The Year of No Summer: A Reckoning

On February 26, 2019February 26, 2019 By upstateasbIn Essays, Miscellaneous, Nonfiction, Outdoors & NatureLeave a comment

I did not finish this, though I feel that, at some point, I might go back. Certainly I think I’ll be tempted to do so. Odd and intriguing. My first thought was stream of consciousness, but…well…maybe. Freeform history? Some sort of literary tone poem? Or something like that. Say what? The language is beautiful and poetic, sometimes coalescing into more straightforward prose; and I wanted to read this simply for the words, lovely words; but then that coalescing comes along, taunting me with the possibility of narrative. I’ll let the author speak for herself, and she ends by saying, “I’m standing here thinking it all fits together, but how or why, I know not. My hands are too small for God.” Yes, right there, and Rachel Lebowitz, I admire what you’ve done, and I think it fits together, too. I want it to. Maybe I’m just not ready for it.

But you might be and, if so, click here to order from your local indie bookstore or from Amazon

Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me by Biblioasis via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the publisher, the author and Edelweiss for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

The Edge of Every Day: Sketches of Schizophrenia

On February 18, 2019February 19, 2019 By upstateasbIn Essays, Memoir, NonfictionLeave a comment

A noted author of essays and criticism, Marin Sardy is the daughter and sister of schizophrenics, her mother and her brother Tom. Although her mother was never officially diagnosed, doctors suggested that she did have some form of schizophrenia, and, to Marin, her mother was stolen by this “shapeless thief”. The earlier parts of the book explore schizophrenia in a way that feels rather loosely connected, and indeed, portions of this book were previously published as essays: personal experiences, effects on families, a possible link to creativity, David Bowie and Ms. Sardy’s own wardrobe choices. However, as the book nears its central story, that of her brother Tom, its earlier disjointedness seems purposeful, a mimicking of the “episodic, fragmented, gaping” effect of schizophrenia itself. Life to a schizophrenic is described as “a series of stills”.

Tom’s story is heartbreaking, and that is neither trite nor a cliche, no. No other statement does justice. Robbed of all hope and promise, homeless on the streets of Anchorage, in and out of our inadequate mental health care systems, loved helplessly by family and friends who shelter him when possible and search endlessly for resources, solutions, help of any kind. Ultimately, Ms. Sardy relates a personal experience with a baby raven as a way to tell us that “…sometimes, ceremony is the only resolution we can have.” A deeply moving and thought-provoking reading experience. Available in May wherever books are sold, or click the following link to pre-order at Amazon.com: The Edge of Every Day: Sketches of Schizophrenia

Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group / Pantheon via NetGalley. I would like to thank the publisher and the author for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I’m Not Here to Give a Speech

On January 31, 2019 By upstateasbIn Commentary, Essays, NonfictionLeave a comment

As for me, I’d grovel shamelessly before this man’s brain in a jar. Spend some time with the galactic genius of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in this collection of speeches spanning sixty-three years (1944-2007) and beginning with a speech he gave at seventeen to his graduating class. Speeches, according to Marquez, are “the most terrifying of human commitments”, and he tells us, “I began to be a writer in the same way I climbed up on this platform, I was coerced.” But how blessed are we to visit with him once more. Spend as much time or as little as you want. Dip in, especially when you need to be reminded that the human race can produce such a one.

Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group / Vintage via NetGalley. I would like to thank the publisher and the author for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed herein are my own.