Henry, his wives, his children. In all of his marriages, he was only able to produce two healthy daughters and one sickly son (Edward). It’s common knowledge that, while he blamed his wives for his inability to produce a viable male heir, the problem was his. Many historians point to Syphilis as the culprit. It should be noted that there is no solid evidence or academic agreement that any of Mary’s children belonged to the King Henry. All speculation. But again…not decidedly untrue.

It took me a while to get around to reading this one. The only consistent review I received was “Ohhhh that book is SO sad!” and then “But you won’t be able to put it down.” And I have to say…that’s the best way to sum up this instant classic from Khaled Hosseini.

Set in 1970s Afghanistan in the immediate years before Soviet control, and fast forwarding to present day when the nation has been forever altered by Taliban takeover, The Kite Runner tells an exciting, moving and alltogether upsetting tale of love and loyalty. Hosseini tells his story through the eyes of Amir, the son of Baba, a wealthy man of power in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Baba’s servant, Ali. Amir and Hassan are raised as brothers in Amir’s household, but social and religious tension, as well as a heinous violent act, tear the boys apart 5 years before Amir and his father leave to take refuge in the United States.

Fast forward to 2003. Amir is living in San Francisco and is married to a lovely Afghan-American woman, the daughter of another powerful man in their old country. Baba has passed away, and Amir is called back to the new Afghanistan by an old friend. Navigating his way through his first home becomes more and more dangerous as the days go by, and Amir begins to learn all of the secrets that were kept from him in his seemingly perfect childhood. He listens to heartwrenching stories of the deaths of friends and witnesses a terrifying public execution under the guise of a bearded, subserviant Taliban follower. 

Amir’s ultimate purpose in going home is as profound as the convictions he makes along the way. Knowing that he cannot return to the U.S. and his comfortable life in California without burying the demons he left behind in the Middle East, he accepts pain and possible death and makes ammends with his past.

The fictional story is sad enough, but even more devastating to me was knowing that the story is not fiction at all. Somewhere in the world, people were (and continue to be) living and dying in these appalling conditions.

 Hoseini’s book ends on a note of hope, that maybe some people can excorsise the ghosts of terrifying tyranny. Most importantly, The Kite Runner is a smooth page turner that opens doors of dialogue about humanity and freedom in places where people may have never known the lack of either.

 I would recommend this book to everyone.